A juggling technophile shares personal stories, challenges, humor and perhaps some political commentary.
Political commentary and awareness
Alright Youtube, I’m giving you another chance because this video is just plain funny and has a great end.
Its been eight long years since the boys said wassup to each other. Even with the effects of a down economy and imminent change in the White House, the boys are still able to come together and stay true to what really matters.
For reference, here is the original wassup commerical:
Since we don’t want to vote for Stacey Campfield, and he is running unopposed, who should we write-in? I always do myself but wouldn’t it be cool to actually see a write-in candidate show up in the numbers? For that to happen, we would all have to write the same name. Feel free to write-in "Doug McCaughan" but I think maybe it should be an easier name and better qualified like "Randy Neal" (maybe we ask Randy first)
Update Oct 29, 2008: My interpretation is now posted. Click THIS LINK to read the explanation of the Charter Amendments as explained by the County Law Director’s Office. If you are looking for a quick answer and want to vote my decision, vote (1) Yes, (2) Yes, (3) No, and (4) No.
I was just looking over the Sample Ballot for the General Election in Knox County, TN November 4, 2008. There are 5 potentially confusing choices that may leave many voters guessing. Has anyone put the Charter Amendment questions and the Liquor Referendum into plain English?
The questions are:
COUNTY CHARTER AMENDMENT QUESTION 1
Question 1: Shall the Knox County Charter be amended as follows: The Knox County Charter Section 9.05 D is hereby amended to delete the phrase “Not more than sixty (60) days and not less than forty-five (45) days prior to the next general election next following its appointment” and to substitute the following language: “In accordance with Section 9.05E” and to delete only the first sentence of Section 9.06 E, and to substitute the following two sentences: Any and all proposed charter amendments to be submitted to the voters of the County shall be submitted to the Knox County Election Commission in accordance with state law. The County Election Commission shall submit any Charter amendments certified and delivered to it, in accordance with the provisions of this Section 9.05, to the voters of the county at the next regular State or County election following the delivery to the County Election Commission of the ordinance or petition proposing the amendment?
Update from explanation: This is a housekeeping amendment to bring our county into conformance with state law. In short, the amendment says, "Amendments can be added to the ballot."
COUNTY CHARTER AMENDMENT QUESTION 2
Question 2: Shall the Knox County Charter be amended as follows: Section 9.05 of the Knox County Charter dealing with the composition of and the selection process for the members of a Charter Review Committee is amended by deleting Subsections D. and E. in their entirety and substituting the following: D. Within certain prescribed time periods, but not less than every eight years, a Charter Review Committee will review this Charter to determine the need for amendments. The committee shall be composed of 27 members with 1 member of the County Commission from each commission district to be nominated by the Commission, 9 non-commission members who are registered Knox County voters nominated by the Commission and 9 noncommission members who are registered Knox County voters nominated by the Knox County Mayor. Only 2 noncommission members shall be nominated from each commission district. The Commission shall vote upon each nominee individually. If the nominee does not receive a majority of votes, then whoever nominated that nominee shall nominate someone new. E. Proposed Charter amendments shall be submitted to the Election Commission in accordance with state law?
Update from explanation: This is also a housekeeping amendment. Apparently the current charter does not explicitly state how the composition of a Charter Review Committee (that is, who makes up the committee). I looked for the actual wording in the current charter but could not find it. So, as a matter of housekeeping, this question adds that language to the charter.
COUNTY CHARTER AMENDMENT QUESTION 3
Question 3: Shall the Knox County Charter be amended [1] to reduce the number of commissioners elected by the people from nineteen (19) to eleven (11) so that each commission district will have only one (1) instead of two (2) elected representatives along with two (2) at-large commissioners elected in a County-wide vote so that seven Commission Seats shall be elected in the County primary and general election of 2010 for an initial extended term of six (6) years and every four (4) years thereafter while four (4) Commission Seats shall be elected in the County primary and general election of 2010 and every four (4) years thereafter; [2] to insure no person shall be eligible to serve as a member of the Commission who is employed in any other position by Knox County; [3] to adopt a nepotism policy prohibiting an elected or appointed official from recommending, supervising, or causing employment of his or her relative to an office or position of employment within Knox County government and; [4] to require elected or appointed officials to disclose, prior to voting, any conflict of interest in any matter and recuse him/herself from the discussion and/or vote on the matter?
