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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Just the Facts, Ma'am


That one guy also oversaw the saving of the US economy, after the 2008 financial near-collapse, among other improvements.

Huh.

Image may contain: 6 people, people smiling

Full Court Press From the "New KCI" Folks


Yes sir, there's a virtual "full court press" going on just now, this week, from the people and groups pushing for the more than one billion dollar boondoggle that is the "new KCI" campaign.

On KCUR, 89.3 FM this morning, Steve Kraske is going to throw out his one sided support for it on his program "Up to Date" at 11 am. It is our local NPR station and you wish they'd be impartial and non-partisan, since they're a news site, mostly but Mr. Kraske has gone along with the newspaper, the Star, and so many other local celebrities and supports it. I'm hoping for some good, probing questions today on the show, so it isn't just a fully, one-sided prop job for this nonsense.

Then, tomorrow night, our own Kansas City Star is hosting a town hall on KCI. Even the name of it shows they're not being a non-partisan news site:  "Why we need a new KCI." They aren't even pretending to be reporting news and not taking sides. That is tomorrow night, again, at 7 pm at Union Station. From the sounds of it, they're to be in what is not a terribly large room because when you register for it online, it says seating is limited. I fear and expect they don't want too large a crowd lest they get too many opposing views from the audience. Here's hoping.

So for all the more rational and fiscally and environmentally responsible people out there who see and know this "new KCI" for the absurd, again, boondoggle that it is, by all means, please phone in today to Mr. Kraske's show. Let's hold the supporters "feet to the fire", so to speak. Let's point out what an outrageous, expensive, ridiculous and yes, again, irresponsible move this would be.

Then, let's do it again, this time, in person, by going to the Star's town hall tomorrow evening. Come loaded with good, hard, fair, researched questions for them, too.

KEEP CALM AND SAVE KCI Poster

Links:


New KCI terminal may mean more flights, 

but not necessarily






Sunday, October 29, 2017

Entertainment Overnight -- Autumn



"Autumn sunshine all magnificent
and shining through...

I look at the side of your face as the sunlight comes
Streaming through the window in the autumn sunshine
And all the time going to Coney Island I'm thinking,

Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time?"






Saturday, October 28, 2017

Entertainment Overnight -- We're On the Highway to Hell



Hope you're having a great weekend out there, y'all.


What We Did Last Year In That Election




The New KCI People Are Getting Desperate


Here in Brookside, we've gotten a large postcard nearly every day from the "Better KCI" group, pointing out why they think we should have a new, single terminal airport, even with it taking more than 1 billion dollars to do so.

Yesterday's postcard shows, as the headline says, that these people are getting desperate.

They've begun repeating the same, old, tired ideas now. Today was this.


All they could say today, with this postcard was that our current airport needs updates--tell us something we don't know---and that they would cost $500,000.

Let's put this in perspective.

First, suddenly $500,00 is a lot of money.

They want 1 billion dollars for this new, single terminal airport--actually, it will be more than 1 billion dollars, more than twice as much---but they're suddenly complaining about spending too much money.

Talk about trying to have it both ways. Wow.

So one half billion dollars is A LOT but more than one billion just ain't that much.

What utter, ridiculous nonsense.

Spending only one half of what they propose for a new airport, to get and keep what we need seems clearly very sensible. Why on Earth would or should we throw away good, very convenient, intelligent, already built buildings, modernize and update them and continue to use them?

It makes eminent sense.

On the postcard yesterday, they say: "Our airport was built in 1972 and it's served us well, but it's past our prime."

And that, right there ladies and gentlemen, is our problem. It is one of America's problems. We've seen it, repeatedly, down through decades and the short last century here in the US.

After about 40 or 50 years, we think we need to somehow "move on", tear down a building--in this case, buildings--and press forward with progress somehow. All across Europe, they have functioning buildings, hundreds of years old but we have to tear ours down, build new, start all over again and begin anew.

