STRANGE TWISTS OF LOGIC

Two things today, but in my own weird way, I think they’re related. First, the shocking story of minority hiring in Iowa. I say shocking because private employers are finding more qualified people to meet hiring goals than state government. Private sector businesses employ a whole 1-percent more minorities than government. This causes the Des Moines Register to fan out across the state and make it some kind of problem that needs to be addressed. Joseph Ellis of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services says it best…

"But we're going to have to change that."

The Register, in it’s own uniquely biased way asks a key question…”Does it matter?” and then answers it with some hack from another government spokesdork…

"It's always good to have a reflection of the community in our leaders and our servants," state ombudsman William Angrick said, although he is more concerned about the disproportionately high number of minorities in prison than the small shortfall in state minority employment. Still, Angrick said, a member of the public might believe that a state worker of the same sex or same ethnicity "perhaps would be respectful of who I am and where I came from" in making and administering decisions.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I was ever involved with government officials whether it be at the assessors office, DMV, county clerk, or a traffic cop – the color of the person I’m dealing with never entered my mind. It certainly never figured in my mind that I might get some kind of deal if the person behind the desk was “respectful of who I am and where I came from”…am I missing out on something? You other white-folks need to let me know if you’re getting your taxes reduced on your house because of your whiteness. I’ve never tried the old “hey, I’m white” tactic when I get pulled over for speeding.

More importantly, it seems to me we have elections every couple of years and I have yet to feel that the people I send there care about “who I am and where I came from” unless I was holding a big bag of campaign donations. 67-percent of us would like a death penalty; 85-percent want a balanced budget; 70-percent want lower taxes; 55-percent want less spending. So far, we white guys are striking out in being respected…much less having our community reflected.

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Yet another shocking development from the Editorial Department at the Register. They believe in the free market! I know, write this day down in your journal…I’m as surprised as you are. This week, Iowa State Racing and Gaming Commission will decide on how many new casinos to allow. The editorial says in part…

"...the commission will now decide which of 10 proposals will be approved for gambling licenses. Some members of the commission have hinted they might approve three. Others say they might go as far as five.The question the commission should answer first: Why not all 10?..."

Yeah…why not? Why not just exchange the name Iowa and settle for Vegas-lite? Now, read the really good part…

"...Here's the rule of thumb that should guide gambling expansion in Iowa: Once the residents of a county have said at the ballot box they want gambling, the state should not stand in the way - provided applicants seeking licenses meet state standards. Winners and losers should be sorted out in the marketplace, not in a state commission boardroom..."

Can I just have that written in stone? I’d like to include that little gem the next time a Wal-Mart wants to move into a suburb of Des Moines. Oh, and that poll that says 67-percent of us want a death penalty…I guess that should still be sorted out in boardrooms.

For fun, let’s just change a few words and let the Register speak for itself on another issue Iowans are curious about:

"...In short: Beyond regulatory concerns of business' integrity and financial soundness, the commission shouldn't trouble itself with the financial or moral impact of additional..."(Wal-Mart stores or anything else a clear majority of Iowans want).