Just for the heck of it. Before stuff even goes down. Because -- well, we help people out around here. Even if they secretly think we're all a bunch o' backwards hicks.
Red Cross volunteers and others are headed to the East Coast to help out in case Hurricane Irene slams the coast good.
We've always been a helping people. Officially, we're second in the nation among percentage of residents who volunteer (nearly 38 percent of us do), contributing almost 40 hours per resident per year (ranking us 13th).
So next time I hear one o' ya New Yorkers bitchin' about how flat and corny we are... well, I'd better not hear that.
h/t Des Moines Register
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Iowa Hate: ABC News: 'Rural job creation plan may simply shift resources'
This one ain't just Iowa, folks. It hits everybody who's ever felt that, ya know, rural folks deserve doctors too, and maybe a modicum of health care, and all that. But it happened because of President Obama's rural jobs tour, which took place in Peosta, Iowa, so it's going on the blog.
The offense: Pretty much the biggest premise of the article, but specifically the following:
And while it's clear ABC News sought him out to assess the economic plan as it relates to job creation, and not to muse on whether farm folks deserve them some physicians, Bronars clearly does both.
Breakin' down the nastiness:
"Allowing citizens to access Labor Department job search information at field offices could be beneficial, but the key question is whether applicants’ skills will match the positions for which employers are hiring" -- keep in mind, here, that what we're talking about is making current, already-in-existence USDA offices nationwide, of which there are 2,800, keep job search information available. That's it. Help people get better access to job information when they're out of work without spending another dime on a new office. And we're supposed to believe this only "could be beneficial?" And maybe it won't be because those dumb, backwards rednecks wouldn't even have no skills for jobs anyway?
Mean level: On a scale from "peeved" to "rioting with a pitchfork," I'm giving it "smoke coming out of my ears." Next.
"Targeting job creation in rural areas could potentially displace a job in another area of the country" -- Oh NOES! The jobs! They are being potentially taken, by this plan, and given to the backwoods hicks! Whatever will the urbanites, who so deserve it more, do now? Are we going to make THEM move to rural places? If those rural people want jobs, THEY should move! Obviously! Because that's definitely not what is already happening. Brain drain, psh -- that's just what some science-y people who moved to the country thought up. If we pack all them people into sardine cans in New York City, we can just put all the jobs THERE! Problem solved! We only use 10 percent of our brains anyway; why not do the same with our economy?
(sarcasm paragraph over)
Really, Bronars? Did you think this up when your wait at Starbucks went up from 8 minutes to 10, and you figured it was because they had to fire someone due to the economy giving jobs to the farm folks and all? News flash: rural jobs, which tend to be of the agricultural and manufacturing sort, are disappearing at a rapid rate. This has been happening for a long time. Know how to change that? With more job opportunities in the rural sector! I think it's actually the point of President Obama's plan. WEIRD, I KNOW. MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ IT.
Mean level: On a scale of "iced mocha" to "double expresso," I'm going with "steamer."
"If this rural physician is displaced from an urban or suburban area, Bronars said there may be one fewer physician in urban and suburban areas" --- OK, OK, wait. There are long lines and such, in big cities! And they need more doctors because they have more population! But are we REALLY saying that, in order to give them farm folks a doctor that they don't have to drive two hours to see, we have to take away a doctor in a big city, thereby increasing their wait times and potentially harming the health of hundreds just to get Farmer Ned in for his annual physical?
Leaving aside the question of who deserves care more -- Rural Ron or Urban...Ursula? (suggestions on U-names accepted at amzpoet@gmail.com) -- this assertion simply isn't true. There ARE doctors in urban areas. There simply aren't doctors in rural areas. Period. End of story. Ned and Ron have to get into their pickups and drive down country roads for hours at a time until they get to a hospital that can treat all their needs. If they're lucky, they can drive less than an hour for one of those clinics that might not even have an M.D. on staff. True story. If you have a heart attack, 20 percent of the population of the United States is probably trusting it all to a nurse practitioner or, heavens, simply a midwife. That's what they mean by "rural health clinic."
