Posted on Thursday, July 29, 2010 by Administrator

From sj-r.com:

Durbin praises Burris
U.S. Sen. DICK DURBIN, D-Ill., was among those who didn’t welcome Roland Burris into the U.S. Senate with open arms, what with Burris’ appointment by Blagojevich. And a federal court now is ordering a special election to complete the last two months of the term Burris is filling, so it’s not even certain how much longer Burris will have the job.

But in an interview in Springfield last week, Durbin had nice things to say about Burris’ tenure.

“From my point of view, he has been a good U.S. senator,” said Durbin, the assistant majority leader.

“He loves presiding over the Senate,” Durbin added. “We give what’s called a golden gavel award for 100 hours of sitting in the chair. He’s received his second one. He’s working on his third one. So he does it a lot.

“When it comes to votes,” Durbin continued, “from my point of view, he’s been solid. He really has supported the president, supported our caucus. He’s well liked for that.”

Click here for more.

3 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2010 by Coco Letterman

How’s that summer of recovery working for you right now?

That is, those of you who are actually working?

Well, President Obama feels your pain…and your recovery, too.

In fact, on Friday, the Deflector in Chief declared we are over the recession.  Did you miss it?  Well, let me inform you.  In an interview with NBC News, Obama said:

“The midterm congressional elections could come down to ‘a choice between the policies that got us into this mess and my policies that got us out of this mess.’”

Did you know we were “out of this mess”?  I had no idea.  I also didn’t know his policies were the salve that healed our economic wound.  Unfurl that old “Mission Accomplished” banner from the battleship, folks.  We’ve got another reason to use it!

Let’s see…how exactly can current facts and figures show we’re “out of this mess” :

May housing starts sank to the lowest levels in five months.

June unemployment numbers are 9.5% nationwide; real unemployment is still in the upper teens.

On Friday, the stock market fell over 260 points.

Consumer confidence dropped to its lowest levels in a year.

Yep.  We’re out of it.  Woohoo!

This is a president who is completely out of touch and detached from reality.  If he would only start believing the press clips that are being written about him today versus the ones written in December 2008, he might come off of his egotistical high long enough to realize this isn’t a political game anymore.  It’s time to put on some big boy pants and make tough decisions – decisions that won’t always please those in his party but will please the American people.

The story continued:  “The president said in the interview he believes voters ‘are going to say the policies that got us into this mess, we can't go back to.’ He also said Washington ‘has spent an inordinate amount of time on politics — who's up and who's down — and not enough on what we're doing for the American people.’”

Ah.  Washington has spent too much time on politics.  Thank goodness he’s not there and a grand part of it, right?  How’d that health care political deal you cut with retiring Congressman Bart Stupak play out, Mr. President?  Surely that wasn’t political, right?  No, of course not.  That was just the price of getting things done, right?

When Bush left the White House, I sure hope he left the keys to the shed out back.  They’ll need it to stick that “Mission Accomplished” banner on the front lawn.  Maybe they can hire some people to drive the posts for that sign.  That’d be the only positive thing Obama has done for job growth since he took office.

2 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Friday, July 16, 2010 by Coco Letterman

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. – Sun-tzu

I don’t know how much closer Barack Obama could keep Hillary Clinton unless she slept in her old bed at the White House.  Beyond that, he’s got his former primary opponent as close as humanly possible.  Worried about shunning her for the VP slot on the 2008 Democratic presidential ticket, Obama made Miss Hillary Secretary of State, spouse baggage and all.

And less than two years into the gig, we start hearing whispers that she may challenge Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2012.

Not only will Barack Obama’s presidency go down as the worst since Jimmy Carter, but now he’s going to have a primary challenge just like Carter had.

Leading into the 1980 election, the world turned upside down for Jimmy Carter.  Faced with growing economic problems, gas prices shooting out of control, and American hostages being held in the U.S. Embassy in Iran, a presidency once filled with such hope was going up in flames.

And then here came Teddy Kennedy.  God love him.  He gave us one of the greatest spectacles in politics when, many years after he ceased being a viable candidate (usually murder will do that for a person; just ask Mary Jo Kopechne’s family, assuming their hush money arrangement has worn off by now), he decided he was going to come out of the woodwork and publicly beat down Carter as a candidate.  For months, Kennedy traveled the country, usually to no avail as far as popularity and voter sentiment were involved.

But that Kennedy name…wow.  He drew media attention, and that was the worst kind of attention Carter could’ve wished for.  Bruised and battered, Carter won the nomination but lost the election to a superior candidate – Ronald Reagan – after not even getting so much as a handshake from Kennedy at the Democratic National Convention (or as Republicans like to call it, the New York City wake) in the summer of 1980.  Much as Republicans did four years earlier in Kansas City, they left the convention knowing they’d nominated the wrong man.  Kennedy’s inspiring speech as the convention’s keynote speaker dwarfed Carter, and left to his own devices, his campaign crashed and burned.

