Bum's Bluff

Bagging the Teabaggers

2010-04-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

Wow....just wow....

In their own words

nuff said.

postscript...

2010-03-29T22:01:00.001-05:00

And so it goes...

Not a coincidence, rather a trend.

Wing Nuts and the Polarization of America

2010-03-26T19:33:00.002-05:00

For years, I have observed and chuckled at the different attempts of the right side of the political spectrum to regain their Reagan era status. From the frenzied Ken Starr attacks on Clinton's character to Newt's Contract With America to Cheney's dire predictions on Obama's policies; the political right has worked hard to convince Americans of the end of society under Democratic rule.

To be fair, the left was similarly laughable during the Reagan/Bush years. I'm still waiting on the oft predicted nuclear holocaust that was sure to result from Reagan's proliferation policies during his first term.

Thus I chuckled again while reading Grump's latest snippet on our local Wisconsin flavor of dichotomy.

My amusement is not lasting as long these days however. The attempts by the right to denounce and disparage the Obama Administration over the last year are losing their humor and instead igniting a real fear inside of me. The Tea Party movement seemed a cute attempt at pretending to be a grassroots Joe the Plumber style gathering until I realized their real make up.

The violent verbal and physical responses to Congressional members' votes on the Health Care legislation brings into light the danger of the new wingnut. They appear to be attracting a new sort of militia-minded neo-conservative protester that they never before courted. People that are convinced of conspiracies about Health Care Death Squads, Mexico's takeover plot of the Southwest, Obama's citizenship, FEMA's concentration camps, and the New World Order - Obama style.

For a seemingly conspiracy minded population on the right, to assert the Health Care bill is unconstitutional is not very far from declaring that the Obama Administration is dismantling the Constitution. And them could be fighting words, unfortunately - no matter how untrue they may be - because the assumedly civilized thoughtful right is incredibly silent and permissive on this new belief system.

Maxwell's Silver Hammer?

2010-03-22T05:36:00.002-05:00

Nancy Pelosi heads to the East Lawn to play a rousing game of Whack the Mole...

What's in that brown bag?

2010-03-16T21:11:00.003-05:00

Not sure what's in there but I noticed the word "movement" written on the outside. Eewwww....

Bloody Sunday Remembered

2010-03-07T11:59:00.002-06:00

No, not the Irish event memorialized by U2. The American disgrace known as Bloody Sunday.

45 years ago today, the first of three marches from Selma to Montgomery ended in violence. The perseverance to march again two days later and then, after that one also ended violently, 14 days later, is astonishing. This is the history, both proud and shameful, that we cannot afford to forget.

Break Time's Over

2010-02-28T18:20:00.001-06:00

So yeah, two years off should be sufficient. I think I'm back...not that anyone is really checking!

Much has happened that will likely shift the focus of this blog. I now work in both Madison and Milwaukee so am gaining an eye-opening perspective on Wisconsin's largest city. Expect to see a fair bit of thought regarding the home of defunct breweries and cream city brick.

I have to admit, I have lost track of Evansville politics and issues. I hope to change that and get caught up quickly. Life has me on the road alot and working upwards of 65 hours/week but that's not an excuse for not paying attention to your community!

Here's to 2010 being the year of dialogue!

It's a good day to be a Badger!

2008-03-22T17:53:00.002-05:00

The Men did well and congratulations to the Women for making it to their third consecutive Championship game!

A rough month for geeks and nerds

2008-03-19T07:07:00.002-05:00

First there was the loss of the 1st great Dungeon Master.

Now we lose one of our greatest visionaries. At least we know what his tombstone will look like.

Knock on Wood for Peace?

2008-03-19T07:04:00.001-05:00

Seems appropriate, since it's the 5th anniversary of the war.

How many roads must a car break down...

2008-02-15T05:39:00.002-06:00

I know that one of the hazards of Winter is pavement expands and contracts due to the severe temperature changes and the end result is potholes. I also know that this has been an unusually tough winter for roads. But can someone explain why a road that was resurfaced less than four years ago now resembles the Afghanistan countryside?

My morning commute begins with a full cup of coffee that is sadly sloshed over to half a cup by the time I reach the Dane County line.

Maybe he meant Cal State Fullerton?

2008-02-06T13:28:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, I have enjoyed the rumours and speculations that go on around the National Signing day for football recruiting. Even more so this year as my beloved Huskers managed to rob Texas of an entire defense.

In the past, we have had to be wary of coaches and local media promising players that haven't really commited to coming. But this is the first time I have seen the tables turned! Wow!

Sure to break Grumps' heart...

2008-01-25T06:25:00.000-06:00

If a tree falls in a dense forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? We may never know...