Update from explanation: This question is actually two unrelated questions in one. The first half of the question is asking do we reduce the number of county commissioners from 19 to 11. Each commission district would be reduced from 2 representatives to 1. And 2 at-large commissioners who would serve county wide and not be bound to district. This is similar to the way the city government works. So if you feel the city’s representation of the people is effective, then that part of the question is a YES vote. If you feel the city’s government is ineffective, then that half of the question is a NO vote.
The second half of the question regards a nepotism policy which obviously prohibits family from supervising or influencing employment of a relative. It also says that no person drawing a paycheck from Knox County would be able to serve as a commissioner. For example, a Knox County school teacher could not also be a Knox County Commissioner.
This is a tough question simply because the first half has to weigh between less overhead in our county government versus less representation. And the second half has to do with eliminating the good ol’ boy network in our county government (again, my interpretation, not the County Law Director’s Office). However, you cannot vote NO to half and YES to the other half. Your vote is either FOR or AGAINST.
COUNTY CHARTER AMENDMENT QUESTION 4
Question 4: Shall the Knox County Charter be amended [1] to take away from the people the ability to vote for the County Trustee, County Clerk, and Register of Deeds by changing these elected offices to administrative offices appointed by the Mayor subject to Commission approval effective September 1, 2010; [2] to take away from the people the ability to vote for the County Law Director by changing this elected office to an office appointed by the Mayor, subject to Commission approval, and subject to removal by two-thirds of the Commission for fraud or malfeasance, effective September 1, 2012; [3] to give the Mayor the power, with Commission approval, to create or eliminate major departments of county government and to appoint all department directors, subject to removal for cause by two-thirds of the Commission; [4] eliminate the office of County Auditor and put in its place an Inspector General to be appointed by the Commission for a six (6) year term, effective September 1, 2010; and [5] adopt a conflict of interest policy requiring elected and appointed county officials to disclose their personal interest in any matter requiring an exercise of discretion and to recuse himself/herself from participating in the matter?
Update from explanation: Right now, the positions of County Trustee, County Clerk, Register of Deeds and County Law Director are all elected positions. If you live in the county, you get to vote for the people who hold those positions. This question proposes that those four positions will no longer be elected. Instead the Mayor will appoint those positions.
LIQUOR REFERENDUM
[ ]For legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in Knox County.
[ ]Against legal sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises in Knox County.
Update from explanation: There are not overreaching implications of this question. Either we want to be able to have liquor by the drink served in bars and restaurants in the county, just like we do in the city, or we don’t.
To review and my recommendations:
Please post your thoughts in comments. I will be looking for an explanation online and possibly adding my own interpretation.
Michael Silence’s poll says the Amendments won’t pass.
Despotism is a form of government by a single authority, either an individual or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute political power. This 1946 Encylclopedia Britannica newsreel made to educate classrooms about political science explains:
If a community’s economic distribution becomes slanted, its middle income groups grow smaller and despotism stands a better change to gain a foothold. [Source, Despotism (1946), 4:40-4:51]
Another sign of a poorly balanced economy is a taxation system that presses heaviest on those least able to pay. A larger part of a small income is spent on necessities such as food. Sales taxes on such necessities hit the small income harder. In the days of the salt tax, feudal despotisms were partly sustained by this and other ?? [Source, Despotism (1946), 5:58-6:27]
I want to thank grog at the DailyKos for his interpretation of the presidential campaign as a Dungeons and Dragons game. It was funny until the gazebo reference..then it was hilarious!
Everyone go to Daisy Cutter and chime in with your thoughts on Universal Health Care. See also countries with universal health care vs those without.
