Cockburn Endorses Barr?

Well, maybe not quite, but I'd say it's close to it. Petrolia resident and writer, Alexander Cockburn, points out that, if Bob Barr gets elected to the presidency, he'd be the first president with a moustache since Teddy Roosevelt.

Good point. Makes me glad I voted for Bob Barr.

The Journal Does It Again

Yet another piece of shameless advocacy in the North Coast Journal this week. You'll remember back in August their cover story consisted of a Barack Obama worship piece by Tom Hayden. That wasn't even published as an editorial or op- ed. It was their cover "story".

So, again, this week's cover story consists of Judy Hodgson's adventures as an Obama campaign worker in Colorado. Not quite as blatant as the Tom Hayden piece, but close enough.

I used to think of the North Coast Journal as having some of the most level headed reporting in the county. That certainly has changed over the last few years. The shameless promotion of Obama shows The Journal now has become pretty much a venue for their writer's advocacy for various causes.

I don't have a problem with editorials or even certain columns, like Hank Sims Town Dandy, containing either subtle or outright advocacy. But using their main story space for candidate advocacy seems absolutely shameless to me. I should think even some Obama worshippers might feel the same.

New Eureka Radio Station

As Myrtletown.net reports (and I received an e-mail press release on this earlier on) a new radio station is supposed to be starting up in Eureka. I don't know if Old Glory Radio at 1650 AM is considered Pirate Radio, or not, but it sounds like it will be a short range station reaching only to some areas in Eureka. I'll have to see if I can pick it up this morning.

Free Speech vs. Ethics

Not sure if that's the right title for this, but I don't have time to deal with it. Interesting issue with KHUM radio not airing a Yes On 8 ad. I think there might be reasons for refusing to air an ad. I'm not sure their thinking on this is quite right, though.

I find one statement disturbing:

"...if Proposition 8 sought to define marriage as only between couples of the same race the station would be ethically obligated not to run the spot.".

Oh, really? As mentioned here before, speech that everyone agrees with doesn't need protection. It's the speech the majority doesn't agree with that needs to be protected.

Double Whammy

That's the Los Angeles Daily News' word for what's coming because of the stock market decline and, no, they're not talking about the bank bailout. They're talking about the decline in value of public employee pension funds.

As the Daily News points out, public employee pension funds have been gotten more and more generous over the years and were becoming more and more of a burden on communities- Vallejo being probably the first of cities to declare bankruptcy because they didn't feel they could pay too much for their police and fire services.

Now it looks like that might happen to more and more communities because of the decline of value in stocks, although I don't believe the stock market will stay down for too long. But, even without the stock market, public employee pay and pensions have been a problem, as Vallejo exemplifies.

Closer to home, here in Eureka the city council seems pretty much of the mind that police and fire services should come first. That makes me a bit nervous as there's no telling how much money they'll be willing to throw at the police and fire departments. Let's hope they keep their heads clear enough to realize the price we'll be paying if they go too far.

Sign Stealers Caught!

No, not here. In Roseville but, if you ever wanted to see what people who steal signs look like, the Sacramento Bee has their pictures. As always, if asked for a log in, you can use humboldtlib for a username and blogspot for the password.

No Outs From Eureka Mandatory Recycling

I got a letter from the City of Eureka a few weeks ago. It was in regards the mandatory garbage and recycling program that will become effective January 1. I'd expected it and, upon reading it, got the impression reinforced that you could opt out if you could show you properly took care of your own garbage. I guess I was wrong.

Apparently, the exclusion only applies to people who self- haul their garbage to the transfer station and can demonstrate they take care of their own recycling. Since I already subscribe to City Garbage pick- up, I guess that means I have to subscribe to their damned curbside recycling too.

I can't thank our shitbird city council members enough for this brainstorm of an idea. At least they left the curbside green waste pick up as voluntary.

