Dave Congalton on News Talk 920 KVEC

The 28th Amendment

2009-11-07T19:25:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Richard in Atascadero for passing this along -- a proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

Amendment 28

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .

Much Ado About Nothing

2009-11-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jeff Bliss for again joining us tonight and offered fair and balanced analysis about Tuesday's election. It's been interesting to see how the MSM has been all over the map these last 24 hours, touting the Republican victories in New Jersey and Virginia as a sign of defeat, a bad omen for Obama.

Hardly. As we discussed tonight, the exact same scenario hit Bush in November 2001. Back then, the Democrats picked up two governorships, but still went on to lose in both 2002 and 2004. Voting for governor is hardly a mandate on Washington D.C.

Meanwhile, in New York, a Democrat won for the first time since 1872. And he defeated a bona fide conservative embraced by Sarah Palin. To me, that was equally stunning news. Plus the Democrats held on to their East Bay seat. It could have been a lot worse.

I'm more worried about the Republicans than I am about Obama. the conservative wing continues to rule the roost and moderates are not welcome. So keep letting Rush and Glenn Beck pick the Republican candidates. I don't think most Americans like extremists on either side.

The larger drama for Obama is whether or not he gets health care passed by the end of the year. He'll get it through the House. The Senate? Well, that could prove more daunting. Still Obama seems in better shape today than last summer. This first year in office has been his reality check and he's had to do some growing up fast on the job. Should be an interesting Year #2.

Will vs. Cheney

2009-10-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Conservative columnist George Will went after former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday, saying the Bush administration could have used some "dithering" before they invaded Iraq.

Will was responding to the VP's widely-circulated comment that President Obama was "dithering" on Afghanistan and putting troops in danger. On the contrary, Will said, it was hasty decisions that put people at risk.

"A bit of dithering might have been in order before we went into Iraq in pursuit of non-existent weapons of mass destruction," Will said on ABC's "This Week. "For a representative of the Bush administration to accuse someone of taking too much time is missing the point. We have much more to fear in this town from hasty than from slow government action."

It is interesting to see such a strong response to Cheney coming from a conservative like George Will. As we pointed out on the radio show last month, George Will also broke ranks by calling for us to withdraw from Afghanistan. However, Dick Cheney continues to be the rhetorical lightning rod of the right. Usually it's customary for former presidents and vice-presidents not to speak critically of the current administration, a practice even George W. Bush has honored. But not Cheney. He has attacked Obama repeatedly and publicly during the last 10 months. This time, however, Obama supporters are pushing back with a legitimate comparison -- how can the architect of our invasion of Iraq be so critical of a President trying to clean up the mess in Afghanistan?

Rush-ing Penalty in the NFL

2009-10-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to confess that I'm feeling a bit sorry for good old Rush Limbaugh this week. Here's a guy who has more $$$$ and more influence than any 100 Americans, but he still can't be part owner of an NFL football team.

Associated Press is reporting:

"Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from a group seeking to buy the St. Louis Rams.

Limbaugh was to be a limited partner in a bid led by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts, but Checketts said in a statement Wednesday that Limbaugh's participation had complicated the effort. The group will move forward without him.

Checketts said he will have no further comment on the bid process. Limbaugh did not immediately respond to an e-mail sent late Wednesday seeking comment on Checketts' decision.

Limbaugh said on his radio show earlier Wednesday that he had been inundated with e-mails from listeners who supported him in the bid.

"This is not about the NFL, it's not about the St. Louis Rams, it's not about me," Limbaugh said. "This is about the ongoing effort by the left in this country, wherever you find them, in the media, the Democrat Party, or wherever, to destroy conservatism, to prevent the mainstreaming of anyone who is prominent as a conservative.

"Therefore, this is about the future of the United States of America and what kind of country we're going to have."

So is this political payback or just another attempt to smack down Rush whenever he tries to swim in the mainstream? Personally, I don't understand why the NFL doesn't want his money. They've given Michael Vick, a convicted dog killer, a second chance. Why can't Rush have a first chance? Bizarre.

Congratulations, Mr. President!

2009-10-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

We all woke up this morning to the news that President Obama has been selected for the world's most prestigious honor -- he is the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Obama is only the 4th U.S. President to ever receive this recognition.

All Americans -- I repeat -- ALL AMERICANS should be proud this morning. We should be proud of our President. Proud to be Americans. The Nobel Prize is a big deal.

