Dog Park Protesters Need Leashes to Control Their Animals

Hilarious. Erin, from Erin in the Real World, had a dog lunge at her from a "protest" in favor of dog parks, where dogs would allowed to attack at will.

Maybe Michael Vick would be willing to fund a private dog park where owners of dogs could let them off their leashes in fenced in spaces . . .

Setting Benchmarks - How Many can the Royals Lose

The Royals have lost 10 in a row - a pretty impressive achievement of futility for a team that started the season with a sweep of the Tigers.

But let's not get too excited . . .

A few short years ago, the 2005 Royals managed to piece together a 19-game losing streak, and (seriously) toasted themselves with champagne when they completed the streak.

Lots of teams set their goal at winning 100 games. The Royals do, too, but they are content to take a couple years reaching that goal.

Renting, Buying, and the Joy of Being a Kansas Citian

Google "housing prices" (without the quotes), and the search engine returns over a thousand news stories about bursting bubbles, plummeting prices and tumbling townhomes (alright, I made up that last alliteration).

Here in Kansas City, home prices never did boom the way they did on the coasts. Similarly, they seem to be avoiding the declines seen on the coasts.

Yesterday, I read an interesting analysis of "buy vs. rent" at my favorite macroeconomics blog (don't we all have our favorites?), The Big Picture. Looking at the ratio of home prices to rent costs, the ratio here in Kansas City stayed near the historical average of between 10 and 14, while it skyrocketed to over 30 in the hot markets.

Looks like we missed out on the boom, and we'll miss out on the bust. If real estate speculation is your game, Kansas City must be a boring place to live.

Should I Be Feeling Guilty? Because I'm Not Feeling it . . .

This morning, I did a post about an email that my friend Beth Gottstein sent to the Executive Committee of the CCP to urge that committee to reject the findings of its own selection committee, and endorse Amy Coffman for the 44th District instead of Jason Kander.

It appears that my post may have upset Ms. Gottstein.

I just read over the post again, and I'm kind of at a loss. Nothing in my post is inaccurate. Nothing in my post is slanderous. Nothing in my post criticizes Amy Coffman (whom I genuinely like) or Beth. I did say she was trying to hijack the process, but it's obviously accurate that she was trying to change the result at the last minute. Maybe hijack was a strong word, but not as strong as the words I've had directed at me this evening . . .

Now, that said, I do feel a little sheepish that I asked whether the Executive Committee would "follow Beth's endorsement, or support the work of its own screening committee". I should have mentioned that the third possibility is that they could vote their own opinions, which was the flamingly obvious course they in fact chose. It turns out that Amy Coffman won the support of a majority of the Executive Committee. (I did not arrive at the meeting in time to vote.)

The real CCP endorsements come after the entire membership votes in June. The CCP has a solid process - I look forward to seeing how this all works out.

Will the CCP Executive Committee Do Beth's Bidding?

Here's an interesting little micro-drama that will run its course today.

In the wee hours of this morning, Beth Gottstein wrote an email to the Executive Committee of the CCP, expressing her opinion that it should ignore the work of its own candidate screening committee. That committee, composed of volunteers without ties to any candidate, chose to endorse Jason Kander for the 44th District. As readers here know, Jason is a great Democrat with a long history of Democratic involvement in the Kansas City community, and I support him enthusiastically.

Beth offers no real reason to ignore the work of the screening committee, other than noting that she met Amy Coffman when Amy moved to Kansas City from Alaska. Beth alludes to the fact that Amy is a woman, but fails to explain why those who prefer to avoid Y chromosomes should not support Mary Spence.

It's a confusing little note, and the fact that it got sent out in the wee hours of this morning suggests it is a sort of last-minute hail-mary attempt to hijack the process without allowing adequate time for a response. Beth's fellow councilwoman, Jan Marcason, is supporting Jason Kander, but apparently isn't choosing to campaign for him at 3 in the morning.

The CCP Executive Committee gets to decide this evening if it will follow Beth's endorsement, or support the work of its own screening committee.

Which will it be?

Regional Transit System Proposal - All Aboard!

Finally, the Missouri side of the Kansas City Region has a solid, rational, practical and workable Regional Transit System Proposal. It doesn't have gondolas. It isn't just a silly little tourist train to run people from Crown Center to the Plaza. It leverages the resources we already have, and incorporates them into a system that can move people around our city efficiently.


Here's a large .pdf document outlining the concept, the support, and the financing. It's one of the most exciting documents for the future of average Kansas Citians I've ever seen.

Russ Johnson, Mayor Funkhouser and everyone else who has helped move this plan to this stage deserve tons of credit. Great work - now let's make it happen.

The AG Debate Transcript

The wonderful people at Show Me Progress have produced a transcript of last week's debate among the Democratic Primary candidates for Missouri Attorney General, hosted by the CCP.

I was unable to attend, so I greatly appreciate the work they did.

Remember Cauthen's $2.50/gallon Gas?

