Dakota Today

*** Leher Newshour becomes PBS Newshour. Lehrer presents "Guidlines"

PBS Lehrer News hour reaches another mile post. It will now be known as PBS Newshour. To mark the change, Jim Lehrer presented his views on appropriate journalism. I found them interesting and readers might note that the "guidelines" have something in common with the Golden Rule.  Incidentally, despite image above, NPR and PBS are not generally part of the vast TV wasteland.

JIM LEHRER: People often ask me if there are guidelines in our practice of what I like to call MacNeil/Lehrer journalism. Well, yes, there are. And here they are:

• Do nothing I cannot defend.
• Cover, write and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me.
• Assume there is at least one other side or version to every story.
• Assume the viewer is as smart and as caring and as good a person as I am.
• Assume the same about all people on whom I report.
• Assume personal lives are a private matter, until a legitimate turn in the story absolutely mandates otherwise.
• Carefully separate opinion and analysis from straight news stories, and clearly label everything.
• Do not use anonymous sources or blind quotes, except on rare and monumental occasions.
•  No one should ever be allowed to attack another anonymously.
• And, finally, I am not in the entertainment business.

The Rundown News Blog | 'I Am Not in the Entertainment Business' and Other Rules of MacNeil/Lehrer Journalism | Online NewsHour | PBS (7 December 2009)

Online News Hour ..Rules of MacNeil/Lehrer Journalism

My wife and I have been watching the several versions of Newshour ever since it started and watched the precursor of it when MacNeil and Lehrer covered the Nixon Watergate Hearings. Lehrer has put the NEWS in the Newshour in a way unlike that of most of the news entertainers and pretty faces who claim to be fair and balanced but seldom are or those who pretend to be presenting news until they get their tits caught in a wringer and for a week or so protest they are really just actually entertainers and their gross distortions, lies and slander really are just good jokes after all..

I am not going to pretend I meet the standards set by Leher even if I try to aim in the general direction, but I don't see any reason to provide fair coverage for totally loony perspectives in some kind of phony balance and I hope readers of Dakota Today understand that.

I hope the new Newshour format and the new web page carry on in good ways. Those of us diving off with opinions need a reliable source of actual news and intelligent perspective as a springboard.

***Stay tuned for some of the news covered with some of the rules--- Doug Wiken

*** Representative Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin "Stands Tall for South Dakotans"

Whether or not about 600,000 South Dakotans actually think Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin actually represents them or some group of rich and influential “stake holders” in the Health Insurance industry seems to be an open question.  Whatever we do think, some lobbyist group is loading SD TV with ads claiming SHS is “Standing Tall for South Dakotans”.

My perspective on her standing tall has little to do with left or right, liberal or conservative or even up or down, but with her rank opportunism.



I did not hear the same radio broadcasts that Todd Epp heard and commented on his blog  at KELOLAND Issues Blogs  because both SDPB radio and TV have been off the air in the daytime out here in the boondocks.   I did read the column Herseth-Sandlin got into the Mitchell Daily Republic and did not find it persuasive or even setting a plausible reason for opposing the plans to change health insurance.

There is one good reason to oppose it and that is not Herseth-Sandlin’s reason, but is that the current proposals are a hodge-podge of bandages on a wasteful system that sucks out something like $395 billion in insurance profits and overhead from actual health care.   George McGovern has presented the only real reform of health insurance that makes any sense.

That is "Extend Medicare to every US Citizen”.  That is not nearly 2,000 pages of ways to allow private insurers to ration health care with no regard for patients or their doctors, but with full regard for their own profits and incredible executive salaries.

"Medicare for all citizens" is the only idea that makes sense if one ignores the totally deceptive TV ads fussing about government control of health. This is not government control of health nor is it corporate control of health. It is health insurance for all something the US has needed for over 50 years. Herseth and Blue Dog Democrats of Blue Dog crap fame have not presented a real health reform package any better than the secret GOP plan (remember Nixon's secret plan to end the Vietnam War?).