When a laundry list becomes a compromise

2008-01-25T05:58:00.001-06:00

I was sceptical when I first heard about the proposed tax rebate/economic stimulus package that the Bush Administration and House leaders have hammered out. I still recall the "tax rebate" we received in Bush's first term -- not so much a rebate as it was an involuntary advance payment that would be deducted from your final refund (or added to your liability).

This seems different. The funding is not based on future tax revenues (which would indicate another advance refund schem), but rather is from increased federal borrowing. While growing the national debt has its own issues, at least this package seems to be what is advertised.

The fact that Bush negotiators have been able to quickly reach this deal with Speaker Pelosi (D) and Minority Leader Boehner (R) is an accomplishment in itself. Both sides dropped major provisions that could easily have been deal breakers. For Dems it was dropping proposals to increase food stamp reimbursements and extend Unemployment Insurance beyond 26 weeks. For the GOP side, it was allowing workers who don't earn enough to owe taxes to still receive the rebate. Both sides had to move a long way to reach the middle.

The litmus test is that neither side appears overly happy with the final package -- a sure sign that a decent compromise has been reached. Interestly though, it is the two leading Democratic Presidential hopefuls that seem the most critical of the plan. I thought Clinton was the great deal broker and Obama was the great bipartisan compromiser?

The grieving process...

2008-01-22T07:19:00.000-06:00

It continues through today. I noticed we have some serious Frozen Tundra Tears out there!

It was a great run for the Packers. I am especially happy that Favre had such a great season and proved all the nay-sayers wrong.

Time to shift focus a bit and lift our spirits. Anyone happen to notice the Badgers Big Ten record recently?

Wanna see something

2008-01-18T07:03:00.001-06:00

Really Scary??

I'm shivering and it isn't just the temperature!

Just a bit higher than the change in Cost of Living....

2008-01-16T14:24:00.001-06:00

I noticed that last night the Council had a first reading of an ordinance that would raise their per diem for meetings from $45 to $50 per meeting. That's an 11% raise. Now I don't know when the last increase was, but I do know that it is now more than double what it was when I had a chair at the old frisbee table in City Hall.

At 4 meetings/month, that is $200/month - no longer the insignificant drop in the bucket it used to be. Don't misunderstand me, I know the alders put in long hours both in and out of meetings. The per diem amounted to about $1 an hour when I was on Council ($20/meeting for a 20/week commitment). I know that the money doesn't come close to paying for the value of their time.

However, I always viewed the position as a citizen volunteer role. I remember being surprised when Bob P. handed me my first check as I had never considered the thought of getting paid for being an alder. With that in mind, I also voted against attempts to increase the stipend feeling that a price really couldn't be placed on the service unless alders became paid at an employment rate (as they do in Madison and other large cities).

Add to that the Mayor's "salary" increasing 15% from $325/month to $375.

Does it cost the taxpayers much? Not really -- eight alders x 4 meetings/month x $50 = $19,200 per year. That's about a 0.25 FTE for government work.

But the principle of the matter does cost us. Are we shifting to a "professional" City Council and Mayor? I would hope not. A primary reason that Evansville decided to have a City Administrator was to relieve the Council and Mayor of the time consuming and technical duties that a growing city requires.

I will be watching with great interest to see how Council members and the Mayor vote on this issue. Second reading and presumably a vote will be at the February meeting.

I'm also curious if it was budgeted for. There was a time I could look at the budget on the City's website, but alas those days seem gone.

Much Ado About Nothing?

2008-01-16T14:05:00.000-06:00

So the much maligned and misunderstood Referendum Ordinance died due to lack of a second. I'm guessing that if you could bottle the energy that was spent agonizing over it and the conspiracy theories that accompanied it, we could power a few homes for a year.

I honestly don't know how I feel about Lake Leota's future and I can understand both sides. I certainly appreciate the fears that any action taken to restore the lake will be costly and that citizens need information and input - preferable in an referendum. But the combining of this poorly constructed ordinance and the Lake issue into some odd grassy knoll wannabe gave me quite a chuckle. Didn't make us look reel smart though...

Another One Bites the Dust...

2008-01-11T06:21:00.000-06:00

Just because it became old news doesn't mean the Tom DeLay/Jack Abramoff fallout is over. Yet another Congressman is leaving the scene. The investigation by the Justice Department continues, but that makes five...

Want fries with that?

2008-01-07T06:34:00.000-06:00

So I guess it's no longer appropriate to think of Starbucks as the Walmart of coffee houses since there is a new neighbor on the block.

One McLatte, hold the pickles, to go!

Oh There's Nothing Half-Way...

2008-01-04T07:03:00.000-06:00

about the Iowa way to treat you, if we treat you, which we may not do at all...

So the pundits were wrong and the young "disinterested" voters made a showing. What a gratifying statement that is.

