How Low Can You Go?
This story in Pro-Publica examines a newly released study on natural gas drilling in New York State. The article mentions how low the bar has been set in other states. As a first-hand witness to legislative apathy regarding this subject, I tell you most Arkansas lawmakers have no idea just how low they have gone.
Somebody/Anybody Needs to Run Against Beebe
When I decided to run as an Independent for Governor of Arkansas back in 2005, one of the first things I did was schedule a sit-down with the front runner, Attorney General Mike Beebe. A lot of people might not know this, but a lot of Democrats were upset with his strong-handed nomination by way of the old, deep, corrupt East Arkansas state political super structure. A power I still don’t recognize or understand- but that’s beside my point here…
I sat down with Beebe because I wanted to hear the real deal. I wanted this distinguished professional to tell me what he was going to do and how he was going to do it. I must say that in the half hour conversation that followed I graduated from astonished (when he displayed no understanding of thermodynamics), to horrified (as I learned that the size of his ignorance was matched only by his ego), to angry (because I knew he could probably pull it off).
You know the rest of the story. Landslide victory. Small town boy does good. Tar paper shack… But do you know that when I ask members of Beebe’s staff behind closed doors about how they think things are going they say things like: “We’ve just got to make it through the rest of this term without looking bad…” and they are much more concerned with how the press and public perceive them than with the very real problems that I have fruitlessly displayed to them in the last 3 years. Do you really think education matters to an administration that survives on the backs of the uneducated?
When I see back to back headlines that read: “Beebe Approval Rating 80% Favorable” and “Arkansas Ranks 47th in Child Poverty” am I the only one that screams out in frustration?
Here is the real deal people. Mike Beebe is a 13 Million dollar investment by the way that it has always been. He has no opposition in the 2010 election. Someone, anyone, please run against him.
What’s Going Ahn?
When I ran for Governor in 2006, I often compared the Dims and Repugs to Humvees and/or Tahoes at an impasse on the same bridge. Now I’m starting to see them as cowardly vampires. They publicly pretend to hate each other but when given an open coffin and a wooden stake they look the other way. I guess they wouldn’t have anyone to blame if they drove the stake through the hearts of their enemy. Or maybe they would cease to exist? Kind of like firemen if there were no fires or warriors if there were no wars. Do we still need politicians?
Cities Can Save the Earth (Mayor Stodala)
My wife and I have been crowing about this since the early nineties.
Tape This to Your Dashboard
Ever stuck at a red light with a Jaguar, Cadillac or Tahoe in front of you with a Senate or House of Representatives license plate? Print out this handy guide and you can go give an earful to the official of your choice. (Or maybe follow them home and roll their yards on Halloween?)
