Is it really Tuesday?

Just when you thought is was going to over, you discover there is still one more act left.  Whether the final act is going to prove you guessed wrong as to the outcome remains to be seen.

There has been enough movement in the polls to the point where what was looking like a sure bet has everyone scratching their heads in the political pundit world.  The real worry will set in after Thursday night, if in fact there will be anything to worry about.

Why that long?

With new polls released everyday, with polls covering different tracking periods, it is going to take a week or so to see if the change is accurately reflected across the same time periods, and the "switch" is truly a change in thought, rather than an mood swing resulting from a specific event.

There has been a definite bump/shift/ change in the wind, what have you, after the debate.  

The Democrats attribute it to Romney being dishonest during the debate.  Truth be told, both sides have played pretty loose with the truth on various issues.  This is one fact the independent fact checker groups seem to agree on.

The Princeton economist being cited by the Obama campaign to disprove Romney's version of his tax cuts has come out and stated that the Obama campaign is misrepresenting his work.  This could be a stumbling block in the argument against the "tax cut", especially as the economist has gone on record as saying there are in fact ways to do it i a revenue neutral manner.

The recent news on gas prices in California aren't going to help.  It won't change a thing on how the state will go.  It is a solid lock for Obama.  But the constant flashing of the pictures showing the prices in California do have an affect on people everywhere.  

I do get the fact that there are reasons for the bump in that state vs. the rest of the country, and the factors that influence gas prices everywhere are not easily reigned in or under government control.  It is nonetheless true that a pictures is worth a thousand words, and for many people the prospect of even the thought of $5.00 plus per gallon scares them a whole lot.

The news on the Libyan consulate attack is not helping the President any either.

It is still Obama's election to lose.  He took an unbelievable first step toward doing so last Thursday.  He hasn't thrown it away yet.  What he has done was make a race out of a contest that was all but over before the debate.

While the popular vote polls show an extremely tight race, the electoral college projection still indicate a very hard road for Romney to navigate.  Truth be told, looking at the map, I am not sure he can successfully find the right path.  But hey, it is only Tuesday.

While the main event has become a bit muddled, what is clearer is the debate is having some effect in the "trickle down" category, i.e. the House and Senate races.

It also places some emphasis on this week's V.P. debate on Thursday

Make no mistake over the fact that this could be a disaster for either side.  One major blunder by Biden or Ryan will send the pundits on a feeding frenzy  Not that it should.

Despite the "potential" for either individual to be a "heart beat" away from what is still the most powerful office in the world, these two people are where they are for the sole purpose of window dressing.  Should it be otherwise, perhaps. It is reality nonetheless.

They are on the ticket because of a certain appeal to certain voters. I seriously doubt that the primary, or even a top secondary reason for picking either one of them was that they would make a good president if the need arose.

The main thing with this debate is to make sure you don't sink the top guy on your ticket.

Another event on the debate circuit, Round III in the Brown/Warren Senate Race is scheduled for Wednesday night.  this one will be interesting.  While I feel from the debate perspective Brown has won the first two, winning a debate doesn't equate into winning the election.  What also has to be considered is while he may have won the first two debates, his opponent did a credible job in the debate also.  

Brown needs something more in this third debate.  He has to stop the harping on the ancestry issue, he has to stop hammering the "legal work".  He should at this point in fact be talking about his votes and explaining them.  He needs to get off the rehearsed lists of bullet points.

There was in mind mind a valid point to the original vote against the student loan interest rate bill.  There was in fact compromise that led to to the bill being passed.

He needs to point out the standard line from the Democrats majority leader in the Senate, "no amendments allowed".

He needs to point out that will there may be a desired end to a bill, there are most always adverse consequences tied to passage.  

The trickle down in today's piece brings us to local matters.  To clarify a point or two, let's start with the voc-tech expansion.  First, as someone pointed out to me, correctly, technically there does not have to be a special town meeting on the issue.  The regional school committee takes a formal vote, notifies the selectmen, and the selectmen can simply not call a town meeting to be held within 60 days of the vote and by doing nothing that will authorize the borrowing on Fairhaven's part.

Anyone out there seriously think that this should be what happens?

This option is one of the biggest gripes I have with these "regional" districts/regional entities.  These laws should not be written to require a member community to take action to disapprove anything.  If your elected officials could not make the decision on a matter solely affecting the town, they should not be able to make a similar decision on their own for a regional district.

