Thursday, November 08, 2007
Questions
Question for Readers:
Whose take on the city council and the IG is more likely to prove corect, Terry O'Connor's or Stephanie Grace's?
Terry O'Connor's take (H/T Jeffrey):
Still, to date, William Shakespeare would say the City Council is all sound and fury signifying nothing as far as giving Cerasoli the tools needed to quash corruption.
Stephanie Grace's take:
Since, the council voted to create the IG's office and voted for the mayor's recommendations to weaken the office on the same day, I think that Grace has a little too much confidence in either the courage or the common sense of the city council. The only way the office will be adequately funded is if Willard-Lewis is forced to make a firm commitment to a specific level of funding, beyond "adequate," or even "fully-funded." Which leads to:
Question for the local media:
Will some interviewer ask the council-at-large candidates if they will commit to Nagin's $1.3M for the IG without a property tax "roll forward," combined with the $1.5M that Nagin wants for a tactical trash force? Or do you think the city should be spending money to clean up debris that Richards Disposal and Metro Disposal contracted to pick up?
Of course, that leads to more questions, including:
Considering the city's desire to enrich politically connected businessmen, can anybody really blame the fired D.A.'s office employees?
and
Question for three New Orleans legislators:
So, how about it, Ed Murray, Austin Badon and Cedric Richmond, last year, you all urged the city council to award lucrative contracts to a couple of "home-grown" businessmen, will you urge the city council to hold them to those contracts this year?
Unrelated budget question: Is an "$800,000 program to encourage high school students to pursue a career in law enforcement" really that high a priority for the city council? It doesn't sound like a cost-effective way to recruit police officers to me, but it does sound like a way to create a couple of cushy jobs with at least one take home car. It would probably include a couple of contracts for "home-grown" businessmen to print up materials, though.
Don't think the last question gives away anything in the plot of No Country for Old Men, but be warned that it might.
Non-political question: Did anybody else who read No Country for Old Men have trouble figuring out the shootout at the motel? Since the character involved no longer had the transponder, the shooting didn't really make sense, IMO. Could be a case of me hurrying to finish a novel and reading the last 50 or 60 pages more carelessly than the first couple of hundred pages.
On second thought, there may have been two shootouts at hotel/motels (can't remember for sure), I'm referring to the one near the end of the novel, at the drive-up motel.
Edited to correct the error that Adrastos pointed out. I blame my personal experience with the city's crime problem, i.e. my head injury.
Whose take on the city council and the IG is more likely to prove corect, Terry O'Connor's or Stephanie Grace's?
Terry O'Connor's take (H/T Jeffrey):
Still, to date, William Shakespeare would say the City Council is all sound and fury signifying nothing as far as giving Cerasoli the tools needed to quash corruption.
They talk a good game but where’s the commitment?Still, to date, William Shakespeare would say the City Council is all sound and fury signifying nothing as far as giving Cerasoli the tools needed to quash corruption. They talk a good game but where’s the commitment?
Stephanie Grace's take:
When the council passed Midura's ordinance to finally create an inspector general office -- an idea that's been part of the City Charter for more than a decade -- it was making a strong policy statement. It's inconceivable that the council would okay the job and then not give inspector general Robert Cerasoli money to get started on the job.
Since, the council voted to create the IG's office and voted for the mayor's recommendations to weaken the office on the same day, I think that Grace has a little too much confidence in either the courage or the common sense of the city council. The only way the office will be adequately funded is if Willard-Lewis is forced to make a firm commitment to a specific level of funding, beyond "adequate," or even "fully-funded." Which leads to:
Question for the local media:
Will some interviewer ask the council-at-large candidates if they will commit to Nagin's $1.3M for the IG without a property tax "roll forward," combined with the $1.5M that Nagin wants for a tactical trash force? Or do you think the city should be spending money to clean up debris that Richards Disposal and Metro Disposal contracted to pick up?
Of course, that leads to more questions, including:
Considering the city's desire to enrich politically connected businessmen, can anybody really blame the fired D.A.'s office employees?
and
Question for three New Orleans legislators:
On Friday, several speakers, including state Sen. Ed Murray and state Reps. Austin Badon and Cedric Richmond, urged the City Council to approve the contracts with the two African-American-owned trash haulers, Alvin Richard and Jimmie Woods, who were described as 'home-grown" businessmen.
So, how about it, Ed Murray, Austin Badon and Cedric Richmond, last year, you all urged the city council to award lucrative contracts to a couple of "home-grown" businessmen, will you urge the city council to hold them to those contracts this year?
Unrelated budget question: Is an "$800,000 program to encourage high school students to pursue a career in law enforcement" really that high a priority for the city council? It doesn't sound like a cost-effective way to recruit police officers to me, but it does sound like a way to create a couple of cushy jobs with at least one take home car. It would probably include a couple of contracts for "home-grown" businessmen to print up materials, though.
Don't think the last question gives away anything in the plot of No Country for Old Men, but be warned that it might.
Non-political question: Did anybody else who read No Country for Old Men have trouble figuring out the shootout at the motel? Since the character involved no longer had the transponder, the shooting didn't really make sense, IMO. Could be a case of me hurrying to finish a novel and reading the last 50 or 60 pages more carelessly than the first couple of hundred pages.
On second thought, there may have been two shootouts at hotel/motels (can't remember for sure), I'm referring to the one near the end of the novel, at the drive-up motel.
Edited to correct the error that Adrastos pointed out. I blame my personal experience with the city's crime problem, i.e. my head injury.
Comments:
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if they were horses and I was reading a Racing Form at Da Track, I'd bet against Grace every time. She is rarely accurate.
# posted by 
: 4:14 AM
: 4:14 AM
It seemed to me when I reads it that the transponder was almost irrelevant, once Chigurh has gotten on your trail. If I recall, there was no mention of Chigurh ever using it, but it's been a while since I read it.
# posted by : 7:12 AM
: 7:12 AM
Huh. Stephanie Grace's "inconceivable" comment seems to be taken straight out of "The Princess Bride". Hope nobody ever poisons her wine...
Treat that head with utmost respect, David. Nobody here wants you to completely lose it. Putting out a r'fuah shleimah for your healing and health...
Treat that head with utmost respect, David. Nobody here wants you to completely lose it. Putting out a r'fuah shleimah for your healing and health...
"No Country for Old Men" comment, potential plot spoiler
We were told that the shootout was between Llewelyn and a Mexican, but that was the report that the sheriff heard after the fact so the details were sketchy. Still Chigurh went to the motel to find the money after the shootout. And that shoutout occurred after Wells visited Llewelyn in the hospital and told him about the transponder. Leaving the reader to wonder if the Mexican was part of the gang and tracked him without a transponder or if it was a random act of violence in a cheap motel on the border. Neither quite made sense, but I suppose it was irrelevant.
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We were told that the shootout was between Llewelyn and a Mexican, but that was the report that the sheriff heard after the fact so the details were sketchy. Still Chigurh went to the motel to find the money after the shootout. And that shoutout occurred after Wells visited Llewelyn in the hospital and told him about the transponder. Leaving the reader to wonder if the Mexican was part of the gang and tracked him without a transponder or if it was a random act of violence in a cheap motel on the border. Neither quite made sense, but I suppose it was irrelevant.
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