So now we have massive infrastructure failure at both ends of the Mississippi River.  I guess this is the moment when the conservative goal of dragging off the government and drowning it has been most successful.  The trouble is that both this tragedy and Hurricane Katrina demonstrate that government is not “them”- it is “us.”  And we are the ones being literally drowned.  And before we are all overwhelmed by red herring press discussions of gussets versus welded construction on bridges, let's remember this -road and bridge maintenance is about funding, and we all know where the funds are going.

Bush stood up in a news conference and spoke relaxedly about the sub-prime mortgage disaster rippling through world markets.  He said that the market would correct naturally and that we should all be happy that the economy is in such good shape, and that tax-and-spend Democrats would raise our taxes, undermine the entrepreneurial spirit and alter the spending habits of Americans who know better how to spend their money than does the government.

But infrastructure is not created by entrepreneurs and private investors.  Infrastructure is more than simply a large capital investment like a telephone company or an electrical generator.  Infrastructure generates social benefits that are beyond the financial returns to an investor.  And infrastructure has what economists call “positive network effects.”  In other words, the more of it there is, the more valuable it becomes.  An entrepreneur can build a toll road between two or three points, but unless it connects to all the other roads, it is of minimal value (“Bridge to Nowhere”).  No entrepreneur would build the interstate highway system.  And none would maintain it.

Government is the institution that societies create to handle things that we must do in common, and that will not be done well or at all by individuals acting in their own self-interest, no matter how enlightened.  And there are a lot of those.

I spoke with a soldier who told me he was offered 97,000 a month to join Blackwater as a private contracter in Iraq.   I've heard that there are now more private contracters than soldiers.

You may have already read about the tax assessment controversy in the Capital City.

The news today is that last night (actually early this morning, since the meeting went past midnight) the Montpelier City Council voted unanimously to base the next year's property tax bills on the old assessments, giving the city another year to be sure it's getting the appraisal system right. 

The room was packed with people challenging the seemingly arbitrary way the figures were arrived at, the lack of transparency in the methodology, andwhat they considered an inadequate response to their concerns by city officials. Complaints also raised broader policy issues, such as the allocation of tax burdens between commercial and residential properties.

There is room to be impressed both by the thoughtfulness of the comments, the responsiveness of the Council members, and the organizing job that Gary Schy did to get this rolling. 

This one seems to have come in under the radar, but apparently the Oscar-winning actor Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction, True Romance) is going to run for president in '08, as an independent. From the Walken 2008 website:

“Our great country is in a terrible downward spiral. We're outsourcing jobs, bankrupting social security, and losing lives at war. We need to focus on what's important– paying attention to our children, our citizens, our future. We need to think about improving our failing educational system, making better use of our resources, and helping to promote a stable, safe, and tolerant global society. It's time to be smart about our politics. It's time to get America back on track.”

It's not a joke, but it seems that he should have gotten the ball rolling a bit earler if he hopes to get any sort of visibility at all, if for no other reason than to press the issues. It'll be interesting to see if this is able to make a ripple at all in the campaign. At the very least, it might make it a bit more interesting. And he's a hell of a lot better actor than Reagan was.

As an interesting side note, his parents had  a summer home next door to my grandmother's house in Florida. I used to stay  there every now and then and used to party my teen years away with his nephew,  Jesse, too.

UPDATED: Well, shame on me. Hat tip to kestrel… it IS a joke, easily debunked on Snopes.com. Perhaps there is a future for me at the op-ed pages of the Caledonian Record. 

(NOTE: If you've noticed diaries appearing and disappearing, it's because I'm seriously bungling the “draft” vs. “live” diary feature today… woops…)

Governor Douglas's administration has stated that they believe most of the now-defeated (by his hand) H.520 (the “global warming” bill) can be implemented through the executive branch – even the efficiency utility piece that was so controversial. Well lo and behold, the Public Service Board has reported back that, no, they have no such authority and would require legislative action (duh) to proceed. What's absolutely jaw-dropping is the statement from Commissioner of Public Service David O'Brien:

The administration was never against evaluating in broad terms how best to improve the efficient use of heating fuels by Vermonters, O'Brien said. Instead, his and Douglas' concern about the energy bill was the speed with which an entirely new program was being implemented, he said.