Those wanting to get the government off their health-care backs are inviting continued economic gang rape by corporations.  Thomas Friedman suggests that the lack of universal health care is the result of cowardice on the part of legislators in the face of corporate contributions or well-funded attack ads.  They are not pushing for optimal government policy instead weakly push for suboptimal policies.  They make little attempt to educate and inform on the real potential of policies and instead say upfront without discussion that such options are "off the table". The lack of universal health insurance separated from employment is also killing start up of innovative small business.  He concluded today on Charlie Rose with something like, "A great nation producing sub-optimal policies will soon cease to be a great nation."

The other problem with this “reform” that Herseth-Sandlin is not mentioning is that it will be used as an excuse to not actually reform heathcare with a universal single payer system.

*** Stay tuned even if you are perfectly happy with sub-optimal politicians and policies --- Doug Wiken

** Some names on the radio need to be spelled out...Bridge Collapse Lecture at SDSU

On the SDPB Radio Midday Program today, Paul Guggenheim interviewed "Connie" of the Minnesota Highway Department on the rapid building of the replacement bridge in Minneapolis.

Well, that was what I thought until I started searching for somebody in the department with that name.  I finally found the story from SDSU on the lecture to engineers there.

SDSU Announces Lecture with alumnus Khani Sahebjam

Every now and then, radio announcers may need to literally spell some names. TV shows can plaster names on the screen in text....anyway..... Interesting program.

Getting a major collapsed bridge rebuilt in about a year is a major accomplishment. The November-December issue of American Scientist has a good story on the engineering and procedures tied to bridge inspections, etc. written by Henry Petroski who regularly contributes articles related to engineering. The story is on pages 444-448 of the November-December 2009 issue. The author mentions the Minnesota Transportation Dept., but gives no credit to anybody there for providing information. If you are a member of the society or a subscriber to the magazine, you can read the story at the link. I have just been buying the magazine on the news stand so can't actually get the story at the site.

American Scientist (restricted link) Bridge Story

However you do read it, it is an interesting story and the photos are good. One fact that is interesting: "In the 40 years that the old bridge stood, well over a billion people may have crossed it" The bridge had carried 140,000 vehicles per day with perhaps 200,000 people per day.

Inspection of the wreckage suggested that some gusset plates failed probably because a contractor had tons of equipment and gravel on one end of the bridge and the asymmetrical loading was just too much overload coupled with the high volume of traffic. Even though the bridge had survived for 40 years, it was under designed.

The replacment bridge was made in sections and glued together with epoxy and held together with internal stretched cables. Some information is available here:

Concrete Products Awards

The photo above is from the Minnesota Dept of Transportation. Click on it for a larger version. A good black and white photo of a beautiful new bridge and associated sculptures are in the American Scientist story. Google searches for " St. Anthony Bridge I-35w" will turn up a lot more information

And as a kind of sidenote, the American Scientist story had a word I had never seen before. "Charrette" which in the story referred to a planning meeting in the Mn Dept of Trans. I guess the term was exactly appropriate if the definition below is correct.

"Charrette"definition

So, Silo Tech puts out product more important than football teams.

*** Stay tuned even if you can go anywhere from Dakota Today -- Doug Wiken .

** Got $100 ? Update computers or contribute to SDPB?

South Dakota Public Broadcasting Radio has a "Midday" call in program on weekdays.  Every second Friday, the "Computer Guys" do their best to spread knowledge about computers, software and other interesting technology.  Today, like most techies recently, they were busy hyping Windows 7.

I e-mailed them and asked two questions:

From your perspectives, what advantages does Windows 7 have over WXP for someone doing basic text editing, reading email, and posting text on the web?

And a real puzzlement:

With only $100 to spare, which will do the most good, upgrading to W7 or contributing $100 to SDPB?

The first question was answered with mostly "NO". If you are not doing video editing or in dreadful need of a touch screen etc and are doing more or less mundane computer work editing text, reading e-mail, etc. you probably can get by with Windows XP until something like 2014 and still have Microsoft plugging security holes.

