tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88489681578394176222024-03-13T16:13:07.861-05:00Duke Conover's "'tween the lines"For people who love newspapers, and all forms of media, let's talk about what's between the lines.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848968157839417622.post-29903716270808708082011-02-16T08:10:00.005-06:002011-02-16T09:10:35.105-06:00Budgeting in Washington: It is what it is, isn't it?Don't you dislike the phrase, "It is what it is"? <br /><br />What a ridiculous way of taking no responsibility for your actions or not doing anything about the transgressions of others. <br /><br />That's Congress' attitude today: casually seek a resolution before March 3 that keeps government open until September as it bashes the president's budget proposal, which doesn't take effect until Oct. 1 and only with Congress'approval. <br /><br />Debating tomorrow's budget when we don't have one today. Does that make sense?<br /><br />Republicans say: "Let's see, we failed to come up with a workable spending plan last year because those lousy Democrats controlled the House and Senate. Now we have to concern ourselves with tomorrow, Obama's budget, and let today take care of itself."<br /><br />Democrats say: "Those lousy Republicans blocked our efforts last year to pass a budget, and now we can't get them to concentrate on today because they are so focused on the politics of making Obama look bad and winning the White House back in 2012. They are so irresponsible."<br /><br />So, it is what it is? Well, this is <span style="font-style:italic;">how</span> it is:<br /><br />Article 1, Section 8, U.S. Constitution<br />"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States."<br /><br />This includes borrowing money, regulating commerce, coining and setting the value of money and approving a spending plan (budget) to pay all those debts.<br /><br />Article 2, Sect. 3, U.S. Constitution<br />"He (the president) shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."<br /><br />The president <span style="font-style:italic;">recommends</span> while the Constitution <span style="font-style:italic;">commands</span> Congress to act on all matters financial for the United States.<br /><br />This is what is is: The people stepped up in 2008 and elected Obama because they were tired of business as usual in Washington. They did the same in 2010 when they wrested control of the House of Representatives from the Democrats.<br /><br />Congress needs to get the message. Stop playing around, get the 2010-11 budget passed rather than wrangling over how much Obama wants to spend or not in 2011-12. We have time for those arguments in April when the legislature releases its plan for next year. Congress — Democrats, Republicans, Independents — can't shirk their constitutional responsibility, It's just so much more important than Congress thinks it is.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848968157839417622.post-64503725640787326692011-02-10T11:37:00.005-06:002011-02-10T17:28:24.176-06:00School bus advertising a hard sellKentucky is considering school bus advertising today as it was considered across the country in 2001 at the height of this century's first economic decline: to offset education costs. But few states have signed on to allowing open advertising on school buses. Tennessee does, as well as Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. A few other states allow interior school bus ads. <br /><br />Interestingly, when arguments can be found for and against any topic, especially the controversial ones — which usually include any affecting people's food, children and taxes — those opposed to school bus advertising seem to far outweigh those supporting it. <br /><br />For example:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Bus advertising helps pay for academic programs the same way field advertising has helped pay for sports programs. </span><br /><br />Little support, much more in opposition. In fact, the few states allowing school buses to carry advertising are not boasting bolstered budget bottom lines for education from their programs.<br /><br />An ad company in Houston claimed that a bus ad program would amount to thousands of — if not a cool million — dollars of additional revenue, with good local support. Friendswood Independent School District signed on. But in the first six months, school bus advertising only brought the schools $955 in new money. The city, comparable in size to Paducah, is an affluent suburb of Houston. The local newspaper, the <a href="http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/friendswood/news/article_e21981f7-e36e-5816-9d9e-3c5fa49dfd85.html">Friendswood News</a>, reported this morning that job cuts and larger class sizes are now part of the district's continuing plan to deal with diminishing revenue. No mention was made of promoting its school bus advertising program.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Bus advertising creates traffic hazards. Bus advertising is no more distracting than billboards and business signs.</span><br /><br /> The former garners more support than the latter. A <a href="faptflorida.org/FAPT%20Position-Advertising%20on%20School%20Buses-Jan%202011.pdf">Florida Association for Pupil Transportation report</a> published last month, taking a position against school bus advertising, laid out some salient points. The report cites a July 2008 National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey that shows of the more than 800,000 crashes in the U.S. over the 30-month study period, drivers simply not paying attention to the road and external distractions — such as those that school bus advertising would cause, opponents say — were responsible for more than 143,000 or just over 17 percent of the collisions. <br /><br />The report adds that nationally an average of 19 school children die in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year. On average, five of those 19 victims are occupants of school transportation vehicles and 14 are pedestrians who vehicles hit. Thousands more are injured badly enough to require emergency room medical care.<br /><br />Opponents say that advertising on school buses would detract attention away from the visible safety precautions on school buses today: the distinctive yellow color, the flashing amber lights and the protruding stop signs offering a warning to oncoming drivers. This all could increase the number of transportation-related tragedies, the report states.