This Sunday, Governor Sarah Palin will resign her office, and Lt. Governor Sean Parnell will take her place. We here at ASP are sad to see Governor Palin go. Both Akidis and Jellaby wish her well and encourage her to not be discouraged by the plethora of incompetent, unprincipled and outright jealous voices that seek to destroy her. Check back here for follow up posts on what Conservatives can learn from Palin's time as Governor.
At the same time, ASP calls on Sean Parnell for bold, decisive and directed leadership. We know that he has the ability, the ideas, and what Governor Palin did not have: the right people. Sean Parnell has a circle of people that he can trust. Governor Palin, unfortunately, did not. She was not perfect as Governor, but no one is. What liabilities exist for Parnell?
1. There will be enormous pressure to keep the same department figures that have hampered the advancement of good policy.
2. The gas line which unfortunately does not look as optimistic as it did a year ago (because of the market, not because of AGIA), could eat up too much energy and momentum.
3. The media may try to ignore Parnell (they will try) for the summer and start coverage of the Governor's race a year ahead of time. It will be important to put forth an agenda for the next year, make it easy to communicate, relatively short (3-4 items), and come up with a communications strategy for it.
4. Parnell may be too timid.
All of these liabilities can be overcome. Let's hope they are.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 24, 2008
It's a Sad Day
The tragic news just came out today: Governor Palin has appointed Bill Hogan as Commissioner of the largest (and most ineffective) department in Alaska, the Health and Social Services Department.
This was an incompetent appointment. I'm really disappointed in this selection. Governor Palin has made the wrong decision, and it will be costly to Alaska. HSS needs an executive to focus the mission of the department and reign in the silos that have developed, not another degree in social work. It's as if she doesn't take any state government office seriously, except for that which relates to oil and gas. My support for the Governor on this blog in the past has been strong and vocal. Now, my criticism of her is going to be just as vocal.
Governor Palin, it is not your job to only be focused on oil and gas issues. The job requires multi-tasking. You have pursued reforms in other areas of government, but they have been less than enthusiastic, and the people who oppose you know it. The death of your health bill over the last regular session was a result of your oversight (or lack of it). You were probably sabotaged by some people working for you in the administration, but that is no excuse. You are running a state, not the city of Wasilla.
First, I recommend you get a chief of staff who knows what he is doing from out of state. I am guessing, but there is probably no one in Alaska who would make an effective chief of staff. There may be some bad PR, but it's nothing you can't handle. Second, you need to fire the Commissioner of Transportation, and let the chips fall where they may. Third, you need to find someone understands health and education policy, holds your views on it, and hire that person to work in your office. Fourth, you need to audit (traditional and performance) the department of Health and Social Services. That auditor needs to be accountable to your office alone. You can turn this around, but you need to start now.
This was an incompetent appointment. I'm really disappointed in this selection. Governor Palin has made the wrong decision, and it will be costly to Alaska. HSS needs an executive to focus the mission of the department and reign in the silos that have developed, not another degree in social work. It's as if she doesn't take any state government office seriously, except for that which relates to oil and gas. My support for the Governor on this blog in the past has been strong and vocal. Now, my criticism of her is going to be just as vocal.
Governor Palin, it is not your job to only be focused on oil and gas issues. The job requires multi-tasking. You have pursued reforms in other areas of government, but they have been less than enthusiastic, and the people who oppose you know it. The death of your health bill over the last regular session was a result of your oversight (or lack of it). You were probably sabotaged by some people working for you in the administration, but that is no excuse. You are running a state, not the city of Wasilla.
First, I recommend you get a chief of staff who knows what he is doing from out of state. I am guessing, but there is probably no one in Alaska who would make an effective chief of staff. There may be some bad PR, but it's nothing you can't handle. Second, you need to fire the Commissioner of Transportation, and let the chips fall where they may. Third, you need to find someone understands health and education policy, holds your views on it, and hire that person to work in your office. Fourth, you need to audit (traditional and performance) the department of Health and Social Services. That auditor needs to be accountable to your office alone. You can turn this around, but you need to start now.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Abortion Industry Scores
Thanks to the Alaska Supreme Court Oligarchy, parents are barred from having a say in whether or not their teenage daughters can have an abortion. I don't own my own business, but this has got to be good news for Big Abortion's tween marketing department.