People all over the country, and the world, are increasingly moving to the cities for work because there isn't work in the rural areas that they want to accept. But there are also loads of people who want to stay in their hometown and, therefore, get trained for a skill their hometown would employ them at. What if that skill is medicine, and their town just opened up a clinic? Are you saying that, because this young person would have otherwise moved to the Big City, that they don't deserve to stay in their hometown and treat their own? Or that a Big Cityan who wants to move to the country shouldn't?
Or maybe, just maybe, Bronars is saying that now that the rough economy has come to the big bad urban areas, those rural problems aren't as important. They're not going to impact "job creation," after all. Rural people need doctors; so what? It's not his problem to be nice to farm folks. It's his job to talk about the economy.
Just at the expense of Iowans.
The offense: Pretty much the biggest premise of the article, but specifically the following:
The offender: Stephen Bronars, a senior economist with Welch Consulting in Washington, D.C. (Nothing says "I talk to the press all day" like that title.) And yet, here we have another Midwesterner In Name Only -- Bronars went to three different schools in Illinois, including the University of Illinois Urbana, which is sort of rural if Bronars happened to step beyond the bounds of campus once in a while and notice things.Bronars also said the allowing citizens to access Labor Department job search information at field offices could be beneficial, but the key question is whether applicants’ skills will match the positions for which employers are hiring.Economists would have difficulty estimating the number of jobs created from the preliminary plans. Bronars warns that targeting job creation in rural areas could potentially displace a job in another area of the country. ...If this rural physician is displaced from an urban or suburban area, Bronars said there may be one fewer physician in urban and suburban areas, which could lead to less revenue and fewer jobs where the physician would have otherwise been placed.“The net impact of this program on jobs must account for both the increase in health services provided in the rural communities and the decrease in services provided in other areas,” which will likely lead to lower job creation numbers, Bronars said.
And while it's clear ABC News sought him out to assess the economic plan as it relates to job creation, and not to muse on whether farm folks deserve them some physicians, Bronars clearly does both.
Breakin' down the nastiness:
"Allowing citizens to access Labor Department job search information at field offices could be beneficial, but the key question is whether applicants’ skills will match the positions for which employers are hiring" -- keep in mind, here, that what we're talking about is making current, already-in-existence USDA offices nationwide, of which there are 2,800, keep job search information available. That's it. Help people get better access to job information when they're out of work without spending another dime on a new office. And we're supposed to believe this only "could be beneficial?" And maybe it won't be because those dumb, backwards rednecks wouldn't even have no skills for jobs anyway?
Mean level: On a scale from "peeved" to "rioting with a pitchfork," I'm giving it "smoke coming out of my ears." Next.
"Targeting job creation in rural areas could potentially displace a job in another area of the country" -- Oh NOES! The jobs! They are being potentially taken, by this plan, and given to the backwoods hicks! Whatever will the urbanites, who so deserve it more, do now? Are we going to make THEM move to rural places? If those rural people want jobs, THEY should move! Obviously! Because that's definitely not what is already happening. Brain drain, psh -- that's just what some science-y people who moved to the country thought up. If we pack all them people into sardine cans in New York City, we can just put all the jobs THERE! Problem solved! We only use 10 percent of our brains anyway; why not do the same with our economy?
(sarcasm paragraph over)
Really, Bronars? Did you think this up when your wait at Starbucks went up from 8 minutes to 10, and you figured it was because they had to fire someone due to the economy giving jobs to the farm folks and all? News flash: rural jobs, which tend to be of the agricultural and manufacturing sort, are disappearing at a rapid rate. This has been happening for a long time. Know how to change that? With more job opportunities in the rural sector! I think it's actually the point of President Obama's plan. WEIRD, I KNOW. MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ IT.
Mean level: On a scale of "iced mocha" to "double expresso," I'm going with "steamer."
"If this rural physician is displaced from an urban or suburban area, Bronars said there may be one fewer physician in urban and suburban areas" --- OK, OK, wait. There are long lines and such, in big cities! And they need more doctors because they have more population! But are we REALLY saying that, in order to give them farm folks a doctor that they don't have to drive two hours to see, we have to take away a doctor in a big city, thereby increasing their wait times and potentially harming the health of hundreds just to get Farmer Ned in for his annual physical?
