Citizens of Public Power v. Mid American Energy

Informed Citizenry

2005-11-20T16:04:00.000-06:00

Media and society have come a long way in the last hundred years. Mediums have gone from a predominately agenda oriented focus to a more objective "informed citizenry" view. But like anything else, things can still get better. In the last couple of weeks I have brought up numerous topics concerning the public power debate, with an emphasis on medias particular role. The debate is over, and for right now, so is the media coverage. I hope that the media will continue coverage on this topic and encourage public discourse. Lets not forget that we are a democracy. And lets also not forget that media plays a crucial role in that democracy. As stated before, we have come a long way in how we present information in the media. However, if we let the business side take over our main sources of media we will cycle back to the agenda oriented style we once were. Let's not take steps back!

With hope

Chris

A Lesson to be Learned

2005-11-20T12:48:00.000-06:00

With the election several weeks behind us and the cessation of media coverage regarding Public Power, it seems that this issue is almost nonexistent. Considering the large amounts of coverage and participation it had prior to the election, the change is very significant. As I have said previously, I find it disheartening and discouraging that the media only thinks it is necessary to cover key community issues at election time. Wouldn't the citizens of Iowa City rather read about the energy rates they are going to have to pay and alternative options for energy rather than issues that have no prevalence to their life. However, maybe citizens really don't want to read about it and that is why the newspapers don't include these issues because they are participants in a competitive market for readership. In any case, I think our newspapers and television coverage could have done a more efficient job in regards to the issue of Public Power. Readers needed more investigation of the issue and more regulation of advertising so that one (MidAmerican) didn't have more influence due to money. I hope this issue will at least be an example to work off of in the future and that something good will come out of it.

-Danyl

Will the winter make us wish for a different result?

2005-11-19T18:56:00.000-06:00

As the weather gets colder and our gas bills rise, we will definitely notice a change in the amount of our bill from MidAmerican Energy. Now that the election is over and everything has been said and done, I wonder if the people of Iowa City will wish that they had taken a more active stance in this issue. Now that the media has certainly left the issue behind, it seems no longer a topic for public discussion. I think that this issue will need some new developments and more publicity if it is ever to emerge as an important part of Iowa City's interest again.

-Justin

Next voting round

2005-11-18T17:59:00.000-06:00

I can't help but think what the next voting round will be like. Will this issue get brought back up again in four years? If so, will it be approached differently and then be surprised to find the results the same? Will both sides have more information after realizing that people want all the facts?

I think the most important thing people need to realize is not what the issue is (of course this is important to), but how they are going to get people to vote. New technoloy is coming out at a fast pace and we need to keep up with it.

I am interested to see what voting will be like in the future, aren't you?!

~Ashly

Lost Hope

2005-11-18T12:44:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately it looks like the public power debate is no longer getting much media coverage. I hate to break it to you, its over. Some of us media critics feel that it shouldn't be considering the money we are spending on energy compared to others, however it is a lost cause. The media has moved on to whats happening now. They can almost be compared to a one night stand, their in it when its interesting, and out when it gets old. I would like to see the media take a little different stance on the issue and further discussion. If the media would take on a more profound role and pursue this topic I think we could really come to an agreement. But until then, we are just left paying higher bills. As if Iowa City didn't already charge way to much!

Chris

Can We Keep Up With Technology?

2005-11-17T12:33:00.000-06:00

First there were chat rooms and virtual bulletin boards for public opinions, now there are network communities, such as Facebook mentioned before, and most relevant-blogs.

The idea of such great phenomena being lost in the shuffle to even newer technologies is quite alarming, specifically in reference to blogs. How long will it be before blogs are replaced with something newer and better? It would be a shame for people’s hard work and maintenance of their blog to be wasted because it simply is not intriguing people any more. It also seems to be a bit discouraging that there is never really one best way to reach a wide audience, there are simply too many options out there. Is the only solution for people is to make sure we are constantly on our toes about what is going on? Eventually people "grow out of" their infatuation with new technologies, were will this lead us?