If anybody's interested, below is the reply I received from my inquiry to City Hall:

Hello Mr. Mangels

Since you already subscribe to City Garbage services, your current bill will not change. The curbside green waste program is voluntary. You won't be charged for the green waste collection unless you call and set up the service. In July 2009, you will receive a recycling bin from City Garbage, and your rates will change ($3 increase per month). Unfortunately, the mandatory garbage and recycling collection ordinance does not include an exemption for the mandatory recycling component. The recycler's exemption mentioned in the letter you received is to opt out of City Garbage services completely based on the fact that a property owner recycles and composts virtually all of their solid waste so that they have little to no solid waste for disposal. After July '09, you can still take your valuable recyclables in for redemption and use the bin for non-redeemable recyclables (junk mail, cardboard, tin cans, paper, newspaper, non-redeemable plastic containers, etc.). You could then look into a smaller bin at a lower rate because a good portion of your waste could be diverted to the recycling bin. A 20 gallon garbage bin is currently approximately $16/month. City Garbage also has a senior rate at approximately $8/month. If you have questions about the rates contact City Garbage, 442-5711. If you have any other questions about exemptions or the ordinance, please call me.

Musgrave Still Running

Some of you might remember my mention of Libertarian candidate for state assembly, Ed Musgrave, a while back. Last I'd heard he'd downsized his campaign and was attempting a write in candidacy. I hadn't heard anything from him except that he'd moved to Lake County a while back. I figured he'd given up.

Apparently not entirely.

I was sitting here playing Aces High yesterday when I head someone, or some thing, on my front porch. It sounded like someone might be putting something in my mailbox. After I got done with my fight in Aces High I went out to see what had been going on and find a couple of hand made post cards on my mail box.

They were from Ed Musgrave and pretty much just said

"Write in: Ed Musgrave
Libertarian
State Assembly"

He also included mention of his campaign blog, although why he included that I don't know. He hasn't posted to it in some time. Interesting also that, when he did make any posts, he seemed to just make them as comments to his first post. Rather odd since I know he's been here before and should know how blogspot works.

Anyway, sorry Ed. I've already voted. I turned my absentee ballot in to Elections last Friday afternoon.

Re- electing The Problem

I found this editorial in today's Santa Rosa Press- Democrat rather odd. They go on about how disfunctional Califorina government is. Then they endorse candidates who have been part of that problem.

Prop 8 Debate Coming To C/R

This just in from the Humboldt County Human Rights Commission:

Humboldt County Human Rights Commission
Presents
Proposition 8 Debate
Thursday, October 30, 2008


Eureka, Calif. (October 22, 2008) – The Humboldt County Human Rights Commission is hosting a Proposition 8 debate on October 30th at the College of the Redwoods. Community members are invited to attend. In accordance with the Humboldt County Human Rights Commission's mission, offering the debate to the public is an effort to bring the community together from both sides of a heated issue to better understand one another's viewpoint as well as to help educate undecided voters on the issue.

Proposition 8 is on the California State Ballot for the November 4 election. The proposition, if passed, will eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. It provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California .

Event Location & Time:
Thursday, October 30, 2008 7:30-9:30 PM at The Forum Theater, College of the Redwoods, 7351 Tompkins Hill Road, Eureka, CA 95501

The forum will be a formal moderated debate between informed, educated and respected members of the community. Questions will come from the audience, in writing, at the beginning of the event and presented to the moderator to pose to the panelists. There will be timed responses and the structure and decorum will be maintained by the moderator.

The debate is scheduled to be recorded by Access Humboldt for replay on Suddenlink Channel 11 as well as stream live on the Internet provided by the Venue Project (http://www.thevenueproject.com).

For more information, contact Stuart Altschuler, MFT, Commissioner, (707)786-9890 stuart@mfcc.com

Panelist information:
Moderator: Gary Sokolow, MA, JD
“Professor at College of the Redwoods Administration of Justice (1998 - present) - B.B.A. degree, Florida Atlantic Univ., M.A. (History), J.D., Univ. of South Dakota . Currently teach administration of justice and political science courses at CR. Former public defender, prosecuting attorney and private legal practice, both civil and criminal law from 1989-1998. Former tribal prosecutor, tribal court judge, and member of the South Dakota House of Representatives.”