I have been wondering for the last several months whether Obama's inroads to college campuses and appeal to younger adults would have any real impact come Caucus Day. My son, who attends school in Iowa, described the buzz on campus - not only with Obama, but with the whole Caucus mystique. I had never seen him engaged in the political process before (unless you count him standing in the election booth with me many years ago). But I retained my scepticism leftover from Howard Dean's run at the younger folks -- yeah, they'll work the phone banks and hand out flyers but will they really show up when there might be a party to go to at Kapa Sigma Mu?

Time to put my scepticism aside, though not out of reach. Maybe it's time I took a little closer and more serious look at this young inexperienced man from Illinois and stop dismissing him as a flash in the pan Kennedy want-to-be.

My annual Christmas Greeting from Peggy...

2008-01-02T07:20:00.001-06:00

With great trepidation, I recently opened my personalized annual form letter from Peggy Ross. I must say I was pleasantly surprised to see that the two taxes that I feel I actually have some familiarity and input on (City of Evansville and Evansville School District) had remained pretty much the same as the previous year. Thank you to the City and District representatives and leaders for holding the line.

I won't kid myself for the coming years though. With the stagnation in the housing market, taxes will undoubtedly rise even with conservative budgeting. Such is the dilemna of local government revenues.

My one complaint -- it sure would be nice to see the City Budget added to the City Budget Page.

Back for a new year.

2007-12-31T14:15:00.000-06:00

Not too sure anyone still reads this (and why would they since it's been over a year since the last post!), but I'm back and looking forward to writing my way through a new year.

2007 was a transition year for me as my wife and I became official Empty Nesters. So far, I think that's a good thing. I do have more time on my hands than before hence this blog being back.

2008 looks interesting from local to state to nation to globe: a new Senior Center in the works, Scooter Jensen's evading justice with the support of the State Justice Director (Attorney General), Presidential Primaries, and a very scary start of the year in the Middle East with the death of Benizir Bhutto.

Parting thought --- I'm guessing that Evansville's Public Works Dept ran out of budget. It's the only thing that explains the pitiful condition of the streets after the last snow. Normally, our DPW puts other communities to shame in the great job they do. Out of salt and $$ for overtime?

The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round...

2006-11-15T12:45:00.000-06:00

I haven't decided how I feel about this idea but there are definitely some cynical thoughts rise to the surface.

The social-liberal side of me thinks that anything that helps get cars off the road and assists working folk to commute more efficiently is a great thing. It's good for the environment and the economy, so what's not to like?

The fiscal conservative in me, however, wants to know who is footing the bill. From what I gather, if they charge a normal fare (whatever that is) and there are some state/federal funds available (which is actually very likely), the City could be on the hook for $6,000 - 25,0000 per year. That's a wide range, but until you know the major funding and whether a surcharge would be added, we will be stuck with wide ranges for cost estimates.

There are a few tough issues that could be stumbling blocks:

Park and Ride. Not only will we need to figure out where commuters shoul park and where the bus should pick them up, we need to know who is going to provide this service and how. Maybe the Guildners want to rent some space. Or the spot of undeveloped land between Ace Hardware and our shiny new strip mall? How about we set aside a portion of Lake Leota now that we have so much land available there? Point is that this is over and above the cost of having a bus come down here four times a day.

Assuming that bus fares are a major part of the funding (and they darn well better be), you are stuck with a formula that requires the City to pony up more $$ if less people use the service. Fare revenues drop, the City has a deficit to make up. Given this, the Council and citizens need to pay very close attention to the details of whatever contract is drawn up and who is responsible for funding deficits. Federal and State grants are set amounts. It will be up to the Cities to determine who is financially responsible.

Speaking of deficits -- I pray to God that the Council members remember that they are negotiating with the Poster Child of Madison Budget Busters. Madison Metro is notorious for being over budget and assuming that the City of Madison will bail them out (which they normally do). They view busing as a sacred right, not as a fee based service - hence the overlapping and inefficient route maps in Madison. The drivers are also some of the highest paid government employees in the State. Evansville needs to think carefully and critically before jumping on this buswagon.

So close...

2006-11-08T06:04:00.000-06:00

Hats off to Janis! Coming that close to unseating an incumbent Republican in a conservative district is very admirable.

Memo to Assemblyman Davis -- please take last night as a message to return to the direction you began your first term with. A direction of independent leadership, not rank and file follower of the party, will gain you serve you and your district well.

Where's Willie?

2006-11-06T06:31:00.000-06:00

Remember way back when - the first Bush launched a successful ad attack against Dukakis that, although successful also brought howls from both parties about indecency and viciousness in political ads?

I've spotted three Willie's right here in Wisconsin this last weekend in ads run by:

Mark Green
Kathleen Falk
and Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce (against Falk)

There may be more. How many have you spotted?

Just plain pathetic...

Greater of two goods?

