Priorities

5 million of our older Americans have not signed up yet for their
Medicare, Part D, drug plan——they are old and confused.

We are NOT going to grant them an extension.

However, 12 million illegal aliens are in our country and we are going to allow them to stay, protest, procreate, receive support monies, attend schools, avoid paying income taxes, have our teachers take 300 hours of ESL(English as a Second Language) training at our expense, etc.

WE MUST REALLY DISLIKE OUR OLD PEOPLE……OR WE MUST REALLY LOVE TACOS!!!

Don’t forget to pay your taxes……12 million illegal aliens are depending on you!

This is only a test

This is a History Exam for those who don’t mind seeing how much they
really remember about what went on in their life. Get paper and pencil
and number from 1 to 20.

Write the letter of each answer and score at the end.

1. In the 1940’s, where were automobile headlight dimmer switches located?

a. On the floor shift knob
b. On the floor board, to the left of the clutch
c. Next to the horn

2. The bottle top of a Royal Crown Cola bottle had holes in it. For what
was it used? a. Capture lightning bugs
b. To sprinkle clothes before ironing
c. Large salt shaker

3 . Why was having milk delivered a problem in northern winters?
a. Cows got cold and wouldn’t produce milk
b. Ice on highways forced delivery by dog sled
c. Milkmen left deliveries outside of front doors and milk would freeze,
expanding and pushing up the cardboard bottle top.

4. What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?
a. Blackjack
b. Gin
c. Craps!

5. What method did women use to look as if they were wearing stockings
when none were available due to rationing during W.W.II a. Suntan
b. Leg painting
c. Wearing slacks

6. What postwar car turned automotive design on its ear when you couldn’t
tell whether it was coming or going? a. Studebaker
b. Nash Metro
c. Tucker

7. Which was a popular candy when you were a kid?
a. Strips of dried peanut butter
b. Chocolate licorice bars
c. Wax coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside

8. How was Butch wax used?
a. T o stiffen a flat-top haircut so it stood up
b. To make floors shiny and prevent scuffing
c. On the wheels of roller skates to prevent rust

9. Before inline skates, how did you keep your roller skates attached to
your shoes? a With clamps, tightened by a skate key
b. Woven straps that crossed the foot
c. Long pieces of twine

10. As a kid, what was considered the best way to reach a decision? a.
Consider all the facts
b. Ask Mom
c. Eeny-meeny-miney-mo

11. What was the most dreaded disease in the 1940’s?
a. Smallpox
b. AIDS
c. Polio

12. “I’ll be down to get you in a ________, Honey”
a. SUV
b. Taxi
c. Streetcar

13. What was the name of Caroline Kennedy’s pet pony?
a. Old Blue
b. Paint
c. Macaroni

14. What was a Duck-and-Cover Drill?
a. Part of the game of hide and seek
b What you did when your Mom called you in to do chores
c. Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an
A-bomb drill.

15. What was the name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show? a.
Princess Summerfallwinterspring
b. Princess Sacajawea
c. Princess Moonshadow

16. What did all the really savvy students d o when mimeographed tests
were handed out in school? a. Immediately sniffed the purple ink, as this
was believed to get you high b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail
theirs out the windo w c. Wrote another pupil’s name on the top, to avoid
their failure

17. Why did your Mom shop in stores that gave Green Stamps with purchases?
a. To keep you out of mischief by licking the backs, which tasted like
bubble gum
b. They could be put in special books and redeemed for various household
items c. They were given to the kids to be used as stick-on tattoos

18. Praise the Lord, and pass the _________?
a Meatballs
b. Dames
c. Ammunition

19. What was the name of the singing group that made the song “Cabdriver”
a hit? a. The Ink Spots
b. The Supremes
c. The Esquires

20. Who left his heart in San Francisco?
a. Tony Benn ett
b. Xavier Cugat
c. George Gershwin

————————————————————————–

ANSWERS

1. b) On the floor, to the left of the clutch. Hand controls, popular in
Europe, took till the late ’60’s to catch on.

2. b) To sprinkle clothes before ironing. Who had a steam iron?

3. c) Cold weather caused the milk to freeze and expand, popping the
bottle top.

4. a) Blackjack Gum.

5. b) Special makeup was applied, followed by drawing a seam down the back
of the leg with eyebrow pencil.