“We were hesitant and cautious … most of our real concern was how fast this was moving along,” O'Brien said.

Oh – THAT was the problem? That's the story now? Puh-leeze!

I know this administration rewrites history fairly casually, but this is a new extreme. So now the problem is the timetable… what was it then? Ah yes… taxes taxes taxes:

Governor Douglas has been the most outspoken critic of the Democrats' global warming fix, labeling it “Shumlin's Tax” in honor of the Senate's Democratic leader, Peter Shumlin of Windham County. Ad the governor has been doing an effective job of redefining the major environmental” bill of the 2007 legislative session as a “tax” bill. And being “Mr No New Taxes” is precisely how our governor wants Vermont voters to view him.

“There they go again,” is the constant Douglas refrain as he continues to effectively paint the Democrats as the raise-your-taxes party. H 520, he says, “is a terrible message to send to the business community.”

…and of course, when word was out that Legislative leaders would agree to suspend the rules and remove the Yankee tax – all they needed was a teeny bit of Republican help, history changed again (emphasis added)…

But Douglas said he objects to the creation and structure of the heating fuels efficiency program, not just its funding source. Both would have to be eliminated to gain his support, said the governor, who has offered a competing plan.

“I have two problems with the bill,” Douglas said. In addition to the tax it establishes an “untested bureaucracy that is not well thought-out and is expensive.”

And now we hear it was just the timetable all along. Uh-huh. Anybody else feel insulted?

Douglas has an astonishing history of flip-flopping all around on issues, depending on how he feels he can score electoral points, and the media have always let him get away with it. “Governor Flip-Flop” is a far more effective mantra than “Governor No” in my opinion – and at least as accurate.

But the question remains as to where exactly he's coming from? I have no doubt that, if he could, he would have implemented by executive fiat some form of the efficiency utility program just to stick it to the Dems and take credit. Which begs the question again as to why he vetoed the bill and rejected the offer of removing the funding source? Sure he got a contribution from Entergy's PAC last election, but it was a paltry $400.

Once again, Douglas seems to have no core values. He takes credit for anything done in Montpelier that gets positive attention, whether or not he opposed it from the outset. More than once, this approach has left members of his own party hanging out to dry – and the results of the last couple legislative elections have been a testament to that.

But largely due to a cowed/charmed media and a ridiculously short election calendar, voters (particularly moderate Dems) let him get away with it over and over and over again. SO much so that he clearly feels free to casually and brazenly flip-flop on a dime at this point, confident that there will always be just enough self-dubbed moderates that will shuffle zombie-like into the polls and vote yet again for him in clear opposition to their own self-interest, that he never need worry about his job security.

If we don't get a Dem candidate stepping up to the plate soon who will run an earlier, more ground-based campaign than we've seen before (and than election “professionals” are programmed to consider “proper”), it will be a failure of monumental proportions to the rank and file.

Step up to the plate, folks. Now.

  Terri Hallenbeck must go – from the blogosphere at least.

For starters, someone who is at least nominally a “reporter” of the “straight news” (my terms) shouldn't be simultaneously editorializing.  Furthermore, Hallenbeck's post exhibit a clear anti-Welch bias, and she should be called on it (maybe it is even an anti-Dem bias).

Her recent post on the BFP blog site (“Making Bacon”) is merely the most recent example.  From the start, Hallenbeck seems determined not to report the news, but to ensure we readers will view the events though her own particular lens.

“Here is the challenge, if you are a member of Congress (which very few of you are, I realize). You spend all that time in Washington and when you come home you need to show people what you've done. You want to see and be seen by the players in your district. You realize that you can reach all the more people if you do this seeing and been seen in front of the media.”

Hallenbeck has already decided that the description of events which follows ought to be viewed through a pure “political self interest” prism.  She devotes exactly one sentence to the substance of the news conference:

“So it was Monday that Welch convened a news conference at the Community Health Center in Burlington to highlight the work the House has done toward expanding federal health coverage of children and seniors.”

