Friday, February 3, 2012
An early open line
Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 3:08 PM
I'm checking out early to work on a project. The line is open. Stuff to add:
* REPUBLICANS RIP TREASURER SHOFFNER ON MISSED DEALDINE: I mentioned this earlier in the day and now the Arkansas Republican Party is making hay about a paperwork screwup that could cost 14 Arkansas counties a total of $1.1 million in federal support for road and other projects. It's kind of complicated. As the Association of Arkansas Counties tells it, the legislature in 2011 transferred authority for disbursing of federal turnback on Forest Service timber sales from the state Education Department to State Treasurer Martha Shoffner's office. Shoffner got a letter notifying her of the change, but the assumption appears to have been that a veteran Education Department employee would continue handling the paperwork as she always had. That employee retired. The paperwork wasn't filed by the Sept. 30 deadline. When the Forest Service called Shoffner's office about the missing documents, Shoffner's office got on it and filed the papers 20 days late, on Oct. 20. The state and the congressional delegation are now appealing denial of the money, which would have been distributed about this time of the year. The state is arguing that the state substantially complied. Counties' plans for spending the money had been drawn up and reviewed by federal officials, for example. A meeting a few days ago went well, county officials said. Now, they are waiting word. Meanwhile, Republicans have another example of a state foulup by a Democratic officeholder to add to the Forestry Commission. They want Shoffner to admit her "gross mismanagement." Perfectly fair. I just wish they'd issued the news release yesterday, when Visa, the credit card company, was using Shoffner as a pinup for its PR gimmick to market the credit card peddler's supposed good citizenship through a video game distributed to high schools. The immediate impact of the problem is delay of planned work, except in one case. Montgomery County may have to lay off three workers already employed for upkeep of rural parks. Here's a full rundown from the Association of Arkansas Counties. Stone County managed to get its paperwork in on time. Said AAC's Jeff Sikes: "The county treasurer had a note on her calendar or a tickler in her calendar that there was something that needed to be filed in September. When she didn't receive anything she started calling and, eventually, was directed to a Forest Service website where she downloaded the election form. She mailed the form in herself." See jump for Shoffner's response
* NEW MISSION FOR FT. SMITH FIGHTER WING: A new mission has been won for the 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith, which had been in danger of being cut. It will lose 20 A-10 aircraft, but will begin responsibility for a remotely piloted mission. That IS the future, isn't it?
* HEADSTART: Stephens Media has been following the nitty gritty, but it looks like the Head Start operator in Russellville — CDI — that ran into financial troubles is going to be mostly replac3ed by another operator. The new operator will take over federally funded slots, but some confusion remains about whether the troubled operator will get to stay in place and receive money provided through the Arkansas ABC program (which makes no sense in terms of efficiency or anything else). A statement from Arkansas DHS:
The federal government has hired CDI out of Denver to take over the HeadStart slots relinquished by CDI Russellville. Both the Headstart and ABC slots that CDI Russellville has will remain at the same facilities in the same counties so that there will be no disruption of service to the children. DHS will increase its monitoring of the programs. Historically, the CDI Russellville programs have been very high quality with few problems. DHS has no indication that any state funds were misspent. (ABC funds are reimbursed, meaning we pay for services already rendered.) Management from CDI out of Denver will be here on Monday to begin the transition of the Headstart program, but that contractor doesn’t officially take over until Feb. 10. In the meantime, the facilities continue to be open and the children continue to receive services.
* CARE ABOUT VETERANS?: I'm hearing that a stout grassroots response is underway to the city's crazy emergency ordinance to remove by-right zoning approval for everything from churches to liquor stores with specific emphasis in between on agencies that serve people in need of mental health services, such as the VA vet center proposed for 10th and Main. The ordinance is aimed at giving the City Board a tool to kill the vets center. Great question posed by a reader:
I notice a psychologist's office downtown on Cumberland Street. Will all psychologists and psychiatrists have to apply for a conditional use permit in the future? Will the psychiatric floors of St. Vincent and Baptist hospital have to apply for permits if they seek new facilities. What about the new Psychiatric Research Institute at UAMS. Would the new Wolfe Street center for Alcoholics Anonymous (on Louisiana, behind the proposed vet center Main Street) have been approved under this ordinance? The list goes on.
