Hello, I Must Be Going

David Yepsen is an enigma and the scientific community is united in that fact.

In what may be his final Ragister column...

Yepsen: Government must do its part: Cut budget

It's budget-cutting time at the Iowa Statehouse. The last few years of excessive spending, plus a national recession, have combined to sock state government's finances.

This has prompted the usual boo-hoos from those who get state money. The sky is falling, they tell us. Phooey. This process is actually a good thing. Lots of Iowa businesses and families are having to make cuts, some quite draconian. Governments should, too. On a percentage basis, the cuts state government must endure are a trifle compared to what many are doing.

This is the same man who I had to scold on Sunday (Here It Goes Again) as he advocated a more enlightened attitude toward public debt in Iowa, encouraging the state to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars.

That being said, the "jerk" will be missed.

Yepsen was Iowa on the national stage and he carried himself well as he represented us, even if he did start morphing into Grandpa Munster.

If there were more people like him at the Ragister, it wouldn't be in the trouble it's in.

Yepsen always responded to my calls or e-mails and even when we disagreed he was not disagreeable.

Good Luck and Best Wishes David!

Too early in too many ways

I didn't watch the 8 a.m Sunday Republican debate at Drake.


I did enjoy this observation from Jim Geraghty of National Review Online...

"First, George Stephanopolous was almost as bad as Chris Matthews, and that's a high bar to clear...

Reporter David Yepsen "was worse, almost indignant with a question to Rudy on taxes. Seriously, the Republicans deal with these axe-grinding fossils and Clintonite hacks and the Democrats can't deal with Fox News? Cowboy up, you spineless weenies, Brit Hume isn't going to bite you."

I like David Yepsen, but when I see him on TV it looks to me like he's morphing into Grandpa Munster and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Is Joe Biden the only Dummycrat who's not afraid to debate on Fox?

Here's Roger Ailes take on that...

“The candidates that can’t face Fox, can’t face Al Qaeda, And that’s what’s coming.”

Here It Goes Again

I mentioned last week what Mathletes the Big Lug Nut and posse were with their 30,000 jobs created quickly falling to 22,000.

Now the Ragister wonders...

Do numbers add up in Culver's jobs plan?

Turns out it's a resounding NO!

The BLN's staff now has the job figure down to 21,000.

The reality is considerably less and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Ragister cites an Iowa State University economics professor who estimates the jobs number closer to 4,050.

Although previously that same professor had the figure closer to 11,175 (1,490 jobs per $100 Million).

BLN spokesperson Phil Roeder says...

"Whether or not $100 million creates 1,500 jobs, 4,000 jobs or somewhere in between, the bottom line is it's going to create a lot of jobs."

My "ciphering" has it at 540 jobs per $100 Million Jethro Bodine.

Even after bursting the Big Lug Nut's bubble, the Ragister is all on board with Iowa borrowing $750 Million, not including $420 Million in interest...

Even if the governor's job-creation estimates from the bonding plan are exaggerated...

David Yepsen, who's moving to Illinois shortly, says...

The governor and the Legislature appear likely to take a more enlightened attitude toward public debt in Iowa.

Easy for him to say since the enlightened one won't be here and neither will his kids.

Remember when he used to whine because the state didn't do enough to keep his kids here and now he goes and leaves, Good luck in Illinois!

Yepsen also tries to equate the state borrowing with Iowa families and businesses borrow money to buy or repair homes, farms or businesses...

Except David, most Iowan's don't go further into debt by borrowing when their income keeps getting cut (Iowa’s sinking revenue projections plummeted another $400 million).

That's the kind of thinking that has helped spawn this whole financial crisis to begin with.

Good Job!

From WAY out in Left(ist) Field

I couldn't believe this letter I saw from Carol Bamford in the Ragister today...

I am troubled by the references in David Yepsen's column of July 29 to Barack Obama's "Kool-Aid" ("Hold Off on Swallowing Obama Inevitability").

The association of Kool-Aid with blacks has long been recognized as a racial slur.

Equally disturbing is the connection with the Jim Jones suicide cult whose members died from drinking poisoned Kool-Aid.

Is Yepsen suggesting that Obama, cult-like, is leading an unwary nation to its suicidal demise?

Even if these implications were inadvertent, Obama deserves more respect than that, as do Register readers.

Ms. Bamford has been in a sheltered environment of higher education(?) too long and the scientific community is united in that fact!




