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Advertising is free speech and should be allowed. Controlling advertising content and placement is difficult, possibly even a First Amendment challenge.</span> <br /><br />This time it seems to be the latter ahead of the former. Although no freedom of speech challenges have come from such advertising, schools should not leave themselves open to having to make such decisions by stepping into the bus advertising arena. A school district forced to defend itself against a First Amendment lawsuit might end up spending more than the bus advertising brought into its coffers ($995 to Friendswood, Texas, in six months).<br /><br />From the Florida report, citing support from a <a href="http://www.doe.in.gov/safety/ssbc/legalad.html">1996 Indiana state legal opinion</a>, "Supporters of advertising on school buses believe that committees should be formed to establish criteria for the appropriateness of advertising, and believe the criteria will protect them from legal action. The fact of the matter is that such criteria may be challenged in court, and it is impossible for anyone to predict the likelihood of success of any legal challenge to restricting the type of advertising on school buses. While legal challenges to state or local policies may or may not occur, the potential of a lawsuit is always present." <br /><br />State finances are on shaky ground across the country. When money is tight for any business, it is good business to be creative and seek ways to increase revenue rather than cut expenses. Although the creativity in Frankfort should be applauded, government is not a business. And good government cuts expenses during tough economic times rather than seek little-tried — and possibly troublesome ways — of raising money.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848968157839417622.post-74332995306192748352011-02-09T09:55:00.005-06:002011-02-09T14:12:12.206-06:00Looking out my office window I see snow falling, and it started coming down just about the time it was predicted to in downtown Paducah.<br /><br />The same could not be said about the raging storm that hit the region on Monday. Most meteorologists, including WPSD-TV's Jennifer Rukavina, missed that one. People were not happy. In fact, the angry comments toward Rukavina on some social networking sites would make you think she failed to predict the end of time.<br /><br />With all the computers, satellite receivers, and models to guide them, meteorologists still practice a non-exact science. In fact, simply by its nature, science is not exact. Room is always left in theory for unknowns, such as human error and changing conditions.<br /><br />Rukavina apologized to WPSD viewers on Monday for getting the forecast wrong. This is something she did not have to do. And she should be applauded for humbly offering herself up as the buffer against people's frustrations. <br /><br />No love is lost between our newsrooms: the Sun's and WPSD's. We are very competitive. But I rely on many sources of news and information to help guide my life each day, and one of those is Rukavina's Weather Authority team at WPSD.<br /><br />So Jennifer, from me to you, just chalk up Monday's forecast fiasco in the loss column and know that you are still batting well over .900 with your spot on weather reporting.<br /><br />Thanks for all you do.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848968157839417622.post-89085276091455921842010-12-03T20:57:00.002-06:002010-12-03T21:36:21.940-06:00Cardinals' Morrises fly highCongrats to the Mayfield Cardinals. What a blowout, 47-6, over the Hazard Bulldogs to bring home their eighth state championship.<br /><br />Head coach Joe Morris is following in the fine tradition of his father, Jack, who coached the Cardinals for 24 years. Jack Morris' Mayfield teams won Class 2A state championships in 1977, 78, 85 and 86 and made title game appearances in 1976, 87, 89, 91 and 92. With an overall record of 254-50-2, the Cardinals never had a losing season, and the team never lost more than four games in any given season.<br /><br />Joe Morris took over the team in 1999 from Paul Leahy and has gone on to four state championship games, winning two, 2002 and today over Hazard. In the past 12 seasons, Joe Morris has a 129 wins and 38 loses. <br /><br />Well, Joe, as they say, it's not your father's team anymore, but it is well on its way to accomplishing all that it did — and even more — with Jack at the Cardinal helm. <br /><br />Congratulations, again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848968157839417622.post-89287754360673707822010-10-22T14:13:00.003-05:002010-10-23T13:36:34.667-05:00Juan Williams, Lyndon Johnson and NPRNational Public Radio fired Juan Williams for comments he made while appearing on the Fox News Channel.<br /><br />What Juan said or didn't say is really irrelevant. And I prefer not to go into or take a position either way on his commentary.<br /><br />However, I would like to point out a portion of President Lyndon B. Johnson's remarks before signing the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which gave birth to NPR and PBS under the guise of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.<br /><br />"The Corporation will assist stations and producers who aim for the best ... broadcasting reports on the whole fascinating range of human activity. It will try to prove that what educates can also be exciting.<br /><br />"It will get part of its support from our Government. But it will be carefully guarded from Government or from party control. It will be free, and it will be independent — and it will belong to all of our people. ...<br /><br />"I hope that those who lead the Corporation will direct that power toward the great and not the trivial purposes.<br /><br />"At its best, public television would help make our Nation a replica of the old Greek marketplace, where public affairs took place in view of all the citizens."<br /><br />The mission in a sound bite, then: Objectivity, that encompasses "reports on the whole fascinating range of human activity," openness that lays out public affairs in view of all citizens, and leadership that directs its power toward the great rather than the trivial while remaining free from party control.<br /><br />Are NPR and the CPB living up to Johnson's ideals? I say "no."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1