~Ashly

How much do we really care??

2005-11-16T21:47:00.000-06:00

"If the city moves forward, the Iowa Utilities Board would first have to determine whether municipalization is "in the public interest." If the board decides that a municipal utility would be in the public interest, the board then must set a price on the electrical system the city would take over." - Des Moines Register (November 5, 2005)

If the public considers this a pertinent issue and of interest, I find it very odd that (as stated by other members on the blog) this issue has dissipated to nothing. Media coverage has lost interest in broadcasting updates on the public power agenda. If the Daily Iowan is truly the great newspaper that it claims to be, should it not take a more responsible role in continuously educating and updating the public to be more knowledgeable? Or should it continue to entertain? I'd like to think that informing is more important than entertaining.

-Thang

Last Post

2005-11-16T21:11:00.000-06:00

Ahhh I did it again!! Chris wrote the last post.

Media: Big Business

2005-11-16T21:10:00.000-06:00

As I reflect back on the November 8th election, I cannot help but wonder; "What if Citizens for Public Power had more money to advertise with?" I contemplate this question because of the enormous difference in money spent from the opposing sides. We are talking $500,000 to $16,000. These amounts are like night and day. What I fail to realize, as did Citizens for Public Power, is that media is a big business. They need money to operate just like any other establishment. The problem with this, however, is the fact that money can therefore control what we read in the newspaper. Think about it, the Daily Iowan rarely has full page ads in its content, the cost alone is just to high. But Mid American had all the money in the world to spend on their spot in the Daily Iowan. For a week straight the Daily Iowan ran full page ads in support for Mid American. Oddly enough, Mid American won by a landslide. I believe it is media's role to inform the public without bias, but unfortunately it looks like everyone (including newspapers) has their price.

Where did this issue go?

2005-11-16T14:07:00.000-06:00

As another day passes and as over a week has gone by since the election, media over the Public Power issue has continued to dwindle. Where is it in the Daily Iowan or Press Citizen? Maybe if one is lucky they will find it in the editorial pages, but that is not even likely. Chances are that eventually the community will see nothing in our news publications. This will be very dangerous for our community and it will hinder our informed citizenry. When will we see the effects of voting 'no' to municipal power? Were we just the victims of propaganda? It currently appears that way because after the election the issue of Public Power seems to have disappeared. MidAmerican got the vote they wanted and therefore there is no further need to engage the public. Also, the Citizens for Public Power seem to have disappeared as well. Just because they lost the election doesn't necessarily mean they need to stop advocating their beliefs. Was their platform really just a way to benefit Iowa City's government and gain back power? One will never know these answers unless they are discussed in our newspapers and local news broadcasts. One of their duties is to cover local issues. I'm not asking that they talk about Public Power everyday, but they need to provide our community with the consequences of the election so that citizens know what to fully expect in the future.

-Danyl

Does Radio Really Help?

2005-11-16T13:27:00.000-06:00

The use of radio as an effective medium for politics seems to be a lost cause. To face facts, as soon as most listeners hear advertisements or campaigns they change the station. The energy issue going on is no different. One cannot give up hope that the radio supplies some kind of benefit for policy making and democracy as a whole, but one also needs to realize that the appeal and “aw factor” need to be there in order for people to keep their hand off the dial. Otherwise the appeal to a mass media will be lost. It is like anything really, first impressions are crucial, whether oral or visual. Perhaps all that needs to be working on is the approach, not necessarily the content.

~Ashly

So...what happens now?

2005-11-15T20:30:00.000-06:00

Since the election has been over for a week now, the media coverage has been consistently reduced to editorial/opinion submissions. If there are still concerned citizens, I think now would be an appropriate time to keep trying because it appears as though the issue is on its way to becoming dead.

There have been no updates on the Citizens for Public Power Homepage (link) for quite some time now and there really hasn't been any sort of formal response regarding the results of the election. It seems to me that Citizens for Public Power have given up their point, if this is not the case, they should probably make that clear to the rest of us.

