The Charter Commission

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Jerry Marrow writes, in a letter to the Oak Ridger today, that "there is danger on the horizon with the election of this Charter Commission."
 
That is true — though it may be the only thing he wrote that is true.  Let’s take the rest of the errors one by one:

Like most small towns, our city has been run for the benefit of a few. The rest of us pay the highest taxes in the state and get the least amount for it. We’re number one.

Um, no.  We all pay the same tax rate.  Even businesses that receive tax abatements, like Bristol Place apartments, are still paying the same tax rate as everyone else… the abatement just defers taxation on the full value of their improvements for a few years.  So, they’re still paying a lot more in property taxes than they did before the development.  And they’ll pay even more after the abatement period.

We’re all taxed equally; businesses pay taxes on 40% of their assessed value, and homeowners pay taxes on 25% of their assessed value.  It’s all the same tax rate.

Secondly, our tax rate is not the highest in the state — see for yourself.  With a combined City/County tax rate of $5.45 (that’s the Anderson Co. part; the Roane Co. part is lower), compare that to Memphis ($7.29), Germantown and Bartlett ($5.63), Knoxville ($5.50), and others.  Yes, our tax rate is higher than most.  However, we get more than most — would you compare our schools, our police department, our refuse removal, to any of those places?

We get a lot of bang for the buck in Oak Ridge.

The term for a council member would be two years.  These people are like gym socks, you can’t change them often enough.

I challenge you to ask anyone who has served in local elected office — current or former — if their first two years of service were the most effective.  I’m confident that every one would concede that there’s a learning curve, and that they became more effective once they came up to speed.  So rather than gym socks, let’s use a little different analogy: would you change dentists every two years, because it’s better to have one fresh out of dental school than one with more experience?

Maybe not.

We should have district representation with the council member living in that district. I do not trust and neither should you trust somebody to take care of your district that doesn’t live there. As I’ve documented before, my area and your area is being cheated out of city monies.

Oak Ridge is small enough that people living in the various geographic areas (voting precincts?) have much more in common than differences.  The population of ONE Nashville City Council district is more than half the size of all of Oak Ridge — and they have 40 people on City Council, not counting the Mayor!

The last part of his blurb is one that you should think about very carefully:  in the previous paragraph, he complains about the tax rate.  Next, he wants more spent on his district.  Is it not natural to conclude that, if Council members were elected by district, each would want more spent in his or her district than in others — regardless of need or overall benefit to the City as a whole?  Think earmarks and pork-barrel spending.

Lastly, the allegation of some areas being "cheated out of city monies" is very serious, but no specifics are offered.  It’s instructive to note that the district (precinct) that has received the most in city expenditures during the term of this Council — Highland View — does not have a Council member residing in that district.

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I could go on, refuting his errors line-by-line until the end, but the picture should be clear enough by now.  Early voting begins a week from tomorrow; visit www.OakRidgeCharter.com and get information on the issue and candidates.

You can vote for seven… it might be wise to make your list.

Is TV ‘yesterday’?

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We still have several TVs in the house, but they’re used less and less.

It’s not that there’s nothing on; Alpha tipped me off to a new series on Fox, Fringe, that’s positively addictive. But, it’s not always on when I’m home, awake, or available to watch.

Sometimes, I catch up on Hulu (which I find easier than tracking down which network something is on), but that requires an active internet connection.  And, it tends to make my laptop run hot.  Often, a better option is to watch stuff on my iPod, so I can watch it wherever I am.  Or, lying in bed awake, so I don’t disturb anyone else.

Just today, I downloaded last night’s presidential debate because, in all candor, I can’t stay awake for a two-hour debate that begins at 9 p.m.  I don’t even really need to watch it; I can grasp the content just by listening… while I drive, shop, cook, do laundry, etc.

Beginning in February, all broadcast TV will be digital.  How much longer before broadcast TV just slips into obsolescence?  Since I maintain internet access via DSL, how much longer will I need cable at all?

Even City Council meetings are posted on the web now.

When Stuff Doesn’t Work…

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Electronic gadgets are one of the rare indulgences of our household, and we usually don’t have any problems with them.

Several years ago, we bought a digital video recorder.  It’s sort of like TiVo, except there’s no monthly subscription fee.  It records anything on TV to a hefty internal hard drive; programs can then be edited (i.e., commercials deleted) and burned to DVD.  It’s not the easiest thing to use, but we figured it out.

Now though, I’m having trouble burning a DVD from the HDD.  Surfing about the magnificent internet (the world at my fingertips is SO cool), I’ve found dozens of AV forums where people all over the world are having similar issues.  Unfortunately, none have a workable solution — there’s just  a lot of grousing about it.

