On November 2nd the voters of Arkansas will once again be asked to address the issue of providing government incentives to attract businesses to our state under the auspices of creating jobs by modifying the existing language of Amendment 82 passed in 2004. The tag line in this morning's ADMZ labeled it "Toss business-lure rules, voters urged". Specifically, under proposed Issue 3, the current requirement that target companies spend at least $500 million in capital expenditures and create at least 500 new jobs would be eliminated, thus allowing greater flexibility in appealing to a wider range of businesses, as few companies can meet the above criteria. The exact language can be found at http://votenaturally.org/2010_elections/hjr1007.html.
While such corporate subsidies have been used successfully in Arkansas, as well as surrounding states, I have always been struck by the irony of how readily corporations are to accept these gifts, more commonly termed "incentives", from the taxpayers while at the same time the business world in general seems to always decry taxes of any kind. In addition some of these arrangements appear to be disproportionate to the size of the investment. For example, it was recently announced that the City of Fort Smith is getting ready to pony up $80 million in incentives including bonds and infrastructure improvements, to attract a $100 million wind turbine plant. Gosh, what business wouldn't love to have that same level of help. And then there is the validity of the impact studies themselves that are made to justify these commitments which, we assume, are based on realistic and supportable data. Since there is virtually no public transparency about these deals, even though public funds are used to finance them, it's impossible to know. (This same argument was made for government contributions to local Chambers of Commerce in great detail in an April 4th article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, but that's a possible issue for another day). The absence of transparency is, in fact, exactly why the Arkansas Public Policy Panel refuses to take a position on Issue 3. And, finally, what follow-up is made after these funds are expended to verify those impact studies, and what happens if the level of job creation on which they were based does not materialize? Or what happens if there are general employment layoffs after the fact as has occurred during this economic downturn? Does the state get its money back? Also, there are the contemporaneous "incentives" from cities and counties which historically are offered, too, which need the same level of scrutiny and safeguards, not to mention the $1.6 trillion in cash corporations are now sitting on which raises the question of why they even need financial help in the first place.
No one, including me, will argue with the need for governments at all level (i.e. city, county and state) to create a business friendly environment to attract companies and create jobs. My only point is that the taxpayers within those government locals need to be assured that the highest level of economic justification is made before doling out those dollars, as well as a continued assessment of that investment to ensure that all job creation benefits actually accrue to the city, county and/or state as proposed. If not, then there should be a mechanism to recoup that taxpayer investment, in my view. That said, I am confident that Issue 3 will no doubt pass, as the need to keep up with the competition and pressure to address employment issues are simply too great.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW!
"WOW!" That was the expression used by Lesley Stahl in her interview with the departed commander in Iraq, Gen. Raymond Odierno, on 60 MINUTES yesterday when he told her that "it is yet to be determined" whether Iran will become the biggest beneficiary of the Iraq war. This was after it was reported in the New York Times that the newest attempt to form a coalition government in Iraq now includes the supporters of Moktada al-Sadar against whom American and Iraqi troops fought so violently in 2007, and who the current administration feels would have strong ties with Iran, thus increasing their influence in Iraq. So, after seven years, 4,500+ lives lost, no telling how many hundreds of billions of dollars spent and a Middle East now more fragile than ever, we learn that the very country we would least want to rise in influence in that region is now on the verge of doing that very thing. I agree - WOW!
As that conflict supposedly winds down with the largest movement of troops and material since WWII, we find just the reverse in the war de jour - Afghanistan, geographically separated from Iraq by only one country. Guess who? Iran. Just this past weekend I was privileged to hear an officer in our armed forces, who had just returned from Afghanistan, describe first hand what's going on there. Obviously, we all know about the surge which brings with it another significant movement of troops and material, but under much more difficult circumstances than moving out of Iraq including weather, lack of infrastructure in many places, multi-tribalism, corruption and the absence of a strong central government. What was news to me, however, is the apparent fragmentation and friction among our individual "coalition" forces (e.g. Britain, Germany, Italy, etc.), as well as with NATO itself. Much like Berlin after WWII, the country has been divvied up between coalition forces where each force is responsible for its own sector to the extent that there are sometimes even communication problems between these forces, caused not by language barriers but, rather, hardware incompatibility. While hopeful, this young man did not seem very encouraged by his experience. So, at a time we are winding down in one theater where the measure of success is very much in doubt, we're cranking it up in another where there may be even less chance to achieve a meaningful purpose, particularly if we continue to alienate Pakistan. This was another WOW moment for me.