But try telling that to conservatives, who are already jumping all over Obama and his selection:

"The unexpected news that President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has created a remarkable bit of fury among the president's Republican opponents. One week after conservatives were exuberant with Obama's failure to secure the Olympics for his hometown of Chicago, they were left bitter and bemused that he was bestowed the world's most prestigious honor

"The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?'" reads a statement from the Republican National Committee. " It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain -- President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action."

This is sad. You can question whether or not the award is premature and I welcome those posts here. But here we have the far right trying to tear down our President every chance they have. Unlike George W. Bush, this is not a policy debate. Barack Obama is this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the only thing anyone sohuld be saying today is this:

CONGRATULATIONS, MR. PRESIDENT!

Chicago -- Not Their Kind of Town

2009-10-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

So the news is all over the Internet this morning. Chicago was booted in the first round of the IOC site selection committee voting, despite President Obama flying there personally to lobby delegates. They opted instead for either Madrid or Rio.

We'll talk about this tonight at 5:05. I think the criticism from the Right has been silly. Why shouldn't Obama have gone to try and secure the Summer Olympics for our country, and for Chicago? Nothing wrong with that. Tony Blair did it for London. Putin did it for Moscow.

However, I'm struck by the enormous gamble Obama took and why he did it. He's coming off a very rough summer. He's being perceived as not tough enough by his critics. So now he hands his critics another issue to attack him with. The IOC rejected him. Had I been advising Obama, I would have said, "If they can guarantee in advance that they'll vote for Chicago, go. But unless they can do it, stay home. Send your wife. Send your kids. Your critics will jump all over this and make you look weak."

And I think that's exactly what's going to happen.

What do you think?

The Issue is Drinking

2009-09-28T01:30:00.000-07:00

We have spent a lot of time on the radio lately discussing college students and drinking in San Luis Obispo. It remains the problem that refuses to go away. Tuesday night's city council meeting promises to be emotional and interesting as council members chart a new direction -- one which many students might not enjoy.

Council member Andrew Carter will be on the show Monday at 5:05 to discuss the issue and preview the council meeting. he sent over this Op Ed piece which was published in the Trib. Give it a read. What do you think?

"The students are back, and the beer and booze are flowing. At least that’s how it seems to many of us in San Luis Obispo. In the ten days before the start of Cal Poly classes, City and University police arrested at least 64 people for public intoxication or DUI and cited more than 135 for other noise and alcohol violations. On many nights, crowds of one thousand young people or more roamed the neighborhoods near the university.

On Tuesday at 7:00 pm, City Council will be meeting in special session to talk about this issue. Before us will be several proposals from Police Chief Deborah Linden on ways to step up enforcement efforts throughout the year. Here’s some of what’s on the table:

1) Changes to our noise ordinance. For years, the focus of the City’s noise ordinance has been the issuance of warnings, not citations. In large part, that’s because there are not enough police officers to police the bars downtown and parties in the neighborhoods. Most citizens would be surprised at how hard it is to actually receive a noise citation.

Normally, it takes two warnings in a 60-day period before a residence goes on a “premise list,” which then makes the residents eligible for citation on the third offense. The residence stays on the list for six months. Host a noisy party every 90 days, and the residence never goes on the list. Host two noisy parties in 60 days, but “be good” for six months before holding several more. In either case, no harm, no foul, no citation.

Chief Linden is now proposing that a residence be immediately placed on the premise list after one warning. The residence would then stay on the list for twelve months. In effect, one warning, that’s it.

2) Creation of an “unruly gathering” ordinance. One of the key problems we have in the city is large parties. This can mean parties of 100 or more with young people spilling out of a house or apartment into the yard or courtyard and out into the street. Often, people are coming and going and the hosts don’t know half the people there. Often, binge drinking and underage drinking are taking place and there are problems with vandalism, public urination, and other offenses.

Chief Linden is proposing an ordinance modeled on one being used in Tucson and Rohnert Park. Host an unruly party of this kind, not only would you be immediately cited, but your residence would be “red tagged.” That would mean residents would be subject to fines of $1000 or more if there is a future unruly gathering and attendees at that future party could be personally cited as well. An actual red tag is used on the residence to alert everyone involved. There’s even a fine for removal, defacement, or concealment of the tag.

3) Holding landlords responsible. Chief Linden is also proposing ordinance changes that would begin to hold landlords responsible for the repeated actions of their unruly tenants. This could include fines as well as revocation of the business license that all landlords are required to hold if they rent property in the city.