This ordinance hasn't been thought through, beyond the kneejerk effort by Mayor Mark Stodola and U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin to stop at nothing to prevent establishment of an adequate, carefully conceived facility for people who fight our wars. The ordinance would add a conditional use permit to hurdles the vets center must jump. Stodola believes he has the votes to kill it. If enough people call city directors, that vote count could change.
Here's how to reach your city directors.
RESPONSE FROM MARTHA SHOFFNER TO FEDERAL FUNDS ISSUE
The State Treasury did not receive any notification of the election process in 2011 from the U.S. Forest Service. The election forms have historically been submitted by the Department of Education, even for the previous two years when the State Treasury made the distribution of the funds, pursuant to Act 1476 of 2009. It was never communicated to the State Treasury that they were not contacting the counties and submitting the report for the September 30, 2011 deadline. The State Treasury was notified by the U. S. Forest Service by telephone in October that the report had not been submitted and would be accepted at that time. Treasury staff immediately contacted the counties for their election and submitted the report by electronic mail within two days. It was not until two weeks ago that the State Treasury learned the report was not accepted. We have been working with the Association of Arkansas Counties and Arkansas Congressional staff in D.C. in hopes that the Forest Service will reverse their decision.
Going forward, the State Treasury will accept responsibility for the county election report and will put policies and procedures in place for the process. Our office will monitor whether or not the program will be re-authorized for 2012 and beyond. Once that decision has been made at the national level, we will move forward with these plans and will make sure the U. S. Forest Service has the appropriate contact information for State Treasury staff.
One problem with office's excuse. This July letter, addressed to the treasurer from the Forest Service, sure looks like notice to me. Spokesman Debbie Rogers claims this letter was never received by Shoffner's office.
Speaking of...
-
Richard Lugar defines the political landscape
May 9, 2012After his defeat yesterday by a Tea Party candidate, Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar issued a statement defining the state of politics nationally. /more/
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Pryor casts a vote with labor
April 25, 2012There are measurable differences between Sen. Mark Pryor and the Republican Party, as much as the diehard leftwingnuts here want to deny it. /more/
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Huntsman: GOP like China
April 23, 2012Jon Huntsman, the Republican former governor of Utah, nailed modern Republican politics in remarks Sunday. /more/
-
Republicans win message war on women this week
April 13, 2012As I drove to New Orleans yesterday and listened to radio news, I almost exploded on more than one occasion over evidence that mainstream news reporters continue to be easy marks for the Republican message machine. /more/
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Republican agenda no joke
March 18, 2012I half-jokimgly concocted a Republican agenda for incoming caucus leader Bruce Westerman. You'll see in an interview he gave Stephens Media that I wasn't far off. /more/
-
Women's rights bring Hillary Clinton to the fore
March 14, 2012The Republican Party war on women's medical freedom brought a rousing speech from Hillary Clinton a few days ago (see speech above). /more/
-
Democratic Party sues to remove Fred Smith from ballot
March 13, 2012The Arkansas Democratic Party has asked the Pulaski Circuit Court to remove former state Rep. Fred Smith from the ballot for the state House from Crittenden County. /more/
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Exploding the tax-cut myth
March 13, 2012Ernest Dumas writes this week about the most cherished of Republican core beliefs — if you cut taxes, a mighty stream of prosperity will pour down on the rich and the unrich alike. /more/
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SC Republican sex pledge makes foe wonder
March 8, 2012The South Carolina Republican county committee that has required candidates to sign a pledge they never had premarital sex and that they'd never look at porn again has prompted a response from South Carolina Democratic chair Dick Harpootlian: Since it is apparent porn and sex must be a big enough problem in the Republican Party to warrant a written pledge to avoid them, I would be very cautious about getting into a small space like a bathroom or a voting booth with a Republican. /more/
-
Sex and the Republican Party - a loser
March 6, 2012When the Moonie Washington Times says Republicans are losing the fight on President Obama's policy to cover women's preventive care, including birth control, you know Republicans are losing the fight. /more/
- More »
Comments (44)
Showing 1-44 of 44
Republicons bitching about not getting MORE Stimulus money!