Leaving aside the question of who deserves care more -- Rural Ron or Urban...Ursula? (suggestions on U-names accepted at amzpoet@gmail.com) -- this assertion simply isn't true. There ARE doctors in urban areas. There simply aren't doctors in rural areas. Period. End of story. Ned and Ron have to get into their pickups and drive down country roads for hours at a time until they get to a hospital that can treat all their needs. If they're lucky, they can drive less than an hour for one of those clinics that might not even have an M.D. on staff. True story. If you have a heart attack, 20 percent of the population of the United States is probably trusting it all to a nurse practitioner or, heavens, simply a midwife. That's what they mean by "rural health clinic."
People all over the country, and the world, are increasingly moving to the cities for work because there isn't work in the rural areas that they want to accept. But there are also loads of people who want to stay in their hometown and, therefore, get trained for a skill their hometown would employ them at. What if that skill is medicine, and their town just opened up a clinic? Are you saying that, because this young person would have otherwise moved to the Big City, that they don't deserve to stay in their hometown and treat their own? Or that a Big Cityan who wants to move to the country shouldn't?
Or maybe, just maybe, Bronars is saying that now that the rough economy has come to the big bad urban areas, those rural problems aren't as important. They're not going to impact "job creation," after all. Rural people need doctors; so what? It's not his problem to be nice to farm folks. It's his job to talk about the economy.
Just at the expense of Iowans.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Iowa Hate: Huffington Post: 'A tiny Midwestern state ... gets to decide'
I could get all eastcoasty on you folks and point out that all the Huffington Post does is steal news from other people for the most part, but that'd be just mean. Instead, I'll point out how their writer is unnecessarily unfair to Iowa, and Iowans, for no reason other than to just be mean.
First, the offense:
So enough of that. Let's break it down.
"A tiny Midwestern state" -- Iowa, according to the U.S. Census, is the 30th most populous state in the United States. So, if you were to ask us if we're in the "big" half or the "tiny" half of the United States, OK, I'll give you that we're in the tiny half. But we're certainly not the tiniest.
But the writers insist that we're a "tiny Midwestern state," which seems to mean, to my Iowa brain, tiny compared to other Midwestern states. Let's compare:
Illinois: 12,830,632 (5th)
Ohio: 11,536,504 (7th)
Indiana: 6,483,802 (15th)
Missouri: 5,988,927 (18th)
Wisconsin: 5,686,986 (20th)
Minnesota: 5,303,925 (21st)
Iowa: 3,046,355 (30th)
Kansas: 2,853,116 (33rd)
Nebraska: 1,826,341 (38th)
South Dakota: 814,180 (46th)
North Dakota: 672,591 (48th)
So, yeah, I mean, I ain't a statistician or nothin', but how is that not the heck right in the middle, there? We sure ain't the tiniest.
And I ain't hatin' on North Dakota, neither. (I feel for y'all, being that "Fargo" pretty much happened in Minnesota and the accents in that movie were stupider-n-heck, Cohen brothers be damned.) Even if we WERE the tiniest Midwestern state, what're you saying? You saying we can't be decidin' on things if we don't have the biggest population? If the first-in-the-nation political caucuses were held in Rhode Island or Alaska, would they not deserve it? Cause, you know, there's less of 'em, and all? And therefore, because they don't see fit to pack their people into sardine cans they like to call high-rise buildings and projects, they don't count?
Psh. Shaddup with your "tiny" this and "tiny" that, or we'll think you're overcompensating for somethin'.
"Little harmed by the Great Recession" -- I mean, I don't wanna do your jobs over there for you at HuffPost, but if you're gonna straight up lie about us, I gotta set the facts straight. (Also, that's kind of what I do here.)
If by "little harmed" you mean there haven't been hundreds of closures and thousands of mass layoffs nearly ever quarter, or that initial unemployment claims, number of unemployed and the amount of unemployment paid by the state aren't up, or that existing home sales haven't been trending either close to or worse than trends elsewhere, or that construction weekly earnings aren't down, you're incorrect, Misters Delaney and (Turncoat) Kingkade.
And if by "little harmed" you mean we didn't have an almost paralyzing standoff between our state legislators regarding a budget deal, an act that very closely mirrored what would later play out at the federal level, you weren't paying attention.
