Day of conversion
By now, anyone who doesn’t know the world of TV broadcasting is supposed to change on Feb. 17 has either been in Iraq or sleeping like Rip Van Winkle. Yet it still seems to come as a surprise to some that the federal government long ago designated 02/17/09 as the day of “conversion.” That’s the date when analog TV signals are to be replaced by digital signals. Those with no satellite or cable hookup will either need a television with a digital tuner or a converter box, available at a greatly reduced price with a coupon courtesy of Uncle Sam. Ah, but those coupons are in short supply and no less a luminary than Barack Obama is worried. He wants the day of conversion postponed. If not Feb. 17, when? Other politicians are concerned that antennas will also need replacing and the government should help with that, too. Since TV viewing is being treated as a human right, why not have FCC employees go door to door like Census Bureau workers and deliver and install new digital TVs, outdoor antennas and recliners with built-in cup holders?
Revisiting an old minefield?
<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> The question of gays serving openly in the military was a political minefield for President Bill Clinton as he entered office in 1993. Even before Clinton took the oath he got pressure from homosexual rights organizations to lift the Pentagon’s prohibition on gays serving openly in the armed forces. Clinton eventually settled on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” compromise, but the controversy dogged his administration’s early days. Could President-elect Barack Obama be about to tread the same ground? Gay activists think so, believing Obama will overhaul current law based on campaign statements. No doubt, Obama thinks “don’t ask, don’t tell” should be changed. But you’ve got to wonder whether opening an old wound — a Military Times survey of active-duty personnel showed 58 percent oppose changing the policy — is something he needs to do right away, in the middle of an economic slowdown and the war against terror. Don’t be surprised if Obama deftly puts the question on hold for awhile.
Matthews staying put
Last month we noted some scuttlebutt that MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews might run for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat next year. Well, he’s not going to do it. Matthews reportedly has told “Hardball” staffers he’s not leaving the media for politics. Matthews once was a top aide to House Speaker Tip O’Neill of Massachusetts and was rumored to be mulling a challenge against Republican incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter. There also were whispers Matthews was floating the Senate rumor to goose contract negotiations with NBC, which owns the cable network. Matthews never formally declared his candidacy, which was wise, sparing him the indignity of bailing out.
Now hiring
How’s this for irony: The most secure employment in Oklahoma today is helping the jobless get their benefits. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission has added employees and may have to do so again to keep up with the traffic in jobless benefits. As unemployment increases, OESC workers have their hands full handling claims for compensation. Phone lines have been so jammed that equipment upgrades were needed. Payments to jobless workers may reach record levels because the maximum benefit has been increased. The state’s unemployment rate in November rose to 4.5 percent from 4.2 percent in October. Imagine how busy the commission would be if joblessness ever hit double digits. That would force the need for more employees, thus reducing unemployment by a fraction of a percent.
No place at home…
Somewhere along the Yellow Brick Road, coal went from being the Tin Man – solid, if clunky - to the Wicked Witch. Thus an abundant source of domestic energy is being pushed to the margins. The Scarecrow in this scenario is environmentalism and the brainless idea that importing fuel from the Mideast is preferable to burning our own clean coal. Oklahoma rejected a coal-fired power plant in 2007. Seems coal isn’t wanted in Kansas anymore either. With geography that places it closer to Wyoming coal than Oklahoma, coal-fired plants perhaps make even more sense in the Sunflower State than here. But political wrangling has pushed two proposed plants to the side of the road. Lawmakers approved the plants but Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed it. Coal plants are under fire from the Flying Monkeys of the Left as well as energy producers such as Oklahoma’s natural gas mavens. Cleaner fuels certainly need to be a larger part of the power-producing mix, but must coal be trapped in Munchkinland, never to reach the Emerald City?
No place at home…
Somewhere along the Yellow Brick Road, coal went from being the Tin Man – solid, if clunky - to the Wicked Witch. Thus an abundant source of domestic energy is being pushed to the margins. The Scarecrow in this scenario is environmentalism and the brainless idea that importing fuel from the Mideast is preferable to burning our own clean coal. Oklahoma rejected a coal-fired power plant in 2007. Seems coal isn’t wanted in Kansas anymore either. With geography that places it closer to Wyoming coal than Oklahoma, coal-fired plants perhaps make even more sense in the Sunflower State than here. But political wrangling has pushed two proposed plants to the side of the road. Lawmakers approved the plants but Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed it. Coal plants are under fire from the Flying Monkeys of the Left as well as energy producers such as Oklahoma’s natural gas mavens. Cleaner fuels certainly need to be a larger part of the power-producing mix, but must coal be trapped in Munchkinland, never to reach the Emerald City?
Political punch line
Although Al Franken isn’t yet on the verge of being seated in the U.S. Senate, he was getting closer Monday. The veteran funnyman and first-time candidate was expected to be declared the winner over Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in Minnesota by the state’s canvassing board after a long — and critics say, tainted — recount of nearly 3 million ballots cast. Coleman led by 215 votes on Election Day but saw Franken build a 225-vote lead after a hand recount filled with twists and turns, as well as allegations of irregularities. Coleman may challenge the outcome in court, which would delay Franken’s ascension. Still, the prospect was brighter that the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member best known nationally as self-help guru “Stuart Smalley” — “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggonit, people like me!” — might soon be a U.S. senator. In that case it might be said to Minnesotans, who not long ago elected pro wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura governor, be forewarned: Most of the time, you get what you paid for.
Poling place
With all the serious business facing lawmakers in this year of economic challenge, the plight of the barber pole may seem insignificant. But those revolving striped poles are serious business year-round for barbers. State Rep. Gary Banz, R-Midwest City, wants to make sure the poles stay exclusively linked to the barbering business, the Tulsa World reports. Banz got the idea from his barber, who is also chairman of the Oklahoma Barber Advisory Board. The bill would restrict barber poles to shops with licensed barbers, preventing other hair cut providers from using them. First offense would carry a warning. Subsequent violations would carry a fine. We must admit to ignorance when it comes to knowing this was a problem or even that the state has a Barber Advisory Board, one of more than 500 state agencies, boards and commissions. If anything needs a shave, it’s that number. Still, trimming the inappropriate use of barber poles may be worth a hearing in the 2009 legislative session. We hope, though, that lawmakers won’t take too much off the sides of time when they mull this hairy issue.
Disquiet in the ranks
A Military Times survey shows six in 10 active-duty members of the armed forces are uncertain or pessimistic about Barack Obama becoming their commander-in-chief. The survey of subscribers to the Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times newspapers showed misgivings center on Obama’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, his calls to end the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that would let gays serve openly in the armed forces and his own lack of military service. It’s something of a stacked deck, as three in four subscribers supported Republican John McCain in the election. America’s men and women in uniform will serve loyally but will need some courting by their new chief.