Yes on Prop 8 Panelists:
Jim Rose
“I am an entrepreneur, I've also been an Indian Economic Development Consultant and CEO and COO of the largest Indian Tribe in the state. I've developed fuel stations and casinos in Indian Country. I've been involved in politics since I was 12 (1979) and am an avid political and law junkie. I was a coordinator for the Prop 22 effort, and am a member of ProtectMarriage.com”

Gene B Welling, D.D.S. (retired)
“Wife of over 51 years: Carol Lee Reynolds Welling. Four Children and 13 Grandchildren (including a set of triplets). General Dental Practice in Humboldt County for 38 Years
Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and President of California Dental Association. Active in Boy Scouts of America serving as Redwood Area Council President and recipient of Silver Beaver. Church activity (lay ministry) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: served as Bishop of Eureka 1st Ward, and in Stake Presidency and just released as President of Medford Oregon Temple serving Northern California and Southern Oregon .”

No on Prop 8 Panelists:
Terry Stewart, Esq.
“Third generation San Franciscan. BA from Cornell University ; JD from UC Berkeley. Was a partner at San Francisco law firm of Howard, Rice, where I practiced business litigation for 20 years. Joined City Attorney's Office in 2002, shortly after Dennis Herrera was elected City Attorney. I am Chief Deputy responsible for overseeing the litigation brought by and against the City and County of San Francisco . I was the lead attorney in defense of the Mayor and City in the suit by the State and anti-gay groups over issuance of the marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. I also lead the team of attorneys from our office and Howard, Rice who represented the City in its suit against the State challenging the constitutionality of the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. I argued the case to the California Supreme Court in March 2008.”

Rev. Karen Harris
“Has been ministerial consultant at Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship since January 2006. Also am a lecturer in the religious studies department at HSU. Got my Masters of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in 2004. Before that had a 20+year-long career in telecommunications management in upstate New York . BA from Stanford University . long-time single mom of two amazing grown-up kids, avid photographer with strong connections to nuns and nunneries in India , Nepal and Tibet . Current projects: gradually moving toward living off-grid, consuming locally, and staying connected to my global friends.”


The Humboldt County Human Rights Commission was initially established to aid in the eradication of discrimination in the county specifically in cases of employment, public services and housing. SB 381 expanded the purpose to include discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, civic interest, or other factors.

Timothy Leary's Dead....

no, no, no, no...he's outside, looking in.

Remember that song by the Moody Blues?

I was checking in over at the Zombie blog to see if she had any new stuff up. Looks like she's doing what she feels is her part to slam Barrack Obama by posting some research she did on the Obama/ Ayers connection. Then I noticed, once again, mention of The Weathermen's participation in the escape of psychedelic guru, Timothy Leary, from prison.

That got me to wondering. What was Timothy Leary all about? I was fascinated, even back then, by a lot of the sixties and early seventies revolutionary groups and personalities. The Weathermen, Symbionese Liberation Army, Black Panthers, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin. The list goes on. I was fascintated by all of them.

But I never knew all that much about Timothy Leary, other than he was a big researcher and promoter of hallucinogenic drugs and had escaped from a California prison and made his way to supposed refuge in Algeria. I remember watching the poorly made film of Leary being interviewed by Eldrige Cleaver- also living in exile in Algeria at the time. Fascinating stuff, although the Algeria interview was a bit duller than I had hoped for.

I always wondered how The Weathermen broke Leary out of prison. Word was that they were responsible. Might that info be available now that so much time has passed?

I guess not- at least not that I could find from a quick search- but, according to Wikipedia, Leary escaped by himself and The Weathermen only helped him make his way to Algeria.

There was a lot more there, though. I was really amazed at the life that guy made. He actually did quite a bit of work, met all kinds of people and made some impact on the world. I used to be under the impression he was just a half- way interesting pyschedelic nut- case. Looks like there was a lot more to him than that.

Fascinating guy when you really take a look at him.

Travelogue: 10/19-10/20

Headed down to USCF Medical Center again Sunday. Left just before 11 in the morning. Stopped by Taco Bell to get my traditional XL iced tea. Took ten minutes, or more, to get my tea.

A mexican(?) couple were trying to order something. The order is supposedly ready. The guy was getting some drinks but the lady is telling the cashier dude something is wrong with the order. She doesn't speak english. He goes back and forth with her and her hubby, after he comes back.