-Justin

Public Power Updates Progress

2005-11-15T10:39:00.000-06:00

Two municipalization efforts fail; 17 Iowa cities OK telecom initiatives
Ballot measures that would have created municipal electric utilities in Iowa City, Iowa, and Belleair, Fla., were defeated in the Nov. 8 elections, and so was an initiative in California that would have re-regulated the electricity market. But municipal telecommunications initiatives in Iowa made headway. Residents in 17 out of 32 Iowa cities voted in favor of ballot measures authorizing their communities to form city-owned telecommunications utilities, even though private telecom companies spent nearly $1.5 million opposing the measures.

http://www.appanet.org/newsletters/PublicPowerWeeklyList.cfm?sn.ItemNumber=2054

-Thang

Effect of Polls

2005-11-14T21:26:00.000-06:00

We have all taken a poll or two in our lifetime, but are they really effective? Some argue that questions and choices are often worded to favor the outcome the creators want to hear. I do not think this is an entirely untrue theory. And because of this, polls seem to be somewhat powerless.
Just because more people are voting “yes” or “no” does not mean that it is a true representation of what the public as a whole believes. This is most certainly true when blogs are left or right leaning. Of course it is going to look like everyone supports the same thing you do, because it is all people with your same viewpoints visiting your site. Something to keep in mind for people who think that polls truly are effective.

~Ashly

Was the initiative really overturned because some wanted it to 'simply go away' ?

2005-11-14T20:37:00.000-06:00

Until the editoral article that was previously mentioned in Danyl's blog, the public wasn't made as aware of the importance of the Iowa Utilities Board. It seems as though there have been some important points previously left out that are now surfacing in the aftermath of the municipal election results. The saying 'hindsight is 20/20' certainly applies it this situation, where were all of these voices that are now being published in the Daily Iowan when most people were trying to form and evaluate their opinions on the issue?

-Justin

Alternative Method for Alternative Energy?

2005-11-14T18:23:00.000-06:00

The City Council, whose members are elected by the public to fully represent them in city matters, still has the power to authorize alternative energy plans. The fact that this Public Power election lost, does not mean that it is dead. Many of the same ideas and plans that would've resulted from the election could still be implemented and thought out in more detail. The City Council then only needs to approve and authorize any initiative that is tabled before its council members in order to publicize to the community. There are many statutory and other regulatory matters involved in the process, but it seems that a "Yes" vote during the election would have not changed matters much at this point.

Refer to http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/politics/PubPower/njpplegl.html for more information.

-Thang

Citizens for Public Power to blame for loss?

2005-11-14T11:38:00.000-06:00

In regards to the editorial today published in The Daily Iowan, I commend the statements and points that were made. Entitiled "Power vote shows statewide flaws", the article references the fact that MidAmerican is not the only one to be blamed in the Public Power issue because the Iowa Utilities Board regulates energy rates. I feel that the most important claim in the article was that the Citizens for Public Power did itself no favors by stating that the voters were "too dim" to understand the issue. We have discussed this thoroughly in previous blogs. The reason they perceive voters as "too dim" is due to their own faults. The city's job is to provide its citizens with information regarding their community regardless of the depth of the information. One can never become an informed citizen if they are treated as disinterested and unknowledgeable. So, is the city at fault then for their loss on Nov. 8 instead of MidAmerican's large advertising budget? Most likely it is a mixture of the two.

-Danyl

What is going to happen now?

2005-11-13T19:21:00.000-06:00

I can't help but notice that after the Nov. 8 election there were no more articles regarding the issue of Public Power, besides stating the results of the election, in the Iowa City newspapers. I understand that the reason it got so much coverage before the election was because the newspapers wanted to inform the public so they could make an educated vote which I commend them for. However, if this issue was so important as can be seen from the large amount of media coverage it received, how is it that now it seems to have disappeared. As talked about in a previous blog, I think this is because newspapers stick to event reporting and fail to link events which is the main cause for public forgetfulness. Newspapers should continue to investigate this issue and find out what MidAmerican plans to do now that they have won the election. Also, they need to find out what the Citizens for Public Power plan to do. If they don't investigate and report on these two institutions, then I think our news service will do the public a great disservice. We voted yes or no, so now tell us the consequences.

