Cash-Strapped Zoo: "Give Us Money or the Gorilla Gets It"

posted by Alan Greenblatt

I was up in Boston earlier this week, so of course I heard lots of talk about the Henry Louis Gates/Officer Crowley controversy. But the second-most talked about news item was one of the most appalling examples of the "Washington Monument strategy" I've ever come across.

Massachusetts lawmakers provided $6.5 million in their latest budget to help fund the Franklin Park Zoo. That figure represents about half the zoo's annual budget.

Gov. Deval Patrick rescinded $4 million of that sum as a line-item veto. That led Zoo New England to send out a press release saying they would not be able to keep their doors (or gates?) open past October. As a result, zoo officials said, they would have no choice but to kill many of the soon-to-be homeless animals.

Gov. Patrick's spokesman complained that the zoo was spreading "inaccurate and incendiary information."

Too right!

And yet, the zoo's ploy worked. State legislators quickly pledged to make good on the $4 million by overriding Patrick's veto. Undaunted, the zoo released a revised, yet completely unapologetic, statement:

Zoo New England offered a revised statement after public outcry erupted over the first, saying there are "no plans for the Zoo to euthanize any animals in the collection as a result of the budget cuts."  In the revised statement, it laid the blame for any future euthanizations of zoo animals squarely on the shoulders of Massachusetts politicians, who would control the zoos if they were forced to close.

In a paragraph full of bold text and underlining, Zoo New England said that, should the zoos shut down and control of the animals fall to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, state lawmakers "would be faced with the prospect of choosing between two options for the animals that could not be placed: caring for these animals for many years to come or euthanizing them."

Who is the "Oatmeal Governor"?

posted by Zach Patton

Which current governor is represented in this picture?

Give up? Answer after the jump!

NCSL: Too Liberal?

posted by Alan Greenblatt

The National Conference of State Legislatures' Grasscatcher blog, being a good sport, links to a Paul Rolly column looking at how legislators in Utah and other red states are thinking about pulling out of NCSL due to their conviction that the group leans left:

Several dozen Utah legislators attended the NCSL convention in Philadelphia last week and were enraged at the "liberal" positions adopted by the body.

The NCSL passed resolutions supporting health-care reform and cap-and-trade legislation, as well as a number of measures backed by labor unions.

Utah wasn't the only conservative delegation upset with the direction of the NCSL, legislative sources say. Oklahoma and Texas, and a number of delegates from Virginia, showed open hostility toward the liberal tendencies of the organization.

One source said the NCSL always has leaned toward the left, but this year revealed a more blatant liberal agenda than past years.

Why the Santa Cruz City Council Deserves a Medal

posted by Zach Patton

This clip has been popping up all over the Internet this week (which is a little weird, since it's more than a year old).

But it's a good reminder to appreciate the job your local city council is doing keeping a straight face putting up with crazy lunatics listening to public comments. 

The best/worst part, as Gawker points out, is that some poor guy had to write this thing down in the council's official minutes. The minutes kept it classy and vague:

Joint City Council and Redevelopment Agency Oral Communications

An unidentified woman expressed concerns with high rent rates in California and the importance of affordable housing for people living in California.

County Coroner Hopes "Beat the Reaper" Game Will Scare Kids Straight

posted by Ellen Perlman

Adults can talk, talk, talk about the stupid things teens shouldn't do. But how to get them to listen?

Ben Blasdel, the coroner for Franklin County, Washington, was tired of seeing the pain from the consequences of bad decisions teens make with drugs and alcohol and mixing those with driving. So he came up with an idea -- the "Beat the Reaper" video game. He won an award this week at the National Association of Counties annual meeting in Davidson County, Tennessee (Nashville), for creating and funding the CD. With no county money.

Blasdel's job is to educate people. And he'd prefer not to make tragic calls to parents in the middle of the night. To those ends, he spent nine years, and about $100,000 on the project, all of it from donations.

Teens who play the CD can make decisions for characters planning a night of fun when their parents are away. Or confronted with choices such as whether to go on a beer run or drink with friends, according to a story in a Washington paper.  (I haven't had a chance to get my hands on a CD yet.)

They then can see potential consequences, such as losing a driver's license, being embarrassed in public. And the worst possible. A name on a tombstone. Good decisions lead to "rewards" such as going to the prom and living past high school.

"It actually lets them live the experience and takes them on a path to find out where that leads," said Peggy Haecker, executive director of the Benton Franklin Substance Abuse Coalition. "Then they can go back and relive it instead of having the consequences ruin their lives or other lives."

The CD includes words from a mother whose son took four pain killers and drank a half bottle of wine. And never woke up.

 

Are Crackdowns on Tattooed Officers Really Worth It?

posted by Ellen Perlman

Does a heart tattoo with "Mom" written inside portray a professional image?

The Dallas Police Department doesn't think so. The personnel department is now drawing up an official policy on tattoos, according to a story in the Dallas Morning News. That is, ya gotta cover up.

More and more officers have been sporting the body art. But some of it is in places hard to cover with clothing. Like the neck or wrist. Still, the Dallas policy will require a cover-up, even if that means makeup or a skin-colored patch.

Houston and Los Angeles are other cities that require that tattoos be hidden, despite the ever growing popularity of them in society at large. One unnamed Dallas officer disagrees with the upcoming policy. "What are you going to do with that guy who is 300 pounds, and you put him in long sleeves in the heat of summer, and he drops out on you?" the officer said.

Hm. Make sure police uniforms are made of breathable fabric?