2006-11-01T06:17:00.000-06:00

Not this time.

I dream of the day when I can look at a ballot and have a hard time choosing because both candidates have a lot to offer. But for this upcoming election, it is back to the same lesser of two evils approach.

Governor -- Jim Doyle. In spite of the labels and attacks on his integrity, Doyle has managed to take a horrendous deficit left to him by Thompson and McCallum and improve the State's economy. No big turn around, but that would have been near impossible. The fact that he didn't watch the deficit simply grow into a larger hole says a lot considering the Legislature seemed ready to do that. He has supported business growth (to the shock of his own party), raised a pitiful minimum wage, and steadfastly blocked the moral/wingnut legislation (concealed carry, anti abortion moves, etc.) Green has done little to distinguish himself as anything other than a cookie-cutter Republican and has little grasp on the facts behind issues (non-embryonic stem cell research, moving DWD to Milwaukee, no specific economic package).

Notice how the labels and negative charges are missing from the above? That's because they are both guilty of underhanded tactics, taking questionable donations, and giving the appearance of influence peddling. Frankly, I don't like either of them -- but Doyle has what it takes to do the job and that's got to be good enough for me.

Attorney General -- JB VanHolland. Surprised? Don't be - here is a case where my middle ground potlitics really shows. Falk has been at the forefront of left-winginess and comes off as the stereotypical Madison arrogant leftie. JBVH, though Republican, has not pushed a radical agenda and appears to be a more level headed, mainstream thinker. What we lose in environmental protections by getting JBVH, we will make up in not having frivolous lawsuits that I forsee Falk pursuing.

Assembly -- Janis Ringhand. Davis has shifted from an independent thinking legislator with a "R" tag, to a foot soldier of the Jensen/Gard brigade. Too bad - he had looked promising a few years ago. Janis looks to be a mainstream Dem and I personally know the conviction and talent she has in consensus building. She deserves the opportunity to put that to work.

Oh Little Town of Milwaukee...

2006-10-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

It's about time that a local government stood up for stating the obvious! The sweet part is that, unlike a lot of smaller communities, Milwaukee might actually have the resources and guts to stand up to the sure to come lawsuit from the wackos.

Depriving our children of pain

2006-10-19T10:42:00.000-05:00

I had to read this article three times before I could digest it and believe it. Tag is now a prohibited activity?

I know the school is claiming a liability issue, but if that is the case then would public parks and owners of vacant lots be facing the same crisis?
I was going to dismiss this as an over-reaction to insurance fears (of which schools certainly have a legitimate concern), until I read the next part about the same school banning Dodgeball because it is exclusionary.

As a certified Elementary School small for my age wimp, I think this is incredibly wrong. This school is not protecting its financial butt from law suits -- they are instead trying to make sure no ones feelings get hurt. That is possibly the greatest disservice one can do to a child is to protect them from "safe" failures so that they learn how to handle real life failures when they really matter.

The fact that I was one of the last chosen for kick ball teams or impromptu football games on the playground hurt my feelings. Though I have repressed the memory as best I can, I'm pretty sure I even had some tears one time and got laughed at for being a cry baby. I knew at the time that I wasn't going to be rescued by a teacher unless there was blood - and then only if it looked like the bigger kids weren't going to let up on their own. So did society wrong me? Should my parents have sued the school?

Umm - no. In fact, I learned a hell of a lot from those experiences. I learned how to handle pain. I learned how to accept occasional failures with humilty and resolve to better myself for the next time. I learned how to avoid getting into situations that were going to be doomed to failure and how to gracefully get out of them when aviodance was impossible.

I made friends with some of the bigger kids so I wouldn't always be singled out as the kid to pick on. I learned to use intelligence and humor since I didn't have brawn on my side. I practiced kicking that damn ball against a fence until I was confident that I wouldn't miss and fall on my but anymore. I also learned how to play dodgeball quite well -- I didn't have the arm strength to nail anyone, but I could dodge better than most. Most importantly, I learned how to take a bad experience, analyze it, and figure out how to do better next time.

Now this school is trying to take that away from children. If I was a parent of a child there, I'd sue them!

God has found a new home on Lake Michigan

2006-10-17T12:50:00.000-05:00

10 years ago, there was a similar feel in Green Bay to the one now presiding in Chicago. Things just clicked. Even when a game was obviously going badly, things just happened and the Packers came out on top. It was an incredible feeling that nothing could go wrong. God was clearly on your side.

Last night's MNF game was just astounding. The Bears were pathetic on offense, commited six turnovers and failed to score an offensive touchdown. With a 20 point lead three-fourths through the game, Matt Lienart looked steady and competent with a Cardinal's offense that certainly played well enough to win (23 points against the Bears Defense is no small task). The Cardinals even moved the ball smoothly in the two-minute drill and set up their kicker for a game winning shot that he rarely missed.

