Blog @ MoreWhat.com

Gore Film Sparks Parents’ Anger
FEDERAL WAY, Wash., Jan. 24 — Frosty E. Hardison is neither impressed nor surprised that “An Inconvenient Truth,” the global-warming movie narrated by former vice president Al Gore, received an Oscar nomination this week for best documentary.

If you call yourself Frosty, maybe global warming should be on your radar. But to protest your child viewing Al Gore’s film because you are angry in thinking it lays the blame on “the greatest nation ever” or that global warming is advanced notice of judgment day, you have more to worry about than Al Gore.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Committee Holds Hearing on Political Influence on Government Climate Change Scientists
Four witnesses testified on Tuesday regarding allegations that political officials stifled government scientists in order to minimize the significance of global climate change.

Chairman Waxman Requests Additional Information on GSA Procurement
Chairman Waxman writes to GSA Administrator Lurita A. Doan and others inquiring about GSA procurement issues.

Chairman Waxman Invites Witnesses for Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Hearing
Rep. Waxman has requested the testimony of L. Paul Bremer, Stuart Bowen, and Timothy Carney at an Oversight Committee hearing on waste, fraud, and abuse, which will focus on Iraq reconstruction. The hearing will be held the week of February 6th.

One of the few times political motives may actually be a good thing. Part of the downside of this good thing might be the use of hearings and investigations to simply embarrass the other party. But if Senator Henry Waxman and other members of this committee can uncover the abuse and indict the offenders there could be plenty of upside.

The so-called toughest ethics reform bill in decades will be entirely meaningless if the reconstruction contracts and lack of results in Afghanistan and Iraq are not corrected. This doesn’t mean more taxpayer money to right the wrongs of contractors. This means holding those contractors responsible and having those companies right the wrong.

Rather than civil penalties or less for those who commit such acts, criminal penalties and a real prison should be the fate of offenders found guilty. That would include applying undue influence on government scientists and more no bid nonsense from Doan at the GSA. Penalties with teeth and real criminal punishment might reduce unlawful or unethical practices in government. That would be tough legislation and action, not the fertilizer that passed through Congress recently.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Pelosi: Today, We Are Making the American People Safer by Passing the 9/11 Commission Reforms “In the fall campaign, Democrats promised to address the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, making it an urgent priority in the new Congress. Today, we have made good on that pledge.” 01/09/2007

Really going to cut the Dems some slack on this one. As this will be the final installment on Pelosi Politics forever or for a while, it would be nice to go easy on ‘em at least once.

It is a significant risk to adopt recommendations as an answer to the severe reality of future terror activities within our country. It would be foolish to allow this plan the only consideration for protecting the nation from attack. If this is merely an addition to a broad range of security implementations to thwart large and small scale terrorist attacks or other activities then the Dems are doing better than I would have expected. We should not simply allow the Dems to bear the burden of the nation’s security alone. Others in government and the public as well have a duty to contribute to protecting our country. Only time will tell if this is working. It may reasonably become a work in progress adapting to new threats that certainly will develop. So, as mentioned at the top, there will be no dumping or piling on just yet. It could be helpful to show some patience on this topic. Have a safe day.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Nuclear Agency: Air Defenses Impractical

By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 30, 2007; A04

Federal regulators plunged into an energy and national security controversy yesterday by ruling that the nation’s 103 nuclear power plants do not need to protect themselves from potential attacks by terrorists using airplanes.

Sure, the nuclear power plants ” are inherently robust” installations. So what was the World Trade Center, a home made tree house? The Nuke regulators voted 5-0 that the job belongs to someone else, the military or another agency but not them and not the nuke plant companies. If it were not for so many mistakes in the past, one could believe that this stuff is all made up just to fool the terrorists. You know, to have them think we’re this stupid.