This is fiscally irresponsible. And that's what's wrong with this plan of theirs. It is fiscally irresponsible. Actually, to be clear and accurate, it is grossly irresponsible, fiscally. That's ignoring the fact that it's also environmentally irresponsible. I won't even touch on that.

There is no reason in the world why we cannot update, modernize and yes, improve our existing 3 terminals at our airport, get the security we need and continue to use these buildings, these facilities.

I say again, the Airport Authority, our Airport Authority has been conniving for a new airport and for years. To get it, they have ignored and neglected maintenance and not worked to get restaurants at these existing terminals, all so they could say today and for the last several years that we needed a new airport, a new building and that what we have isn't working and doesn't work.

Again, I repeat, look at the statistics. Our airport keeps increasing the numbers of flights, month after month and year over year yet they say it isn't working and we need a new airport.



So please, all you people at "Better KCI"?  Mayor James? Airport Authority? Cut it out. Stop lying to us. Stop misrepresenting the truth. Stop redefining the way things are up there at the airport because even given how badly the Airport Authority is running and not maintaining it, it's still increasing in flights, statistically. 

So with, actually, some good and decent and fair and intelligent updating and modernizing---and for far, far less money---we good have that stellar airport you keep describing.

And we'd save hundreds of millions of dollars doing it, in the meantime.

KEEP CALM AND SAVE KCI Poster


Vote no---a resounding, responsible NO--on Question 1 next week, November 7.

Links:


Friday, October 27, 2017

Run, Don't Walk, to the Nelson!



If you have not yet been to our Nelson-Atkins Museum lately, to see the new acquisition, The Gates of Paradise, and new exhibit "Through the Eyes of PIcasso", it cannot be stressed enough, get this on your calendar.

Through the Eyes of Picasso


For myself, I personally always enjoyed Picasso's works, certainly, of course. But I hadn't studied his source for his work, one of the inspirations of his work early in his life and that is African art. I knew he was an accomplished, traditional painter and artist early on but that was it.

Wow.

This exhibit is a stunner.

It shows many, many of the pieces of African art he himself owned and carried with him his entire life and from which he got so much inspiration. It shows his development as an artist. It is a real education.


There's one more really fantastic thing about this exhibit, too, and that is the way our Nelson positioned the African art from the permanent collection, years ago, when the Bloch addition first opened leads nearly magically, fantastically right into this exhibit. It's almost as if they knew, years ago, that one day they'd get and have this new exhibit and of course, that's impossible.

It reminded me again of how perfect the placement is upstairs, in the old, original building, of the Native American art, next to the early American gallery. Brilliant on their part, once again.

One last thing to be said, too, about this PIcasso exhibit, folks. It's the only gallery in the nation that has it or will have it, presently. It is that special. We are that fortunate.

Then there are the doors.

Go, too, to see Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. The original doors are in Italy at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore. The pair at the Nelson-Atkins are a sister set to those at the Baptistery.

I keep thinking the Nelson can't get any better.

After they opened the American wing of the permanent gallery, I thought "That's it. It can't get any better."

Then they opened the Bloch Gallery and I thought, "That's it."

Then they recently got all the Impressionist pieces from the Bloch family.

And I thought that was it.

Now they have these doors, in the permanent collection and we got this Picasso exhibit, sole exhibit in the nation.

I now no longer think there is a "top" we cannot reach.

All I can say is, Director and CEO Julián Zugazagoitia must live forever.

And remain here.

We. Are. So. Incredibly. Fortunate.

Go.

Go now. Enjoy.

And while you're at it, if you haven't done so already, become a member. It's the best $55 you will ever spend. Besides helping out a fantastic, local institution, you also get discounts on meals at the Rozelle Court and free parking on site and entrance into certain exhibits you would otherwise pay for and finally, part of the membership fee is deductible. If you aren't already a member, you're missing out and in more ways than one!

Link:




Thursday, October 26, 2017

Even Jolie Justus Gets In On the Lies About a New Airport


On our local NPR station today, the national program "Here and Now" reported from out of this station and our city. It was great to hear.