Just think, Arkansas and Shoffner doing its part to reduce the Federal deficit and
Republicons are complaining about it. Beats all I ever heard.
like
dislike
"DHS will increase its monitoring of the programs..."
After their inability to NOT see or monitor the programs of two faciliities teaching a brand of religion funded by state money, this line doesn't make me feel any better.
President Obama has joined an exclusive club, there have been only four presidents before him that had a 50% increase in the Dow Jones Industrial Average during their first three years of office - all but Coolidge were reelected to a second term. Coolidge was worn out and chose not to run in 1928 and passed the baton to Hoover.
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-0…
The second article proves scientifically what we've all learned from certain posters here at the Arkansas Times. Low I.Q. Is Linked To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/i…
There's no such thing as a liberal bigot.
rs Drake has been penning a column at Washington County Observer which now is online. Today's column:
"The 2012 presidential election will be the first since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, allowing large organizations such as unions and corporations to contribute an unlimited amount of funds to promote candidates and issues. How do you think this will affect the outcome of the race?
I once wrote a short story about a fu- ture America in which people voted not for politicians, but rather the corporation they trusted they most to run the country.
http://wcobserver.com/2012/01/political-sp…
Concerning the Vet Center,
Just saw a completely unrelated item on CNN during lunch.
National unemployment was some 8%
Male Iraq veterens was 11%
FEMALE Iraq VETS 20% unemployment!!!!!!!!!
Support our troops MY A$$!
Rah rah rah go fight for our country, but you better not get yourself hurt and you better not lay around sleeping and stuff while not in combat because you need to use that time to find a job for after you get back.
We like our soldiers to pull themselves up by their own army bootstraps!
I don't know anything about him personally, but Stodola's appearance (and his ideas) makes wonder if he doesn't drink a lot.
Just released today is this movie, "Pink Ribbons" an expose of SGK. Here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QPZfcYTUaA
Re: Drones in Ft. Smith
I was hiking in the East Fork Wilderness area of the Ozarks yesterday and I'm pretty sure my buddy and I saw a drone. It was low, made a lot of noise, had a little metallic flicker for a sec and was gone.
But if I start feeling an uncontrollable urge to sculpt Devil's Tower out of mashed potatoes...it was something else.
How does a government monitor its programs, if the department that is charged with the monitoring has its funding cut by the people who complain about the lack of monitoring?
Cognitive dissonance would be an applicable term if cogitating had ever occurred.
Raymond, here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqhE7ieH2R8
Last night, my German wife's 93 year old aunt, Tante Rita, died in a hospital in Germany. On Wednesday, she had just finished lunch with her nephew and niece (her goddaughter who was named after her) and had been talking and laughing with them. The nephew went to the bakery for some cake, and when he came back he found that Tante Rita had suffered a stroke. She had immediately slipped into a coma, fell over to her right and was being held up by the younger Rita, her niece, as they sat at the table.
She was taken to the hospital within an hour but they said there was no hope and that it was just a matter of a day or so before she passed away. As nearly all people are in Germany and most of Europe, she will be buried in a nice wooden coffin with brass handles. She will be buried beside her mother in the local graveyard and her nieces, nephews, and relatives will provide her with a grave marker.
The grave marker is the only expense the family has to pay for since all the rest is taken care of by the system and government. Unlike here in America, there is no embalming and, as mentioned earlier, no outlandishly expensive coffins or special services.
As word spreads to family members about her death, all agree that her last coherent moments on earth were very pleasant, that she was cared for by family when she suffered the stroke, and that she died peaceably when her time came.
During her last hour, she enjoyed a good meal, chatted and visited with loved ones, and laughed at the funny things that happened now and in the past in the lives of those she knew. And, as her final thoughts whispered into nothingness, she leaned against one of those she loved and cherished.
