Mobile's Take

Pro School Voucher Group, Advocates for Student Achievement, Behind another Poll?

2009-03-16T22:25:00.002-05:00

Advocates for Student Achievement, that was behind an early push poll, which falsely stated that MPS School Board President Peter Blewett authorized Board Member Charlene Hardin to attend a personal trip with Board funds, might behind another poll.

For Democratic campaign strategist Thad Nation, it feels like déjà vu all over again.
In the primary election, a pollster questioned him about Milwaukee School Board President Peter Blewett's re-election bid even though Nation doesn't live in the city. The pollster also raised questions about the voucher program that allows thousands of Milwaukee students to attend private schools.

Nation resides in Shorewood, meaning he can't cast a ballot for or against Blewett.
Now, with the general election less than a month away, Nation said he was rung up again. He was asked once more about the Blewett race and vouchers. There also were questions about the state Supreme Court race and the superintendent's contest.

And, once again, Nation said he asked who was underwriting the survey, something that must be disclosed under state election laws. The response, he said, was "various groups." The first poll, it turned out, was paid for by the pro-voucher Advocates for Student Achievement. Messages and e-mails left with the group were not returned.

There was one big difference between the two polls: Nation said this time the pollster didn't ask any misleading questions intended to "push" a respondent one way or another.
"I wouldn't characterize it as a push poll," said the veteran pol.

Nation said he did tell the questioner that he would support Blewett. But the questioner never asked if he could.

A Win for Mayor Barrett and a Loss for County Executive Walker

2009-03-13T19:11:00.001-05:00

Well, the 17 year impasse regarding the $91.5 million dollar idle federal transit aid has finally come to an end. The City of Milwaukee will get 60% of the money for a downtown rail line and 40% to Milwaukee County for buses. Maybe Scott Walker should have taken the 50-50 split.

I wonder if Scott Walker will refuse his 40%. Stay Tuned for more updates.

Tell Scott Walker That the Stimulus Will Create more than Just A Few Construction Jobs

2009-03-01T23:24:00.004-06:00

I swear Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s Ideological head is buried so far in the sand, I doubt he will ever see the day of light. In the opinion section of Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, Mr. Walker writes why “he’s not lining up for stimulus handouts.” In it he states that "the stimulus is a bait and switch on employment" and that "it will only create a few construction jobs." Evidently Mr Walker has not been paying attention to what companies in Wisconsin are saying about the stimulus.

If road projects such as highways, bridges and city streets are funded with the federal stimulus dollars, they will have some of the most significant effects on the economy, said Pat Goss, executive director of the Wisconsin Transportation Builder’s Association.

“We’ve got a record number of people on unemployment who have been laid off and let go. I am confident this will accomplish what they want, and the long-term benefit of this will put people back to work,” Goss said.

Mike Sikma, vice president of Musson Bros. Inc., a Brookfield-based contractor that serves road and highway construction, storm and sanitary sewers and other projects, agreed. The state of Wisconsin and its municipalities also have a large number of projects that have been deferred over the years and could quickly be started with federal stimulus dollars, he said.

Manufacturers that serve the transportation and construction industries could indirectly benefit from the federal economic stimulus package because of their customers ordering new machinery or equipment.

GenMet, a Mequon-based steel fabricator that serves original equipment manufacturers related to the paving and construction industry, believes it could see increases as those customers begin work on stimulus-funded projects. GenMet, formerly known as General Metal Works, has facilities in Mequon and Slinger and employs 75 workers.

“We hope that it would trickle down and impact us with sales revenue,” said Mary Isbister, president of the company. “It will also help us because as the infrastructure improves we will more readily get supplies when we buy from our vendors out of state and when we want to sell out of state.”

[…]

Building construction projects could help stimulate the economy because of their high wages and the large network of suppliers that support the industry, said Mike Fabishak, chief executive officer of Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee.

[...]

We are seeing some layoffs in most of the crafts, particularly the basic trades like carpentry, bricklayers and cement. This is not only from my perspective, but from all of the (AGC) chapters around the country, we’re all thinking that this could be a viable stimulus to our industry at a time when we need it.”

John Hunzinger, president of Brookfield-based Hunzinger Construction Co., agreed.

“Even if (there is stimulus money) not in construction, it’s just about trying to get the tide to come in,” he said. “There is a lot for infrastructure, which will indirectly have some effect on shoring up construction costs to some degree. We’re hoping for some opportunities for some (construction) support and some building opportunities.”

Large contractors winning projects also will provide work for subcontractors in the region.

[…]

The University of Wisconsin system has a significant number of building improvement and new construction projects on its statewide list that are ready for construction, which could begin with short notice if there is funding in the economic stimulus package, said Carlos Santiago, chancellor of UW-Milwaukee.

And there is more;

Milwaukee-based Super Steel Products Corp., which manufactures rail cars and other rail industry products, would benefit from a stimulus package, but its effects would take two to three years to take hold, said Jim Schmelzer, president and CEO.

“The unfortunate thing is that the length of time it takes when money is approved to when a passenger rail project is approved is fairly long,” he said. “It’s not immediate. But over a two- to three-year period, it will have a substantial impact as we work with a lot of rail general contractors.”

In early 2008, Super Steel closed its manufacturing facility in Schenectady, New York. It has since shifted production to Milwaukee, where it employs about 400 workers, Schmelzer said. If several projects the company is bidding on are won, Super Steel anticipates growing employment in Milwaukee to more than 500 within 18 months. If the federal stimulus package is approved, its jobs prospects will improve further, Schmelzer said.

[…]

Racine-based

Ruud Lighting Inc. has already begun marketing and shipping its energy-efficient LEDway product, a street light that uses LED bulbs, which are far more energy efficient than traditional bulbs.

“We align quite nicely with the intent of the president’s stimulus package,” said Chris Ruud, the company’s executive vice president. “If some of the stimulus money is invested into LEDway streetlight projects, more manufacturing jobs will be created in Wisconsin, because we outsource all of the component manufactured parts.”

Seventy-seven percent of the LEDway streetlight components are manufactured in Wisconsin. The remainder is manufactured by other U.S.-based companies, Ruud said.

According to Ruud, for every $50 million of stimulus money, BetaLED and its local suppliers would create 192 full-time, permanent jobs within the state of Wisconsin and an additional 35 jobs throughout the United States.

Don’t tell Scott but I think that’s more than a just a few Construction jobs. Oh there’s more;

Architects and design professionals, who have seen significant layoffs in the economic downturn, could benefit from the economic stimulus if it contains incentives for new buildings or upgrades to existing structures.

Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater is working to learn as much as it can about the initiatives associated with the stimulus package to better assist clients in obtaining funding, said Jill Morin, executive officer.

“We really view ourselves as a partner with our clients, so we want to help them make the case that they should be a beneficiary of any money that might come their way,” she said. “We are watching the planning very carefully to make ourselves more knowledgeable.”

If school-related projects are funded, they could provide a source of new work for architectural firms like Plunkett Raysich Architects.

And………….

The stimulus package also will create opportunities for law firms and consultants who will offer services steering clients toward stimulus dollars and programs.

Last week, the Milwaukee-based law firm of Davis & Kuelthau S.C. formed a team of attorneys to assist public and private clients in finding opportunities related to the stimulus package.

“The billions of dollars in targeted spending currently proposed in the bill will have a considerable impact on municipalities, school districts, contractors and suppliers in Wisconsin,” said Ann Rieger, president of the firm. “The rapid deployment of these funds and the ‘shovel ready’ requirement of the projects will require many hours of manpower to comply with the sheer volume of projects that will be funded. We are pleased to provide the necessary support as clients navigate their way through the requirements of this complex and comprehensive initiative.”

I could go on, but I think we all get the picture. Too bad Mr Walker Doesn’t.

Jody Harding Supports Denying a Fundamental Human Right

2009-02-20T22:27:00.002-06:00

Mayoral Candidate for Racine, Jody Harding, actually supports denying one of the most fundamental of Human rights, The Right to Vote. She writes;

I believe that any individual who is receiving a government subsidy should lose his/her right to vote for as long as s/he receives that subsidy.

This right would be reinstated as soon as the government subsidies ceased; however, no vote could be cast as long government “aid” was received. By “aid” I mean any form of payment from the government, whether it be cash or voucher, food stamps, housing allowance, aid to dependent children or farm subsidies. Any payment or reduced expense funded by the government should cause its recipient to lose his/her right to vote.

Wow, someone who is running for a public office wants to take rights away. That is astonishing!!

Violent Revolution Averted; Obama Opposes the Fairness Doctrine Renewal

2009-02-18T22:33:00.002-06:00

Just a few days ago liberals were very close to inciting a violent revolution by pushing for the renewal of the fairness doctrine. Well today, President Obama stated that he opposes its renewal.

President Obama does not support reviving the so-called Fairness doctrine, an aide said on Wednesday, knocking down speculation that Obama was open to reinstating the rule requiring broadcasters to air alternate perspectives on controversial issues.

Charlie Sykes and crew can now settle down.

Scott Walker Demonstrates his lack of Economic Competency

2009-02-16T21:31:00.002-06:00

Today in his so called State of the County address, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker proposed some really peculiar uses of the economic stimulus money slated for Milwaukee County and the State of Wisconsin.

In it he proposed this;

Walker said $3.2 billion of the estimated $3.5 billion the state is expected to receive in stimulus aid should be used to offset the state's 5% sales tax starting March 1. That would translate into some $3,000 in saving for the average family.

"I just want something that's going to work," to get the economy moving again, Walker said. The sales tax hiatus could prove to be a bonanza for Wisconsin merchants if residents from neighboring states flocked to Wisconsin for purchases of cars, appliances and other big-ticket items, he said.

That’s interesting; the average family in Wisconsin will save $3,000? Here Scott Walker reveals his lack of knowledge of the tax law and the understanding of the Average Wisconsin family, Joe Wineke chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin;

Redirecting federal stimulus money towards a sales tax holiday would be impossible under the law. Furthermore, Walker’s crazy claim that the sales tax holiday would translate into $3,000 in savings for the average family assumes that each household will go out and spend $60,000 on taxable goods. What ‘average’ family has that kind of disposable income?

And as far as residence in neighboring states flocking over here to purchase those big ticket items, The Recess Supervisor articulates how this would be impractical;

First of all, state use tax laws typically require that a consumer who resides in a state pay tax on any untaxed item that is brought into the state for use in that state. That means that people from Illinois who come to plunder Wisconsin's stores would legally owe use tax on that to Illinois. So unless Scott Walker is encouraging people to break the law, folks from Illinois would come to Wisconsin, buy stuff here, and then pay the tax to Illinois. Brilliant!

Furthermore, let's consider Walker's specific mention of vehicle purchases. Most states require proof that tax has been paid on a new vehicle when the vehicle is imported and titled in your home state. Otherwise, guess what? You have to pay the difference to your state of residence! Such is the case in Illinois, for instance, unless you leave the vehicle out of the state for 90 days prior to import. It is always the case in Minnesota when a resident purchases a vehicle out-of-state. Does Walker think dealers in Racine are going to sell cars to Illinois residents on lay-a-way?Besides that, the feds are already ponying up to refund sales tax payments on new vehicle purchases. So in Walker's example, Wisconsin would collect no tax, Illinois or Minnesota would, and the consumer would have their state sales tax refunded to them by the federal government. Illinois and Minnesota win! Wisconsin loses! Yay stimulus!

Scott Walker has clearly shown that he lacks the ability to solve the problems that are facing Wisconsin and Milwaukee County. He has also demonstrated that he lacks the basic understanding of economics and tax laws.

The Fairness Doctrine and the Pending Counter Revolution

2009-02-15T22:56:00.002-06:00

It seems the right lately is in fury over the possible renewal of the Fairness Doctrine. They fear that by bring back the fairness doctrine that somehow the liberals are deliberately trying to silence the right wing squawking brigade that we all know as talk radio. Some are even armed and ready, literally, to fight a pending violent revolution. This quote courtesy of Bert over at Folkbum from a guy named Ralph from Delafield, a caller into the Jay Weber show.

"You can’t say I’m not a crackpot, and neither are you [literal transcript, swear to God], but you know, they’re really playing with fire. They really, really are. They’re getting very, very close to inciting a very violent counter-revolution. The thing about conservatives, we are out here, and we are armed."

