Have a good weekend – get out and enjoy this wonderful world!
I watched intently as they gathered closer and closer, grooming feathers and rubbing bills, until they were packed in tightly enough for comfort. The vigilant mother kept an eye on me despite the distance, and slowly little duckling eyes began to close.
Once they settled and I’d taken a LOT of photos from a couple of different angles, it was time to let them have their nap in peace and move on to see more of the planned exhibits. It was cool to catch such an unexpected display within the zoo boundaries!
I didn’t get a chance to make one point: if Measure 2 had simply said, “State, county, and local governments may not levy, impose, or collect taxes on property” I would have voted an enthusiastic YES. That would have accomplished the job and allowed the legislature to react accordingly. That would give plenty of time for debate as to how to react and allow for the legislative process to work through any unexpected issues in the process.
Measure 2, however, nosed the issue into a constitutional corner. By prescribing what I call the “magic formula” method of the legislature to fund local government, the measure went too far…irreversibly so. In that case, if adjustments needed to be made, they could only be done by another constitutional measure. What a mess. It also worked retroactively, allowing no time for debate on specifics.
I spoke to a friend who was a huge proponent of Measure 2 from the beginning, and he told me that Measure 2 was simply “too long.” He’s the one that opened my eyes to the possibility above, that it should have simply done away with property taxes and stopped there. Instead, by codifying a solution for property tax replacement into constitutional law, it became a lesson in what I call “bad mechanics” and doomed itself to failure.
Anyway, you can check out the brief transcript of the Rush segment here. Not my most eloquent minute and a half, but at least I didn’t screw up my first nationwide radio appearance.
One artifact of note is the “glow” where the hills meet the darkening sky. I originally saw this in Photoshop and thought it was an artifact of processing, as I did lighten the foreground a little bit. I thought I had been heavy-handed in that processing; however, a close inspection of the original raw photos shows that the glow on the hills was actually there. Whether it was caused by the rays somehow or the breaking cloud cover behind the hills, I don’t know.
With that, the sky cleared briefly and I had to reboot my little photo trip in search of a different type of photo. A storm rolled through shortly thereafter, but I was caught out of position and didn’t manage to capture the ominous front as it approached. Instead I returned to the garage and set out to tinker on stuff for a while, but my cameras and I returned to sunset duty on Sunday – this time with two little boys attending – and I’ll post the results of that photo dash soon.
It must be a deeply rooted trait, since I had one instinct as soon as I saw these road markings denoting new “bike lanes” in certain parts of Bismarck. Okay, one instinct besides the apparent waste of money. While there are two or three different sets of markings, concerning in that they lack consistency, this particular set looks like a set of “boost arrows”. These features, appearing in any number of driving games, cause wild acceleration once they’re driven upon. Sounds right up my alley. Sadly, they are of no effect outside the virtual world.
Interesting side note: although these things are only weeks old, many of them are badly faded. It took a while to find one worth photographing. Perhaps the City Commission could have reviewed the bids more closely or something, because the paint clearly is not holding up in areas of significant traffic.
In any case, I figured I’d hop on board a common internet meme, select “Impact” as my font, and bang out a quick little graphic. Note the historic Provident Life Weather Beacon in the background. My contribution to “teh Intarwebz” this week is complete. Have a great weekend!
I surmised in this post back in February that the sale of the land could bring with it the demise of this familiar object. As it turns out, I was correct.
So, too bad we lost one. Don’t worry about me, though…I’ve got more windmills marked in my GPS and in my head. I’ve got lots more. I’m just glad I had the forethough to bolt out and grab one more series of shots, where it’s bathed in a brilliant orange sunset glow, before vanishing from the local landscape forever.
The display upon motor vehicles of adhesive signs which are not readily removable and which promote the candidacy of any individual, any political party, or a vote upon any measure, and political advertisements promoting the candidacy of any individual, political party, or a vote upon any measure which are displayed on fixed permanent billboards, may not, however, be deemed a violation of this section. (Download as PDF)
Not only does this farcical law violate protections on free speech, but it also doesn’t apply equally to all – ie, people with stickers on their car or “permanent” signs. The fact that this law even addresses such exemptions indicates that someone in the legislature realizes how ridiculous, unenforceable, and downright unconstitutional it is.
Of course, it doesn’t apply to Democrats buying gas cards or big screen TVs for people or giving college students free rides and pizza, does it? Well, it looks like they eventually stopped the pizza thing when people found out what they were doing. I never heard of anyone actually being charged with a misdemeanor pursuant to Section 16 of the North Dakota State Century Code, however.
I took down my yard signs as we’re all warned to do, simply because I want to use the parts for a project I’m working on in the Garage Majal. Here in my “digital yard”, however, allow me to assert my political opinion as protected by the First Amendment:
Measure One: This is a clear YES. It says that as a politician I can’t arrange to have a government job created, then later on assume that job. I also can’t arrange to give a government job a disproportionate raise and then later assume that job. No-brainer.
Measure Two: This is ill conceived and a clear NO, even though I want property taxes abolished. If it had simply said, “North Dakota government entities may not derive income from the levying of a property tax.” and left it there, I’d be urging everyone to vote yes. In this case, however, the proposed measure does some very BAD things:
– It places spending decisions in the hands of one large, central government;
– It puts fiscal responsibility in the hands of a state legislature which hasn’t exhibited any such responsibility since the Schafer administration;
– It requires the legislature to make a “magic formula” which will somehow “properly fund” all North Dakota cities and towns, no matter how great or small, no matter how flooded or oil-rich;
– It will create a need for full-time legislators. Right now they serve part time and for little money. Imagine if it became a full-time job, doling out your money to whoever lobbied them the best? That’s how the United States Congress ran off the rails!
– Codifies itself into the Constitution, where it can not be modified without another Constitutional ballot measure. What to do in the mean time?
Again, if Measure 2 simply said “No more property taxes” and left it up to the legislature to react within its means, I’d be on board. As it stands, it pulls the rug out from under them while also handcuffing them at the same time. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Measure 3: Again, a clear YES. This measure simply restores protections for faith and religion which have gradually been eroded by the federal government. It has passed legal muster after examination by entities at Harvard, Stanford, Notre Dame, U Virginia, et al. It sets a legal standard by which people are protected from new laws which would, for instance, force photographers like me to photograph homosexual “weddings” against our convictions. No, it doesn’t mean I can beat my wife or marry a twelve year old. And remember, its financial support comes from close to a million dollars in blood money from the abortion factories at Planned Parenthood.
Measure 4: This one is convoluted, but vote NO to KEEP the UND Fighting Sioux Logo. The administration of UND and the State Board of Higher Education have been nothing but misleading in this regard, claiming that we wouldn’t be allowed into the NCAA Big Sky Conference when we’ve already been ratified members for over a year. They’re still claiming the sky will fall on UND athletics when they’ve been playing under sanctions already without ill effect. We need to stand-up for out of state liberal politically correct” types who think they know more about what’s offensive to Indians than the actual Native American tribes themselves, which have never been allowed to meet with them!
There we go. Since I’m not a Democrat, I’m now a dissident and a criminal. But wait, I did take down my yard signs as ordered! If you feel so moved, please click on the Donate link to the right and chip in some bail money. After you do so, please go to the nearest poll – remember, the polling places have CHANGED for many of you, and you can find your new polling place here. Vote YES, NO, YES, NO, and sit back to watch the TV stations try to beat each other with the best election coverage. See you when I get out.
An informational sheet has been put together answering some direct questions that should probably address any concerns one might have about Measure 3. Those concerns would most likely be brought on by the disinformation campaign waged by the pro-abort bunch.
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