With U.S. Oil Supply Climbing, Some Call For End To Export Ban : NPR

With U.S. Oil Supply Climbing, Some Call For End To Export Ban : NPR

The "some" certainly does not include the American consumer.  The United States is already the largest worldwide exporter of refined products but to allow export of crude oil would only do more to place the United States at the mercy of the giant oil producers and the world market rate for crude oil.  This is perhaps the last hedge that the consumer has against extreme pricing and it is a lucrative export market for our refined products.

Held Hostage

Sisi says coalition must battle Islamic State and others | World | Reuters



it seems action in the Middle East to combat ISIL will require supporting despotic regimes in their efforts to remain in power.  Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq.  They all want us to deal with their problems of restive populations.

Art in the Vineyard and Cooperative Efforts

Art in the Vineyard is an oasis, literally and figuratively, nestled in the rolling hills of Eastern Pulaski County. Shown as a cooperative effort between Cedar Creek Vineyards and the Watershed Arts Alliance it celebrates wine-making, music, arts and crafts in the setting of the residence and vineyards of Jeff, Debbie, Isaiah and Micah Wiles. After a long driveway through the deep woods one suddenly bursts into the sunlight and sees open fields and grapevines on the slopes and a home in the middle of it all.

This event, Art in the Vineyard, has become an annual event that allows the different arts and crafts to come together in a bucolic, rural setting to showcase some of the best efforts of the mostly local artisans. At least two of our local authors were present to sell and autograph their works as were the widely varied artisans there.

A decade ago an event such as this would have been nearly inconceivable. Over the past few years things have happened in our local area that I did not expect to live long enough to see but it just reinforces the idea that there is a tipping point after which the floodgates open and change becomes the norm. It isn't that people were not working in areas that have recently become more visible but it is that their efforts are now being rewarded. The long quest for legal alcohol sales was a critical part of the solution but is wasn't just so people could go out and party like it's 1999. That one thing allowed the creation of many venues for artistic expression by providing a way to actually make those things a profitable venture. New businesses are still feeling their way around to get an understanding of the competitive nature of their endeavors. The business models are still evolving. Free enterprise will determine which of these businesses find success and also those who will fail. On the other hand there has been an explosion of community based efforts to provide entertainment and revenue opportunities to people in the area. The Market on Main comes to mind as a successful community based effort that draws hundreds of people to the downtown area to buy the products of the local farmers and other entrepreneurs. In the meantime, some exposure is given to local talent and that has a rebounding effect of drawing even more people to downtown.

The long struggle to reclaim the Virginia Theater for downtown has regained the public's attention. Even if the business model has not yet been determined it has the potential to be a valuable source of attraction to the downtown area and that will encourage other venues to open up to both serve and take advantage of business opportunities. These are some fine examples of public/private partnerships and how they can be immensely favorable in the development of a progressive community. In the same manner as the entertainment venues there is also a tipping point when a community becomes recognized as being one that is eager to support new business ventures. Once that tipping point is reached then there will be an explosion of jobs and new opportunities. Our children will no longer have to leave home to find their version of the American Dream.

There are several important ventures in the pipeline, all of which will require a measure of public/private partnerships. The project we keep hearing of to build a new hotel near the Center for Rural Development in order to attract more convention business to the area is one. An upgrade to Pulaski County Park that will attract more vacationers and water sports enthusiasts to come here and spend their money here is another. Perhaps one with the most potential is the redevelopment of Burnside Island. I am no fan of turning public properties over to private industry but there are ways to do this that can be of great benefit to everyone.

Personally, I think what I have seen of the plans for Burnside Island are far too short sighted. Bring the chair lift spoken of on over to Lakeshore Drive and create a corridor right up French Avenue to Main Street and Burnside has potential to become a Gatlinburg on Lake Cumberland. It is the only city that has direct access to the lake with an existing dock. The possibilities are endless but Burnside may need some help with capital requirements and this is where Pulaski County government can step in to become a partner. I have spoken from time to time about there being no advantage for Somerset to accept a merged government but with an improved financial outlook and evidence of progressive government that could change. It will be a while down the road but Rome was not built in a day. Lexington was a one horse college town until IBM came to town. That one thing opened the floodgates and now Lexington is a very attractive place to live.