Fast forward 30 years later.

Barack Obama, a president who (supposedly) took office with so much hope, is literally going down in flames.  Who comes to the rescue?  That’s right.  Hillary Clinton.

God love her.  Because if she does this, her party won’t.

On Thursday, a growing set of whispers among the beltway elite who are deeply concerned over Obama’s re-election chances in 2012 cascaded to an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.  Pete DuPont – who in full disclosure ran for President as a Republican in 1988 – endorsed the candidacy of Hillary Clinton for President.

Oh, it’s on.

Why?

Did you hear one denial come from the Secretary of State’s office?  Nope.  There’s been a growing cascade of whispers over the last few weeks about a Clinton candidacy, and nobody’s saying anything to shut it off.

If Hillary were really serious about ending debate, she’d grab the first microphone and announce her full-throated support for Barack Obama and his policies, and she’d proclaim in bold, 72-point type that she will not be appearing on a ballot in 2012.

Instead, crickets.

She’s not about to deny it now.  Not until after the midterm elections.  I can hear her now.  “Let’s just see if the party’s tastes change when we lose the House…and imagine how bad it’ll be if we lose the House AND Senate?”  Don’t think Bubba is laying low on this, either.  You forget, President Blue Dress is the same one who corrected course in 1994 when all thought he was toast and managed to not only win re-election, but survive an impeachment scandal to boot.

And what can Obama do?  He can’t fire her; you don’t think that would rip a split down the middle of the party?  In a heartbeat.

He has to sit there and take it, watching his approval ratings plummet while she gets paid to sit in the cheap seats and watch the beatings take place, all the while taking notes on his shortcomings and mistakes.

People think 2010 could be a low point for the Democratic Party.  Oh, but wait.  This could get even better over the 24 months to follow.

From a political junkie standpoint, it’s just starting to get good.

4 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Monday, June 28, 2010 by Coco Letterman

Good morning!  Some quick hits for you as we move through some up & coming news & notes…

Is Joe Maxwell’s work to restore the Wedge Building in Monroe City the first step in a political comeback?  According to the Lake Gazette, “Attorney Joe Maxwell, who served as Missouri senator and lieutenant governor before returning to his Mexico law firm, told the board of aldermen that he is representing Greg Klement and other investors who want to save the historic building.”  True, it could be that Maxwell is just honoring a client’s wishes and representing Klement before council.  However, Monroe City isn’t exactly next door to Mexico…but Mexico is in Missouri’s 9^th Congressional District, and Missouri pols have wondered out loud for years when Maxwell might return to the public stage once his wife’s illness improved.  Could this be the first sign?  Is Maxwell getting the hint that Missouri might actually get to keep all of its congressional seats?  Bystanders have wondered for years whether the state’s population would survive and warrant keeping all of its seats.  If the state had to sacrifice a 9^th seat,  most thought the Northeast Missouri district would merge with several others and become the Big 12 of the Missouri political scene.  Instead, is this the first sign of a Maxwell/Blaine Luetkemeyer matchup in 2012?  Luetkemeyer has no serious 2010 opposition, but Maxwell would represent the stiffest challenge since Luetkemeyer faced – and lost to – Sarah Steelman in his primary bid for State Treasurer in 2004.  If Obama pulls a Bill Clinton–esque turnaround in the second half of his first term and really manages to pull his rear out of the fire, that could fire up some Democratic votes, particularly if the new Republican blood that may come to power this fall doesn’t fix things in Washington fast.  The 9^th could be a potential pick-up seat for Democrats.

On a side note, in the same meeting where Maxwell addressed the Monroe City Aldermen, “Mike Roberts of Roberts Demolition was at the meeting with his attorney, James Lemon.”  Lemon was Maxwell’s opponent in his only state senate re-election campaign in 1998.  Small world.

Reading time:  Five minutes.

Free Kenny Hulshof.

While we’re talking Missouri congressional politics, would someone put out an APB for the former U.S. Congressman?  Hulshof, who defeated 20-year Congressman Harold Volkmer and then handily defeated opponents in five re-election campaigns from 1998-2006, was defeated in his race for Missouri Governor in 2008.  In his concession speech, Hulshof vowed to continue a public presence and perhaps return to elected office someday.  However, Hulshof made a quicker disappearance than anyone since D.B. Cooper jumped off a plane in 1971.  Some thought he’d make at least a token nod toward Kit Bond’s senate seat this year; now one wonders if he’ll even take a casual glance at Claire McCaskill’s seat in 2012, particularly with Jim Talent giving some consideration to a rematch.

