Saturday, November 22, 2014

What They're Saying in Albertville, Alabama

In Alabama Town, Obama Immigration Move Brings Hope and Sneers.   (The New York Times, 11/21/2014)





Obama Impeachment Quote of the Day: Rep Walter Jones Professes His Love for the Constitution

Photo credit:  U. S. Congress

Rep. Walter Jones Says Impeachment Is the Answer to Obama's Immigration Plans. (New American, 11/14/2014)

Jones's favorite parts of the Constitution.

Jones won re-election to an 11th term with 50/9% of the vote.

Other impeachment nonsense posts:
Republican Congressman from Colorado doesn't receive the I-word memo.  (11/21/2014)
Can you find the oxymoron?  (11/19/2014)
Impeachment quote of the day.  (11/18/2014)

Columbia County WI: Public Access Internet Computers (1999-2013) and Print Serial Subscriptions (1996-2013)


2010 population:  56,833

Public libraries in Columbia County:

This line-graph series is the result of my wondering if there's any pattern to the number of print serial subscriptions held by public libraries in relation to the increasing number of public access Internet computers provided by public libraries since 1999. (Earliest year for which Wisconsin statistics are available.)

Note: The 1996, 1997, 1998 Wisconsin public library annual reports asked for the following information: Libraries with Internet access. (Answered yes or no.) Libraries with electronic services. (Answered yes or no.) In 1999, public libraries reported the number of public access Internet computers for the first time in the annual report.


Percentage change in 2013 print serial subscriptions from peak year as shown on line graph: -11.3%. 
Other posts in series
(with percentage change in print serial subscriptions from peak year)
Adams County, -35.6%.  (11/12/2014)
Ashland County, -1.3%.  (11/13/2014)
Barron County, -18.5%.  (11/14/2014)
Bayfield County,+106%.  (11/15/2014)
Brown County, -22%.   (11/16/2014)
Buffalo County, -18%.  (11/17/2014)
Burnett County, -4.4%.  (11/18/2014)
Calumet County, -23.1%.  (11/19/2014)
Chippewa County, -37.6%.  (11/20/2014)
Clark County, -9.0%.  (11/21/2014)

Public Library Circulation and Circulation per Capita: Oklahoma (1990-2011)




Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries in the United States Survey (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2011)

For more information:
Oklahoma Department of Libraries.  Libraries' Annual Report Data for Fiscal Year.
Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA):   Oklahoma

Oklahoma's state library agency is in the "Board or Commission" category.   It is an independent agency in the executive branch with a 7-member governing board.






Top 5 states, percentage increase in library circulation (1990-2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Nevada 288%
  2. Colorado 205%
  3. Idaho 157%
  4. Florida 142%
  5. Arizona 139%
Bottom 5 states, percentage increase in library circulation (1990-2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Mississippi 10.2%
  2. Hawaii 11.8% 
  3. Louisiana 15.9%
  4. Alabama 28.1%
  5. Iowa 30.8%

Top 5 states, per capita library circulation (2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Ohio 16.6
  2. Indiana 13.6
  3. Colorado 13.0
  4. Minnesota 11.1
  5. Kansas 11.0
 Bottom 5 states, per capita library circulation (2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Mississippi 2.9
  2. Louisiana 4.41
  3. Alabama 4.42
  4. Georgia 4.5
  5. New Mexico (4.8, by my measure)