My second question, which I must admit was a bit tongue-in-cheek, was greeted with "That's just MEAN..really Mean-spirited" also delivered by them in a similar spirit. That was soon followed by 3 out of 4 of the experts deciding with no other motives than truth, justice and the American way that it would be better to contribute to SDPB than update computers and OS to Windows 7..

I found that logic just so persuasive that I broke down this evening and found SDPB on the Web and then hit their "Donate Button" on their remarkably drab "sparkling" website and agreed to be nice and contribute $100. Better them than Microsoft... assuming a false dichotomy provides logic for doing anything.

If you feel generous and recognize the contributions of public broadcasting to information and knowledge in SD, you can also make use of their secure site to make a contribution pledge.

Pledge Form at  South Dakota Public Broadcasting Website

Recently, President Obama has noted the generally misleading nature of Fox "News" and that is generating controversy in some SD Blogs. Not many sane observers can honestly attack PBS or SDPB for being hopelessly slanted either to the left or to the right...sort of depends on the day and on whoever is pontificating.

** Stay tuned even if you can't find the "Donate Now" button for Dakota Today -- Doug Wiken

** Health Insurance reform...One side lying the other not telling the truth

I may be paranoid, but I have stopped believing either Democrats or Republicans in Congress are actually one bit interested in real reform of health insurance and thus in directly in the long run also reform of the US Healthcare industry.  The title of this post is from the site below.

Chris Floyd's Description of the "fighting" sides

Some health insurance industry group dumped a report into the media and Congress claiming there will be huge increases in health insurance premiums. Democrats in Congress pounced on that and claimed it was a good reason to support their "reform"

My paranoia suggests this is a ploy. The Democrats can play Br'er Rabbit pleading "Don't throw me into that Briar Patch". Democrats can play this game as they support anything but a single payer system which might actually reduce citizen's spending on healthcare even as it is extended to everybody ala Medicare which now works mostly only for those of us over 65.

CBS News has been taking surveys over a period of time on the "public option" (which I think should be the only option).

---------------------------------------

CBS News Poll. Oct. 5-8, 2009

"Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government-administered health insurance plan -- something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get -- that would compete with private health insurance plans?"

Date...........Favor Oppose Unsure

                    %         %            %

10/5-8/09      62      31           7

9/19-23/09    65        26          9

8/27-31/09     60       34         6

7/24-28/09     66        27        7

7/9-12/09       64        29        7

6/12-16/09     72        20        8

----------------------------------

Note that the support for the "public option" has decreased somewhat because of all the industry propaganda much of it also spewed by Max Baucus who claims to be reform as he produces a plan guaranteeing no real reform, but rather a 1000 page bill that is actually a huge bandage to cover up fraud and deceit and waste in the current system even as it maintains the virtual monopoly of corporate health insurance.. Despite that, support for a public option is still above 50%.

And, if you want another measure of the reason why we should accept nothing but the single-payer universal care approach in the one-line "McGovern Bill"..

"Extend Medicare to every US Citizen"

take a look at the link below which explains a bit about the health insurance system congress generously provides itself at the expense of us taxpayers.

CBS TV explains the Healthcare Plan Congress Gives Itself

And remember, When you hear that this reform involves six percent or more of the US economy, that refers to actual health care not the health insurance industry itself.

*** Stay tuned for more winter of discontent ---- Doug Wiken

**SDPB puts together good info on TV reception....but.....

If you are still curious about the changes involved in going from analog to digital TV and the effects those changes had on channel frequencies, signal strength, antenna information, splitter information, digital to analog, etc. etc.  Check the link below:

SDPublic Broadcasting on Antennas, etc.

I don't think you will find any better information on antennas, cabling, splitters, amplifiers, etc. (especially for South Dakota) than above. It appears to have some information that has been put together with a little more experience answering real questions than initially was put out in glossy "Easy to Do" brochures, ads, websites, etc.

Now, the "but". SDPB-TV has recently been promoting the "sparkling" new website you saw if you looked at the link above. Your perspective may not be a bit like mine however. It does appear improved from the old tangled mess of a site, but it now looks a bit like a site for a mortuary that hides links behind barely readable icons of limp light blue on stale barely darker blue. At least for my old eyes, some more contrasty larger type on icons would be an improvement.