Don't you love caucus time, Iowans? A time when candidates for president tromp through the corners and cities of our fair state, proclaiming their "love," while the national media (HuffPost, be glad I'm including you in "media") tromps after them, stuffing their faces with fried butter on a stick and tweeting all about the "small town charm" and other such code words that really mean "oh, geez, Iowa gets all this attention and they don't REALLY deserve it, because TINY! Also, stuff on a stick at the Fair! And country music! Blerggh! It's summer and I'd rather be spending it at my Martha's Vineyard beach house! Not with these weirdos sitting on a porch! Can this be DONE already! Except, paychecks! Pass that fried Twinkie, please!"
We're onto you. We may not say much, but we're thinking it. And right about now, we're thinking, "oh geez, another bunch of braggarts thinkin' they're gonna be President! Bunch of nutcases! What's that? I get to meet them all, thereby allowing my vote to actually be influenced by a REAL person instead of a soundbite or two? Oh. Yeah. I want to keep that going. Because, democracy, and all. Pass that fried Twinkie, please!"
So. "Gets to decide who will lead the discussion?" Yeah. That's the most important part to us. Because, yeah, politicians are all a bunch of blowhard crazy people, but they -- and this is the key part -- actually treat Iowans, if only once every four years, like we MATTER. Like we're PEOPLE with OPINIONS that should be VALUED. Unlike some HuffPo reporters I may or may not have previously mentioned.
And, you know what? We deserve to be valued. Because, unlike some parts of the country we could name, we're a pretty politically diverse set of people, with opinions grounded in reality, because nobody likes to be a blowhard around here. We fancy ourselves to be rational, reasonable people, who can think and vote for themselves and who like to have ONE LITTLE TINY SLIVER OF DIGNITY ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS OR SO.
So would you let us have it?
'K, thanks.
First, the offense:
At a time when the shambling economy dominates the national political debate, a tiny Midwestern state little harmed by the Great Recession gets to decide who will lead the discussion.The offenders: Arthur Delaney, a reporter for the HuffPost based in Washington, D.C., and -- more egregiously -- Tyler Kingkade, who is from Des Moines! Which of course goes to show that you leave Iowa, you bad mouth it to fit in. Don't put this all on Kingkade, however; he's only got 130 "likes" on Facebook compared to Delaney's "1K"-plus, meaning Delaney has probably been at HuffPo longer than Kingkade, or at least works on more stories for the newsstealer, and is therefore likely the senior "reporter" for this story and probably made most of the decisions on the direction of the story and the lead and whatnot.
So enough of that. Let's break it down.
"A tiny Midwestern state" -- Iowa, according to the U.S. Census, is the 30th most populous state in the United States. So, if you were to ask us if we're in the "big" half or the "tiny" half of the United States, OK, I'll give you that we're in the tiny half. But we're certainly not the tiniest.
But the writers insist that we're a "tiny Midwestern state," which seems to mean, to my Iowa brain, tiny compared to other Midwestern states. Let's compare:
Illinois: 12,830,632 (5th)
Ohio: 11,536,504 (7th)
Indiana: 6,483,802 (15th)
Missouri: 5,988,927 (18th)
Wisconsin: 5,686,986 (20th)
Minnesota: 5,303,925 (21st)
Iowa: 3,046,355 (30th)
Kansas: 2,853,116 (33rd)
Nebraska: 1,826,341 (38th)
South Dakota: 814,180 (46th)
North Dakota: 672,591 (48th)
So, yeah, I mean, I ain't a statistician or nothin', but how is that not the heck right in the middle, there? We sure ain't the tiniest.
And I ain't hatin' on North Dakota, neither. (I feel for y'all, being that "Fargo" pretty much happened in Minnesota and the accents in that movie were stupider-n-heck, Cohen brothers be damned.) Even if we WERE the tiniest Midwestern state, what're you saying? You saying we can't be decidin' on things if we don't have the biggest population? If the first-in-the-nation political caucuses were held in Rhode Island or Alaska, would they not deserve it? Cause, you know, there's less of 'em, and all? And therefore, because they don't see fit to pack their people into sardine cans they like to call high-rise buildings and projects, they don't count?
Psh. Shaddup with your "tiny" this and "tiny" that, or we'll think you're overcompensating for somethin'.
