Saturday, May 31, 2003
Parlez-Vous Francais? No Way!
In the interests of international cooperation (or non-cooperation, as the case may be), let's not forget how signally France failed to support the USA during the Iraq war. The word "allies" must not translate into French. To help remember, take a look at this stuff:
http://www.cafeshops.com/franceandus
Very cool, n'est-ce pas?
(BTW I am a huge fan of CafeShops.Com because you can find so much originality and variety there, from things designed by people who must be crazier than a Junebug to things designed by exceptional artists, closet comics, and creative genuises. CafeShops.com is my first choice for gifts because there is literally something there for ANYEONE.)
In the interests of international cooperation (or non-cooperation, as the case may be), let's not forget how signally France failed to support the USA during the Iraq war. The word "allies" must not translate into French. To help remember, take a look at this stuff:
http://www.cafeshops.com/franceandus
Very cool, n'est-ce pas?
(BTW I am a huge fan of CafeShops.Com because you can find so much originality and variety there, from things designed by people who must be crazier than a Junebug to things designed by exceptional artists, closet comics, and creative genuises. CafeShops.com is my first choice for gifts because there is literally something there for ANYEONE.)
The Oak Ridge City Election is zooming down on us, so let's look at some of the other candidates today. The slate for City Council seats is somewhat grim.
Childress and Haerer are running on a "cut taxes" platform, but unfortunately they don't give a patoot what happens to the city or our services as a result. Childress *brags* about being uneducated, which is not exactly reassuring (is the fact that he thinks being uneducated is so great the reason he would like to cut the education budget?).
Haerer says he is running out of greed -- he wants to lower his taxes so his house will be worth more. I know I should appreciate his candor, but I also conclude that anyone fool enough to actually say that is too big of a fool to elect.
Then there's Abbatiello. He is out to do a hatchet job on the Oak Ridge School system. He feels that since all the counties and cities around here have schools that are worse than ours (often a LOT worse), we should join the crowd. Now I am a graduate of the Oak Ridge schools, and I got such a good education there that when I went to college I was able to graduate from college in three years instead of in four... I was so well-educated that I easily tested out of having to take most of the Freshman "core" curriculum.
That was long ago, but Oak Ridge schools are still in the top 100 in the nation, and they are one of the few reasons that anyone actually moves here these days. If Abbatiello wants to lower our educational standards to those of our unfortunate neighbors, then perhaps he and Childress should simply move across the city line. I'll be happy to point it out to them.
-------------------
Fads of the Mo (moment)
Want breakfast? Want lunch? Want supper? Go to Panera! I am addicted to bananna nut muffies, asiago cheese bread and bagels, and their roast beef & asiago cheese sandwiches. Best not to mention Secret City Sister's *secret* vice, which goes by the name of a cream brownie. Panera, if you were a man I would take you to bed and eat... No, let's not go there.
Childress and Haerer are running on a "cut taxes" platform, but unfortunately they don't give a patoot what happens to the city or our services as a result. Childress *brags* about being uneducated, which is not exactly reassuring (is the fact that he thinks being uneducated is so great the reason he would like to cut the education budget?).
Haerer says he is running out of greed -- he wants to lower his taxes so his house will be worth more. I know I should appreciate his candor, but I also conclude that anyone fool enough to actually say that is too big of a fool to elect.
Then there's Abbatiello. He is out to do a hatchet job on the Oak Ridge School system. He feels that since all the counties and cities around here have schools that are worse than ours (often a LOT worse), we should join the crowd. Now I am a graduate of the Oak Ridge schools, and I got such a good education there that when I went to college I was able to graduate from college in three years instead of in four... I was so well-educated that I easily tested out of having to take most of the Freshman "core" curriculum.
That was long ago, but Oak Ridge schools are still in the top 100 in the nation, and they are one of the few reasons that anyone actually moves here these days. If Abbatiello wants to lower our educational standards to those of our unfortunate neighbors, then perhaps he and Childress should simply move across the city line. I'll be happy to point it out to them.