Jay, very amiably, then added that he has been getting lots of emails with a similar message about a coming revolution.

And now Charlie Sykes is buying into this fear by posting in his “Sunday Hot Read” regarding the fairness doctrine with the title of his post HERE COME THE SPEECH COP; he writes:

A telling non-denial from the Obama Administration. My read on this: It's on. As we saw on the stimulus package, Obama is letting the left drive his agenda, and this is deareat, fondest, most passionate wish of "progressives."

And Bruce at Badger Blogger suggest that WTMJ AM radio may want re-hire Kathleen Dunn. Really, I can’t figure out why they would be scared of her. She’s doesn’t present opposing viewpoints all that well anyway.

The Fairness Doctrine as we know it is defined as follows;

The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was (in the Commission's view) honest, equitable and balanced.

[It should not be confused, but often is, with the Equal Time rule. The Fairness Doctrine deals with matters of public importance, while the Equal Time rule deals only with political candidates.]

[…]

The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows, or editorials. The doctrine did not require equal time for opposing views but required that contrasting viewpoints be presented.

By the very definition of the Fairness Doctrine it’s really hard to figure out why they are frightened by its renewal. It certainly doesn’t appear that it would Silence the squawking brigade or censor their propaganda. Their fear is opposing viewpoints being expressed on critical issues; and ask this question, why would Obama or the Democrats make some unrelenting drive to eliminate right wing radio now? The election is over, and the Obama campaign weathered the worst that right wing radio could throw at it. All that room on the radio dial seemed to have done more harm than good to their cause, so why would the liberals want to silence it now?

A pending violent revolution is upon us? Please, that’s ridiculous; stop with all the fear mongering.

Bradley DeBraska Arrested

2009-02-13T12:14:00.000-06:00

Former head of the Milwaukee police union was arrested today in court and charged with two felonies.

DeBraska, 53, had been the target of a criminal investigation and secret John Doe proceeding into allegations of forgery involving documents in a pension-related lawsuit. A complaint released this morning charges him with misappropriation of entity-identifying information, party to a crime, and forgery, party to a crime. Each count carries a possible maximum sentence of six years in prison, and a $10,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the District Attorney's office, not the Milwaukee Police Department.

DeBraska invoked his 5th Amendment right against possible self-incrimination in open court, said Circuit Judge David Hansher, and refused to answer questions. The retired police detective was then arrested and led out of Hansher's courtroom in handcuffs a short time later.

DeBraska is being booked into the jail and is expect to appear in criminal intake court later today.

Scott Walker Confirmed Candidate for Wisconsin Governor

2009-02-12T18:43:00.002-06:00

Apparently.

APPLETON -- The annual Lincoln Day Dinner, this year celebrating Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, sponsored by the Outagamie County Republican Party, will be held Monday at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, 333 W. College Ave.
The social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m., and dinner is at 6:30 p.m. Guest speakers will include Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a candidate for governor; Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick, a candidate for state Supreme Court; and state Rep. Roger Roth, R-Appleton.

We all know that he is a probable candidate for the GOP seemingly the Outagamie County Republicans has already affirmed Walker as the candidate.

$3.5 billion for Wisconsin

2009-02-12T17:22:00.001-06:00

Governor Jim Doyle stated today that Wisconsin will receive an estimated $3.5 Billion of the $789 billion from the Federal economic stimulus package.

Doyle said the total of $3.5 billion that state and local governments, and Wisconsin schools and businesses could get under the federal stimulus package includes:
• $2 billion for help paying health-care, education and other state government bills;
• $550 million for highway and bridge projects;
• Additional money for high-speed rail service from Chicago to Milwaukee and Madison;
• $400 million in clean water and sewer programs;
• $150 million for weatherization programs;
• And more money for research and National Institutes of Health projects.

Scott Walker Gets Another Pass

2009-02-09T19:28:00.002-06:00

While I am troubled by the latest blunder coming out of Milwaukee County Government( The Task Force on Work Reform for Men), the question that Bice failed to ask is why would the County hire an individual to consult on job creation when he has messed it up wretchedly in the past? In the case of Gerard Randall both Supervisor Coggs and County Executive Scott Walker should share the blame for this latest miss-step. After all, with Walker’s blessing, they hired Randall to handle Job creation again when he failed at it not that long ago.

The Private Industry Council (PIC) controlled $14 million in public money to run a job trainings program for Milwaukee County. PIC was controlled by appointments of County Executive Scott Walker and Randall was paid $154,000 a year to head PIC.

Without any involvement and oversight from the County Board, PIC failed to generate any measurable outcomes regarding job creation; in fact before the City of Milwaukee took over the oversight of the federal funds the status of job creation under PIC was this;

The agency has no money left for the last quarter of its fiscal year for job training, meaning certain programs will be stagnant from April to June with possible staff lay-offs. That, of course, should lead to questions as to where the money went and the societal impact of not being able to train people who need and want jobs.
All job training of any kind was cut off.
Free bus tickets–desperately needed by job seekers to get to either training or their job–are no longer being issued, leaving willing workers stranded.
Orientation continues, but job search training -- to help people apply and obtain jobs -- has been cut off.

It was clear that PIC was ineffective in controlling the $14 million in federal funds for job creation. So why then would Scott Walker give his blessing to the Board to hire Randall, given his recent track record on job creation, to consult the County Board on a task force to create jobs?

It appears Walker gets yet another pass from MJS.

Hey Owen Robinson, It’s about Accountability

2009-02-04T10:03:00.002-06:00

Owen Robinson over at Boots and Sabers is displeased about President Obama’s plans to mandate new executive pay limits for government assisted financial institutions.

Yes, that’s it… let’s make sure that the troubled companies have a hard time attracting the truly talented executives who could fix it. Seriously, if you are a talented executive, why would you go to a company that’s already in trouble and where your pay is capped? You wouldn’t. Instead, you’d go to a nice healthy firm where your job will be easier and the pay is better. Obama seems intent on further handicapping companies that are already in trouble.

Of course Own failed to notice the whole point of President Obama’s proposed plan. It’s about accountability and not about handicapping companies or about government intrusions.

Obama, in an interview with CNN Tuesday, stressed that the restrictions would not amount to excessive government intrusion.
"There are mechanisms in place to make sure that institutions that are taking taxpayer money are not using that money for excessive executive compensation," he said. "It's not a government takeover. Private enterprise will still be taking place. But people will be accountable and responsible. And that's what we have to restore in the financial system generally."

And some Republicans have few qualms about restrictions, especially if they are temporary.

"In ordinary situations where the taxpayers’ money is not involved, we shouldn't set executive pay," said Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican in the Senate Banking Committee.
"But where you've got federal money involved, taxpayers' money involved, TARP money involved, and the way they have spent it, with no accountability is getting close to being criminal.

Hmmm excessive executive compensation; did Owen fail to remember that over $18 Billion of taxpayers’ dollars went to pay bonuses for executives who were responsible for running wall street into the ground and buying extras like airplanes. This money was given to them with very little oversight; money that was suppose to prevent their sudden collapse, or so we were told.
Executives need to be held accountable when using taxpayer’s money.

They also need the incentive to pay back the taxpayer’s once their bank or corporation his healthy again. Under Obama’s proposal, firms that want to pay executives above a certain threshold would have to compensate them with stock that could not be sold or liquidated until they pay back the government funds.

Don’t we all want accountability when it comes to our tax dollars?

Feingold and McCain Team up Again

2009-02-04T07:45:00.002-06:00

Senators Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin and John McCain, R-Arizona is teaming up to reign in pork barrel spending.

Earmark Reform, and Accountability Act of 2009 would require a supermajority of 60 votes for any pet project to stay in a spending bill and require all earmarks to be put into a searchable database 48 hours before the Senate vote. Also, anyone getting a federal contract must disclose how much he or she spent on lobbying.

Advocates for Student Achievement behind Push Poll

2009-02-03T16:59:00.002-06:00

Advocates for Student Achievement (ASA) admitted today it hired the Parker Group, which was found guilty in federal court in 1999 for racial discrimination, to conduct a push poll in Milwaukee School Board districts with contested elections.

In the MPS’s sixth district, where ReDonna Rodgers is challenging incumbent Peter Blewett, the Poll falsely stated that Peter Blewett authorized Board Member Charlene Hardin to attend a personal trip with Board funds.

Citizens Action for Wisconsin requested the release all the questions in the poll so the public can see that the poll was designed to get the answers it received.

At an event held this morning at the Italian Community Center, ASA spokesperson Anne Curley admitted in answers to questions that it was releasing only some of the questions and responses in the poll.

While this group claims its poll was intended to identify public perception of issues in MPS, it was clearly intended to persuade voters that the current school board is the problem. The group’s agenda is clearly revealed because it did not ask about the funding formula, the cost of the Voucher Program to taxpayers, the failed Neighborhood School Initiative, or what voters like about the MPS.

Public Meetings Regarding the Milwaukee Connector

2009-02-02T11:58:00.001-06:00

Via The Bay View Compass;

First of six Milwaukee Connector transit study public information meetings on Tuesday.

The Milwaukee Connector Study is proceeding with the next phase of its evaluation of transit options in Milwaukee County and six public information and input meetings are set.

What: Milwaukee Connector transit study public information meetings - open house-style meetings with video presentations, display boards, interaction with study staff, interactive route-selection activity and more.

When: The first of six: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Where: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Union, Wisconsin Room, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., Milwaukee

Why: Public input is critical to this 12- to 16-month study. Several transit corridors and vehicle technologies will be evaluated and the study will include assessments of routes, vehicles, stations and stops, cost and financing, governance, and potential impacts on parking, traffic, land use and pedestrian circulation.

Under review is bus rapid transit (BRT) and streetcar. BRT corridors include: (1) Bayshore Town Center in Glendale south via 27th Street to the Northwestern Mutual Franklin Campus, (2) the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee south to downtown and west to the Milwaukee County Research Park, and (3) Midtown Center to downtown and south to General Mitchell International Airport. The study will also examine a downtown streetcar loop.

Following Tuesday’s meeting, the following will also occur, all from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

1) Wed., Feb. 4, 2009 — Fritsche Middle School, Cafeteria, 2969 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee
2) Thurs., Feb. 5, 2009 — Black Historical Society, 2620 W. Center St., Milwaukee
3) Tues., Feb. 10, 2009 – Northwestern Mutual Franklin Campus, 1 Northwestern Mutual Way, Franklin (South 27th Street between Drexel and Rawson)
4) Wed., Feb. 11, 2009 — Milwaukee County Research Park, Room 162, 10437 Innovation Dr., Wauwatosa
5) Thurs., Feb. 12, 2009 — O’Donnell Park, Harbor Lights Room, 910 E. Michigan St., Milwaukee

All locations are wheel chair accessible. Sign language and foreign language interpretation will be made available upon request. Persons with special needs are asked to call 414-299-9700 or email meetings@milwaukeeconnector.com a minimum of 48 hours in advance so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Written comments may also be provided online at www.milwaukeeconnector.com or via the U.S. Postal Service. Please mail comments to: Milwaukee Connector Study, c/o Martinsek & Associates, 1325 W. Potter Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53207.

The study is being led by the Wisconsin Center District in partnership with the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC). Representatives from each of the four study sponsors make up the study Steering Committee which is chaired by the MMAC.

Daniel Bice Just a little late in reporting Push Poll

2009-02-02T06:28:00.003-06:00

When it comes to uncovering local politicians exploitations of their office Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Daniel Bice is on them like Peter Falk’s character in Colombo. But when someone is running a false and sleazy campaign against an elected official, Mr Bice comes up tardy in reporting it.

Today, Mr Bice is reporting on a push poll against School Board President Peter Blewett. The push poll that is being conducted by the Parker Group of Birmingham, Alabama falsely states that Peter Blewett authorized Board Member Charlene Hardin to attend a personal trip with Board funds. For the record, the MPS administrator approved the Charlene Hardin Philadelphia trip.

“These push polls are classic sleazy campaign tricks,” Blewett stated. “I have never used them. I want a campaign that focuses on how MPS can prepare our students for the challenging world of work or higher education. Voters have a right to hear about how candidates plan to improve MPS. Secretly-funded sleaze campaigns debase the democratic process and insult voters’ intelligence,” Blewett added.

