...something like this pops up. I follow the website Columbus Underground on my Twitter page, and this morning they tweeted something that caught my eye...COTA bus changes. I've got a bit of a thing for public transit (even if I don't use it nearly as much as I should/could) so I thought it was worth checking out. Here's the CU article...COTA is adding a Hilliard-OSU express, as well as several other adjustments. You can get the full list there.
There's bigger news from Iowa, because on Friday gay marriage became legal in that great farming state. It blows my mind, because a state that's as rural (and typical conservative as rural states are) as Iowa is able to recognize a basic human right, but California and Ohio aren't. I mean, seriously? 3/50th of the country is moving in the right direction...but we need a few more states to reach critical mass.
The North Korean satellite launch was a monstrous success...! At least, according to the North Korean government. As the BBC will tell us (and I trust the BBC infinitely more than my own government sometimes, never mind the North Korean one) the rocket launch failed, and the satellite with its sing-a-long payload never reached orbit. President Obama took the opportunity to push his arms control agenda, telling us, "This provocation underscores the need for action - not just this afternoon at the UN Security Council, but in our determination to prevent the spread of these weapons."
That's a bit more than I intended to post today...but that's what happens when I'm putting off other work ;-) Have a good rest of the weekend!
Friday
Get Your Lawmaker to Marry You! ...the News Roundup
It's bad enough to be from Middletown (And I mean that in total sympathy; I have a soft spot for the place) without getting a $37,500 traffic ticket on the job. Wow. Just...wow.
The Transportation Bill I mentioned made it through the House and Senate without any issues. On to see if Strickland signs it...and since he helped negotiate the final form, I'll be a lil puzzled about a veto.
Tom Letson wants to be able to marry you, which is why he proposed a bill in the Ohio House to allow lawmakers to perform civil marriages (since we know they're not "unions" here in Ohio).
And let me digress here for a bit. I take serious issue with the fact a majority of people in this state think that homosexual couples don't deserve to marry. It's in the top three reasons why I'm conflicted about living here. I bet these were the same people who thought blacks should have their own water fountains too.
On that note, time to leave for the week. You kids have fun and don't do anything too dangerous over the weekend.
The Transportation Bill I mentioned made it through the House and Senate without any issues. On to see if Strickland signs it...and since he helped negotiate the final form, I'll be a lil puzzled about a veto.
Tom Letson wants to be able to marry you, which is why he proposed a bill in the Ohio House to allow lawmakers to perform civil marriages (since we know they're not "unions" here in Ohio).
And let me digress here for a bit. I take serious issue with the fact a majority of people in this state think that homosexual couples don't deserve to marry. It's in the top three reasons why I'm conflicted about living here. I bet these were the same people who thought blacks should have their own water fountains too.
On that note, time to leave for the week. You kids have fun and don't do anything too dangerous over the weekend.
Wednesday
Negotiations Bear Fruit on Transport Budget
So you remember me blogging about Strickland's transportation plan? Negotiations between Senate Republicans, House Democrats, and the Governor's office created a compromise bill. Main items? (From the Columbus Dispatch)
- Truck speed limit will rise from the current 55mph for commercial vehicles to 65mph like the rest of us.
- Construction zone cameras are nixed, no ifs ands or buts.
- Cops still won't be able to pull you over for not wearing your seat belt (they have to have another reason to pull you over).
- The Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati-Dayton rail line is moving along, with the Senate Republicans agreeing to let the Controlling Board have the final say (letting the planning/approval process move forward in time to compete for federal funds.
- Strickland wanted to raise the cost of regular vehicle registration $5.75, but that was rejected. Other fees like vanity plates WILL go up to raise State Patrol funds.
- The negotiating teams also worked out extra unemployment benefits for some workers (though I'm kinda lost on why this is in a transportation bill).
Total price tag? $9.6 billion. I don't see anything that gets me all riled up...but I haven't tracked down the actual legislation and dug through the details, either. I'm mostly curious to see what happens with the rail line...we really, really, really need to push mass and rapid transit much more than we typically do.
