An Open Letter to Davis Hammet, KCUR, KCPT, Steve Kraske, The Kansas City Star and All Kansans

So yes, first of all, this is going to be an open letter and it's to several entities so thanks for your patience and I'll do my best to be brief but first, an introduction.

Davis Hammet is a young man living in Kansas, Topeka, to be exact, who moved here--from Florida, I believe--because he felt like it was important and there was work to do. So move he did.

He was and is a political science student (not unlike yours truly) so he knows a bit of what should and should not and can and cannot happen in government.

So he came here and began his work.

His work is educating now-fellow Kansans on their state government at all levels, trying to get more "average people" involved and by so doing, getting to more justice, fairness and some equality in the state.

Noble goals.

With that brief introduction, the open letters.

Mr. Hammet,

Thank you, first, for coming to Kansas.

I don't know how you picked this state or how you came here but thank you and thank goodness you did. Your work, already, in the presumably short time you've been here has been pretty monumental. With your research and time spent at the State Capitol in Topeka and writing and videos you have gotten a great deal of information out to Kansas and Kansans they wouldn't otherwise have and in a very quick, informative, palatable and apparently complete format.

I thank you and I don't even live in Kansas.

What you're doing is extremely important---and helpful. You're making big changes and all for the people.

So now to KCUR, KCPT, Steve Kraske, The Kansas City Star and all the Kansans out there.

You media sources need to have Mr. Hammet on your programs AND BADLY. All one need do is see his brief, concise, very informative YouTube videos (see some below) on his organization, LOUD LIGHT, and you can tell he is a serious young man doing some terrific work and he's extremely informed. This man is headed places.

So please, please have him on your programs, Interview him, write about him, let him speak. He is a voice of the people. Whether Right Wing or Left, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Independent, it's difficult to be against someone who is merely reporting good, hard, timely information on the state government and who wants justice for his fellow citizens.

So again, Mr. Hammet, thank you. Thank you very deeply and sincerely. Thank you for your work, your energy and the information you give us. Thank you for your intentions. Thank you for coming to Kansas and the Midwest.

Missouri badly needs someone very like you in Jefferson City.

Heck, every state in the nation does.

And Kansas, you are very, very fortunate. Congratulations on your "acquisition." You are very fortunate indeed. You need to know and follow this young man.

Links:

Just some of his YouTube videos, reporting on the Kansas Statehouse.













Additional links:

Loud Light

Loud Light - Home | Facebook

Loud Light (@loud_light) | Twitter

Loud Light - YouTube

To all Republicans and Libertarians out there...

...who want to say or think this President only wants to grow government and "tax and spend", blah, blah, blah.

From The Federal Times.com government website and news:

Obama to shed federal office space

By TIM KAUFFMAN | Last Updated: May 20, 2010

President Obama soon will order agencies to get rid of office buildings and other properties they no longer need, Federal Times has learned.

Federal agencies are holding on to more than 20,000 excess assets — from office buildings and labs to warehouses and runways — that could be sold to generate additional revenue. In addition, agencies have identified more than 65,000 properties that are partially or completely vacant but haven't been deemed excess, which would allow them to be sold. The properties are valued at more than $1.2 billion.

"Currently, federal agencies have little or no incentive to dispose of excess real property, and the time it takes to get an asset off the federal inventory is considerable," Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman Jean Weinberg said in a statement to Federal Times.

Obama will issue a memorandum as early as next month requiring agencies to re-examine their real estate footprints and identify opportunities to dispose of properties that are unneeded or not being used to their full capacity, Weinberg said.

The new policy will require agencies to make a "significant reduction" by 2012 in how much they're paying to rent, maintain and otherwise occupy space, said Dennis Goldstein, director of asset management at the General Services Administration, which has been working closely with OMB to develop the initiative.

And agencies will have to make difficult decisions about how much space employees need to do their work, Goldstein said at last week's Federal Real Property Association's annual conference in Washington. For instance, agencies could require more employees to telework or could establish shift schedules that would allow two or more employees to share desks, cubicles or offices.

Oh, and he's set up a bipartisan commission, too, to see how we can possibly cut spending.

He's also trying to get a pared-down version of the "line item veto", too, so he can cut "earmarks" and some pork-barrel spending out of future budgets.

Just sayin'.

Link to original post:
http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20100520/AGENCY04/5200302/-1/RSS