I’ve upgraded the firmware, but that didn’t make a whit of difference.  I went to the company’s website and submitted a trouble ticket via e-mail, but haven’t heard anything from them.  Then, I scoured the website further, only to find that this company — LiteOn — has discontinued all of their A/V products.  So, I called the (not toll free) phone number listed, only to be given a toll-free number… except that the recording at the beginning says that support is $1.49 per minute, charged to a Visa card.

Forget that idea.

So… it looks like I may be purchasing a replacement DVD-RW drive and taking the thing apart for transplant surgery.  I’ve surfed around to see if there are better products available, but TiVo seems to have the market cornered, and I refuse to sign on to their subscription service.

The HDD still works fine, so recording stuff to watch later isn’t the problem.  But, if I could burn it to a DVD, I have some cool software that lets me import it into iTunes and watch it on my iPod.

Anyone out there have a better idea?

Sunday Browsing

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Without question, Barack Obama has mastered new media better than any national candidate I’ve seen to date.  From an effective web presence to his own iPhone app., he’s clearly taking advantage of today’s communications technologies.

But, his online fundraising is raising some questions, as reported in the Toledo Blade:

Mr. Good Will – who lists his employer as "Loving" and his profession as "You" – has contributed 1,000 times to the Barack Obama campaign.

All the contributions have been in amounts of $25 or less. But they add up to $17,375 – far more than the legal limit of $4,600. That’s $2,300 each for the primary and general election campaigns.
Kenneth Timmerman, a reporter for NewsMax, a conservative Web site, discovered Mr. Good Will when he reviewed 1.4 million individual contributions in the latest Federal Elections Commission master file for the Obama campaign.
Mr. Good Will said he was from Austin, Texas. When I called directory assistance, they could find no listing for him.
Mr. Doodad Pro made 786 contributions for a total of $19,500. Like Mr. Good Will, Mr. Pro lists his employer as "Loving" and his profession as "You." Mr. Pro said he is from Nunda, N.Y. Directory assistance found no listing for him either.
Mr. Obama has raised a whopping $223 million in contributions of less than $200. Candidates are not required to disclose the names of those who contribute less than $200, and Mr. Obama has not. John McCain has made his complete donor database available online. …

We ought to be concerned about this.  Whether it’s simply a matter of circumventing the rules, or something more frightening like foreign investment in the US Presidential election, it’s clear that something is wrong with this picture.

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During the whole bailout mess, we heard quite a bit from Congressman Bawney Fwank about why this is a good deal for America.  I still don’t think it is; at best, it’s good like amputating a gangrenous limb is good.  It’s going to be ugly and painful, even if necessary to save our economy (about which I’m not at all certain).

But everyone should also be aware of Bawney’s conflict of interest, and how he perhaps helped us into the mess to begin with.

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RC brought up an interesting point the other day, before the House and Senate passed Bailout 2.0.  We’ve made loans to other countries for years, and nothing happens when they default.  So, what would happen if we defaulted on China?  Anything?

RC actually had her own bailout solution: ask the 500 wealthiest Americans (or 1,000) if they’d be willing to pitch in the capital for the bailout.  Give THEM the oversight control, and agree that any profits they earned would be 100% TAX EXEMPT.  I’d have a lot more confidence in Warren Buffet’s expertise to manage his way out of this mess than anyone on Capitol Hill.  And, since it would be their money, they could do whatever is necessary to turn things around.

I’m betting that the profit motive would work much better than a thousand miles of red tape.

About the Bailout

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I’ve been pretty much befuddled about the whole bailout mess this week, but finally, someone put it into perspective a little better.

From Blue Collar Muse:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH–o]

Well, crud.  If the video isn’t showing up properly, just follow the link and read the rest of his post while you’re there.

It could be worse…

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The whole gasoline supply/pricing issue remains tumultuous, but I finally filled up this morning for the first time since before the run on the pumps just before Ike hit Houston.

My west-end Weigels apparently is able to keep half a week’s supply on hand.  Trucks arrive on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, and the price is $3.39, just like it was last Wednesday.

All in all, I’d rather have affordable fuel available half the time, than price-gouging every day.  Either way, I’ll drive less, but this way hurts less.

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It could be worse, for sure.  My sister in Houston reports this morning that she still doesn’t have power at her house, and that her kids won’t be back in school until at least Monday.  Apparently, the eye of the hurricane passed right over her house; there are still downed power lines across the playground at my nephews’ school.