Breaking with some conservative brethren, I don’t think President Barack Obama had any choice but to accept (and probably ask for) the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal.  Do I agree with McChrystal’s assessment of Obama’s leadership and war plans?  Absolutely.  However, for those conservatives who say McChrystal’s entire career was ruined because of a few lines of print in a newspaper, I agree.  Unfortunately, that’s the way of the military.  What did we learn as kids when we were growing up?  With great power comes great responsibility.  No matter what way you cut it, it was insubordination, and that cannot be tolerated, particularly in times of war.  President Harry S Truman was correct in his dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur, and Obama was correct in his dismissal of McChrystal.  Two different situations, yes, but the base problem – insubordination – was completely the same.

This just in:  At the Tennessee Volunteers “Ladies Day” games next year, they’ll be handing out Al Gore bobblehead dolls.  Bad joke perhaps, but who knew Gore – a “crazed sex poodle” – and former boss Bill Clinton had so much in common and the same taste in women?  In 2000, was Gore feigning disgust at his former boss’ interaction with Monica Lewinsky, or was he just not into adultery yet?

In Illinois, looks like Bill Brady’s putting the pedal to the metal in the race for Governor.  And just when you thought Pat Quinn might get away from the circus acts with the General Assembly and actually get a chance to campaign on his own merit, here come the Blago trial.  Quinn is looking more and more like an Illinois version of the previously-mentioned Hulshof:  a policy guy trying to defend a horrible track record of a gov that came before him, and all the while he’s going to get run over by a good candidate in a great year for his party.  I’m pulling for Brady; this could be a massacre before it’s over.

I keep checking my inbox…did Phil Hare ever release the results from that re-election poll he took earlier this spring?  Bobby Schilling is moving & shaking the race, and he’s already got the attention of the NRCC.  A lot can change at this point in a race, and if the numbers don’t really break Schilling’s way, the national party could cut bait and find other candidates to invest in more wisely.  But for Hare to be this quiet about his re-election prospects in an even-numbered year can’t be good for Dems.  Schilling is no Aaron Schock, but me thinks Phil Hare might regret having given a smoking gun to the Schilling camp earlier this year, stating he doesn’t care about what the Constitution says.  Bet he cares now.

As always, thanks for reading.  See you next time.

0 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 by Administrator

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by Coco Letterman

On Tuesday night, Barack Obama announced his next takeover bid.

Previously, he’s taken over the health care industry, the American auto manufacturing industry, and he’s nearing his total capture of the financial services industry.  Thankfully he had no interest in college sports this week, otherwise Missouri might have watched him take over the Big 12.

Now, he announced in his “This really isn’t as bad as Katrina, and if it is, it sure isn’t my fault” speech from the Oval Office, he plans to take over BP’s operations in the Gulf.

President Obama said, “Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company’s recklessness.  And this fund will not be controlled by BP.  In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent third party.”

Of course, I’m sure BP has no say in who that third party will be.  Do you think ACORN would be interested?

However, the point of this post isn’t to criticize Obama’s pathetic response to the Gulf oil spill problem.

No, it’s to report on something much more sinister than that.

Tuesday night, live on television, the world witnessed the President of the United States announce a jihad against the American Spirit.

In front of an international audience, President Obama announced that risks – whether they are successful or not – would no longer be tolerated in American business.

Read his words carefully.

“You know, for generations, men and women who call this region home have made their living from the water.  That living is now in jeopardy.  I’ve talked to shrimpers and fishermen who don’t know how they’re going to support their families this year.  I’ve seen empty docks and restaurants with fewer customers -– even in areas where the beaches are not yet affected.  I’ve talked to owners of shops and hotels who wonder when the tourists might start coming back.  The sadness and the anger they feel is not just about the money they’ve lost.  It’s about a wrenching anxiety that their way of life may be lost.”

So, what he’s saying is the fact that people are not coming to the coast “even in areas where the beaches are not yet affected” is BP’s fault?  Really?  So now we’re fining BP for the fears of others?

I’m not defending BP.  This is their spill, and they should be held accountable for the damages that result.  However, for the leader of the free world – who has shown responsibility in fiscal matters equivalent to that of a seven year-old who’s been given $1,000 to play with in a Toys R’ Us – to come on global television and say private industry can be held liable if people think something might happen is ludicrous indeed.

I could go on about this “independent third party” slush fund that he wants BP to create, but really, when you have a president as fiscally irresponsible as Barack Obama, do you really need to say more?  At what point is it just overkill?

In any respect, do you think the entrepreneurs of tomorrow are suiting up for business this morning, ready to invent the next big thing…especially with big brother waving his finger in their faces?  Last night, live on television, we watched a murder.  And the man pulling the trigger was Barack Obama.

0 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Monday, June 14, 2010 by J. Robert Gough

From Freddy "The Beetle" Barnes, weeklystandard.com:

Obamaland is crumbling. Democrats have firmly controlled Illinois, the president’s home state, for nearly a decade, turning it into what one Republican called “a deep blue state.” But this has changed almost overnight. In the midterm elections on November 2, Democrats stand to lose the governorship, Obama’s old Senate seat, two to four House seats, and any number of state legislative seats and down-ticket statewide offices.