-Danyl

Last Post

2005-11-13T15:34:00.000-06:00

Sorry, forgot to leave that Chris blogged "Internet Usage."

Internet Usage

2005-11-13T15:31:00.000-06:00

All along I have been concentrating heavily on newspapers and their respective roles to report the news effectively. Recently, I came across an article written by Dhavan V. Shah concerning Internet usage in the media. The author argued that the true role of the Internet is to provide political information and be a sphere for public expression. Is this where Citizens for Public Power went wrong? In all of my research into the subject I never remember coming across any sites to visit. I did happen to look at a site in support for Mid American. This site had facts, frequently asked questions, and other related information. Americans are becoming more web based, if we weren't there wouldn't be newspapers online. I think it is media's role to change with the times. Make a long story short, Citizens of Public Power should have done a better job using the Internet.

Debate Over Financial Role in Election continues

2005-11-12T20:21:00.000-06:00

In Friday's opinion section of the Daily Iowan, a concerned citizen wrote in examining issues of the advertising budgets regarding the results of the municipal election. The writer claims that opponents of public power come forward with $9000 (in addition to the amount already contributed by MidAmerican) and said that "it is also possible that without MidAmerican's very visible and clearly expensive campaign, citizens opposed to public power would have been looser with their pocketbooks. "

This article raised an important issue that I personally hadn't considered and I'm certain that many other interested people haven't thought about. If this writer is correct, it may suggest the idea that MidAmerican's financial advantage wouldn't have been necessary if the citizens themselves could have handled it.

-Justin

Mass Media v. My Media

2005-11-12T12:56:00.000-06:00

If you mention the social online network "Facebook" on a college campus more than likely everyone around you will know what you are talking about. It is a media addiction for college students around the nation as a chance to get to know anyone and everyone. This is one example of how "mass media" is getting washed away and overtaken by "my media."

Not such a bassare theory really, just look at the success of blogs. In a sense a blog and Facebook are the same idea, sharing your "profile" for everyone to see. Mediums such as Facebook and blogs are not really creating a greater sense of democracy because they are just allowing people to further segregate their beliefs, attitudes and political stances, rather than come together with others to solve issues and find middle grounds that lead to a more effective democracy.

Do you agree?

~Ashly

Event Reporting

2005-11-11T13:52:00.000-06:00

Well I just wanted to say "CONGRATS" to all the journalists who successfully participated in event reporting concerning the public power debate. What is "event reporting" you might ask? Event reporting is when a newspaper concentrates heavily on an issue, but only until it is voted on. Then it drops the entire issue like it never existed. One would say "Mid American won, it is over." But what about the main points of the debate. We do pay more for energy than a lot of other counties. That fact does not simply go away when the votes are in. How are we going to fix this? These issues still need to be addressed, and it is the media's role to provide that for us.

Price war?

2005-11-09T16:39:00.000-06:00

Interesting how the results respectfully coincide with the amount of money spent on campaigning for this issue:

Mid American Energy: $500,000
Public Power: $16,000

Now that the election is over, it is up to the city council members to either continue discussion on this issue or to let it rest. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

-Thang

Newspaper Coverage

2005-11-09T13:43:00.000-06:00

Well the debate is over. Mid American takes the vote, and in great margin I might add. Could it have been different if Citizens for Public Power had more money? Who knows. However, I think the vote would have been a lot different if the media would have done a better job of informing the college students. Everyday I sat down and read the articles in the Daily Iowan concerning the issue. And everyday I was left with the same question: "How will it effect me if I vote one way or another?" I don't think either side did enough to get college students involved. Which is a complete surprise to me considering the 30,000 students in Iowa City. For example, today in the Daily Iowan they asked students if they took part in the vote. All but ONE did not vote, and the one who did only voted because of the 21 ordinance. I guess what I am saying is don't completely shun us out. Some of us might actually live here after college, which intern would have made this vote important to us. The voting age is 18 RIGHT!