Hard to fill a gas tank if the station has now power, I guess.  And it’s a lot hotter in Houston than it is here — they still need air conditioning.

Maybe now,  they will think about moving to Oak Ridge.  I’d like that.

Transportation puzzles

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Why is it that the fastest airline route from Knoxville to Seattle goes through Dallas?  I mean, I can see going through Denver or some other large city that’s sort of on the way, but Dallas?  Some of the other choices were Chicago, Pittsburgh, and even Los Angeles.  None made any sense to me.

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The gas station nearest my house ran out of fuel last Friday, priced at $4.99/gal.  This morning, they had fuel — at $3.99/gal.  It’s still no great bargain, but you can’t convince me that all the refineries closed for Saturday’s hurricane are magically back online, having piped their product some 800 miles already.  No, there was something else at play this weekend.

That said, my Weigels was still 50-60 cents per gallon cheaper than other stations along the turnpike this morning.  Gamma had stopped in Weigels last night to buy milk on her way home, and she said it was the saddest, lonliest place (on their fourth day with no fuel to sell).

I think that frustration over gas prices has had at least one positive effect on people: cars seem more courteous, giving a thumbs-up (and plenty of room) as they pass.

Finally, Skyward

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Today, I received via snail-mail our account information for Skyward — the new student information system for Oak Ridge Schools.  Skyward replaces K-12 Planet, which parents have used for a couple of years to access students’ current grades and attendance online.

K-12 Planet  was okay — better than nothing — but teachers didn’t universally participate (at least at my kids’ schools), and it didn’t have as much information.  Skyward is an integrated system that doesn’t require teachers to input grades separately for the web.  Therefore, since it’s the same system as is used for state attendance reporting, midterms, report cards, and everything else, they should all use it.

At this point, almost all of them are.  If you click the "attendance" tab, a calendar shows any day where your student was absent or tardy for even part of the day.  If you click that date, it shows an explanation, e.g., "doctor’s excuse."  If you click a letter grade on the grade report, it shows a detail of all assignments, tests, etc.  One notable improvement for me is that one login — mine — shows information for both of my children, even though they are at different schools.  With K-12 Planet, I had a different login for each school.

Each child has their own login as well, so they can see their own grades, but not their siblings’. 

It’s important for parents not to go overboard on this kind of thing; don’t freak out if you see one quiz with a low grade.  But it’s really helpful to log in regularly, so that if you see a pattern, you can address it before it becomes an irreversible problem.  Most teachers are anxious to help if only the student asks.

There’s also a "notifications" tab where you can request reports to be e-mailed to you periodically, or if a student’s grade or assignments fall below a specified percentage.

For the parents who choose to utilize it, this will be an excellent tool for improving communication between school and home.

Gas boycott, day 4

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Most stations around Oak Ridge are still out of gas; the few who do have any seem to only have premium, at something approaching $5.30/gal.

No thanks.

After shuttling Beta around on Saturday, to work, and then back to school in Knoxville, I’d used up about half of the gas I had in my car.  The one I DID NOT fill up when everybody hit the panic button last Friday.  So, I figure I have two or three gallons left.  I’m saving it… because I don’t plan to fill up again until this little self-inflicted crisis is over.

Today, my best and favorite client needed me on the East end of town.  After ascertaining that business attire was not required, I made the decision to take my bike.  That’s bicycle, not motorcycle.  I scavenged up a little nylon backpack-thingy that I brought home from some conference, and stuck a notebook and my purse inside.  Also a bottle of water, which was a very good thing.

It was a lovely day for a ride; the upside of the Turnpike construction is that there’s a nice row of barrels between me and the cars.  It was 7 miles each way, so I got a little exercise, saved half a gallon of gas, and feel pretty good about it.

Very good, actually. 

Monday’s Laugh

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I don’t know whom to credit for this one, but it’s a good way to start a Monday when there’s so much bad news going around.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

SARAH PALIN: The chicken didn’t make it across the road. I shot it, cleaned it, cooked it, and had it for Sunday dinner. [credit: Rich Hailey at Shots Across the Bow]

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure – right from Day One! – that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn’t about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where’s my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.  [NM’s note: there are black chickens.  And red ones, and speckled ones.  Black chickens lay beige eggs, and red chickens lay brown eggs.]

DR.. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he’s guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer’s Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can’t you people see the plain truth? That’s why they call it the ‘other side. ‘ Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like ‘the other side.’ That chicken should not be crossing the road. It’s as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn’t that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never craÅ #@&&^(C%………..reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?