Just like the advances made in the arts and entertainment communities these efforts will be built piece by piece until the tipping point is reached. When that happens we will experience a growth of opportunity for every citizen of the area but we will never get there is we continue to do things the same old way. Sometimes progress is frightening but a community can't just stay in one place. You are either going forward or falling back and we don't need to fall back another inch.

My take is that we should take the advice of that old gospel tune, “Step into the water.”

Neither Democrats nor Republicans on sure footing ahead of midterm elections

Neither Democrats nor Republicans on sure footing ahead of midterm elections

Towers of Remembrance

9/11/01 is burned into the collective
memory of people who were alive on that date. Watching those planes
hit the great towers in New York created a national trauma that will
last for the reach of those generations. The symbolism of the attack
on the edifice that represents our military might was not lost on us.
The bravery of those passengers who refused to allow Flight 93 to
complete its mission to attack the symbol of our great nation, the
White House, was inspiring. Much like 12/7/41 represents the bombing
of Pearl Harbor that date marks the national memory of a long battle
to combat extremism that desires harm for our country world wide.

We have draped those towers in the
national flag of remembrance and resolve to seek out those who gained
from that tragedy and bring them to justice. We have used those
towers to create a lasting enmity toward anyone we perceive to be
anti-American. Those towers represent justification for our response
and any excesses we may have committed in that response. We have
failed to take into account in our response the effect on the
national freedom and independence of the people who have given up a
bit of freedom in the quest for security.

Our initial response was appropriate
and directed. Our execution of that response had flaws that led us
into a decade and more of war in which very few had to feel the
effects of. It led us to establish a gigantic security bureaucracy
that had never existed before and, in some minds, create a government
that is prying into our private affairs. Did this improve security.
I am doubtful. One thing that has never reached the level of
national conversation is the why of the question. Why did they do
this? It is not enough to say they hate our democracy. It is not
enough to say it is a spiritual war of Islam against Christianity.
It is not enough to say there is a military solution and it is not
enough to continue sacrificing our young men and women to maintain a
sensation of actually doing something.

Even though those terrorists can
inflict pain on our national psyche they have no chance of defeating
us with such tactics. We could lose numbers like this weekly for a
long time, and these powers are unable to do that, without sustaining
great harm to our systems if we refused to be terrorized. Their
motive is to create dysfunction in our society and they have
succeeded in that goal. Not the least of the effects is the great
treasure we have expended world wide in combat. Perhaps the greatest
effect has been the surrender of our individual freedoms which is
what the terrorists wanted to do. That is what damages us most.

But, today we can mourn the loss of our
fellow citizens. They were victims of a cowardly attack, not on our
military but of the symbols of American Power. They were going about
their lives in a routine way without a thought for desperation and
hatred from places most had never given a moment's thought. We can
mourn the loss of the men and women who have died in the fog of war,
some necessarily and some not. And we can mourn the loss of our
innocence and our complacent attitude that we were looked upon with
envy by everyone.

But, just as we met the threat with
resolve we can also resolve to show that the United States is a land
that loves peace and compassion. We can resolve that, in addition to
defeating our enemies, we can meet them at the tables of negotiation
and attempt to resolve differences. Make no mistake, all of the
fault is not our own. Terroristic attacks on innocent people will
never be a proper response to perceived grievances but we are the
United States of America. We can afford to be great.

Why won't the Arabs fight their own battles?

US faces Arab reluctance in Islamic State fight - The Washington Post: “They need to be involved. This is their neighborhood. The dangers that are posed are more directed at them right now than they are us,” Obama said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”





The Saudis are scared to death that some group like ISIL is going to pop up on the Arabian Peninsula and try to overthrow the monarchy.  Jordan is the only country that has been helping the problem by taking in thousands of refugees from Syria and Iraq.  In the past the United States has jumped right in and took the lead role in the fighting.  Now, the President is insisting that the Arab states put some skin in the game.  I'm down with that.  I'm sick and tired of the United States being used as a mercenary army by the Saudis and other oppressive regimes.

What Should We Call It

Hypocrisy or something nicer?