For the Record it was Grape Flavor Aid laced with Cyanide that those in Jonestown were forced to down.

Caucus Concert

I think the reaction to the idea of a celebration of the Iowa Caucuses was just a little harsh.

Because you read "like" or "such as" Britney Spears doesn't mean that bimbo is who they're after to appear.

Unfortunately, that's how too many people talk today.

David Yepsen went a little off the deep end when he said it would, "denigrate and cheapen what should be the serious business of selecting candidates for the American presidency."

I like David, even when we disagree, but I've attended caucuses since 1988 and they're not as pristine as people believe.

A majority of those in attendance are there to support a candidate for President and leave when that portion of the evening is completed.

Most people don't know they're held every two years with the purpose of conducting party business, such as platform issues and county convention delegates, at a local level.

They've been carried live on C-Span for crying out loud, for the most part it's boring!

The Ragister's Kyle Munson was against it.

Which means if that no talent is against it, on principle I have to be for it. Just like if he's for something I'm against it....similar to my stand on Ragister issues.

These are the same people who complain constantly about how boring Iowa is and how we need to get more young people involved in the political process.

I think MTV's "Rock the Vote" and P-Dummy with his "Vote or Die" T-shirt/campaign are what really cheapens and denigrates the entire political process.

If they can make this concert along the lines of the Kennedy Center Honors, then it would be classy and entertaining.

I do think it would be silly to follow too many of Terry Rich's ideas, he told WHO-TV/Channel 13
that they would have the Dummycrat candidates in the front row on one side and Republicans in the front on the other side as a way of thanking them for running....That's Hokey!

The best part is it wouldn't cost Iowans anything.

You can't say that about a lot of what gets proposed in this state.

What's Good for the Goose

Recently the D Moines Register ran a series telling Iowans how they could learn from schools in Finland.

Here's a couple of things that the Ragister could learn from their newspapers.

Start and FINNISH (bad pun intended) each story on the same page.

This is the format the Helsingen Sanomat follows
and their Senior Editor says...

"In the United States, your stories are too long for ordinary readers. You need to break it up – use more photos, graphics and maps. ... We gave up jumps in the 1970s."

What is truly interesting is their Council for Mass Media (CMM).

Established in 1968, it comes across as a peer review board that interprets good professional practice and defend the freedom of speech and publication.

Any private citizen or public official believing there is a breach of ethical principles in any form of mass media can lodge a complaint with the CMM. If the CMM finds through its investigation of the facts that ethics have been breached, it issues a notice that requires the party violating the principles to publish CMM's notice of findings. Complaints to the CMM are usually investigated in about three months at no charge to the person lodging the complaint.

An enforcement of ethical principles might cause people to trust their objectivity and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The reality is that newspapers in this country will continue to decline for numerous reasons, chiefly their editorializing in news stories as well as their superior, condescending attitude.

Have you tried to contact someone at the Ragister lately?

If you receive a response, it's snippy.

The lone exception is David Yepsen, who always responds and even when he disagrees is not disagreeable.

Comrade Clinton

The Ragister highlights (?) an interview Hellary recently gave to David Yepsen that contained an alleged diss of Mississippi.

In an interesting choice of words Hellary, wearing what looks to be Chairman Mao suit, used the word "communitarianism" in describing Iowa.

Communitarianism comes from the word communitarian --of or relating to social organization in small cooperative partially collectivist communities.

Communitarianism, cooperative, collectivist-- its all Communist to me Comrade and the scientific community is united in that fact.

By the way, Hellary called Trent Lott to apologize for the Mississippi remarks, but not the "communitarianism".

Oh Really

Phil Roeder, the Big Lug Nut's spokesman...

“Iowa common sense dictates that you don’t spend money that you don’t have.”

Said the mouthpiece for the man who proposed that the state take on $700 million in debt.

If there's one thing I've learned in over 50 years of living, common sense isn't so common and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Ragister's David Yepsen lacks it too, writing recently...

If anything, Culver's not borrowing enough.

Fringe Candidates

I tried watching the Ragister's Republican debate, but I couldn't stay with it.

Carolyn Washburn is just awful (a paper cut is more entertaining) and the scientific community is united in that fact.

David Yepsen, political columnist, at least has a personality and TV experience.

I love Alan Keyes (I lost some respect for him after his Illinois Senate carpetbag run against Obambi) but he had no business being there.