On it, even our own local representative and councilwoman, Jolie Justus was on it, who I usually always like to hear and, up to now, always support and agree with.

For this first time in disagreement, however, she came down squarely for this billion dollar boondoggle of a new, single terminal airport.

Not a surprise but a disappointment, nonetheless.

One of the things she said is that our huge Cerner Company, with all that business and all those employees, is a huge, one of the biggest, users of the airport and that, if we don't update it, we run the risk of that company leaving.

To which I say

What utter nonsense.

Who of us has trouble leaving our city byt the current airport, with its configuration?  Just who, exactly?

I've never heard of anyone having that issue, Cerner employee or no.

Then, she claimed that, with all the architects in town, and she said we have a lot, per capita, they might have difficulty getting a flight and getting out of town, too. She went as far as to suggest they might have to take as long as two days to get out of town if we don't update the airport.

What undisguised, ridiculous, ludicrous assertions.

I point out again, our current airport, even as poorly managed as it is by our Airport Authority, we still, month over month and year over year, both, have nothing but increased in the numbers of people flying out of our airport, KCI, MCI.

That doesn't sound like too horrible or difficult a situation or airport, does it to you?

Side note: Do keep in mind that the law firm she works for, Shook, Hardy and Bacon, had for a client Burns & McDonnell, who had been fighting for the work at the airport, too. It was found that, legally, in a courtroom, that Ms. Justus had no conflict of interest but but the relationship is there, like it or not, see link below.

Anyway, the lies about the airport and getting a new one, continue, virtually unabated, sadly.

KEEP CALM AND SAVE KCI Poster

Link:

Today's New Airport Lie Du Jour


Okay, here we go again.

I got yet another postcard yesterday, lying to me, to all of us, about how we "need a new airport" and all the reasons behind it.

Today's blatant ugliness and misrepresentation of truth and facts blares out the following:

"A Better KCI =

Thousands of Jobs +
More Than $! Billion
in Economic Impact"

And see? Here's what's wrong, so very wrong about that.

First, when they call it "economic impact", they describe it as "more than $1 billion."

But when they talk about cost? When they talk about the price of this boondoggle?

Then they only call it $1 billion.

I say again, don't kid yourself, ladies and gentlemen, let's not kid ourselves. If they get this shiny, new, single terminal airport, it's going to cost MORE THAN 1 BILLION DOLLARS.

Let there be no doubt.

Second, this thing calls for "thousands of jobs."

Well, yeah, sure. I get that, we get that. It takes lots of people to build an airport.

But guess what?

Those are temporary jobs. The airport only takes so long to build. Then those jobs go away.

As a matter of fact, the new, single terminal airport they're proposing would actually have FEWER gates than the 3 terminals we have now. Seems as though, if they get their shiny new toy, there would be LESS jobs, ultimately, since fewer people would be needed to run the place.

I propose an alternate idea and solution, once more.

How about we only spend half of that? Or, heck, even two-thirds that much, of that 1 billion dollars, and update and modernize and repair our existing airport, instead of throwing it away?

--We end up with the better, more functioning and better looking airport we want and need
--We don't blow through more than 1 billion dollars
--We don't end up walking away from and almost literally throwing away 3 good, functioning, attractive, very convenient buildings and a lot of others
--and finally, we don't end up raising the prices of the tickets for flying in and out of our city.

Because while the Mayor and all the proponents of this new, more than 1 billion dollar airport want to keep saying "It won't be paid for with your taxes" or "We don't end up paying for it", we do, in fact, end up paying for it.

We pay for it in higher prices to fly into and out of our city and region.

Which brings up another one of their lies.

They say this new airport is supposed to bring more people to our city.

In the first place, I've shown here, earlier, how our current airport, as badly and poorly managed as it has been and is, up to now, has seen month to month and year to year growth in the numbers of people using our airport. So already that's not an isssue.

So how, exactly, do you INCREASE the number of people coming into your city and region by RAISING THE PRICE, the cost of doing just that, of flying into your city?

And of course the answer is, you don't.