McCain also got some good laughs at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner:
I haven’t found McCain’s closing yet although ABC has a 13 minute version of John’s performance but they don’t provide the ability to embed and the quality on my machine is painful to watch like ABC had their mics too hot. Be sure to watch Obama’s Fallback Career – Comedian.
Obama roasts McCain at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner:
Obama’s closing remarks:
Update:
Blogger rule #34- Never post prior to coffee.
Blogger rule #35- Never post while multitasking.
Blogger rule #71- Never post if after skimming an article you are not sure if it was satire or serious.
Blogger rule #3- Never post when your gut feeling says you are making a mistake (drafts are a good thing)
All that said, check out today’s satirical find at Patterico’s Pontifications. (after all, it was labeled humor as b-i-l points out) I misread it on my first pass. And my apologies to Jim Treacher and Patterico.
I try to read both sides so that I can understand the McCain supporters and to thoroughly appreciate all the issues. This statement is ridiculous:
James F. Treacher, Professor of Media Studies at Noesutch University, notes: "If Obama isn’t an evil, racist, fascist hatemonger of hateful hatred, why hasn’t he conceded the election?" [Source, Patterico’s Pontifications, Obama Rallies Turn Ugly]
What kind of logic is that? And coming from a university professor?! Btw, I think Patterico is stretching a bit in his Obama Rallies Turn Ugly.
You could write that quote as a fill in the blank and it still wouldn’t make sense! "If McCain isn’t an evil…" "If Bush isn’t an evil…" "If James F Treacher isn’t an evil…" It just isn’t a logical statement particularly when the contest is so even yet polls are showing Obama slightly ahead. Maybe we should do away with elections and we the people could all contribute questions toward a standardized test. Whichever candidate scores highest on The People’s Test wins the office.
Not really but John McCain just scored some points in my book. Well handled John! Watching this video was like watching a character actor step out of character. I’m still voting for Obama but McCain showed some class.
"[Senator Obama] is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States," he said, before adding: "If I didn’t think I would be one heck of a better president I wouldn’t be running." [Source, The Huffington Post, McCain Faces Backlash Over Rabid Crowds and Source, TalkingPointsMemo TV, McCain Tries to Tame Flames He Earlier Fanned (YouTube and Talking Points Memo site)]
HCR 2034 introduced by Representatives Johnson, Cooley under the reference title of "abolish federal government; state sovereignty" says that when the United States declares martial law, Arizona is outta here!
when or if the President of the United States, the Congress of the United States or any other federal agent or agency declares the Constitution of the United States to be suspended or abolished, if the President or any other federal entity attempts to institute martial law or its equivalent without an official declaration in one or more of the states without the consent of that state or if any federal order attempts to make it unlawful for individual Americans to own firearms or to confiscate firearms, the State of Arizona, when joined by thirty-four of the other fifty states, declares as follows: that the states resume all state powers delegated by the Constitution of the United States and assume total sovereignty; that the states re-ratify and re-establish the present Constitution of the United States as the charter for the formation of a new federal government, to be followed by the election of a new Congress and President and the reorganization of a new judiciary, similarly following the precedent and procedures of the founding fathers; that individual members of the military return to their respective states and report to the Governor until a new President is elected; that each state assume a negotiated, prorated share of the national debt; that all land within the borders of a state belongs to the state until sold or ceded to the central government by the state’s Legislature and Governor; and that once thirty-five states have agreed to form a new government, each of the remaining fifteen be permitted to join the new confederation on application. [Source, Arizona State Legislature]
Please note that I could not find a copy of this in THOMAS.
Update: The document says it is from House of Representatives, Forty-fourth Legislature , Second Regular Session, 2000. That would be pre-9/11.
I allowed myself to be distracted by the Presidential debate at Belmont in Nashville last night. I Twittered my thoughts as Obama, McCain, and Brokaw played their game. Naturally, apologies were issued for the flood. Read from bottom up.