The Parker Group is a political and corporate telemarketing operation that is most notorious for engaging in “race-matched calling” where its African American employees are given one script to call black voters while its white employees call white voters with a different script, Blewett explained. In 1999, a federal court of appeals found the Parker Group guilty of racial discrimination in employment against an African-American employee because she was only permitted to telephone black voters.

Of course this report is two weeks too late. Peter Blewett wrote a press release regarding the push pull on January 16th and It was picked up by Michael Rosen the same day.

Blewett said, “I have no idea whether my opponent or some group supporting her paid for this push poll because the callers from the Parker Group will not clearly identify who paid except, in one case to answer, ‘The school board,’ which of course is a lie.” Blewett added, “I hope my opponent had nothing to do with these dirty tricks, and that she will immediately call for any group associated with her to desist from these and any other sleazy tactics.”

Maybe Mr. Bice can use his fine investigative reporting skills and find out who paid for the Parker Group to conduct this false push poll.

President Obama’s Weekly Address 1/31/09

2009-01-31T15:23:00.002-06:00

In the weekly address, President Barack Obama addressed the latest economic news and urged the passing of an America Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

He also announced that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is preparing a new strategy for reviving our financial system -- which will not only ensure that CEOs aren't abusing taxpayer dollars

Michael Steele the right Choice for the Waning RNC

2009-01-30T23:38:00.002-06:00

The election of Michael Steele as the next chairman of the RNC is an interesting but probably the right choice. He is one of the most moderate and centrist of the Republicans who could move the RNC more towards the center and with the fast changing demographics of the country, he will need to do this.

Steele, the first African American to run the RNC, was chosen for one undemanding reason; the country’s fast changing ethnic vote demographics which will spell future doom for the republicans who are widely perceived as a narrow-minded party of mainly Deep South, rural and non-college educated blue collar whites. Obama handily won the Hispanic, Asian and the youth vote and trampled McCain with the black vote. In the next four years, the number of non-white and youth voters will continue to ascend and the white electorate overall will continue to decline.

Steele, however, has his work cut for him. He has to find away to unite an alienated and out of touch Republican Party. For one; one of his other four opponents for his job, Saltsman, was so bigoted that he thought it was amusing to lambaste Obama with the infamous “Magic Negro” parody. When he got some mild flack for it, not only did he defend it but he was displeased at the thought that others might not laugh it up too. Too many in the GOP didn’t utter a peep of protest, except the outgoing chair. Two, Steele is somewhat pro government, a centrist and socially active; all contrary of what Republicans profess to be.

Good Luck Mr. Steele.

The Result of 12 plus Years of the Radical Right

2009-01-29T13:52:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when the republicans embrace the ideology of the Newt Gingridge and the Neo-Cons and disregard moderate pragmatic Republicans.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/114016/State-States-Political-Party-Affiliation.aspx

Scott Walker’s Logic Part 2

2009-01-29T09:39:00.005-06:00

Jay Bullock reminds us once again how irrational Scott Walker’s ideology of tax cuts for the unemployed are.

They don't take taxes out of the unemployment checks, Scott. I'm terribly sorry you missed the chance to learn that for yourself last year, but any time you want to quit your job to test your theory, be my guest.

Then I read this mystifying statement from the Milwaukee County Executive regarding Governor Doyle’s State of the State address;

Walker believes that money should not go toward any new projects, such as infrastructure improvements that Doyle suggested to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., but should go straight into taxpayer's pockets.

Walker Continues;

"I'd take the money that's proposed to come, the billions of dollars that they're proposing would come to Wisconsin, and I'd say all or a good chunk of it would go towards tax cuts that I could flip the switch on and have going in a couple weeks and try to stimulate the economy and try and distinguish ourselves from Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and other places, and hope that people, jobs and businesses would come here," said Walker.

What!!!??? So Walker will give money to the taxpayers from the stimulus money that he didn’t want in the first place? How is that going to create jobs?

It’s actually comical that Walker wants to distinguish Wisconsin from Minnesota and Illinois. There is already a difference. In case Walker has not noticed, jobs tend to migrate around metro areas that have invested in their infrastructure like metro Chicago and Minneapolis-St Paul.; because investments in infrastructure will generate other opportunities to create jobs.

So I other words Mr. Walker, investing in a well-planned transportation infrastructure projects, like Doyle wants implement, can greatly enhance the economic development, sustainability, safety, and livability of communities in Wisconsin. People and jobs will not come if we don’t invest in Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure. So, please abandon your flawed ideological notion that tax cuts will create jobs. We have seen that over the last eight years that it has not.

Those who run Business Support President Obama’s Stimulus Plan

2009-01-29T07:55:00.005-06:00

While the local Milwaukee squawking brigade like Charlie Sykes and his echo chamber are desperately trying to convince you that Obama’s stimulus package will not work, those with the economic degrees and those who actually run the businesses will tell you different.

David M. Cote, the chairman and CEO of Honeywell, countered by saying that companies are looking for swift action, and he urged lawmakers to not be timid in their efforts to rescue the economy.
Calling the situation "dire," Cote said that "we're very supportive of the reinvestment act. Our message would be: We have to do this fast."

This from the IBM CEO Sam Palmisano

"We all agree we need to reignite growth in our country," he said. "We need to undertake projects that actually will create jobs and make our infrastructure and make our country much more competitive for the long term."
"It is an imperative that business and government come together. We help the president get the package through, and we get the work, and we have a lot of work ahead of us," Palmisano said

Other CEO’s that support President Obama’s Stimulus Plan;

Steve Appleton, Chairman, President and CEO, Micron Technology
David Barger, CEO, Jet BlueGreg Brown, President and Co-CEO, Motorola, Inc.
John Bryson, President and CEO, Edison International
David M. Cote, Chairman and CEO, Honeywell
Debra Lee, President and CEO, BET Holdings, Inc.
Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO, Xerox
Sam Palmisano, Chairman, CEO and President, IBM
Antonio Perez, Chairman and CEO, Eastman Kodak Company
Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google
Michael Splinter, Applied MaterialsWendell Weeks, Chairman and CEO, Corning
Ron Williams, CEO, Aetna

Supervisor Chris Larson Developing Legislation for County Board Travel

2009-01-28T21:31:00.003-06:00

First Term Milwaukee County Supervisor Christopher Larson is developing legislation that would change how travel and other spending are reviewed for county board members.

"It is a misuse of public funds," Larson said. "It's a trip that shouldn't have happened."
Reviewing trips and other spending in advance should help to prevent unwise spending, he said. Each supervisor has an office account of $8,000 per year, commonly used for county-related travel and newsletters to constituents.
Under current county rules, supervisors must get approval from the County Board chief of staff for spending from their accounts. Larson said one idea under consideration was to have the County Board's Finance and Audit Committee do the reviews.

Unfortunately sometime it takes something like the Clark and Coggs incident to happen before change in policy occurs, but Supervisor Larson is certainly taking the bull by the horns and doing what is right.

What’s Sheriff David Clarke’s Motive here?

2009-01-28T08:51:00.005-06:00

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke writes an opinion piece in the Waukesha Freeman suggesting that we should spend stimulus money on rebuilding our prison system and then turn it over to the costly private sector. Capper goes into great detail to why this is a bad Idea. Here, I will attempt to figure out Sheriff Clarke’s motivation for reaching out to one of the Reddest counties in Wisconsin.

So I wonder; why is an elected official of Milwaukee County reaching out to a constituency of not his own? Capper also poses the same question and suggests that maybe this is something he has picked up form Scott Walker. Scott Walker certainly has other motives for doing so. Like running for governor; so what is Sheriff Clarke’s motivation? I speculate that; one when you are a fake Democrat you don’t want to incite your own constituency and two, like Scott Walker, maybe the fine Sheriff is contemplating a run for higher office.

Maybe Capper is right, he is emulating himself after Scott Walker. After all, Sheriff Clarke has an equal track record of failure. Like helping Drunk Drivers get away, overseeing the horrid conditions in the Milwaukee County Jail and creating a dangerous work environment for his deputies.

If the fine Sheriff does run for a higher office, I suspect that he will see the same results as his friend Scott Walker did in 2006.

Residency Requirement for MPS teachers should end through Collective Bargaining

2009-01-26T23:46:00.002-06:00

Wisconsin State Senator Alberta Darling, R-River Hills and State Representative Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, are drafting legislation to end the residency requirement for MPS teachers which I think is a good idea. Imposing residency requirements poses an obstacle to attracting and retaining the best qualified teachers by limiting the pool of qualified applicants. However since the teachers union supports ending the Residency Requirements, why not end it through collective Bargaining?

I argue if the legislatures end the requirement; this would set precedent for other public sector unions in Milwaukee, such as the police and fire unions, to lobby state legislatures to end their residency requirements. Municipal employees who are paid by the tax payers of that municipality should remain in that city. Public safety employees such as firefighters and police officers stabilize communities and are close to work when emergencies occur.

If MPS residency requirement for teachers is to end, then it should end through collective bargaining and not through the State Legislatures.

Feingold to Introduce a Constitutional Amendment

2009-01-26T18:09:00.002-06:00

Wisconsin’s Junior Senator will introduce a constitutional amendment to strip state governors of the power to appoint vacant US senate Seats. Given the Blago debacle in Illinois this makes a lot a sense.

"People have seen this as a spectacle and it's not very attractive," Feingold said in a telephone interview. "It's not like democracy at all."
Feingold, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, pointed out that until the 1913 ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, senators were appointed by state legislatures. Wisconsin Sen. Robert LaFollette led the fight for the change, Feingold noted.
Although the 17th Amendment allows governors to appoint in the case of Senate vacancies, Wisconsin has never allowed that approach.
"Bill Proxmire won a special election to replace Joe McCarthy," Feingold said. "It's really the democratic approach."
Others have dismissed calls for special elections, pointing to their expense and staggering state budget deficits, an idea Feingold doesn't buy.
"The idea that we are willing to compromise an election to save money doesn't make sense," Feingold said. "We could leave it vacant for a time, if necessary. It's just not healthy to have one person make these appointments."

President Obama’s First Weekly Address

2009-01-24T17:23:00.002-06:00

This is Barack Obama's first weekly address as President of the United States.

In the broadcast he expresses the urgent need for the action due to the financial crisis & painted a dire picture of the consequences of inaction.

Obstructionist Republicans in Wisconsin

2009-01-24T16:52:00.005-06:00

Not surprisingly there are also obstructionist Republicans in the state of Wisconsin.

Rep. Rich Zipperer, R-Pewaukee and Rep. Karl Van Roy, R-Green Bay voted against two Bills in committee on Thursday even though there was bi-partisan support of the two bills aimed at creating jobs in Wisconsin. This on the same day the state reported a 5.8% unemployment rate.

Governor Doyle Creates Office to Help Distribute Stimulus Money

2009-01-24T16:28:00.002-06:00

The State of Wisconsin is set to receive an estimated $3.2 Billion from the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act under the proposal before the U.S. House of Representatives.

Doyle said the 15-person agency will work to understand how state and local projects can qualify for the most federal aid possible; recommend changes in purchasing and procurement rules so the federal money can be used as quickly as possible; and identify rules and regulations that must be changed to qualify for the money.
The governor said he and officials of the state's departments of administration and transportation will work with the new agency on which projects should be funded.
Some of those spending decisions must also be approved by the Legislature, Doyle said.
Wolter knows major construction projects and will not participate in decisions involving federal projects or contracts that his company might apply for, Doyle said.
The federal package will require spending on energy conservation, highway and bridge repairs, education, energy conservation and health care, state officials said.

Palin Doesn’t Have a Clue What the Bush Doctrine is

2008-09-11T20:24:00.002-05:00

In an interview with ABC’s Charles Gibson GOP VP Sarah Palin was asked “do you believe in the Bush Doctrine.” Palin’s Answer, “In what respect Charlie?” Charles Gibson then asked “How do you interpret the Bush Doctrine.” Palin’s answer, “His World view.” Yikes!!!

Who is Not Being Polled

2008-09-11T08:17:00.002-05:00

When one looks at the latest polls in the 2008 presidential race you have to wonder how accurate these polls really are. During the primaries we witnessed how inaccurate polls can be. This year, a week before the Wisconsin 2008 Democratic Primaries, some polls had Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Obama 49%-43%. The final result was much different with Sen. Obama winning by a large margin of 17%. So why are polls this year so inaccurate?