Related posts:  State, % circulation increase 1990-2011.
Alabama, 28.1%.  (10/18/2014) 
Alaska, 48.3%.  (10/19/2014)
Arizona, 139%.  (10/20/2014)
Arkansas, 70.1%.  (10/21/2014)
California, 66.9%.  (10/22/2014)
Colorado, 205%.  (10/23/2014)
Connecticut, 46.3%.  (10/24/2014)
Delaware, 104%.    (10/25/2014)
Florida, 142%.  (10/26/2014)
Georgia, 87.0%.  (10/27/2014)
Hawaii, 11.8%.  (10/28/2014)
Idaho, 157%.  (10/29/2014)
Illinois, 105%.  (10/30/2014)
Indiana, 75.6%.  (10/31/2014)
Iowa, 30.8%.  (11/1/2014)
Kansas, 62.7%.  (11/2/2014)
Kentucky, 69.5%.  (11/3/2014)
Louisiana, 15.9%.  (11/4/2014)
Maine, 40.5%.   (11/5/2014)
Maryland, 30.9%.  (11/6/2014)
Massachusetts, 75.3%.  (11/7/2014)
Michigan, 101%.  (11/8/2014)
Minnesota, 49.6%  (11/9/2014)
Mississippi, 10.2%.  (11/10/2014)
Missouri, 78.2%.  (11/11/2014)
Montana, 84.3%.  (11/12/2014)
Nebraska, 89.4%.  (11/13/2014)
Nevada, 288%.  (11/14/2015)
New Hampshire, 59%.  (11/15/2014)
New Jersey, 58.6%.  (11/16/2014)
New Mexico, 42.3%.  (11/17/2014
New York, 43.7%.  (11/18/2014)
North Carolina, 75.1%.  (11/19/2014)
North Dakota, 38.9%.  (11/20/2014)
Ohio, 71/7%.  (11/21/2014)

Friday, November 21, 2014

Optional for Everyone Else

Republican Congressman from Colorado Doesn't Receive the I-word memo

In love with Ted Cruz.


Congressman Doug Lamborn keeps alive the impeach Obama talk. (Denver Post, 11/20/2014)

Lamborn was re-elected to a 5th term with 60% of the vote.

New York Times Immigration Article on G.O.P. Hardliners Features These 2 Wingnuts

Some in G.O.P. Fear That Their Hard-Liners Will Alienate Latino Voters. (The New York Times, 11/20/2014)

Here's one of his choice quotes:
There are kids that were brought into this country by their parents unknowing they were breaking the law. And they will say to me and others who defend the rule of law, ‘We have to do something about the 11 million. Some of them are valedictorians.’ Well, my answer to that is…it’s true in some cases, but they aren’t all valedictorians. They weren’t all brought in by their parents. For every one who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act.


Bachmann: Obama turning ‘illiterate’ immigrants into Democratic voters.  (Washington Post, 11/19/2014)

Related articles:
The President or Congress: Who has the upper hand here?  (11/21/2014)
Well, well, well. Congressional Republicans give new meaning to the adjective "well-intentioned".  (11/20/2014)
White-haired dude wearing paisley tie throws hissy fit.  (4/7/2014)
Discouragement:  The other side of voter suppression.  (4/3/2014)
A river of orange tears: Boehner deflects blame on immigration reform.  (2/8/2014)
Lou Barlette, Meet Don Young.  (4/1/2013)
U.S. Rep. John Fleming (LA-04) sends a warning to Speaker John Boehner.  (11/10/2012)

The President or Congress: Who Has the Upper Hand Here?



Obama, Daring Congress, Acts to Overhaul Immigration.  (The New York Times, 11/20/2014)





No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative David Valadao, California's 21st Congressional District


  Photo sourceU.S. Congress
Text sourceFresno Bee

Denham currently serves on the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which conducts oversight over the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Forest Service.

Valadao was re-elected to a 2nd term with 59% of the vote.

No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.

Alabama Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives.   (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one word:  coal.  Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13.  The state's peak year of production:  1990)  
Alaska Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
  • At-large District.  Don Young (R).   Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.” 
 Arizona Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Arkansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
California Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Jeff Denham, California's 10th Congressional District


  Photo sourceU.S. Congress
Text sourceThinkProgress

Denham was re-elected to a 3rd term with 56.4% of the vote.

No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.

Alabama Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives.   (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one word:  coal.  Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13.  The state's peak year of production:  1990)  
Alaska Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
  • At-large District.  Don Young (R).   Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.” 
 Arizona Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Arkansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
California Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

UPDATE: Well, well, well. Congressional Republicans give new meaning to the adjective "well-intentioned"


As I noted on Wednesday.