Finally the cash guy says something about needing somebody who speaks spanish. He goes to the door and yells outside at someone. Some guy, not in a Taco Bell uniform, comes in and goes behind the register. He knows spanish. Still, it takes another five minutes or so for him to figure out the problem.

The cash guy thought they just wanted six tacos. What they wanted was six tacos for the guy and five for the gal. Good thing they had someone to translate available.

I finally make it to the counter and ask for just an XL iced tea. The guy says, "Thanks for the wait. Have it on the house". Cool. Now we're on our way.

*******

Run into a light drizzle right away. Just enough that it makes it hard to adjust the wiper speed so the wipers don't squeek. Annoying.

*******

Finally get away from the drizzle around Piercy. Nice. Make our usual stop at the One Log House for a sandwich. Great sandwich, as usual.

*******

Made the traditional stop at the Willits Safeway for gas- that being the cheapest gas we'd found, so far. Safeway has it for something like $3.51, after the 3 or 4 cent discount for using our Safeway card.

Driving through Hopland we're surprised to see the Valero station with gas at $3.39/gal and the Freedom station, or whatever it's called (on the right) offering at $3.29/gal. Wow. They've never beat Safeway before that we remembered. We buy gas at the Hopland Valero on the way back.

Gas was something like $3.41 at the Chevron at 19th and Irving in San Francisco. No surprise anymore they beat Humboldt prices but what explains the prices being so topsy- turvy?

********

Still congested on 101 at Santa Rosa, but didn't slow us down too bad. Same as on the way back. Looks like the freeway construction is almost done. I have a feeling: I hope I'm wrong but I get the feeling the new expanded lanes aren't going to relieve congestion as much as we hope.

*******

Stayed at the Novato Day's Inn, as usual. Nice in that it was so cool we didn't need to use the air conditioner and the room was just about the perfect temperature for a change. Not so nice when we went to the breakfast room in the morning and they didn't have hard boiled eggs available for some reason. I just had toast and orange juice. No biggie.

***********

As usual, worrier that I am, I'm anticipating having trouble finding parking at the UCSF parking garage. This, despite the fact we've only been there one time in almost three years where we absolutely couldn't find parking there.

I thought my fears might be well founded when we enter the first level: no empty spaces except for a few small ones reserved for compacts. Tight next one up, too. Then we see some openings. We decide to check out the Orange Level (D?) as we can use the better elevators on that level.

Amazing. 9 out of ten of the parking spots on our favorite level are open. There were still empty spots on that level when we left. If this keeps up, I might have to get rid of my constant fear of UCSF parking problems.

*****

Left UCSF around 2:30ish after starting a 1:30 appointment a bit late. Not bad, considering.

******

Made the traditional stop at Willits Taco Bell for some dinner. The wife having a seven layer burrito and myself two bean burritos. I held up the cup I bought iced tea with in Eureka and said I also wanted a refill. The guy says, "No charge for refills..". Cool, another freebie. Full meal cost $4.50. Can't beat that.

Only problem with Taco Bell is the bathrooms. In particular, the lady's bathroom.

All the while I'm ordering I figure Connie's in the bathroom. I head back to the truck and see her still standing by the bathroom. Someone apparently has been in there the whole time. This is not the first time this has happened. Not sure what the problem is there.

We head out of town and stop at the Irvine Lodge Rest Stop, between Willits and Laytonville. Thank god for those government provided rest stops.

*******

Finally make it to Rio Dell area and hit the drizzle again. This time the wipers are making an awful squeek unless I let the window get so wet I can hardly see. Eases off after we get over Tompkins Hill.

*******

Make it home at almost 8:30 to the minute- roughly 6 hours. Takes a half hour longer making the trip going 55mph, but I think it's worth it.

Stossel's Politically Incorrect Guide To Politics

Some of you may have seen the John Stossel show that was featured on 20/20 last Friday. I missed it but some You Tube videos of it were sent to me.