I have this prejudice against web designers, phone designers, radio designers, TV remote designers, cellphone designers etc that dislikes and fails to understand their tendency to use some color like light gray on drab gray with very small type or incomprehensible, ambiguous icons. There are some of us old geezers interested in technology and the internet who don't have perfect vision and 36-inch diagonal digital monitors situated in perfect non-glare lighting and in front of a $2000 special chair.  And, now and then cellphones are needed in dimly lit or dark areas.  Radios and TV controllers that require a flashlight to be seen and which place often used and dangerous to use keys next to each other.  Enough already....  Well maybe not.  Stuff so damn tiny that it can only be used by women or small girls with tiny fingers is also aggravating to those of use with a few stiff fingers that only fit the larger glove sizes.

** Stay tuned... and stay tuned to public TV and radio too...even if now and then aggravating, there is nothing better on commercial TV or radio--- Doug Wiken

** George McGovern on Sensible Health Insurance Reform

Former US Senator from South Dakota, George S. McGovern has written a good guest editorial column that has appeared in a number of places including the Mitchell Daily Republic.  I have copied it as a continuation of this post.  It is worth reading.

McGovern says the simplest most cost effective approach is to extend Medicare to everybody.  He notes that the health insurance industry siphons out "$450 Billion" from the money paid for actual healthcare.  That would be a significant saving even if it meant some insurance tycoons might need to find other employment.

***Stay tuned and read the McGovern Column in the continuation --- Doug Wiken

** SD Focus seemed to be loaded with insurance and Medical profit supporters

I saw most of the SD Focus show on SDPB-TV this evening (Sept 10, 2009).  I got the impression that the panel was loaded with advocates for the current mess favored by the insurance companies and the most shortsighted elements of the medical professionals intent on maintaining the essential doctor-patient's billfold relationship.  Perhaps I missed something.

The lone voice of reality seemed to come from a caller wondering aloud what was so terrible about Medicare, Veterans medical, and federal employee tri-care perhaps.  That call produced a flood of the same unconvincing GOP and Blue Dog Democrat double talk we have already had dumped on us.

Single payer is the only system that makes any sense.  All the patching, baling wire, and bandaids being discussed to fix the present system have created a huge proposed bill and inordinate complexity and needless expense and even greater executive windfall salaries will be the result.  George McGovern has the solution in just a few words: "Extend Medicare and Medicaid to everybody."   That won't take a 1000 page bill. 

Get the private insurers out of the money pipeline and there will be an almost immediate savings of 30% or so on healthcare.

The only real solution is being talked around and we are getting the mushroom treatment from our Congress Critters because they get too damn much money from the insurance, banks, and health industries.

*** Stay tuned and stay healthy--- Doug Wiken

*** Clunkers of Today and Hot Rods of Yesterday

On public radio, I heard one of the Billions talking about the cars they sold as a consequence of the clunker stimulus. Probably their best sales days ever. Billion may also have told the truth about clunker problem cars traded in, but in some areas and at other dealers, better cars are being dumped into the clunker program than many of us drive and many of them get better mileage than other cars on the road. Destroying the better "clunkers" seems like a terrible waste of affordable transportation and energy used to shred and resmelt, etc.

I suggest a two-tier system where the better "clunkers" turned in can be repaired and sold by government (or agent/dealers of the Gov't) to people with vehicles that are even worse in order to get the really clunker cars off the road. The worst cars are most likely being driven by people who cannot afford the new vehicles of today even with a $4500 gift to the big auto manufacturers as down payment. Trading the better "clunkers" traded in for even worse cars in Such a two-tier system would get the very worst vehicles off the road.

Also, it seems that some minimal repayment of the clunker credits should be made. Perhaps $25 per month for up to 10 years with no interest or no continued payments if vehicle is wrecked, etc. If such an additional $25 per month payment will kill a deal on a new car, it is a deal which should not be made to begin with no matter how much it benefits dealers or the environment. In short, a lot more bang for the buck.