The Ragister has this supposed criteria used to invite participants...

1. Candidates must have filed an FEC Form F-2 “Statement of Candidacy” with the Federal Election Commission, and

2. Candidates must have publicly announced an intention to run for the nomination of the Republican or the Democratic Party for President of the United States, and

3. Candidates must have had a campaign office inside the State of Iowa as of October 1, 2007, and

4. Candidates must have employed at least one paid campaign staff representative to perform full-time campaign duties in the State of Iowa on behalf of the candidate since at least October 1, 2007, and

5. Candidates must have had at least a 1% support showing in the Des Moines Register’s October, 2007 Iowa Poll.

Alan Keyes did not meet criteria 3 or 4.

Keyes did register 2% in their October poll (Keyes polled 0% in their November poll).

I don't believe Duncan Hunter meets their criteria on 3 or 4 either.

This same criteria is being used to exclude Dennis KOOK-cinich and Mike Gravel for today's Dummycrat debate.

KOOK-cinich goes 5 for 5 in the Ragister's criteria, but the Ragister said...

"It was our determination that a person working out of his home did not meet our criteria for a campaign office and full-time paid staff in Iowa."

Per the left wing blog Daily Kos...

The Federal Elections Commission recognizes that the Kucinich campaign has paid staff in Iowa. The IRS recognizes the legitimacy of a home office.

I guess the Ragister caught the SNL Fringe candidate's debate.

Who's the Boss?

Recently we had this headline about Governor Big Lug Nut...

Culver not phased by Wall Street

Now out of the same paper comes a fellow Dummycrat in the Statehouse, Mike Fitzgerald...

Bailout will have big impact on Iowa

Interestingly enough David Yepsen has a column on Chester today...

There seems to be a disagreement - as well as institutional tensions - between Culver and Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal over who is the boss.

It looks like you can add the State Treasurer into that mix and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Will Culver face a primary challenger?

Pickle Power

Shame on David Yepsen and those that POOH POOH Tom "Vlassic" Vilsack's lack of experience to be Secretary of Agriculture.

You can't expect experience in an Obama administration and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Besides, he knows how to dress the part(s) [see below].

Maybe as Ag Secretary we'll get the real dirt, or the scoop, on what really happened to his kid's car.

I find it interesting that the Ragister refers to Henry A. Wallace as Iowa's last ag secretary.

Mike Johann's was born in Iowa, and served from 2005-2007.

































































Here's an Obama salute for him.

Out Of Work

The Ragister released the numbers for their second round of layoffs.

41 employees will have their jobs eliminated.

15 open positions will not be filled.

4 employees volunteered for a severance package.

The big name this time was cartoonist Brian Duffy.

Julie Probasco Sowers finds herself out in the cold too.

No wonder David Yepsen is seeking other employment.

I'm still rooting for Rekha.

The Ragister is just a caricature of itself and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Here's proof.

This headline is for a story that ran on November 26...

Update: Hawk fan says bathroom sex scandal "ruined my life"

You can't have a headline that says "UPDATE" when it is the first story you've written on the subject.

The only other story was on November 27...

Drunken mistake led to misery, fan says

Busted

Sadly, I'm sure Iowa Dummycrats believe this headline...

Democrats say falling revenues caused budget crisis, not spending

Senator Bob Dvorsky said Democrats have spent more in recent years on key areas such as teacher salaries and public universities, but not too much.

Just the other day David Yepsen called Iowa's spending "excessive".

Here's an update for your report Bob

State spending has increased nearly $1 BILLION in the last two years which is $100 million more than the previous 8 years combined!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Pickle anyone? Anyone?

David Yepsen touched lightly on this, but the Hotline (hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com) gives some analysis of Tuesday's Iowa Dummycrat primary.

The larger story to come out of Iowa though, may be what this contest says about Gov. Tom Vilsack's political muscle. Though Vilsack remained studiously neutral, Blouin came from his cabinet and was widely believed to have Vilsack's quiet support. Indeed, Blouin's top campaign aide came direct from the Vilsack office.

What's worse for the '08 hopeful is that in the one statewide race where he did actively play (for Agriculture Secretary), his candidate, a top aide going back to his first GOV race in '98, was trounced by 14%.

So the PICKLE has no pull and therefore has put a dent in his 2008 Presidential ambitions. I would have thought the picture at left would have done that a long time ago!