Check out this ridiculous quote by our esteemed Chief Justice:
Bullshit. It is difficult to believe that this is what passes for competency in Alaska's highest court. I don't understand how the people could choose such a jud....oh, that's right. We don't get to choose. Read the ADN article here. The article tries to downplay the decision giving the number of teenagers who had abortions in 2006. But for some reason, the question of how such a decision would affect the numbers in the future didn't come up.
Check out this ridiculous quote by our esteemed Chief Justice:
"From time to time, we are called upon to decide constitutional cases that touch upon the most contentious moral, ethical, and political issues of our day. In deciding such cases, we are ever mindful of the unique role we play in our democratic system of government. We are not legislators, policy makers, or pundits charged with making law or assessing the wisdom of legislative enactments. We are not philosophers, ethicists, or theologians, and 'cannot aspire to answer' fundamental moral questions or resolve societal debates. We are focused only on upholding the constitution and laws of the State of Alaska," wrote Fabe.
Bullshit. It is difficult to believe that this is what passes for competency in Alaska's highest court. I don't understand how the people could choose such a jud....oh, that's right. We don't get to choose. Read the ADN article here. The article tries to downplay the decision giving the number of teenagers who had abortions in 2006. But for some reason, the question of how such a decision would affect the numbers in the future didn't come up.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
What Should Don Young Do?
Opportunists are piling on Diane Benson in the race against Don Young because of a practice that characterizes the entire house. Earmark kickbacks are rampant, and they are very difficult to track. Did Don Young support an earmark in exchange for something? I don't know. Is Dave Obey making shady deals behind the closed doors of his office while he and his staff sort out the 36000 earmarks that were submitted? I don't know. Did John Murtha do the same? I don't know. Intent is very hard to prove. The problem is with the culture in planet Washington. There have been suggestions on how to change it, but so far Chairman Obey has not heeded the advice. This is not a defense of Don Young. He is going to have to defend himself before I defend him.
What do I think he should do? Right now, I think he should address this directly. He needs to speak more to it. So far, it's only democrats that are mounting against him. Yes, I said only democrats ---LeDoux is just a RINO (Republican In Name Only). He may be able to pull through this, but I hope, for the sake of Alaska, that Don Young is carefully considering more than just his own pride in these events. The only problem with my advice is that the Ethics Committee in the US Congress is going to try to stretch this investigation as close to the election as possible. By speaking to it, he is just giving the number one campaigner for the democrats ---the ADN--- ammo.
The sad thing is that I don't think it would be wise to trust anyone currently running against him to actually do things differently when it comes to earmarks.
What do I think he should do? Right now, I think he should address this directly. He needs to speak more to it. So far, it's only democrats that are mounting against him. Yes, I said only democrats ---LeDoux is just a RINO (Republican In Name Only). He may be able to pull through this, but I hope, for the sake of Alaska, that Don Young is carefully considering more than just his own pride in these events. The only problem with my advice is that the Ethics Committee in the US Congress is going to try to stretch this investigation as close to the election as possible. By speaking to it, he is just giving the number one campaigner for the democrats ---the ADN--- ammo.
The sad thing is that I don't think it would be wise to trust anyone currently running against him to actually do things differently when it comes to earmarks.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Income Tax???
Tom Brennan writes about how spoiled we are here in Alaska. Read the article here. The article makes a lot of points (too many for one article). Some of them are good points; some of the points i simply disagree with; and one of the points is just plain foolish: He seems to think we should have kept the income tax.