Monday
North Korean Missile Launch: Merely a Sign of More Trouble to Come
North Korea is launching a missile. One it claims is for putting a satellite into space. Yeah, whatever. Most of us know that a missile powerful enough to put a satellite into orbit is also powerful enough to put a nuke into Kansas City. Or anywhere else on the planet, for that matter.
So we can all agree (for the most part) this rocket launch in just over a week is a not-so-thinly veiled threat.
Are the North Koreans going to drop a nuke on us? I really, really doubt it. So does everyone else who matters. In fact, Defense Secretary Gates made it clear there isn't any military action planned.
(Side note: I'm linking to Fox News against my better judgement. I'll explain below).
While the Fox News program makes it sound as if we're not able to shoot down the missile, we totally could. Admiral Keating said we were prepared to, and I don't doubt for a minute we have the capability to shoot that tin can out of the sky.
Political will to shoot it down? THAT is what's lacking. The Obama Administration isn't prepared to commit an act of war, and I think that's the right stance. North Korea knows no good will come from open violence, so they aren't going to commit any. Why should we shoot first?
We shot first in Iraq, and see where that got us? Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
As this AP story says, the issue is the breakdown in disarmament talks. Once the missile is launched, North Korea is in violation of UN agreements on balistic activity. Then, the world can either ignore this blatant disregard for international law...or add sanctions against North Korea.
North Korea made it clear that if sanctions happen, they won't continue with the nuclear disarmament talks. THAT is a problem...but not one we can solve easily by starting a war.
Rock and a hard place. This is why all Presidents turn grey and wrinkly after only a few years in office.
So we can all agree (for the most part) this rocket launch in just over a week is a not-so-thinly veiled threat.
Are the North Koreans going to drop a nuke on us? I really, really doubt it. So does everyone else who matters. In fact, Defense Secretary Gates made it clear there isn't any military action planned.
(Side note: I'm linking to Fox News against my better judgement. I'll explain below).
While the Fox News program makes it sound as if we're not able to shoot down the missile, we totally could. Admiral Keating said we were prepared to, and I don't doubt for a minute we have the capability to shoot that tin can out of the sky.
Political will to shoot it down? THAT is what's lacking. The Obama Administration isn't prepared to commit an act of war, and I think that's the right stance. North Korea knows no good will come from open violence, so they aren't going to commit any. Why should we shoot first?
We shot first in Iraq, and see where that got us? Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
As this AP story says, the issue is the breakdown in disarmament talks. Once the missile is launched, North Korea is in violation of UN agreements on balistic activity. Then, the world can either ignore this blatant disregard for international law...or add sanctions against North Korea.
North Korea made it clear that if sanctions happen, they won't continue with the nuclear disarmament talks. THAT is a problem...but not one we can solve easily by starting a war.
Rock and a hard place. This is why all Presidents turn grey and wrinkly after only a few years in office.
Friday
Strickland: Wrong Governor for Era?
I like Ted Strickland. I think he's done a solid job as Governor, and I'd probably vote for him again without too many qualms.
...but this year, he seems to be on another planet. Or maybe just another era. It almost seems like he's been nursing these big legacy projects for a while, and the fact the state is out of money won't stop him from finally going ahead.
I'm talking about two big proposals I've heard in the news in the past couple months. One is all about transportation, and the other is all about education. Both of these are VERY important, and will be the cause of our nation's continued health (or total collapse). And the plans aren't really all that bad, IMO.
So what's my beef? Simple; they're expensive, and complicated, and based on tax revenue picking back up really soon. I don't think this is the time to launch a massive restructuring of the transportation and education systems all at once.
For education, Strickland would flip the funding formula on its head. Basing costs on things such as the size of schools, the student-teacher ratio, and how much teachers are paid (using an index including poverty level, property value, and college attainment of school) the idea is to get away from building a school to be "a good school" and moving toward a system built to serve students. Changes are to be phased in over 8 years, and rely on quite a bit of unsecured, one-time federal stimulus money to get rolling. The Newark Advocate has full details.