How Will States Handle DIY Funerals?

posted by Zach Patton

According to the New York Times, there's a hip new thing all the kids are trying these days: home funerals. Apparently, a growing number of people are bypassing funeral homes and handling the funeral -- and burial -- of a loved one at home.

From the Times:

Advocates say the number of home funerals, where everything from caring for the dead to the visiting hours to the building of the coffin is done at home, has soared in the last five years, putting the funerals “where home births were 30 years ago,” according to Chuck Lakin, a home funeral proponent and coffin builder in Waterville, Me.

What's behind the new popularity? Well, mostly, money. The average American funeral costs $6,000, not including the costs of cremation or burial. Doing it yourself at home can cost as little as $250. In addition to the cost savings, some people say they like the more private, more personal tone of a home burial.

But this doesn't mean you can just bury Aunt Myrtle out by the tool shed.

According to the Times, "In Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and New York, laws require that a funeral director handle human remains at some point in the process. In the 44 other states and the District of Columbia, loved ones can be responsible for the body themselves."

Even in the states that don't require a funeral director to be involved, you'll probably have to get a permit in order to bury someone in your back yard.

And some states are considering tightening control over home funerals, the Times says:

Recently, some states, with the backing of the funeral industry, have considered restricting the practice of home funerals. Oregon legislators last month passed a bill that would require death midwives to be licensed, something no state currently does.

Needed: 911 Fees?

posted by Ellen Perlman

Prepaid phones are a nice option for people who don't want a monthly wireless bill. But they're a scary prospect for the 911 emergency communications sector. People who buy "regular" wireless phones pay a monthly bill, and on that bill is a fee supporting state 911 emergency number systems.

Prepaid customers don't have monthly billing plans. So they are not paying 911 fees. The problem is growing, according to a story on urgentcomm.com. About 20 percent of mobile phone users prepay for their calls, and 80 percent of new wireless users in May bought prepaid phones, according to Patrick Halley, of the National Emergency Number Association, during a panel discussion at NENA's annual conference.

The public safety sector may be losing $200 million a year due to this situation, according to the 911 Industry Alliance.

There is a push to have retailers add a fee to the wireless phone cards people buy. But retailers don't think it's fair and many small stores won't comply, a Radio Shack vice president said.

State legislatures in Louisiana and Texas passed bills on prepaid wireless funding. (see here for text of the bills). Louisiana imposed a 60 cent surcharge on retail transactions and Texas placed a 2 percent fee on each transaction.

Who's next?

Pennsylvania's YouTube Wars

posted by Ellen Perlman

Pennsylvania is getting into the fun and games of YouTube, something the Millennial set has been engaging in for ages now. Although the state's foray into amateur video is a tad more political.

Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell is airing ads containing a YouTube video explaining why raising the state personal income tax is necessary. In return, House Republicans created two YouTube videos that star "Joe the Taxpayer" (as opposed to Joe the Plumber) who, not surprisingly, doesn't want to be taxed.

Although YouTube is free, placing videos on commercial Web sites is not. Rendell's ads will run on the Web sites of 10 state newspapers, according to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer,  At a cost of $15,000 for a week. Using money taken from campaign funds for a government-related announcement. Not typical.

The Senate Majority Leader said his caucus will not enter the video fray. Of course, it could always tweet or friend, in lieu of YouTubing.

Former Officials: Beware of Comments Amplified via Facebook

posted by Tina Trenkner

Lots of Facebook users share things on their own and on others' profiles, like how much they can't wait for the new Harry Potter movie or how the coffee they are drinking is sooooooo gooooooood!

But when a former city mayor comments about supporting the recall of his successor, it could become "one of the most extraordinary political Facebook statuses in Portland history yet."

Last weekend, The Portland Mercury's Stephen Marc Beaudoin found this from former Mayor Tom Potter on Facebook:

"Tom Potter It's time for Portlanders to stand up and be counted regarding the recall of Sam Adams. It's easy to get a petition and get as many signatures as you can. Good government doesn't happen automatically, it requires an involved electorate. Get involved and recall Sam Adams!"

In addition, The Oregonian reported that Potter also made his support for the recall known through a comment left under wife Karin Hansen's status update (who did sign up as a volunteer for the recall effort):

"Please, please, get your petition, sign a petition. Good government is what we make it. Thanks, Tom"

Now, it's not news that Mayor Sam Adams is unpopular -- he allegedly lied during his campaign about having a tryst with an underage male. Last week, the attorney general's office released documents from the investigation regarding the relationship in question. And grassroots supporters are collecting signatures to recall Mayor Adams out of office, using Facebook as a way to organize supporters and drum up support.

Potter may have been caught off guard and/or underestimated the effect of his comments when reporters saw his Facebook actions and wanted to follow-up. He has declined to comment on his ... comments, and Beaudoin said both Potter and Hansen "un-friended" him. From a recent editorial from The Oregonian :

"Politicians who retire from the fray have sort of turned in their union card, so you don't often see them around the worksite once they leave. This may be why the Potters weren't especially forthcoming later when others asked them to elaborate on the views they expressed on Facebook. Like many officeholders who retire, Potter keeps a pretty low public profile. A Facebook comment can be mistaken for a private conversation, or at least a message to a small circle of friends, but any teenager can tell you it is nothing of the sort."

I am not a teenager. I don't think you need to be one to realize that updates on Facebook are amplified due to features on the platform that highlight what your friends say and or do. And there is nothing wrong with Potter saying he supports the recall on Facebook. But if he can share something online, why couldn't he expand upon it to reporters that could access it?

There may be a lesson here for former public officials: Your "friends" still pay attention to what you say on Facebook. Be prepared.