I may look like it, but I'm not stupid. I'm only pressing this point because I think Mr. Brennan needs to have a better explanation for this belief. I would have a tough time arguing that it's a Conservative belief. I realize there are a bunch of quasi Marxist Liberals around blathering away about the state getting its "fair share." But let's not sell out our principles to debate them on this point.
I may look like it, but I'm not stupid. I'm only pressing this point because I think Mr. Brennan needs to have a better explanation for this belief. I would have a tough time arguing that it's a Conservative belief. I realize there are a bunch of quasi Marxist Liberals around blathering away about the state getting its "fair share." But let's not sell out our principles to debate them on this point.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Governor Rolls Out ACES
Today the Palin administration rolled out ACES, the reform to PPT. You can visit the website here. ACES stands for Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share.
What makes the debate over the tax interesting is the nature of everyone in it, and what they are pushing. There seem to be two kinds of Conservatives and one kind of Liberal (There are Liberals who are inconsistent, but we'll leave that alone for now).
The first kind of Conservative takes the same kind of position that Conservatives would take at the national level. Lower taxes and less government are the better way to go. We here at ASP tend to advocate the free market, but we also think this first kind of Conservative is wrong to use free market justifications to justify a lower PPT tax.
The second kind of Conservative operates from the principle that the resources are owned by the people of Alaska (as it says in the Alaska Constitution), and that it is the duty of elected officials to manage, sell or develop those resources for the best possible profit for the citizens here. The oil, mines and even the large stash of natural gas that the producers have stored up north: it all belongs to the citizens of Alaska. While this kind of Conservative would revolt if the federal government tried set up something similar, he's okay with this situation at the state level. Inconsistent?
I argue no. There is a qualitative difference between the state and federal government. A federal government is a kind of utilitarian construct. The state governements in most cases are bodies where the people have a genuine connection with each other that is more than utilitarian. Because of this qualitative difference, there are things we can do at the state level that we would never do at the federal level.
The Liberal who seeks to raise the PPT tax, does so for Marxian reasons, and would push for a higher tax even if the resources were not owned by the people of Alaska. What the Modern Liberal argues for at the state and federal level is the same, because ideology is not nuanced by context. Blinded by its forward march to whatever utopia it sees, it cannot discriminate between community (state) and construct (federal), and will gladly walk over any tradition, moral, principle or person who stands in the way. And that is what makes it inferior to the other two.
Both kinds of Conservatives need to keep the locus of debate between them and not allow this to become a conversation between Liberals and Conservatives. Ideology has little if anything constructive to contribute to the conversation.
What makes the debate over the tax interesting is the nature of everyone in it, and what they are pushing. There seem to be two kinds of Conservatives and one kind of Liberal (There are Liberals who are inconsistent, but we'll leave that alone for now).
The first kind of Conservative takes the same kind of position that Conservatives would take at the national level. Lower taxes and less government are the better way to go. We here at ASP tend to advocate the free market, but we also think this first kind of Conservative is wrong to use free market justifications to justify a lower PPT tax.
The second kind of Conservative operates from the principle that the resources are owned by the people of Alaska (as it says in the Alaska Constitution), and that it is the duty of elected officials to manage, sell or develop those resources for the best possible profit for the citizens here. The oil, mines and even the large stash of natural gas that the producers have stored up north: it all belongs to the citizens of Alaska. While this kind of Conservative would revolt if the federal government tried set up something similar, he's okay with this situation at the state level. Inconsistent?
I argue no. There is a qualitative difference between the state and federal government. A federal government is a kind of utilitarian construct. The state governements in most cases are bodies where the people have a genuine connection with each other that is more than utilitarian. Because of this qualitative difference, there are things we can do at the state level that we would never do at the federal level.
The Liberal who seeks to raise the PPT tax, does so for Marxian reasons, and would push for a higher tax even if the resources were not owned by the people of Alaska. What the Modern Liberal argues for at the state and federal level is the same, because ideology is not nuanced by context. Blinded by its forward march to whatever utopia it sees, it cannot discriminate between community (state) and construct (federal), and will gladly walk over any tradition, moral, principle or person who stands in the way. And that is what makes it inferior to the other two.
