In Memoriam: Tim Russert 1950-2008

Turning on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer last night, wanting to catch up on the news, I was deeply saddened to find out that Tim Russert suddenly died yesterday. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but on Sunday mornings and election nights, he was a trusted voice on a subject that I care a great deal about. Seeing the outpouring of commentary by his colleagues and politicians, both in printed word and on television news, is a testament of the great loss to serious political journalism in Washington D.C. with Mr. Russert's passing.

During national election years, to drown out the noise created by most political news coverage these days, I tuned in to Meet the Press on Sundays to get a sense of what was really going on. In my opinion, Tim Russert was in the same league as Walter Cronkite, and Edward R. Murrow. Mr. Russert was always described as tough, but he was fair. He had integrity, a quality that is not center stage as much as it should be.

I most appreciated his working class roots. Mr. Russert did not put on airs. To me, he was a person who embodied the ideals of what is so great about our country. He was another example of what you can do if you worked hard and had integrity.

Good bye Mr. Russert, you will be sorely missed in this household on the historic upcoming election. It is a shame that you will not be here to see it and share with us your obvious love and excitement for the election process. Peace be with your wife, son and family during this time of sorrow.

An excellent article about Mr. Russert from the Gray Lady

Compromise, not Bipartisanship

I have been paying attention to politics long enough now that I feel that I am beginning to see how it truly works. Even if you aren't involved with government, there are politics everywhere. If you have maneuvered for a promotion at work, you have used politics. If you have been in a relationship long enough, to the point where you don't agree on everything like you used to, you have gotten a taste of politics. It even starts as early as elementary school. Did you ever convince the other kids on the playground to play tag like you wanted instead of red rover like little Susie wanted to? If you did, that was your first taste of politics. If you pay attention, you can even catch some grade school behavior in the stilted halls of government: "I don't like your idea. I'm taking my ball and going home!"

People who have more expensive educations than I do might say that politics is the science or art of government. I cannot disagree with that. There is a great deal of liberal arts and sciences that can help anyone do well in government. Those subjects include law, psychology, sociology, economics, history, and of course, political science. I, on the other hand, like to simplify things. For me politics is nothing more than a game with no written rules. You have to figure out those rules and develop your own play book. I'm certain that there are unimaginable volumes of ink devoted to politics over the history of the written word; however, like wisdom, politics is something that is best learned through life rather than just in books. Another quality that politics shares with wisdom is that the more you learn, the more you realize that there is so much more to learn.

The spark that lit the fire for this latest commentary is due to the June 10th meeting of the Manchester BOD. I am beginning to understand what being called partisan or being asked to be bipartisan means in our current two party system. If you want someone to agree with you from the other side of the isle, you ask them to be bipartisan. If that person disagrees with you, then they are being partisan. To go one more step, if someone strongly disagrees with you, then they are being divisive. This is one of the failures of a two party system. What ever happened to finding compromise?

I'm not entirely sure when during our history that it started, quite possibly with the start of the Cold War, but compromise is being painted in a negative light at all levels of our government. Compromise is associated with surrender, capitulation, or even being unprincipled. There was a time in government when compromise was an honorable way to find agreement, tolerance and balance. Looking back in history, some of those compromises, whether they were a failure or a success, where given names. In the lead up to the Civil War there was the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. During the Philadelphia constitutional convention there was the Massachusetts Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Connecticut Compromise which was later to be known as The Great Compromise.

Am I expecting the next "great compromise" to come out of the Lincoln Center hearing room, no; however, I was encouraged to see what appeared to be an impromptu compromise during the debate on the water & sewer rate increase. In a philosophical difference between the Democrats, who wanted a five percent increase to the rates, and the Republicans, who wanted a three and a half percent increase, Director Tweedie offered an amendment to split the difference at a four and one quarter percent rate increase. I commend him on breaking rank and offering up his compromise even after the impertinent comment made by Michael Pohl, Manchester Democratic Town Chairperson, calling him a "baby duck following Director Pelletier."

Finding compromise is not being unprincipled or a personal weakness. If anything, it takes a great deal of skill, tact, and courage to find the middle ground. Since the November election, a common theme during the BOD meeting public comments has been a want by the citizens of Manchester for the two parties to work together to do what's best for the town. I am encouraged by one of Mayor Spadaccini's comments during his closing statement during the particularly rancorous portion of the June 10th meeting that voted in Director Farina. If Mayor Spadaccini feels that his greatest failure so far is getting the two caucuses of the BOD to work together, then I hope that he does more to find the compromises rather than presiding over one party line vote after another. By being the Mayor of Manchester and Chairperson of the BOD, he represents more than just the majority party on the BOD, but the whole town's diverse political make-up. By finding true compromises, rather than seeking "bipartisanship," the Board of Directors can truly serve the Town of Manchester and its citizens.

Checks and Balances

It's Congress, not a king's court | csmonitor.com

A thought provoking commentary that should be read by every member of congress and also to remind us that the president is only the head of one third of our federal government.

Barack Obama: My Generation's JFK?

Being an independent voter, I look forward to the horse races of the primaries to be over with. I wish that I lived in a state with open primaries. If I did, I would have cast my vote for Barack Obama. For the first time since I could vote, I have never been as hopeful for a presidential candidate as I have for this person.

This November, I think our country has a chance to shed its cynicism, shed its fear and believe once again that we can make tomorrow better than yesterday. I long for renewal of my faith in the idealistic principles that our country was created from. I believe that Barack Obama can heal this country in a way that John McCain cannot. In a word, Barack Obama gives me Hope.

He gives me hope that he can truly do something to help the squeeze that is on working/middle class Americans. Everyday it feels like I have to make more just to break even. Obama is not a child of privilege. Although he may not have to worry about his finances now, I'm sure that he remembers what it was like to try to make ends meet.