#debate08 #nashdebate mccain scores last laugh by blocking tom brokaw’s teleprompter. Tom needs an improv class. about 9 hours ago from txt
#debate08 #nashdebate its the anticipated pow reference! Everyone drink! about 9 hours ago from txt
#debate08 #nashdebate political cartoonists are going to be on easy street for the next 4 years regardless of who gets elected. about 9 hours ago from txt
#nashdebate #debate08 not with Russia. The next cold war will be with China. Search http://realityme.net for “china” about 9 hours ago from txt
#debate08 #nashdebate have they forgotten they are on a stage in Nashville? Instant win to the first one that pulls out a guitar! about 9 hours ago from txt
#debate08 #nashdebate yes! Now its a debate! about 9 hours ago from txt
@therealhoff re Rules for Radicals yes about 9 hours ago from txt in reply to therealhoff
#nashdebate #debate08 a minute ago mccain’s hero was Reagan now its Teddy Roosevelt. about 9 hours ago from txt
#debate08 #nashdebate that’s the 2nd invocation of The Reagan! about 9 hours ago from txt
#nashdebate #debate08 either the debate caused twitter fail whaled, everyone went silent at once, or my phone melted. about 9 hours ago from txt
#debate08 #nashdebate i predict tonight’s winner is Tom Brokaw. Mccain, i won’t see a dime of your 5k. Wear my shoes! You won’t like them. about 10 hours ago from txt
@vinull keep a heathy society and have a productive happy society. The sick don’t add to gnp. #debate08 #nashdebate about 10 hours ago from txt in reply to ViNull
#nashdebate #debate08 John if you kill the oceans you kill us all. There is more to the continental shelves than money. about 10 hours ago from txt
Tom is really getting ticked about the 1 minute time. Just turn off their mics at 60 seconds. #debate08 #nashdebate about 10 hours ago from txt
#nashdebate #debate08 did he just complain about’fix it for us’? Isn’t that what we just did on wall street? about 10 hours ago from txt
Mccain is desperate! He invoked The Reagan! #debate08 #nashdebate about 10 hours ago from txt
$5k tax cut for medical won’t help many of the 47 million uninsured. I won’t see a dime of that 5k and i will still be without healthcare. about 10 hours ago from txt
Scalpel vs hatchet was good. #nashdebate #debate08 about 10 hours ago from txt
@akula i second the minute gong! #debate08 #nashdebate about 10 hours ago from txt in reply to Akula
Mccain can also lose “my friends” and “I did that” #nashdebate #debate08 about 10 hours ago from txt
I like that the candidates aren’t hidden been podiums. #debate08 #nashdebate about 10 hours ago from txt
Things they must quit saying:Obama-“well look” McCain-“i suspended my campaign” #nashdebate #debate08 about 10 hours ago from txt
@vinull i am liking the whip cracking. Obama takes first cheap shot. #debate08 #nashdebate about 10 hours ago from txt in reply to ViNull
Just how long was that campaign suspended? 2 days if at all? #debate08 #nashdebate about 11 hours ago from txt
http://debatehub.c-span.org/ is well done! about 11 hours ago from twhirl
@cspan just invited people to join them through skype. Cspan is demonstrating the right way to use technology! #nashdebate #debate08 about 11 hours ago from txt in reply to cspan
Rumor has it that outside a this valley thar be other states beyond just Tennersee. Nows I can vouch for that cus I done traveled a bit in my life and seen me those other states. That is til I ran into da Mississip out there to the West. Head South an’ it gets hot inside an out! The weather and food is spicy! And thar’s that Gulf of Mexco. Lota water an nothing else. Head East an tis the same thang. Ocean of water and far da eye cn see. Taint nothing else.
Now, it been told that beyond all da water thar’s other lands. Some says we came from there. Some says all the land was squished t’gether an it drifted apart like Billy’s raft done in the river current las sumner. Ifn ya ask me, I gots to say what’s it matter. Sholy a Twitter message caint reach dem other lands. It’d fly straight off da Earth befo’ ev’r reachin them lands.
Ahem! Sorries.