So let's get serious. Let's get real here.

Let's start being responsible, modernize and update and repair our existing airport and terminals, make them more attractive and functional again while we also do the fiscally responsible thing as well as the environmentally responsible.

It's not as "fun" or sexy as talking about a bright, shiny, new, single terminal airport but it's the smart  and right thing to do.

KEEP CALM AND SAVE KCI Poster

Save KCI! | Better Solutions Come From Better Discussions



Wednesday, October 25, 2017

How Pathetic and Desperate--and Wasteful--This Republican Congress is Presently


The Republicans in Congress are so desperate to take the nation's attention off their/our bumbling President, they're resorting to old tricks. Nearly unbelievable. Check this out.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., center, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill after a weekly policy luncheon. From left are, Sen. Roy Blunt, McConnell, Sen. John Thune, Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas. | AP Photo

House Republicans launch new probes into Obama-era Uranium One deal, FBI handling of Clinton case


They investigated Hillary Clinton over and over in Congress, each time coming up with absolutely nothing, nothing illegal, wasting thousands of manhours and millions of dollars and still they want to do this all, one more time. Again.

But just yesterday, they did this.

Senate Overturns Rule That 

Helped Customers to Sue Banks


So they're legislating more and yet more for business, in this case, the banks, the big banks, and so, against the people, against you and me, "Mr. and Mrs. America", so to speak. They're also setting in motion yet more wasteful investigations. Then, trying to deflect our attention from the boob that is the defacto head of their political party, our President at the moment.

This is no way to run a nation.

What little they're doing, folks, is patently not for you and me and the nation overall.


The Very Important Speech Yesterday Every Voting American Should Hear


Senator Jeff Flake gave a now very famous and even important speech yesterday in and to the Senate and nation. Here is just a bit of it.



It is time for our complicity and our accommodation of the unacceptable to end. In this century, a new phrase has entered the language to describe the accommodation of a new and undesirable order, that phrase being the new normal.

But we must never adjust to the present coarseness of our national dialogue with the tone set up at the top. We must never regard as normal the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country. The personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institution, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency.

The reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the fortunes of the people that we have been elected to serve. None of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal. We must never allow ourselves to lapse into thinking that that is just the way things are now.

If we simply become inured to this condition, thinking that it is just politics as usual, then heaven help us. Without fear of the consequences and without consideration of the rules of what is politically safe or palatable, we must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal. Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as telling it like it is when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified.

And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else. It is dangerous to a democracy. Such behavior does not project strength because our strength comes from our values. It instead projects a corruption of the spirit and weakness. It is often said that children are watching. Well, they are. And what are we going to do about that? When the next generation asks us, ‘Why didn’t you do something? Why didn’t you speak up?’ What are we going to say?

Mr. President, I rise today to say: enough. We must dedicate ourselves to making sure that the anomalous never becomes the normal. With respect and humility, I must say that we have fooled ourselves for long enough that a pivot to governing is right around the corner, a return to civility and stability right behind it....

...We were not made great as a country by indulging in or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorifying in the things that divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake. And we did not become the beacon of freedom in the darkest corners of the world by flouting our institutions and failing to understand just how hard-won and vulnerable they are.

Links:




The 500 Million Dollar Lie About the Airport We Keep Hearing


Another thing we all keep hearing from our Mayor Sly James and the new airport supporters, that our current airport "...needs $500 million dollars in repairs just to keep it operating with no improvements."

Excuse me?

They're trying to say that if we give our currently functioning airport 5oo million dollars---one half billion dollars---in improvements that it wouldn't be vastly improved and functioning and looking, both, better than it is now?

Really?

That is very difficult to believe in the extreme.

It already works. It's already increasing in flights in and out of our city, month after month and year after year and if we add 500 hundred million dollars of updates and improvements, it won't do and be doing what we need?

Please.   That's just absurd.

As for jobs, spending $500 million dollars for those updates and improvements would create plenty of local construction jobs so that argument is taken from them, as well.

So, another misrepresentation.