Both kinds of Conservatives need to keep the locus of debate between them and not allow this to become a conversation between Liberals and Conservatives. Ideology has little if anything constructive to contribute to the conversation.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Hot Spots at 37,000 Feet?
Alaska Airlines is testing in flight Wi-Fi. I have a bet with Akidis about how much it will cost when it first comes out. I predict it will be about as popular as the in flight phones they have available. But, kudos to them for being innovative. Read the article here.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Akidis: Lock Him Up
It is a great day for Alaska politics. According to this ADN article, former Rep. Tom Anderson was convicted of all 7 charges brought against him. I, for one, will be celebrating when they take him away. Anderson said,
Lock up the bastard. As a mother, I can't help but think about his wife, Sen. McGuire, and their kid. My advice to Anderson is don't say anything that you wouldn't want your kid to read when a teenager. You know it will happen eventually.
"The prosecution has criminalized being a legislator over this
past year. And I think I fell victim to that," he said.
Lock up the bastard. As a mother, I can't help but think about his wife, Sen. McGuire, and their kid. My advice to Anderson is don't say anything that you wouldn't want your kid to read when a teenager. You know it will happen eventually.
Happy Alaska Flag Day
According to the Gavel to Gavel website, today is Alaska Flag Day. This comes from 50states.com:
Alaska adopted the flag for official state use in 1959. The blue field represents the sky, the sea, and mountain lakes, as well as Alaska's wildflowers. Emblazoned on the flag are eight gold stars: seven from the constellation Ursa Major, or the Big Dipper. The eighth being the North Star, representing the northern most state. Alaska's flag was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old Native American boy, Bennie Benson, from the village of Chignik. Bennie received a 1,000-dollar scholarship and a watch for his winning entry in the flag design contest.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
From ASP
Happy Independence Day! What better time to display Old Glory (or at least this early version of it) than today? The webpage from which it is found, has several different early flags of the American Revolution with brief explanations of them below. Read it, and remember. Memory may be the most important part of politics. It's a shame we don't use it properly.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Gara Criticizes House Leadership and, uh, half of the Senate Bipolar Leadership
In this ADN article, with regard to Governor Palin's budget spending, Representative Gara spins it thus:
Somebody screwed up. Either Rep. Gara got his talking points mixed up, or Sabra Ayres, the reporter, didn't get the memo. Rep. Gara fails to mention that the number two man in the Senate is a man from his own party, Sen. Hoffman (yes, Hoffman alone is number two. Sen. Stedman, unfortunately, is an empty three-piece suit).
Frankly, I expected more from Rep. Gara. He is usually more on top of things. After all, he was routinely seen meeting last session with fellow Democrats from the House and Senate in the Juneau restaurant The Zephyr, on Seward Street, and no, I don't think it was an open caucus.
It's all a show anyway. Does anyone really think Les Gara is concerned with keeping a Conservative budget? If you do, I have a bridge to sell to you.
Some Democrats, who had urged the governor to veto
some of the projects, hailed Palin’s broad cuts. “The Republican
leadership went on a spending spree,” said Rep. Les Gara, a Democrat from
Anchorage. “The state can’t afford a $1.8 billion pet-project budget.”
Gara said he agreed with Palin’s calls for more public involvement in the
budget-writing process. “Instead of writing the budget in someone’s
office, there should be public testimony to defend what projects are being
requested,” Gara said.
Somebody screwed up. Either Rep. Gara got his talking points mixed up, or Sabra Ayres, the reporter, didn't get the memo. Rep. Gara fails to mention that the number two man in the Senate is a man from his own party, Sen. Hoffman (yes, Hoffman alone is number two. Sen. Stedman, unfortunately, is an empty three-piece suit).