One has to strongly consider two possible reasons; how polls are conducted and who is being missed. Pollsters conduct polls via landline phones. Sen. Obama has energized the under 40 crowd, the minority voters and college students; many of which who have never voted before. these groups are increasingly going wireless and prefer not to use landlines. Consequently pollsters are missing voters who have never voted before, college students and minorities.

Cellphone numbers are not part of the normal random-digit-dialing residential-exchange universe. Survey companies prefer to conduct polls using automatic dialing, but to find cellphone only voters, they must employ the less-efficient hand-dialing method. Cellphone users must be sampled separately and at greater cost in time and money. This means that polls utilizing the cheaper and more efficient means of making survey calls do not include cellphone interviews.

Since Sen. Obama has energized many first time voters that have never voted before and considering how polls are being conducted one can conclude that Obama could actually being leading in the latest polls.

John McCain Used the “lip stick on a Pig” Expression

2008-09-10T23:18:00.003-05:00

I Guess Sarah Palin can't handle it.

Mike Huckabee: It's an old expression, and I'm going to have to cut Obama some slack on that one. I do not think he was referring to Sarah Palin; he didn't reference her. If you take the two soundbites together, it may sound like it. But I've been a guy at the podium many times, and you say something that's maybe a part of an old joke and then somebody ties it in. So, I'm going to have to cut him slack.

Wisconsin State Senator Alberta Darling Jumping on the Gender Card Band Wagon

2008-09-10T18:36:00.003-05:00

Wisconsin State Senator Alberta Darling has her dander up about the “lipstick on a pig” comment that Obama had made while campaigning yesterday in Lebanon, Va. She even called a press conference today to “address his sexists comment.” This is an obvious attempt to distract the electorate from the real Sarah Palin and John McCain.

As a mother and working woman, I am offended by the sexist remarks made by Barack Obama comparing Governor Sarah Palin to a pig wearing lipstick. The nation was energized by the nomination of Sarah Palin, a mother of five who's risen to the level of Governor and is poised to become America's first female Vice President. It's shameful that Obama and the Democrat smear machine would destroy and belittle a qualified woman so they can win an election, while sacrificing decades of achievements of working women in America.

We all know that Senator Obama was talking about McCain and Palin’s proposed policies and message.

“John McCain says he’s about change, too, and so I guess his whole angle is, ‘Watch out George Bush.’ Except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics … That’s not change. That’s just calling something the same thing, something different,” Obama said.

“But you know … you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. You know, you can … wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it’s still going to stink after eight years,”

I guess when your message of “change” has as many holes in it as McCain and Palin’s does; you have to cover up those holes with distractions and lies.

Wall Street Journal Calls out Palin’s Lies about the Bridge to nowhere

2008-09-09T17:26:00.002-05:00

Even the conservative Wall Street Journal calls out the Palin’s lie about the bridge to nowhere.

The Bridge to Nowhere argument isn't going much of anywhere.
Despite significant evidence to the contrary, the McCain campaign continues to assert that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told the federal government "thanks but no thanks" to the now-famous bridge to an island in her home state.

The McCain campaign released a television advertisement Monday morning titled "Original Mavericks." The narrator of the 30-second spot boasts about the pair: "He fights pork-barrel spending. She stopped the Bridge to Nowhere."

Gov. Palin, who John McCain named as his running mate less than two weeks ago, quickly adopted a stump line bragging about her opposition to the pork-barrel project Sen. McCain routinely decries.

But Gov. Palin's claim comes with a serious caveat. She endorsed the multimillion dollar project during her gubernatorial race in 2006. And while she did take part in stopping the project after it became a national scandal, she did not return the federal money. She just allocated it elsewhere.

"We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge," Gov. Palin said in August 2006, according to the local newspaper, "and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that's so negative." The bridge would have linked Ketchikan to the airport on Gravina Island. Travelers from Ketchikan (pop. 7,500) now rely on ferries.

A year ago, the governor issued a press release that the money for the project was being "redirected."

"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer," she said. "Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. Much of the public's attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened."
On Monday in Missouri, Gov. Palin put it this way: "I told Congress thanks but no thanks for that bridge to nowhere. If the state wanted to build a bridge we would built it ourselves."
Senior adviser Mark Salter pointed to her role in killing the project while in office and allocating the money elsewhere. When pressed further that it was actually Congress that stopped the earmark, Mr. Salter said: "She stopped it, too. She did her part." Mr. Salter added that he welcomed a fight over earmarks with the Obama campaign.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama used a town-hall style event in Flint, Mich., to attack Gov. Palin over the "Bridge to Nowhere" debate. He accused the vice presidential nominee of lobbying for the bridge and then hiding her initial position when she ran for governor and the project became unpopular.

"You can't just make stuff up. You can't just recreate yourself. The American people aren't stupid," he said. It's like "being for it before you were against it," Sen. Obama said, a reference to a damaging statement John Kerry made in 2004.

Why is this one issue such a big deal? Sen. McCain's anti-earmarks stance has been paramount to his campaign. The Arizona senator has blamed everything from the Minneapolis bridge collapse to Hurricane Katrina on Congress's willingness to stuff bills full of pork barrel spending.
As such, Gov. Palin's image as a "reformer" is part of the storyline the McCain campaign needs to complement the top of its ticket. Her quip about passing on the bridge and "building it ourselves" has been a staple of her stump.

But she's drawn considerable fire as result. Sen. Obama's campaign released an advertisement pointing out her original support of the bridge. And on Monday, an Obama staffer emailed a photo of Gov. Palin holding up a T-shirt that was made shortly after the bridge caught national attention. It reads "NOWHERE ALASKA" and "99901," the zip code of Ketchikan.
The McCain campaign jumped back with spokesman Brian Rogers calling the attacks "hysterical."

"The only people 'lying' about spending are the Obama campaign. The only explanation for their hysterical attacks is that they're afraid that when John McCain and Sarah Palin are in the White House, Barack Obama's nearly $1 billion in earmark spending will stop dead in its tracks," Mr. Rogers said.

At a rally today, Sen. McCain again asserted that Sen. Obama has requested nearly a billion in earmarks. In fact, the Illinois senator requested $311 million last year, according to the Associated Press, and none this year. In comparison, Gov. Palin has requested $750 million in her two years as governor -- which the AP says is the largest per-capita request in the nation.
--Amy Chozick contributed to this story.

Spelling We Can Believe In Part 2: Ameirca Mavrick

2008-09-06T22:16:00.005-05:00

After seeing this post from the Brawler I had to post these photos from the 2008 Republican Convention.

The Deceitful McCain

2008-09-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

McCain and Palin Caught Lying

2008-09-05T17:42:00.001-05:00

Palin has bragged about selling the Gov. Plane on E-Bay, However, This was a LIE. She did put the plane on ebay , but it did not sell. She ended up selling the plane to a republican supporter and lost money on the deal.

And in Cedarburg Wisconsin today John McCain repeated the lie.

You know what I enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay -- and made a profit!" McCain declared in Wisconsin at a campaign stop on Friday.

What Peggy Noonan Really Thinks about McCain’s VP Choice

2008-09-04T16:42:00.000-05:00

I Agree with Scott Walker!!!

2008-09-04T09:27:00.002-05:00

Recently, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker at the GOP convention emphasized the importance of the young voters.

"I think [the student vote] will play a factor. When you consider just how close Wisconsin was four years ago, that's the difference in the [state] election and quite possibly the difference in the election across the country," Walker said.
College students could very easily decide the next president of the United States. There can only be one "winner." The candidate who captures the most dedication will have strong footing in capturing the residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue come this November.

To this I totally agree with Scott Walker. Given however that Young Republicans made up less than 2 percent of the delegates at the GOP convention in St. Paul versus more than 15% of Young Democrats at the democratic convention in Denver and the fact that Obama has energized young voters like never before, it appears that the Scott Walker and the GOP have their work cut out for them.

Lieberman Lies

2008-09-03T22:21:00.004-05:00

At Tuesday’s RNC convention Senator Joe Lieberman said this about Senator Barack Obama:

In the Senate, during the three-and-a-half years that Senator Obama has been a member, he has not reached across party lines to get accomplish anything significant.

Well, I don’t know what Senator Lieberman calls significant but Senator Obama certainly has reached across party lines. Obama and Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, for instance, teamed up on an initiative to lock down and secure both nuclear and conventional weapons worldwide, such as the shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missiles that have been proliferating in recent years.

In another bill; Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and Senator Obama, wrote the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, which created a searchable database the public can use to look up details on federal grants and contracts. John McCain was also among the original co-sponsors of that bill. Also Obama and Coburn also got together on a bill to prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from issuing open-ended, no-bid contracts for emergency response activities after abuses were found in post-Katrina contracting.

Hmmm, passing laws that enhance government transparences and preventing the proliferation of weapons that could end in the hands of terrorist sounds significant to me.

Sarah Palin’s Pork

2008-09-03T16:04:00.003-05:00

It’s interesting that Republican Presidential candidate John McCain is selling his VP choice as “standing up to the old politics-as-usual, to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the big oil companies, and the good-ol'-boy network." Really? Well let’s look at her record;

Palin employed an Anchorage-based law firm Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor. The same law firm that has ties Alaskan Republicans Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens, who was indicted in July on charges of accepting illegal gifts.

As Governor she supported 223 Million dollar bridge to nowhere before she was against it.
In February, Palin's office sent Sen. Stevens a 70-page memo outlining almost $200 million worth of new funding requests for Alaska.

Sound as if she is part of the “good ol-boy network.”

What else, Another John McCain Flip-Flop

2008-06-27T23:15:00.001-05:00

This is funny and sad at the same time; John McCain praises the new G.I. bill which he voted against.

Disappointed but not Surprised by Lynne DeBruin

2008-06-27T10:43:00.004-05:00

Yesterday the Milwaukee County Board approved a 1% sales tax referendum on a 12-6 vote that would fund our declining parks and transit systems. While I am glad that the referendum passed, I am disappointed by the NO vote by my Supervisor Lynne DeBruin. I wonder how she will justify her vote now.

In the past she has offered an array of reasons for her no votes on similar referendums;

Voters still don't trust the County Board in the aftermath of the pension scandal. More public education on the sales tax idea is needed before it should be placed on the ballot, even as an advisory referendum, she said.

This last year

She suggested waiting on the idea until after the County Board adopts a 2008 budget, which is likely to include some painful cuts. Voters might be more receptive to a sales tax increase after seeing the tough choices county officials will be forced to make, she said.

While other major cities and metro areas have seen major increases in their ridership, we have seen a decline to a 33 year low. Despite the cutting and shortening of routes and the rise in bus fares to the highest in the nation, despite a strong support of a sales tax for transit by the business community, despite the property tax relief home owners will get and despite the obvious fast death spiral that Milwaukee county transit continues to be on, Supervisor DeBruin continues to show lack of leadership on one of the most critical issues facing Milwaukee County. Is Supervisor DeBruin going to wait for Scott Walkers unlikely plan to lease Mitchell? Or is she just going to wait until Milwaukee County transit just totally collapses?

Walker’s Idea to save Transit is not Very Realistic

2008-06-16T17:00:00.002-05:00

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker wants to privatize Mitchell International Airport by leasing the airport to a firm that would operate the facility. The Revenue collected from the long term lease agreement then would be used to fund Transit and buy buses. On the surface this may sound appealing, but if look into it with some detail it’s a bad Idea.

First, let’s do some simple math. The latest sales tax proposal of .5% dedicated for Milwaukee County Transit will raise approximately $65 Million annually. A Sales Tax that’s even being lobbied by the business community. Now, according Walker, an estimated $500 million to $1.5 billion would be taken in over the term of a 50-99 year lease. So, let’s say the sales tax does bring in $65 million annually. If you calculate that over 50 years that’s over $3.2 billion; and that’s not considering the adjustment for inflation. So that number would obviously be much higher. A funding source that is tied to inflation makes much more sense. So if Walker got his way here, would that lease agreement even be enough to fund transit?

Second, Privatization would have to go through to many hoops. It would need the approval of the County Board, the governor, the State legislators, and of course the airlines at Mitchell. Chairman Lee Holloway has already come out and opposed Walker’s Idea.

Privatization could lead to "reduced flight schedules, increased parking costs and higher fares," Holloway said.
Mitchell's success in luring record numbers of passengers is owed largely too affordable fares and parking fees, Holloway said in a statement.
Airlines couldn't bear additional costs in the current environment of high fuel prices, Holloway said. He also said he was concerned that county taxpayers could be at risk if a privatization plan failed.