6. a) 1946 Studebaker.

7. c) Wax coke bottles containing super-sweet colored water.

8 a) Wax for your flat top (butch) haircut.

9. a) With clamps, tightened by a skate key, which you wore on a
shoestring around your neck.

10. c) Eeny-meeny-miney-mo.

11. c) Polio. In beginning of August, sw imming pools were closed, movies
and other public gathering places were closed to try to prevent spread of
the disease.

12. b) Taxi. Better be ready by half-past eight!

13. c) Macaroni.

14. c) Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an
A-bomb drill.

15. a) Princess Summerfallwinterspring. She was another puppet.

16. a) Immediately sniffed the purple ink to get a high.

17. b) Put in a special stamp book, they could be traded for household
items at the Green Stamp store.

18. c) Ammunition, and we’ll all be free.

19. a) The widely famous 50’s group: The Inkspots.

20. a) Tony Bennett, and he sounds just as good today..

SCORING

17- 20 correct: You are older than dirt, and obviously gifted with mental
abilities. Now if you could only find your glasses. Definitely someone
who should share your wisdom!

12 -16 correct: Not quite dirt yet, but you’re getting there.

0 -11 correct: You are not old enough to share the wisdom of your
experiences.

Just because open thread

I’m just going to post a short open thread as I’ll be busy again today. Beside today being our wedding anniversary, and the 19th year of my sobriety, I’m going to be getting some running done. So here are a couple things to check out, or talk about what’s on your mind.

Child abuse rose 66% from 2,000 to 2,005 in Iowa according to a QC Times story by Charlotte Eby. Claim is direct connection to income. State officials have aggressively reached out to those eligible for food stamps to enroll them in the federally funded program rather than waiting for them to seek assistance. A record 233,000 Iowans were receiving food stamps in October, up from 154,000 in July 2003. Go to the QC Times.

The other thing is a letter to the editor from a young man who experienced the Summit program first hand. It seems to have made a difference in his life. Go to the
story on it.

Enough Social Service

Social services seem to be in the news and a topic of conversation lately, so I looked in the phone book. If I counted correctly there are 44 social service agencies listed in Davenport. Most were what I expected; Anchorage House, Bethany Home, Bickford Cottage, Big Brothers, CASI, CADS, Cesar Chavez Center, Clarissa Cook Home, Community Action of Eastern Iowa, Community Health Care, Inc., Department of Corrections, Edgerton Woman’s Health Center, Family Resources, Friendly House, Frontier Community Support, Goodwill, Handicap Development Center, Head Start, Humility of Mary Housing, Inc., Iowa East Central Train, Jaycee’s, John Lewis Community Service, Junior League of the Quad Cities, Lend-A-Hand, Lutheran Service, Lydia Home Association, Meal Service, Project Renewal, Quad-Cities Interfaith, Quad-Cities Harvest, Retired Senior Volunteers Program, Salvation Army, Services for Seniors, 7th. Judicial District of Correctional Services, Socail Security Adm., Student Hunger Drive, United Neighbors, United Way, VFW Auxilliary, WIC Program, and YMCA. A couple not mentioned caught my eye- Children’s Specialized Assessment and Referal Center, and the Davenport Refugee Resettlement OFC. I don’t have a clue on what the last two are all about. Obviously, the Refugee Resettlement must have something to do with refugees; but are we a destination for these people? And if we are; why? As for the Children’s center, I’m clueless. My next question is- do we really need any more social services? There has to be some duplication of services already I would think. And since these are, for the most part, non-profit; how much is costing us taxpayers. I didn’t do the rest of the Quad Cities, but I figured most people have a phone book handy. So, when is enough, enough?

————–Addendum————-

I thought I would look around cyberspace to hone the search as I felt there were more than 44 Social Service organizations in Davenport. Unfortunately, I was right.
On the AOL Yellow Pages website I found 120 listings for Social Services in Davenport. Go to AOL Yellow Pages. While I was at it I thought I would also look up Non-Profit Organizations in Davenport, for the listing of 156 Non-Profit listings go to Non-Profit listings.

Wayward Congressman

Here’s an e-mail I recieved from an Arkansas Congressman who thinks I’m in his distict-

In January, the 110th Congress will continue the debate on many important issues. While the start of a new Congress means a fresh beginning and new ideas, there is the opportunity to continue important work for the 3rd District, including the fight against the meth epidemic in Arkansas.