Click here for the entire piece.

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Monday, June 7, 2010 by J. Robert Gough

I would have thought the smart play would have been to retire before getting eviscerated on the Sunday morning talk shows, but Helen Thomas would have gotten rightfully barbecued anyway.

Click here for the full story.

At least she didn't say the Jews should go back to Buchenwald. Editors note: I know Auschwitz is the cliche here, but I'm trying to expand your horizons by referring to a lesser known concentration camp. We try to educate here at QuincyNews.org.

Of course, with the Obama Administration's indifference toward Isreal, they may let her keep her seat anyway.

Had she said the blacks should go back to Africa, would the retirement have happened faster? No, then the MSM would have just called her a tea partier. Hell, they might anyway.

6 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Friday, June 4, 2010 by Administrator

by Dan Proft

With unemployment in Cook County at 11.3%, businesses boycotting the county because of confiscator y tax and regulatory burdens, and skyrocketing property taxes threatening middle class families with the loss of their homes, what issue do you suspect is on the front-burner for the Cook County Board?

The Arizona immigration law, of course.

Is it any wonder suburban residents talk openly of the desire to secede from Cook County?

Modesty alone should prevent the governing authority of a county as corrupt and mismanaged as Cook from lecturing other states about the rule of law but, to be fair, left-wing symbolism has become Illinois' chief export.

And yet, in classic Cook County fashion, even with a gesture as feckless as their boycott of Arizona, they have to be on both sides of the deal. Some 79 county vendors that hail from Arizona may continue to conduct business with the county in spite of the boycott.

You may be thinking, why does Cook County use so many out-of-state vendors in the first place? Shouldn't the county being using more local businesses that provide local jobs and local tax dollars? If that's what you're thinking, I'm warning you for the last time, that sort of intellectual curiosity is not welcome here.

Maybe you should take your fancy common sense and intolerant legitimate questions to, I don't know, some place like Arizona.

No, seriously, think about it. It's apparently a nice place to live considering Arizona's population has increased seven times faster than Illinois' in the last decade.

But that's probably just because all the racists and racial profilers moved to Arizona.

Except that the Latino population in oppressive Arizona is twice that of progressive Illinois' as a percentage of population (comprising 30% of Arizona residents).

Unlike the Cook County Board, Arizona residents must have actually read the law.

Dan Proft is a Principal of Urquhart Media LLC, a Chicago-based public affairs firm and political commentator for the Don Wade & Roma Morning Show (5-9am) on Chicago's number one news talk radio station, WLS-AM 890. He can be reached at dan@urqmedia.com.

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 by Coco Letterman

Well, it’s been nearly two weeks since we last visited, and in that time, let’s detail the tremendous successes the Obama administration has had in fixing the horrendous environmental disaster that is the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010:

 …

And that about covers it.

I was hoping that by now I’d have to come back and eat some serious crow because the Obama administration had jumped into the fray, fixed the problem, and was pushing the Gulf Coast well on its way to recovery.

Nope.  He’s been all over the country and all over the world on Oil Force One – since Obama is the largest recipient of BP cash over the last 20 years, let’s just call it what it is – but apparently the compass has a really hard time finding the Southeastern United States.

The spill is still flowing, the government is still unable to coordinate a response, and all the while the people of the Gulf Coast are watching their lives drift away.

Watch Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and you’ll see a man putting a band aid over a levee break trying to stem criticism of the guy who signs his checks.  One week ago, it was revealed this man who championed the media when they were writing love stories about his employer now is privately chastising the media for their criticism of President Obama.

Now President Obama has taken to verbally abusing aides over the government’s ineptitude with the spill – all the while this past weekend he took some time to go on vacation.  Keep me apprised via my Blackberry, boys – I’m headed to the Windy City.  Hard working people so need to get away from the rigors of the job, you know.  He’s only had one full month since his last vacation…also during the oil spill.  Finally, after pressure last Tuesday, Obama finally decided to man up and head to the Gulf Coast.  He was there on Friday.  You know – getaway day on a holiday when America’s attention certainly wasn’t on the Friday evening news and pictures of our commander in chief finally visiting this environmental disaster zone appear for the public’s eye.  You can’t fault him, though.  The oil’s only been flowing into the ocean off America’s coast for a month.  He worked in going to the site of the Gulf Coast’s worst manmade disaster in decades – perhaps ever – only 30 some-odd days after it started.

He could’ve come earlier in the week, but Obama had to fly west and stump for Barbara Boxer’s campaign.  Plus, how would it have looked if he’d have gone to the Gulf Coast first before going to Senator Boxer’s fundraiser?  She recently authored a letter asking for the Justice Department to investigate BP for allegedly made false statements to the feds, and Obama’s reading the letter while cashing BP checks.  Surely she didn’t want him flying into California on Oil Force One with the stench of Gulf Coast oil all over him.