What will the new lie be tomorrow?

KEEP CALM AND SAVE KCI Poster


Save KCI!




Tuesday, October 24, 2017

What Hurricane Irma Did In the Caribbean


To get a sense, a small sense, of what just that one hurricane, Irma, did across the Caribbean, watch this brief video of St. John's in the US Virgin Islands.  It is stunning.


St. John - Hurricane Irma from Niko Dellios on Vimeo.

Paradise lost, it seems, surely.


Every Day Now, Some New Lie About a New Airport


Really, it's come down to one new lie, more misrepresentations about the old and new airports every day now.

Today, in the mail, yet another big postcard, telling me, us, why we should spend more than one billion dollars on a new airport.

Here's what came today----

It says we should buy and spend and build this new airport because:

"A Better KCI Brings More Jobs and Businesses to KC"

Whoa.

Slow down there, cowboy.

Let's look at that.

First, a new airport, more than one billion dollars or no (and it will be more than 1 billion dollars, let's not kid ourselves) will no way "bring more jobs."

Oh, sure, it will bring some construction jobs.  For a while. For as long as it takes to make it.

What is that?

A year? 18 months? Two years?

But that's it.

There would be some construction jobs and then they'd go away.

And then the other half.

Bring more "businesses to KC"?

Since when did a business--any business except airport food service--take more jobs to a city just because they have a new airport?

It doesn't happen.

That's just silly.

No company goes around to other cities, looking at their airport to decide where they're going to locate first.  That's absurd.

That's when, on this postcard today they say "That's why we need a better KCI."

The fact is, I say again, we don't need a new airport. We need an airport authority that will see to the updating and modernizing of the airport we have. It's only as "out of date" as they have ignored and neglected it and let it be and stay undone and unattractive and less functional because they want a shiny new bauble in a single terminal airport, complete with it's billion plus dollar price tag.

The postcard today says "Kansas City can compete and win the new Amazon headquarters, which will bring 50,000 new jobs and billion in economic development."

That sounds like a guarantee to me. And it's a guarantee they can't deliver.

Yes, we need "a better KCI."  Sure. And all we need to do for it is take care of and modernize and update the airport we have. We absolutely don't need to walk away from our current one, only to build new, completely, from ground up, nearby. That would be stupid. That would be fiscally irresponsible. It would also be environmentally irresponsible.

So no. Vote a resounding no on Question 1 November 7.

We can do better than this.

We can do much better than this.

And smarter.

And it will cost far less.

KEEP CALM AND SAVE KCI Poster


Sunday, October 22, 2017

Another Day, Another Push by The Star for the Airport Boondoggle


Okay, the sun came up again this morning so naturally, our own Kansas City Star had to print yet another article on why we should vote for the billion dollar plus boondoggle that would be a bright, shiny, new single terminal airport.

KCI is unfit for the security needs 

of an uncertain tomorrow


So okay.

Fine.

It's not fit for the post 9/11 security world.

Then fix it. Because it is "fixable." It is doable.

instead of throwing it away and walking away from it, fix it. 

Have terminal B act as the entrance point, use the gates there and then have walkways going out, for the rest of the available flights, to the other two terminals, A and C.

It would be far, far more fiscally responsible and would still retain its convenience. It would also be vastly more environmentally responsible, no small thing.

And if one more person says "It won't be paid with taxes!", I'm going to scream.

If this gets voted through, as it shouldn't, the prices of our flights out there are going to mushroom. Let's not kid ourselves. We still pay for it. We can't be naive about that.

The whole idea that we can't update and modernize and improve what's there is utter, complete nonsense and grossly, fiscally irresponsible, at least, to say nothing of the environmental irresponsibility.

Then there's this claim, I hear and see repeatedly:

"It would cost just as much to make repairs to the airport as it would to build a new one."

Nonsense. Again, nonsense.

How on this green Earth could walking completely away from functioning facilities, functioning, working buildings and building completely new, starting all over again, be remotely less expensive than working with what we have? In what parallel, upside down, topsy turvy world is that true?