Chris

Voting Polls

2005-11-09T12:37:00.000-06:00

Many states are grasping on to the new idea of electronic voting polls, similar looking to an ATM. A big interest took place after the Presidential Election in 2000 and all the problems that took in voter counts in Florida.
These voter machines would help speed the process of voting, improve the accuracy and also increase the turn-around time of getting results. The new found convenience will also allow more disabled people to vote. So where does the problem come in you ask?

Some people view this machines as a hazard and claim that the software used could be easily tapped into and numbers could be toyed with. An obvious problem, but one that the manufacturer, Diebold, claims would never ever happen. Some others fear that since Diebold is big business elections will become run by corporations. Therefore taking away the transparency of our elections. Does this seem like a far stretch to anyone else? What about the current paper ballots, who prints those? Couldn't some one claim that that company is taking over elections?

I think that sometimes people see change and automatically think it is wrong and problem-causing. And in some cases they are right, but in this case, it is simply an improvement of the system to better control the votes that come in. I think it is a great idea and something that will help election 2000, and 2004 in that case, not be a repeat.

~Ashly

Could the election have turned out differently?

2005-11-09T11:51:00.000-06:00

As Justin has stated in the previous post and as seen from the broadcast news and the newspapers, MidAmerican has beat out Citizens for Public Power. Now that the election is over, one can't help but contemplate the real reason why they won. Is it truly because Iowa City citizens don't think muncipal power will be beneficial or is it because MidAmerican had $500,000 to spend on their campaign? I guess we'll really never know the answer to that and I think its because our media didn't sufficiently investigate that. Maybe if the newspapers would have conducted an investigation about how things would have been if the Citizens for Public Power also had $500,000 to spend instead of a measily $16,000 the election would have turned out differently. As I have said before in my previous blogs, I believe that our media should question and investigate events that have to do with big business and government rather than just report the events. Without our media doing this, we truly aren't informed citizens but rather victims of propaganda.

-Danyl

Mid American wins

2005-11-08T22:18:00.000-06:00

According to the Press Citizen, the public power initiative was defeated 67 % to 33 %. Given the amount of hype surrounding this issue and the extremely high voter turnout, it's safe to say that citizen's were definitely taking an active role in deciding on this issue. As I stated in my last blog, we won't be able to tell what influenced a person's vote. Does the conclusion to this election tell us that grassroots campaigns simply can't compete with big business? Perhaps there should have been more effort in creating a common ground between the two instead of such a polarized issue as it has been?

-Justin

If you're not doing anything wrong, why should you worry?

2005-11-08T18:37:00.000-06:00

In regards to the Daily Iowan posting MidAmerican Energy's expenditures in campaigning against the public power agenda, a UI employee says:

"I have two concerns with the aggressive posture that MidAmerican has taken on this issue. First of all, it appears obvious that MidAmerican does not believe that its services and pricing could withstand an objective review against the alternative of a municipally run power company. If it truly is offering residential and commercial customers such a good value (including both service rates and tax revenues), that would be shown in the study, and the issue would be put to rest. ... Second, I can't help but be irritated that the funding for this extensive campaign came from my own pocket, as well as the pockets of all other MidAmerican customers, whether they support public power or not.(Daily Iowan, November 8th, 2005)

Note: MidAmerican Energy spent more than $500,000.00 on this campaign, thats excluding this final week's endeavors.

-Thang

The "Power" of Public Opinion

2005-11-07T23:17:00.000-06:00

Opinion pages for the last week or so have been flooded with opinions from both sides of this issue. We have already learned about Mid American's definite advantage regarding financing advertising campaigns, but are the citizens who are actively voicing their opinions just as powerful as a full page newspaper ad? I think that many citizens who write in to the newspaper's opinion section can raise valid points, but they lack the credibility that an advertisement or television commercial possesses. Although we will not be able to tell what specifically influenced a person's vote, the results of tomorrow's election will undoubtedly reflect the importance of the public's involvement with the issue.