But she follows it up with: “I can't say that I blame Welch for doing what every member of Congress does…”  The oh-so-benevolent Terri Hallenbeck has generously decided not to BLAME Peter Welch for, what was it, oh yeah, “expanding federal health coverage of children and seniors.” 

Hallenbeck saves her best “reporting” for last: “It just seemed that “Congressman praises own efforts” or even “Congressman amasses others to praise his efforts while media watch” was not a viable story. Can't blame him for trying…”  (Note, again with the “blame” thing, so while she goes out of her way to not blame Peter Welch , she suggests that he does deserve blame.)  So, dear readers, in case we mistook the expansion of health benefits to those in our population who are most vulnerable for some kind of reasonable public policy, and in case we mistook a self-congratulatory backslapping session for an opportunity to explain the program to the constituents who will be served, here is Terri Hallenbeck to remind us how to think.  

This type of cynicism is journalist trash.  Terri Hallenbeck should be thrown out with the rest of it.

I said to start that Hallenbeck should be removed from the blog – and I was wrong.  She should stay on the blog.  She should be removed from “news” writing and transferred to the editorial pages.

Cross-posted from Beyond VSH: 

And on kids, no less!

You probably know that the Brattleboro Retreat is making a bid to replace at least some of the beds at VSH (Vermont State Hospital) when VSH goes out of business sometime later this century, right?

And you may also know that four years ago the Retreat called the Brattleboro Police to the Tyler 3  ward to help them control a 16-year-old patient, the police used their Tasers on him, and Vermont Protection and Advocacy (P&A) investigated that report. P&A found:

Vermont Protection & Advocacy concludes that the Brattleboro Retreat’s reliance on the police and the subsequent use of a Taser on A.N. was a treatment failure of serious proportions. Our investigation demonstrates that A.N. and his parents were clear about their concerns leading up to his hospitalization and the difficulties the Retreat could expect to encounter related to A.N.’s behavior. Further, our review of the Retreat’s response to the October 10, 2003 incident indicates an overly heavy reliance on psychopharmacological interventions. VP&A concludes that the use of force on A.N. by the police and the subsequent administration of involuntary medication may have been unnecessary had adequate treatment planning and proactive crisis planning occurred prior to the triggering events that led to A.N.’s agitated and aggressive behavior on October 10, 2003. VP&A also concludes that the Retreat apparently failed to adequately exhaust the de-escalation techniques that staff are trained and certified in, including therapeutic hold when appropriate, prior to calling for police intervention. The facility’s documentation around the resort to police assistance was inadequate to demonstrate its contention that all other reasonable means of de-escalation were attempted and applied appropriately. Our concerns about the physical environment, that being the location of the seclusion room, and the failure of the seclusion room door to withstand damage, are also areas where VP&A believes more forethought by Retreat staff and administration could have provided for a different outcome in this situation.

So what does it say about the Retreat, the Brattleboro Police Department, and the way Vermont law enforcement officials relate to people with mental illnesses when it happens again?

Whatever you might say about VSH, I don't recall ever hearing about them using Tasers. It certainly makes me think twice, or even more, about whether the Retreat should ever be considered as a replacement for VSH, and whether they should be entrusted with the care of anyone in this vulnerable population.

It takes me back to the slogan we used to chant at Nuclear Freeze demonstrations:

 Take the toys away from the boys! 

Some things that could merit a full diary (and probably should), but I'm not up for writing four posts:

Brattleboro residents protest police torture. That's what we're talking about here – torture. The activists who were tasered by police were engaging in a nonviolent protest, and were no threat to the police, others or themselves. They were passive. What – did painfully shocking them make them easier to carry away? Please. These officers used the tasers like cattle prods. The only difference between shocking them to get them to move and breaking their knuckles or burning them with a hot iron towards the same purpose is that the tasers did no permanent damage (which is a gold standard for some torture techniques). It's high time we all called this incident what it is – police torture.