It has not been maintained in the last several, too many years. The Airport Authority out there has been Jonesing for a bright, shiny, very expensive new toy so they haven't maintained it and kept it up at all! So instead of throwing it away and walking away from it, LET'S DEMAND THEY MAINTAIN IT, update it, sure, make it safe for 21st Century security, everything. BUT FIX IT, don't throw it away.

It's not just the intelligent thing to do, it's the responsible thing to do.

Because it's sure not so in this world. The Star themselves, though years ago, did print and give air to one architectural firm's plan and study with how to reuse our existing facilities and terminals. No one seems to remember that.

Another KCI renovation option surfaces


Oh, yeah.

Vote no on question 1 November 7.

KEEP CALM AND SAVE KCI Poster


For stupidity and irresponsibility, this is right up there with the repeated and seemingly never ending idea and talk of walking away from Kauffman Stadium and building another, downtown.

The Never-Ending 

Stadium Boondoggle



101 Facts About Donald Trump




God help us.

Enjoy your Sunday anyway, y'all.


Thoughts and Direction On This President


Millionaire Tom Steyer makes some great, important points, asks good questions and gives a good direction.


His site:


Impeach Trump: Add Your Name


And here's some great news:


More yet:




Saturday, October 21, 2017

Entertainment Overnight -- Nothing Else Matters


If you've not seen these guys before, you need to.


Have a great weekend, y'all.

VOTE NO NOVEMBER 1


I keep getting mailers with our own Mayor Sly James on them, telling me to "Vote yes November 1" on a  new, single terminal airport here in Kansas City.

To which I say:

OH HELL NO.

Reasons why:

--This new single terminal boondoggle they want, this new, shiny bauble, will cost in excess---likely far in excess---of 1 billion dollars. That's reason enough. But it goes much, much farther than that.

--They say it will bring more flights to Kansas City.

That is utter nonsense.

Since when does anyone, anyone fly to a city for their airport? That's absurd. You go for family, friends, attractions. Heck, you go for the arts first. If the Nelson-Atkins Museum built another new building, THAT would get more people here, not some silly airport.

--Few people mention that this new, single terminal will actually have LESS GATES for planes than we have available now, with our 3 terminals.  Less.  So again, why would a new airport get us more flights?

--We've actually already been getting more flights in the last few years, even with the Airport Authority up there closing down one terminal. Check out the trend.

KCI Passenger Growth Continued 

in November


KCI Airport Passenger Traffic Up 

for 13th Straight Month




KCI Passengers Up 8.8 Percent in February






So, please, City Hall? Mayor? Kansas City Star? Everyone else? Don't give us this nonsense that "We need a new airport so we can grow" here in Kansas City. We're already growing. You guys just aren't reporting it.

---The fact is, the facts are, our airport, if it does look bad, it does so because the airport authority wants it to. I've written and said this before. They've been jonesing for a new, shiny toy in a single terminal airport FOR YEARS. And so, to get one, they've put off maintenance and overall made the place look run down and disjointed because they want us to walk away from all those buildings up there, fork over the cool one billion dollars plus it will take to get them this new toy and let them have their fun.  Yeah, no thanks.

---If you don't think we will all pay for this somehow, you are certainly kidding yourself. Those of us who fly will pay and pay dearly. Those reasonably priced tickets to get to Grandma's house or vacation or business trips or whatever will be a thing of the distant past. And it will be painful, folks, don't kid yourself. It will be expensive, very expensive and again, painful.

---There is no reason in the world, construction, cost or otherwise, we can't use Terminal B as the main access point for the airport and then construct walkways out to Terminals A and C, to get to all the rest of the flights we want and need. It would save us hundreds of millions of dollars, folks. It would be fiscally responsible, very unlike the grossly, fiscally irresponsible idea of, again, walking away from our current facilities and building all brand new, nearby.

The Star even tries scare tactics and outright lies to get us to vote for this billion dollar plus waste and boondoggle.

