Afghanistan's Corruption Cesspool

Like seeing your taxes being used for corruption? Try Aghanistan. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that at least $3.18 billion in cash has been flown out of Afghanistan since 2007 after being legally declared to customs officers. U. S. officials say they believe much of the cash is siphoned from Western aid projects and U.S., European and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) work for coalition forces in Afghanistan.

According to the Journal, large packets of dollars--millions at a time--have been routinely loaded into planes and flown out of the country, Dubai being the most popular destination. And this money, YOUR TAX DOLLARS, were being legally declared to customs officers! How could this possibly happen?

The chairwoman of the House subcommittee responsible for foreign aid said she was stripping from pending legislation $3.9 billion in funding for Afghanistan following revelations that billions of dollars, including large amounts of U.S. aid funds, were flowing out of the country through Kabul's main airport.

Representative Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) called the revelations "outrageous." "I do not intend to appropriate one more dime for assistance to Afghanistan until I have confidence that U.S. taxpayer money is not being abused to line the pockets of corrupt Afghan government officials, drug lords, and terrorists," Ms. Lowey said.

A U.S. official familiar with the money flows, according to the Wall Street Journal, said that there was little reason to believe the Afghan government's investigation would yield major revelations, because those believed to be sending out money include relatives of President Karzai, senior officials in his administration and large Afghan companies with ties to the presidential palace.

While this example of corruption came to light because of the reporting of a major newspaper, it is only the proverbial tip of the Afghanistan corruption iceberg. If you would like to become more informed as to how many of your hard-earned tax dollars are being used in Afghanistan, I suggest that you read Ghost Wars by Steve Coll which chronicles the secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to the September 11, 2001 American tragedy which, to some extent, was nurtured in Afghanistan.

Whether or not you agree with America being at war in Afghanistan, you probably share my disgust with inept or politically calculating American officials, whether civilian or military, that have with a nod and a wink permited such blatant corruption to take place. One wonders if the operative phrase in Afghanistan is that "the end justifies the means." If so, count me out.

For what little it is worth, dear reader, I sent an e-mail to Representative Lowey thanking her for her action and encouraging her not to be deterred by political pressures from those supporting the status quo in Afghanistan.

Coming Soon. . .

1. Orchid and Onions Awards.

2. How are the Grizzlies doing (financially, not on the field)?

3. Is the mayor listening?

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com

California's Miserable Graduation Rate

As a teacher of future teachers at Fresno City College, I spend much of my day (and oftentimes, evenings) working on teaching/learning issues. Formal education has been good to me and my family, and I deeply care for the the education success of all California children. Unfortunately, the proverbial education glass in California is less than half full.

I always wait with mixed feelings for my "Diplomas Count," Education Week's annual compendium of U.S. high school graduation statistics. Why mixed feelings? Mainly because California has not been doing well for quite a few years. According to Education Week, 67% of California high school students graduated in 1996-97. Ten years later, however, California's graduation rate had dropped 4% to 63% while the national graduation rate had increased by 2%. To add insult to injury, only eight states had lower graduation rates than California.

For the class of 2007, the graduation rates in the nation's 50 largest school districts shows Fresno Unified (42nd in size) graduating only 51% of its students. While FUSD is certainly not the worst (Los Angeles Unified checks in at an eye-popping 41%), not graduating almost half of the students is unacceptable.

One interesting statistic from the study was an analysis identifying a pool of school districts matching the profile of the nation's largest school districts and then singling out those demonstrating the highest graduation rates, relative to expectations based on district size, poverty level, and other characteristics. Among the 151 districts in this big-city peer group, 21 school systems posted graduation rates for the class of 2007 at least 10 percentage points higher than anticipated. Of these 21 school districts, four were in California: Madera Unified (graduation rate of 66%), Visalia Unified (graduation rate of 74%), Hemet Unified (graduation rate of 65%) and Long Beach Unified (graduation rate of 61%).