I support everything Chief Linden is proposing, but there is still the issue of adequate police resources. Creation of better ordinance “tools” won’t have a significant impact if there are not enough police officers to use them. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve long supported a local liquor licensing fee as in Santa Cruz or even a local alcohol tax to pay for additional police officers. The primary issue police are dealing with at night in San Luis Obispo is alcohol use and abuse. Isn’t it time that alcohol itself pay for the cost of enforcement?"

ACORN in aTrouble

2009-09-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

I first became aware of the organization called ACORN during the 2008 presidential election. They came under attack by conservative pundits, but that was beaten back and the issue seemed to go away.

Until now. Here's part of the recent Washington Post article giving an overview to the issue. Seems like mismanagement and fraud has been taking place. How will this taint the Democrats? We'll talk about it this week on the radio, but feel free to weigh in now.

"The liberal political organizing group ACORN faced internal chaos and allegations of financial mismanagement and fraud long before two young conservatives embarrassed the group with undercover videos made at field offices in Washington and across the country.

Internal ACORN documents show an organization in turmoil as last year's presidential election approached, with a board torn over how to handle embezzlement by the founder's brother and growing concern that donor money and pension funds had been plundered in the insider scheme.

Minutes from a meeting ACORN held in Los Angeles last summer reveal a group then on the brink of financial collapse. "Currently owe over $800k to IRS," the minutes note. "Haven't paid medical bills of over $300k. We are essentially 'broke' nationally and lots of offices are struggling."

Some top ACORN officials tried to shield the scheme, which involved Dale Rathke, the brother of ACORN founder Wade Rathke. "Leadership has no faith in staff. Wade betrayed them," the minutes said.

The documents present a troubling picture of one of the nation's leading social justice advocacy groups, with more than 400,000 members, offices in 75 cities and an expanding international presence.

ACORN, or Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, was founded in 1970 and is supported in part by government grants. It has forged relationships with banks, federal and state agencies, and nonprofit groups that have made it a major force in helping low-income families buy homes and in bringing marginalized voters to the polls. The ACORN political action committee endorsed Barack Obama in February 2008.

ACORN said in a statement Saturday that it has taken "decisive action" to correct problems detailed in the documents, which it said were stolen and leaked to investigators for a House oversight committee. Spokesman Brian Kettenring said ACORN has reorganized, severed its connections to Wade Rathke and "been made whole relative to the monies stolen in 1999-2000." He also said that "arrangements have been or are being made to correct all tax delinquencies."

An investigation by Republican members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also showed that there was concern within ACORN that its voter outreach efforts, which are required to be nonpartisan, were aimed at electing Democratic candidates, a key complaint of conservative critics."

Read the rest of the article at the Washington Post

"You Lie!"

2009-09-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

President Obama spoke tonight and he spoke well.

At least one conservative, Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, seemed to be confused, thinking he was in a town hall meeting instead of listening to the President of the United States. At one point, in response to Obama's claim that illegal aliens would not be covered in the reform legislation, Wilson blurted out "You lie!" Actually, he doesn't Cong. Wilson. FactCheck.org already points out that the legislation bans funding for illegals.

Never mind that. Total disrespect for the President on display. If this doesn't energize the Democrats, nothing will. Jeff Bliss discussed the speech tonight on the show and felt that Obama was too harsh on the Republicans, too many cheap shots. The consensus tonight seems to be more that Obama was trying to energize the Democrats and stick it back to the Republicans after taking quite a beating this summer.

Tonight I think you saw the Obama that people voted for in November, the Obama who took office in January. It was a return to form. Chris from Paso called in to say that there was nothing new in the proposals. Perhaps, but doesn't matter. What was different tonight was Obama and he finally seemed to be on message. His back is to the wall and he's taken a huge gamble on his young presidency with this issue.

I've said it before -- when the dust settles, we will have some kind of health care reform.

Shame on you Joe Wilson. Keep your yap shut when the President is speaking.

Mr. President. Welcome back. We've missed you, sir. Now I know our side will win.

What About Afghanistan?

2009-09-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

Agree or disagree with Obama, it's pretty clear that his domestic agenda has overshadowed anything going on overseas. Which is unfortunate because we continue to wage two major wars and the dialogue on our involvement has been lost amid the debate on stimulus spending, clunkers, and health care.