Barack Obama gives me hope that he can restore America's standing in the world. Our current president and his administration has squandered everything that this country stood for in the world. I think that if the world sees us elect Barack Obama, they will realize that it is our resolve to move on from the failed policies of the last eight years and rebuild.

Most of all, Obama gives me hope that we can heal the divisions in our country like no one else in the last two hundred years of our federal republic. Whether those divisions are racial, economic, political, religious, or whatever else those in power have used as a wedge to drive us apart. I hope that I can show my children that it doesn't matter who you are, we are all in this together and we all can make a difference.

Since his speech at the DNC in 2004, I have held out hope for this person to run for president for the reasons above and many more. I'm happy that he has made it through his party's process to become a presidential nominee. So without a doubt, my vote this November will go towards Barack Obama. I hope yours will as well.

King Corn

I'm a documentary watcher. The really good ones present a story for you and let you form your own opinions. The best ones are the ones that make you ask questions and think, "wow... I didn't know that." Last night I watched King Corn.

From Netflix:

In Aaron Woolf's thought-provoking documentary, friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move back to America's Corn Belt to plant an acre of the nation's most-grown and most-subsidized grain in an attempt to follow their crop into the U.S. food supply. What they discover about genetically modified seeds, powerful herbicides and the realities of modern farming calls into question government subsidies, our fast-food lifestyle and the quality of our food.

Being a parent has made me aware of food in a way that I wasn't before. How much we buy, how much it costs and especially what we feed our kids. One thing that we have tried to cut out of our diet is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This was even before I had heard about King Corn. We make sure that the juice we buy doesn't have it, we buy ketchup now that doesn't have it, and no more soda. We are finding out that it is hard to buy items without HFCS. After watching this documentary, I can see why. HFCS should be on the same list of "very bad for you ingredients" as trans-fats, or hydrogenated oils.

So the one question that watching this film brought up: is the federal government, through their agriculture policies over the last thirty years, inadvertently making us literally fat and happy?

Take ninety minutes of your week and check this documentary out. If you have Netflix, it is available for instant viewing on your computer.

Freethinkers

"Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking."

-Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

The Sun Also Rises In Manchester

The sun rose in the east for yet another day. A fresh, spring day like we get to enjoy every year in Manchester. People getting ready and going to work, kids eating breakfast and finishing last minute homework before school, dogs barking to be let back in the house, newspapers being delivered and read, and town offices and departments opening their doors to serve our town and take care of our community needs yet again. As I drove through town on my way to work this morning, I did not see a single piece of the sky on the ground.

Much to the chagrin of the Democratic Caucus, the Republicans passed their budget last night. I am sure that things are going to be busy for the next few days in General Manager Shanley's Office, as well as in Dr. Ouellette's office; however, this is why they earn what we pay them. Like most of the taxpayers in this town, they are also going to have to make do with a little less than they were expecting.

I have to admit that prior to last night's meeting, I was almost caught up in the emotions caused by the proposed budget cuts. If you are a parent, it's hard not to get riled up when there is a perceived threat to your kid's education. I then took a step back, and decided that I was going to wait and see what was going to happen. Like it or not, the decisions that were made last night were set into motion on election day last year by only seventeen votes. Last night there was little, if anything, a packed Lincoln Center hearing room could have done to change that fact.

I, much like the town, run my household budget from June to the following May. By the beginning of May, I know what my raise is, I have the new tax rates by then, and some good data from the previous year to make an educated guess at the upcoming year. (If you don't use Quicken or MS Money, I highly recommend it.) It was hard this year. I have seen almost every single line item in my budget climb faster in the last year, than in previous years. Those rising costs have eaten into financial plans that are made as a family in my house. Repairs to the house, paying off debt, and saving more. In order to maintain those plans, cuts were made. Sure, we could take the easy path and justify anything really, but we had to be realistic and make the hard choices. It was this process at home that gave me pause, and provided me with a willingness to try to be objective last night.

No doubt about it, there was political grandstanding on both sides leading up to, and during last night's budget adoption meeting. It didn't help that there was some sensationalized press coverage to fan the flames, and the usual party faithful with their cans of gasoline to add fuel when needed. When it came to the end of the meeting, and listening to the majority budget message, I had to agree. In this current economy, how can our town ask for more money that outpaces average taxpayer cost of living increases yet again?

There was a point made last night by the Democrats that I could not agree with more: there needs to be more cooperation and openness during the budget process. Each year in October and November I hear all about bipartisanship from both parties and how the BOD and BOE need to work together. Six months later it is always business as usual. The BOD and BOE battling each other over money, and budget adoption voted along party lines. Both parties need to be more open with their plans earlier in the process, and then allow the voters to speak their minds on those plans. If the BOD wants more citizen involvement, it's time to have their actions match their words.

Voltaire wrote that we should, "Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers." If that is the case, then here are the questions that I am asking:

• If there is such an outcry by the Democrats about being heard on the budget, why didn't they speak at the Waddell Auditorium on April 2nd encouraging the BOD to fully fund the BOE and General Manager's recommended budgets?
  
  
• The Republicans have said that they are going to be bipartisan and would have a more open and accountable government. Then why would they cancel the joint budget deliberations and not reschedule the meeting? Also, why wait until 36 hours before the budget adoption meeting to release their changes?

So, like every year after the budget adoption meeting, the sun rose once again, and the sky is right where it belongs. To me there is one positive outcome of all that has happened over the past six months, according to the Journal Inquirer, the Lincoln Center hearing room was filled to capacity for the first time in six years for a budget adoption meeting. Agree or disagree with the current majority, they are getting more people involved.