While pumping gas recently at $3.75 or so a gallon, I happened to recall that a few short months ago, Wayne Cauthen submitted a budget assuming gas would be available for $2.50 a gallon. Even at the time he submitted the budget, you couldn't find it for under $2.80.

I hope the City Council people who gave Cauthen a cushy 3 year contract are ashamed of themselves. Rumor has it that several of them are admitting they made a huge mistake.

They did.

Don't Forget the AG Debate Tomorrow!

Tomorrow night, the Committee for County Progress is hosting a debate for all four Democratic candidates in the Missouri Attorney General Primary. The doors will be open at White Recital Hall in the UMKC Performing Arts Center at 5:30, and the debate will start at 6:00. It's free.

Even though it's obvious to anyone who has met all the candidates that Jeff Harris is the best candidate, the event will hold some suspense for even the most savvy observers.

Will Koster admit that his only experience in the AG's office was working for a Republican criminal? Will he continue to conflate the roles of Missouri Attorney General and County Prosecuting Attorney? Will he luridly describe crimes rather than explain his continued support of Republican votes?

Will Donnelly express amazement that the roads in Kansas City are paved, just like in St. Louis, the center of her universe?

Will Molly Williams make a credible and serious showing? (That's a genuine question - just to see if you're paying attention.)

Will Jeff Harris announce yet another important labor endorsement?

This debate offers you a wonderful opportunity to see the candidates and form your independent opinion that I am correct, and that Jeff Harris is the only one with Democratic values combined with high-level Attorney General experience.

A Good Death?

Yesterday morning, at 11:19, my mother's body ceased its biochemical magic, and the person she was changed from a corporal reality to wide-scattered memories and a spirit.

A little over three months ago, on the Monday following a big 80th birthday celebration packed with friends, relatives and neighbors, she had been diagnosed with incurable cancer. Since then, her treatment focused on comfort and pain relief, and her days were filled with people caring for her and visiting her. Her stout Polish spirit held out longer than most of us expected, and our goodbyes were serious but not overly sad, and time's winged chariot moved at a humane pace to accommodate conversations.

The last time I sat with her, we discussed her faith. She was a devout Catholic - fiercely loyal to the Church, but ready to criticize it and its representatives when she disagreed. Pity the priest who got on her bad side - she may have been part of his flock, but she was not a typical sheep.

I asked her how she felt about the afterlife. She saw herself as departing on a journey soon, without knowing exactly what it would be like. It was like knowing that she was going to be handed tickets to a bizarre trip after going to sleep soon. She was ready to go, though not in a hurry to depart.

No grandstanding final words or dramatic flourishes - she fell asleep over the weekend and never woke up. Her body struggled for breath in her final hours, but her face remained calm. My sisters were at her side, and she could not have been in more compassionate hands at her departure.

Of course I'm saddened, but I have trouble imagining a better way to die. 3 months of preparation and goodbyes, a sufficient but not interminable time to calmly face the future.

Others in my world have suffered other deaths recently, shocking, brutal and far too young. Those are horrible deaths, and my heart feels bruised as I think of them. My mother was blessed with a journey she awaited calmly. If we must be mortal, I cannot imagine a better way to see a life end.

Home Again, Home Again

8 nights in New York City - wow, what a place. A few of the highlights -

* Sam's graduation ceremony in Yankee Stadium on a gorgeous day.

* Dinner at wd-50.

* 18 miles of bookshelves at the Strand.

* Ducking into PDT through a secret door in a phone booth to dine on $180 worth of hot dogs and amazing cocktails.

* Relying on subways and shoe leather to get around the metro area.

* An evening tour at the Tenement Museum - things haven't changed all that much since the days when "illegals" were white.

* Catching up with an old friend at beer heaven - the Blind Tiger Ale House.

* Taking a brief train ride out to Chappaqua, and finding prints and sculptures by Brian Andreas all over the home of some new friends.

* Ellis Island and and the feeling of being haunted by history.

* Catching the Mountain Goats and John Oliver at an AIDS benefit at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple.

* Wandering around Harlem for hours.

* Seeing Sam after his first day at his new job as a production assistant for a video game company.

* The most amazing brunch ever on Mother's Day at Bouchon Bakery, Thomas Keller's casual eatery, where the chef wowed us with everything from salad to foie gras to lobster macaroni and cheese with shaved black truffle.

There's more to write about, but that ought to suffice as a start . . .

On Not Writing About the Strike

A commenter on one of my recent posts has been jumping off topic to ask why I haven't written about Fairfax Strike. Similarly, the good folks over at the KC Blue Blog wrote a better-than-their-normal post on the topic, but felt the need to close it with "We ask each of our local bloggers to take the time create a post in defense of local working families and in support of UAW Local 31."

I find exhortations to join in and write about a particular topic in a particular manner annoying and even a little unsettling. But, since I'm having difficulty articulating why I feel that way, I suspect my position is on shaky logical ground. I'm interested in your thoughts.