Republicans Have A Long History Of Warning Obama Against 'Poisoning The Well'.  (Huffington Post, 11/20/2014)

Here's a list from American Bridge.   (Surprised it didn't pop up during my research, but perhaps it's just as well.  It might have led to overkill on my part.)

Original post starts here.
New Ways and Means chair Paul Ryan says Obama immigration move would 'poison the well' . (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/19/2014)


Boehner: If Obama "Acts Unilaterally" on Immigration, He Will "Poison the Well".  (Townhall, 11/6/2014)


McConnell warns Obama not to 'poison the well' after midterms rout.  (The Guardian, 11/5/2014


Rand Paul says Obama executive orders 'poison the well' on immigration.  (Lexington Herald-Leader, 7/1/2014)


Rubio: Obama 'poisoned the well' for reform on 'humanitarian' immigration crisis.  (Politico, 10/16/2012)


On immigration reform, Republicans have boxed themselves in.  (NewsWorks, 11/19/2014)

It clear where the evidence leads.
Obama gave the GOP - notably the House GOP - plenty of time to come up with a reform plan that would bring unauthorized immigrants out of the shadows. The Senate passed a reform plan last year (by a vote of 68-32) that potentially extended legal protection to millions, while toughening border security and boosting law enforcement funding. But the House GOP, which is in hock to the party's right-wing nativists, naturally did nothing.

Clark County WI: Public Access Internet Computers (1999-2013) and Print Serial Subscriptions (1996-2013)


2010 population:  34,690

Public libraries in Clark County:

This line-graph series is the result of my wondering if there's any pattern to the number of print serial subscriptions held by public libraries in relation to the increasing number of public access Internet computers provided by public libraries since 1999. (Earliest year for which Wisconsin statistics are available.)


Note: The 1996, 1997, 1998 Wisconsin public library annual reports asked for the following information: Libraries with Internet access. (Answered yes or no.) Libraries with electronic services. (Answered yes or no.) In 1999, public libraries reported the number of public access Internet computers for the first time in the annual report.


Percentage change in 2013 print serial subscriptions from peak year as shown on line graph: -9.0%. 
Other posts in series
(with percentage change in print serial subscriptions from peak year)
Adams County, -35.6%.  (11/12/2014)
Ashland County, -1.3%.  (11/13/2014)
Barron County, -18.5%.  (11/14/2014)
Bayfield County,+106%.  (11/15/2014)
Brown County, -22%.   (11/16/2014)
Buffalo County, -18%.  (11/17/2014)
Burnett County, -4.4%.  (11/18/2014)
Calumet County, -23.1%.  (11/19/2014)
Chippewa County, -37.6%.  (11/20/2014)

Public Library Circulation and Circulation per Capita: Ohio (1990-2011)




Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries in the United States Survey (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2011)

For more information:
State Library of Ohio.    Public Library Statistics.
Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA):   Ohio.

Ohio's state library agency is in the "Department of Education" category.   It is governed by a 5-member board appointed by the State Board of Education.  






Top 5 states, percentage increase in library circulation (1990-2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Nevada 288%
  2. Colorado 205%
  3. Idaho 157%
  4. Florida 142%
  5. Arizona 139%
Bottom 5 states, percentage increase in library circulation (1990-2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Mississippi 10.2%
  2. Hawaii 11.8% 
  3. Louisiana 15.9%
  4. Alabama 28.1%
  5. Iowa 30.8%

Top 5 states, per capita library circulation (2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Ohio 16.6
  2. Indiana 13.6
  3. Colorado 13.0
  4. Minnesota 11.1
  5. Kansas 11.0
 Bottom 5 states, per capita library circulation (2011) at this point in the alphabet:
  1. Mississippi 2.9
  2. Louisiana 4.41
  3. Alabama 4.42
  4. Georgia 4.5
  5. New Mexico (4.8, by my measure)