Here Chairman Holloway makes many valid points that should be taken seriously.

Third, Considering that one-third of Milwaukee County transit services are in serious jeopardy of being cut within the next couple years , with bus fares that are amongst the highest in the country and with skyrocketing fuel prices, does Scott Walker really think we have five years to wait for plan that will probably not bring in enough revenue over time and one that doesn’t appear even likely?

Come on Walker, really, think about it.

Fact Checking John McCain

2008-06-14T21:21:00.002-05:00

Via factcheck.org

Mayor Barrett Show’s Concern, Where is Scott Walker and our Legislative Reps to Madison?

2008-06-13T22:55:00.003-05:00

Lawmakers in Madison have set up a Legislative Council study committee to address the issue of how municipalities will set up regional transit authorities. These authorities will address mass transit from buses to light rail. However, it appears the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County are underrepresented on this legislative committee and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is not too pleased.

In a letter to the council's co-chairmen, Senate President Fred Risser (D-Madison), Mayor Barrett objected to the lack of Milwaukee members on the committee. There are only three members from Milwaukee County on this committee. They are state Reps. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) and Barbara Toles (D-Milwaukee) and transit system Managing Director Anita Gulotta-Connelly. However, there are six members from Dane County.

"Milwaukee's transit problems are well-known and a fully functional regional transit authority could certainly offer viable solutions," Barrett wrote. "Milwaukee's size, as well as our potential and proportional source of revenue generation for a regional transit authority, requires adequate City of Milwaukee representation on the Legislative Council Study Committee."

Thank you Mayor Barrett for speaking out on an issue that is so vital to the economic future of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. But where oh where are our Legislative representatives to Madison from Milwaukee and Milwaukee County? They should be raising hell and demand that we have the representation we need on this committee. Where is Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker? He must be too busy thinking about running for governor to worry about the future of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. You would think they would share the same urgency on this issue as Mayor Barrett.

Another John McCain Flip- Flop

2008-06-13T22:14:00.002-05:00

Here is John McCain Flip-Flopping on the issue of privatization of Social Security.

RIP Tim Russert

2008-06-13T18:56:00.002-05:00

My thoughts and prayers are with the Russert family. I just learned a moment ago of the shocking news of the passing of NBC’s Tim Russert of Meet the Press. The journalistic world has lost a giant. One who was truly fair and balanced.

How Much Justification does Mark Borkowski Need?

2008-06-12T17:15:00.003-05:00

Milwaukee County Supervisor Mark Borkowski has called the proposed one-half cent sales tax for transit “a tax increase that was difficult to justify.” Really? Are you kidding me?

Considering that one-third of Milwaukee County transit services are in serious jeopardy of being cut within the next couple years, bus fares are amongst the highest in the country in one of the most impoverished cities in the country, many routes have already have been cut and given the overall looming fiscal crises that’s facing the Milwaukee County Transit system, this alone should be enough to justify this proposed one-half cent sales tax one would think.

Now add to this soaring fuel prices forcing many Americans to use public transportation in many major cities and metro areas. In fact many cities and metro areas are seeing fifty year highs. The common factor that these cities and metro areas share is a thriving modern mass transit system; something that is obviously lacking here in Milwaukee County.

Fuel prices are unlikely going to decline, investing in a modern mass transit system that effectively delivers people to jobs will be necessary for future economic growth in Milwaukee County. This sales tax will remove the transit system from our property tax rolls and transfer the funding to a dedicated funding source that is tied to inflation. Consider this sales tax an investment that is vital to the future of Milwaukee County. If we are going to compete economically we will need a thriving modern transit system. How would that be difficult to justify.

John McCain on Bringing the Troops Home

2008-06-11T19:11:00.002-05:00

Republican Presidential candidate John Mc Same as Bush, stated on the Today Show that bringing the troops home from Iraq is “not too important.”

A-Half Cent Sales Tax for Parks

2008-06-11T17:39:00.003-05:00

A Sales tax for Milwaukee County parks has been suggested in the past and it is now being explored once again. Hopefully this time there will be progress on this front.

A citizen committee advising the Milwaukee County Board on park funding is recommending the county levy an extra half-cent sales tax to pay for parks.

The move would raise some $65 million a year and ease the county tax levy for parks. Property tax support for parks this year totals $27.4 million. The shift to a parks sales tax would provide extra money for long-deferred maintenance, said Louis Fortis, the chairman of the county's Park Advisory Commission.

Other potential funding sources were explored by the advisory panel, but the sales tax seemed the most promising, Fortis said. Boosting commercial enterprises linked to parks - a move advocated by County Executive Scott Walker -- wouldn't bring in much revenue, Fortis said.

Anytime you can remove tens of millions of dollars from the property tax levy it is a win for property tax payers of Milwaukee County. It is also a win for the quality of life of Milwaukee County residents who will enjoy a safe and clean park again. This will also revitalize a parks system that once was the jewel of Milwaukee County.

The cost of maintenance for parks has been increasing at high rate due to the high cost of energy. So a dedicated funding source that is tied to inflation certainly makes a lot more sense then having a parks system that is on the property tax levy.

The recommendation of this advisory committee will be considered next week by the County Board's parks committee.

Does Lynn DeBruin Still Claim “Clear Majority”?

2008-04-02T11:53:00.003-05:00

The 15th district of Milwaukee County goes to the incumbent Lynn DeBruin in the 2008 general election. However, the sixteen year incumbent won by only 170 votes out the 11,138 ballots that were cast in this election. That is a horrible result for an incumbent who claims that the “clear majority” of the district residents support the job she is doing. Obviously, the "Clear Majoity" are not happy with her job performance. She needs to rethink her approach as supervisor.

If Lynn DeBruin thinks that the “clear majority” of the residents in her district are satisfied with her job performance, then she is clearly out of touch with the 15th district. My advice to Lynn; start going to more neighborhood meetings, don’t snub constituents on scheduled meetings, and by all means return phone calls and e-mails. The next time the results will be different.

Sorry for my Absence

2008-04-02T10:23:00.001-05:00

I spent about half of the month of March in Florida catching up on some much needed R&R. I was planning on doing some blogging while enjoying some of the Florida warmth but really never got it. So I apologize to my one or two readers of this blog for my temporary absence from my blog. Now back to business.

Rocks and Hard places

2008-03-08T09:10:00.001-06:00

That is where I am right now because my only choice for Milwaukee County Supervisor in the 15th district is the incumbent Lynn DeBruin and newcomer Dan Wycklendt. One is Unresponsive to constituents, unless you’re in her immediate circle of friends, and the other will be a rubber stamp for Scott Walker if, God forbid, that Scooter wins his election. Then again, maybe I’ll just write in Dan Cody.

McSame as Bush ; Funny but True

2008-03-07T09:34:00.001-06:00

H/T The Brawler

Scott Walker’s Transit Plan is Just Smoke and Mirrors

2008-03-07T09:13:00.003-06:00

Milwaukee County Executive continues to sell this so called innovative Idea to save Milwaukee County Transit. He proposes using the growth in the current sales tax collected on automobile purchases and apply it to transit statewide. “This amount exceeds $100 million during the budget.” About 60% would come to the Milwaukee area.

However this plan is doom to fail from the word go. This is what Governor Jim Doyle’s spokesman stated about Walker’s proposal last March.

Doyle spokesman Matt Canter said the governor opposes Walker’s vehicle sales tax proposal because it would drain funds from schools and other needs. And any sales tax increase proposal will face an uphill battle in gaining approval from the Republican-controlled state Assembly.

This reminds me of similar smoke and mirror show put on by Walker when he said that he supported KRM.

It was when the rental car tax was defeated in Wisconsin’s legislative Joint Finance Committee on last year. I was amazed that this proposal was even supported by the RTA. It was a tax proposal that wasn’t widely supported by many local leaders like Alderman Willie Hines, President of Milwaukee’s Common Council, and many Milwaukee County Supervisors. Heck they, the RTA, initially supported a more logical and sustainable funding source from a slight increase in the sales tax. However, When Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker stepped in logical thinking vanished.

Both Mayor Tom Barrett along with the Milwaukee County Board and the Milwaukee Common Council supported a .5% sales tax increase. In December of 2006, the RTA voiced preliminary support for a 0.5% sales tax, with 0.05% going to the trains and up to 0.45% for local buses. That support fell apart when Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said he couldn't support any new taxes. Essentially, this forced the hand of the RTA to propose a car rental fee increase of $13 dollars in order not to kill the KRM commuter rail proposal. The RTA needed 6 of 7 of its members to agree to pass any proposal. Since Walker’s appointee to the RTA was going vote against the sales tax proposal and with the absent of Racine County representative Dave Eberle the day of the vote, any no vote would have defeated funding for the KRM Proposal.

So Walker supported a Tax increase for busses and rail that he knew wouldn’t pass the state legislature when the RTA voted for the rental car proposal. As with this car rental fee, his current “innovative plan” to save Milwaukee County Transit will more than likely never happen without obvious support from the state legislatures and the ultimately the Governor and knows that he does not have their support.

The Kiss of Death; President Bush Endorses McCain

2008-03-05T22:07:00.002-06:00

What on God’s green earth is John McCain thinking? One would think that the last thing any Republican Nominee for President would want is the endorsement of the most unpopular and possibly the worst President in US history. But that’s what John McCain got today. Despite that the economy is in the toilet, despite the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush Administration and despite that Bush has lead us into an ill-conceived and unpopular war in Iraq, John McCain's message to America: If you want more of the same vote for me.

No thank you I think I’ll pass.

Obama; what he lacks in Experience He Makes up for it in Judgment

2008-03-05T17:23:00.003-06:00

Despite charges of inexperience, Senator Obama clearly showed good judgment in assessing the Iraq situation in the fall of 2002.

Before the war in Iraq in 2002, he exclaimed: "Now let me be clear: I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power.... The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors...and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president."

Scott Walker Commits to Than Backs Out of Debate

2008-03-04T08:59:00.003-06:00

Last night the Bayview Compass, the Bayview neighborhood Association and the League of Women voters sponsored a candidate forum. The forum included a series of debates between candidates of the 4th and 14th supervisory districts of Milwaukee County, the 14th aldermanic district of Milwaukee, Circuit Court judge branch 40, the Mayor of Milwaukee and of Course Milwaukee County Executive.

Now these debates were planned months ago with commitments from all of the candidates in each of the respected races with the exception of the Mayor’s race in which Mayor Tom Barrett could not commit too. However, I don’t agree with that either. The Mayor’s race has been too quiet. Even though his opponent is not a series one, the Mayor still should be open to a healthy debate about the issues.

Scott Walker, on the other hand, was the first candidate to commit to this forum according to the editor of the Bayview Compass. So they expected Scooter to be there. However, ten minutes before the forum was to start, the organizers of the forum were blindsided with news that Walker will not be attending the forum. The news didn’t come via a courteous call from Walker himself but a letter that was dropped off by one of his staffers ten minutes before the start of the forum. In the letter it stated, “Unfortunately, a schedule conflict prevents me from joining you this evening.”

My Question to Scooter is what was more important than a debate in which you committed to weeks in advance? Only things that would excuse him would be that a family member is gravely ill, he was in an accident, or was subpoenaed. But to say you had another commitment and don’t explain yourself is a slap in the face to the organizers of the forum and to the voters of Bayview and Milwaukee County who took time out of their busy evenings to listen to a debate that was important to them.

Maybe Walker didn’t want face ordinary folk and explain how he has mismanaged transit to the point of death or why he refuses to invest in Milwaukee County’s infrastructure. Maybe he didn’t want to explain how our parks system, the once jewel of Milwaukee County, is deteriorating. Whatever the reason, Walker needs to come up with an explanation other than a “scheduling conflict;” especially in a forum in which he had knowledge of and was committed to weeks in advance.

Excellent Commentary on Milwaukee County Transit

2008-03-02T17:05:00.003-06:00

An excellent blog post at Mid Coast Views written by Michael Rosen on Scott Walkers mismanagement of Milwaukee County transit system which he makes many great points.

