As a number of serious local issues are brewing in the background, don’t forget that CdA’s First Annual Beer Fest will be at the Fairgrounds this weekend, right after Car d’Alene this coming Saturday.
What’s on your mind as we start out a new week?
June 13, 2011
Open Session, Brewing
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I’m just remembering nearly two years ago, right after the 2009 City elections. The headline in the paper was “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.” The article stated that Mayor Bloem would use her unprecedented third term in office to concentrate on jobs.
How’s that working out for everyone?
Comment by Dan — June 13, 2011 @ 9:38 am
http://nation.foxnews.com/rep-debbie-wasserman-schultz/2011/06/13/dnc-chief-nuked-meet-press
Comment by Pariah — June 13, 2011 @ 10:06 am
Well she is, Dan. She’s concentrating on getting every last possible public dollar into the McEuen park remodel or the Ed Corridor. Those will create some construction jobs…for a few months. Did you think she meant REAL jobs?
Comment by mary — June 13, 2011 @ 11:23 am
Steve Adams’ comment in the Press on Saturday should concern citizens in Coeur d’Alene. There is no reason to exclude any citizen from auditing any workshop. I think that the city should start a web page for the budget to include memos,documents, presentations, etc., pertainig to the drafting of the city’s budget. It certainly would bring transparency to the process.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — June 13, 2011 @ 11:41 am
See http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/13/obama-administration-cut-access-federal-websites/
The “pretty People” know best. Just ask them.
Comment by Pariah — June 13, 2011 @ 2:31 pm
Very good point, Susie. The way the city treated Steve Adams’ request was wrong. He is a citizen and was asking to OBSERVE the budgetary process. Unless they were talking about confidential matters, he should be able to watch and listen.
Comment by mary — June 13, 2011 @ 2:32 pm
Sunday’s Coeur d’Alene Press editorial titled No News Is Bad News lamented the decline in local news reporting by newspapers and, to some extent, by other media as well. The Press editorial board purports to fear for the Republic as a result. Given their paper’s conscious decision (and the Spokesman-Review’s as well) to under-report or not report major local stories, their hypocrisy would be laughable were they not contributing to that which they fear.
The editorial referred to an FCC-sponsored report. Here’s a link to that report titled Information Needs of Communities. As nearly as I can tell, MSA Spokane d’Alene is back in the 20’s and 30’s with its monopoly daily newspapers.
Comment by Bill — June 13, 2011 @ 2:51 pm
I saw that editorial too, Bill. Almost choked on my coffee. The press (as in any form of the press) literally has to ignore major stories around here to avoid any serious reporting on them. I really cannot believe the Patrick is genuinely blind or naive to that fact. Consider this obvious CdA Press factoid. They refused to endorse candidates but gooey gushed all over the McEuen plan like a pimply teen on prom night. If they want it to happen they use that rag like it was bulk junk mail. And he frets about real journalism and credibility. Pffft!
Comment by Wallypog — June 13, 2011 @ 3:20 pm
Wallypog,
Good assessment.
The Coeur d’Alene Press, like The Spokesman-Review, is a tool of its corporate owners. In the past the tool has been used to successfully control what information the public reads and therefore assumes to be credible and important.
Newspapers still can be influential for good or evil. As the FCC report noted in discussing the scandal in Bell, California, a few people in Bell (here they would have been called “naysayers” and “CAVEers” by the corrupt city government and detractors) tried for quite a while to get the local media’s attention. Finally, when the LA Times was investigating the corruption in neighboring Maywood, the reporters got a whiff of Bell’s stench. The LA Times ran with the story and published several stories on successive days. The newly-informed citizens of Bell responded with cries to remove the allegedly corrupt public officials. Once the citizens reacted, otherwise gutless politicians in LA County and Sacramento jumped on the bandwagon. The Bell story may suggest why the media in our area isn’t reporting significant stories of public corruption here: the media owners like the status quo corruptus.
Comment by Bill — June 13, 2011 @ 7:45 pm
Maybe it is time for the LA Times to do another story of just how far spread the corruption goes in this country.
It be called “From little ole Bell CA to Corrupt d’Alene ID to could be anywhere USA.”
Comment by concerned citizen — June 13, 2011 @ 8:54 pm
I’d like to add, since our OWN “NEWS” paper cant seem to muster the guts to do it. Maybe it is time to call in REAL investigative reporters.
Comment by concerned citizen — June 13, 2011 @ 8:56 pm
The answer is the new media – youtube, blogs, email lists and the like. Speak up! Just as in days of old, be the town crier.
Comment by justinian — June 14, 2011 @ 6:23 am
The Washington Times and the Washington Post are both reporting (finally) about the latest “how to buy a city councilman” technique. The technique isn’t new — it’s only now being reported. Here is the civil complaint filed against Thomas. And here is the Attorney General’s press release.
Now let me think … do we have any “charities” in this area for which the mayor or city council members solicited lots and lots of money from private donors? All in the name of “charity”, of course. If there were any, I’m sure none of the generous donors were trying to buy influence with any of our stalwart public officials. That only happens someplace else.
The Thomas case was blatant. Rather than using established charities, Thomas set up his own charity. His donors, some very big-name businesses, were either incredibly lax about checking the validity of the charity or they knew they were being encouraged to donate in return for future consideration.
Comment by Bill — June 14, 2011 @ 6:55 am
Justinian,
RE: Comment 12. Absolutely! Put the information out there. Inevitably there will be incomplete reporting and conflicts between reports, but the people who are interested in filling in the holes and resolving the conflicts will do it. One of the real advantages the internet provides over dead-tree journalism is that internet posts can include primary source information. Hyperlinking to public documents from authoritative sources and other substantiation for original reporting allows readers to see the basis for the writer’s analysis and conclusions. Then the readers can decide for themselves whether to accept, reject, or check further to learn more.
Comment by Bill — June 14, 2011 @ 7:28 am