April 27, 2011

The following are the recommended topics from the agenda committee:

1.      Presentation on City of Indio’s Finances as they relate to Measure S by Mike Cohen.  The City’s Citizens Finance Advisory Commission meets at City Hall on Monday April 25, at 5:00pm. Our own Tom Hutson is Chairman and Mike Cohen is our neighborhood delegate on this Commission.  They will be discussing the potential impact of a 12% City Departmental Fiscal Cut on our own neighborhood Fire Station! IMPORTANT STUFF!

2.    How do you think the Federal Debt Limit problem should be addressed?  Reference: WSJ, 4/5/11 Page A5 (“Geithner Seeks Higher Debt Ceiling”)

3.    Should the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) be able to restrict a private company from relocating its manufacturing facilities within the U.S.?  Reference: WSJ 4/21/11 Page A12-“The Death of Right to Work”,  Reference WSJ 4/21/11 Page B2-“Boeing to Fight Order to Move 787”

4.    Is enough being done by the FAA to overcome recent problems with air traffic incidents?  Reference: LA Times, 4/20/11-“First Lady’s Jet Too Close”

At the January 12 meeting, the point was made: Gasoline is going up towards $5.00 per gallon.  There's the suggestion that it may reach $6 at summer's end.  Today on NPR Weekend Edition: What's Driving Gas Prices, From An Energy Insider.  From CNN: Will gas prices trigger another recession?

April 13, 2011

1. Should one have the option to either "privatize" a 401(K) or keep their social security contributions within government control?  Ref: "The Utah Pension Model"...WSJ... Jan, 19 2011.
2. Should we expedite Deep Water Oil Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?  Ref: "Path clears for Deep Water Oil Drilling..WSJ...Pg3...Jan, 4 2011.
3.  Considering today’s economy, should the state of California implement an “Earthquake Early Warning System” with an initial projected cost of $80M and an annual operating projected cost of $20M?  Reference: Desert Sun 4/7/11, “Scientist California’s Early Quake Alarm Ready in 5 Years”  SFGate
4. Should a higher debt ceiling be passed by Congress?  Reference: WSJ 4/5/11 Page A5 “Geithner Seeks Higher Debt Ceiling”

Shining a light - Carolyn Little's Bulb Collection

March 23, 2011

Topics from the agenda committee:

1. Handouts with new motorist laws that took effect in Calif. on Jan, 1 2011.  Ref: AAA Westways..Jan/Feb 2011 see pg 14 of print magazine.
2. Should the gov't extend "Green Credits" as subsidies for U.S. industries?  Ref: WSJ Pg 14.  March 3,  2011..Tax Reform Exhibit A.
3. Should one have the option to either "privatize" a 401(K) or keep their social security contributions within gov't control?  Ref: "The Utah Pension Model"...WSJ... Jan, 19 2011.
4. Should we expedite Deep Water Oil Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?  Ref: "Path clears for Deep Water Oil Drilling..WSJ...Pg3...Jan, 4 2011.

Meeting update:
We covered items 1 and 2, but also Libya and Japan.
My personal thoughts:
1. The President should not have interfered in the recent developments in the Arab world.  Especially, he should not have pushed military action in Libya.  Daily Show: America at Not-War - Obama's Communication Gap.  May 19 update - The President's speech re. the 'Arab Spring':

we must proceed with a sense of humility.  It’s not America that put people into the streets of Tunis or Cairo -– it was the people themselves who launched these movements, and it’s the people themselves that must ultimately determine their outcome. 

2. Despite all the safeguards, we see that nuclear energy, though much needed, is not risk-free, whether in Japan or the U.S. Why 'Plan B' often works out badly

March 9, 2011

We usually start our meetings with discussion of community matters, then cover some topics sent from the agenda committee, like these for this meeting:

1. Should English be the Official Language of the USA?  Reference: LA Times, 2/9/11. Page A-14 “English Only? Press NO”
2. Should Municipal and State employees have the right to strike for benefits or wages?  Reference: WSJ 2/15/11 “Illinois Union Ally Turns Critic.” WSJ 2/28/11 “Union Power for Thee But Not For Me.”
3. What can U.S. do to stop the pirating of ships and people in the seas off Somalia and the Persian Gulf?
4. Should National Public Radio continue to be government subsidized?  Reference: American Legion Magazine, March 2011 Page 10, “Defund National Public Radio?”

Regarding item #2, see: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, NY Times graphic
Regarding item #4, see: PBS message


I ask, what are the topics that we are reluctant to talk about, the proverbial elephants in the living room?

Art by Banksy

Newsweek 2/27/11: on information overload - I Can't Think

February 23, 2011

From the Agenda Committee:

1. Indio Councilman, Glenn Miller, will be our guest speaker discussing “What is going on in the City of Indio” – with Q&A to follow.
2. Should English be the Official Language of the USA?  Reference: LA Times editorial, 2/9/11. Page A-14 “English Only? Press NO”
3.  Should Municipal and State employees have the right to strike for benefits or wages?  Open for personal input.

Regarding item #3: KPCV - Wisconsin Dems walk out over controversial budget bill

February 9, 2011

Topics carried over from January 26, 2011.

