Obama Barely Pulls Ahead. . .

Welcome, welcome, my dear readers.  How nice of you to join me at the computer screen once more.  I wonder if you have heard the news about the primary results for last Tuesday, May 6th.  It is my great pleasure to report to those unaware that my candidate choice, Barack Obama, just barely pulled ahead of Hillary Clinton with a decent sized victory in North Carolina, and a close second place finish in the Indiana primary.

My sincere apologies go out to any Clinton supporters, as I am sure that she put up a terrific fight (in fact, knowing their campaign, they will probably just report that they are still going strong and plan on continuing the race), however, I believe that this seeming tie breaks in Obama's favor.  At least, this is what the general consensus of the news media appears to be.

Still, unlike many in the Democratic party and in the country who have grown tired and anxious by this drawn out primary season, I personally feel invigorated.  This early battle between Hillary and Obama will, in some ways, strengthen the eventual nominee's campaign for their inevitable race against the GOP juggernaut that is Sen. John McCain.

I recently returned home from Columbia, MO, where the state Democratic convention was being held at the Holiday Inn Expo Center.  Come back again soon for my next blog, which shall feature indepth coverage of this crazy event.  But until then, I bid thee farewell.

Party for a Future Congresswoman

     Greetings to you, my fellow readers.  You grace me yet again with your presence.  But enough flattery . . . let us get on with our tale.  April 8th was a joyous occasion for about three reasons.  Firstly, and I had the opportunity to journey downtown with my Advanced Biology class and bear witness to preserved organs, bones, and muscle mass at the "Body's Revealed" exhibit.  While having lunch at the nearby Crown Center, my pleasure doubled when I ran into a good friend of mine - now in college at UMKC.  In addition to the exhibit, as many of you were aware, yesterday marked the end of tax season, and the end of my accountant father's torment.  And last, I come to the main event that capped the day for me - my encounter with the former Kansas City mayor and, hopefully, future congresswoman, Kay Barnes.

     My politically-active grandmother was the one who gave me this splendid chance.  She extended to me the date, time, and location of a local party/fundraiser being held for Kay Barnes.  I had been aware that this woman had been mayor of K.C. for about 8 years - during which she had been responsible for revitalizing the downtown area, specifically with the recent addition of the Sprint Cent

er and the Power and Light District - and was now in a race for the seat of the 6th Congressional District.  Currently, the seat is being held by incumbent Republican Sam Graves, who I have not had the chance to meet despite visiting both his local office in Liberty and his office in D.C.

    The party was being held at Bob Saunder's house.  His involvement in politics/public service goes way back, from being a former mayor of my town, to chairing democratic committees and being elected as a National Democratic Convention Delegate for Barack Obama.  He even ran for MO state representative twice, though he lost both times, with my father being his treasurer.  So, I arrived

 at his house at 5:30 pm, bringing along with me three other Young Democrats Club members, including our intrepid president.  We all figured that we would end up being some of the few, if only kids at this small gathering.  I think the abu

ndance of Buicks parked at the house hinted at this.

    Yet despite this age discrepancy, we managed to have a good time.  There was free food - appetizers - provided, along with good conversation and fellowship.  We talked politics and current events, and made connections with the Kay for Congress Campaign.  She gave an informative speech to the group about how the campaign was fundraising over a million dollars just too match that of Sam Graves, who has been targeted for support by President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

    My hope is that the connections established at this party will be a jump-start for Young Democrats at Liberty next year during the election season.   This would make a splendid opportunity for the Young Dems to get their feet wet in some real grass-roots politics - the kind of campaigning that it will ultimately take for Kay Barnes to win.

    Till next time . . .

My First Blog - The Bond Vote Cometh

- Greetings ladies and gentlemen.  Come sit with me by the glow of the monitor, and I shall spin you a tale of intrigue, a local legend if you will.  Our story begins with the a council of men and women known as the Liberty Public School District Administrators, and ends with a local vote being cast this very day.

  

   Once upon a time, there was a man named Scott Taveau who ruled as the District Superintendent.  Now, while the man and his ruling council were once widely renowned throughout the land for the many things they had provided for the schools, including raised test scores, at present they face a scandal.  For these intrepid administrators of yore had spent many a dollar on their adventures, and charged much of their extravagances to school district credit cards.  Lord Taveau even added alcohol to the bills, a definite "no no," and reportedly hid the purchases by folding over his Cosco receipt so that only the total cost appeared.

    My local newspaper, "The Liberty Tribune," recently reported these findings to the public.  This news of "wasteful spending" comes at an unfortunate time.  Currently, the schools are trying to pass a new bond which, if granted by a majority vote of the citizens, will allocate somewhere over 50 million dollars to be used for getting new tennis courts, adding school supplies to the classrooms, building new elementary schools, and finally the needed funds to construct the second high school.  Despite these apparent needs, many in the community, including my immediate family members, are concerned as to how the money will be spent, given the recent scandal and lack of financial oversight.

    However, when I head over to my polling place at the community center, I've made up my mind.  Rather than withhold the money, I intend on voting "Yes."  The walls and halls of Liberty High are simply too crowded at the moment, and the current building can not sustain the constantly growing population for much longer without serious consequences to the system.  At the same time, I recently signed a citizen's petition, which calls for a state audit of the School District, and will provide a fair, unbiased oversight needed to keep administrators and other officials from reaching in to that tempting cookie jar, and needlessly spending our tax dollars.

    So concludes our tale.  Remember, anyone Liberty resident who is 18 or over and a registered voter should get out to their local voting location to help decide this critical issue.

    Until next time, stay tuned in to your world . . .