It may well be that Town Meeting approves the project, rather than disapprove it.  But it should be Town Meeting that approves this project, as it would be Town Meeting that has to approve all such projects for the Town.

At some point, the reasons of the project will all be addressed before our selectmen, that is I assume they will.  I will get to the "tax burden" and "free money" arguments at some point.  Until that time, I end it here on that little example of how regional government works.

Can you see it now?

I am going to start out very simply by noting that the results of one opinion poll taken over two months before a tight election mean nothing except what may exist at a particular moment in time.

That being said, if you follow the news you will have found multiple sources publicizing the results from the Public Polling Policy survey.  The same gives Sen. Scott Brown a 5% lead over challenger Elizabeth Warren.

Two cautions on this one.  First, the survey was completed before the fallout of the fiasco with the Missouri graduate from the U of  D & D (University of Dumb & Dumber is you didn't catch yesterday's piece).  The second is that the undecided in the survey are still larger than the lead (although the survey margin of error is 2.9%).

In polling circles PPP is considered democratic leaning.  Sure all of them claim to be independent pollsters, but I am just noting a simple tidbit.

Whether the Akins issue will last long enough to give Warren any mileage will remain to be seen.  Quite frankly, I think even the attempts being made presently to do so are going to backfire.  Brown isn't Akins.  Sure they are both Republicans and sure the Mass. race could decide which party controls the senate.

But just as assuredly, it seems more people are looking at the candidates in this race.  The Dems are overwhelmingly support Warren, and the Republicans even more so Brown.  The independents, or unenrolled as we are known here in the Commonwealth, are apparently looking at the individuals. 

Based on the PPP survey those potential voters are backing Brown 58% to 32%.

This race is long from over.  But it does seem a lot of people don't agree with the "China" comparison; and, I have overheard more than one conversation with people commenting that a $350k professor's salary for Warren, and another one for her spouse, might have something to due with the high cost of tuition also.

I don't begrudge her or her husband their salaries.  Yet when you make the high cost of education an issue, you ought to consider whether your high salary comes into play for the discussion.

These are the type of things that start working on people.  I got to tell you, from a personal perspective, she most definitely lost me with the "China" ad.

And will the Dems stop, once and for all, referring to this as a election to get back Ted Kennedy's seat.  

Please!!!!

Last I knew, there have been no changes made to the Constitution to take the seat away from the people of Massachusetts.  

That rallying cry may work with the party diehards, but in case you haven't noticed, it ticks a whole lot of non-diehards off.

Speaking of ticking people off, seems something has happened in Michigan to throw it out of the "leaning for Obama" category into "toss up" status.  Again, in a tight race, it is a bit early to get to excited about anything, but it is worth noting that things appear to be tightening up again.  Last week Romney was seeing the race slip away.  This week the teeter totter is back up and things are sliding closer to even.  

More locally, seems we in Fairhaven have a potential problem with rabid foxes.  Be careful folks.

Staying local, I am hearing continued murmurs about another potentially interesting campaign season for local elections.  Two things appear to be deciding the fact that there are still just murmurs rather than actual talk.  

The November election is taking up a bunch of time for some.  Also, some are waiting for the results on the sound study for the turbines.  Let's face it, depending on those results, I can see a few potential candidates getting a big boost for a campaign.  

One issue that won't be, the building of a new school.  That one is done and over with.

The 9th district congressional race, who you supporting, and why?  Help me out here.  Guess what, there will even be Republicans running in the primary and on the general election ballot.  

This election for this office should be very much a "local" race in our minds because of the "local" impact it will have.

I am serious, help me out, and everyone else reading this.  Who do you intend to vote for and why?  This particular race is going to have a great deal of impact for our area.  

Whether you like Barney Frank or not, our present Congressman was excellent in dealing with local issues tied to the federal level.  There is no doubt whoever replaces him is not going to simply be able to step into his shoes and come up with the same results on local matters.

So, if you have some insight, let us all know.

Monday's Novella

I was surfing the web for some inspiration this morning.  Mondays are, well Mondays.  Besides the motivational factor, trying to get something of note out of the newspaper on a Monday morning is tough.  Seems the news also does not have the motivation to be printed the beginning of the week either.

I found an older piece in the Boston Globe, or should say on the Boston Globe web site dealing with the campaign ad pledge between Sen. Brown and Prof. Warren.   The one relative to dissuading outside entities from running adds. The article is worth reading.

