Mutterings from Jimmy V
Posted by: Jimmy Valentine | 04/02/2008 4:27 PM
ITEM 1:
A fair amount of excitement prompted by the poll question on Roger [Hedgecock's] web site at this very moment. SD City Mayor race. The old, "if the election were held today," who would you vote for. The choices are Steve Francis, Jerry Sanders, None of the Above, Undecided or Jim Bell.
The poll has been on line for a few days and the outcome is....well, the outcome. The vote numbers are not extremely large, but pretty good for an online poll. The results give Steve Francis 52% (169 votes), Jerry Sanders 16% (52 votes), None of the Above 19% (61 votes), Undecided 12% (39 votes) and Jim Bell 0% (1 vote).
Interesting inasmuch as Jerry is the incumbent. He appears on Roger's radio show every week on Thursday. In the total consequence of data this ain't terrible important to either candidate, but Roger's audience is well informed, has a strong point of view about worldly matters and Jerry has had a continuing platform from which to explain the good, bad and disgusting at city hall.
No way it's science but the poll tool only allows one vote per customer. Still a campaign can fire up the flock to post single votes.
We did ask the Francis campaign about the Frank White matter earlier this week. Francis has been quiet on the case and the campaign isn't ready yet to be strong about public safety. Gotta be careful with unions. Might be good matter for a potential Mayor to be strong about and make some demands of Top Cop and the current Mayor. Hummm, just a thought.
ITEM 2:
The ponder activated last week as Roger reports that a court shot down a NY State Law that gave airline passengers some legal rights when they are held on an aircraft, on the tarmac, for un-goshly amounts of time. Like 9 hours and more. The NYS law basically put limits on the time a passenger can be held hostage by an airline and what kind of provisions need to be provided during the hostage siege.
We've been fortunate. Most of our waits on tarmac have been under an hour (waiting for the President's plane to depart after a political convention...a weather hold at our inbound airport delayed our take off etc). We can handle that. But what if....and how long would you put up?
Nine hours? A dozen hours? At what point do you revolt? Or do you? We find this interesting.
Toilets over flowing. No food. No water. Kids diapers full. Stagnant air. Tempers at flare point. How long do you cope? When is it enough that a friggin private commercial company that you are paying a great deal of money to is holding you against your will?
We guess that given our nature today in America that most folks would remain on the damned aircraft forever, like POWs. Start eating the seat covers.
But I'd like to think that after about three hours folks begin to look at the emergency exits and envision that chute that pops out so folks can slide to freedom. What do you think? How long? If ever?
ITEM 3:
We post a story below about a gang of third graders who plot to attack their teacher. Knife, tape etc brought to school. Third graders.
Brings to mind my brother in law Paul. He teaches at a high school in Schenectady, NY. He begins his classes with the Pledge of Allegiance. It's routine. Paul's Mom escaped from Hitler's final solution and he's real proud of his native America and it's blessings.
Come a morning at the beginning of a new school year and one student refuses to rise as the Pledge is recited. Paul asks the child to stand. The child refuses. Paul tells the young man that he is not required to say the Pledge but he is required to rise. The student refuses. Paul ejects the student from his class and sends him to the Principal's office. From that point on the boy rises as required.
Forward fast to about a month ago. It' time for Paul to be granted Tenure. He's been an exceptional teacher. Liked by students and fellow teachers. His evaluation reports have been exceptional. He has advanced degrees, including his PhD. He is refused tenor.
Turns out that the boy who refuses to rise is the son of a school board member. The matter was not forgotten. A lesson was not learned.
Paul is a man of some faith and he figures that he's being assigned a new life task. Indeed he is and the students at his next school will be blessed.
A fair amount of excitement prompted by the poll question on Roger [Hedgecock's] web site at this very moment. SD City Mayor race. The old, "if the election were held today," who would you vote for. The choices are Steve Francis, Jerry Sanders, None of the Above, Undecided or Jim Bell.
The poll has been on line for a few days and the outcome is....well, the outcome. The vote numbers are not extremely large, but pretty good for an online poll. The results give Steve Francis 52% (169 votes), Jerry Sanders 16% (52 votes), None of the Above 19% (61 votes), Undecided 12% (39 votes) and Jim Bell 0% (1 vote).