First off, let me distinguish some similar behavior that doesn't bother me in the slightest. I greatly enjoy people genuinely raising issues and asking what I think about them - I usually appreciate the suggestion of a topic. I don't mind even the loaded questions, such as the ones calling out one of the candidates I support on a particular topic. Finally, I have no hesitancy whatsoever about blogs calling for action from its readers (go sign this petition, vote for Obama, visit that restaurant!).

But, somehow, the public exhortation to write about a particular topic in a particular fashion gets my back up. Are they seeking conversation and analysis here, or are they demanding orthodoxy? Are they trying to persuade people toward their position, or are they calling on bloggers to bow to their call? And who are they to try to form an electronic mob to jump out in front of and carry the lead torch? And, finally, isn't it a little presumptuous to think that the Blue Blog's or Gone Mild's predictably liberal views have any importance or relevance to the families of UAW Local 31?

Jumping Ship, Onward Obama!

Sorry, Hillary, it's over. A Democratic victory in the General is more important than a Clinton victory in the Primary, and my previous analysis that she is the least "Rove-able" (and hence, more likely to win in the General) has been nullified by the damage to the Democratic Party which will result from her continued campaign.

The historical race has settled into a normal campaign between warring camps, and I no longer believe the Obama supporters would be able to support Clinton enthusiastically even if some miracle gave her the nomination.

I still think she was a great candidate, and less susceptible to being redefined by Rove and the compliant corporate press, but I no longer see any plausible path to the Clinton White House.

I am enthusiastically pro-Obama. Onward to the White House.

Miley Cyrus Showed A Spine, and America Freaked

Last week, I spent way too much time stuck in a small room with a television tuned to cable news. Normally, I avoid such situations, but this was unavoidable, and it provided affirmation of the common-sense proposition that spending time in an ICU is something to avoid. It's not so much the medical risks or watching someone waste away - it's the awful time spent in the thrall of whatever the producers of television news force into the public's throat like an unwanted feeding tube.

The outrage of the week was the fact that a 15 year-old young woman, facing challenges and opportunities that none of us can even imagine, chose to pose for a world-famous photographer in a manner that didn't actually reveal any of her naughty bits, but made viewers realize that she, a 15 year-old young woman, has naughty bits. Judging from the outrage, it made people think a lot about her naughty bits - an awful lot.

The TV was jammed with people shocked, SHOCKED, that Miley Cyrus covered her breasts with a sheet and bared her spine for all of us to gaze at - some of us apparently gazing quite intently.

Meanwhile, here in Kansas City, a few miles from where I live, a few 15 year-old girls gave birth, but nobody cares. Not even me, honestly. I won't put their pictures on my blog, or learn their names, or do anything tomorrow to prevent their friends from being in the same situation.

For just half a news cycle, before the crushing power of Disney's shareholders and the clucking news people and panicked agents got through to her, Miley Cyrus bared her spine to America, and dared to challenge the creepy hot-house world in which 15 year-old women with fully matured bodies are somehow devoid of sexual awareness. The guardians of American morals have rallied, though, and guided us back into the cage of lies that one overwhelmingly safe, incredibly pampered, and completely normal young woman dared to step out of, and show us something we prefer to claim we didn't want to see.

New Blog to Check Out - What's race got to do with it?

Check out this user profile:

I write about my experiences as a white woman in the inner city. The only thing scary about my experience is the uniformed fear of the white community of my neighborhood. My message is to white America: we are the root of the problem in urban race relations. Until we understand the damaging affect of using our white privilege, there will be no change.

If you prefer your analysis of racial issues to remain at the shallow level of joke blogs, you might not enjoy this one, but I look forward to making it a regular read.

Also, she linked to me yesterday, and commented on my blog - two of my favorite identifying signs of a great blogger.

The Empire Strikes Barack

I'm still on board for Hillary, but this is pretty darned funny . . .



(Hat tip to Reverse Vampyr.)

CCP And Candidate Questionnaires

Despite the fact that Gone Mild exists to provide people with all the information they could possibly want about how to vote, I understand that there are a few die-hard "do-it-yourselfers" who want to form their own opinions. If you are one of those who wants to waste his or her time reading up on what candidates really have to say on important issues, instead of simply waiting for my voting directions, you might want to check out the CCP website, which has published the questionnaires submitted by candidates.

In all seriousness, these questionnaires provide valuable information about the candidates, and the CCP is doing a real public service by making them available.

Koster Defies Kansas City Priorities

One of the interesting sidelights to the controversy over Festival Licenses has been Senator Chris Koster's abandonment of Kansas City.

In a quick recap, Kansas City listed as one of its priorities in Jefferson City the increased flexibility in making "Festival Liquor Licensing" available for districts in Kansas City. It's a great idea - a few more festivals with adult beverages available would make our city a better tourist attraction.

Believe it or not, Chris Koster actually voted against this common-sense, pro-Kansas City proposal when it came up in committee. Fortunately, a bipartisan majority, led by Senator Jolie Justus, outvoted Koster's anti-Kansas City sneak attack.