I've tried here a few times, perhaps unsuccessfully, to relate my reasons for having a skeptical view of at least the major contenders for the White House. The first part of Stossel's Politically Incorrect Guide to Politics might help explain my line of thinking a little better. The first part runs just under ten minutes. For those of you Obama worshippers, fear not. He includes McCain, as well. My feelings exactly, in that regard:



Someone also sent out this link to the ABC video of the show which is supposed to have better quality video but shows the whole thing at once.

Links to the rest of the show are below. I don't believe any of the segments are over ten minutes:

Part two of the show deals with the recent financial bail out.

Part three deals with reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina.

Part four deals with campaign finance reform.

Part five deals with federal farm subsidies, although not enough attention, if any, given to the ethanol problem, imo.

Part six is a short wrap up that could probably fit in right behind part one if you're not interested in the other parts.

I'll admit to being a big John Stossel fan. So fire me.

Good stuff, though, huh?

Talk About Cell Tower Problems...

So the people around the 200 block of Harris Street think they have problems with cell phone towers? Ok, I think it's probably a good idea that the city council address this issue a little more deeply. The Harris Street tower won't be the first, or last, tower erected in Eureka.

But I was in the waiting room at USCF Medical Center yesterday, picked up a San Francisco Examiner that was laying nearby and found this story. Boy, the Harris Street folks think their tower would be intrusive.

If you've ever seen the radio tower on San Francisco's Mount Sutro, you'll know it's HUGE. Almost 1000 feet high. It's not far to the south of UCSF Medical Center and me, being afraid of heights, gives me the willies every time I see it.

Despite still being fascinated by that tower, I wouldn't want something like that in my back yard. They say if an earthquake made it fall down it might "damage" some nearby homes. Heck, it would smash the nearby houses. Nope, not in my back yard.

Raising Capital Gains Means Less Revenue

I'm trying to stay out of the Rep/ Dem presidential race, as some of you may have noticed. Nonetheless, this video was sent out meant as an attack on Obama. I don't want to join in the attack but think the point needs to be made that, when the Capital Gains Tax has been lowered, government revenue actually increases.

I realize this video has been clipped and, in fairness, it wouldn't surprise me if someone could find McCain ( or Nader or Mckinney) saying the same sort of thing. Bottom line is, candidates seem to ignore what works and just focus on things that sound good to them:

Who's Stealing The Signs?

Like the Times- Standard mentions, stealing campaign signs is nothing new around here, but I still can't help but wonder who is doing it?

I started noticing it a couple weeks ago. The first ones gone weren't even Prop 8 signs. Someone stole two signs from the Matteoli's yard across the street from my house: A Jager sign and, believe it or not, the sign designating their house as one of those in the Eureka Heritage Society's Home Tour. What's up with that?

Shortly after that, the morning after they put it up, the Matteoli's Yes on Prop 8 sign was gone. Then I noticed a Yes on 8 sign around the corner on F street. The next day I drive by there, that one was gone.

So far the three yard signs in my front yard are still there. I keep expecting to come out some morning and find them all gone. A few years ago I woke up to find all five of the signs I had up gone. I guess there's still time.

You'd think someone, one of these days, would find a big pile of stolen signs somewhere. That might lead to a clue as to who some of these people are. Until then we can only wonder.

If any of the people visiting this blog have been stealing signs, would you mind explaining why you think it's ok to do that.

Dumbocracy?

Just got the heads up on this book from J.D. Tuccille's Disloyal Opposition blog (October 16 post). I might just have to order it since it appears the author goes after both the Left and Right. First question is, does he capitalize the two words as I often do? From the cover, it looks like he might.

SRPD: No On 8

Today's editorial from the Santa Rosa Press- Democrat recommends a NO vote on Prop 8. Probably one of the better arguments against Prop 8 I've seen floating around. I would have preferred to see that one used as the argument in the voter info pamphlet than the one that was used.

HOPE Voter Guide

The Humboldt Organized for People and the Environment (HOPE) folks just released their voter guide. They do this every election to show what groups are supporting or opposing the different ballot initiatives.

They used to call me each year for the Libertarian Party recommendations but they haven't the last two times. Last time they left the LP recommendations blank. This year they didn't call me, either, but it looks like they took the LP of California recommendations from the LPC web site.