-Justin

How Does MidAmerican Energy Hold Up?

2005-11-07T22:51:00.000-06:00

One of the claims by Frank Luntz posted last week regarding comforting words that energy companies should use to gain consent from the public was "accountability". MidAmerican Energy has one of the largest wind-power plants in the country! These plants destroy a large amount of land and habitat in the midwest area. What have they done to demonstrate accountability for this?

-Thang

Who is really to blame?

2005-11-07T20:21:00.000-06:00

According to Professor Chad Raphael from Santa Clara University, he states that citizens today are not receiving their interests or concerns from the news like they are supposed to. Instead, he says we are in a vicious circle. This circle consists of little audience demand for complex news, news organizations having little incentive to supply sophisticated news and political elites only offering simplistic symbolism to voters. If this is true, who is really to blame in this issue of Public Power? Is it the citizens who are just not interested in reading about complex issues in a systematic manner? Or, is it the newspapers, such as the Daily Iowan and Press Citizen, who don't bother to print sophisticated stories because they will lose readership? Or, lastly is it political elites, such as the Iowa City Council, who do not provide an in-depth discourse on Public Power. The correct answer would probably be that all three are at fault for those things, but what needs to be done to change that? The outcome of the election tomorrow would most likely be different if this circle was broken and change came about. This change would provide more information from the media and it would also allow them to do their job of acting as a watchdog for big business and government.

-Danyl

Voting Tomorrow

2005-11-07T18:07:00.000-06:00

Does anyone else find it odd that even if I wanted to and planned to vote tomorrow about the issues in Iowa City, that I don't know where and when to go? Of course I can assume the courthouse near my apartment is a good guess, but I find it a bit funny that we always hear that not enough people vote, maybe it's because they don't know where to go?! Maybe The Daily Iowan should think about adding that in with all the other information they are cluttering our minds with.

-Ashly

Press Citizen Coverage

2005-11-06T17:49:00.000-06:00

Does anyone else find it interesting that the Iowa City Press Citizen is only covering the public power debate on the opinion page? It is mind boggling to me that the journalists do not want to jump all over this topic and research it to its fullest extent. Instead, we are getting a bunch of opinion articles packed full of facts that usually lack sufficient evidence. Like I said before, I think that it is the role of the media to interpret the material and present it to us so we can easily understand. Organizing and highlighting the most important information would prevent us from experiencing what Phillip Meyer would call "information overload." Americans have short attention spans, give us the information up front and give us the facts with credible backing. I believe this would not only increase awarenesss of the topic, but educate us as well. What does everyone else think?

A Need for Increased Citizen Involvement

2005-11-06T14:49:00.000-06:00

One of the main obstacles for news sources today, is that they struggle in the competition for readership. According to Ken Parish, citizens are showing little or no involvement in political or civic participation. Therefore, this issue of Public Power has most likely met the same problem of low citizen involvement. However, this past week The Daily Iowan ran a series on Key Local Issues in the Nov. 8 City Council Election, and Public Power was one of them. That was important for the DI to do because it made citizens of Iowa City aware of the key issues surrounding Public Power and since this issue directly affects them they are more likely to pay attention to it. It is essential for media outlets to increase citizen involvement rather that just focus on national stories. With increased citizen involvement, there comes a more informed and educated citizen and that is needed to make a decision on the issue of Public Power.

-Danyl

Do the Citizens for Public Power need to do something about Mid American's ad campaign?