So let me ask the question -- What about Afghanistan? we have been involved there for eight years. I have supported our involvement there since the beginning. I saw it as the appropriate response to 9-11. Iraq was an unfortunate distraction. Afghanistan was the real thing. I also have always been impressed by Defense secretary Robert Gates.

Now it seems like we're beginning to have doubts. Several Democratic senators have recently announced plans to vote against spending increases for the troops. George Will raised eyebrows when he called for U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

So I'm curious where you stand on the issue. After eight years, are we making progress in Afghanistan? Should we be escalating? Do you still support the mission? And what exactly IS the mission?

Enjoy your holiday weekend. Mardi and I will be doing a show on Monday.

Three More Years of Hometown Radio

2009-08-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce that I sat down with KVEC management today and we worked out all the details to keep Hometown Radio on KVEC through 2012. Just a word of thanks to our many sponsors, listeners, and callers who are the backbone of the show. And a special thanks to the management of El Dorado Broadcasters who continue to recognize the value of local radio. This remains the best job to have in the county and I look forward to future battles on the radio -- and this infamous blog -- as we hash out the issues of the day.

Have a great weekend!

The Lion of the Senate

2009-08-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

Ted Kennedy died tonight. he was 77.

We'll host a special segment on the radio Wednesday night from 5:05 to 6 to get local reaction. You're also invited to post comments here.

I will say this -- his was an extraordinary life, living in the shadows of two assassinated older brothers, but finally finding himself on the floor of the U.S. Senate, being elected 9 times to that office. I believe his is the third longest record of service in the Senate's history. This was a man with many, many personal flaws, but even arch conservative Orrin Hatch spoke tonight from the heart in paying tribute to his departed colleague. Kennedy was a master of politics and a champion of health care, civil rights, and education. We will not see his likes again. He was arguably the most famous and most influential U.S. Senator of his generation.

it will be interesting to see if Kennedy's death finally mobilizes the Democrats into getting their act together and pushing through some kind of serious health care reform in the fall.

Program Note

2009-08-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

As promised, we'll have a health care reform debate on my show this week. Chris Arend and Walter Heath have agreed to appear on Thursday from 5 to 7. We'll chat for the first hour and welcome your phone calls during the second. Both men are intelligent, articulate, and passionate about their respective positions. I thank them in advance for what will certainly be a Great Debate on Health Care. Tune in. Call in.

Remembering Life Before Obama

2009-08-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Many of our bloggers are delighting in the poor summer President Obama seems to be having. Even his defenders, including me, cringe at the way some of the health care debate has taken shape.

But it's always helpful to keep an eye on the recent past and remember HOW BAD things used to be at every level. Of course, I'm talking about the second term of George W. Bush, still and forever, the worst President in modern U.S. history.

This just came out today. Anyone surprised? Say what you will about Barack Obama -- he never stooped this low.

"In a new book, former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge reveals new details on politicization under President Bush, reports US News & World Report's Paul Bedard. Among other things, Ridge admits that he was pressured to raise the terror alert to help Bush win re-election in 2004.

Ridge was never invited to sit in on National Security Council meetings; was "blindsided" by the FBI in morning Oval Office meetings because the agency withheld critical information from him; found his urgings to block Michael Brown from being named head of the emergency agency blamed for the Hurricane Katrina disaster ignored; and was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush's re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over.
Dave Weigel, writing for the Washington Independent, notes that in the past, Ridge has denied manipulating security information for political reasons. In 2004, for example, he said, "We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland Security."

The Bush administration was forced to admit in the days after the 2004 alert that it was based on intelligence three or four years old. Officials then claimed there was a previously unmentioned "separate stream of intelligence" that justified the warning -- but offered little tangible information to support their new story..

ThinkProgress recalls, the AP reported that "even 'some senior Republicans' privately questioned Ridge's timing of a terror alert that came just three days after the Democratic National Convention."

The Summer of Discontent

2009-08-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

The streets seem to be on fire this summer. Protesters disrupting town hall meetings on health care. Or fringe elements confronting elected representatives on the question of Obama's birth. Glenn Beck suggests that Obama himself is a racist on a TV show (rhetoric that thankfully cost him a few advertisers).

Meanwhile, Obama is sinking in the polls, though still at least at 50%, hardly George W. Bush numbers. The one consolation is that the Republicans seem to have dropped into single digits -- voting against Sotomayor is not likely to help them.