Interesting inasmuch as Jerry is the incumbent. He appears on Roger's radio show every week on Thursday. In the total consequence of data this ain't terrible important to either candidate, but Roger's audience is well informed, has a strong point of view about worldly matters and Jerry has had a continuing platform from which to explain the good, bad and disgusting at city hall.
No way it's science but the poll tool only allows one vote per customer. Still a campaign can fire up the flock to post single votes.
We did ask the Francis campaign about the Frank White matter earlier this week. Francis has been quiet on the case and the campaign isn't ready yet to be strong about public safety. Gotta be careful with unions. Might be good matter for a potential Mayor to be strong about and make some demands of Top Cop and the current Mayor. Hummm, just a thought.
ITEM 2:
The ponder activated last week as Roger reports that a court shot down a NY State Law that gave airline passengers some legal rights when they are held on an aircraft, on the tarmac, for un-goshly amounts of time. Like 9 hours and more. The NYS law basically put limits on the time a passenger can be held hostage by an airline and what kind of provisions need to be provided during the hostage siege.
We've been fortunate. Most of our waits on tarmac have been under an hour (waiting for the President's plane to depart after a political convention...a weather hold at our inbound airport delayed our take off etc). We can handle that. But what if....and how long would you put up?
Nine hours? A dozen hours? At what point do you revolt? Or do you? We find this interesting.
Toilets over flowing. No food. No water. Kids diapers full. Stagnant air. Tempers at flare point. How long do you cope? When is it enough that a friggin private commercial company that you are paying a great deal of money to is holding you against your will?
We guess that given our nature today in America that most folks would remain on the damned aircraft forever, like POWs. Start eating the seat covers.
But I'd like to think that after about three hours folks begin to look at the emergency exits and envision that chute that pops out so folks can slide to freedom. What do you think? How long? If ever?
ITEM 3:
We post a story below about a gang of third graders who plot to attack their teacher. Knife, tape etc brought to school. Third graders.
Brings to mind my brother in law Paul. He teaches at a high school in Schenectady, NY. He begins his classes with the Pledge of Allegiance. It's routine. Paul's Mom escaped from Hitler's final solution and he's real proud of his native America and it's blessings.
Come a morning at the beginning of a new school year and one student refuses to rise as the Pledge is recited. Paul asks the child to stand. The child refuses. Paul tells the young man that he is not required to say the Pledge but he is required to rise. The student refuses. Paul ejects the student from his class and sends him to the Principal's office. From that point on the boy rises as required.
Forward fast to about a month ago. It' time for Paul to be granted Tenure. He's been an exceptional teacher. Liked by students and fellow teachers. His evaluation reports have been exceptional. He has advanced degrees, including his PhD. He is refused tenor.
Turns out that the boy who refuses to rise is the son of a school board member. The matter was not forgotten. A lesson was not learned.
Paul is a man of some faith and he figures that he's being assigned a new life task. Indeed he is and the students at his next school will be blessed.
CATEGORY:
FEATURE
It was one of my greatest pleasures when working with Lee Atwater in Senator Thurmonds reelection campaign race...
Jimmy - what do you attribute the Sanders/Francis poll to?
I think Jimmy already said it:
"Still a campaign can fire up the flock to post single votes."
Those polls are easy to slant. Clear the cookies and re vote, go onto a different computer and re vote, use all the computers in a City of San Diego Library (when they're actually open) and re vote as many times as you would like. Francis' is an odd man indeed. Right, No, Left, wherever the polls tell him to go he is there. So wait for a poll to come out to see where Francis stands on any issue.
Mr. Francis' campaign is about being inclusive and courting all San Diegans. Having a broad campaign and business plan that deals with finances, preserving our parks and open space, pension reform, protecting historic neighborhoods, transportation, small business, etc. is a good thing. Dealing with issues and taking a stand is called leadership.
We are especially pleased with Steve Francis' stance on historic preservation and protecting the Mills Act in our older neighborhoods in Mission Hills, Point Loma, and La Jolla. Mayor Sanders has attacked these historic single-family neighborhoods at the behest of developers.
http://www.steveformayor.com/2008/03/19/steve-francis-supports-saving-the-mills-act/
Not engaging the Chargers on a possible solution, and not taking a stand on the proposed Airport in Miramar is dereliction of duty.
The Beach Heritage - So how high were the polling numbers in favor of the Mills Act?