Ethics in government?

I follow 44th District Congressman Jason Kander on Facebook (yes, Facebook) and find today that he wrote an "As I See It" column that was printed in The Kansas City Star this morning.

It is excellent.

In it, he very succinctly calls for ethics legislation for all the representatives out of Jefferson City.

Hallelujah. Amen, brother.

A couple examples:

"Missouri’s “anything goes” system of campaign finance seems designed to promote, not deter, laundering of political contributions. It is common practice by many Missouri politicians to shuffle funds from one political action committee to another to “wash” contributions and mask their source."

"We should ban committee-to-committee donations and make it a felony to transfer political money for the purpose of hiding the original donor."

For me, as I said on his FB page earlier today, the topper was when the Republicans took down all limits on campaign contributions.

That was terrific if you're a corporation or just simply filthy rich (and I mean filthy). This way, you can virtually, if not actually, buy any regulation or bill in government you want--or think you need.

On top of that, you can certainly help any friend and crony you want get elected so, again, you can get whatever legislation you decide you and/or your business needs.

Poor? Middle-class? Sure, you're screwed but for the wealthy and, again, businesses, you're in. You have it made. Truly the finest government your money can buy.

So kudos to you, Representative Kander. Good on ya', mate. We're with you. Keep pushing for higher ethics standards and ethics reform.

Let's help clean up Jefferson City and our government.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Link to story: http://www.kansascity.com/618/story/1592164.html

Not only is Michael Moore right about US health care but an insurance executive says he is

An open letter to Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond

Senator Bond,

We need to make it clear that we not only want true, comprehensive health care reform in our country, we need it--and we need it badly.

We need the single-payer option--but apparently aren't going to get it--and we need the public option for insurance and aren't likely to get that, either.

Lots of us don't have health insurance out here, Senator, because health care costs here in the States are the highest in the world, as we all know.

Lots more of us can barely afford our health care for the same reason.

We need help, Senator.

We need your help.

We need you to vote for health care reform when it comes up for a vote soon.

We know you're not likely to give it to us because you don't want this President or his party to succeed, for fear of your own party's failure, but it's the right thing for the country and for its citizens, and your constituents

It's the right thing, Senator, it's worth repeating.

Vote for health care reform, Senator Bond.

Do the right thing.

We need this help.

We need your help.

Sincerely,


____________________________

Now, go write Sen. Bond. You can do that here: http://bond.senate.gov/public/

On the City Manager being ousted

Forgive me, folks. I was out of town for a few days on business.

Some catching-up now:

I leave town for a couple of days and find the City Manager has been ousted?

Holy cow.

Sure, there was no love between the Mayor, it was known,but thrown out, just like that?

I read the article in The Kansas City Star about this thing and it has flags all over it. Following are some questions:

1) Why did Mr. Cauthen have to go? What did he do? Was it just poor work or was there something(s) inappropriate? Or both? I can't believe nothing has been said on this--and there should be. The Star needs to step up to the table and report on this very question.

2) The replacement is from podunk Marengo, Iowa?? Population 2,500?? Are you kidding me? To run Kansas City, Missouri?

3) The replacement guy was also hired without a current resume' or an interview, according to the Star. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?? I can't get hired to walk dogs without both of these things. How did this hayseed from corn-country get hired to run a city of Kansas City's size without both of the above?? "Oh, you do your job okay so I guess you can run the city, at least for a while, if you will. And while you're at it, here's $3,600.00 a week. Will that do?"

4) This is the perfect story for the Star. Is the newspaper researching this stuff, to find the answers?

5) Was or is anything remotely inappropriate (read: illegal) about this done or involved in any way--either the ouster or the new-hire?

And, just like when we fire our School Superintendents, it looks as though this is going to cost us around $250,000.00 to pay Cauthen to go away. But what the heck, it's just money, right? And in the meantime, we'll be paying the new guy the equivalent of $187,200.00 a year to possibly learn the job. And do a good one, it's hoped.

There are more questions to be asked, for sure, but I'll stop here. That's plenty for right now.

Stay tuned.