Related posts:  State, % circulation increase 1990-2011.
Alabama, 28.1%.  (10/18/2014) 
Alaska, 48.3%.  (10/19/2014)
Arizona, 139%.  (10/20/2014)
Arkansas, 70.1%.  (10/21/2014)
California, 66.9%.  (10/22/2014)
Colorado, 205%.  (10/23/2014)
Connecticut, 46.3%.  (10/24/2014)
Delaware, 104%.    (10/25/2014)
Florida, 142%.  (10/26/2014)
Georgia, 87.0%.  (10/27/2014)
Hawaii, 11.8%.  (10/28/2014)
Idaho, 157%.  (10/29/2014)
Illinois, 105%.  (10/30/2014)
Indiana, 75.6%.  (10/31/2014)
Iowa, 30.8%.  (11/1/2014)
Kansas, 62.7%.  (11/2/2014)
Kentucky, 69.5%.  (11/3/2014)
Louisiana, 15.9%.  (11/4/2014)
Maine, 40.5%.   (11/5/2014)
Maryland, 30.9%.  (11/6/2014)
Massachusetts, 75.3%.  (11/7/2014)
Michigan, 101%.  (11/8/2014)
Minnesota, 49.6%  (11/9/2014)
Mississippi, 10.2%.  (11/10/2014)
Missouri, 78.2%.  (11/11/2014)
Montana, 84.3%.  (11/12/2014)
Nebraska, 89.4%.  (11/13/2014)
Nevada, 288%.  (11/14/2015)
New Hampshire, 59%.  (11/15/2014)
New Jersey, 58.6%.  (11/16/2014)
New Mexico, 42.3%.  (11/17/2014
New York, 43.7%.  (11/18/2014)
North Carolina, 75.1%.  (11/19/2014)
North Dakota, 38.9%.  (11/20/2014)

Thursday, November 20, 2014

The Price of Isolation: In many instances, folks in Warren County PA have to drive more than a hour to reach their favorite burger chain

According to this Yahoo! Food map, Warren County residents have a preference for Steak 'n' Shake.

 Problem is, the chain has no locations there.


McDonald's, yes.  Burger King, yes.  Wendy's, yes.

But no Steak 'n' Shake.

A drive to Erie PA, most of it on 2-lane highways, is required.


Maybe someday, although with the county's population trending downward, I wouldn't hold my breath.





Like everyone else running for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination, Scott Walker will be pandering to the base

Report: Scott Walker preparing to launch presidential bid next year.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 11/20/2014)

Now that the election is over, Walker can't share enough information with us.  (Bullet points added.)
The Politico report, based on interviews with Walker and his "top political advisers," said Walker's 2015-17 budget and legislative agenda of 
  • drug-testing welfare recipients, 
  • expanding school vouchers and 
  • replacing the Common Core education standards, and 
  • lowering property taxes 
"would bolster his standing with Republican primary voters."

The guy's got his work cut out for him.

Real Clear Politics 

A steadily growing list of 2016 Republican primary posts:

No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Paul Cook, California's 8th Congressional District


Unmistakably bland and decidedly "unquoteworthy" compared to his colleagues representing California's 1st and 4th Congressional Districts.
 
Photo sourceU.S. Congress
Text source: Congressman Paul Cook

Cook's committee assignments focus on military, foreign affairs, and veterans' issues.

Cook was re-elected to a 2nd term with 68% of the vote.

And you'd be correct if, based on the above quote, you guessed that Cook is a member of ALEC.

No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.

Alabama Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives.   (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one word:  coal.  Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13.  The state's peak year of production:  1990)  
Alaska Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
  • At-large District.  Don Young (R).   Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.” 
 Arizona Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Arkansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
California Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives



No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Tom McClintock, California's 4th Congressional District

 
Photo sourceU.S. Congress
Text source: Congressman Tom McClintock

McClintock currently serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, as well as the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.  (Brings to mind this idiom.)

McClintock was re-elected to a 4th term with 60% of the vote.

No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.

Alabama Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives.   (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one word:  coal.  Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13.  The state's peak year of production:  1990)  
Alaska Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
  • At-large District.  Don Young (R).   Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.” 
 Arizona Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Arkansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
California Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives