BSU vs. U of I

The Statesman has a front page story today quoting BSU President Bob Kustra as saying that he doesn't care is BSU football ever plays U of I football again, because "it's a culture that's nasty [and] inebriated." Ouch.

I'm sure that UI fans are feeling kind of bruised about their rivalry with BSU these days. For many years, it was the leading university in the state. Many of the best programs, largest enrollment, best sports teams, and had the law school. Its graduates populated most of the most influential jobs, including many seats in the legislature. But now, that's changing.

BSU's football team is clearly the marquee team in Idaho, completely eclipsing UI's team. BSU now has the largest enrollment, it's growing and expanding its campus, its research grant money is flowing in faster and faster, and it looks poised to assume the mantle of the premiere university in the state. Of course, all the UI fans in influential positions will continue to try to hinder that and to promote UI, but it seems inevitable (to me, at least).

Another thing that appears inevitable (to me) is that the UI law school is essentially doomed, unless UI wises up and moves it to Boise or somewhere in the Treasure Valley. Concordia is opening a law school soon here in Boise, and once that gets up and running and accredited (assuming it does), it will start to siphon off students that are now going to UI.

Moscow is a pretty place and all, but the expense of moving there, and the relative lack of law-related employment opportunities in Moscow versus the Treasure Valley, makes it almost a no brainer that many students will choose Concordia over UI. UI law school is a good school and turns out fine lawyers, but it's a third-tier law school and doesn't really have any particular reason to draw students there, once there is an alternative. It shouldn't take Concordia too long to get at least ranked in the third tier, along with the UI law school, thus evening out any academic distinction between the two.

Concordia will be able to access leading lawyers in the state to serve as adjunct professors, its students will have the Supreme Court library about 6 blocks away, and the students will have many, many more chances to work in a legal position while in school. It's a location advantage that Moscow will never be able to match.

I talked to UI legal intern (he was in his 3rd year), and the guy said that he had to give up his business to move to Moscow, couldn't find a part time job, and his wife couldn't find a very decent paying job in the area, either. A huge economic hit. He'd have signed up at Concordia in a heartbeat, if he'd have had the option.

Once UI law-related enrollment dips, it could sink into sort of a death spiral (not that it will die, just shrink substantially). Less $$ to support it, fewer and fewer students, harder and harder to get the good professors. And over time (decades) as Concordia's grads work into influential positions, and into the legislature, one of UIs advantages (influence) will be offset and diminished.

Maybe the latter point is too distant and pie in the sky, but I do think that UI's salad days are soon to be over.

Travel is broadening

So, I've been on a military conference this week in the Peppermill Hotel in Reno. Pretty decent place, hotel, bars, casino, the whole deal. Here are some random impressions. First, below is one of the prints hanging on the wall in my room. They're going for a "Tuscany" feel, or something. Frankly, French whorehouse comes to my mind. There are about 30 of these in the hallway, and two in each room, and lots of them hung all over, and 17 floors, so, um, over 2,000. More on these later.



Here's a nice touch that I haven't seen before. The snacks are on a "live sensor" that will instantly rack up an outrageous charge if I touch them. I've been on pins an needles all week, worrying I'll accidentally knock over the $8 bottle of water.



The casino is a modern casino, and they do a great job with the casinoness of it. All the bars and restaurants require a trip through the casino, but by the time I walk through this sensory overload experience, I'm too disoriented to eat. More later.



So, I go from the environment above, to this. Talk about mental whiplash.



Here's a pic of the honor guard as they prepared to retire the colors. I just find it interesting that they are shoulder to shoulder, not because of space issues, but, that's just the way it's done. The emcee calls the room to attention, and of course all us soldiers snap to, shoulders back, chests out, fingers curled, eyes front. But, almost all of the civilians adopt the same posture, because they are mostly retired military. And as I've written, it just gets ingrained and you do it without thinking. Kind of neat, I think, that the civilians also snap to attention in the correct posture. Except the civilian women; not many retired military women in the audience. They kind of slouch around and look uncomfortable.



Oh, and as far as broadening, given they way I've been eating, what's broadening is my kiester.

That's better

A much more effective way of concealing your identity than the Lone Ranger masks.



Couldn't you have done us a favor and covered up Simpson's mug too?

This is telling

The Statesman has a story suggesting that Otter is out of touch with Idaho's current economy, favoring extraction industries over high tech and new technology companies.

In China, Otter repeated the economic vision he has held for Idaho for decades.

"You've got to dig it out of the ground, you've got to grow it or you've got to cut it out of the forest," Otter said

But the most interesting thing to me in the article was this quote from a Dubois hay farmer.

"To me that's what the government is there for," Larsen said, "to help us create jobs and be friends to business."

That's right, government is good when it's helping business. But the attitude I get from most Republicans is that when government is trying to get health care for citizens or otherwise do something for people, it's very bad.

I just don't get that disconnect. Maybe it's the Dunning–Kruger effect.

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which an unskilled person makes poor decisions and reaches erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to realize their mistakes.

King of Fools

Idaho Rep. Party Chair Norm Semanko has a "Reader's View" in the Statesman today (can't find it to link to it). The hilarious title? "The party of ideas wants to topple Obama's ivory tower."

Norm sprinkles various trite phrases and key words in his article, but doesn't mention a single idea his party came up with. He is just trying to take some shots at Dems but doesn't really say anything.

First off, in addition to the title, Norm writes "As the party of ideas" twice, clearly trying to confuse the reality that the GOP has no ideas for the country. Reality-based Reps (there are a few) even admit that the GOP bag of ideas is empty.

As I look out at the political landscape now, I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas, [Utah Sen. Bob] Bennett told The Ripon Society.

Bennett must have gotten an advance copy of Norm's "View," because he nailed it; slogans, but no ideas. Norm writes "liberal media," "liberal allies," "radical ivory tower experiments of the liberal establishment," and "the liberal ivory tower." Liberal liberal liberal, booga booga booga.

He refers to the "crippling agenda of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid," and to "what Obama, Pelosi and Reid have done to our great nation." He doesn't tell us what the agenda is, what is crippling about it, and doesn't identify what it is that these three folks have done to our nation that's so bad. Again, it's just "Obama Pelosi Reid, booga booga booga.

On the front page of the Statesman, above the fold, is a story titled "Loss of jobless checks costs families, economy." It says "Idaho could see $7 million a week less going to grocers, gas stations and other retailers if Congress doesn't act on a bill to extend unemployment benefits." What is Norm's "party of ideas" doing about this? They're filibustering extending the benefits. I guess their idea is to destroy families and local economies, in order to boost their chances at reelection. We are better off without that type of idea.

Unfortunately, this mindless drivel resonates with a certain segment of Idaho's citizenry, a segment that is in control of the Idaho Rep. party these days. That segment's ideas are things like requiring loyalty oaths, paying state fees in precious metals, and establishing a separate state militia. They have no ideas about how to get the economy going, to create jobs, to obtain energy independence, or about any of the other problems facing the nation.

As the chair of the Idaho Republican Party, Norm Semanko is the King of Fools, and tragically for Idaho, he'll always reign.