Frankly, I expected more from Rep. Gara. He is usually more on top of things. After all, he was routinely seen meeting last session with fellow Democrats from the House and Senate in the Juneau restaurant The Zephyr, on Seward Street, and no, I don't think it was an open caucus.
It's all a show anyway. Does anyone really think Les Gara is concerned with keeping a Conservative budget? If you do, I have a bridge to sell to you.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
ASP Listed on RedState.com
Well, it looks like some folks down in America have noticed ASP. The website has been listed at Red State under their directory of "State Blogs." That sounds great, but I wish they would get the title right.
This turn of events has reminded me to reiterate a point: ASP doesn't attempt to stay within party lines. It strives for the truth, whoever is saying it. I'm not an avid reader of Red State, but a surface observation of the website demonstrates that they are willing to point out the blemishes of someone's policy, no matter what party they are from. And they make no qualms that they affirm at least some of the values of the Republican party platform.
This turn of events has reminded me to reiterate a point: ASP doesn't attempt to stay within party lines. It strives for the truth, whoever is saying it. I'm not an avid reader of Red State, but a surface observation of the website demonstrates that they are willing to point out the blemishes of someone's policy, no matter what party they are from. And they make no qualms that they affirm at least some of the values of the Republican party platform.
Back in the Saddle
(Mat-Su Valley) After a hiatus of several months, ASP is back. Jellaby Baumgartner, editor of ASP, apologized to those who made the effort to check in with the website on a regular basis, only to be left hanging with no explanation. Because of previous travel commitments, Jellaby was unable to continue posting, and Akidis was “unable or unwilling” to manage the website alone in his absence. But, Jellaby is back for good, and says his priorities are now “correctly ranked.”
Jellaby commented on the tidal wave of news that took place in his absence. “There’s a lot that’s been going on, for sure. It’s a hell of a lot of ground covered,” he said. “That’ll teach me to never turn my back on what’s happening in the legislature. Alaska is never a boring place. I did manage to keep up with some of the AGIA issues while I was gone, though I plan to do a thorough review of the bill soon.”
Jellaby says he plans to stay in state indefinitely. “I have no plans to travel over the next year, which is good because the year is turning busy. The PNWER conference, education spending, gas tax this fall: Hold on tight.”
###
Friday, March 2, 2007
Akidis: Unbelievable
As if it wasn’t bad enough that she is using valuable spots on the US Energy Council as an educational program for underdeveloped and uneducated legislators, Lyda now refuses to pay the way of Senators who plan to travel to the US Energy Council conference in DC this month. Even the Senators from her Bipolar Working Group will be required to pay from their own pocket for this important conference.
"Attending is optional," Green said. "In years past, we had 10 or 12Unbelievable. It’s not optional for Alaska, Lyda. This isn’t New Jersey. We’re talking about the US Energy Council, not the National Farm Bureau.
legislators who went, and the Legislature practically shut down. I would
rather see us continue working."
The timing of this debacle could not have been worse. Even now, the federal community doubts whether Alaska can pull off a gasline (here, here, and here). According to the Alaska Journal of Commerce, a report by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission expressed concern over whether a gasline will be built.
A key state lawmaker, House Majority Leader Ralph Samuels, said he is
concerned that the FERC report to Congress may be paving the way for more
aggressive action by the federal government in pushing the state.
Federal laws enacted by Congress in 2004 require a study of a possible takeover of the
project by the federal government. That study, by the U.S. Department of Energy,
is currently underway.
Maybe Lyda thinks this is one of those evil divisive ideological issues that Sen. Ellis talked about in his creed. While Uncle Fed is salivating over Alaska’s resources, Lyda continues to play games with the future of one of Alaska’s most valuable resources. The only thing worse than poor leadership is incompetent leadership.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Akidis: Gov. Palin vs. Uncle Fed (Ted)
Look at this article by the Alaska Journal of Commerce featuring Sen. Ted Stevens complaining about funding, next to a very flattering picture. Here's a quote
Compare that to a quote from Gov. Palin talking about the gasline to FERC officials in DC.