2005-11-05T11:52:00.000-06:00

In Danyl's post, she talked a lot about the bottomless amount of money that Mid-American seems to have and it's potential effect on voters. I think that the Citizens for Public Power, whether or not they have funding, could promote themselves more in an interactive manner with the public. I have not been able to find any message boards or discussion groups about their cause and we have already established that debates are not effective in increasing public involvement. Mid American has it easy, they already have thousands of customers and can contact them directly regarding the issue. I think that in terms of interaction with the public, Mid American has the obvious advantage, but the Citizens for Public Power could certainly try a little harder to increase the awareness of their views.
-justin

A New Found Medium?

2005-11-04T17:19:00.000-06:00

When looking into new found technology of ways to communities text messaging is hard to ignore. I can't help but wonder, is text messaging a possibility for the future of public voting, debates and communication?

During the 2004 Presidential election, America Rocks the Vote and CNN teamed up to allow viewers to send in questions via text messaging for a Democratic presidential debate. Rock the Vote aims to reverse declining voting turnout for young people. However in this example, it did not seem to be overly affective. But when it comes to American Idol, it works like a charm.

So is the real problem the ease of communication, or just the fact that young people are as involved as we should be with politics?

I think it's the latter of the two. As hard as it is to admit, being as I am included in the group of GenXer's, our generation just isn't excited and motivated to get involved with our countries politics.

This vote on November 8th is no different. You could ask multiple Universtiy students what they think about this issue and they will give you a blank stare because they don't even know it's going on.

So what's the real solution? Text messaging? I think it's a waste of time and energy. No pun intended!

-Ashly

Citizens of Public Power v. Mid American Energy

2005-11-04T14:26:00.000-06:00

In today's Daily Iowan, there is an article entitled "Utility spends $500K on 'No' vote". It talks about the money spent on the campaigns of MidAmerican and Citizens of Public Power. However, the majority of the article is spent talking about how much MidAmerican has spent and it even provides a breakdown of where the money has been gone for both sides. The DI has done a nice job of focusing on how this large corporation has a definite edge over the Citizens for P.P. in regards to monetary funds. Throughout the week, MidAmerican has run a full page ad (on page 3 none the less) for people to vote 'No' on Nov. 8 and has a large list of citizens and businesses who support them. In addition, today's article shows that MidAmerican has spent $2,294.16 with $7,706 with the DI. Citizens for P.P. has spent no money with the Daily Iowan. This situation just reflects domination of corporations in every aspect of our lives. They dominate because they have established themselves as power houses with endless supplies of money. Should MidAmerican win the 'No' vote just because they have the money to spend on advertising? In all respects, it looks like it may happen.

-Danyl

Interpretive Journalism

2005-11-04T10:54:00.000-06:00

After reading through my last posting I noticed that I didn't go into much detail about what I meant by the Daily Iowan not giving us "interpretive journalism." I believe that interpretive journalism is social discourse that gets us somewhere. It goes beyond just the facts and statistics. Interpretive Journalism is when the writer says "hey this is just not right" and takes a stance. We NEED that in the public power debate. Otherwise we are left with a dualistic argument that just leaves our heads spinning. The University of Iowa students are an important group to reach in this debate. It is up to the writers of the Daily Iowan (our own age I might ad) to interpret some these facts and leave us with the knowledge to make an educated decision. As Jon Stewart would say "Tell us what is BS!!!!!!!"

Petitions

2005-11-03T13:17:00.000-06:00

I find Mid American Energy's approach with the full page petition a little strange. There has been a printed petition in the Daily Iowan everyday for the past week with individual names and business names of supporters of the vote “No.” What I find interesting and it makes me question the petition approach is that from October 31 to November 7 the petition looks exactly the same. It seems like an ineffective medium for the fact that more people’s names are not being added in support of the “No” vote. To me, true success of a petition issued daily is one that continues to show support with added names. The published petition also signifies the amount of money Mid American Energy is putting into this issue. Which makes one wonder, if they have all this money at their disposal for their “No” campaign, why can they not reallocate their resources and lower energy bills for their customers?

~Ashly

What does it take?