Hope the web page I put up works. I couldn't find the voter guide online anywhere so I had to figure how to make it available to everyone. It came as a .pdf file and I tried saving and uploading that to my server but that didn't work out after numerous tries.

What ended up working (at least I can see it), was copying the .pdf file and pasting it on to a blank web page. It pasted as an image and seems to work ok, at least for me.

A Possible Cure For Alzheimer's?

Don't know if this is another one of those hyped things that won't amount to anything, or if there's really some potential here. Certainly more study is needed. I can't help but wonder if our Food and Drug Administration (assuming the U.S. decides to study this) will slow research on this down to a crawl as it did back when AIDs made its debut?

Alzheimer's is a horrific disease. Let's hope if there is something worth using here the FDA doesn't throw too many barricades in the way. After all, these people are dying and, even if they're still alive, their quality of life and those around them suffers greatly.

Hat tip to Radley Balko, over at The Agitator, for the heads up on this.

Cell Tower Info

Interesting stuff over at Capdiamont's blog this morning. He tells us a little bit about cell phone towers. He even has a link to this site where you can type in your address and [eventually] see a map of all the cell phone tower locations around your house. Pretty neat.

As for me, I'm not particularly worried about cell phone towers in my neighborhood. I actually think there could be some negative physical effects from them but microwaves are everywhere nowadays. About the only way to get rid of them is to give up life itself. If worried about microwaves, I'd recommend just getting over it.

Oh, I found it interesting that the antenna location web site doesn't show the proposed one on Harris Street in Eureka that all the fuss is being made over.

Vote For The Freddy?

Hey, why not? I was just fooling around and never thought this thing would snowball to the point it's gotten to now. Thank you all for your tremendous support. Our first campaign video is now available.

Reason Foundation on Prop 1a

Speaking of ballot propositions, I just ran into this piece by a fellow from the Reason Foundation where he debunks some of the claims being thrown around regarding the high speed rail bond issue. Whatever one thinks of high speed rail, I certainly think the fellow is right that the feds shouldn't get involved in this.

Skelton on Prop 11

I find L.A. Times' George Skelton something of an enigma. Sometimes he seems so statist I feel his sort of thinking is part of the problem. Other times, he seems genuinely annoyed by some of the statist politics that go on in California.

I was nonetheless surprised to see him take a pretty hard look at Prop 11, the redistricting initiative, and its opponents. For some reason I figured he'd want to maintain the status quo. I guess not.

I was already thinking of voting for Prop 11 or maybe standing aside but, regardless, I don't expect much to come from it should it pass.

Conneticut Rules For Same- Sex Marriage

The third state court to rule in favor of same- sex marriage. Another split vote that could have just as easily gone the other way, though. I wonder if this will have any effect on how some California voters view Prop 8?

Vote NO on everything...

..says the Sacramento Bee in their recommendations for the upcoming ballot initiatives. The one exception is Prop 11, the one that deals with redistricting. Who'd a thunk the Sacramento Bee would go so solidly NO on all the bond issues?

As always, if asked for a login to the Bee site, you can use humboldtlib as the username and blogspot as the password.

Special Interest Recommendations

Here's the first of special interest recommendations for candidates in the upcoming election. They're special interests because they deal with special interests. Unions are special interests. Businesses are special interests. Gun groups are special interests. Environmentalists are special interests. Political parties are special interests.

I'll mostly post recommendations from libertarian/ conservative groups since those are primarily the ones I get my hands on. Besides that, I'm sure Eric Kirk will post all the lefty interest group recommendations that he runs into.

First up comes the Libertarian Party of California's recommendations on the upcoming ballot initiatives. I see they "stood aside" on three initiatives: 4,5 and 9. Otherwise their recommendations echo mine, if memory serves me correct.

I just wish they'd make a brief explanation- two or three sentences, maybe- as to why they took their position. I've recommended that umpteen times in the past, to no avail.

Next comes the hard- core Gun Owners of America ratings of congressional candidates. This, of course, is how GOA rates the candidates on gun rights related issues. The recommendation is made by giving a high mark (A) as opposed to a low mark (D-F). No senators up for election this year so you won't find them listed.

