Random thoughts

Sorry, I've been blog-free for a few days now. I'll try to catch up this weekend on some random happenings I've missed. I'm sure you lost sleep waiting for them, right?

Looks like Governor Chet Culver has a new travel agent. Last Sunday, the Des Moines Register's Tom Beaumont found the numbers to show what observers have been saying about Culver since he took office: he doesn't seem to be doing as much as his predecessors, at least in public.

Beaumont added up public appearances and news conferences and found Culver has been doing a fraction of what Governors Tom Vilsack and Terry Branstad did. But the past week has been a far different story. Culver had the busiest public weekend I can remember recently, including an appearance at a West Des Moines church last Sunday morning. It continued Monday, with his first news conference (his office said these will be weekly) of the legislative session. This took place in the third week of the session. He has another one scheduled for Monday. What does all of this mean? We talk about it on Channel 13's "Insiders" Sunday morning at 9:30a.m. What do you think of this? Should Culver be doing more like his predecessors? Or is he busy doing work outside of the public eye that can't be tracked in the numbers?

Brad Zaun's campaign sent out a release claiming the first tv ad of the campaign season in the Republican primary in Iowa's 3rd District. It's not the flashiest commercial you will likely see this season. But it's full of Republican red and talk of conservatism.

Sorry technical problems ruined our Purple Matters show this week. They are in the process of installing new software. This new technology can really be something. But from time to time, we pay the price for it. I hope to see you next Tuesday night at 8pm for our next show. In the meantime, I hope you will vote in our Purple Poll. Here's our question: What should the priority now be for our national leaders? You can vote by texting the word, matters, on your cell phone to the number, 72466. Thanks for voting.

My St. Louis Cardinals opted not to bring back their old star, Jim Edmonds. It will be disappointing to see him play (possibly) for the Brewers this year. But he will be 40 and has been a fraction of his former star self the last few years. How much did he really have left? And it didn't sound like the Cards could give him the playing time he wanted. Good luck to you, Jimmy Ballgame. I fear, though, your best games, are in the past.

It's sad to see Kurt Warner retire. He's everything, it seems, that Brett Favre. I understand Favre is a good player. He's been a great player. But I'm so sick of this drama every year whether Favre will come back. Just retire and get over it. Get over yourself. Although, what would he do with his time to get his massive stroked as much as he can get with all of this...

"I will probably retire. No, I won't. Yes, I will". Retire, Brett!

You don't any of this with Warner. Yeah, maybe I'm biased, I admit. St. Louis is my hometown. So I followed Warner's Super Bowl days with the Rams. And he later ended up in Arizona to play with the team I grew up watching, the Cardinals. Warner is such an inspiring story of a guy who doesn't give up, going from a stock boy at a Hy-Vee grocery story in Iowa to the NFL to the Hall of Fame one day. And he seems like the guy who may do his most important work now...off the football field.