Byron Yankey's blog

A Perspective on Idaho Democrats from John Rusche

Recently at a picnic, I had the opportunity to speak at length with John Rusche, Minority Leader in Idaho's House of Representatives.  Between bites of barbecued pork and ice tea, I was thrilled with the common sense opinions and perspectives I heard.  I heard a message that Idaho Democrats need to work harder, Idaho citizens need to expect more from their elected officials, and Idaho government must be responsive to the needs of its people. I was impressed with his "look you square in the eye" and speak candidly and honestly dialog.  He was a listener first and I heard no slogans.  All of this was refreshing.

Here is some of what he has written as a guest opinion in the Idaho Business Review.

"Much has been said about the imbalanced makeup of the Idaho Legislature.  National magazines and even  Steve Ahrens, former executive director of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, commented on the lopsided nature of the Idaho Legislature. As Steve documented, one-party government can result in arrogance, chaos and worse. Idahoans got a vivid example of this via the 2009 session, which fell just one day short of the longest ever and still failed to address many of our state’s problems."

And here is my favorite quote.

"Perhaps we Idaho Democrats have not yet adequately made the case that we are Idahoans first, and that we share the values held deeply by most people in our state. Or perhaps we are doing what Democrats tend to do, trying to articulate those values in policy and “six-point plans” rather than with straight, honest talk."

I know this is what I hear when we talked.

Mustard Pickles

No, this is not a summer time science experiment, it is a summer time tradition in my family.

Mustard pickles are quick and easy to make.  They are intended to be made in a glass container or a pottery crock. AND, they are intended to be eaten quickly.  With five minutes of preparation and three to four days before they are ready, who could ask for a more perfect pickle?

As kids growing up, summer was the season to preserve food to be eaten the rest of the year.  Mom always made an array of pickles but these were the only ones that were eaten as soon as they were ready.  The smell of apple cider vinegar and pungent spices like dill, mustard, garlic, and allspice filled her small kitchen and seemed to stay for days.  In the basement, shelves were filled with jar after jar of preserved vegetables, fruit and pickles.

As soon as the cucumbers began to produce, mustard pickles were made. They were packed in a stoneware crock with a plate and a rock on top.  That was to make certain every cucumber was submerged. I remember using a variety of excuses to go to the basement as soon as one of the brothers reported the mustard pickles were ready. Carefully,I would reach into the crock and fish out a pickle that would emerge covered with a gray green coating of mustard.  Few things tasted better than a mustard pickle sneaked from a crock.  As a kid, there was also this thrill of seeking food without asking.  While Mom never really let on that she knew, it is now apparent with six kids all swiping pickles, I'm sure she noticed the reduced quantity. 

Try these pickles!  The longer they stay in the brine, the stronger they get.  So, when they reach your desired flavor remove the pickles and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.  You can reuse the brine by simply boiling for three or four minutes.

Wash 12 to 18 small cucumbers
Mix:
1/4 cup salt (kosher is the best)
1/2 quart apple cider vinegar
1/2 quart water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dry mustard
Optional: Lots of garlic and/or 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

Stir until everything is dissolved.
Pour over the cucumbers. Cover and store in a dark at room temperature. Once a day for three or four days, stir the pickles.  You can taste a little each day if you would like to monitor the flavor development.  After three or four days,move the the refrigerator to slow the process. (Make certain the pickles are tightly covered in the refrigerator or everything from butter to cheese will begin to taste like vinegar.)

Adventures in air travel

If you haven't traveled by air recently, plan to open up you wallet for an array of new charges. Every airline except Southwest now charges a fee for each piece of checked baggage. This has caused air travelers to try to think of ingenious ways to get bigger and bigger pieces of carry-on luggage stuffed in to those overhead bins.