And then there was the report in yesterday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette by David Zucchino of the Los Angeles Times that the U.S. military is now going "back to basics" and concentrate on fighting big wars. To quote that article: "Drained of grueling efforts to win over civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is refocusing on fighting and killing the enemy, not nation-building". In the words of Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, "The United States is unlikely to repeat a mission on the scale of those in Iraq or Afghanistan anytime soon. Instead, U.S. forces will probably be called on to help other countries' armies defend themselves, particularly against terrorist attacks, but also against conventional armies". To further quote Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense, "We aren't going to be doing counterinsurgency again.... We're not good at it". WOW again! What a great time to figure that out, just as we today absorb the latest travel alert for Americans going anywhere in Europe as a direct result of another more general terrorist threat.
And, finally, while we have been bogged down with these two conflicts for almost a decade, excluding Iraq 1, we now learn that China has cornered the market on rare-earth oxides that are essential in building the very arms necessary for our defense weapons to fight these wars, as well as building electric vehicles and wind turbines, both elements of our transition to a green economy. And this latest revelation is on top of them buying up all of the conventional minerals they can world-wide, purchasing billions of dollars of our debt, manufacturing a slew of our imported products which are apparently subsidized with currency manipulation and more recently slapping a tariff on our poultry exported to China. WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! We need to get "back to basics" all right, but in more ways than one, in my view.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
As that conflict supposedly winds down with the largest movement of troops and material since WWII, we find just the reverse in the war de jour - Afghanistan, geographically separated from Iraq by only one country. Guess who? Iran. Just this past weekend I was privileged to hear an officer in our armed forces, who had just returned from Afghanistan, describe first hand what's going on there. Obviously, we all know about the surge which brings with it another significant movement of troops and material, but under much more difficult circumstances than moving out of Iraq including weather, lack of infrastructure in many places, multi-tribalism, corruption and the absence of a strong central government. What was news to me, however, is the apparent fragmentation and friction among our individual "coalition" forces (e.g. Britain, Germany, Italy, etc.), as well as with NATO itself. Much like Berlin after WWII, the country has been divvied up between coalition forces where each force is responsible for its own sector to the extent that there are sometimes even communication problems between these forces, caused not by language barriers but, rather, hardware incompatibility. While hopeful, this young man did not seem very encouraged by his experience. So, at a time we are winding down in one theater where the measure of success is very much in doubt, we're cranking it up in another where there may be even less chance to achieve a meaningful purpose, particularly if we continue to alienate Pakistan. This was another WOW moment for me.
And then there was the report in yesterday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette by David Zucchino of the Los Angeles Times that the U.S. military is now going "back to basics" and concentrate on fighting big wars. To quote that article: "Drained of grueling efforts to win over civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is refocusing on fighting and killing the enemy, not nation-building". In the words of Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, "The United States is unlikely to repeat a mission on the scale of those in Iraq or Afghanistan anytime soon. Instead, U.S. forces will probably be called on to help other countries' armies defend themselves, particularly against terrorist attacks, but also against conventional armies". To further quote Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense, "We aren't going to be doing counterinsurgency again.... We're not good at it". WOW again! What a great time to figure that out, just as we today absorb the latest travel alert for Americans going anywhere in Europe as a direct result of another more general terrorist threat.