Both candidates should be commended for the pledge, and doing their bests to see it honored by others. although I tend to agree this agreement is going to hurt Scott Brown more than help him.  Can you imagine the filed day the PACs would have had with the "China" ad, and the "student loan" ad from the prof who draws a $350K per year salary?

I have been toying with doing more on the ad pieces I have been seeing.  They deserve attention, just not with the short attention span I have for today.  But more on that, I promise.

Things will heat up soon enough in that campaign.  At best the race has been simmering.  I imagine right after Labor Day we will see the big push.

I need to make one on this blog piece for today or it just isn't going to happen.  Been sitting here staring at the screen.  I just realized I haven't had any coffee this morning.  Could if be that drink somehow wakes you up?

I suppose I would be a bit remiss not to direct your attention to the comment to yesterday's piece.  Some points made worth a moment of your time.

Okay there isn't any point in continuing to struggle at this this morning.  As it is what I have is more a jumble puzzle than an actual piece.  

Enjoy the day the best way that you can.

A disjointed Thursday

The hardest part about doing this blog is actually resisting the temptation to write.  As hard as it can be to come up with ideas at times, the difficulty isn't from lack of things I could write about, it is more along the lines of not writing about things that shouldn't be.

After a quick read this morning of the S-T and Neighborhood News, there were a few things that have be doing a "push-me-pull-you" exercise.

Anyway, read the papers yourself.  I am sure there will be a few heads shaking this morning.  It took me awhile for the temptation to pass, so on to the stuff worth noting.

The piece in the Neighborhood News on the Board of Health hearing is worth your time, along with the info posted related to the same.  Good run down on the study.  

Also a key phrase you should pick up on.  "Human Annoyance".  

Don't belittle it.  Don't dismiss it, and don't forget it.  

It is not the standard by which noise is judged directly, but it is a significant reason why there are in fact noise standards.  Depending on the study results, you have an inkling into the next level in the debate.

Think your own home, your children, your childhood.  

"Turn that music down, it is too loud.  No it isn't.  Yes it is."

New sounds affect people in different ways.  It doesn't make them crazy.  Because you aren't bothered by it, doesn't mean others are not bothered by it.  

But the simple fact that a new noise can be annoying doesn't mean it is to be prohibited.

Dealing solely with the audible factor, whether or not the level is above the standard, human annoyance is in fact dealt with by the study.    

Like it or not, it would seem the law imposes a standard for annoyance which you must live with, and that which you must not.  

The internet cafe story in the S-T is extremely enlightening.  Forfeiture of $750,000 in profits.  I understand this encompasses several sites and operations.  But think about it.  These places were not up and running all that long, and are small potatoes compared to a licensed gaming establishment.  Might not be all profit in the figure, but I am guessing profits make up a significant chunk of the amount.  

A definite wow factor in that figure, with a whole lot more wow when you consider what is going to pour through the casinos.

Another wow for the Town of Mashpee and its residents.  Seems the Governor, and the legislature have seen fit to include a little clause in the compact that seems to open the door to re-open the agreement between the Town and the Tribe on the land issue in Mashpee.  

Wonder if anyone bothered to disclose that little tidbit to anyone in the Town before hand.  

And a personal wow.  I look back at the past three presidential elections and just say wow.   I look at the upcoming presidential election and just say Wow.  I read the stuff being posted by individuals and say WOW.

Just at what point in time did sanity leave the building?  

I am going to go in vote come that first Tuesday in November.  I tell you right now I don't like my choices.  This will be the fourth one running were I haven't.  Sorry, but the Obama presidency reminds me to much of Jimmy Carter's stab at the White House, and the prospect of a Romney presidency just doesn't instill and confidence in me either.  

The key to change in this country, at least in the immediate future is going to rest solidly in the out come of the congressional races.  The sad part about that, gridlock is the clear front runner right now.

Yet there is a clear front runner for the wow factor in that aspect.  I look at the money being spent for the Massachusetts Senate race and say WOW.  Three months to go and $47,000,000 collected to date.  Top amount in the country to date, for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

And it is a U.S. Senate seat, it is not the "Kennedy Seat".  I swear if I hear one more time from someone that I have to vote democrat to protect the Kennedy legacy I am going to really lose it.  

I am going to vote for the person I feel is best suited to meet the demands of the job, and my beliefs.  I am not going to cast a ballot based on who use to sit there. 

But I digress.  

I just keep shaking my head and saying wow.