Bravo Gov. Palin. Alaska has been a whore of the federal government too long. It's time for a change.
Federal funding for some special Alaska programs
may be coming to an end over partisan politics, according to Sen. Ted Stevens.
“We are in for a very long, hard intense political year,” Stevens said Feb.
19 at an Anchorage press conference.
Compare that to a quote from Gov. Palin talking about the gasline to FERC officials in DC.
"The state of Alaska is not looking for
handouts," Palin said.
"We want to work with the federal government and the
companies to get this important project built."
Bravo Gov. Palin. Alaska has been a whore of the federal government too long. It's time for a change.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Is Anchorage Daily News Responding to ASP?
ADN has a political blog which we here at ASP try to frequent as much as possible. Kyle does a pretty good job. On February 3rd, ASP launched its first post. Four days later, ADN launches another political blog on Juneau. No offense to the writer (whoever it is), but I would call it average. Now, ADN has launched a third blog, this time written by the editor. Ironically, the first post (at least the first post I can find), entitled "When We Get It Wrong...," came just five days after Akidis' partially retracted post on Stefan Milikowski's reporting, and just eleven days after Akidis posted on Alaska Public Radio censoring their report on the Tongass. The question is, did ADN start the two later blogs because of this site?
I don't know, nor do I care. I don't think in terms of marketing, so it may be violating savvy business practices to point out their sites, but again, I don't care. Welcome to the conversation, gentlemen.
(By the way, Mr. ADN Editor, Lynn wanted me to say that as a woman she found it offensive that in your bio on the blog, you named your two dogs, but you did not name your kid. Best to get that changed. Also, you need to put your name or pen name somewhere, so people don't call you Mr. Editor.)
I don't know, nor do I care. I don't think in terms of marketing, so it may be violating savvy business practices to point out their sites, but again, I don't care. Welcome to the conversation, gentlemen.
(By the way, Mr. ADN Editor, Lynn wanted me to say that as a woman she found it offensive that in your bio on the blog, you named your two dogs, but you did not name your kid. Best to get that changed. Also, you need to put your name or pen name somewhere, so people don't call you Mr. Editor.)
Monday, February 26, 2007
Samuels Natural Gas Pipeline Presentation
Alaska State Journal has made available online a Natural Gas Pipeline presentation by Rep. Ralph Samuels and Sen. Charlie Huggins. Unfortunately, it is merely a powerpoint presentation (I prefer audio lectures). I really wanted to attend this seminar, but couldn't make the drive. Word is Rep. Samuels has some very knowledgeable staffers working for him, so pay attention. All part of a more "open" government.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Akidis: Stefan Replies
I received an email from Stefan about one of my previous posts entitled "Just the Facts, Stefan, Just the Facts." I am not going to reprint it here, because it was sent to my email address, and I assume it to be a conversation between Mr. Milikowski and me and therefore, I don't think it would be proper to set up his exact quotes for scrutiny.
But, he did dispute my post. My post claimed that Sen. Davis had not been reappointed to the Energy Council. After I checked out some old Senate journals I had printed off BASIS from the last couple years, I confirmed that Mr. Milikowski was right, and I was wrong on this point. My apologies to Stefan, and to Sen. Davis as well.
The other minor point and major point still stand: Portia is not indicated as Lyda's chief of staff on the Senate Bipolar Working Group website. If Portia told Stefan that she was the chief of staff (which I have no reason to doubt), the website ought to be changed. I concede this is a minor point, and not a reason to rip Stefan apart.
The final point, that the tone of the article made it sound like the minority was "crying foul" was unjust because of the nature of the press conference still stands. As a citizen, I could only see the press conference as it was shown online. The centrality of the press conference as an indicator of what a group thinks (as a group) should be maintained. When Stefan began to see that the reactions were different, he needed to bring this up with the Senators he talked with, and ask them why. I fully realize this is a judgment call based on a value that most establishment media do not possess. I don't think this is some conspiracy. It is because we as a society have chosen to say that reporters must report objectively. They can't do that any more than they can set aside their own humanity.