And, finally, while we have been bogged down with these two conflicts for almost a decade, excluding Iraq 1, we now learn that China has cornered the market on rare-earth oxides that are essential in building the very arms necessary for our defense weapons to fight these wars, as well as building electric vehicles and wind turbines, both elements of our transition to a green economy. And this latest revelation is on top of them buying up all of the conventional minerals they can world-wide, purchasing billions of dollars of our debt, manufacturing a slew of our imported products which are apparently subsidized with currency manipulation and more recently slapping a tariff on our poultry exported to China. WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! We need to get "back to basics" all right, but in more ways than one, in my view.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Irony of Ironies
Having listened to all of the recent rhetoric about extending tax cuts for the wealthy, downsizing government, repealing the recently passed health care legislation and restoring our "lost freedoms", it occurs to me that all of those proposing these actions might want to assess their positions more carefully.
With our national debt increasing by the day to astronomical levels (see for yourself at http://usdebtclock.org ), how could any fiscally responsible person call for further increasing that debt by granting continuing tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% of our society who on the average actually pay only half of the maximum tax rate of 35%? Their good fortune in a reduced tax bill is due to the nature of our voluminous and complex tax code which contains a whole slew of perfectly legal tax breaks for those who are enterprising enough to take advantage of them. In addition in 2007 this same group shared almost 25% of our total national income for only the second time in our history. The first was 1928 and we all know what followed. While some members of this affluent group like Ben Stein complain about paying any increase in taxes as he did on the CBS Morning Show last Sunday, Warren Buffett summed it up best when he allowed that something is drastically wrong when his secretary pays proportionately more income tax than he. Also, wasn't it Oliver Wendell Holmes who declared that "taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society"? So, if these anti-tax folks get their way, what happens to our infrastructure, defense, education, transportation apparatus, legal system, emergency response capability, parks, homeland security and social services if there is a $700 billion decrease in tax revenue over the next decade as projected due to extending tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of our population?
Presumably, any reduction in the taxes collected would most likely lead to that very downsizing in government most of these same people want, but at the very time when we need it most. In the 80's it was called "starving the beast", but only five years ago the nation was clamoring to know where that "beast" was when the gulf coast was ravaged by hurricane Katrina, and only five months ago when that same coast was dealt another blow with the BP oil spill. And let's not forget how last year the "beast" virtually saved the financial structure and integrity of this nation on which so much of our economy relies, not to mention the plethora of local, county and state grants, concessions and gifts which are given each year to corporations to encourage them to build or expand plants supposedly to create jobs. Where would that pool of money come from if tax revenue is reduced?
Then, we have the clarion call by many to repeal the new health care law right at the very time its benefits are starting to kick in, some just this past week. Who can argue with lifetime caps being banned, not being kicked off of coverage if you get sick, allowing children under 19 with pre-existing conditions to be covered, being able to get emergency coverage outside of one's network, permitting children under 26 years of age to remain on parents' insurance, providing tax credits to small businesses to offset their health insurance costs and providing consumers much more information on health care options at http://HealthCare.org? As stories of those whose lives have been and will be materially improved by this new law are publicized, I suspect any attempt to do away with it will quickly vanish.
And, finally, there are the most bizarre demands of all that call for "taking back our government" and "restoring our freedoms". What does "taking back our government" mean? Does it mean demolishing the institutions of government including congress and all federal agencies which now serve over 300 million people? Or does it mean a complete overhaul of all processes under which these institutions are created and now function? And pray tell what "lost freedoms" are they talking about? Is it the very freedom of speech they now enjoy in espousing their agenda? Is it the right to bear arms which seem to expand every year with additional venues in which people can now carry concealed weapons including of all places churches and national parks? Is it the right to practice one's religion free from interference and being demonized in a country that has one of the most diverse religious populations on earth? It just seems terribly ironic to me that some members of our society who would benefit the most from a strong tolerant government and its well financed and functioning programs are the very ones complaining the loudest about them.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
With our national debt increasing by the day to astronomical levels (see for yourself at http://usdebtclock.org ), how could any fiscally responsible person call for further increasing that debt by granting continuing tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% of our society who on the average actually pay only half of the maximum tax rate of 35%? Their good fortune in a reduced tax bill is due to the nature of our voluminous and complex tax code which contains a whole slew of perfectly legal tax breaks for those who are enterprising enough to take advantage of them. In addition in 2007 this same group shared almost 25% of our total national income for only the second time in our history. The first was 1928 and we all know what followed. While some members of this affluent group like Ben Stein complain about paying any increase in taxes as he did on the CBS Morning Show last Sunday, Warren Buffett summed it up best when he allowed that something is drastically wrong when his secretary pays proportionately more income tax than he. Also, wasn't it Oliver Wendell Holmes who declared that "taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society"? So, if these anti-tax folks get their way, what happens to our infrastructure, defense, education, transportation apparatus, legal system, emergency response capability, parks, homeland security and social services if there is a $700 billion decrease in tax revenue over the next decade as projected due to extending tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of our population?
