Keep On The Sunny Side, Oh Yeah!

One Of These Vehicles Gets 60 Miles To A Gallon Of Gas

This Suburban, pulling this Airstream, gets about 10 miles to a gallon.
This scooter gets about 60 miles per gallon.I am looking to trade this scooter and some cash for the right 1946-48 CJ2A Jeep.

What Did He Say?

What Did He Say?!?

Photo Id

You gonna tell these nuns they can't vote because they don't have a state issued photo id card?
Oh, only if they're democrats.
Read this.
Then read this.
Then read this

Next, read this.

Finally, read this.

Money quotes:

No one besides Republican lawmakers spoke in favor of the photo ID measure. By contrast, a long line of people were still standing to oppose it when the Senate panel cut off testimony after less than an hour and voted. The committee had to quit, because the Senate was going into session.

Republican Sen. John Loudon ridiculed concerns that the photo ID requirement amounted to a tax on voters.

"The only thing taxing is you have to get off your duff and get an ID that's given away for free," Loudon said.

If Mohammed Won't Go To The Mountain, The Mountain Must Go To Mohammed

Mapping The Blogosphere

Yesterday, I had a rambling phone call from a man who said, and I paraphrase, that nobody reads blogs. I said that a lot of people read and ride the bus. He clarified his statement and said nobody who is anybody reads blogs. I told him that frequent if not daily bus riders reach the bus through government servers in Jefferson City and Washington D.C.

So, in an attempt to convince my dubious friend, who has a blog by the way, it is one of the ones linked on my list of blogs I frequent, I found a hyperbolic computer model of how blogs are interconnected. It sorta looks like a dump truck driving down a bunch of tubes, if you squint your eyes enough.

Oh, that big white spot in the middle...that's the Bus. And that stuff about 2 o'clock, that's his blog ;> (it's not LOJ.)

Hit Them Where It Hurts: Hit Them In The Pocket Book!

David Catanese is reporting on the KY3 Political Blog that

Missouri lawmakers are moving towards passing a bill that could put a halt on red light cameras in Springfield.

The Missouri House has approved an amendment that would require communities with red light cameras to put the revenue from tickets back into schools. The city of Springfield said that if passes out of conference committee, it would effectively shut down the cameras here.

Watch my KY3 News @ 10 report HERE.

All of Greene County's lawmakers voted for the amendment. But now they are doubting it will survive the conference process. Watch for comments from Rep. Bob Dixon and Rep. Shane Schoeller in the piece

Catanese further reports

Missouri lawmakers are close to passing a bill that could put halt the use of red light enforcement systems in Springfield.
The Missouri House approved an amendment that would require communities with red light enforcement still/video camera systems to put the revenue from their tickets into schools. The City of Springfield says, if that passes, it would effectively shut down the systems here.

“Right now for this fiscal year, it'd be about a $250,000 hit,” said city attorney Dan Wichmer.

That's the money the city would lose if this amendment survives an unpredictable conference committee. A lawmaker from St. Louis who feels the red light cameras in his city are geared towards profit sponsored the amendment.

Springfield's cameras are leased on a flat rate, and police officers decide which tickets to issue, not the company, so the city contends there's no incentive for the company to capture fines.

If a bus rider cares, here is another bus stop on "red light cameras" from March, 2008: http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2008/03/red-alert-everything-they-really-dont.html

Some Gave All, All Gave Some, And One Got To Play Dress Up And Act Like A Soldier

Oh Yeah. How You Gonna Square This Mess?

From the Community Free Press website:

In an e-mail yesterday, when asked if the media would be allowed to attend the meeting, Department of Public Information Special Projects Coordinator Mike Brothers wrote, "The meeting about the Square is a staff meeting and is not an open meeting."

Read all about it and also on Jackehammer's blog.

Here is the SN-L story. Money quotes:

The meeting was not open to the public because no elected city officials would be attending it, according to city spokeswoman Louise Whall.

The city also had no plans to record the meeting or keep a written record of what was discussed, Whall said.

The square was built by Lawrence Halprin & Associates. Lawrence Halprin is a renowned landscape architect noted for his sunken plaza designs and water features.

The city believes the square wasn’t designed by Halprin himself, but one of his employees, bringing into question whether the square is eligible for historic listing.

Who is driving this city bus? Elected officials or staff? Dang! I forgot the article, insert it yourself, afterall it seems that we citizens should be getting used to having stuff inserted by staff.

Was there anyone at this meeting who is actually able to be held accountable?

What?

We don't know?

Oh yeah, because there wasn't any record of the meeting kept so we will never know what was said and who said it.

Why wasn't there a record kept of the meeting? Surely SOMEBODY present took notes. Isn't that what committees do? Waste hours and save minutes?

Jeez, where's that turnip truck picture? I don't see anybody falling off of it, do you? Call me Ishmael, but I kinda thought that if The future of Park Central Square’s latest renovation hinged on a meeting today where city, state, federal and historic preservation representatives met, that somebody shoulda kept minutes, especially since us regular folks were told, basically, that we weren't welcome at the meeting.

Inquiring minds want to know how many other meetings have taken place where no record was kept?

Sort of begs questions like is this how Mediacom knew it was ok to have a sign painter paint the new signs. Did Someone on staff meet with them and give them the ok? (Staff recommends approval?)

From the SN-L: "Larry Peterson, Mediacom regional vice president in Springfield, said the new signs are almost finished and will be unveiled Tuesday morning at both facilities."

Uh, Larry, it might look a little bit better, from a PR standpoint,if you let City Council pass the ordinance ok'ing the naming rights first before you started talking about the signs. It sort of makes it look like City Council just does what staff tells them to do.

What?

Oh Yeah. It's not an ordinance, it's a resolution?

Uh, Larry, it might look a little better from a public relations standpoint if you let City Council have their little show next Monday night and pass their resolution before you started bragging about your signs.

But maybe Dad doesn't have enough money to redo the signs.

Ok, hide the damn things, quit talking about them and how tasteful they are.

Don't you get it? City Council hasn't approved the resolution yet! Isn't your excitement a little premature? Bus Note: this is sorta connected to the square business, as is the quarry sinking, but is the Springfield Wagon Company factory site where Harry Cooper Supply is located today?