He missed - the Bears won.

Apparently, God is now a Bear fan. Who woulda thunk it?

Nutty idea > no idea?

2006-10-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

Slammer raised a valid point about Lasee's revised proposal on keeping a gun in schools as a deterrent against violence. We bloggers, as well as others in media and government, continually take the easy approach of putting down these proposals without coming back with alternatives.
So there is the challenge for us -- not just to point out the flaws in the ointment, but to concoct our own oinment.

I think that before coming up with "solutions" we need to understand the nature of the problem better. In my mind, there are two kinds of school violence: the heat of the moment angry student that can usually be de-escalated, and the premeditated deranged Columbine type of violence that simply cannot end well.

The heat of the moment version is nothing new. I grew up in the 70s with fights at recess and after school confrontations. We considered it a pretty normal rite of passage that most kids outgrew by high school. You always had a couple of kids that never outgrew it and you simply steered clear of till they eventually wound up in a state home for boys.

The premeditated version is not something I remember though - except maybe for occasional bomb threats that were designed to disrupt classes. What I want to know is if this truly is something new or if it just receives more attention than ever before. Shootings at inner city schools are not that new nor unique, rather it is the apparent rise of violence at suburban schools that have startled the media circus into high gear. With the speed of digital media and the constant need for news scoops, could it just be that news media casts a much larger net for news items than they used to? With at least four 24 hour news networks and the need for "fresh" stories that they and the internet create, it wouldn't be too surprising to find that what was once local news is now national.

But is this a new problem or just amplified coverage of an existing issue? Could it be that we have always had premeditated violence occuring in schools on occasion but they just didn't receive national attention? I honestly don't know the answer, but think it is imperative that we find out.

Back on track though -- what I didn't like about Lasee's first idea was the "opportunity" for misuse and unanticipated escalation of the "heat of the moment" violence that has always existed in schools. I know that in Jr. and Sr. High School, there was at least one incident a semester that had a showdown between a teacher and an angry student. Often these would become a scuffle where the student would be "escorted" to the principal in a half-nelson. I would hate to think how some of those incidents would have turned out if both the student and teacher knew that there was a loaded gun in the room that might make them feel more in control. I know that some of those kids from my past would have gone for the gun, not to shoot, but to try and gain control of the argument. I also remember some teachers who would have been nervous enough to go for the gun themselves and looked like Barney Fife trying to hold it.

Maybe additional firepower of some sort is needed. Certainly well drawn out plans that teachers understand and can implement are a must. A school should know how to go into lockdown mode in a big hurry. Maybe limiting entrances and adding metal detectors are the way to go. Tasers instead of guns? Tear gas canisters in the ceiling? Set phasers on stun?

I don't have the answers and guess I should tip my hat to Lasee for at least trying -- though I still think his intial proposal was meant to get press and not to solve problems. Until we really understand how real the threat of premeditated violence is though, I think we should be very careful about turning our schools in military bases.

Time to use the long term memory skills...

2006-10-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

I am a few days late on seeing this one (Thanks Observer for pointing it out).
I am not second guessing McElroy's opinion as he certainly knows the needs of the EPD better than I do. However, I find it ironic that they are thinking of moving to a building that they didn't want the last time it was available.

The Council that I was part of spent a tremendous amount of time studying options for relocating the EPD out of their cramped office in City Hall. We looked at three locations: the current one which was up for sale by Wisconsin Energy, a storage building owned by Water and Light, and the Dean Clinic that had just been vacated. The cost of the current location and the Dean Clinic were within $10,000 so we deferred to the EPD to tell us which was preferable. The WisGas building got the nod due to it's being close to the highway, having a larger parking lot that allowed quick turnaround (two driveways), and most importantly - a two car garage.

Again, I am not saying the move to the Dean Center building would be wrong -- just wondering what has changed.

And instead of paying the Fire District the appraised value of their building after they move -- how about the City gives them the same deal they got from the City when they bought the land to begin with? I'm pretty sure the price came to $1. To be generous, we could certainly add interest.

Seriously on the Fire District building -- paying for the value of the building and improvements is reasonable. But if they include the value of the property, I'm calling foul! That land was a gift from the City in the first place.

Schools, Guns, and Family Feuds

2006-10-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

Between these two extremes, one hopes that some middle ground can be found in protecting students and faculty.

Of course what I really want is live cameras at the next Lasee Family Reunion!

When I want your advice, I will give it to you

2006-09-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

Slammer posted a provocative commentary on recent school advice regarding teenagers, parties, and motels during the Homecoming weekend.

Though I can't rally behind the notion of asking my kid if they scored, I do see the underlying problem of schools assuming the role of telling parents how to do there job. Frankly, parenting is similar to religion in that the bell curve of beliefs is very wide and there are lots of bad practitioners -- yet if you want to really tick off the majority, tell them how to practice their beliefs.

Rather than advise parents on how to do their job, how about providing resources and tools that help parents come to their own educated conclusions on possible risks of teenage behavior.

Guess this issue isn't dead after all

2006-09-28T12:35:00.000-05:00

This new poll should finally get some discussion going on the upcoming advisory referendum on the Death Penalty. Up till now, there has been surprisingly little in the news on this.

What I want to see is how the Pro Life groups (Wisconsin Right to Life, Focus on the Family, etc) weigh in on the issue. Typically these groups have proclaimed the sanctity of all human life whether in the womb, a test tube, or on a ventilator. I'm anxious to see how they line up on an issue that conservative candidates have traditionally supported. To be fair, the Vatican has been consistent on the issue -- they oppose abortion, stem cell research, and the death penalty.

Aside from the social hypocrisy, I am always apalled at how much more it costs to have a death penalty. Why would I want to support a measure that inherently spends more of my tax dollars on convicted killers? Just so that attorneys can make more money and killers can have a private cell? Go figure.

Sometimes ya feel like a (wing)nut!

2006-09-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

Just to show that I live to call BS on both sides of the spectrum, check out this new accusation from a Lefty that I normally agree with.

First time I have ever heard Newsweek called "right wing." How about just maybe the US version features an article that doesn't have much international appeal and thus wouldn't sell as well. I've subscribed to Newsweek for years and have never seen them "burying bad news" for Bush.

Mr Anonymous...

2006-09-27T05:58:00.000-05:00

When I first set up this blog, I disabled anonymous comments. I wanted opinions to be attributable to the person, even if the person is a virtual psuedonym. Also, allowing anonymous posting also allows for spam posts (which happened to me early on).

However, as was recently pointed out to m, this can discourage those who choose not to register on blogger.com to simply not comment. So I am changing the comments to allow anonymous posting.

I have not and will not moderate comments unless they are obviously spam.

I do encourage readers to register a name though, even if they don't blog. Or at least sign the bottom of the comment so we don't have Mr. Anonymous debating himself!

Mason -- I expect full and active participation!! ;)

Thick as a Brick

2006-09-26T10:35:00.000-05:00

Ideas are a dime a dozen. Negative reactions to those ideas are even cheaper. Interestingly enough, Blogs are free.

Evansville appears to be chock full of ideas lately: Roundabouts, Biodiesel, Four Year Old Kindergarten, Stopping the War, Continuing the War, Skate Parks, Drain the Lake, Fill the Lake, V-Notch the Lake, Closing Madison Street two weeks before construction begins, and now BRICKS.

The Downtown brick idea is a classic set up for argument.

Proponents tout the $400,000 DoT grant and the Historic Evansville look that will be accomplished. One would assume that there are hordes of Madisonians and Illinoisies just waiting to rush in to Evansville once the streets are paved with bricks of old.

Nay-sayers jump on the the arguments of frivilous waste, the annoying bumpity feel that driving on brick provides, and the question of how to safely plow snow off the brick.
It will be a fun debate to watch and one I will likely do from the sidelines. I understand the attractiveness and potential draw of a "historic" downtown look. Delevan's downtown is stunning with its brick paved streets.

But I also question whether the goals of this investment will ever be met. Evansville needs a lot more than brick pavement to draw a tourist economy. But then there is the real question -- are we trying to go after a tourist economy? Are we looking to bring in antique and specialty shops, botiques, restaurants, and B&Bs? Is the intent to create a little Galena?

If the answer is "no" then spending $400,000 of state dollars and $200,000 of city dollars seems just plain stupid. $600,000 is a very high price to pay for prettying things up for the locals. Think of the senior transportion service that could buy. Or supplementing the Dean Center. Or new police cars. Or the lake we could dredge. Or the Tony Hawk Dream Park. Or -- and this is really radical -- saving the taxpayers a boatload of cash by not spending it.

If the answer is "yes" we want tourism, then we better have a better plan than laying brick. Travel to successful small town tourist sites and you will find something there that Evansville lacks -- a solid base to support tourist oriented businesses. Brodhead, Stoughton, Monroe, New Glarus, Cambridge are all examples of cities that had a viable economy in their downtowns from which to build. Brodhead offers a great example of how the Chamber of Commerce unified the businesses through the downtown redevelopment in such a way that one can spend a happy tourist day shopping in their downtown.

If the answer is "yes" then we lack a key ingredient: planning. If the Mayor wants bricks, then she needs to show me how that fits into an overall plan for downtown redevelopment that is not only comprehensive but also is viable. Otherwise we will be the prettiest bankrupt city in Wisconsin.

To get decent planning, we need more than people with two year terms. We need professionals who have a long term view and long term ownership of the project. In short, we need a City Administrator.