This one is sort of like the global warming thing. Some people call attention to a potential crisis and most everyone blows them off. A group of people petitioned the Nuke regulators about anti-terrorist measures at the nation’s nuke facilities. Rather than reject their specific proposal or suggest another or more discussion, they conclude they need to do nothing. Let the military or some other agency deal with it. Simply not an intelligent response.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Pelosi Announces Second Committee Assignments for Freshmen Members “Our new Members will bring a spirit of renewal and hope for the American people that will energize and invigorate the Democratic Caucus as we take American in a New Direction. Their diversity and vast array of personal experience on which to draw on will ensure that all Americans, not just the privileged few, are given a voice in the halls of Congress.” 01/09/2007

First of all, whether you follow the chronology of these announcements or not, the Speaker has a tendency to repeat herself. Or it is just that she likes to repeat the same slogans, phrases and terms while making political speak. If you are marketing your politics, one should have enough political ambition to occasionally choose new copy for the hose job.

What do I mean by hose job? All the parties, D or R, are interested in at election time is re-electing party politicians and getting whom ever they can to challenge and possibly defeat an incumbent. What the Speaker is really saying in this announcement is the unfortunate (for the public) result of a change in majority within Congress finds the Dems with some freshman colleagues and her high praise of them is political speak for they will do what we tell them to do. For the public this means don’t expect any substantive improvement in Congress.

The guiding mantra of the Democratic party is again visible in this announcement; hope. “Renewal and hope” was worked into this piece. We’re so proud. Check the Vegas odds on this Congress being better than any other. To be fair, the Republican lead adventures since the contract with America have been no prize either. Again we point out that party politics is not an effective method for the citizens of any country, including this one.

C. Harris
MoreWhat.com

Pelosi: ‘The Days of Smoke-filled Rooms in the United States Capitol Are Over’ “As Members of Congress, we must be held to a higher standard. We can no longer risk the health of colleagues, staff, pages, reporters and others who pass through the Speaker’s Lobby each day.” 01/10/2007

What’s over? More accurately until the next Speaker is elected. We can’t get much done in this country on a regular basis, but we sure can ban smoking at the drop of a hat. But, Honorable Speaker Nancy Pelosi, does every announcement require such melodramatic rhetoric? If you want to be held to a higher standard, why are ethics in politics such an illusive goal? Why all the ethics manuals, committees, training, excuses, pathetic legislation deemed necessary? If those elected to office are incapable or unwilling to be ethical, then they are not fit for office and should be dispatched.

With your higher standard comment should follow a simple process. If you cannot determine what is or is not ethical as a member of Congress or other post as described in HR 6, then leave it up to chance and if the mechanisms already in place detect an ethics violation, the proper enforcement procedure as defined by law should be commenced against the offending individual or group. Their should be criminal penalties if found guilty and matters should be handled similar to a criminal offense committed by any other citizen, or worse, due to your higher standard. Will we live long enough to see such a state? Doubtful.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

As Spending Deadline Looms, Congress Debates Earmarks
President Bush told Congress last week that he wants to cut earmarks in half, a popular notion after the $223 million “bridge to nowhere” and other seemingly wasteful projects were tucked into the federal budget by lawmakers.

Earmarks, pork barrel spending, whatever you want to call it is nothing more than politics as usual. Another sacred cow of Washington and elsewhere that will never go away. Just like the “toughest ethics reform” and other claims by Congress to resolve issues. They have been allowed to get away with so many disgusting practices for so many years, they probably don’t know how to do it any other way. They might actually believe their own lies.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

In Exchange for Records, Fewer Immigration Raids

Over the past seven months, Bush administration officials have quietly toured the country, trying to persuade businesses that rely heavily on immigrant labor to join a little-known program that would spare them from embarrassing federal raids if they voluntarily handed over their workers’ documents so the government can scan them for fraudulent information….

The existence of the report above should be sufficient evidence that President Bush’s quiet tour is in the past tense. Raids are not the important part of the issue. The issue is the important part of the issue. It is called immigration. And every last politician can’t stop counting the money long enough to discharge their responsibility and correct border control and other national security problems including immigration.

If business wants to avoid raids by doing what they should in the first place, that is fine. Straighten out your obligation to protect this country and also stop violating laws. You forget that along with the need to have a profit in a busienss you have other obligations, not the least of which is to the country in which your business is located.

Stop the insanity and correct national security, including, but not limited to, defense, border control and immigration.