-------------------
Fads of the Mo (moment)
Want breakfast? Want lunch? Want supper? Go to Panera! I am addicted to bananna nut muffies, asiago cheese bread and bagels, and their roast beef & asiago cheese sandwiches. Best not to mention Secret City Sister's *secret* vice, which goes by the name of a cream brownie. Panera, if you were a man I would take you to bed and eat... No, let's not go there.
It's City Election time in the Secret City, and in my secret heart-of -hearts, I'm appalled at some of the candidates and choices.
Today let's take a little peek at the self-described "Accountability 7." These folks are
Steve Mead
Martin McBride
Terry Weaver, Sr.
Dr. David Stanley
Lee Roy Gilliam
John Clark
Norm McCollough
Their goal is to be elected in a bloc so that they can control the Charter Commission, which will be examining the City Charter of Oak Ridge. If even four of these seven people get elected, they will control the commission.
What kind of changes do they propose to make in the City Charter if they can swing it?
They have a list of five "reforms" on their garish website, http:// www.oakridgeaccountability.org.
1. Elect council members from separate and distinct election districts within the city.
In a larger place, or one with some truly distinct ethnic districts, I would agree. But Oak Ridge? No point to it.
2. Electing a full-time, salaried mayor to replace the current council-selected voluntary mayor and professional city manager.
Well, okay, I do like this one. But as Daddy always says, even a stopped clock is correct twice a day.
3. Reduce the number of petition signature requirements for the recall of elected officials within Oak Ridge.
Hmmm, do you think they might have it in for one of our elected officials? Could the so-called "Accountability 7" *possibly* have an axe to grind? Wouldn't it be great if only a *few* people were needed to recall an elected official, who presumably got a majority of the city-wide vote when he or she was elected? Oh, yeah. I wonder if the number of votes they'd like the petition to require might be…umm…seven?
4. Change the current Oath of Office for elected and appointed Oak Ridge officials to add a pledge for them to "Represent, Serve, and be Accountable to the Citizens of Oak Ridge."
This is what my Mom called "Sweet Nothings." It's feel-good camoflauge that does no harm but makes no real difference either. It's purpose is to lull you into thinking these are great folks who truly care about Oak Ridge and to distract you from the *real issues* they intend to tackle if they are elected. And hey, notice the word "Accountable" in there? Notice that nice tie-in to the sobriquet "The Accountability Seven?" Pretty smart PR, huh.
5. Formulate an Oak Ridge Taxpayers Bill of Rights, which includes a requirement that all city tax rate increases and all long-term debt increases be authorized via citizen votes.
Now this sounds pretty nifty, unless you go and take a look at the details of their self-crafted "Taxpayers Bill of Rights." A couple of the things it is designed to do is to reduce the flexibility that the City Government has when it comes to allocating funds for various needs, and to benefit Realtors. It would institute a cart-load of cumbersome procedures and paperwork as well. Me, it made me mad right off because the "Preamble" reads like a self-serving parody of the Bill of Rights of the United States, which is a document I revere with all my heart.
Now I have always loved the things the League of Women Voters (LWV) do at election time, so I went over to their site to take at look at some facts (I know, I know, folks hate it when I do that). But sometimes a few facts can tell you more about a candidate than all the campaign rhetoric in the Valley. Their info packet on the election is http://www.oakridgecharter.com/LWVpacket.pdf.
Guess what? Five of the so-called "Accountability 7" "declined" to fill out the LWV's questionnaire! I guess they were too "accountable" to give an accounting to the people they hope will elect them!
The League did what it could, including researching to see if these people had actually cared enough about Oak Ridge to vote in the last 8 city elections. To their credit, three of the seven voted in all of the 8 past elections…but three of them only voted in 2 of the past 8 elections (and it was not the most recent two either), while one only voted in 3 of the past 8 elections.
Methinks this group is mis-named. The UNaccountable Seven is more like it.