Earlier this month, the Boozman Amendment to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Reauthorization Act was sent to the White House for President Bush’s signature. I am proud of the amendment since it focuses on the impact of meth abuse on our children and exposes teens to the real-world consequences of methamphetamines.

In Arkansas, we are continuing to win the fight against meth. Labs have been cut in half, and workplace use is down nearly 40%. However, we still have plenty of work to do.

The human story of hurt, addiction and death is what drives me to continue fighting the scourge of meth. In the 110th Congress, I promise to use the full power of my seat in the House of Representatives to give parents, teachers, and law enforcement the tools to keep our children safe from this dangerous drug.

I value your opinion on the fight against meth in the 3rd District. I ask that you click here to give us your opinion on ways we can work to prevent addiction.

In addition, I wish to continue giving you updates on the work my office is doing on your behalf. E-mail is now the most cost-effective way of communication available, and I hope to hear from you about the issues important to you and your family. If you do not wish to receive e-mails from my office in the future, please click on the link below to be removed from my mailing list.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

John Boozman
Member of Congress
Third District of Arkansas

FBI numbers

The FBI says violent crime is up in 2006 murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults were all up after being stable for a decade. The numbers have been released and it doesn’t look good. For one story on the problem go to MSNBC. Nobody seems to know why in this recent study the crime rose, only that it did. Let’s hope it’s a reversable trend. Now I gave you people who say Davenport doesn’t have a crime problem some ammo. Now you can say, that’s the way it is all over. And I’ll still say, that doesn’t make it right.

East end burglaries and a missed meeting

Seems we have a bunch of burglaries in the east end, and the Police Department is using an autodial system with a recoreded message. We didn’t get a call, but maybe they figured out where I live. Anyway for the story with tips to stay safe go to
QC Times story.

———————————-Addemdum——————————————-

I really should have the meeting held by Alderman at Large Frink. After looking over the notes, I have more questions than answers. The data base of bad renters seems to be going nowhere fast. The NETS program seems destined to be cut when funding goes down. And while it worked at Goose Creek, if they stay in the area it’s not helping other areas where the criminals now hang out.

It seems like the city representitives at this committee feel that our crime problem lies with the state. We don’t have enough beds because the state cut our money. Sorry, ain’t buying it. We have money for everything else, find it. Get the money. We want, and deserve, a safe city. Lock them up. And someone was quoted “Stabilization is the key, but destabilization of other areas of city not our problem.” Huh? Either I missed something, or someone has a cavalier attitude toward our little crime problem.
And to focus on repeat offenders, and working with the court liason is not the answer to our problems. The focus should be on the 17 year old with 20 offenses and getting his butt off the street. But at least our Police department got nation accredidation again. Speaking of the DPD; why not make them, and all city employees live in the city?

The Fairly integrate program, a neighborhood finance program, sounds interesting. I’d have to see and hear more on it before deciding if I like it, but it has promise. I do like the part that it’s not based on income.

A citizen brought up a few points, too much building, cheap money, low interest, foreclosures up to 1985 level. Then mentions 20% vacancy rate in 5th ward. Sounds low to me. Claim is DPD would support moratorium on building for 36 months until population grows.

Didn’t like Alderman at Large Frinks comment “We have what we have (for NEO), we need to move forward.” No sir, we need to make for sure it’s working before we move on.

The AA bond rating is good, can they keep it up? It sounds like maybe some excuses being made for a tax hike in the future.

Nothing much got answered about the IOC. Three options; which I said from the get go. Stay down town, move to interstate, or leave. Alderman at large Frink claims the city holds their license. And if they leave; what happens to the agreement about the Blackhawk Hotel, the Dock property, and the money for the sky bridge? Can you say, blowing in the wind?

General rantings open thread

Sometimes I think you people have been shooting the messanger for delivering the message. Like it, hate it, or throw darts at it; we have a crime problem. There are other problems; roads are bad, the sewer system is in disrepair, businesses are having a hard time making it, taxes are up, George W. Bush for you Liberals. Pick one.