At least Obama’s EPA Director pulled back her political talons long enough to realize headlining a Democratic fundraiser in the wake of an environmental nightmare might not be wise.

The Gulf Coast wasn’t alone in being snubbed by the President.  He didn’t even return to Washington in time to honor America’s fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.  Instead, Vice President Joe Biden – the Democratic Dan Quayle – had the assignment of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

This administration continues to abdicate responsibility and authority – including in the recent floods in Tennessee.  The fine folks in Country Music’s Capital City, Nashville, pretty much are cleaning up on their own, devoid of any real help other than their own hard work and elbow grease.

President Obama does have his priorities.  As he proved over the past week, however, Hard working Americans in need just aren’t one of them.

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 by J. Robert Gough

Ken Moffett of Moline is questioning the objectivity of the Quad Cities news media.

Moffett claims Congressman Phil Hare is getting protected. Here's a letter he submitted to QuincyNews.org:

After the recent and still reverberating contemptible comment by Mr. Hare concerning his “not worrying about the constitution” the local news media has paid little or no attention to the grassroots efforts working to un-seat him this fall.

Three of these groups: Veterans for Schilling, Friends of the Constitution, and two independent farmers have raised funds from individual donors to pay for billboards that are now seen throughout the district. Soon there will be twelve billboards in Moline, Rock Island, and Quincy, with more being added to Galesburg, Sterling-Rock Falls, Decatur and Canton.

Hundreds of veterans, their families, non veterans and union members attend fund raisers and other events throughout the district supporting Bobby Schilling. So why is this grassroots effort of the citizens not news? Perhaps the answer is liberal bias or the media’s control of the news as part of their agenda which seems to be carrying the water for Phil Hare.

One local TV station, FOX News 18, told the Veterans for Schilling that the erection of the billboard at 19^th St. and 38^th Ave in East Moline was indeed news, and they would cover the story with a news crew and an interview.

However, once the billboard was erected, the veterans were told the message was TOO political, and the station reneged on their promise to cover the story. Other stations in the area were given the opportunity to cover the story, but after a weekend of consideration, they all refused. Perhaps they considered it too political as well, or maybe a well placed phone call made their decision for them.

On May 24^th, a rally was held in Moline to protest the outrageous pay increase given to the Rock Island County Board. Channel 8 News covered the rally and interviewed one of the participants. The interviewee, Bill Albracht was told that the interview and coverage of the rally would on the Channel 8 news that night. It wasn’t. Perhaps this was also too political.

Additionally, Rep. Hare claims to be a military veteran, but he’s not. Although he served in the reserves, he is not considered a veteran. Mr. Hare likes to portray himself as a veteran; however, to be considered a veteran the individual must serve at least 180 days of continuous service.This does not include training. Mr. Hare does qualify.

Mr. Hare’s office staff is engaged in spreading the false story that he is still a member of the Veteran’s Affairs Committee in Congress. However, Mr. Hare abandoned that committee for a more desirable seat on the Transportation Committee. Will the local news media investigate any of Hare’s claims?

If we the electorate are to make informed decisions concerning our elected officials, should not the media be doing its job of objective reporting instead of choosing sides?

Is there a double standard at work? You be the judge.

Ken Moffett, Moline

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Monday, May 17, 2010 by Administrator

by Dan Proft

I remember my grade school basketball coach telling me that "the graveyards are full of indispensable people."  It was his way of explaining that no individual is more important than the team.

A favorite refrain of my high school basketball coach was that "talent guarantees nothing" to remind us that we had to work for what we sought to achieve.

The most important and lasting life lessons are learned outside the classroom .

And so we should be thankful for the extracurricular teachable moment that the administration at Highland Park High School District 113 has provided by refusing to let their girls basketball team travel to a tournament in Arizona.

Lesson #1: The North Shore's ingénues have been taught that the severity of the allegation trumps the substance of it.

School officials first explained their decision as rooted in a clash over "values and beliefs" with the recently enacted Arizona immigration law.  They didn't explain how the rule of law is at odds with the high school's values and beliefs but they did allege their stand was in defense of the school's sacred commitment to diversity, except, of course, as it relates to diversity of opinion.
   
Lesson #2:  The lady hoopsters have been enlightened to resist the urge to speak their minds.  Better to accommodate ignorance than make a scene.  Going along to get along is preferred to any type of unseemly confrontation, at least as far as the autocrats in charge of the school are concerned.  And why should they be concerned?  Very few parents have come forward to publicly challenge the administrators and the district's school board apparently conducts its meetings under the Cone of Silence.

Remember, kids, someday you too will grow up to live in fear of overeducated civil servants you finance who push you around and tell your children what to believe.   Good talk.