Presumably, any reduction in the taxes collected would most likely lead to that very downsizing in government most of these same people want, but at the very time when we need it most. In the 80's it was called "starving the beast", but only five years ago the nation was clamoring to know where that "beast" was when the gulf coast was ravaged by hurricane Katrina, and only five months ago when that same coast was dealt another blow with the BP oil spill. And let's not forget how last year the "beast" virtually saved the financial structure and integrity of this nation on which so much of our economy relies, not to mention the plethora of local, county and state grants, concessions and gifts which are given each year to corporations to encourage them to build or expand plants supposedly to create jobs. Where would that pool of money come from if tax revenue is reduced?
Then, we have the clarion call by many to repeal the new health care law right at the very time its benefits are starting to kick in, some just this past week. Who can argue with lifetime caps being banned, not being kicked off of coverage if you get sick, allowing children under 19 with pre-existing conditions to be covered, being able to get emergency coverage outside of one's network, permitting children under 26 years of age to remain on parents' insurance, providing tax credits to small businesses to offset their health insurance costs and providing consumers much more information on health care options at http://HealthCare.org? As stories of those whose lives have been and will be materially improved by this new law are publicized, I suspect any attempt to do away with it will quickly vanish.
And, finally, there are the most bizarre demands of all that call for "taking back our government" and "restoring our freedoms". What does "taking back our government" mean? Does it mean demolishing the institutions of government including congress and all federal agencies which now serve over 300 million people? Or does it mean a complete overhaul of all processes under which these institutions are created and now function? And pray tell what "lost freedoms" are they talking about? Is it the very freedom of speech they now enjoy in espousing their agenda? Is it the right to bear arms which seem to expand every year with additional venues in which people can now carry concealed weapons including of all places churches and national parks? Is it the right to practice one's religion free from interference and being demonized in a country that has one of the most diverse religious populations on earth? It just seems terribly ironic to me that some members of our society who would benefit the most from a strong tolerant government and its well financed and functioning programs are the very ones complaining the loudest about them.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Potpourri II
For a second time I find my "out basket" overflowing with items to the extent that just presenting random topics in shotgun fashion for comment is the most expedient way to purge that list, thus enabling more directed and focused commentary in future blogs. With rapid fire, multi-faceted news cycles being the order of the day, I suspect this will not be the last of my POTPOURRI postings, but here goes.
1. UPDATE OF HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE: One of my readers called me to task for labeling our health care system as "the finest in the world" two weeks ago while relating my personal experience with a cut finger which required four stitches and over four hours to fix. Among other things she cited was the high incidence of staph infection that occurs in our hospitals, as well as the general level of care patients receive while admitted. While I have no statistics on either and additional information would be appreciated, I was mainly referring to the number and quality of the medical facilities themselves.
2. KUDOS TO LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH: Once again Little Rock Central High School led the state in the number of National Merit Semifinalists with 15 out of a total of 142. Congratulations to those students, their teachers, the staff at Central and the Little Rock School District for this stellar achievement.
3. ELECTRIFICATION OF CITY AND STATE: With the advent of electric vehicles the challenge for cities and states across the nation will be to provide a sufficient number of electrical power grids to the many stations that will be required to recharge these vehicles, as revealed in a recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Nationwide we are operating at 50% of generating capacity, and one power plant in the southern part of our state is operating at only 24% capacity (re: ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA dated March 28,2010). Consequently, Arkansas, as well as the City of Little Rock, may well be in a good spot to capitalize on this potential demand.