Why did it not cross Stefan's mind to call into question the difference between the reaction of the Senators in the press conference and the reaction of the Senators in personal, one-on-one conversation? It is because, Stefan, like all reporters (and blogwriters) have assumptions when they search for information, and those assumptions can be used to interpret things wrongly or not see things which may be at odds with their assumptions. So, are we to give up on finding objective reporting? Are we citizens doomed to sift through the assumptions of reporters to find out the facts of what really happened? Am I saying that Plato's form of objective reporting does not exist here on earth? Yes. This is not something we should try to hide or shun. This is our humanity, and we should embrace it. (I am not talking about relativism, which modern gnostics and college professors embrace, and only Leninists, Nazis, and other nihilists put into practice.)
Stefan did not ask me to do so, but someone else emailed me, and demanded that I either address my posts or take them down. I consider this an insult. Simply pulling a post that has factual problems with it may be good enough for the Associated Press or al Reuters, but not here. The posts stay. The old post disputing Stefan will be amended with a link to this post, and a disclaimer.
But, he did dispute my post. My post claimed that Sen. Davis had not been reappointed to the Energy Council. After I checked out some old Senate journals I had printed off BASIS from the last couple years, I confirmed that Mr. Milikowski was right, and I was wrong on this point. My apologies to Stefan, and to Sen. Davis as well.
The other minor point and major point still stand: Portia is not indicated as Lyda's chief of staff on the Senate Bipolar Working Group website. If Portia told Stefan that she was the chief of staff (which I have no reason to doubt), the website ought to be changed. I concede this is a minor point, and not a reason to rip Stefan apart.
The final point, that the tone of the article made it sound like the minority was "crying foul" was unjust because of the nature of the press conference still stands. As a citizen, I could only see the press conference as it was shown online. The centrality of the press conference as an indicator of what a group thinks (as a group) should be maintained. When Stefan began to see that the reactions were different, he needed to bring this up with the Senators he talked with, and ask them why. I fully realize this is a judgment call based on a value that most establishment media do not possess. I don't think this is some conspiracy. It is because we as a society have chosen to say that reporters must report objectively. They can't do that any more than they can set aside their own humanity.
Why did it not cross Stefan's mind to call into question the difference between the reaction of the Senators in the press conference and the reaction of the Senators in personal, one-on-one conversation? It is because, Stefan, like all reporters (and blogwriters) have assumptions when they search for information, and those assumptions can be used to interpret things wrongly or not see things which may be at odds with their assumptions. So, are we to give up on finding objective reporting? Are we citizens doomed to sift through the assumptions of reporters to find out the facts of what really happened? Am I saying that Plato's form of objective reporting does not exist here on earth? Yes. This is not something we should try to hide or shun. This is our humanity, and we should embrace it. (I am not talking about relativism, which modern gnostics and college professors embrace, and only Leninists, Nazis, and other nihilists put into practice.)
Stefan did not ask me to do so, but someone else emailed me, and demanded that I either address my posts or take them down. I consider this an insult. Simply pulling a post that has factual problems with it may be good enough for the Associated Press or al Reuters, but not here. The posts stay. The old post disputing Stefan will be amended with a link to this post, and a disclaimer.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Urban Sprawl
According to the ADN report here, parking is going to be quite a task for commuters in the days to come. It raises the question of urban sprawl. A movement called New Urbanism seeks to change the way communities use space by changing the zoning laws. Everyone I have talked with about New Urbanism finds some good points in it, but stops short of affirming it completely. New Urbanists tend to hold up cities like Portland, Oregon as ideals, and put down Atlanta, Georgia as planning disasters. If Alaska were to consider something like New Urbanism, the only reminder I would raise is that it isn't merely changing the nature of space. It changes your demographic, public consciousness, and therefore society. So, beware.
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