Excuses abound, to include negative social family factors and inadequate school funding, for California's miserable graduation rate. The reality is, however, that California (and the nation) will slip into mediocrity in today's global economy unless students graduate from high school adequately prepared for higher education or employment.

As a student attending school in the late 1940's through 1960's, I know what a good California public school system can be. There should be no reason why we can't do it again.

Coming Soon. . .

1. Orchid and Onions Awards.
2. And the award for Afghanistan corruption goes to?
3. Is the mayor listening?

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com

The Award for the Ugliest Amtrak Passenger Station?

Madera! Yes, Madera, California wins the hands-down award for being the sorriest excuse for an Amtrak passenger station.

As a regular rider of the Amtrak's San Joaquin, I have gazed upon all the passenger train stations between Bakersfield and Sacramento and between Oakland and santa Barbara. Most stations are quite nice. Some are very nice. Only one is terrible: Madera.

First of all, the Madera Amtrak station does not even have a building for shelter from the elements. It exists as a cement platform with a small asphalt parking lot behind. A lonely light or two casts a feeble glow in the evening, particularly impressive in the Valley's low-lying winter fog. Surrounding the poor excuse for a train stop are dusty fields with a veritable junk yard of broken down farm equipment and rusting cars. In the near distance are a few dilapidated houses, if you want to call them that.

Don't blame Amtrak, however, because the responsibility for the site belongs to the Madera County Board of Supervisors. Why Maderan's don't demand that their elected officials provide a more practical and inviting site for passengers embarking or disembarking from the trains is beyond me.

The station is a shock to Amtrak passengers. I often overhear people commenting on what a dump the place is. One would think that Madera County residents would be ashamed of the ugly picture it presents to the traveling public. I would be mortified if I lived in the county.

So, the next time you're taking Amtrak north, enjoy Fresno's beautiful Amtrak station and shut your eyes as the train stops for the shortest possible time at Madera before leaving for the next station (an attractive one) at Merced. And if you are traveling south, shut your eyes at Madera (unless, God forbid you have to get out) and then enjoy your relaxed stop at Fresno's and Hanford's attractive stations before continuing on to Bakersfield.

Coming Soon. . .

1. California's miserable graduation rate.

2. And the award for Afghanistan corruption goes to?

3. Is the mayor listening?

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com

Term Limits for Fresno County Supervisors

I don't get it. State constitutional elective officials, state legislators and City of Fresno elected officials have term limits. Why, then, don't Fresno County supervisors have term limits? It makes sense to me that the same rule of two four year terms for the mayor and council members should also apply to county supervisors.

Term limits assure an active involvement of citizens serving as elected officials. Incumbents soon learn that the best way to stay in office is to amass a huge campaign financial war chest by carefully cultivating special interests. Challengers have almost no chance of winning. Term limits would end this practice.

One might ask why, then, shouldn't the sheriff, coroner, assessor, county clerk and district attorney also have term limits? First of all, the coroner, assessor and county clerk are essentially administrative positions and should be appointed, not elected. What does the public know or care about these positions? If the incumbents are performing poorly, give the responsibility to the board of supervisors to remove them and replace them with someone better. The sheriff and district attorney should be elected but with term limits. I believe, however, that enacting term limits would not be permissible since the California Constitution has the final say over these two county positions.

It may also be said (as is the position of the Fresno Bee's editorial board) that term limits should not apply to state or local elected officials because the election process will weed out elected officials that are not performing well. By this logic, however, the governor and other state constitutional officers should be allowed to serve as long as they continue to be reelected. Is this really what we want?

I have previously argued the need for a Blue Ribbon Commission made up of Fresno County citizens that would review the operation of the county and the city for efficiency and effectiveness. Recommendations would be made to the elected officials of the County and the City of Fresno and eventually to the voters. I suggest that term limits for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors (and the replacement of the County Administrative Officer by an elected county executive) be one of those recommendations.