4. "MEANEST CITY IN AMERICA" TAG AGAIN?: Several years ago Little Rock was labeled as the "Meanest City in America" as a result of its push to shut down all of the homeless camps that existed. Thankfully, after a hue and cry from many homeless service providers in the city, that push was quickly abandoned. But now there seems to be a move afoot to pass a series of controlling ordinances that are directed specifically at the homeless including where they go, whom they encounter, what they drink and how they are fed. The real solution has been, is and always will be providing the much talked about resource center which again is the subject of an article in our local newspaper today. We will soon celebrate the tenth anniversary of the much touted 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness without achieving its main recommendation - that resource center. How much longer is it going to take?
5. WHY CAN'T WE LEARN FROM HISTORY?: As the votes continue to be counted in the recent election in Afghanistan, we learn of increased violence, voting irregularities and prevailing corruption with little assurance that things will markedly improve between now and next year when a proposed draw down may begin. With its many tribes, conflicts, warlords and increased Taliban presence and influence, is it realistic to think that Afghanistan can be converted into a centralized modern democracy from our mold even with the might of our military? I have listened to the many explanations of why our policy there is justified, but I remain unconvinced given the horrendous cost in terms of lives and treasury.
6. MADE IN AMERICA POST SCRIPT: It was with some feeling of validation that I read in the September 10th issue of the New York Times Digest provided daily by a friend (thanks Tom) that President Obama was quoted as saying "We've got to go back to making things" (re: Blogs of 08/01 and 08/20). To that end he has appointed a Harvard MBA, Mr. Ron Bloom, as a special adviser to help address the problem by creating tax credits and subsidies (the subject of a future blog unto itself) to kick-start the private sector to manufacture a wide variety of new clean energy products like wind turbines, solar panels and electric car batteries (see item #3 above). The main obstacle will be to overcome China's alleged practice of illegally subsidizing those very same products to gain an unfair competitive advantage.
7. SUPPLYING SKILLED WORKERS TO MEET DEMAND: In that very same issue of the NYT Digest mentioned above was a column by David Brooks that focused on how we have become what he terms "The Genteel Nation". While 65% of Americans think we are a nation in decline, his take is that it is a structural problem due in large measure to a seismic (my term, not his) shift in our work force leaving industry in favor of the service, professional and financial sectors to find the holy grail. The effect is a large gap in the need for skilled machinists in manufacturing relative to the supply that has exacerbated the unemployment situation. Otherwise, the rate would be 6.5%, not 9.5%, a fact substantiated just this morning by former President Clinton on Meet the Press. This is just another piece of that Made in America puzzle that must be found.
8. WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT? As I listen to all of this rhetoric and posturing about "taking back our country", "getting government off our backs", "eliminating taxes" and "reclaiming our freedoms", I would just like to know what they are talking about. We live in the most free, affluent, idolized and sought after country on earth, so just exactly how would these angry people change things if they had "our country" back; how would they pay for the many conveniences, necessities and services we all need and enjoy; and just what freedoms have they lost? If we do not represent all of the good that defines us a democratic nation (what Michael Shermer of the Los Angeles Times described back in May as "the best of times"), then why are we trying to impose our model of democracy on other countries at great cost (see item #5 above)? And for one pundit in particular to say we as a people did not vote for the massive programs enacted this year (e.g. bail out, GM take over, health care reform, etc.) as he did on one of this morning's TV programs is somewhat disingenuous. We didn't vote for two wars either.
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
1. UPDATE OF HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE: One of my readers called me to task for labeling our health care system as "the finest in the world" two weeks ago while relating my personal experience with a cut finger which required four stitches and over four hours to fix. Among other things she cited was the high incidence of staph infection that occurs in our hospitals, as well as the general level of care patients receive while admitted. While I have no statistics on either and additional information would be appreciated, I was mainly referring to the number and quality of the medical facilities themselves.
2. KUDOS TO LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH: Once again Little Rock Central High School led the state in the number of National Merit Semifinalists with 15 out of a total of 142. Congratulations to those students, their teachers, the staff at Central and the Little Rock School District for this stellar achievement.