Walker doesn’t grasp rudimentary economics. You can attract riders/customers with low prices. Or you attract them by offering high level (quality) services. But no enterprise, public or private, can raise prices and slash service and operate successfully.
Yet, this has been Walker's strategy for the Milwaukee County Transit System.
From 2001- 2007, Walker increased adult cash fares by 30% from $1.35 to $1.75 and weekly pass fares by 52% from $10.50 to $16.
He eliminated seventeen bus routes; reduced service on sixteen routes; ended year round downtown trolley service; and cut night time service.
This year he raised the adult fare again-to $2.00. It is now one of the highest in the nation. And he cut four additional routes! Walker proposed cutting many more routes, but the County Board restored them.
And Walker’s not done. He plans to slash service 35% more by 2010.
Walker’s brags about holding Milwaukee County’s spending to the rate of inflation. But his 2001-2007 adult fare increases were 18% more than the rate of inflation while weekly pass prices soared almost 33% more.
With gas prices expected to approach $4 a gallon, many Milwaukee residents and suburban commuters are looking for cheaper, alternative transportation. Walker’s plan for the transit system coupled with his obstinate opposition to developing a catalytic light rail system has left Milwaukee with no viable transportation alternatives. It has also shifted costs to the Milwaukee Public School District, forcing the district to raise property taxes and cut school servces to pay for Walker's shortsighted student fare increases.
The United State Bowling Congress is leaving Milwaukee. Miller’s corporate headquarters may follow. While suburban businesses face labor shortages, unemployment remains stubbornly high in the County.
Does the County Executive really believe Milwaukee can attract and retain jobs and corporate headquarters without a viable public transit system?
Does Mr. Walker really think we can connect the unemployed with employers experiencing labor shortages without affordable and efficient mass transit?
When you put a fox in charge of the chicken coup, the feathers fly.

Surprised?

2008-03-01T00:09:00.002-06:00

Ridership for the Milwaukee County Transit system was at a 33 year low in 2007; while, nationwide, ridership for public transportation is at 50 year high.

Reeling from repeated service cuts and fare increases, county buses carried 42.5 million passengers in 2007, down 9% from 46.6 million in 2006, the transit system reported. The 2007 ridership total was the lowest since the county took over the bus system in 1975, based on Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission figures.
By contrast, rising gas prices and growing traffic congestion drove national transit ridership to a 49-year high of 10.1 billion in 2006, and ridership was up another 2% through the first nine months of 2007, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Final figures for last year won't be available until later in March, association spokeswoman Virginia Miller said.

A Hit Piece for Some; A Reality for Most

2008-02-29T08:34:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asks this question;

How have you been affected by Milwaukee County Transit System fare increases and service cuts? Please contact Journal Sentinel reporter Larry Sandler at lsandler@journalsentinel.com to let him know, and please include your name and a telephone number where you can be reached.

Apparently there are some who think that the Journal Sentinel wants to do a “hit piece” on Scooter Walker.

Badger Blogger;

The paper is asking for people that have been hurt by the bus fair increase, you know, because we tax payers aren’t subsidizing their rides enough. Could they possibly be more blatant about their intentions?

GOP3

“Would you like to be quoted in a hit piece against Scott Walker?”

Gee, how dare the MJS actually do a story that illustrates how people are affected by decisions made by government that represent them; what are they afraid of?

Let’s see, $2.00 bus fares are the highest in the country according to a study in the MJS. I guess the poor and elderly can bare the brunt of a 14% fare hike. Scooter’s reduced routes means that people have to wait longer for a bus, if you live in a bad part of town that means your safety could be jeopardized. But wait, I thought safety was a priority for scooter?

Maybe they don’t want you to know that higher fares and reduced routes mean decreasing economic opportunities for those who rely on public transportation to get to school and work.

Call it a hit piece but Scooter’s leadership certainly has affected many in a real and profound way. Maybe that’s what they are afraid of.

Deal made to end Pay for Fired Milwaukee Police Officers

2008-02-28T22:09:00.003-06:00

It appears that a deal has been struck in Madison tonight to end pay for fired police officers. Under current law, which is only unique to the City of Milwaukee, fired police officers continue to be paid until all appeals are concluded. This includes fired police officers who have been convicted of a crime. The Wisconsin State Senate voted to end pay for fired police officers who are appealing their terminations on a bi-partisan vote of 30-3.

When the bill moved to the assembly, it appeared that it may face some opposition. The Assembly has resisted cutting off pay for all fired officers and was considering a substitute proposal that would end pay for those charged with just felonies.
But now a deal has been made.

The deal would immediately end pay for officers who are fired for committing felonies or class A or class B misdemeanors, said Rep. Barbara Toles (D-Milwaukee). Officers fired for rule violations would continue to be paid until they exhaust their appeals with the Fire and Police Commission.
Toles had fought for immediately ending pay for rule violations, as well. "I wanted my bill, but I'm in politics and there's this thing called compromise," Toles said tonight.

Obama Has Some News for McCain

2008-02-28T06:51:00.003-06:00

In response to John McCain’s attempt to create the image that Obama somehow doesn’t have a clue of what is going on in Iraq with Al Qaeda, Obama fires back and reminds John McCain Al Qaeda was never in Iraq until our ill-conceived invasion. Also reminds that Al Qaeda in Afghanistan is stronger then ever and that our focus should be on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Here’s the Video;

Don’t be fooled by Scott Walker’s Sales Pitch to Save our Parks

2008-02-26T16:44:00.002-06:00

I have now been to several of the forums for Milwaukee County Executive between Scott Walker and Lena Taylor. At these forums Scott Walker continues to peddle his idea of an “innovative plan” to maintain our already crumbling county parks. That “innovative plan” is to use more seasonal employees and reduce full-time all year around employees to maintain the parks. His argument; “you wouldn’t pay the neighbor kid to mow the lawn in the winter.” In other words why pay someone to maintain the park when it’s not being utilized.

Although this may sound rational, the move towards seasonal employees as opposed to the reliance on full-time Parks maintenance people will only continue the decline of our decaying Parks System.

First there are thousands of picnic tables that have to be maintained during the winter months. Many of these wooden tables have been built over time by these full-time workers. Over the years it has been tougher and tougher for maintenance people to maintain them because of past funding cuts. If you and your family have had a picnic in any of the county parks this last summer, you may have found it difficult to find a sturdy picnic table to sit on. I know I have. If Scooter gets his way, this problem will only continue.

Because of continued reduction in funding, winter recreational opportunities have all but disappeared. The parks now offer only one groomed cross-country ski trail where once it offered four. Ice skating rinks have been reduced from more than 60 to a bare handful. Both of these reductions are because of staffing cuts.

Other reasons why this is a bad Idea; Mark Maley of Park Place makes these important points:

- These temporary staffers require much more supervision than dedicated full-time staffers. In keeping with the continual reduction in field staff, the supervisory ranks are at an all-time low and struggle to keep a watchful eye on their charges while keeping up with their myriad other duties. A good work force is one that has a stake in providing a quality product while keeping on task. With an even greater dependence on a transitional workforce that has no real stake in the operation, creating that “buy-in” is a harder sell and keeping them on task over the long term is a wish.
- Because of low wages and lack of benefits a high percent of seasonal employees are college and high school students who are not available during the school year. This is especially problematic during the early- to late-fall period when park personnel have the task of mending the hundreds of athletic fields that were tortured during the main sporting season. Local sports enthusiasts have already taken note that their “fields of dreams” have turned into nightmares over the last number of years due to lack of maintenance. This bad dream will only be exacerbated by this further reduction of available, competent full-time staffers.

So don’t be fooled by Scott Walker’s Sales pitch on his “innovative plan” to save our once county jewel. This “innovative plan” will only continue the decline of our parks.

Shame on you Hillary

2008-02-25T16:07:00.003-06:00

Just a day after Hillary Clinton accused Obama of Rove like politics; she reaches into her bag of dirty politics and pulls out a photo of Obama dressed in as a Somali Elder on a visit to Kenya in 2006. The Hillary Camp had their staff circulate it around Texas and Ohio over the weekend. I understand that you are getting desperate, but this is beyond desperation.

How Low Can You Go?

2008-02-24T16:17:00.003-06:00

George W. Bush now has the dubious honor of having the lowest Presidential approval rating in United States history. W’s approval rating is at 19%; the lowest since Harry Truman’s 22%. An astounding 77% of those surveyed disapprove of Bush’s job performance. A full 79% of those sampled from February 16-19, were critical of how the President was handling the diminishing economy.

Dan Wycklendt; A Water Carrier for Scott Walker

2008-02-21T09:05:00.003-06:00

Now that the Primaries are behind, we can look ahead to the April 1st Election. In the 15th Supervisory district of Milwaukee County you get to choose between incumbent Lynne DeBruin and a newcomer Dan Wycklendt.

It is obvious that Dan is Walker’s Candidate. He is a conservative that is liked by talk radio, Scooter has done Robo calls for him the day before the primary and Dan is pandering to the anti-tax crowd; sort of.

A week before the February 19th primary, a forum was held by the Capitol West neighborhood Association. At that the forum a specific question was asked; would you support a Parks Authority? Both Dan Cody and Lynne DeBruin said absolutely no. Dan Wycklendt did a tap dance around the question and never really answered it. Instead he presented Walker talking points of innovation and consolidation of services. He never answered the question.

Now two days before the primary, he informs the Tosa Taxpayers Alliance;

Work to enact legislation that removes the Parks System and levy support from the Milwaukee County Government, in favor of an elected Parks Authority while cutting the Milwaukee County tax levy by an equal amount.

I guess Dan will answer questions based on what you want to here or who might be in the audience listening. Kind of like a John McCain moment.

So Which is Dan, consolidation of services or a Parks Authority?

What Was this Guy Thinking?

2008-02-20T12:50:00.002-06:00

A West Bend Wisconsin Man, in a fit of rage over his Mail Box being knocked over by snow plow, decided to go after the snow plow driver with a shot gun.

According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Edward H. Haas of the 2000 block of Hollow Circle in West Bend followed the snowplow driver Monday afternoon to the next block on Park Ave. and parked a minivan in front of the plow, blocking its path. The plow driver said Haas ran up to the truck, yelled "You hit my mailbox four (expletive) times," went back to his van, pulled out a double-barrel shotgun, brought it up to his shoulder and aimed it at the driver, the complaint says.
When he saw Haas point the gun at him, the driver immediately stepped on the truck's accelerator and turned it away from Haas, according to the complaint.

I wonder if the second amendment fanatics consider him a responsible gun owner.

Here are Specifics

2008-02-20T12:20:00.001-06:00

Many on the right continue to paint the image that Barack Obama doesn’t have specifics on the issues. Well, here’s a start on the specifics of what he will do as President.

Inspiration, Yes he Can, the John McCain Version

2008-02-17T19:45:00.002-06:00

This is John McCian’s ansewer to “Yes You Can.”

And this

Are you inspired?

It’s Time for Change on the Milwaukee County Board

2008-02-17T17:40:00.005-06:00

As most of our attention last week has been which presidential candidate will be victorious in Wisconsin’s primary this coming Tuesday, I would like to shift gears here and focus on local primaries; spacifically, the 15th Supervisory district in Milwaukee County. After all, it is local politics that have the most influence on our daily lives. Obviously, I am supporting Daniel Cody for Milwaukee County Supervisor over the incumbent Lynne DeBruin.

First, Supervisor DeBruin has abandoned her progressive values and has sided with Scott Walker on many critical issues. She supports higher bus fares and reduced routes. She is with Scott Walker for removing $2,000,000 from the 2008 County budget for court operations and $438,907 of combined court related operations positions at a time when crime is on the rise. She was with Walker to remove $1,000,000 for inclusive housing fund that would help subsidize affordable housing. Given the increasing poverty rate in Milwaukee, Lynn shows lack of leadership and compassion for those living in poverty in Milwaukee County. Does Lynne realize that affordable housing is one of the keys in reducing the poverty rate and creating economic opportunities for families living in poverty? Lynne DeBruin was with Walker to remove $300,000 for the 211 line. Again with rise in the poverty in Milwaukee come the rise in substance abuse and other social issues. Lynne has hung up those in need.

Second, Lynne DeBruin has stated that she is for removing Parks and Transit off the Property Tax Rolls. However, she has consistently voted against alternative funding sources that would have removed Transit and Parks from the Property Tax rolls.