January 26, 2011

Topical Discussion Group Agenda for January 26. 2011

1. Governor Brown is proposing a State Budget of 84.6 Billion dollars; some of the proposals will be handed out for your information and discussion at our meeting
2. Is the Lame Duck Session (of the Federal Government) an outdated concern. Ref: WSJ, 11/18/10 Page A23-“This Lame Duck Session Should be the Last”.
3. Should the State pass legislation limiting the number of appeals granted in death penalty cases?   Ref: LA Times 12/29/10
4. Should hand gun magazines with more than 8 cartridges be banned?

January 12, 2011

From the Agenda Committee:

1. If you were President, where would you propose to reduce the current National Deficit?
2. Gasoline is going up towards $5.00 per gallon, what can be done to minimize this trend?
3. What are your thoughts on changes being proposed to link teacher tenure to student test results?  Ref: WSJ, 1/2/11, Page A3 “Attempts to Link Teacher Tenure to Results.”

At the meeting, we spoke at some length about the tragic shootings in Arizona and President Obama's memorial address earlier in Tuscon.  Many at the meeting objected to the fixing of blame on the right.  No one brought up the defense from Sarah Palin, using the term blood libel, with its connotations.

Regarding item #2, see my peak oil blog, The Spare Can.
See Richard Heinberg's Museletter and chapter 3 of his book-in-progress The End of Growth: Earth's Limits: Why Growth won't Return

We ran out of time to discuss item #4.

December 8, 2010

November 17, 2010

1. Proposals by the President’s bipartisan deficit commission (per L.A. Times article) regarding: 1) Social Security, 2) Taxes. 3) Domestic Spending and 4) Health Care
2. President Obama’s Asia trip

November 10, 2010

Topics:

1. Midterm postmortem
2. Should California provide its own initiative to block Union card check elections? This insures a secret ballot by its members. as per article in the Wall Street Journal 10/4/10, Card Checkmate.
3. An Apocalypse is forecasted for Global Disaster on December 21-23, 2012. Is it real? Meteors and the Sun will affect our planet along with Solar flares shooting out our electrical grids through all the countries in the world. as per History Channel documentary 9/12/10
4. What are your thoughts on Senior Citizens getting the Whopping Cough vaccine? California has had 6000 reported cases so far mostly in young children. Elderly parents would be prevented from passing on the Whopping Cough to grandchildren. As per LA times 10/24/10, Some elderly patients can't get whooping cough vaccine

Regarding item #3:

ABC News: Phew! 2012 Doomsday Date May Be Wrong

From another blog of mine: Apocalypse

October 27, 2010

HOA Board candidate nomination process and Pulte involvement.

October 13, 2010

Propositions on California November ballot, 19-27.

See Smart Voter Guide.

KPCV: Confused by the ballot - tune into "The Proposition Song , also Gerrymandering.

We’ve switched our regular meetings to 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. So, our meetings this month are October 13 and 27. In deference to the holidays, our November and December meetings are 2nd and 3rd Wednesdays, i.e. November 10 and 17, and December 8 and 15. We’ll resume on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays after that.

September 27, 2010

Topics from the agenda committee:

1. Should the ACLU prevail in its suit against the U.S proposed Drone Air Attacks for targeting Al Qaeda operators? Reference: WSJ 9/2/10, “The Lawfare Wars” within the Review & Outlook Section on Page A14.
2. What are your thoughts on the proposed Mosque building to be built within the two block area of 9/11 ground zero? Ref: Too many to mention.
3. What are your views on denying citizenship to the so called “Anchor Babies” (aka Infants born in this country to both illegal parents.)? Ref: WSJ 9/9/10-“Birthrite Repeal Likely to Increase Illegal Population”Page A7.

Regarding item #1:

There are 2 parts to the WSJ opinion piece 'Lawfare'. It starts with the suspension of the military court's USS Cole case. In my opinion, there may be reasons the Administration might have held off on pursuing the case in military court, reasons beyond those spelled out in the piece. Intelligence gathering secrets could be jeopardized. I think that one could elucidate a theory that we are engaged in a war where hostilities continue, and we ought be under no compulsion to try or release enemy combatants until such time as hostilities have ended.

The 2nd part goes to the legality of drone attacks against an American enemy combatant, specifically al-Awlaki in Yemen. Again, in my opinion, we are fighting an enemy that is in many places around the world, often as non-state actors, and is pledged to fight to the death. We are compelled, thus, to oppose such persons as we find them.

With regard to the ACLU, I hearken back to the words of JFK, 'Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.' The ACLU's mission is all about claimed rights with little regard to costs and responsibility.

Regarding item #2:

The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd cuts through the muck in Our Mosque Madness.

Here’s an ABCnews segment with Daisy Khan (10/3/10 - and a Town Hall Debate on This Week).

Here’s an article about Rauf.

Here’s one about Sufis.

President Obama added to his earlier comments on the subject during his press conference on Friday, 9/10/10. For more about that press conference, see this MSNBC article and this KPCC Airtalk discussion.

The New Republic contains further opinion on the project.

Currently new on HBO and available on-demand is My Trip to al-Queda.

Recently, one Florida pastor threatened to burn copies of the Koran. Here's Jon Stewart's humorous take on that subject.

Regarding item #3:

A new amendment to the constitution repealing part of the 14th amendment is highly unlikely. Inasmuch as the 14th amendment was part of the Reconstruction amendments, ending slavery in the U.S., a rejection of the 14th can be seen as yet another insult to our African-American President.