"Little harmed by the Great Recession" -- I mean, I don't wanna do your jobs over there for you at HuffPost, but if you're gonna straight up lie about us, I gotta set the facts straight. (Also, that's kind of what I do here.)
If by "little harmed" you mean there haven't been hundreds of closures and thousands of mass layoffs nearly ever quarter, or that initial unemployment claims, number of unemployed and the amount of unemployment paid by the state aren't up, or that existing home sales haven't been trending either close to or worse than trends elsewhere, or that construction weekly earnings aren't down, you're incorrect, Misters Delaney and (Turncoat) Kingkade.
And if by "little harmed" you mean we didn't have an almost paralyzing standoff between our state legislators regarding a budget deal, an act that very closely mirrored what would later play out at the federal level, you weren't paying attention.
Don't you love caucus time, Iowans? A time when candidates for president tromp through the corners and cities of our fair state, proclaiming their "love," while the national media (HuffPost, be glad I'm including you in "media") tromps after them, stuffing their faces with fried butter on a stick and tweeting all about the "small town charm" and other such code words that really mean "oh, geez, Iowa gets all this attention and they don't REALLY deserve it, because TINY! Also, stuff on a stick at the Fair! And country music! Blerggh! It's summer and I'd rather be spending it at my Martha's Vineyard beach house! Not with these weirdos sitting on a porch! Can this be DONE already! Except, paychecks! Pass that fried Twinkie, please!"
We're onto you. We may not say much, but we're thinking it. And right about now, we're thinking, "oh geez, another bunch of braggarts thinkin' they're gonna be President! Bunch of nutcases! What's that? I get to meet them all, thereby allowing my vote to actually be influenced by a REAL person instead of a soundbite or two? Oh. Yeah. I want to keep that going. Because, democracy, and all. Pass that fried Twinkie, please!"
So. "Gets to decide who will lead the discussion?" Yeah. That's the most important part to us. Because, yeah, politicians are all a bunch of blowhard crazy people, but they -- and this is the key part -- actually treat Iowans, if only once every four years, like we MATTER. Like we're PEOPLE with OPINIONS that should be VALUED. Unlike some HuffPo reporters I may or may not have previously mentioned.
And, you know what? We deserve to be valued. Because, unlike some parts of the country we could name, we're a pretty politically diverse set of people, with opinions grounded in reality, because nobody likes to be a blowhard around here. We fancy ourselves to be rational, reasonable people, who can think and vote for themselves and who like to have ONE LITTLE TINY SLIVER OF DIGNITY ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS OR SO.
So would you let us have it?
'K, thanks.
An Introduction to My Humble Iowa Blog
Well golly gee willikers, folks, looks like I done finally got around to figuring out the ol' Intertubular Web and made m'self a lil' blog!
Or is that too tech-y for the folks in Flyover Country?
Let me put it to ya plain, 'cause we are in a major recession, and folks ain't got too much time interrupting their job searches to read too much of my jabber:
I'm tired of the hate. Specifically, the hate toward Iowa, the Midwest and just about anywheres that ain't New York City and Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles (and they hate D.C. and L.A., too, so I hear).
Now, if you're from Iowa, or lived here for any amount of time, you know how we operate. We're not proud. We're humble. We don't like to promote ourselves too much for fear of being seen as a braggart or too big for our britches. And when people from the coasts put us down in the press, well, we just tell ourselves they don't know as much as they like to let on, pull our hats a little further down, and keep on walkin'.
Well, I don't know about you, but I'm plum tired of it. Tired of defending my state when I travel. Tired of correcting people on the street in bigger cities. Tired of people trying to tell me I live on a farm (never have), that I have an accent (does Johnny Carson have a damn accent?), that I've never known anything but corn, that I only wear comfortable shoes, that I can't know fashion or exotic travel or sushi or good seafood or tall buildings or city life or the ways of the world... you get the picture. Iowans are uncultured, "big-boned," unaware, unfit for political decision-making, farm-living, backwards rural hicks. At best, we're quaint. At worst, we're ... well, everything they can think up.