3. ELECTRIFICATION OF CITY AND STATE: With the advent of electric vehicles the challenge for cities and states across the nation will be to provide a sufficient number of electrical power grids to the many stations that will be required to recharge these vehicles, as revealed in a recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Nationwide we are operating at 50% of generating capacity, and one power plant in the southern part of our state is operating at only 24% capacity (re: ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA dated March 28,2010). Consequently, Arkansas, as well as the City of Little Rock, may well be in a good spot to capitalize on this potential demand.
4. "MEANEST CITY IN AMERICA" TAG AGAIN?: Several years ago Little Rock was labeled as the "Meanest City in America" as a result of its push to shut down all of the homeless camps that existed. Thankfully, after a hue and cry from many homeless service providers in the city, that push was quickly abandoned. But now there seems to be a move afoot to pass a series of controlling ordinances that are directed specifically at the homeless including where they go, whom they encounter, what they drink and how they are fed. The real solution has been, is and always will be providing the much talked about resource center which again is the subject of an article in our local newspaper today. We will soon celebrate the tenth anniversary of the much touted 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness without achieving its main recommendation - that resource center. How much longer is it going to take?
5. WHY CAN'T WE LEARN FROM HISTORY?: As the votes continue to be counted in the recent election in Afghanistan, we learn of increased violence, voting irregularities and prevailing corruption with little assurance that things will markedly improve between now and next year when a proposed draw down may begin. With its many tribes, conflicts, warlords and increased Taliban presence and influence, is it realistic to think that Afghanistan can be converted into a centralized modern democracy from our mold even with the might of our military? I have listened to the many explanations of why our policy there is justified, but I remain unconvinced given the horrendous cost in terms of lives and treasury.
6. MADE IN AMERICA POST SCRIPT: It was with some feeling of validation that I read in the September 10th issue of the New York Times Digest provided daily by a friend (thanks Tom) that President Obama was quoted as saying "We've got to go back to making things" (re: Blogs of 08/01 and 08/20). To that end he has appointed a Harvard MBA, Mr. Ron Bloom, as a special adviser to help address the problem by creating tax credits and subsidies (the subject of a future blog unto itself) to kick-start the private sector to manufacture a wide variety of new clean energy products like wind turbines, solar panels and electric car batteries (see item #3 above). The main obstacle will be to overcome China's alleged practice of illegally subsidizing those very same products to gain an unfair competitive advantage.
7. SUPPLYING SKILLED WORKERS TO MEET DEMAND: In that very same issue of the NYT Digest mentioned above was a column by David Brooks that focused on how we have become what he terms "The Genteel Nation". While 65% of Americans think we are a nation in decline, his take is that it is a structural problem due in large measure to a seismic (my term, not his) shift in our work force leaving industry in favor of the service, professional and financial sectors to find the holy grail. The effect is a large gap in the need for skilled machinists in manufacturing relative to the supply that has exacerbated the unemployment situation. Otherwise, the rate would be 6.5%, not 9.5%, a fact substantiated just this morning by former President Clinton on Meet the Press. This is just another piece of that Made in America puzzle that must be found.
8. WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT? As I listen to all of this rhetoric and posturing about "taking back our country", "getting government off our backs", "eliminating taxes" and "reclaiming our freedoms", I would just like to know what they are talking about. We live in the most free, affluent, idolized and sought after country on earth, so just exactly how would these angry people change things if they had "our country" back; how would they pay for the many conveniences, necessities and services we all need and enjoy; and just what freedoms have they lost? If we do not represent all of the good that defines us a democratic nation (what Michael Shermer of the Los Angeles Times described back in May as "the best of times"), then why are we trying to impose our model of democracy on other countries at great cost (see item #5 above)? And for one pundit in particular to say we as a people did not vote for the massive programs enacted this year (e.g. bail out, GM take over, health care reform, etc.) as he did on one of this morning's TV programs is somewhat disingenuous. We didn't vote for two wars either.
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
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