22 Oct 2008

111th Congress Should Be Complete Overhaul

By Kathleen McCarthy

The crushing lack of leadership, underscored by the absence of even a rudimentary understanding of the factors that contributed to the current economic crisis, begins to unfold in the wake of a demoralizing vote by the U.S. legislature for a $700-billion bailout. The House of Representatives originally voted it down, obviously holding out for earmarks from the Senate. Incredibly, the Senate obliged, attaching an additional $125 billion worth of such bribes to ensure the House majority vote in favor of bailing out Wall Street, and indefinitely indenturing future generations with impossible debt.

22 Oct 2008

We Really Like Reading

By Todd McGreevy

Fifteen years later, the Reader is still afflicting the comforted and comforting the afflicted. This is true, thanks in no small part to you, the loyal reader. The Reader began its independent publishing career in October 1993 and was a monthly publication for 20 months before converting to a weekly edition in the summer of 1995. The Reader is picked up at more than 700 distribution locations every week throughout the entire Illinois and Iowa Quad Cities region and enjoys a printed circulation between 17,500 and 20,000 each week.

08 Oct 2008

House Hearings Exclude Bailout's Biggest Culprits

By Jeff Ignatius

Now that the $700 billion bailout is a fait accompli, it has never been more important to keep vigilant, and to vote in November. It is difficult not to become utterly discouraged knowing that the huge majority of our legislators approved a $700-billion bailout, ignoring unprecedented opposition to the bill, HR 3997, by the huge majority of Americans. But crumbling into a feeling of helpless apathy in the face of this civic betrayal is precisely what we cannot allow ourselves to do, because this is just the beginning of a terrible tide of usurpation of power, assets, and ultimately liberties in this country.

01 Oct 2008

Bailout? Power Transfer? Absolutely. Rescue? Hardly

By Kathleen McCarthy

Make no mistake, the $700-billion request from the Bush administration including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, is very much a bailout of Wall Street first and foremost. The tactics used here are familiar ones. Create shock and fear, and amplify it by fast-tracking legislative action. Create a profound sense of urgency, coupled with vague but absolute solutions with no time for verification or alternatives. Threaten the core security of every citizen to justify, and obtain approval for, the transfer of power being sought. In this case, the request is an unprecedented transfer of power to the U.S. treasurer's office, with virtually no oversight, regulatory control, or checks and balances of any kind.

24 Sep 2008

Pick Up the Phone

By Kathleen McCarthy

My guess is that many of you are as enraged as I am over our elected leaders' latest financial abuses. How much is enough for each of us to take action? By action I mean, at a minimum, a phone call or e-mail to each senator and congressman in your district expressing your outrage, accompanied by a committed declaration that if he or she does not act to stop these subsidies, bailouts, and wholesale giveaways of our republic's future, then they will absolutely lose your vote next term.

17 Sep 2008

Celebrating Constitution Week

By Kathleen McCarthy

The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. On August 2, 1956, in commemoration of this revolutionary document, Congress set aside the week of September 17 to 23 as Constitution Week, with September 17 designated as Citizenship Day.

03 Sep 2008

You Are the Arbiter of What Is Fair

By Administrator

This is the 700th issue of the River Cities' Reader. Thank you, readers and advertisers, for your support of the independent and free press these past 15 years. Without you this milestone could not have been achieved. And without the dedication and diligence of our outstanding staff, you would not have access to the weekly coverage of local issues and events in an intelligent, balanced manner that is the exception rather than the norm in today's media.

11 Jun 2008

Who's Violating Whose Rights?

By Kathleen McCarthy

On April 29, the Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the appeal of a nine-year-old Davenport Civil Rights Commission (DCRC) case, Botsko v. Nabb. Finally, much-needed clarity was brought to bear by attorney Tom Waterman, who presented on David Botsko's behalf. (A link to the 28-minute video is available HERE .)

12 Mar 2008

Local Versus Regional Gaming

By Administrator

Last week Isle of Capri (IOC) announced Bernie Goldstein's retirement as CEO and named his successor, Jim Perry, formerly of Trump Entertainment Resorts and Argosy Gaming. Goldstein will remain chair of the board of directors. Included in the shareholder's financial report was the news that the IOC Bettendorf property was planning a landside expansion of additional hotel rooms and new gaming facility to be joined to a new 50,000-square-foot convention center. What was implied and confirmed in subsequent media reports was the intent to scuttle any landside development for the Davenport casino, which they intend to ultimately re-brand as the Lady Luck. The Isle in Bettendorf would be "regional" casino, and the Davenport casino would serve a local market.

16 Jan 2008

Comparing Cities' Council Processes

By Administrator

The action last week by the Davenport City Council to move all its meetings to Wednesdays sparked some controversy, less for the substance of the day change than the swiftness with which it was done. (See "Big Hat, No Cattle," River Cities' Reader Issue 666, January 9-15, 2008.) Arthur Anderson filed a formal complaint on Friday, claiming "violations of the Council Rules of Order, Robert's Rules of Order, state law, the cities [sic] special charter, and the public's trust." He has requested a formal written response.

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