Are you sick of it yet? Aren't you tired of constantly having to prove you're cultured, despite wearing an Iowa Hawkeyes t-shirt to a New York steak place (like they even HAVE "New York" steaks, psh)? Aren't you sick of the incredulous looks when you mention having listened to Vampire Weekend, despite the fact that you possibly live in a place where horses used to graze? Isn't it time to say enough's enough?
I am. It is. And the time's now.
So call up Mediacom and order some more bandwidth, 'cause you're gonna need it for this blog. I'm a one-woman crew on a mission to dismantle everything you've heard and can no longer stomach about our state.
Maybe it's not even your state. Maybe you, too, identify with being called "uncultured" or a "hick" or a "redneck." Hell, you don't have to live in Iowa to know that, except for a privileged few, most of us get the short shaft when it comes to people misidentifying us, misleading others and generally making it harder for us to hold our heads up high.
That changes today. I'll be documenting media and non-media examples of Iowa Hate that's plain unfair and untrue, and I'll also be bringing to you examples of Iowa Love -- basically what makes me proud to have been born, raised and lived most of my life in this great state. The purpose of this blog is to give us back our dignity, show the truth about this state. And you know there's a lot to be proud of. Some folks just don't want us to know about it.
I may be on a mission, but I'll need some comrades along the way to help out. Send all Iowa Hate and Iowa Love to amzpoet@gmail.com. Heck, I'll even credit you with sending it my way if your little heart desires.
And don't forget the most important thing: Haters gonna hate.
Love 'em back.
Or is that too tech-y for the folks in Flyover Country?
Let me put it to ya plain, 'cause we are in a major recession, and folks ain't got too much time interrupting their job searches to read too much of my jabber:
I'm tired of the hate. Specifically, the hate toward Iowa, the Midwest and just about anywheres that ain't New York City and Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles (and they hate D.C. and L.A., too, so I hear).
Now, if you're from Iowa, or lived here for any amount of time, you know how we operate. We're not proud. We're humble. We don't like to promote ourselves too much for fear of being seen as a braggart or too big for our britches. And when people from the coasts put us down in the press, well, we just tell ourselves they don't know as much as they like to let on, pull our hats a little further down, and keep on walkin'.
Well, I don't know about you, but I'm plum tired of it. Tired of defending my state when I travel. Tired of correcting people on the street in bigger cities. Tired of people trying to tell me I live on a farm (never have), that I have an accent (does Johnny Carson have a damn accent?), that I've never known anything but corn, that I only wear comfortable shoes, that I can't know fashion or exotic travel or sushi or good seafood or tall buildings or city life or the ways of the world... you get the picture. Iowans are uncultured, "big-boned," unaware, unfit for political decision-making, farm-living, backwards rural hicks. At best, we're quaint. At worst, we're ... well, everything they can think up.
Are you sick of it yet? Aren't you tired of constantly having to prove you're cultured, despite wearing an Iowa Hawkeyes t-shirt to a New York steak place (like they even HAVE "New York" steaks, psh)? Aren't you sick of the incredulous looks when you mention having listened to Vampire Weekend, despite the fact that you possibly live in a place where horses used to graze? Isn't it time to say enough's enough?
I am. It is. And the time's now.
So call up Mediacom and order some more bandwidth, 'cause you're gonna need it for this blog. I'm a one-woman crew on a mission to dismantle everything you've heard and can no longer stomach about our state.
Maybe it's not even your state. Maybe you, too, identify with being called "uncultured" or a "hick" or a "redneck." Hell, you don't have to live in Iowa to know that, except for a privileged few, most of us get the short shaft when it comes to people misidentifying us, misleading others and generally making it harder for us to hold our heads up high.
That changes today. I'll be documenting media and non-media examples of Iowa Hate that's plain unfair and untrue, and I'll also be bringing to you examples of Iowa Love -- basically what makes me proud to have been born, raised and lived most of my life in this great state. The purpose of this blog is to give us back our dignity, show the truth about this state. And you know there's a lot to be proud of. Some folks just don't want us to know about it.
I may be on a mission, but I'll need some comrades along the way to help out. Send all Iowa Hate and Iowa Love to amzpoet@gmail.com. Heck, I'll even credit you with sending it my way if your little heart desires.
And don't forget the most important thing: Haters gonna hate.
Love 'em back.
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