I am not going to call it hypocrisy. That word carries a connotation of malevolent intent and effectively snuffs out conversation about an issue. If you want to really get someone's back up just accuse them of this fault. There are other words though. One may call it being disingenuous, one may call it a lack of understanding or just simply being unwilling to look at issues with an eye to the causes and effects of some action. I suppose one could sometimes call it selfishness but that is getting pretty close to hypocrisy.

I have been paying pretty close attention to the Centrepointe development in downtown Lexington that the Webb Brothers have been trying to take somewhere for quite a few years now. It seems to me that they knowingly misled the city administration and cajoled them into allowing the destruction of a historically and architecturally significant block of buildings just to create a bare space that would somehow encourage the city to eagerly accept anything to fill up the spot. They said they had financing in place for an expansive project and it was only after the destruction of those properties that they admitted the financing had evaporated. To be sure, the Great Recession intervened but there are a lot of questions of intent that have never been answered. Now they are asking the city to issue $30 million in bonds to underwrite the construction of a three story parking garage under the development. First the city asked the state to issue the bonds but it declined. Now, the city is looking at hooking itself for the bond issue and the developers wait with bated breath assuring everyone that the project will continue even if the bond issue is not approved. Hmmmm!

But, I do not come here to talk about Lexington's downtown project but it serves as a fine example of something that quite a few people are beginning to talk about. Something that we, here in Somerset-Pulaski County, have had some experience with and could experience more in the future. What I am referring to is the creation of special taxing districts that would procure Tax Increment Financing for projects using the taxes generated by the project to pay the costs.

All that to get here. I read Mike Whitaker's letter in the newspaper the other day and I have to say that I agree with his point. We should do all that we can to present our community in the best possible light when it comes to making an attractive place for people to do business. I would not limit that effort to just being presentable to our visitors but also to other businesses that might locate here. The city has done a pretty good job of that but a lot of the local business district is still served by county government. I wrote a column a couple of weeks ago about perhaps planting medians with native wildflowers but that may not work as well along US 27 in the business district. In addition to mowing and not impeding traffic with construction we could also give more attention to better code enforcement and planning and zoning. There are stretches of US 27 that are now beginning to look like someone may have given some thought to development and it has only taken fifty years to get here. Things like that show that there are governmental structures in place that not only care what the area looks like but are sensitive to property values and advancements that would enhance commerce. One of the things that could indicate a progressive community is a public wi-fi system that would offer speeds only dreamed of with the current providers. The internet has now invaded every aspect of business and should be considered a utility rather than just entertainment. If private enterprise is unwilling to take on the task then governmental entities should shoulder the load.

One of the critical issues in this years County Judge Executive race is how the county will usher in an attitude that we are a community that wants businesses to locate here. This is not simply the old saw of getting out of the way and letting business do what it will. It also includes various intangible benefits that offer the employees of those businesses reason to believe they are not looking at an artistic and entertainment desert. Government must present itself as capable and knowledgeable and not just a pushover. Preparation of the population to supply the needs of modern industry has to be developed and made visible. Since tourism is a major industry here there should be attractions that offer plenty to do while not on the lake. Public/private partnerships can be useful here.

Both the city and the county have development districts that have the power to offer tax abatements to induce business to locate here and have done that quite a few times, some with success and some not. We must be diligent to insure that the taxpayer is receiving good benefit from the forgiveness of taxes. Here is where the TIF financing comes in. There is a certain logic for the use of tax increment financing but those who argue that it has no cost to the taxpayer are just wrong. They argue that the financing is paid for from taxes that would not have been generated otherwise and to a degree that is true. But not totally. If a government is expected to provide services then there must be revenues to support it and that has to come from somewhere. I would like to see a summary of how tax forgiveness has paid off for our area. It seems that we have been able to attract low wage jobs that are gone soon after the period of abatement is done. That only results in empty factories that present a poor picture to new business. What we must NOT do is be seen as a provincial town and county that does not want anything to change and we have been guilty of that in the past.

But if we are going to do that then government will have to be part of the solution. When we do that will there be howls of “SOCIALISM” or does that just apply when government tries to help citizens rather than businesses? Is it OK to provide benefits to businesses to the exclusion of helping the men and women in the trenches? That's not hypocrisy is it?

My Take? Let's make the candidates talk about specifics.