Billy Long's apology was not an apology

The big news story in today's Springfield News-Leader was Seventh District Congressman Billy Long's "apology" for remarks he tweeted Monday comparing the U. S. debt situation to the death of singer Amy Winehouse.

The headline reads "Billy Long apologizes for tweet." The article, written by the News-Leader's political reporter Rosann Moring, includes the following statement:

He later apologized to anyone offended by his remarks.

No, he didn't. He used the word apologize (or more likely, one of his staffers used the word), but there is no evidence that there is any sorrow about the statement. He is only sorry that some people were offended by it.

If the apology contained one shred of sincerity, Billy Long would have removed the offending tweet. As of this writing, it is still there, in all of its glory.

Long has had a tendency since his arrival in Washington of dashing off tweets that have not put him in the best light. Many of the ones that have caused the most problem have been when he has tried to be funny. This one lands squarely in that category.

In the tweet, Long wrote, "No one could reach #AmyWinehouse before it was too late. Can anyone reach Washington before it's too late? Both addicted - same fate???"

The "apology," sent to the News-Leader last night, reads as follows:

"Although I do believe spending 42 percent more than we take in is an addiction, I certainly meant no disrespect to Amy, her family or her fans. She was one of the few true artists to come along in a long time. What happened to her was a senseless tragedy and drawing an analogy wasn't meant to minimize the loss of life. If anyone took offense, I sincerely apologize."

The original tweet was in extremely poor taste and the fact that it was published in the first place, indicates that Twitter may not be the best tool for Billy Long to use to get his views across. The ability to say whatever is on your mind and immediately publish it to the world has undoubtedly revolutionized how constituents receive their information from politicians, but at the same time, it opens the door for all kinds of problems when the politician involved does not seem to have any built-in warning system that would tell him when it is best to keep his one-liners to himself.

Reading the comments to the News-Leader's story, it is easy to see why our country is so polarized. Some say Long should not have apologized since he did not say anything wrong. And, of course, the publicity the issue has received is all due to "liberals" and "socialists" and others who don't agree with Billy Long's "fed up" with government stances on issues.

Others said that the News-Leader was showing its "liberal bias" by making the Billy Long controversy its number one story on the same day that the Missouri Republican Party filed an ethics complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Sen. Claire McCaskill. As usual, those who are searching for liberal bias are going to find it whether it is there or not. It is a crutch they use on any occasion when there is no logic that can support what they are saying.

It must have been the News-Leader's liberal bias that led it to endorse Billy Long's candidacy in both the primary and general elections in 2010. As for the McCaskill complaint, it was featured prominently in the newspaper, though not as prominently as the reaction to Long's tweet. The GOP complaint was the latest in a series of continuing developments concerning Claire McCaskill and her finances. The Billy Long story is new, and considering that Amy Winehouse died only three days ago, it is timely.

The readers who do not think Long should have "apologized" for his tweet continually refer to Ms. Winehouse's well-chronicled problems with drugs and alcohol.

Apparently, for those people the difficulties this troubled young woman had during her too-short life are an open invitation that allows any comment to be made about her, no matter how tasteless it may be.

Her troubles were played out on a public stage which makes it easy to overlook what is important about this situation- Amy Winehouse was someone's daughter, someone's friend, someone's loved one.

She should never have been Billy Long's punch line.

Singer Sheryl Crow to auction off car for Joplin Schools

 

Billy Long apologizes, says Amy Winehouse is a "true artist"

Either Seventh District Congressman Billy Long or one of his staffers sent an e-mail to the Springfield News-Leader apologizing for remarks Long tweeted comparing Congress and the current debt ceiling situation to singer Amy Winehouse, who died over the weekend.

Long originally tweeted, "No one could reach #AmyWinehouse before it was too late. Can anyone reach Washington before it's too late? Both addicted - same fate???"

The apology reads like this:

“Although I do believe spending 42 percent more than we take in is an addiction, I certainly meant no disrespect to Amy, her family or her fans. She was one of the few true artists to come along in a long time. What happened to her was a senseless tragedy and drawing an analogy wasn’t meant to minimize the loss of life. If anyone took offense, I sincerely apologize.”

I have three problems with Billy Long's apology.

First, it was another of those grating non-apology apologies in which the person, usually someone who has made an insensitive or controversial remark, doesn't say he was wrong, but he feels bad because someone was offended.

Second, we are talking about a colossal exercise in bad taste. You just don't make that kind of remark about someone who has just died, especially when you are a public figure and the remark is certain to be amplified. Amy Winehouse left behind people who loved her. Of course, they are going to be upset about such a comparison. And if the apology really meant anything, and apparently it didn't, it would be accompanied by the removal of the offensive remark from the Congressman's Twitter feed. As this is written, it is still stands in proud defiance of common decency.

Finally, just what does Billy Long have on his IPod? Is he really familiar enough with Amy Winehouse's work to refer to her as "one of the few true artists" or is he simply copying something he heard and read? Or was this written by one of his younger staffers who was familiar with her music?

Couldn't Billy Long have just said, "I'm sorry, I was wrong."?