Coming Soon. . .
1. California's miserable graduation rate.
2. And the award for Afghanistan corruption goes to?
3. The Ugliest Amtrak station in California
Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com

Take Care of our Parks

I well remember throughout the 1990's and into the first part of the 21st Century the almost routine criticism from the editorial board of the Fresno Bee that Fresno was lacking in adequate park space. The criticism was usually accompanied by a comparison of the park acreage in Fresno to that of Sacramento, a city similar in size to Fresno. The newspaper criticism was an excuse for the electronic media, letters to the editor and aspiring local politicians to bad-mouth Fresno's lack of vision in having sufficient parks.

As a newly elected city councilmember in 2001, I thought that while the criticism was overblown, there was enough truth to it that something should be done. And it was. Mayor Autry and the council between 2004 and 2008 budgeted sufficient monies to significantly expand Fresno's park system to the point where it is now larger than Sacramento's. Not only were our two regional parks--Roeding and Woodward--improved, but new neighborhood parks (Fig Garden Park in my former northwest district, for example, includes numerous ball parks, a splash park for children on warm Fresno days, a play area, walking path and picnic area) and small pocket-parks were added. Added to all this was the large new soccer complex on the south side of the city and the successful Measure Z public voter campaign to save the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

The jewel, however, was phase I of the multi-phase downtown Eaton Park. After more than 80 years, Downtown' Fresno's Eaton Plaza is slowly being realized. As a member of the Fresno City Council in 2002, I was overjoyed when my Council colleagues approved my action to allocate monies from a state bond Act to have San Francisco-based MPA Design develop a plan for Downtown's Eaton Plaza.

The Council's decision gave action to a Downtown plaza proposal created in 1918 by Charles Henry Cheney in his "Progress of a City Plan." Cheney's plaza idea was updated in 1966 as part of the City's Master Development Plan. In 1988 the yet-to-be-developed plaza was named for Edwin M. Eaton, president of Guarantee Savings and Loan from 1928 to 1956. Eaton also served on the County Planning Commission and was the President of the Fresno City and County Historical Society for several years. In 2001 Eaton Plaza was officially approved by the Council as an integral part of the 2010 Downtown Plan.

With stakeholder support, MPA developed a single Eaton Master Plan proposal and an accompanying Phase One construction proposal which provided for a 300-seat amphitheatre, irrigation, and turf and shade trees. MPA also prepared a five-year implementation plan . The Council approved the five-phase plan to develop the Plaza (located between the Fresno Public Library on Mariposa and the Fresno Water Tower at Fresno Street) over a five-year period.

Phase One is the beautiful $500,000 amphitheatre, completed in 2005, is used extensively by the City's Parks, Recreation and After Schools Department as well as the general public. The second phase of Eaton Plaza will feature a landscaped area with an outdoor theatre stage, dressing rooms and seating. Phase Three plans call for extensive landscaping and a passive picnic/relaxation area. Phase Four's main feature is an interactive water fountain in which children can play on warm Fresno days. Phase Five includes extensive off-site landscaping improvements to enhance the Mariposa Mall area that currently divides the Fresno Public Library from Eaton Plaza. The Five Phase Eaton Plaza Block Area, a total of 130,400 square feet, is estimated to cost $6,138,879 at final build out.

The bad news, however, is that even though Fresno's elected representatives followed through on their promises to develop more parks, the recent recession has cast a black pall over the city's park maintenance program. Watering and grounds maintenance have been at least partially ignored, leaving citizens to wonder why parks were developed if not properly maintained. And what about the multi-phase Eaton Plaza Park downtown? Mayor Swearengin places a high priority on downtown revitalization, but nothing is done to further develop phases 2 through 5.

The recession continues to grind on, and the City of Fresno is doing its best to cope with the myriad budget problems that this brings. I can well understand this challenge. I do, however, believe that parks are essential to a vibrant city. Where's the editorial page of the Fresno Bee now? We built the parks that that the newspaper and public wanted. How about some acknowledgement for what was accomplished and help for keeping them well maintained?

Coming Soon. . .