Staford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Clinton Begins Her Run In Earnest

DES MOINES, Jan. 27 — Bursting onto the campaign trail for the first time here on Saturday, Democratic New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton quickly confronted two looming questions about her presidential candidacy: whether voters are ready to elect a woman to the White House and how aggressively she would respond to Republican attacks if she were her party’s nominee….

Already there are signs Hillary is not going to make it. Then maybe once and for all, Bill and Hillary can get out of the political arena and life can move on without fear of more Clinton nightmares.

C. Harris
MoreWhat.com

‘Bill Clinton First Lady’s Man’

By Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 28, 2007

DAVENPORT, Iowa, Jan. 28 — Bill Clinton didn’t join his wife on her debut trip to Iowa. But his presence loomed.
“Bill Clinton First Lady’s Man,” read a sign in the audience in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon.

“You know, Bill didn’t compete in the 1992 Iowa caucuses because Tom Harkin was running for president,” Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told supporters during a house party in Cedar Rapids on Saturday night. “This is the only political experience I will ever have that he had never had.”

There is more being said in this short excerpt than may be noticed on first glance. Have you considered the fact that if Hillary Clinton became President there is something worse than that? If Hillary was in the Whitehouse, guess who else would be there? That scenario is just too scary to let happen.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Biden to Kick Off Presidential Campaign

NEW YORK — Democratic Sen. Joe Biden, who has made no secret of his plans to run for president in 2008, says he’ll make it official next Wednesday. The 64-year-old Delaware lawmaker said he will file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and launch a campaign Web site,…

Based on past personal history, Senator Joe Biden should not be allowed to write his own speeches. That bad joke out of the way, there is no candidate to get anyone all excited. Well, except for Hillary, there are none. But Hillary can get one all worked up for the wrong reasons. Not the kind of thing a candidate would want. With all the strange behavior of her husband and her willingness to act as if nothing happened, how does that translate into her tendency to look the other way in office, Senate or otherwise?

See, with all that about what is wrong with Hillary, it shows you what is wrong with Biden.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Barbaro Is Euthanized

By DAN GELSTON

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. - Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his breakdown at the Preakness last May.

“We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain,” co-owner Roy Jackson said. “It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time.”

Get well sentiments were obviously not enough. Yes, there’s money. Yes, there’s racing. Yes, some are not in favor of such things. But it is hard to ignore the strength of a champion. Too bad he couldn’t enjoy those victories longer. To Barbaro we offer this final sentiment: Good job, well done, rest in peace.

MoreWhat.com staff

‘Quit’ mentioned in latest Barbaro setback
These have been bad days for Barbaro. The Kentucky Derby winner suffered another significant setback over the weekend, and his fight for survival may have reached a critical point.

With the coincidence of a film about Seabiscuit and Barbaro’s incredible run before the debilitating injury, this is one of those stories. You have to be pulling for the horse. And then there are those nagging other circumstances about species with whom we share the planet. You can fill in the blanks.

C. Harris
MoreWhat.com

With all there is to concern ourselves with each day it is not surprising that most of the posts here deal with unpleasant events. From the misfirings of political artillery to the real sacrifices of those in combat or within the confines of the armed conflicts in the world. But every now and then there is reason to congratulate those who bring a touch of normalcy with their work. Tonight was one of those nights. And the subject is one that has been here before. (click)

The staff of MoreWhat.com would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the Hallmark Hall of Fame for presenting The Valley of Light this evening on CBS. As has always been the case, these stories are exceptional viewing. Thanks again.

MoreWhat.com staff

from MoreWhat.com staff
Not like it was going out on a limb, but there is some small comfort from a quote of Robert Smoldt’s at a forum of 30 health care policy experts at Harvard. It is part of an initiative by Mayo Clinic’s policy wing. You could say it is a polite way of describing American health care as not getting much bang for the buck. Would someone please point out a practical proposal for reform?

from Mr. Smoldt
“The expertise that each participant brought to the process was crucial,” says Robert Smoldt, chief administrative officer of Mayo Clinic and the leader of its policy center. “Spirited debate and compromise allowed us to arrive at some strong recommendations for change. We all agree that patients are not currently well-served by a fragmented delivery system that consumes tremendous resources and produces less-than-optimal results.”