---------------
Something else about the "Accountability 7." They are all men. They couldn't get even one woman to be part of their movement… And that, folks, speaks volumes to Secret City Sister.
Today let's take a little peek at the self-described "Accountability 7." These folks are
Steve Mead
Martin McBride
Terry Weaver, Sr.
Dr. David Stanley
Lee Roy Gilliam
John Clark
Norm McCollough
Their goal is to be elected in a bloc so that they can control the Charter Commission, which will be examining the City Charter of Oak Ridge. If even four of these seven people get elected, they will control the commission.
What kind of changes do they propose to make in the City Charter if they can swing it?
They have a list of five "reforms" on their garish website, http:// www.oakridgeaccountability.org.
1. Elect council members from separate and distinct election districts within the city.
In a larger place, or one with some truly distinct ethnic districts, I would agree. But Oak Ridge? No point to it.
2. Electing a full-time, salaried mayor to replace the current council-selected voluntary mayor and professional city manager.
Well, okay, I do like this one. But as Daddy always says, even a stopped clock is correct twice a day.
3. Reduce the number of petition signature requirements for the recall of elected officials within Oak Ridge.
Hmmm, do you think they might have it in for one of our elected officials? Could the so-called "Accountability 7" *possibly* have an axe to grind? Wouldn't it be great if only a *few* people were needed to recall an elected official, who presumably got a majority of the city-wide vote when he or she was elected? Oh, yeah. I wonder if the number of votes they'd like the petition to require might be…umm…seven?
4. Change the current Oath of Office for elected and appointed Oak Ridge officials to add a pledge for them to "Represent, Serve, and be Accountable to the Citizens of Oak Ridge."
This is what my Mom called "Sweet Nothings." It's feel-good camoflauge that does no harm but makes no real difference either. It's purpose is to lull you into thinking these are great folks who truly care about Oak Ridge and to distract you from the *real issues* they intend to tackle if they are elected. And hey, notice the word "Accountable" in there? Notice that nice tie-in to the sobriquet "The Accountability Seven?" Pretty smart PR, huh.
5. Formulate an Oak Ridge Taxpayers Bill of Rights, which includes a requirement that all city tax rate increases and all long-term debt increases be authorized via citizen votes.
Now this sounds pretty nifty, unless you go and take a look at the details of their self-crafted "Taxpayers Bill of Rights." A couple of the things it is designed to do is to reduce the flexibility that the City Government has when it comes to allocating funds for various needs, and to benefit Realtors. It would institute a cart-load of cumbersome procedures and paperwork as well. Me, it made me mad right off because the "Preamble" reads like a self-serving parody of the Bill of Rights of the United States, which is a document I revere with all my heart.
Now I have always loved the things the League of Women Voters (LWV) do at election time, so I went over to their site to take at look at some facts (I know, I know, folks hate it when I do that). But sometimes a few facts can tell you more about a candidate than all the campaign rhetoric in the Valley. Their info packet on the election is http://www.oakridgecharter.com/LWVpacket.pdf.
Guess what? Five of the so-called "Accountability 7" "declined" to fill out the LWV's questionnaire! I guess they were too "accountable" to give an accounting to the people they hope will elect them!
The League did what it could, including researching to see if these people had actually cared enough about Oak Ridge to vote in the last 8 city elections. To their credit, three of the seven voted in all of the 8 past elections…but three of them only voted in 2 of the past 8 elections (and it was not the most recent two either), while one only voted in 3 of the past 8 elections.
Methinks this group is mis-named. The UNaccountable Seven is more like it.
---------------
Something else about the "Accountability 7." They are all men. They couldn't get even one woman to be part of their movement… And that, folks, speaks volumes to Secret City Sister.
Friday, May 30, 2003
I guess I'll just jump right in! This is Secret City Sister, blogging from Secret City Scene...and the view from here is P-retty Straaange, lemme tell you! After all, when I look out at the surrounding environs, what do I see? East Tennessee. Lord help me, but I love it here anyway.