Links to stories: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1584137.html

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1587348.html

In praise of a newspaper

Having just flown from Kansas City to Birmingham, Alabama, via Chicago, I have to say the Chicago Tribune is a good, old-fashioned, well-written, well-researched newspape with lots of traditional, local stories and information.

It's a pleasure to read, even for those of us outsiders like me, someone not from Chicago. It had terrific stories about local people and their problems and issues.

Simplify! Simplify!

With a nod to Henry David Thoreau.

On a business flight today, I read an article in the in-flight magazine about a new trend in for runners and their running shoes.

The trend stems from research that finds that, since the 1930's, our speed runners have been running slower and slower, first, and second, virtually all runners have been experiencing more and more injuries. (For more information, see Christopher McDougall, "Born to Run").

What's that tell you?

It seems the running shoe companies have been making our shoes more and more complicated, technical and expensive with the result that it's worse for us and our feet.

Crazy.

Fit in with our current economic downturn, it seems we've come upon a time where we're to simplify. My Mom would have loved this if she were here.

So, herewith, are some thoughts on how we could and should, possibly, simplify further:

--How about we take all the chemicals out of our food? For thousands of years, we've and eaten our our food without them. It's only been in the last 50 years that we've introduced them to our food and lives and it hasn't been with good results. Can we agree on that? Does cancer mean anything to these corporations?

--How about taking our cattle out of the mud and feces-loaded feed lots, with the idea that we'll have less deadly e coli in our food?

--Could we take BPA out of our plastic food service pieces (utensils, cups, etc.). It's thought--strongly--to cause problems with our children's develpment, at minimum.

There's a few thoughts.

There are a lot more, I'm sure. Stay tuned.

Link: http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-fitness/2009/04/28/born-to-run-christopher-mcdougall-says-humans-evolved-to-run-like-the-tarahumara.html

Missouri ranks what?

There is a Forbes poll out just now on the healthiest and unhealthiest states.

The healthiest are, by and large--no surprise--in the Northeast with Hawaii right in there.

Iowa at 15.

Neighbor Nebraska? Not bad at 16 out of 50.

Kansas? 24. Again, not too shabby.

Missouri?

Oops.

38.

In the bottom half, for sure.

Not only that but we're also in the "bottom 10" when examining obesity, overall.

Then there's smoking and Missouri burns that one (no pun intended) by coming in dead last (again, no pun intended) at 50.

The only way that looks good is if you compare us to neighbor Oklahoma who, at 49, are only worse off than nearly-always-at-the-bottom Mississippi.

Ow.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/16/unhealthy-healthy-states-lifestyle-health-states-top_chart.html?partner=yahoohealth

Mohler case just gets worse and worse

As if this whole Mohler family incest/rape case, with the father and sons all doing God knows what to relatives couldn't get any worse, it just did.

It seems now they're accused of murder, too, according to The Kansas City Star.

"The Mohler case took a bizarre twist with new documents indicating that the young child victims allegedly were forced by their father to help kill a man abducted from his driveway."

Yi. How horrible.

Why couldn't this have not happened?

Or happened in some other state, anyway?

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/679/story/1575436.html

Oh, yeah, that seems fair, for sure

http://www.kansascity.com/679/story/1573135.html

Protesting over what?

Wouldn't it be nice if the local clergy--and everyone else--who has their bowels in an uproar over the clothing policy issue at the downtown Power & Light District were as upset and giving as much energy to the killings that have gone on in town for the past year also?

I mean, come on. Sure, go protest about some real or imagined discrimination but if your own people are being killed in drive-by shootings and whatever, isn't the murder rate much more of an important issue than someone not letting you in a bar because of your clothes?

Let me be clear here, too. I am absolutely not defending any discrimination that may or may not be going on downtown. I don't defend anyone's discrimination, anywhere so don't accuse me of that.

I'm just saying if you're going to protest clothing, where were these groups last summer, when people were shooting and frequently killing people in their own homes and front yards?

And where will they be next summer, when it starts all over again?

Does this strike anyone as hypocritical?

Link to stories: http://www.kctv5.com/news/21621538/detail.html

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Group-Protests-Dress-Code-at-P-L-District/jK20e3uhw0unJGKxBaLbPQ.cspx?rss=764

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/1570708.html