Friday, April 29, 2011

BASIN'S VIEW ON THE ROYAL WEDDING

1. It is probably instructional to be reminded that there are still a few countries where the term "Commoner" still has meaning. It's kind of like watching a 60 minutes crew drive through Albania. It's nice to be reminded of anachronisms;

2. We should never really miss a chance to teach our daughters that fulfillment is defined as whether she can marry a man of title, wealth or accomplishment--as opposed to what she can accomplish herself;

3. Don't these people realize that the NFL Draft is still going on? There are just certain things you don't do and competing with an Icon like Cam Newton is one of them.

Friday, April 15, 2011

POKER, PUBLIC POLICY, INDIANS AND HIGHER EDUCATION

By now, you know the back story: The FBI has closed down the major online poker sites. Seizures and arrests are happening as I type this. Everybody is going to lawyer up and this thing will shake out in about three years. In the meantime, this raises some serious policy questions:

1. First, this is obviously going to drive the poker players back to brick and mortar games. What are the Indians going to do with all that extra money? This is a true redistribution of assests, from the Carribean to the Reservation.

2. The impact of this on campus cannot be overstated. What are the guys who can't get a date now going to do on weekends?

3. I can't wait for the next "Freakanomics" book to come out. The analysis of the use of resources here and the likely unintended consequences should be very entertaining.

4. It's kind of interesting that a source of banking business is being tubed while the Gov't is telling banks to get their cash balances up--after all, it was banks who made this gaming possible.


Anyway, it'll be a while before we see the River Card on this one.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

AUTHENTICATED AS COMING FROM CAROL NICHOLS

Dear Friends and Citizens of the School District:

It has been so difficult for me to watch and read about the candidates currently running for School Board.

From my eight years on the Board and from the recent court case, I know so much of what has gone on “behind the scenes.” I have seen first-hand deception and manipulation of the lowest kind,
inappropriate behavior, and actions unbecoming of the office. Some of this stems from ignorance and just not recognizing when one is being manipulated. Some stems from arrogance and plain selfishness.

Decency attracts decency. Unfortunately, poor behavior attracts those who act in an equally destructive way.

From an honest and careful review of what I know to be true, I ask this of you: recognize very destructive performance vs.genuine sincerity and skillful commitment. On April 5, vote for Richard Jones,
Tom Dickerson and Stephanie Erwin. (They are listed #2, #3 and #4 on the ballot).

Sincerely,

Carol Nichols

GREATEST CAMPAIGN THEME OF ALL TIME: 6TH WARD "YOU'RE SO STUPID, YOU NEED ME!"

I have reviewed the GOP sixth ward candidate's drop piece.  Never has a candidate held his electorate in such low regard.

He begins by promising to "answer my phone" (a stupefyingly low standard).

But then he moves to this beauty "...our infrastructure (i.e. streets, sidewalks, drainage system) continues to age." 

Never mind that he doesn't know how to punctuate it.  Never mind that infrastructure of any City "continues to age."  Uh, Jimbo, it never gets youngerNo, the real beauty  here is this fellow thinks his neighbors are so terminally stupid, he has to explain to them what "infrastructure" is.

Altogether, a terrific campaign theme: " You're an idiot and I have no respect for you but I'll answer your phone calls and act like I'm interested."


 

A LITTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT HELP FOR YOUR FRIENDLY BASIN

I have gottten a letter stating it is from a former school board member that is worthy of publication but I cannot authenticate it.  My guess is that it is authentic, but I do not want to guess.   If the writer will authenticate it, I shall be glad to post it.  Email is rule5draft@gmail.com.

Your prompt assistance shall be appreciated.

Friday, April 01, 2011

A-MAYS-ING SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION HUMOR: COUTERFEIT WARNING


     I have no idea if it is connected with yesterday's post but today, I rec'd the following in an unmarked envelope via USPS, 6230, Area Code.  It is too funny not to run here but I want to emphasize two things first:  I don't think everything in the letter is true (and it is certainly not from Jeff Mays himself); Second, I actually consider Jeff a valued friend who has, in his position as a School Board Member, been very straight up with me and my office.   Still, he's a public figure and this is obviously a spoof, so I share the letter with you for amusement purposes only.
 

My name is Jeff Mays and I am running for re-election to the Quincy School Board. I have put forward several statements and commitments so far in this campaign but I wanted to communicate with you about the one issue that I feel is the most important. That issue is that people should only be retained and/or promoted based on performance and not how long they have been on the job.
Let's look at my performance on some of the key issues I supported in my 2007 campaign and since I was first elected 4 years ago.
1.              I promised that if you elected me, I would be a one term Board member and would not run again. Let's forget that one.
2.              I advocated for neighborhood schools. I found out how much more expensive it was to operate more buildings so we closed one. Let's forget that one too.
3.              I said we should never adopt prevailing wage and that I'd do everything I could to defeat it. I voted no in June 2007 but then found out we are required by law to adopt it. If it didn't pass, those who vote no can be removed from office. When it didn't pass in 2007 we had to schedule a special meeting to vote again. I told Glenn to change his vote to yes and I left town so I wouldn't be there. The next year, 2008, I voted for it.
4.              I was critical of Tom Dickerson's leadership so I orchestrated the deal between Glenn and Bud to get them as the President and Vice President after the 2009 elections. After Glenn resigned and Bud became President, I voted to elect Tom as Vice President. When it became obvious that Bud was the wrong person as President, I voted to give all the powers of the President to Tom. I guess that's one we should forget too.
5.              I promised to not raise taxes without having a referendum. I voted to raise the tax rate in December 2008 and December 2009 but did not seek a referendum. The Board has twice had a referendum since I was elected. Both times I voted against even having a referendum. I guess I didn't want to let a majority of the voters decide an issue.
6.              I was a supporter of Jim Carlock and his attorney's Tort lawsuit. I wanted the District to just settle the matter by paying the litigants the millions of dollars they were seeking Well, Jim and his group did not prevail and all they got was approximately $32,000. Although the District had to spend over $500,000 to defend itself in this multi-million dollar lawsuit, there is one bright spot in all this. My brother through his 195 S. 36th Corp. got the two biggest checks of the settlement.
That pretty well sums up my performance. If I was held to the standard that I want for the school district employees, I probably wouldn't do too good. But I've always considered that there are two standards, one for me and one for everyone else.

So please ignore my performance and vote for me on April 5         Thank you.

Editor's Notes:  The spacing and fonts are different from the original rec'd in my office due the scanning process.  The author is obviously not a grammarian so I cleaned up a few grammos simply to prevent gnashing of teeth taking away from the entertainment value of the piece.