The state government made the 2,000 foot residency rule, not us. Let them know we don’t want the sex offenders any closer, any time, period. They could also pass a law, that gives the offender a hearing to check the seriousness of the offense, and the possibility to expunge the offense from their record. If they kept their nose clean, remove their record. If they re-offend, give them life.

They’re the ones who passed the welfare and low-income laws, and helped put up the complexes that doom these people to fail, when their own leader calls it a dismal failure. What’s it take to get welfare reform? Hold them accountable.

They’re the ones who let the criminals walk, or give them a lenient sentence. 30% of the voters let the Judges know we’re not happy with the status quo. We voted no and will do so again if changes aren’t made.

While they’re at it they could quit spending our money so that when we retire we might get the honor of getting back 10% of what we paid in to Social Security for decades.

If the leaders and people of this city think that giving handouts to low income families is a way to increase the city’s population, they are partly correct. Numbers will show an increase; and with it an increase in crime, juvenile problems, drop-outs, and the well being of our city as well. Davenport’s poverty level is 10.5% now, the Quad City area’s poverty level is over 20%. There are other things I would like this area to be known for.

How about something different? Why not try a new approach and let Congress, the House, the City Council, and the school board know that we, the people, expect them to do their job. Tell the judges to put these jerks in jail and pump them daylight. Make the prisons so terrible they don’t want to go back. Make public records public. I don’t know what part of this politicians don’t get, but if it’s public information it should be made available to the public.

I have a lot of things to get done before it cools off again, so this is also an open thread. I will try to check back over the weekend, but no guarantees. So, beat up on me if you must; agree, disagree, or come up with something else because I’ll be wrenching all weekend. Come Monday I’ll be cruisin with the kinda shiney side up.

And if you’re for the war, or against it, please say a prayer for our troops in harms way. If you don’t know one, I just happen happen to have one handy-

“Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.”

Housing thoughts

For some reason people think we need more low income housing. I found a list from 2003 and I thought I would share a little of it with you.

In 2003 Davenport had- Brady Village, Castlewood, Davenport Manor, Heritage, JLCS, Spring Village, and Luther Towers.

In 2003 Rock Island had- Lincoln Homes, Rock Island Manor, Spencer Towers, Elderland Heights, HeatherRidge Apartments, Century Woods, Conventry, and Maple Ridge Apartments.

In 2003 Moline had- Spring Brook Courts, Spring Valley, Hillside Heights, Sanders Apartments, Highland Manor, and Pheasant Ridge.

In 2003 East Moline had- Oak Grove Manor, Fullerton Homes, Streed Towers, Diana Courts, Colona House, and Blackhawk Hills.

In 2003 Silvis had- Warren Heights, Warren Tower,and Loma Linda.

Granted some of these may have closed; but how many more have gone up? JLCS has had several projects since then, Horizon Homes just got the ok to rebuild. Not to mention the mixed rental properties. We must be the poverty capital of the Midwest. With this short list I cited it’s easy to see how we can have a 10.5% poverty rate in Davenport. I shudder to think what it is for the entire Quad Cities.

A few jail numbers

I was asked on my last post to see what I could find out about jail population. While I couldn’t really find it broken down by specific crime, I thought what I did find was interesting and was a little too long for the comment section. Hence the new post. All of the figures are from the Sheriff department webpage. And now, I’m getting back to work.

——————————————————————————–

While I couldn’t get numbers, I found some percentages. And while drugs weren’t listed it’s still an interesting list. The number of people booked at the Scott County Jail more than doubled from 1994 to 2000.

Jail Population as of Dec.,13, 2006 at 12:00 a.m.
Housed In: 209
Housed Out: 89
Special Programs: 6
Total: 304

-85% of people booked at the jail live in Iowa, 77% live in Scott county. Scott and Rock Island County account for 85% of all bookings.
-81% are pre-trial detainees
-60% admitted they were booked into the jail before
-Half of jail inmates are 30 years old or older
-46% of people booked are released on bond
-About 25% of people in jail were charged with felonies, the rest were misdemeaners. Most common reason people were booked into jail is failure to appear, most often they were on unsupervised probation.
-About 25% are unemployed when arrested,and about 15% are unskilled laborers.
-20% of all people booked are women
-15% of people arrested are released in 4 hours or less; and about 66% are released in 48 hours
-About 4% of people booked are sent to prison.