Yo Slammer! Did you get an invite to this?

2006-09-13T16:12:00.000-05:00

Ok - this is obviously sick and wrong and not endorsed by the GOP. Hopefully Dean doesn't get too much press on this fringe crap.

I have to admit though, firing a couple of paintball rounds at a cutout of Hillary or Howard would be tough to pass up.

Let the new race begin

2006-09-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

For the first time since Ed Garvey was the Democrat's choice against Tommy, I am at a loss as to what to do with my vote this coming November. Normally the choice is fairly obvious -- two candidates, one right and one left -- I tend to sway left with firm grasp on the middle. Since the Reagan Revolution it had become much easier for me as the right became the far right and the left tried to fill the vacuum left in the middle.

But then you get an occasional hiccup from the left where their candidate is more of a New Age Marxist than they are Democrat. Such was the case with Mr. Garvey, and that left me with voting for a Republican who reached out to us in the middle.

Now I face it again with the AG race. No clue if Falk is really as left-field as she shows herself, but she does scare me with the rhetoric. And while Van Hollen is likely too far to the right for my views, he does restore some of my faith in the GOP for not selecting the WingNut known as Bucher.

So I start looking at this race with a fresh perspective and hope to be won over by one of the candidates. Which really is the way it ought to work anyway. So far it looks like far-left vs mid-right -- that places me directly in the center on the political spectrum. Now is the time to start looking at the two and giving out points for legitimate stances throughout the race.
The score starts 0 - 0. First match is where they chose to hold their Victory Parties.

Falk -- Fyfe's Corner Bistro. As an individual going out to eat, a very nice choice -- good food, extensive bar, great service. But this is also an upper scale Isthmus restaurant known as a favorite among the "Progressive Dane" liberals who have money to burn. Seriously, if you want a campaign event at an Isthmus eatery without looking like the stereotypical Madison Lib, The Avenue is your place for making constituents feel welcome.

Van Hollen -- Rex's Innkeeper. A Waunakee institution. This says a lot about the candidate. It is in the Madison area without being in Madison. It is an excellent supper club for the common folk (gee sounds almost like a place for Democrats to hang out!). Nothing pretentious, just good food and service with any arrogance being at least 10 miles to the south.

The score now stands: Falk 0, Van Hollen 1

The Curse of Two

2006-09-12T06:38:00.000-05:00

Arrrgh - first I see that Grumps gets up earlier than me to post a reminder.

But that's okay - we need all the reminding we can get on Primary days.

Then I see he took my topic!

I had the same thought yesterday when reading about the latest message from Al-Qaida #2.

So I'm left with loosely related trivia. Name the source:

"Snake Pliskin? I thought you were dead!"

Could I get a Reality Check on the price of intersections?

2006-09-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

There must be something in DoT's water over at the Hill Farm building. How else to explain the string of stupid designs? From the Fort Atkinson Bypass and related deaths to the Highway 11 bypass in Janesville and related near death experiences, the DoT planners don't seem tuned into reality lately.

Now comes the latest scheme -- solve the intersection problem at Hwy 14 and John Lindemann Drive by putting in a ROUNDABOUT? Is DoT subcontracting their planning department to the UW Urban Arts program? Will they pay for a three tier fountain in the middle?

Now I personally like roundabouts in many instances. For congested intersections with predominantly auto traffic, they are a creative and attractive solution for keeping the traffic moving, albeit slowly. The roundabouts at Thompson Drive and Hwy 30 in Madison are an improvement over the congestion that used to exist there - though about 30% of the traffic going through the roundabout still has no idea what the rules of the intersection are. Racine has a very attractive, useful, and large roundabout intersection on the south end of downtown that does a nice job of funneling traffic to the shore, business district, and residential area.

Heck, a roundabout in Evansville at Main and Madison would look nice and keep things moving well….if it weren't for the trucks.

And there in lies the problem. Ask a truck driver his favorite direction and I bet it will be "straight ahead." Does DoT have a clue how difficult a roundabout would make it for all of the truck traffic? Truck traffic that is driven by a truck trailer plant being 100 yards from the propose roundabout? Truck traffic that will be increasing soon with our new biodeisel plant? And then there are the farm implements - harvesters, sprayers, and wide load rigs that look like they should be battling Godzilla. Thos should make a roundabout lots of fun.

Why is it so hard to simply design some friggin' turn lanes with a little room for growth at the interesection?

Seven Days...

2006-09-05T07:07:00.000-05:00

For some candidates, the creepy voice from The Ring should scare them.

Seven days till either Wally or Janis go solo against a long held Republican seat.

Seven days till the two TopCops for Rock County square off.

Seven days till the Gang of Four Losers is reduced to two.