Auf wiedersehen, Tante Rita.
Rainy night in Georgia for birthers. A judge smacks down their lawsuit.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/80417613/Farrar-…
Conclusion on page 10: "President Barack Obama is eligible as a candidate for the presidential primary election under O.C.G.A 21-2-5(b)
AND the freaks at freerepublic are distraught, as well as insane, delusional, possibly in need of a Secret Service visit for some, and stoopid---so much stoopid it burns. Here's the link, but don't go there and give them the page views. Just take my word for it.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-blogge…
Thanks Marc!
"I guess you've noticed things are a little strange with Dad"
RIP, Tante Rita. Sounds like she had a good death as well as a good life, Jake.
Condolences to your family, Jake.
Tante Rita was a fortunate woman.
Considering Tante Rita never married and had no children, I certainly think so too.
Wonderful story Jake. Thank you.
I just shook my head at the family's rational choice about the service, coffin and costs.
We must recall Germany has been a civilization much longer than the U.S.
After my sis' death 25 yrs ago, my brother-in-law was outraged by the local funeral home's attempt to play on his grief and temporary weakness with their funeral pitch at him. They were pitching the "water-proof" casket that would "never leak" for upwards of
$8,000. He asked the fuckheads "Is somebody going to dig up the coffin in ten years to see if it leaked?"
In Arkansas funeral homes have the legislature well covered.
R.I.P. Rita. Her family was very fortunate to have her pass that way.
I've told my wife to just have me cremated in a cardboard box and store my ashes in an urn at home, and to have the wake (if she wants one) there in my living room. No renting the fancy funeral home chapel, no minister who has to look at a cue card to remember my name, no plot rent/maintenance, no rusting coffin that costs as much as my Hyundai Accent, none of that crap! She'll use my life insurance for better things than that. Funerals are for the living, and I despise the scum that prey on the bereaved. She'll be out the door for the cost of my transportation, cremation and ashes containment system.
My condolences Jake to you and your wife and the rest of Tante Rita's family.
In regard to the Treasurer's office, incompetency knows no party boundaries. We have Martha Shoffner and we have Mark Martin.
That is hopefully good news about the 188th - as long as a human American is at the controls, obeying the orders of our Commander-in-Chief.
However - I will forcefully oppose the deployment of any machine that makes autonomous decisions about killing humans. Humanity will face that issue at some point in the foreseeable future, and it would be a huge mistake to leave those decisions to machines.
About death and dying, everyone must reach their own decision. "The American Way of Death" was an expose of the funeral industry written about 50 years ago, and it revealed all of the evils mentioned above. It doesn't seem, though, that Americans paid too much attention to it. We are still getting "water-proof vaults," and expensive caskets. It seems to be our way of ensuring that our loved ones will "go out with style," and that we have fulfilled our obligations to them. If it makes survivors feel better, maybe it is okay. Because, basically, that is what the funeral industry is about--making the survivors feel better.
You might be amazed, plainjim, to read what the lobbyists for the funeral and mortuary industry have written into law and regulations over the years.
Jake, thanks for sharing and Tarte Rita, RIP.
When my mom died, my brothers, sister and I went from the hospital to the funeral home and asked about coffins and they gave us a price range and then left us alone. The cheapest one at the time (1986) was $500 but search as we did, we didn't see it in the showroom. When we asked, they seemed surprised and said they kept it in the "storeroom". We didn't
select it but it was obvious that it wasn't really among the "choices".
My wife and I had already made up our minds on cremation and when she died, it made the effort so much easier. Her remains are buried in the courtyard of our church and the space next to her is already reserved and paid for in my name.
Smart choice cbb. I've asked that my remains be spread over my beloved White River at different points. Some of them may make it to the Arkansas River then to Mississippi then to the ocean.