Lesson #3: On a non-sarcastic note, the girls have been treated to a real world example of the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  Don't let the sheepskins that adorn your school superintendent's office fool you, ladies.  It is possible to both know the year in which the Battle of Hastings was fought and yet also be tethered to a left-wing orthodoxy that fatally impairs one's judgment.

Class dismissed.

Dan Proft is a Principal of Urquhart Media LLC, a Chicago-based public affairs firm and political commentator for the Don Wade & Roma Morning Show (5-9am) on Chicago's number one news talk radio station, WLS-AM 890. He can be reached at dan@urqmedia.com.

For other Dan Proft commentaries (radio & print), please visit: http://www.urqmedia.com/proft/

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Saturday, May 15, 2010 by Coco Letterman

Do you remember the late summer and early fall of 2005?

Let me help you out for a second.

Think:  The Big Easy.  Bourbon Street.

The Superdome.

Does that help?  In late August 2005, Katrina worked her way inland and exploded with a vengeance in the Gulf of Mexico, specifically in New Orleans and the Louisiana coastline.  We can’t forget Mississippi, which also suffered the wrath of this storm.

Fast forward nearly five years.

In late spring, just before the summer tourism season hits, an ecological nightmare the likes of which hasn’t been seen is rolling onto shore, closer and closer with each successive wave.

What’s different? Oh yes…the response.

Do you remember in 2005 the news crews that descended upon New Orleans?  Rightly so, I might add.  It was the defining weather – and really, overall – news story of the decade.  Countless thousands of lives were impacted by this horrible set of circumstances:  first the storm, and then the relative hapless response by all governmental bodies – local, state, and federal.

By all rights, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Fox’s Shepherd Smith should’ve been required to change their voter registration to vote in Louisiana in 2006, they spent so much time in the state over the next few months.

We all were challenged to pull together to do what is necessary to help the victims, and the federal government…and eventually the local New Orleans officials to some extent…were just blasted for their lackluster responses.

Now, nearly five years later, does anyone hear the same deafening type of coverage or attention being given to this ecological nightmare scenario?  Nope.  Instead, BP is now a four-letter word.  The President, instead of trying to solely fix the problem and get the well capped and the problem fixed, is using this to capitalize politically and pass offshore drilling regulations.

Oh, wait.  The administration did set up a website to tell how busy they’ve been.  I’m impressed.  They really have been busy.  The White House webmaster team, that is.

Read the page carefully.  It’s the best example of an administration taking credit for the sun coming up in the East that I’ve ever seen.  The administration claims they’ve worked diligently to “oversee,” “coordinate,” and “supervise” BP’s recovery efforts.  Note – they said it’s BP’s recovery efforts.  They don’t have and don’t want a dog in the recovery fight, but for claiming credit if it goes well and shifting blame if it goes bad.

True leadership would ignore turf wars and blame, dig in, and fix the problem.  Get National Guard troops or other relevant personnel on the next BP boat to the site, and work ‘round the clock to get the well capped and the oil contained.  Bush and FEMA eventually did it, but not before a tremendous amount of political damage had been done.

The same thing that Bush did in New Orleans – attempt to blame the city’s mayor and officials as well as the Louisiana government – is the same thing Obama is doing now.  Blame BP – and they absolutely are completely at fault for the accident and the spill – yet all the while stick their toe in the water with recovery efforts.

And how about a few hundreds of the media vultures that turned up the heat and fed off of Bush’s carcass in 2005 catching flights to the coast and getting hungry again this year?  Check the leads on the webpages of CBS News, NBC News and ABC News.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a story about the oil leak.  Oh, you’ll find one talking about BP’s failures, but you won’t find one about the continuing danger to the Gulf.

Actually, just hop a trip on the Wabash Cannonball a little north and you’ll be in the middle of another nightmare scenario that is Tennessee’s golden city – the home of Country Music, Nashville.  This weekend, the state is being hammered with more rains, bringing flash floods to areas that are already inundated with caked mud and water-logged memories from record rains and flooding a few weeks ago.  Just this week, some schools finally made the announcement they’ve called it a year – they can’t recover quickly enough to get classes back in session prior to the end of the term.

What’s the administration’s response?  Well, President Hope & Change dispatched a few government officials to the town, but essentially, they’re on their own.  Oh, don’t forget Anderson Cooper did actually bring his crew to town, but only after a few hundred of country music’s best held rally after rally, benefit after televised benefit, to raise money to help with recovery efforts.  If ever a reporter could be guilted into doing a story, he was.

This is epic flooding, folks.  I’ve visited Nashville too many times to count in my life, and the scale of destruction in this city is staggering.  Even some of Nashville’s biggest companies and entities – some with millions of dollars in resources – will be months before they approach normal, whatever that looks like anymore.