The existing KCI can't be made secure for a post-9/11 world


And if our current airport were updated and modernized and made more secure, as it should be, it would create jobs, construction jobs, just as the callers for a new airport would. Would it be as many jobs? No, certainly not, but we wouldn't be blowing through more than 1 billion dollars, either.

A new, single terminal airport here in Kansas City would be, I say again, fiscally and environmentally irresponsible and to huge degrees, on both issues.

People forget that, in the not-that-distant past, our airport had restaurants on the 2nd level where we could look out on the runways as flights came and went. That was back when it was newer, yes, but it was also back when the airport was well run and better run than it is now. We shouldn't forget that. It was done once--that is, run right and run well and it could be, again. We just need to demand it. It's out airport, after all. We pay for it. We keep it going.

So hell yes and hell no. This November 1, make sure you vote, first of all. And then, make damn sure you vote a clear, strong NO---HELL, NO, if you can---when it comes to the billion dollar plus boondoggle they want up North, for our airport.

And then let's get back the airport we all deserve. A well run one. A completely functioning, attractive, modern one. We can.  We can do this.

Let's all give ourselves a terrific holiday gift this year. Let's do the responsible thing. Let's do the fiscally intelligent thing. Let's do the environmentally responsible thing.

Related image

VOTE NO NOVEMBER 1.


Tuesday, October 17, 2017

On That Equifax Breach


Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) asks some fantastic, even important questions here recently of Equifax CEO Richard Smith. More of us need to hear and learn how they, Equifax, operate and operated. It has to do with the industry, certainly, but with our own information and security, too.



This should, once again, shatter any notion that we don't need government and that we don't need government rules and regulations and oversight of corporations.


Sunday, October 15, 2017

Kudos, At Long Last, To KCPT, "Ruckus" and Mike Shanin


At last.

At long last.

Watch Online

I've posted here, at least a few times, if not several, how our local PBS station has singularly, only white people, time after time and week after week, on the show to discuss and hopefully solve Kansas City's issues and problems. In spite of our considerable Black and HIspanic and others population, the program had just that, only white people. Alone.

So imagine how pleased I was this week when they included Jamekia Kendrix on the weekly panel to discuss and talk and be heard. She was and is eloquent and intelligent and well-spoken and more than held her own and gave different viewpoints.

Thank goodness.

Here's hoping it's the shape of things to come for them, for the program and for all of us.

Kudos and salutations, KCPT.

And thank you.

Their "Week in Review" was its same bleached whiteness but at least this "Ruckus" was inclusive.

Hoping they learn, at long last.

Links:

Ruckus | Watch Online | Kansas City PBS Video - KCPT




Thursday, October 12, 2017

The Attacks and Irresponsibility and Just Really the Insanity That Are All Donald Trump


President Trump attacks NFL's 'massive tax breaks' on Twitter

In the very, very short time this Donald J. Trump has been President, look at all he's come out against.

He's against equal pay for women.
He has attacked and keeps attacking women, in fact.



He's against National Parks and National Monuments and so, nature. 


Heck, he's against his own political party and people in it.


We've seen, this week, he's against National Football League players and they're desire for justice in our nation, a two-fer for him. 



Long ago now, he's even attacked our nation's Veterans, for pity's sake.


Not done there, he singles out and attacks DISABLED Veterans, as well.


He has attacked and keeps attacking the media. 

Not just attacking the media, he has attacked free speech, the First Amendment. This came early this year, in February.

Trump threatens to weaken 

First Amendment protections for reporters



Then, he did this in the last 24 hours.

Trump Attacks First Amendment


He's certainly not for clean air nor clean water nor soil.




There are things he's for certainly. Here's one of them. He's for our local military, across the nation, having military gear. You know, so they can fight us, the American citizens.


He's all for business, that's for sure.


Another thing he's for and seemingly in a big way is a fight of some kind with North Korea and their President Kim Jong Un. 



Keep in mind, too, this is only a partial list of what this one man has done and said so far.

So the question is now, when does this roller coaster end? How soon?

And how, exactly?