But discontent hangs in the air. We're mad at everyone over everything, but since Obama is the guy promising change, he's taking the heat. Personally I think he needs to take a vacation, rethink things, and come back to a fresh start after Labor Day. After all, look at what all that vacation time in Texas did to help President Bush in 2001.

So what's your theory? Why the discontent? And what's the solution?

by the way, kudos to Bill Clinton for his work in the safe return of the two journalists from North Korea. If only Obama's domestic programs could match his foreign policy achievements.

Wow

2009-07-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, you come across something that just makes you stop and shake your head. This is one of them. It is unbelievable how this "Birther" movement has creeped into the public debate. It's like swift boating taken to an extreme. Very sad. Very.

"Less than half of Republicans believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America, a new public opinion poll finds.

Only 42 percent of Republican respondents in a Research 2000 survey, conducted for the liberal website Daily Kos, said they thought Obama was a natural born citizen; 28 percent said they did not believe Obama was born in the United States; 30 percent said they were not sure.

The responses, which were gathered after several prominent conservative media personalities fed suspicion that Obama was unconstitutionally holding office, show the extent to which the conspiracy has taken hold in the GOP.

That only a plurality of Republicans were willing to acknowledge the president was born in America is nothing short of astounding, considering the preponderance of evidence that confirms his Hawaiian birth.

The conspiracy has a regional flavor. Overall, even including Democrats and independents, only 47 percent of respondents in the South said they believed Obama was born in America, with 23 percent saying he was not and 30 percent saying they were unsure. In the Northeast and Midwest, the percentage of respondents who believe Obama was born in the U.S. was over 90 percent.

Ninety-three percent of Democrats say the president was born in the United States, as do 83 percent of independents.

The Research 2000 findings were pulled together from a survey of 2,400 adults."

The End of Sunny Acres

2009-07-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

We devoted the entire second half of Monday's broadcast to an exclusive interview with Dan DeVaul from Sunny Acres, the controversial clean-and-sober facility out on Los Osos Valley Road. Dan's attorney, Jeff Stulberg, read a statement on the radio announcing that Dan was giving up his years-long battle with the county: Sunny Acres will stop serving meals to residents this Friday. County officials will be invited to come out on Saturday and decide what will happen with the 40 men and women who currently live there.

Regardless of what you think of Dan DeVaul, I urge you to listen to the podcast that will be available tomorrow on the KVEC web site. Listen to his voice. Listen to the surrender in his voice. He's spent. He's giving up. The county made yet another unscheduled inspection of the property last week and that appeared to be the final straw for Dan.

As Jeff pointed out, there's much sad irony to this decision. He quoted Sheriff Pat Hedges as saying that he prefer the residents be at Sunny Acres, rather than roaming the creeks. He named examples of where county mental health and other departments had begged Dan to take clients because no one else could handle them. There was a barrage of phone calls, the last one from a woman who used to live at Sunny Acres, in tears at the memory of how Dan DeVaul helped her.

So we have a real pissing match here, don't we. The county wants Dan to follow the code and pay enormous fines. Dan wants to be the cowboy in the spirit of Alex Madonna and do things his way.

Meanwhile, what about those 40 homeless people? Who cares for them now.

It is a pity that it has come to this, shameful that the county and DeVaul could not reach some kind of common ground. It's not too late. Is there a county supervisor willing to step forward and make some kind of 11th hour deal? Let's hope so. Closing Sunny Acres is not the solution.

Acting Stupidly

2009-07-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Mardi and I were watching the Obama press conference last night in the studio. Thought Obama did fine until the last question, when the reporter from the Chicago Tribune asked him about the arrest of Henry Gates, the African-American Harvard professor. As you know, Obama made the unfortunate comment about the police "acting stupidly" in this case. This, having already admitted he didn't know the facts in the case. I turned to Mardi and said, "Oh Oh."

You can read the facts of the case all over the Internet. The police acted professionally and responsibly. Gates immediately tried to turn this into a racial situation. Sadly, Obama took it up a notch and said it was clearly racial profiling, which begs the question, "Can a white officer ever arrest or question a black person without it becoming racial profiling?'

We'll discuss this issue today (Thursday). And Santa Maria Bill will take on health insurance reform.

But President Obama has to learn to speak without a teleprompter and he has to avoid putting his foot in his mouth. Meanwhile, he should apologize to law enforcement everywhere.