And the president’s response?  Well, he’s issued a disaster declaration…and that’s about it.  Nashville’s pretty much on their own.  The media?  Well, Brian Williams’ crew did a story last week about how the Grand Ole Opry House will reopen someday.  Thanks for the news flash, Brian.  Why not do a story about how the months of lost income by these businesses will only be compounded by the horrible economic conditions the region endured for the better part of the last two years?  Why not tell about how these mean old big businesses – like Gaylord Entertainment, owners of the Opryland Hotel and the Grand Ole Opry – will do whatever they can to keep employees on the payroll even during months of downtime and millions in lost revenues?  Then you can do a follow-up about how the administration is essentially MIA for the fine folks in Tennessee’s capital city?  Nope.  Just do one on how the Grand Ole Opry House will reopen someday and how the wood in the center circle from the old Ryman Auditorium wasn’t ruined.  Can you imagine the outcry if – during Katrina’s recovery – NBC simply did a story about the future of the urinals in the Superdome?

I don’t think anyone would deny the media heat is what caused each level of government to ramp up their response levels five years ago.  For once, I’d like to see the mainstream media rev up for an encore.

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 by Administrator

By Dan Proft, Heartland Institute

Twenty-seven years have passed since A Nation at Risk, a seminal report on the state of education in America, famously concluded, "The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people."

The report cautioned the nation's "once unchall enged pre-eminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world" as a result of faltering public schools and the failure to prepare children to compete in an increasingly global economy.

Unlike most studies of this sort, A Nation at Risk was not quickly retired to collect dust on a shelf in the Library of Congress. Policymakers and educators took note and took action.

But it wasn't enough. Reformers never embraced the structural changes A Nation at Risk urged. Nor did policymakers incorporate an "outcomes-focused" model of evaluation. Instead the report was used as a cudgel by teachers' unions and complicit politicians to beat more money out of taxpayers while detouring the debate about performance down the dead-end road of an inputs-focused orthodoxy.

Phony 'Reforms'

The results of all that additional money? A study by the Editorial Projects in Education Resea rch Center in 2008 found 18 of America's 50 most populous cities had high school graduation rates below 50 percent. Detroit was the worst of the worst, with a high school graduation rate below 25 percent.

These troubling results accompany substantial progress in "reforms" advocated by the teachers' unions, such as reducing class size and increasing spending.

According to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the teacher-student ratio dropped nationally by nearly 12 percent between 1986 and 2006. ALEC also found per pupil expenditures nationally increased by a whopping 90 percent in real terms in the 25 years since A Nation at Risk.

So if the necessary reforms have nothing to do with more money or smaller class sizes, where should we be looking?

Shorter Weeks, Longer Days?

Despite the dramatic increases in resources, school districts across the country are cash-strapped and languishing financially under the weigh t of pension obligations and unfunded mandates.

A handful of districts spread across 17 different states have perhaps unintentionally sparked a discussion about classroom instruction time by going to a four-day school week to reduce administrative overhead and transportation costs.

Some might argue the shorter school week hurts children's educations, even if the school day is extended to maintain the same hours of instruction time. But as the Wall Street Journal recently reported, "Research gauging the impact of a four-day school week on student learning is scant. Officials in various states claim that comparisons and conclusions are difficult to make."

But the debate over four days versus five misses a much bigger issue.

Millions More Minutes Needed

A Nation at Risk argued American students were not spending enough time in the classroom. The report recommended extending the length of the school year to as much as 220 days. Today, the average school year in the United States is just 180 days. The school year in India 220 days. In China, it's 250 days. And the school day is longer in both of those countries, too.

In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of A Nation at Risk, a Harvard-educated venture capitalist named Robert Compton produced a documentary called Two Million Minutes. The film tracks how six students (three boys and three girls) in Indianapolis, Shanghai, and Bangalore spent the "two million minutes" from their 8th grade graduation to their high school graduation.

Although the experiences of these six students are obviously anecdotal, tracking their development highlighted key differences between the three countries.

First, there is less equality of opportunity in India and China, where attention is paid predominantly to the best students and their development. Second, Chinese and Indian students spend more of their "two million minutes" in a classroom than do their American counterparts. Third, despite spending more time in class, Chinese and Indian students are not academic automatons. They participate in extracurricular activities, but those activities tend to be less focused on athletics.

The starkest difference Compton presents in the film is between the relative ease with which the high-achieving American students breezed through their coursework, compared with the struggles the high-achieving Chinese and Indian students had with their curricula.

Quality Counts, Too

Obviously, extending the school year or adding more time to the school day won't make much difference if the curriculum is feebleminded or the instruction is lax. Currently, less than 40 percent of U.S. students take a science course more challenging than general biology, and only 18 percent take Advanced Placement classes in physics, chemistry, or biology. Only 45 percent of U.S. students take math coursework beyond two yea rs of algebra and one year of geometry.

This helps explain some other significant data: Compared to the United States, China now produces eight times more scientists and engineers, while India puts out up to three times as many as the United States (adjusted for population).