Apparently, those words are either in not in his vocabulary or his staff isn't familiar enough to use those words when scripting Billy's non-apology apologies.

Missouri American Water manager noted for role in Joplin tornado recovery

(From a news release)

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) annual conference known as ACE11 was recently held in Washington, D.C. and dedicated a portion of the opening ceremonies to stories of leadership displayed by water-industry managers dealing with major disasters. Among those recognized for their efforts was Matthew Barnhart, southwest operations manager of Missouri American Water.

"AWWA was proud to honor Matt at its annual conference for his efforts to restore water service to the residents of Joplin following the devastating storm on May 22," said AWWA Executive Director, David LaFrance. "His efforts represent the true leadership that lies within many water professionals."

Japan Water Works Association Executive Director, Yoshihiko Misono, and the drillers that rescued the 33 Chilean miners were also recognized and served as keynote speakers for the opening ceremonies.

"Matt is the personification of leadership and is representative of the dedication that exists among water industry employees, and specifically among the ones at Missouri American Water," said Frank Kartmann, president of Missouri American Water. "His leadership, along with the efforts and expertise of our Joplin employees, resulted in the quick restoration of reliable water service to Joplin."

State audit blasts City of Neosho, labels city management as "poor"

(From State Auditor Thomas Schweich)

Findings in the audit of the City of Neosho

Financial Condition
The city's financial condition has worsened due to decreased revenues, cost overruns, real estate purchases, golf course subsidization, and a failure to adequately monitor the city's budget and cash balances. At September 30, 2009, the General Fund balance was more than $1 million negative.

Accounting Records and Budgets
The city does not maintain accurate and complete accounting records and budgets, is not performing timely bank reconciliations, and is not comparing actual receipts and expenses to budgets. The city did not always submit annual financial reports to the State Auditor's office as required by law.

Real Estate Transactions
The city sold property to the Neosho R-V School District for almost $200,000 less than its appraised value without soliciting any other bids. The city also agreed to exchange services for land without appraising the land or calculating the costs of the services to be provided. The city spent nearly $400,000 to purchase properties for additional parking, but, because it did not plan for development costs, the properties remain unused.

Civic Center
The city spent $600,000 more than planned on the renovation of the civic center and did not effectively plan how the financing would be paid. The renovation project included 47 change orders, none of which were separately bid. The city paid an individual $12,690 to promote events at the civic center without soliciting bids or ensuring contract requirements were met.

Senior Center
Because the city failed to obtain a performance bond on the senior center renovation, it spent $135,313 to compensate subcontractors when the general contractor defaulted. The city also did not have a written agreement with a general contractor as required by state law.

Procurement Procedures
The city failed to abide by its own procurement policy by not soliciting bids for several purchases. The city also did not periodically solicit proposals for services, such as golf course management and banking. Also, the city may have saved interest costs if it had used a competitive sale rather than a negotiated sale when selling certificates of participation in March 2010.

Disbursements
The city does not reconcile fuel used to fuel purchased or require mileage and fuel use logs, and records show a total fuel shortage of 1,375 gallons over a 3 month period. The Interim City Manager is allowed to use a city vehicle, but the value of commuting miles is not properly reported as compensation. The city did not always enter into written contracts and did not monitor contract compliance, so it overpaid a consultant $7,500 and did not properly bill the Neosho school district for its resource officer. Also, some contract terms were not adequate to ensure the city's needs would be met. The city spent nearly $11,000, to purchase items from a local business owned by the spouse of former Councilman/Mayor Werneke without seeking bids.

Payroll Controls and Procedures
Timesheets are not always signed and retained, and some employees are not properly compensated for overtime. The city is not properly and consistently managing the tuition reimbursement program and is not reporting reimbursements as taxable wages. Three retired employees retained city health insurance at the subsidized rate for several years after retiring.

Accounting Controls and Procedures
Accounting duties are not adequately segregated and there is no documented review of the Accounting Manager's duties or the Finance Director's wire transfer duties. Receipts are not always issued, the numerical sequence of receipts and batch numbers are not accounted for properly, and monies received are not deposited timely and intact. Business licenses are not pre-numbered and license and permit fees are not reconciled.

Utility System Controls and Procedures
Utlility revenues are used to subsidize General Fund operations, and the city increased utility rates without performing a cost analysis or rate review. The city does not reconcile gallons of water billed to gallons of water pumped, so unauthorized use or leaks could go undetected. The city also does not compare amounts billed for utilities to amounts paid and does not properly handle delinquent accounts. An independent review of any adjustments made to utility accounts is not conducted. Customer utility deposits are not reconciled to the deposit payable balance.

Meeting Minutes
Closed meeting topics were not limited to those specifically identified in the open meeting minutes and allowable under the Sunshine Law.

Capital Asset and Insurance Procedures
The city is not properly managing its capital assets and unnecessarily carried insurance on vehicles it no longer owned.

In the areas audited, the overall performance of this entity was Poor.*
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 (Federal Stimulus)
The city was awarded a $7,758,719 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Grant for sewer system and wastewater treatment facility improvements, of which $4,348,772 was received and $4,789,246 was expended in fiscal year 2010. The city was also awarded a $58,640 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant for upgrades of the city wastewater treatment plant, but funds related to this grant were not received or expended in fiscal year 2010.