The Issue is Health Care

2009-07-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

President Obama will hold a prime time press conference Wednesday at 5 p.m. (PST). We'll carry it live; should go for about an hour. Susan Mullen will join us afterwards for perspective. Meanwhile, on Tuesday night from 5:30 to 7, Ralph Weber is coming down from Paso to explain his problems with the Obama health care proposal.

Obama has some tough challenges ahead. His popularity has dropped, though interestingly the Republicans have not gone up in the polls and Congress remains even lower. Even Democrats seem nervous about these proposals and Obama faces an uphill fight to get anything done this summer, as promised. Will this be another Clintonesque fiasco ala 1993, or will Obama once again find a way to work magic?

So how your health care coverage? Are you satisfied with the present system? Is government intervention the answer, or do you trust the private sector to deliver? It should be an interesting press conference tomorrow night.

Also on Wednesday, we'll get reaction to the so-called budget resolution in Sacramento. I'm still waiting for the details, seeing who will suffer most from the cutbacks -- I'm guessing the poor and the elderly. They seem to have the fewest lobbyists.

More Fireworks in July

2009-07-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

This should be an interesting week.

As I write this, the hearings have begun for Judge Sotomayor, well on her way to being confirmed as the third woman Supreme Court justice, and Obama's first nominee to be confirmed to the High Court. As a Republican senator from Florida admitted today, she'll be easily confirmed by the Senate, short of a total meltdown. The only real question is how many votes does she get? There will be a great deal of grandstanding for the cameras, but don't expect much.

More explosive to me is what's happening over at Justice. Attorney General Eric Holder is making noises about wanting to investigate certain aspects of the Bush administration on the issue of torture. Pete Evans joins me tonight onthe radio to discuss this issue. In the past, I've been opposed to such a tactic, but Cheney has proven to be very mysterious and pretty much a loose cannon as vice-president. I'm not calling for prosecution, but let's investigate Cheney and see if we can determine the extent and impact of his deception and secrecy.

And Michael Jackson will go away before Sarah Plain. New polls show her to be the darling of the rank and file, but the insiders want nothing to do with her. Here's what I don't get: Palin pretty much self-destructed in the final days of the 2008 campaign and she could never handle the Tina Fey impersonations. Why is that likely to change in 2012?

Finally, Obama has hit some rough waters and the reality sets in that charisma is not enough to beat back these tough economic problems created under President Bush. It's going to be harder. It's going to take longer. But I agree with Wise Guy -- we've got the right man for the job in the White House and he will lead us to a better place.

July should be an interesting month.

Your Government at Work

2009-07-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our friend Jeff Bliss for passing this along. Kay B. Day of TheUSReport uncovered this interesting nugget:

"The US Social Security Administration is dubbed one of the best agencies to work for, and judging by a training conference, I can see why. Fox News scooped the training conference held at the Arizona Biltmore, a facility claiming to be "known throughout the world as the 'Jewel of the Desert.'"Every room has a well-stocked mini-bar and for the weight conscious, a scale. The SSA, Fox said, flew 700 managers to the resort for a conference with skits, a dance troupe, Casino Night and door prizes.

If you're recalling President Barack Obama's fit about private companies doing the wine- and-dine in exotic locations after taking taxpayer bailout money, you're not alone. The federal government spends taxpayer money with no shame, no integrity and no accountability. [Continues after video.]

The Fox reporter asked a SSA spokesman, "With withering criticism over the misuse of taxpayer dollars, many people will look at this and go, 'Wait, same thing.'"

The spokesman replied, "There's a clear distinction between the two. They received specific bailout dollars. We didn't. We're not using any recovery money. There's no ARA money involved in this."

That sort of brain-dead reasoning prevails in Washington. Bureaucrats think if the bucks don't come from one pot, it's fine if they come from another. There's a complete lack of consciousness regarding safeguarding taxpayer dollars.

Every taxpayer in the nation should send the SSA a bill for any federal funds used on this excursion .

With billions of tax dollars wasted on overpayments, the SSA should be sending employees to stay in a wilderness camp. The only reason they won't: those people wouldn't survive the challenge.

The entire department management should be fired, and so should the agency heads. Once again, the federal government proves its ineptitude as we, the taxpayer, face a government composed of looters."

The Governor Steps Down

2009-07-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a strange summer for Republicans. First, Senator Ensign from Nevada goes public with his blackmail story and scandal. Then Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina completely loses it over his mistress from Argentina. Two bright political careers flame out rather quickly. Sanford should be stepping down fairly soon.