On my trip back from DC, a young woman frantically rushed onto the plane just as the doors were closing. She dragged behind her a hot pink bag that bounced between the seats managing to hit more than one unsuspecting passenger.  As she struggled to find her seat, the bigger dilemma was where would she put her bag.  She hoisted the bag over her head and tried to put it in first one bin, then another.   She tried four different locations before a frustrated flight attendant said, "Miss, they are all the same size."  By now there were three flight attendants trying to help her, all reminding her that the plane could not take off until she was seated and her luggage stowed. 

With that, she stood on her seat pushing and pushing in hopes that the laws of physics would somehow be changed and her bag would slide in. By now the pilot came on the intercom stating, "We had been cleared for take off.  All passengers must be seated."

From the front of the plane, the chief flight attendant stated in a loud voice. "Take some of your things out of the bag so we can get on our way." 

At that point, the frustrated and embarrassed young woman unzips her bag while still trying to push it into the bin and starts throwing clothing to the floor.  Seated in the three rows behind her was a men's college lacrosse team. Their chuckles erupted into cheers as panties and a bra come floating down.  One final push and the bag slides in.  A flight attendant produced a plastic garbage bag and helped to stuff the discarded clothing in to it.  The lacrosse team continued to cheer as the young woman drops into her seat and clicks the seat belt.

I'm sure you can guess who the most popular passenger was for the remainder of the flight.  As a matter of fact, that young woman probably never had to carry her bag again for the rest of her journey.  

Arne Duncan Secretary of Education...good guy...good ideas...GREAT Commitment

I returned last week from being in Washington DC. The most incredible part of this business trip was the opportunity to listen to Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education. I have listened to 4 previous Secretaries and I must say I was expecting a scripted controlled media event.  After all, that is what I had experienced in the past.

Imagine my surprise and excitement when Arne Duncan began to speak.  Instead of simply "policy speak", Duncan articulated thoughtful rational and a focus on practical solutions. "Never before have the stakes been so high for public education, and yet never before have we had the will and the commitment of future resources to create the most highly educated, highly successful nation. Improving education is not an option, it is an imperative."

WOW, talk about getting the attention of nearly 400 school administrators from every state in our nation!

Duncan's remarks were not filled with directives, they were filled with a focus on shared, collaborative hard work.  Following his remarks,Secretary Duncan took questions from the crowd. He was a thoughtful listener with a huge command to issues and perspectives.  And when he did not know an answer to a question, he directed an assistant to find out and provide a informed response.(One administrator received a phone call within 3 hours with the answer to his question.)

His remarks make the audience feel great to be educators.

Check out this brief overview of his life and career.  

Highlights from his remarks:

• He stated he was not a supporter of charter schools, he was a supporter of good.  As CEO of Chicago Public Schools he opened some charter schools and he closed others. He spoke about having charter schools on a level playing field with public schools; having the same accountability and expectations.
• The administration is in favor of performance pay for teachers to be tried in various districts across the country.  Key concepts here are: multiple measures of assessments, awards provided to all employees within a school, and required agreement among all stakeholders including parents before implementation.  Interesting perspective, he stated performance pay is needed most in inner city schools where attracting and retaining teachers and administrators is essential to break the cycle of failure.
• Mandatory state testing for second language learners should not take place until a verified level of language mastery is acquired.  And,students on IEP's should  be tested at the level of their instruction not solely on their grade level.  IEP teams which include parents should determine the level and the manner of testing.
• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) should be determined by growth not only proficiency.

The worst in the nation

The Spokesman Review reports Idaho already has the worst immunization rate in the nation and now as the Department of Health and Welfare has to implement cuts resulting from the last legislative session, the only thing that can be said is...at least it can't get worse.  Oh wait,

"Idaho’s child immunization rate for measles is lower than that of Indonesia, Pakistan or Croatia, according to the Idaho Division of Health, and its rate for polio is below that of Botswana, Latvia and Sri Lanka."

I guess there are still many third world countries that might be lower than Idaho.

I realize it was a challenging legislative session as state revenue continued to plunge, but I can't feel great about this quote from Governor's Health and Welfare Budget Analysts,

“We had to balance a budget, and we were down to nickels and dimes.”

