Musicians Wanted

Part 1

Archie Brooks’ resignation from the Des Moines City Council has to be the most frightening event in the last half century in Polk County politics. Today Archie said “The CIETC thing keeps going but in the last weeks it's started to show that I'm not the only guy" in the spotlight, Brooks said. "I'm not going to take the fall for a lot of people at the state they are trying to protect." In light of that bone chilling statement, the music that Archie could sing would make quite an album (CDs to you youngsters). As the Beatles proved with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967-a story album works.

Track 1 – Working Class Hero (John Lennon). The story line here is about Des Moines labor boss, CIETC Board member, and Prairie Meadows Board member Dan Albritton,- who most recently delivered a $450,000 bonanza to his unions, courtesy of John Mauro, Tom Hockensmith and Angela Connolly. “Theres room at the top they are telling you still…If you want to be like the folks on the hill. A working class hero is something to be…”

Dan and Archie could sing a duet chorus while living La Dolce Vita on the boat of the same name they shared with Ramona Cunningham.

Track 2 - We are Family (Sly and the Family Stone). The second line of the refrain says it all-“I got all my family with me.” How many hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses and raises for friends and family?

Track 3 – Shaft (Isaac Hayes). “Who is the man with the [payoff] in his hand, Ako, Ako Samad”.

Track 4 – On the Road Again” (Waylon & Willie). A country homage to the many vacations purchased with tax dollars courtesy of that Tom Vlassis acquired $25K credit limit MasterCard for Ramona courtesy of CIETC. “Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We're the best of friends; Insisting that the world be turnin' our way.” Can’t you just the see the happy smiles as that credit card got signed-while partying with their friends Tom Hockensmith, Angela Connolly and John Mauro.

Track 5 – Angie (Rolling Stones). A tortured plea for Angela Connolly, who most recently helped orchestrate the ouster of long time Recorder Tim Brien for the offense of not hiring her brother. Pity poor Angie when she had to tell her brother “At least you can’t say we never tri-ied”.

I’m looking for suggestions as to some other numbers Archie (“Sugar”-that one dates me) Brooks could use to finish off an 8 – 10 track story album. Reader’s suggestions are welcome. Burton Rider and Maverick this means you and any other musicians need to put on your creative hats and help complete this album.

Part 2

Some of you may have noticed a recent upsurge in support for Dr. Mark Klein on the presidential preference poll. It turns out that the Klein votes weren’t a crank Democrat attempt to squirrel the poll but a reflection of a small groundswell of support for that candidate’s position on the importance of fathers in the lives of our children. The Iowa based “Children Need Both Parents” group found the Real Sporer and expressed their support for Dr. Klein.

Perhaps this otherwise anomalous voting pattern points to an overlooked issue in our conservative “family first” message. In a society that is altogether too atomized we need to ensure that fathers are more than ATMs in broken and blended families. The Democrat approach has been to focus on child support collection as the only contribution that Dads make-but where is our answer? Food for thought, eh? Maybe some Republican candidates will start talking about the very real non financial problems faced by broken and blended families.

But these Iowa political polls get watched in Washington. Dr. Klein has no chance of securing our nomination. If viewed from the prism of our first in the nation status we felt that resetting the poll would prevent national figures from trivializing the issue of fathers as a statistical quirk of a local blog poll.