Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Keep the Trains On Time

The Daily Planet reports today that Senate Bill 60 passed out of the South Dakota Senate Commerce and Energy Committee yesterday. Senate Bill 60 would set Daylight Savings Time as the permanent year-round time for the State of South Dakota.

This proposed law has not been thought out and is ill advised if not bordering on stupid. Where are common sense and those people who say government is the problem not the solution on this one? Standard Time is one great example of where government actually works.

This is the explanation of Standard Time from Wikipedia: Standard time is the synchronization of clocks within a geographical area or region to a single time standard, rather than using solar time or a locally chosen meridian (longitude) to establish a local time mean time standard. Historically, the concept was established during the 19th century to aid weather forecasting and train travel. Applied globally in the 20th century, the geographical areas became extended around evenly spaced meridians into time zones which (usually) centered on them. The standard time set in each time zone has come to be defined in terms of offsets from Universal Time.

In 1966 a Federal Daylight Savings Time law was adopted across the United States. I don’t know if there was a time limit or not (someone can check me out) but I seem to recall that States either had to opt in or opt out. I believe that Indiana and Arizona in the Continental 48 States chose not to adopt federal daylight time. My recollection is the start and stop dates of daylight time were extended several yeas ago by federal law.

In large part Standard Time was adopted so that the trains could run on time and there would be uniformity for commerce. Local time was abolished during the mid to late 19th Century where local clocks were set at noon each day (the time when the sun was at it’s highest point). Thus each locale had their own time.

Changing time uniformity in South Dakota would cause disruption of economic and social order. Having time in South Dakota different from surrounding states would make life more difficult. I am referring specifically to eastern South Dakota but the same would be true in the West as well. During part of the year for example Sioux City, Fargo, Minneapolis and Omaha would have different times than North Sioux City or Sioux Falls, as would Denver or Cheyenne be different from Rapid City. Many people work in South Dakota who live nearby but out of state. They would be in different time zones. Schools would start at different times. How would national radio and television broadcast times be affected? What effect would it have on local tourism, for example where people are encouraged to attend events (speaking locally) at such venues at the new Sioux Falls Events Center, Sanford Pentagon, or Washington Pavilion?

There is an old adage thrown around a lot in politics – If its not broke don’t fix it. It is Not Broken.

Endbar – While writing this it looks like I am late to the party and common sense prevailed. It may? be moot as the full Senate killed the bill 17 Yea, 16Nay. (a majority of the members elect (18) being required). I am posting this anyway.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Unpredictable Election

2016 Presidential election sweepstakes is shaping up as the strangest I’ve ever seen.

Several factors in play.

1. Many Voters are mad! They are anti establishment and want change from the status quo. This is true of both Republicans and Democrats.

2. There is no incumbent – an open seat. In the last Century with the exception of Franklin Roosevelt (4 termer, itself a historic exception) only twice has a party held the White House more than eight years. Truman, we know that story and George H.W. Bush where voters thought they were voting for Reagan II. Voters just get tired of the party in power and turn them out. Thus this election is the Republicans to lose.

3. Culmination of the elimination of public finance of Presidential primaries. Candidates are opting out of public finance and the associated spending limits, overall and specified limits in each State.

4. The ability to take unlimited contributions for candidate associated PACs.

5. New Media – Social media and an abundance of cable news networks. Candidates reach voters in new ways and campaigns can be organized without the need for an Army of volunteers.

6. Favorable voter opinion and support is swayed more than ever by sound bites without substantive proposals.

As a consequence Republicans at one point had 17 candidates, the Democrats had an heir apparent who now challenged by a self avowed Socialist, and now perhaps a Democrat, Republican, Independent Michael Bloomberg.

So… What’s going to happen?

Your guess is as good as mine, but I offer a few speculations. Our country is very divided both right and left. For Republicans to win they have to win a few of the big Electoral College states beyond the Lone Star State.

To effect real change, you have to win the election. Being mad doesn’t change anything. An Outsider without some compromise is unlikely to change much or bridge the divide in America.

On the Democrat side Bernie Sanders is extreme and outspoken. He wants income redistribution and is a pacifist. Hillary Clinton is scandal prone and for the most part is more Obama.

On the Republican side from the Iowa Caucuses thru the South Carolina primary there should be some consolidation into the ideological voter camps. Far right self anointed Tea Partiers who hate government and old line Conservatives (now branded as moderates).

From my view Ted Cruz will make some showing in Iowa. He has the endorsement of the Bob Vander Plaats and thus the Christian Coalition. He should rule in Iowa’s Bible Belt of Northwestern Iowa. Donald Trump has tremendous name identification. Trump’s ability and willingness to say anything to keep media attention on him and off others certainly is working.  He is riding high in the polls and we will see if this attention delivers for him at the Iowa Caucus and at the polls. Does he have a grassroots following that will actually turn out for him? After Iowa will the attention still be focused in a positive way on Trump?

Who will coalesce the non Tea Partiers? Will Marco Rubio pickup the pieces? Which other non Tea Partier’s will come out of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina? Bush? Kasich? Christie?  Rubio? When these questions begin to be answered there will be a clearer picture.

So I still don’t know. What I believe is the most electable Republican candidate in the General Election currently in the race is former Congressman and Ohio Governor John Kasich. Kasich will win Ohio, a Must Win State for the GOP. He also would be extremely competitive in big states, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and would make the Dems or others have to work in states  like New Jersey and Virginia. It is unlikely that Kasich will get the nomination but he might get a jump-start in the Granite State.

My personal extreme long shot hope is that the nominating process goes to the GOP convention in Cleveland in July where a deadlocked Party once again gives the job (nomination) to Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan is a Conservative who wants to govern and understands politics and governing are about addition not subtraction. My choice for the Vice Presidential nomination is Carly!

Bloomberg who may become an Independent candidate will appeal to many Centrists. There is not much chance he can win but his candidacy has the potential to help the Republicans. If Mayor Mike can take just a few wins in big States away from Democrats, it is theoretically possible the election could be thrown into the U S House of Representatives, if no candidate receives a majority of the Electoral College. If a third party candidate winning Electoral College votes seems unlikely, which it probably is; Remember in 1968 George Wallace, the American Independent Party candidate, won 46 Electoral College votes.

If an election is conducted in the U. S. House each State has one vote. Thus for example South Dakota would have the same vote as California or Massachusetts. The State’s vote is determined by a vote of each State’s Congressional delegation.

Yes this year is politically strange and unpredictable!