1. California's miserable graduation rate.

2. Term limits for county board supervisors.

3. The Ugliest Amtrak station in California

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com

Save Coney Island! (And I Know How)

Most of us are familiar with Fresno's oldest restaurant, Coney Island. Located downtown near the Fulton Mall, Coney Island has been an institution in Fresno for years and years. Unfortunately, Coney Island is no more. It just closed due to a lack of business.

I have the perfect solution: Convince Coney Island's owners to move to the vacant space in the beautiful downtown Amtrak station. The City of Fresno, responsible for the available space at the Amtrak station facing Tulare Street would, I am certain, strike a very reasonable rent deal.

The new location would be ideal. Serving passengers waiting for their train; across the street from City Hall; close to the federal, state and county courthouses; and near other buildings with lots of hungry employees and visitors (public library, State Office Building, and Community Hospitals to name but a few), Coney Island would be a smash success.

The Coney Island owners may, of course, not want to begin again. I believe, however, that a little encouragement from city leaders would go a long way to moving one of Fresno's favorite restaurants into one of Fresno's most beautiful (and historic) transportation landmarks. A win for every one!

Coming Soon...

1. California's miserable graduation rate.
2. Term limits for county board supervisors.
3. The ugliest train station.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com

Let's Talk About (Ugh!) Graffiti

Except for a few "urban artists" no one likes public graffiti. You know it when you see it. An affront to you sensibilities. A poke in the eye to rules and authority. A shiver of fear up the spine as you worry about who is doing it and what might it mean to your safety. A sign of a community that has given in to the "bad guys." A warning to "all that dare to enter here."

Fresno, as all my intelligent and observant blog readers surely know, is not immuned tothe scourge of graffiti. I would, however, like to make the case that our community does a pretty darn good job of fighting (and often winning) the fight against it.

My first anti-graffiti award winner is Fresno City College, my employer for 22 years. As an administrator at that time (I am now a member of the faculty), I vividly remember a senior-level administration meeting in 1992 chaired by then-FCC President Dr. Ernie Leach when a report of increased graffiti on the campus was being discussed. Participants duly condemned the perpetrators and discussed means to abate the problem. Dr. Leach politely listened to the heated discussion that was not really going anywhere, and then in a quiet but determined voice stated that it was every one's responsibility to report the smallest graffiti markings to the campus maintenance office where it would be removed within an hour of being reported. Wow! I was stunned by his audacious decision. It couldn't be done, I smugly thought. No bureaucracy could be moved to act on an hour's notice of a graffiti tagging. But it happened and the campus continues to this day to be almost graffiti-free, operating by Leach "no-graffiti rule of law."

The second anti-graffiti award winner goes to the City of Fresno where I served as a council member from 2001 to 2008. Under the leadership of then-Mayor Alan Autry and strongly supported by the council, a special graffiti unit was formed in the Code Enforcement Division and given the responsibility of both educating the public about the need to report graffiti in a timely manner and then acting on the reports and quickly eliminating the graffiti. The operating philosophy of the Graffiti Unit being that both graffiti "pranksters" and gang members using graffiti to denote their "turf" would be less apt to tag when their taggings are quickly removed.

Under the outstanding leadership of Mr. Jet Lim, the Graffiti Unit developed special equipment that could quickly paint over graffiti as well as finding unique means of reaching graffiti located in hard-to-reach locations. The Graffiti Unit was eventually transferred to the Police Department where the public information and paint-out activities could be combined with serious enforcement and punishment of offenders.

My final award goes not only to the staff of Fresno City College and the City of Fresno but to you, the "owners" of this community that have been so helpful in saying no to graffiti taggers. For those of you that have been traveling lately, particularly out of the county, you can readily see how well Fresno compares with other urban areas. My wife and I recently returned from three European countries, and I can assure you that Fresno was in a "graffiti-less" class of its own.

Take a well-deserved bow, FresYes! Remember, however, call 621-CITY when you confront the graffiti scourge.

Coming Soon...

1. Our state's miserable graduation rate.

2. Term limits for county board supervisors.

3. PayDay loans redux.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com