No On Prop 8 Stuff

Just posting this because somebody posted a heads up on a thread way back on Prop 8. Nobody's likely to go back that far to see it and there's been a number of people around the state inquiring as to where to get NO on Prop 8 stuff. This store has buttons, stickers, signs and clothing emblazoned with the No on Prop 8 logo.

Eureka Candidate Forum

I actually managed to watch the Eureka City Council Candidate Forum on KEET last night. Just a few observations, some that have already been made elsewhere:

Of the four candidates, I'll agree Linda Atkins came out tops as far as presentation, composure and looking most comfortable in front of the camera. That's just appearances, not substance.

Polly Endert seemed comfortable, as well, a did a fine job overall. Both Frank Jager and George Clark seemed a bit nervous under the lights and gave short generic answers for the most part. I was surprised to see Frank appear as nervous as he did.

Then some specific issues that got my attention:

I'll admit to being a somewhat reluctant supporter of Polly. I can only think of two votes she made that had an impact on me: Establishment of mandatory garbage service in Eureka and the smoking ban on the boardwalk. I strongly opposed both of them, especially so the latter. Polly voted for both of them.

I wasn't happy with her votes but figured that maybe she was just following along the other council members, especially Larry Glass. I figured I'd give her the benefit of the doubt and that she'd still be the better choice that Atkins since Polly doesn't have any agenda- left or right- guiding her.

Her comment about the boardwalk smoking ban being a good example of how to clean up a part of town really set me off. It's one thing to follow others on a vote for something. It's another thing entirely to become a proponent of that same ordinance.

I went out to the front yard and took Polly's sign down after that. Whether I'll still vote for her, I don't know. She still might be better to have on the council that someone that wants to raise the minimum wage. I'll have to think about that and maybe just wait until I fill in my ballot to decide.

Then there's George Clark, along with Linda Atkins, proposing the minimum wage be increased in Eureka. He says he always paid his employees over the minimum wage (on average). Well, I know a number of employers that pay more than minimum wage, but they don't go around telling other employees they have to do the same. How rude!

Besides, as I mentioned elsewhere, no matter what you think about minimum wage, raising it just in Eureka would be foolhardy. We'd make ourselves a less competitive town for one thing.

If you wanted to start up a business, where would you go if you had the choice of a town that made you pay $1.00 more an hour than the one next to it? All else being equal, most businesses would chose the one with the lowest minimum wage.

And what kind of people do you want to attract to Eureka? Do you want new businesses that employ people, or people that come here because the minimum wage is higher than surrounding communities? I'd suggest that even minimum wage earners already here would want the businesses to come in, not more people competing for their jobs.

And I was waiting, waiting to see if George Clark would bring up offshore drilling or some hit on Republicans during his time to speak. Luckily, I stayed awake long enough to mention the R word, although I forget just what context he used it in.

You just can't help yourself, can you George?

Eureka Home Tour

I didn't really pay attention to earlier announcements that the Eureka Heritage Society was going to hold their annual Home Tour yesterday. Didn't notice it was being held until the day before when I saw a sign across the street at the Matteoli's house. I think this was the first year their house was included.

I was surprised at how many people showed up for this event. I'd never thought much about it before but I figured maybe 100 or so might show up for something like this. I wouldn't have been surprised if there were more like 3-500 people that checked out the Matteoli's house.

Seemed like a pretty upscale crowd, too. Almost got the feeling that many of them came right after church, from the clothes they were wearing. I'm sure some might have done just that, but for the most part I think it was just the kind of event where people dress up just a bit. I also have to realize those kind of clothes are what most people wear to any kind of social event and I'm always under dressed- sweat pants, or holy jeans and a t- shirt being my usual attire.

Anyway, fun watching all the people come and go and, for those interested, the old car out front is a 1932 Packard 904 that was parked there for the duration of the event.

Fruit Fly Remedy

We've been having problems with fruit flies. We have a little container in the kitchen that we put coffee grounds, vegetables and other stuff prior to taking it out to the compost bin. It seems no matter how often we empty it, the fruit flies abound around that container.