2005-11-02T20:20:00.000-06:00

If any of you guys know who Frank Luntz is, "Frontline" did a great feature on him and how he applies the idea of word choice to persuade the public. One of his issues that he discusses in this special was the issue of Public Power. Through focus groups, experiments, and evaluations over time, he determined that the general public would be more confident in already established power companies if they demonstrated three things:

Accountability: holding themselves accountable for unethical actions of the past, current issues that are at hand, and problems that might worry the public.
Responsibility: to the public and to the environment in the production, pricing, and distribution of energy.
Reform: the idea that they will constantly reform their production processes to be efficient and environmentally sound.

If Mid-American Energy demonstrated these three things, would you support their business?

For More information:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/interviews/luntz.html

-Thang

What is Media's Role?

2005-11-02T15:35:00.000-06:00

Is the media truly doing its job on the issue of Public Power vs. Mid American? On Nov. 1st the Dalily Iowan had an article entitled "Power debate rages." This article gave us quotes and other specific facts, but where was the interpretive journalism? I cannot decipher all of this critical information if I do not have any background behind the information. One side is saying that it is going to save money and one side is putting us in a huge hole. Obviously they are using completely two different methods. I think the paper should let us in on what those methods are, and let us "regular citizens" educate ourselves.

Chris

Who to Trust?

2005-11-02T14:25:00.000-06:00

After attending the Public Power debate last Thursday, I learned that one of the main arguments that some people of Iowa City have is that the Citizens of Public Power do not have a business plan in regards to municipal power. They are asking for citizens to vote Yes, but they have not provided energy rates or how they plan to obtain money for start-up costs. Essentially, they are asking for the citizens' trust to vote Yes with the promise that they will pay less for power. Are the citizens giving up their democratic power once they vote Yes and then let Iowa City set energy rates?

Are we being robbed blind?

2005-11-02T01:30:00.000-06:00

According to the article in today's Daily Iowan titled, "Power Debate Rages", Iowa City residents pay $.40 more per month in electric bills than those in Ames, Cedar Falls, and other cities around the state. According to Citizens for Public Power, these cities use municipal energy. Businesses pay approximately 60% more than residential customers. That sucks.

-Thang

Absentee Voting

2005-11-02T00:01:00.000-06:00

A very high voter turnout for this election is expected according to the Daily Iowan. Today, the newspaper said that the number of voters who have submitted absentee ballots is only 30 votes short of the total number submitted just before the 2001 municipal election. Does absentee voting take away from the community idea of people coming together to the same place to cast their one voice for change? As our society continues at its alarmingly fast pace, it seems as though personal convenience is now outweighing the important act of physically placing a vote at the same location as other citizens.

-Justin

Is the Internet effective?

2005-11-01T23:35:00.000-06:00

Many people will argue both ways with the issue of whether or not the internet is a positive or negative tool with the aid to democracy. Some see it as causing information clutter, some think it's the best way to inform the public. Whether it be blogs or the websites of each side of the issue, or referencing past similar issues; is this all helping or hurting the issue at hand?
With the issue of Public Power v. Mid American how helpful is the internet? Could it perhaps be used in a more positive way, i.e.-the debate that was held last week could be available online so all can see?

Keep in mind the demographic of this issue also. The 'tech-savy' ages are not the ones that are concerned about this issue, or rather they think they can't make a difference by getting involved. Does this change your stance on the importance/effectiveness of the internet as a resourse for this issue?

-Ashly

Development or Destruction?

2005-11-01T00:56:00.000-06:00

What do people think about this idea of giving the public the power to create an alternative source of energy? The concept is awesome. This could potentially save us money, be more efficient in the energy production and distribution processes, and would engage the public to be more environmentally concerned. However, what are the costs that might be involved? I'd like to know some ideas or opinions that people might have about this issue. The following are some places to get more information about the issue and the people that are proposing it:

American Public Power Association: http://www.appanet.org/
Large Public Power Council: http://www.lppc.org/
Citizens for Public Power (What the Vote on Nov. 8th is about?): http://www.icpublicpower.org/

Feel free to gather more information about this issue. What are some of your opinions?

-Thang