On the transportation front Strickland was equally ambitious. He proposed (and got passed the House) a bill including provisions to allow local governments to build toll roads, create passenger rail between the major Ohio cities, and use right of ways near the Ohio Turnpike to build solar and wind farms. The Senate did what Senates do and put the brakes on most of it, cutting out anything they felt was "half-baked." Several new safety laws were also nixed by the Senate, such as cameras to catch speeders in construction zones. The Columbus Dispatch can give you the full story.
Do I disagree with either of these plans? Not really. There's quite a bit of merit for designing school funding around educating students (as if that should be innovative...nevermind, that's for another post). I really like the idea of passenger rail connecting Ohio. There are elements I don't really agree with, of course...cameras in construction zones (or anywhere really) give me the willies. But really, it's not the plans themselves that worry me.
It's the SCOPE of them I take issue with. It's the fact revenues are down for the state, and not likely to pick up anytime soon. I worry about how a lot of the education plan assumes stimulus money as a big chunk of the funding. We're talking about systemic changes without systemic funding. That's just not the sort of governing I'd like to see when times get rocky.
It's not fiscally responsible, and there's too many citizens relying on state support to not be smart with tax dollars.
...but this year, he seems to be on another planet. Or maybe just another era. It almost seems like he's been nursing these big legacy projects for a while, and the fact the state is out of money won't stop him from finally going ahead.
I'm talking about two big proposals I've heard in the news in the past couple months. One is all about transportation, and the other is all about education. Both of these are VERY important, and will be the cause of our nation's continued health (or total collapse). And the plans aren't really all that bad, IMO.
So what's my beef? Simple; they're expensive, and complicated, and based on tax revenue picking back up really soon. I don't think this is the time to launch a massive restructuring of the transportation and education systems all at once.
- The Plans:
For education, Strickland would flip the funding formula on its head. Basing costs on things such as the size of schools, the student-teacher ratio, and how much teachers are paid (using an index including poverty level, property value, and college attainment of school) the idea is to get away from building a school to be "a good school" and moving toward a system built to serve students. Changes are to be phased in over 8 years, and rely on quite a bit of unsecured, one-time federal stimulus money to get rolling. The Newark Advocate has full details.
On the transportation front Strickland was equally ambitious. He proposed (and got passed the House) a bill including provisions to allow local governments to build toll roads, create passenger rail between the major Ohio cities, and use right of ways near the Ohio Turnpike to build solar and wind farms. The Senate did what Senates do and put the brakes on most of it, cutting out anything they felt was "half-baked." Several new safety laws were also nixed by the Senate, such as cameras to catch speeders in construction zones. The Columbus Dispatch can give you the full story.
Do I disagree with either of these plans? Not really. There's quite a bit of merit for designing school funding around educating students (as if that should be innovative...nevermind, that's for another post). I really like the idea of passenger rail connecting Ohio. There are elements I don't really agree with, of course...cameras in construction zones (or anywhere really) give me the willies. But really, it's not the plans themselves that worry me.
It's the SCOPE of them I take issue with. It's the fact revenues are down for the state, and not likely to pick up anytime soon. I worry about how a lot of the education plan assumes stimulus money as a big chunk of the funding. We're talking about systemic changes without systemic funding. That's just not the sort of governing I'd like to see when times get rocky.
It's not fiscally responsible, and there's too many citizens relying on state support to not be smart with tax dollars.
Monday
New Format?
I don't know about a new format, but I am trying to take things in a different direction. I've had one vision in my head about this blog for the past four months or so, and it hasn't been easy to do for a lot of reasons. Mostly because I'm not that interested in what the vision was...go figure that one.
So now, instead of having some bizarre mix of civics, non-politics, and semi news that I write up on a weekly basis I'll be trying to take a more spontaneous, opinionated approach. We'll see how that works...maybe it'll keep my interest a little better, and by extrapolation YOUR interest. Since that's kinda the part that matters.
Thanks for checking in!
So now, instead of having some bizarre mix of civics, non-politics, and semi news that I write up on a weekly basis I'll be trying to take a more spontaneous, opinionated approach. We'll see how that works...maybe it'll keep my interest a little better, and by extrapolation YOUR interest. Since that's kinda the part that matters.
Thanks for checking in!
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