Raymond & rc, based on your posts you will both be interested in an NPR story hear this afternoon:
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/03/146350507/dr…
It's 33-minutes long about "drones" or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)- how many private hobbyists have drones, allowing drones to possibly make "kill" decisions, and so very much more.
plainjim, you and others interested in the American death industry (clearly it is an "industry") need to find a copy of one of my all-time favorite movies- "The Loved One" starring Jonathan Winters, Liberace, Robert Morse, Sir John Gieldgud, Anjanette Comer, Rod Steiger, Paul Williams, and Lionel Stander. It's a 1960's black-and-white picture that parodied the funeral industry for humans and for pets. I first saw it in a theater back in the 60's (1965 release date). Some years ago we managed to snag a video online and family members have been enjoying it ever since.
Raymond & rc, based on your posts you will both be interested in an NPR story hear this afternoon:
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/03/146350507/dr…
It's 33-minutes long about "drones" or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)- how many private hobbyists have drones, allowing drones to possibly make "kill" decisions, and so very much more.
plainjim, you and others interested in the American death industry (clearly it is an "industry") need to find a copy of one of my all-time favorite movies- "The Loved One" starring Jonathan Winters, Liberace, Robert Morse, Sir John Gieldgud, Anjanette Comer, Rod Steiger, Paul Williams, and Lionel Stander. It's a 1960's black-and-white picture that parodied the funeral industry for humans and for pets. I first saw it in a theater back in the 60's (1965 release date). Some years ago we managed to snag a video online and family members have been enjoying it ever since.
Beautiful story Jake. My condolences to your family. Tante Rita was one of the lucky ones to die so peacefully after a good long life.
Condolences, Jake. Still sounds like a great way to go.
Plainjim--many families never talk about this subject. So sad. Maybe it's conscience that makes them go to extremes.
Years ago I received a call from a funeral director, who wanted me to come and make prearrangements and spare my family. I told him there would be no services.
"You're counting on the rapture?" he asked.
"No," I said. "I'm counting on UAMS."
"Oh," he said. "That's a viable alternative." And he hung up.
Raymond, one more re 'Drone Swarms' sent by my brother (much shorter video):
http://bit.ly/xKJ5MA
Postulate: "Everyone lies about sex!"
So what does this article say or imply about conservative and Republican veracity?
Republicans Take Orgasm Lead in Poll
http://www.newser.com/story/138904/republi…
The judge delivers his verdict to the birthers in Georgia. (just 9 seconds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe…
After reading the morning DG--there appears to be a lot of buck passing at the treasurer's offices. I understand that a lot of paper passes through government as well as business offices. Too bad people get so tied up in their routines that they pass the reading off to others, or file it in the round file. That should be a firing offense.
These weren't toys. It had jet engines or I wouldn't have heard it. I'm pretty sure Bubba in Hector isn't flying jet drones....yet.
Cheers to Director Hendrix for questioning Stodola's and Griffin's moves to setup roadblocks to the VA Clinic relocation to Main Street.
It's nice to see a public official do their job and not join in Mayor Stodola's and Representative Griffin's reprehensible "No Dogs and Veterans Visible" prohibition for Main Street.
Here you go Raymond -
http://campusprogress.org/campus_files/upl…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe…
Just enter 'surveillance drones' on youtube or as an image seatch on a search engine.
Here's a message I received in response to the petition I have started on "change.org"... I chose not to post the name...however, I am not able to add or delete names to the petition:
Robbie, in an effort to post a message it seems I accidently signed your petition supporting the VA center's new location. Can you please remove my name from the petition. As a resident and property owner in the downtown area, I feel the new location will bring additional crime to our neighborhood.
Please know I have immense gratitude and respect for our veterans; my cousin served in Afghanastan and my brother served in the Air Force. I am very supportative of our veterans - they need and deserve our help. But, this is not just a VA clinic. This clinic serves homeless, drug addicted and mentally ill clients almost exclusively. Please don't ask us to take on more of this element in our neighborhoods - we already have plenty of crime and folks urinating and defecating on the streets. Please help us find a location that is suitable for the VA and the downtown residents - one that doesn't expose us to even more crime.
Thank you,
(Name withheld)
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