The outputs from these competing countries suggest that the quality of curriculum combined with the time spent in class working to master it might be where more of America's resources and attention should go. Otherwise, we will remain a nation very much at risk.

Dan Proft is a Principal of Urquhart Media LLC, a Chicago-based public affairs firm and political commentator for the Don Wade & Roma Morning Show (5-9am) on Chicago's number one news talk radio station, WLS-AM 890. He can be reached at dan@urqmedia.com.

1 Comments    Leave Comment

Posted on Friday, May 7, 2010 by Coco Letterman

Somewhere – wherever his eternal home is – Dick Nixon is smiling today.  He pulled a lot of shady, underhanded, illegal stuff in his life.  But he’s potentially giving the Commander in Chief props today.

On Thursday, the New York Stock Exchange was brought to its knees by what many reports are saying was “one stray trade” or “one mistakenly stroked key” on a keyboard.  Investigators are trying to find the singular cause of the problem that caused the largest point swing in the history of investments.

On Thursday afternoon, CNBC’s Money Honey, Maria Bartiromo, said, “I mean this really sounds like market manipulation to me. This is outrageous.”  Her comments weren’t made to colleagues off the record; they were said on the network, in the midst of the meltdown.

Ironically enough, Obama’s financial reform measure languishing in Congress may actually have received a huge shot in the arm by this horrifying result.  What an amazing coincidence.   Hmmm.

“Wait a minute, Coco,” you’re probably wondering.  “Are you hinting that the President of the United States, less than two weeks removed from coming down from Heaven and spending a day or two with us mortals in Quincy – on this very Earth – may possibly have had something sinister to do with the collapse on Wall Street on Thursday?  Can you seriously be alleging the biggest point swing in the history of mankind’s investments was possibly done by this administration’s leaders?”

Yep.

Let me be clear.  There is no known paper trail, and if this administration is half as smart as I think they are, there wouldn’t be one to find, either.  But do I seriously think it’s within the wide, wide realm of possibilities that this administration helped manipulate this situation?

Absofreakinglutely.

“But Coco,” you’re surely gasping, “you can’t possibly be serious?  You really think this genuine savior of the 21^st century could possibly be willing to inflict so much personal and financial pain across the world simply for his own political and professional gain?”

I hate repeating myself, but yep.  I don’t even know that it’s likely, but I can guarantee you it’s possible.

Look at the facts.  Democrats in Congress just this week took a huge political sock to the mouth.  They quietly gave up a major component of their financial reform bill, giving up on the $50 billion fund to supposedly prevent future bailouts from occurring.  Oh, and that’s what always happens, by the way.  Whenever government has a pot of money to manage, no matter where the money is coming from, it’s always managed efficiently and never blown away.  Just look at the Social Security Trust Fund, right?  But I digress. 

Congress agreed to drop the $50 billion fund measure, but there still isn’t uniform agreement to move this bill anytime soon.

Hmmm…how could they get momentum – fueled by public support – for a bill like this?  Wow.  I don’t know.  If they could only politically benefit from a financial crisis the likes of which hasn’t been seen before and start getting the talking heads chatting about the potential need for reform… if only that amazingly cataclysmic set of circumstances would occur…I mean, what are the odds, right?

The main reason this Obama option is a possibility is that this administration absolutely despises big business.  They’ve spent the better part of the last 15 months exacting their revenge on those that they feel have ruined this country.

Insurance companies and the medical profession?  Welcome to Obamacare.  Energy companies?  Cap and trade and the climate bill.  The oil spill off the Gulf Coast?  Those mean old oil companies.

Democratic Congressman Paul Kanjorski said on Thursday evening the market on Thursday – with one day of trading insanity that may possibly have been caused by one errant keystroke – was “just as volatile as the situation we faced in 2008.”  Fascinating.

Cause calamity, crisis, and panic…and now you’ve got some serious momentum.  Proof?  Nope.  Possibility…let’s see how the next few days play out.

I don’t know if there was a financial Lee Harvey potential wannabe in New York City or not.  But do you wanna guess what the underlying topic of the Sunday shows will be?  It ain’t gonna be the oil slick or terrorism.  Financial Reform 101, friends, and there’s only one man who stands to politically benefit – the same man that has dedicated his presidency to tearing apart the fabric of free market enterprise in this country; the same man who believes the government should be in charge of the air you breathe, the doctors you see, and now the money you invest and (barely) get to keep.

This is the same man who, just a few weeks ago, asserted, “I do think at some point you’ve made enough money.”  As an aside, I wonder if he told that to Oprah?

This is definitely change, all right.  But if this is actually true, it’s the scariest kind.  It now resembles some Tom Clancy novel.  I wish I knew what really happened, but for now, I just wish I knew Jack…Bauer or Ryan would work fine.

4 Comments    Leave Comment

Showing 1 - 15 of 41 Articles | Page 1 of 3