Complete Audit Report

Billy Long's Amy Winehouse tweet goes international

Seventh District Congressman Billy Long's decision to use a tweet comparing the current debt situation in the U. S. to the death of singer Amy Winehouse is continuing to snowball.

The London Daily Mail has picked it up with an article critical of Long. Long's tweet read, 'No one could reach #AmyWinehouse before it was too late. Can anyone reach Washington before it's too late? Both addicted - same fate???' The Daily Mail response included the following:

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018730/Congressman-Billy-Long-compares-U-S-debt-crisis-Amy-Winehouses-death-addiction.html#ixzz1TA4lTHer

Long, 55, is a controversial freshman Republican who represents Missouri's seventh congressional district.

He was elected despite accusations of a smear campaign, racism and homophobia and claims he was involved in sex parties.
Waitress Jennifer Case wrote on Facebook that the congressman was so bigoted he would refuse to be served at her restaurant by black or gay waiters.

Miss Winehouse was found at her North London home by a bodyguard on Saturday afternoon.

She had battled addiction for years and was believed to be ‘devastated’ after splitting up with her on-off boyfriend, film director Reg Traviss, who was seen outside her home hours after her body was discovered.
Her body is due to be buried tomorrow following an autopsy.

Worker recalls collapse of El Vaquero during tornado

GOP files FEC complaint against Claire McCaskill

(From the Missouri Republican Party)

The Missouri Republican Party today filed a complaint their the Federal Election Commission over Claire McCaskill’s serious and ongoing campaign finance violations.

(Please click here to view the complaint.)

As was reported by several media outlets, Claire McCaskill recently filed a series of amendments to several years’ worth of campaign finance reports. The most egregious and news-worthy amendments were related to more than $550,000 in reporting errors during her 2006 campaign and her use of her private plane for political flights.

A week of investigation by the MOGOP uncovered additional of errors and outright distortion by McCaskill.

“In my 30 years of working in and around campaigns—most of them federal—I have never seen campaign violations as bad a Claire McCaskill’s,” said Lloyd Smith, Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party. “Combined with her previous failure to pay $320,000 in taxes, Claire McCaskill’s failure to report thousands of contributors and more than half-a-million dollars in expenses and receipts is more evidence that Missourians cannot trust her as a watchdog for government spending. We hope that the Federal Election Commission will investigate McCaskill’s campaign activities, conduct a full audit of her campaign committee, and impose any fines that they believe are necessary.”

Among the issues included in the complaint:

* McCaskill failed to report approximately $277,000 in contributions and another $277,000 in spending during her 2006 campaign. This is a blatant violation of campaign finance law—and it is far from “routine.”

* McCaskill has repeatedly claimed that there were 143 previously-unreported contributors in her amended filings—but the real number appears to be well into the thousands. McCaskill’s amendments show that $245,000 was added under the category of unitemized contributions, which means that each contribution was less than $200. So assuming that every single donation was $199.99—at a minimum—there were 1,225 contributions that went unreported. This exposes McCaskill’s distortions and shows that her reporting errors run much deeper than she initially acknowledged.

* Whenever McCaskill pays for a political flight out of her own pocket, she is required to report them as an in-kind contribution. In March, she was caught using taxpayer resources to pay for political trips on the plane—flying to political events in Hannibal and Kansas City in 2007. She reimbursed the government for those trips, meaning she paid for them out of her own pocket, but those political flights STILL have not been reported as in-kind contributions to her campaign or the Democratic Party. This is an ongoing violation of campaign finance law, and it raises the question: what other political flights are out there that McCaskill has not reported? We don’t know, because she refuses to release any records related to the plane.

Dangerous heat wave to continue through this week

(From the National Weather Service)

PROLONGED AND DANGEROUS HEAT WAVE CONTINUING THROUGH MUCH OF
THE UPCOMING WEEK...

.A PROLONGED HEAT WAVE WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH
MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. VERY WARM AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES
COMBINING WITH A MOIST LOW LEVEL AIR MASS WILL CREATE HEAT INDEX
VALUES BETWEEN 100 AND 110 DEGREES EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH AT
LEAST THURSDAY.

THE PROLONGED NATURE OF THIS HEAT WAVE WILL INCREASE THE RISK OF
HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES TO ANYONE WORKING OR PARTICIPATING IN
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. BE AWARE OF THE SIGNS OF HEAT RELATED
ILLNESSES...AND ACT APPROPRIATELY IF HEAT ILLNESS SYMPTOMS OCCUR
TO YOURSELF OR ANYONE AROUND YOU.

Billy Long compares Washington to Amy Winehouse

A Twitter account in the hands of Seventh District Congressman Billy Long can be a dangerous thing.

Long, who has had to remove other tweets after receiving negative reactions, hasn't removed this one, which was posted two hours ago:

No one could reach #AmyWinehouse before it was too late. Can anyone reach Washington before it's too late? Both addicted - same fate???

Long was, of course, referring to the 27-year-old singer who was found dead in her apartment over the weekend and had a lengthy history of drug and alcohol addiction problems.