Less serious, but perhaps more interesting and fun to many readers may be the car video and associated car music from the 50's and 60's at link below. Flash required.

Link as text: http://oldfortyfives.com/CarsWeDrove.htm

Old Forty fives and cars of the time

*** Stay tuned. Hope that gives you something to both think about and enjoy-- Doug Wiken

** Chrome on Chrome and other miscellany

Some stuff mixed together.  When I start to see chrome on chrome at the quick stops in Winner, SD, I know that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is coming on.  Lots of chrome domes riding well-chromed Harley cycles and a few sun-bleached and burned blonds on the road to skin cancer.

In that transportation vein, saw a car ad a week or so ago.  Don't remember the ad, but it had a very good slogan, "Audi, Truth in Engineering".  At least it appealed to me.  I can sort of remember when Chrysler took pride in engineering.

Moving along, this morning on CBS Morning Dreck, they started noting that there was economic and health news, but first the latest on doctors and Michael Jackson.  That drivel went on for several minutes.  Don't remember anything they said about economy or medical insurance issues.

CBS Early then moved right on to some of the most inane, insipid drivel I have ever heard even on that show.  They spent several minutes interviewing a 10-year-old boy and and 85-year-old man about dating.  They pumped both for embarrassment purposes and it mostly seemed the young boy was clueless and the old man had forgotten a lot.  So much for my age prejudice.

Then CBS did sort of get to something serious for far too many people.  Divorce and separation as viewed by the former wife of Joey Buttafucco.  After being shot by a 17 year old who was infatuated with Joey, she stayed with him for something like 10 more years.  After her son said he thought his father was a "sociopath", she finally got a divorce.  She has a book she is promoting ..something like "Getting it through my Thick Skull" ..meaning she finally figured out her ex-husband was a smooth manipulator without remorse or conscience.  Read more if you want to know about this on CBS

CBS Early Dreck with "My Thick Skull"

Or if you are putting up with a "sociopath", you might have trouble finding a good definition of that term, but perhaps "aggressive narcissism" might fit better.

Some comments and definitions of mental problems

Well, enough on that...but wait there is more. On SDPB radio "Noon Forum", the topic was minimum wage. Apparently Governor Rounds in a fit of worry decided that a couple of USD former and current perhaps Economics profs should study the possible impact of raising the minimum wage on South Dakota economy. A woman supporter of a national $10 per hour minimum wage provided some counterpoint to the professors of the dismal science. The ideological predilections of the profs came through loud and clear. The minimum wage had never done anything to help workers since it was 25 cents per hour when first instituted by Franklin Roosevelt administration.

Cory Heidelberger of Madville Times blog fame called in to ask what the profs thought about the moral implications of hiring somebody to work for a year at a wage an employer knew was not a living wage. Seems to me they sort of punted that one.

I was thinking that perhaps if Gov. Rounds worries about raising the minimum wage, he should also have them look at the highest wages and salaries and their implications for the economy. A quick rough calculation suggested that even raising the minimum from around $7 to $10 could be turned into something interesting.

Kelby K. of Sanford health pulls down something like $1,200,000 per year in salary and benefits. That single salary would pay the $6000 per year increase of about 200 workers. Or, if just considering the recent actual increase amount, would pay the 70 cent per hour increase for about 800 minimum wage workers.,obviously some rounding distortion there, but the point seems plain enough.

It is time government stopped fretting about the minimum wage and started considering what absurdly high wages and salaries at the upper end of the scale do to drive up consumer costs and hold down wages of the lowest paid workers in society and contributed to the current near financial crash. The greed and vanity generates a double whammy on the less than rich..by unnecessarily driving up costs and making the low minimum wage worth even less.

It might be interesting if Senators Johnson and Thune and Rep. Herseth-Sandlin provided us with the total amount of money paid to health insurance and hospital executives in a year and what percent part that relative handful of people suck out of actual health care.

I don't think we want to hold our breath waiting for that information from them since most of us don't contribute enough to political campaigns to get their serious attention on anything. Well, enough miscellany for the evening.

**Stay tuned for less chrome on chrome or blue on blue and heartaches--- Doug Wiken