Finally, after serving as a Supervisor for sixteen years, it is amazing that many in her own district don’t even know who she is and have shared stories of unreliable leadership with me. This was pretty much the sentiments of my neighbors, colleagues and friends when the subject of Lynn De Bruins effectiveness as a public servant came up. Many have shared the same judgment that DeBruin is lethargic when responding to her constituents. A Pastor of a church shared with me that DeBruin had stood her up for, not one, but two scheduled meetings with her.

Now Dan Cody has a plan. First and foremost Dan will offer progressive leadership at the county board. Dan supports alternative funding sources for transits and parks, such as a sales tax, as long as it removes them from the county tax rolls. He is committed to Public Safety that utilizes resources that are used efficiently. Not only will he work with neighborhood associations, businesses associations and community groups, but he will also hold regular district listening sessions throughout his term and not just before an election. Dan is committed to moving the county board back to respectability and one that will demonstrate reliable leadership. Dan has worked the hardest during this campaign to earn your vote in the 15th supervisory district. He has been knocking on doors since October while speaking one on one with many groups.

It is time to bring progressive values back to the Milwaukee County Board. It’s time to elect Daniel Cody for Milwaukee County Supervisor.

Another Sweep for Obama

2008-02-13T07:49:00.001-06:00

Obama continued his winning streak, having won all of the contests in last weekend, and according to CNN, he has now narrowly taken the lead in both pledged delegates. He won handily, defeating Sen. Clinton in the District of Columbia, 75% to 24%, in Maryland, 60% to 37%, and in Virginia, 64% to 35%. Exit polls had him doing well in every voter demographic, including winning the women vote.

Scott Walker Receiving an Avalanche of Money from outside the County

2008-02-13T00:36:00.002-06:00

Remember when Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker for months has warned that his opponent, Senator Lena Taylor, would be receiving an “avalanche” of money from outside of Milwaukee. Evidently Scooter must have been referring to himself because 62% of the money Walker raised in the second half of last year came from outside the county.

He took in $155,000 from Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington and Racine counties for the period. That's about $8,000 more than Walker pulled in from the people living in Milwaukee County.
By far the largest source of money for Walker outside of Milwaukee County was Waukesha County, which supplied just more than $103,000. Ozaukee, Washington and Racine counties combined were the source of some $52,000 given to him.

Senator Taylor had a Balance of $124,000 at the beginning of the year while Scooter has $567,000.

Scott Walker Misrepresentations Part 2; I am Tough on Crime Version

2008-02-12T13:35:00.001-06:00

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker States that; “I will give Law Enforcement the tools to fight crime.”

My question to Scooter would be, what where you doing about crime for the last 6 years while you have been our County Executive? Let’s see;

2008 Budget: proposed to remove $2.4 Million from the Circuit court budget that would have rigorously weaken court efforts to hold criminals accountable; proposed to eliminate Milwaukee County’s work release program which would have put criminals back on the streets. Also proposed removing court staffing that would have been vital in keeping violent sex offenders off the streets.

He supported cuts in Sheriffs Department that included cutting 50 deputies in the General Investigative Services Division, which conducts investigations, serves warrants, processes extradition papers, and performs background checks and other duties.

Under Walker’s watch, Milwaukee County Witness protection was eliminated, the Sheriff eliminated his agency's participation in the high-intensity Metro Drug Unit, Drug Abuse Resistance Education was eliminated, the Milwaukee County Sheriff dropped out of the truancy abatement program and dropped the County’s gun-reduction program.

Maybe Walker should give back what he has taken away.

More Incompetence Strikes Scott Walker’s Staff Again

2008-02-12T09:10:00.000-06:00

This is without a doubt the essence of idiocy. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s Budget Director, Cynthia Archer, releases confidential medical information to CRG last week in direct violation of HIPAA laws.

Ms. Archer sent a database to Citizens for Responsible Government that had information on psychiatric exams, paternity cases and proceedings on legal guardians.

CRG wanted information to set up a data base on contracts and billing done by Milwaukee County. Their goal, apparently, was to increase transparency in government. Which I agree is a good thing.

However, the release of confidential medical information is in direct violation of HIPAA and should have never been released. As a Youth Counselor working at one of the state juvenile correctional faculties, we are required to have direct knowledge of HIPAA laws. So it is inexcusable that an administrator for Milwaukee County wouldn’t have the same knowledge. Her incompetence could end up costing Milwaukee County millions of dollars in lawsuits.

Apparently, this is not the first brush Ms. Archer has had with incompetence. Capper at Folkbum has more on Cynthia Archer's lack of knowledge of the law here.

Scott Walker Misrepresentations Part One

2008-02-10T23:30:00.000-06:00

Recently Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has again misrepresented Lena Taylor’s stance on Milwaukee’s Parental Choice Program or better known as Vouchers. This is what Walker Stated in a speech just recently;

“My opponent has worked actively, actively to kill School Choice in Milwaukee.” Here is the Video

Actually Mr. Walker, she has actively fought for accountability and accreditations for teachers involved in Milwaukee’s school choice. Oh she has also taken a stance for Milwaukee taxpayers.

“I understand the importance of the issue and the need for resolution, but this compromise in no way mitigates the impact of the unfair school funding formula on Milwaukee taxpayer,” said Senator Taylor.

“As an advocate for tax relief, the Governor and the Speaker cannot expect me to support a deal that would increase taxes for my constituents – Milwaukee homeowners—and harm funding for the 85,000 children in our public schools. To do so would be an affront to the people I represent,” Taylor added.

Have you, Scott Walker, ever spoken publicly about the funding flaw of school vouchers on City of Milwaukee taxpayers?

Obama’s Weekend Sweep

2008-02-10T22:44:00.000-06:00

It appears as if Obama will win Maine tonight. This win will cap his weekend sweep of Nebraska, Washington, Louisiana and the US Virgin Islands.

With Momentum swinging in Obama’s favor, he is now poised for Tuesday's "Beltway" primaries in Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia. Obama is expected to win handsomely in Maryland and Washington DC, and he is also seen as leading in Virginia.

The Straight Talker

2008-02-10T21:32:00.001-06:00

Now that John McCain is the clear front runner and a lock for the 2008 Republican Nomination for President, the straight talker may need a little help finding his way to the Republican National Convention. Talk about being all over the map on issues.

Pay Attention Folks

2008-02-06T09:05:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin's primary isn't until Feb. 19th.

It was interesting to read that some 200 people went to the polls in Milwaukee yesterday to find out that polls where closed. Is this good or bad? On one hand it is good that people taking their right to vote seriously. On the other hand not knowing when your primary my speak to how less engaged you are to local politics.

Remember City Alderman, County Supervisors and other local elections are on February 19th, Wisconsin’s Primary.

Excellent Editorial Regarding Public Funding of Virtual Schools

2008-01-14T08:52:00.000-06:00

From the Tomah Journal; Virtual schools questionable recipients of public dollars.

The case involving Wisconsin Virtual Academy, which is just four years old, raises many questions:

* How is virtual education distinguishable from home schooling? Parents who choose traditional home schooling don’t get open-enrollment reimbursement, so why should parents who choose a virtual school be any different? An arrangement in which a child sits in front of a computer in the family den strains the definition of “public” education.

* How “public” is a virtual school? Wisconsin Virtual Academy is a collaboration between the Northern Ozaukee School District and K12 Inc., an online learning company launched by former Education Secretary Bill Bennett. Unlike public schools, where teachers develop curriculum that’s subject to review by the local school board, Wisconsin Virtual Academy get its curriculum from K12 Inc., which sells it to parents for about $1,200 per year.

* What’s the impact on public school finance? The handful of school districts that have opened virtual schools are reaping fiscal bonanzas as the expense of nearly every school district in the state. The Northern Ozaukee School District, for example, hauled in $3.6 million worth of open enrollment money through Wisconsin Virtual Academy. The Tomah School District, meanwhile, lost 10 students to virtual schools last year, which cost the district $58,000. Does this give school districts an incentive to create virtual schools based on financial, not educational, criteria?

If private companies like K12 Inc. want to set up private computer-based home schools and charge tuition, then more power to them. But that doesn’t mean such schools, whether public, quasi-public or private, should get public money. Virtual schools look more like get-rich-quick schemes for a few school districts that got into the game early than a new and better way to educate kids. They need a longer, better and more public track record before they can lay claim to public funds.

Preventing Local Communities in Restricting Sex Offenders Residency

2008-01-14T08:38:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin Rep. Donald Friske, (R-Merrill) has proposed legislation to bar municipalities from drafting ordinances dictating where people listed on the states' sex offender registry can live.

He argues that pushing sex offenders out of cities and villages forces them to live in rural areas where there aren't as many law enforcement and supervision resources.
"It also pits communities against each other," Friske said. "The safety and security of each community is equal. I don't know if we can start to say this community's more important because of this or the children of that community are entitled to less protection because they live there."

I agree with this proposal for several reasons. First, limiting where sex offenders can live would lead offenders not to register as a sex offender and ultimately put are kids at risk. Wisconsin has one of the highest compliance rates of 90%, according to the Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections. Do we want to see our compliance rates fall?

Second Research has shown that sex offenders with stable housing and social support are much less likely to commit new sex offenses compared to those offenders who lack stability. Residence restrictions deprive sex offenders of stable housing and social support, and thus significantly increase the risk of recidivism. In addition, sex offenders who become homeless, or fail to provide accurate addresses as a result of these restrictions, will be more difficult to supervise and monitor in the community, thereby increasing the risk to children. Recent studies have concluded that sex offender residence statutes create a false sense of security that may leave children more vulnerable to sexual abuse.

Third Wisconsin has some of the toughest sex offenders’ laws in the country; include toughening criminal penalties for sex offenders - including a required 25-year mandatory sentence for first-degree sexual assault of a child, and prohibiting anyone on the sex offender registry from intentionally photographing, filming or videotaping anyone under the age 17 without parental consent.

Hopefully this proposal will get the bi-partisan support it needs.

Zero Would be Good

2008-01-13T18:28:00.000-06:00

I am glad to see this. But we all know that, unfortunately, that this trend will not continue.

Twelve days into the new year, the city has yet to record its first homicide, police reported this morning.
That compares to three homicides reported for the same period in 2007, Milwaukee police Capt. Timothy Burkee said. Overall, 105 people were homicide victims in 2007, two more than had been recorded the year before.

Hopefully, however, we will see a major decrease in homicides this year.

How Low Can Fox News go?

2008-01-11T16:58:00.000-06:00

This is news? Leave it to FOX News, the family values station, to keep us up to date on issues of, well, porn. How desparate is Fox News getting? Watch this video.

David Clarke Needs to look in the Mirror and take Responsibility

2008-01-11T11:48:00.001-06:00

Not surprisingly that Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke would call the deputy, who mistakenly released the wrong inmate form the county jail’s work release program, “a loser.”

Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. reacted strongly to the Jennings mistaken release.

Clarke issued a message to be read at deputy roll calls this week calling the release embarrassing and said only "a loser" would blame the broken fingerprint machines. A deputies' union official had said the broken machine could be partly to blame for Jennings' release.

However, I think David Clarke can also be a “loser” for not having the finger print machine fixed.

A Sagem Morpho Touch "Fast ID" machine was borrowed from the jail for the Community Correctional Center last summer after an inmate there was accused of scamming the system to stay out overnight. The inmate, Freddie Dudley, stands accused of committing first-degree reckless homicide Sept. 20 at a time he was supposed to have been at the center.
The fingerprint machine was sent to the work-release center at 1004 N. 10th St. after County Executive Scott Walker ordered a clampdown. The $2,000 machine was on the fritz during its three-month stay there, however.

Sounds as if there is plenty of blame to go around here; yes I believe the deputy should have been more diligent in his efforts to make sure the right inmate was released, however, if the finger print machine was working at that time, it is very likely this incident would not have occurred.

I guess the Teflon Sheriff bares no responsibility for this mishap even after the Freddie Dudley incident and after his pale, Scott Walker, ordered a clamp down? Please!! That is just inattentiveness on the part of Sheriff Clarke; plain and simple. Why was the Finger print machine not working Mr. Clarke? Start taking some responsibility Sheriff Clarke.

People in Wisconsin Support Public Financing of Supreme Court Races

2008-01-11T08:47:00.000-06:00

According to a survey conducted by American Viewpoint on behalf of the Justice at Stake Campaign, Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly agree (77 percent) that the legislature and the governor need to take action on judicial campaign reform before the next election. 65 percent are backing a plan to offer public financing to qualified candidates and only 26 percent opposing it.

