The good

The giving doesn’t stop at Christmas. People are still digging deep to help the less fortunate in these troubled times. The Des Moines Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign raised more than $620,000 this holiday season. The campaign was running behind its $600,000 goal when the bells stopped ringing on Christmas Eve, but a large number of gifts were received after Christmas as the direct-mail portion of the campaign ran through Jan. 15. All the money donated to the local campaign is to stay in Des Moines. The 2007 Red Kettle campaign generated more than $681,000, but this year’s goal was lowered to $600,000 due to concerns with the national economy.

Those too lazy to buy a new TV with a digital tuner, or those who aren’t in a position financially, may have more time to prepare for the digital TV switch on Feb. 17 as President-elect Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the switch. The Obama administration wants to delay the change because the Commerce Department has run out of money for coupons to subsidize digital TV converter boxes for consumers. And the new money is coming from where?

The bad

Is there any way we can keep this guy off the road? Andre Norvell Moses was arrested last week and charged with driving while his license was suspended, revoked or barred. But that’s not the entire story. This is the fifth time since 2005 that Moses has been charged with the crime. Since 2005 Moses has been charged with driving without insurance, driving while intoxicated, driving with an open container and failure to obey a traffic control device, among other charges. Police stated Moses was driving a vehicle at a high rate of speed when he was apprehended. The majority of people who get busted for O.W.I. are required to have a breathalyzer to start their car, so why hasn’t something been initiated to stop this guy? When the next accident happens and the other driver has no license or insurance, you’ll be wondering the same question.

Maybe it’s too much for people to realize that the country is in the midst of an economic meltdown. State union employees are asking Iowa taxpayers to increase their salaries by 5 to 10 percent in each of the next two years. Wait. Hold on. Stop everything. Isn’t this the same state where Gov. Chet Culver is making budget cuts like it’s his job (no pun intended), and state departments are facing massive shortfalls? We realize this is all bargaining, but with an average salary for executive branch employees at $49,762 — approximately $15,000 higher than the Iowa average salary — state union employees are simply out of touch. Increases in sick and vacation time, double salary for overtime and adding Christmas Eve as a paid holiday are ridiculous. On Dec. 29, Culver said it would be unlikely that state employees would receive a raise this year. We hope Culver is a man of his word and won’t increase salaries one penny for these greed mongers.

The ugly

Although there is not a designated area in town to pick up a prostitute, people looking to get their jollies off will always find a way. And the Internet has become a powerful tool. Shameeka Huber was arrested last week at the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites, 4755 Merle Hay Road, after she offered to have sex with an undercover officer for $150. Investigators stated Huber used an alias and advertised “erotic services” on the Web site, Craigslist.com. In 2008, 56 people (42 women, 14 men) were arrested for prostitution, 10 of those were from online cases (which doubled the number from 2007). Last February, during a prostitution sting by Des Moines Police, multiple charges were filed against six men and a woman who used all used online ads. Even pimps seem to be out of work.

More and more jobs are disappearing, and nobody seems immune to the cuts. Meredith Corp. announced last week they would be eliminating 250 jobs, with 90 of those cuts happening in Des Moines. They intended to cease publication of Country Home magazine after its March 2009 issue, due to the bad economy and continually declining advertising revenue. Last year, Country Home magazine reported a circulation of 1.2 million readers. In October, the company cited declining ad revenues and announced an 8 percent drop in revenue and a 44 percent drop in profits for the quarter that ended on Sept. 30. Now where will all the blue hairs get their chicken dinner news? CV

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