Connie's mother suggested a solution: Get some apple cider vinegar, add a little dish detergent and put it in a small open container in the problem area. The flies are attracted to the vinegar, get into it and can't get out.

It works. After a day or two, no more fruit flies all over the kitchen.

Benbow Lake: Yes or No?

I don't get it. Why would anyone not want the dam put up at Benbow each year?

The Redwood Times reports that some survey was given out. They don't say how the survey was sent out. I'm assuming it must have been given out to visitors to the Benbow area. Although the dam wasn't installed this year, 30 people wanted to see the dam stay. 25 did not.

Why would they not want Benbow Dam?

I suppose I could see it if it involved the cost. They say it could cost up to $1.6 million to put the dam in, but I have to wonder why it would cost that much?

It's not like it's a new project. The Benbow Dam has been there each summer for decades. All they should have to do is get a crane and lower the panels in to place. The cost should be in the thousands, not over a million.

They say something about having to get permits and have studies done. Why do they have to have those same permits and studies done year after year? Sounds like a problem with government to me.

Get rid of the permits and studies and put the dam back in next summer.

Richard's Yard Service?

I guess Richard Marks has enough seniority to be safe from the layoffs, but what if they have an extended shutdown?

More Debt On The Way?

Nice piece by George Skelton in the L.A. Times this morning. He takes a look at the state's current debt and how much there will be if voters approve a number of bond issues on the ballot this November.

Will the voters approve the spending and debt? I'm afraid they just might. I know Eric will. I won't.

PCCU Fine For Now

I was just in Provident Central Credit Union at the Eureka Mall to make a deposit. With all the financial news of late, I figured I'd ask about home loans.

I asked the gal if she could set me up with a home loan. She said, "Sure. Do you really want one?". I asked her if the credit union wasn't having problems with all the banks falling apart over the mortgage fiasco. She said the credit union was fairly picky and didn't do "what they wanted us to do when everyone else was doing it...", or some such.

I asked who she meant by "they", thinking it must be the bigger banks. She said she was referring to all the people who wanted loans but couldn't afford them. They wouldn't loan money to them and so this banking crisis doesn't really affect them, or so she's saying.

Of course, she's just a customer service representative and might not be seeing the whole picture and maybe it will take a while for this Fannie and Freddie thing to roll down to the smaller banks and credit unions? Maybe they'll weather the storm as she suggests. I don't know.

Next time you go to your bank or credit union, ask about getting a home loan and see what they say. I actually felt pretty good hearing her say our credit union wasn't having any problems.

Eureka Wards

A little discussion going on over at Heraldette's regarding Eureka's Ward system. I mentioned there are many who think it should be changed. Some think only people in a given Ward should be allowed to vote for the candidates seeking that seat. Some think it should just be switched to an at- large system where candidates could live wherever they want and the entire city could vote for them.

I suppose there's good points to either system. I'll stand aside on arguing over it. Just a few observations, though:

George Clark(4th) had his kick off event in Old Town. Wasn't that around the Gazebo area? I think that's the First Ward.

Wasn't Linda Atkins(2nd) there, too?

Polly Endert (2nd) held her kick off event at the Eureka Inn. That looks to actually be in the Third Ward- just the other side Seventh Street would be the Second Ward.

Frank Jager(4th) held his first fund raising event over on O or P Streets in Eureka, around Wood Street(?). Looks like he was well within the Fourth Ward.

Frank(4th) held his actual campaign kick off at the foot of F Street. That's solidly in the First Ward.

Linda Atkins(2nd) has an upcoming "Meet the Candidate" type event at the new coffee place around Sixteenth and F Streets in Eureka. That looks like the Third Ward to me.

Frank Jager(4th) was out pounding the pavement in my neighborhood yesterday. No, not looking for dead bodies. He was campaigning. I think I'm right on the border of the Third and Fifth Wards.

Does it really make any difference what Ward we're in?

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As an aside, I noticed something the other day: Both Frank and Linda are long time government employees. Both George and Polly are in the hospitality industry, assuming we lump restaraunts in with the hospitality industry. George is running against Frank, Linda against Polly.

Wouldn't it be more fun to have the match up between government employees (Frank and Linda) and hospitality industry folks (George and Polly) instead?