“People of all political stripes want serious measures to keep special interest cash out of the courtroom,” said Bert Brandenburg, executive director of the Justice at Stake Campaign.
[…]
"These poll numbers clearly show the public is deeply worried about how money influences judges, and it's equally clear that people in Wisconsin want reforms that take special interest money out of judicial elections,” said Mike McCabe, director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. “People want judges to be accountable only to the law and the constitution, not big campaign donors."

This is a no brainer. It is vital that the public have confidence that our Supreme Court judges are making decisions based on the Wisconsin constitution and not special interests. Have we not learned from the Zeigler controversy?

Senator John Kerry Endorses Obama

2008-01-10T17:05:00.000-06:00

Although I am not a huge John Kerry fan, but I think this endorsement will certainly help Obama’s chances as the primaries move to South Carolina and Nevada. Having a Major Democrat like John Kerry endorse Obama, even after the defeat in New Hampshire, certainly will keep the Obama wave moving foward and his message of hope and unity alive.

"Who better than Barack Obama to turn a new page in American politics so that Democrat, independent and Republican alike can look to leadership that unites to find the common ground?" Kerry said. "That's what this is about."

State Smoking Help Line Recieves 9000 Calls

2008-01-10T09:42:00.000-06:00

Remember last year when Wisconsin Govenor Jim Doyle proposed a sales tax hike would encourage individuals to quit smoking and it would discourage people from starting? Well it appears that he may be right as far as quiting.

According to Gov. Jim Doyle's office, the state smoking help line took 9,000 calls from folks looking to quit during the first week of the new year. That's the same number of calls it normally gets in an entire year. In fact, Wisconsin is spending $30 million during this biennium trying to persuade smokers to give up smoking and getting them help with kicking the habit.

Glenn Grothman’s Continued War on Rape Victims

2008-01-10T09:11:00.000-06:00

Why does Grothman hate rape victims so much? First Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) is one of only six Senators to oppose the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Act. This act would allow victims of Sexual assault to be given information about and access to emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms.

Now Senator Grothman wants to continue his crusade against rape victims by ending Wisconsin’s Family Planning Waiver program for 15, 16, and 17 year old girls. The Family Planning Waiver program does supply emergency contraception for women from the ages of 15-44. Considering that nearly 80% of rape victims in Wisconsin are under the age of eighteen and considering that the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims act has yet to pass the Assembly, the Wisconsin Family and planning waiver program is currently the only option for young rape victims to get help and counseling.

Ron Paul’s Racists Quotes

2008-01-09T19:40:00.000-06:00

Dan Cody’s Campaign Continues to Build Momentum

2008-01-09T19:22:00.000-06:00

Dan Cody’s campaign for Milwaukee County Supervisor in the 15th district continues to build momentum. Today Dan Cody received yet another major endorsement from the American Federation Teachers, Local 212. AFT Local 212 represents 1800 faculty and staff at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

“Milwaukee County’s parks, transit system and other services have deteriorated under the current leadership, and this affects the quality of life of our students as well as the faculty and staff of MATC.” said Michael Rosen, President of Local 212. “The County needs new leadership. We support Daniel Cody because he is innovative, accountable and aggressive; the type of elected official that the residents of the 15th district deserve to represent them.”

Dan Cody has also been endorsed by AFSCME District Council 48 and Service Industry Employees Union, Local 1199. Dan also continues to spread his message of next generation leadership by continuing to knock on doors throughout the district. He has knocked on some 1500 doors and continues to get positive feed back.

Milwaukee Metro Area Leads Most Midwest States in Job Growth

2008-01-09T18:52:00.000-06:00

With the exception of Des Moines Iowa, the Milwaukee Metro area lead all of the surrounding Midwest States' cities in Job Growth from November 2006 to November of 2007.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the Milwaukee area's 1.2% job growth from November 2006 to November 2007 was second only to metro Des Moines' 2.5% among large metro areas in the region. Jobs in the Indianapolis area gained 1.1% in that period, followed by the Chicago area at 0.9%, the Twin Cities at 0.3%, metro Cleveland at 0.2% and the Detroit area, where the payroll count dropped by 1.7%.

Republicans for Obama

2008-01-08T16:02:00.000-06:00

Yes indeed, there is movement within the Republican Party that is getting behind Barack Obama’s message of unity, hope and change.

RepublicansforObama.org is an organization founded by proud party members who all share one important trait— we are Americans first and Republicans second. (Even if it is a close second.) Collectively, we have campaigned, worked for, and voted Republican all our lives, but recognize that our Country needs a new kind of leader at this time. While there will always be important issues on which thoughtful Americans will disagree, there are others that cannot be up for debate— our economic prosperity and our standing in the world.
While a growing number of our elected officials and media outlets use wedge issues to purposely divide us, and answer to special interest groups at the expense of the general welfare, Senator Obama has the ability to break this trend. Senator Obama has rejected the politics of division and the win-at-all-costs attitude that has hurt our ability to move forward as a nation. While we as Republicans will not always see eye to eye with a President Obama, we know that his politics of competency and unity will lead to a stronger America.

Tornados in January!! In Wisconsin??

2008-01-07T22:52:00.000-06:00

This has got to be some kind of record. I have never heard of a Tornado being reported in the month of January anywhere in Wisconsin Ever.

Six to eight homes in the area of Highway 50 and Kenosha County Highway O in the town of Wheatland were either collapsed or heavily damaged by a tornado that ripped through the area between 4 and 4:15 p.m. today, according to Sgt. Mark Krueger of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department.

Krueger said injuries were either minor or moderate, and no one was killed.An undetermined number of cars were blown off the road at the same intersection when the tornado hit, Krueger said.People who were affected by the damage but not injured have been taken to St. John Church on Geneva Road.

Of course how often do we get Temperatures well into the 60’s in January in Wisconsin.

Here is a photo of the Tornado from John Pomeroy of Sturtevant.

Jim McGuigan Corroborating my Thoughts and Experiences on Lynn De Bruin

2008-01-07T16:31:00.000-06:00

Not surprisingly, Jim McGuigan substantiates the basics of my support for Dan Cody for Milwaukee County Supervisor. He points out, while holding nothing back that Lynn De Bruin is in essence a lazy public servant.

First and foremost, DeBruin is lazy and when a person with legislative responsibilities earns a full time salary, they ought to provide their constituents with full time work. DeBruin does not. This is not to say that she has not in the past. Back in 1996 through about 1998, DeBruin was one of the work horses on the board. Under then Board Chairman Karen Ordinans, DeBruin manipulated the budget to her liking and she was fairly good at it even if she took some risks that I was not comfortable with.

This was pretty much the conscience of my neighbors, colleagues and friends when the subject of Lynn De Bruins effectiveness as a public servant came up. Many have shared the same judgment that De Bruin is lazy. A Pastor of a church shared with me that De Bruin had stood her up for, not one, but two scheduled meetings with her. That alone would be grounds for the public to vote her out. But she also doesn’t seem to want return phone calls from constituents or answer their e-mails. I have experienced this and so have others who told have me this when the question of De Bruin’s effectiveness came up.

Jim also makes these points;

On the pension scandals. It’s been eight years. One would think that the problem would been handled by now and DeBruin has been there the entire time. DeBruin was on the committee that recommended the ill-fated pension proposal to the board and remained silent to her colleagues except to say that she didn’t believe it was “fair enough” to the workers. DeBruin, a past Chairman of the Finance Committee, more than anyone, should have been able to see some signs of a problem right? Why was she silent to her collegues. She voted no because it was not rich ENOUGH, not because she saw a problem with the size of the payouts.
On top of that, DeBruin was on the Milwaukee Public Museum Board of Directors when the decisions were made that nearly bankrupt the place. When news broke of the problems, she hastily resigned her position on that unpaid board. And I’ll just say this for the record — when I served on that board things were going well. When I left we had over $12,000,000 in reserves that we were continuing to build on with the intention that eventually we could be in a position to use interest income from that indemnified amount to reduce our need for cash from Milwaukee County (who owns the collections and the building).
Where was DeBruin?

It’s time for a change.

Interesting; CRG Concerned about Blight?

2008-01-06T23:29:00.000-06:00

Citizens for Responsible Government is all of a sudden interested in saving neighborhoods and businesses from blight. Evidently, they were behind an effort of collecting some 4,000 signatures from citizens opposing ramp closures on 894 and 27th street on the Southside of Milwaukee. These closures would hurt businesses on 27th street and destroy neighborhoods. Now, I am all for opposing projects that would destroy the livelihood of citizens and neighborhoods; especially if it has to do with freeway expansion.

I question, however, if the efforts of CRG are actually genuine. Where were they in 2003 when SEWRPC proposed widening interstate 94 from six to eight lanes? There was plenty of opposition. Angry citizens filled the Washington Park Senior Center at a public hearing opposing widening I-94. That year the Milwaukee County Board voted 15-10 to oppose freeway expansion on I-94. Basically, the reasons for opposition then are the same reasons that CRG is opposing ramp closures now; blight and destroying businesses. County Executive Scott Walker vetoed the county board which the board failed to override.

Oh, that’s right; CRG was behind the recall effort of Tom Ament that propelled Scott Walker to power. I guess they couldn’t go in opposition to Scott Walker. Interesting; I Guess CRG picks and chooses who they help.

President Bush to Cut Federal Funds for Fighting Crime in Wisconsin

2008-01-06T16:24:00.000-06:00

Let’s see, the drug trade is a significant cause of violent crime and gang activity in the City of Milwaukee and else where in Wisconsin. It rips apart neighborhoods, families and creates fear among innocent people who live in theses neighborhoods and communities. So President Bush’s answer would be, of course, to drastically cut funds that would fund the anti-drug task force and witness protection programs.

It is a dramatic issue for 2009," District Attorney John T. Chisholm said Friday.
"It's not a matter of calling it the sky falling. . . . The money's just not going to be there for any number of programs, including community prosecution (and) drug prosecution."
[…]
"In the end, if there's no funding, then the positions are not going to be there," Chisholm said, "and that would result in a reduction of staffing levels."
[…]
Van Hollen spokesman Kevin St. John called the grant cuts, if they stand, "very disappointing" for what they will do to counties already making do with fewer prosecutors than the audit found necessary. "That's just going to further exacerbate conditions," St. John said of the funding decrease.

Moving Seventeen Year Olds back to the Juvenile Justice System Would be Wise

2008-01-06T14:50:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, has proposed a bill that would raise the age at which Wisconsin law considers a person an adult in criminal court from 17 to 18. Prior to 1996, 17 year olds in Wisconsin were prosecuted as Juveniles anyway.

Back in the mid-1990’s it was political pressure of getting tough on crime and short sightedness that led to the law change of moving 17 year olds into adult court.

The age of majority is 18 for everything else. If you are not considered old enough to vote, consent to sex, serve in the military or legally get married, then how can you be considered old enough to be held accountable as an adult for all criminal activity?

Obviously, there are certain violent crimes that youth should be held accountable as adults. But overloading the adult courts with 17 year olds, that would be better served in the juvenile justice system, is not a wise use of the justice system.

If funding is a concern, move the department of Juvenile Justice back under department of health and family services where there would be adequate funding.

Latest Rasmussen Poll; Obama Leads Clinton by 10 Points in New Hampshire

2008-01-05T20:14:00.000-06:00

The latest Rasmussen poll has Obama with 37% Clinton 27% and Edwards with 19%

Doyle Catches the Obama Wave

2008-01-05T16:09:00.000-06:00

Today, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has officially announced his endorsed of Barack Obama for President. Catching the wave that is turning into a tsunami sweeping across the country, Governor Jim Doyle had this to say about Obama,

"I see in Barack Obama an incredibly unifying candidate.”

"When I heard Barack Obama give the speech after the victory in Iowa, I said this is so important I cannot just sit by and not be part of it. I decided this is the time," Doyle said. "The day after I had a chance to talk with Barack and decided this was the time to do it."

This is not at all surprising to me to see people starting to jump on the Obama Band Wagon. Since the Iowa Caucuses, many people that I know who were supporting other candidates are now going crazy for Obama. Some have even contributed money to his campaign.

Obama’s Iowa Victory Speech

2008-01-04T16:44:00.000-06:00