But what the heck happened up in Alaska today? Gov. Sarah Palin announced she was stepping down at the end of July. Not that she wasn't going to run for re-election in 2010; she simply was walking away. Now. The national press has been characterizing Palin's press conference (in which she took no questions) as disjointed. Pundits from coast to coast are surprised by the announcement.

It doesn't seem to make much sense, nor does it inspire much confidence in the ability of Sarah Palin to serve in national political office. Some of her allies were saying she was done with political life. Others are claiming she's merely laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2012. But why resign from office? Who resigns from office these days? Why can't she finish out her term for another 18 months and THEN run? Does she know about something looming on the horizon that we don't? Are there more scandals brewing in Juneau that we're not aware of? There's talk of Palin joining a conservative think tank of getting her own radio talk show.

Very bizarre. Should she run for office in 2012, I suspect this decision will come back to haunt her. It seems to undercut her credibility as a leader.

Meanwhile, the luck of Obama continues. He struggles and fights, but when you look at the opposition, well, he still seems pretty strong.

Back in Town

2009-06-29T22:58:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note to say that I'll be back on KVEC starting Tuesday. Thanks to Mardi Hall, Jim Richards, Natasha Prybyla, and all the guest hosts for stepping in and allowing Charlotte and me to enjoy our first (and hopefully not last) visit to Hawaii. What an incredible place.

Of course, we hit Honolulu on Thursday, just as the news about Michael Jackson started spreading. It seemed to be the only topic in both the local and national media and it looks like the media interest will continue. Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina must be breathing a huge sigh of relief since our national media seems capable of only covering one topic at a time. I'm just as glad to have been away last week-- the death of MJ seems a needless tragedy, but I'll leave coverage to others.

Obama Summer

2009-06-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

Aloha from sunny and scenic Molokai. This is my first visit ever to Hawaii, and I'm hoping it won't be my last. Charlotte and I are having a wonderful vacation so far and it's easy to tune out the world when spending time in such an isolated spot. Molokai is extremely rural -- there are two hotels on the entire island and two grocery stores. Everything shuts down on Sundays, but it truly is a great place to visit.

Speaking of Hawaii, I bet there are moments when President Obama wishes he was still here. I'm hopeful that KVEC will carry his Tuesday press conference live as the President is expected to address a variety of domestic and foreign issues. By all accounts, the honeymoon is over; it's down to serious business.

This is what ABC News/Washington Post reported on Monday:

"Barely half of Americans are now confident that President Obama's $787 billion stimulus measure will boost the economy, and the rapid rise in optimism about the state of the nation that followed the 2008 election has abated, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Overall, 52 percent now say the stimulus package has succeeded or will succeed in restoring the economy, compared with 59 percent two months ago. The falloff in confidence has been sharpest in the hard-hit Midwest, where fewer than half now see the government spending as succeeding. In April, six in 10 Midwesterners said the federal program had worked or would do so.

The tempered public outlook has not significantly affected Obama's overall approval rating, which at 65 percent in the new survey outpaces the ratings of Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at similar points in their tenures. But new questions about the stimulus package's effectiveness underscore the stakes for the Obama administration in the months ahead as it pushes for big reforms in health care and energy at the same time it attempts to revive the nation's flagging economy.

Obama maintains leverage on these issues in part because of the continuing weakness of his opposition. The survey found the favorability ratings of congressional Republicans at their lowest point in more than a decade. Obama also has significant advantages over GOP lawmakers in terms of public trust on dealing with the economy, health care, the deficit and the threat of terrorism, despite broad-based Republican criticism of his early actions on these fronts."

So Obama is sliding on the issue of the economy, but still more than 20 points about the hapless Republicans -- have they found their missing Governor Sanford yet??? Bizarre -- the guy has four kids and he skips out on Father's Day. So much for family values.

I still believe in this President, but the problems/challenges facing this nation may be larger than any one man. It will be an interesting summer. He has to Labor Day, I think, to maintain our trust. If he fails in the next two months, it could easily become the winter of our discontent.

Aloha

2009-06-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

Just a short note to indicate that Charlotte and I are escaping for awhile after the Thursday broadcast. I'm taking my laptop with me and hope to continue administering the blog, but who knows what high tech is available on Molokai. I'll do my best to keep the posts going in a timely fashion, but let me apologize in advance for any delays.

We have some great guest hosts on board next week. Enjoy. I'll be back on the 30th.

Dave