Without a replacement of funds, children will be at risk.  I do not know many parents who can afford the estimated $4300 that would currently be needed to pay for all of the required immunization from birth to age 18.

$4000 a day....

This post brings up an important campaign issue... MONEY!

With a plethora of candidates coming out of the woodwork to challenge Governor Otter in the primary race, here is an important perspective.

 "And for those who'd say it's too early,(for a Democratic candidate to declare) consider the fact that a competitive bid for statewide office is going to cost at least $2 million. That means that, even if he/she started raising money today, a challenger is looking at raising more than $4,000 a DAY. Not too mention building effective field organizations--practically from scratch--at the county level."

Viable candidates for all offices must not only craft a message, build a campaign, recruit  volunteers,and a million other things, but they must raise substantial money to advance any strategy that might produce a winning outcome.  My perspective is, the money needed to run credible campaigns, yes even in Idaho, has gotten out of hand.  While the solutions to this problem aren't readily apparent given the current political climate, the money needed has created a barrier that prevents solid, potential candidate from running.  This limitation is not good for Idaho or our nation.

"...an interesting gumbo"

Randy Stapilus describes the latest entry in to the Idaho Governor's race as creating "an interesting gumbo."

And that it is!   With the recent addition of Ada County Commissioner Sharon Ullman to the ever growing list of Idahoans wanting the Governor's office, you have to agree with Stapilus.

 "Not a crew of political giant-killers, but an interesting gumbo."

The comments in response to the Idaho Statesman's story about Ullman's announcements are some of the most humorous I have seen lately.  Check them out...

What's happening...?

Sorry it has been so long since I have written a post.

What's happening with the blog?  SUMMER

A large family reunion, a parent's short hospital stay, a large Canyon County Democrats Political Picnic, work (yes,principals work during the summer) and countless projects around the house...that has been summer so far.

BUT,things will improve and I will be writing more on the blog.

A brief plug for the Canyon County Democrats Political Picnic:
     Saturday evening 115 people showed up for this annual event.  I helped all day as a small crew prepared for the event.  Under the direction of our experienced host, 10 pork loins were barbecued over a homemade grill made from a salvaged steel basin formerly used as a wash basin at the former Armour's Meat Packing plant. Pigs all over Canyon County should be afraid each July.
     Congressman Minnick attended the picnic along with nearly every Democratic Legislators from Ada County.  In a demonstration of the importance of Canyon County in the next election the Minority Chairman Rushe and Executive Director Jim Hanson.  Three hours of eating and socializing allowed for great discussions and thoughtful insights.

I've done some good cooking this summer, so watch for recipes.
                                                KEEP CHECKING.....

Thursday PM Downtown Nampa

It is mid-afternoon on a Thursday and I'm sitting at the Flying M Coffee Garage.  The market spice iced tea is great and the place is busy.  What an interesting mix of college students in a study group, two women playing cards, young couples and young people (hoping to become couples). Ten laptops are in sight as their owners type and search,read and tweet.

The guy sitting at the next table is working on his resume and asked if " professionalist" was a real word. When I replied, "Not that I know of..." I ended up proof reading a paragraph describing his job goals.   I hope he gets a job.  He has been out of work for five months and his ex-wife and his current girl friend are both expecting.   Too much information!  See what unemployment can do...

Battle Lines Shaping Up: Transportation Taskforce

Near the end of a almost record breaking long legislative session a game of chicken emerged.  As the Governor signaled his resolve to find money for transportation, the veto stamp came out. From there a chasm was created between the House and the Senate as the "no taxes" and the "user fee" supporter postured for control of the final outcome. In a sincere effort to broker a solution, Governor Otter tried valiantly to use face to face meetings to turn dialog into solutions.  That unfortunately did not happen.
The result was the creation of a task force to find a way to deal with a $22 million shift.
This money funds $18 for the Idaho State Police and the remainder for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

It will come down to finding a compromise, something that does not seem any more likely now than it did during the legislative session.