Cathy at 802 notes the benchmark that's passed in the media world – the end of the New York Times's online subscriber pay wall. She adds the following from an appearence with WCAX's Marselis Parsons:

 (Parsons) was complaining to our audience about how people today want to get information “right now” and “for free.” As if that were a bad thing. When he was done talking, I said something along the lines of, “Well, yeah, I do want my information right now, and for free. And I'll get it, too, because that's how we're all going to have to evolve.”

If you haven't checked out the Vermont Democrats website in a while, get over there. They have absolutely turned it around from the most boring thing on the web, into one of Vermont's most interesting. It's become a daily read for me, (which I never thought would happen – even when I used to run it myself!). And it's not just the comprehensive, wide-ranging news service that collects media bits from around the state, it's the original content as well (“Jim=McJobs” heh. heheheheheheh.) 

MoveOn reminds us that Congressional screw-ups need not be permanent. Somewhere between horrified and enraged that this Congress just capitulated completely on wiretapping (where the HELL were Pelosi and Reid???)? Feeling conflicted, in that – on the one hand, our Vermont delegation is on the side of the angels on this, but on the other hand, it means we have nobody's office to egg? Well, MoveOn has started a campaign to make them un-do what they have wrought. Go sign up! And click after the fold for links on this shameful turn of events, by way of MoveOn…

So, CarpetBagger (citing Josh Marshall at TPM) has a report on Florida State Rep. Bob Allen, yet another of the Sunshine State’s legislators to get in trouble for inappropriate sexual activity. Last month he allegedly offered $20 and oral sex to an undercover police officer in a public bathroom in a park — and Allen was going to perform the oral sex as well as pay the guy.

Wow, the training these Florida Reps are getting from the Republican Party is really thorough!

The rest of the story, released yesterday (Aug. 6) is in the excuse Allen, who is white, offered — he said he was afraid of being assaulted by other black men in the park. Allen denies wrongdoing and will fight the charge of soliciting prostitution.

And then there’s the fact that Allen was a co-chair of Senator John McCain’s Florida presidential campaign, a position he resigned after his arrest, according to 365gay.com.

I’m sure there’s something really symbolic about that, but I’ll leave it to you to come up with the wording.

Also according to 365gay.com, Allen was the Police Union’s 2007 Lawmaker of the Year. And here’s the real kicker, somehow omitted by both CarpetBagger and TPM, supplied by 365gay.com:

In the last session of the Florida legislature [Allen] sponsored a failed bill that would have tightened the state’s prohibition on public sex. He also has been a supporter of amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage and has opposed a bill to curb bullying of gay students.

My interest in this is in how often repressed Republicans who are so active in maintaining discrimination against gays and lesbians manage to get themselves caught in inappropriate or illegal same-sex acts. Their hypocrisy is stunning in its flagrancy.

NanuqFC
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. — George Orwell

One of the hoariest truisms about Vermont politics these days is this: “Bill Doyle will always win.” Or sometimes: “The first chance anyone has to beat Bill Doyle will be the second election after he dies.”

It's true that Doyle has had impressive and remarkable longevity since 1969, and that Washington County Democrats have been frustrated at his seeming invincibility for years. He's also legendary for his hard work and his ubiquity, so his string of victories is hardly a surprise.

 And yet, does it have to be that way?

Sen. Doyle crashes cars on car sales lot

August 7, 2007
 

By Susan Allen Times Argus Staff

    Although seatmate Sen. Phil Scott is the professional race car driver in the Legislature, it was Sen. William Doyle who accidentally found himself in a Demolition Derby last week on the lot of Twin City Subaru in Montpelier.

Doyle said he visited the dealership on Thursday afternoon to test-drive some cars. On his final test drive, he had trouble with the brake and ended up speeding over bushes and then into three used cars on the lot, causing considerable damage. Doyle said an ambulance was called to the scene, but he waved off any medical attention.

 I like Bill, and I don't want to be ghoulish about what might happen, but it's hard to believe this news won't be of interest among potential candidates.