My Primary endorsements:

Janis Ringhand -- offers experience and proven ability. Janis and I were not always on the same side of our Council debates, but I always felt respect for her opinions and felt she showed me the same.

Bob Spoden -- Again, experience and proven ability win out again.

For the TopLawyer for Wisconsin position -- nobody. JB and Paul are in right field. Kathleen is uninspiring in every way. Peg, though the best qualified, has proven her political agenda for undermining everyone in her way (from key Republicans to Jim Doyle). I will end up voting for Peg as the least of four evils, but that is hardly an endorsement.

Exporting North of the Border?

2006-09-01T13:39:00.000-05:00

It appears that there may indeed be a growing market for Evansville's new biodiesel industry. I noticed that amidst the current construction on East Washington in Madison, a new business had gone in.

Could they maybe look a little closer to home?

2006-08-30T12:55:00.000-05:00

Like many in the Evansville area I am a interested novice in the biofuel industry, thus there may be some very good reasons that the federal government and one of the largest US companies is looking well beyond our borders to supply them with a key alternative component to their business.

I would really like to know what those reasons are though. I suspect there are many in the domestic Biofuel industries who want to know as well.

Showing one's colors

2006-08-22T07:24:00.000-05:00

Grumps got me to thinking about political aesthetics. Wally Fellows flood of orange and blue will either be a genius form of instant name recognition or lead to voter revulsion. I'm undecided which as even though the colors are, excuse me, butt ugly; they certainly demand attention. Assuming Janis Ringhand sticks with the baby-blue and white, she may be hidden from view in the sign wars.

Given this is a web medium, I thought it prudent to look at the respective websites.

Janis' is a pleasing baby-blue and white color scheme. Unfortunately, that's where the pleasant viewing ends. Someone talked her (or her webmaster) into frames. So no matter what page you click to, her 1/3 screen banner covers the top. Although this keeps the name up top and adds to recognition, if someone goes to a political site, they likely know the name already. Frames take away from the information being presented as you have to do alot more scrolling to read what would otherwise show on the full screen. The district information map, a wonderful inclusion, is a great example where on normal settings one needs to scroll to see the full map.

Frames also hide the webpage specifics from the address bar and printing frames-based webpages is a major pain. Good webbies don't do frames. ;)

Wally's site, while not as informative as Janis', has a simple easy to use format (once you get past the colors). Simple menu column to logical links. One thing that seems to be missing from it though -- I couldn't find from the site whether he was Republican, Democrat, Green, Alien, or what party. From the articles he has posted in Press Releases (good page, btw), one can decipher that he is a Dem. But without already knowing or researching deep, one wouldn't know. Not sure how that is viewed by the party -- not that the Dems of Rock County have much web savvy.

Repeating history on purpose?

2006-08-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

Wonder if Dan Inouye, Robert Matsui, or Norman Mineta would take issue with this campaign stance from Ron Kind's Republican challenger, Paul Nelson?

"He pointed out that the United States rounded up Japanese-Americans during World War II, and although he doesn’t condone that action, it shows that the nation has been tough in the past."
Past shameful acts don't make current ones correct.

Not in my backyard?

2006-08-11T12:42:00.000-05:00

Another sad reminder that we haven't progressed as a society nearly as far as we might like to think.

Building a Bandwagon

2006-08-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

Ok - I admit it. The issue has gone from one of those annoying news items you can't let go of to a honest to goodness cause. I looked around and couldn't find a bandwagon to jump on, so perhaps we need to simply build one.

Why would south central Wisconsin, or more specifically the 80th Assembly District, care about E85 and the Minimum Markup Law?

Beyond all the reasons you will hear from environmental and anti-oil groups about E85 burning cleaner, being cheaper, reducing our dependency on foreign oil, etc; here are the local reasons why it's a good move:

It supports a local start up industry in Monroe rather than wait for other industries from border states provide the same product.
It supports a major manufacturer's future goals. A manufacturer that is a key employer for the region. Given the cost of regular unleaded, I think the demand for a Chevy Blazer that can use E85 for $2 per gallon might just be popular and keep the assembly lines in Janesville moving for a while.
It supports the traditional backbone of our regional economy - agriculture. Did you notice all the corn we grow?

For good measure - here's a reason that the liberal interest groups might not think of -- E85 offers US auto makers a niche market at a time when Toyota and Honda threaten to dominate the market as the only aggressive hybrid car makers. E85 is currently being pursued by Ford and GM but not by Japanese companies (they are moving to electric/gas hybrids). Although hybrids will give a better MPG rating, they currently use regular full price gas. E85 could offer a much cheaper driving alternative that uses less petroleum than the current hybrids on the market.

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Edit - I should add that E85 seems like a natural fit for a southern Wisconsin that is looking at getting a brand new Biodiesel Plant.

Minimum Markup Mayhem

2006-08-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

Broken Record Blogger here -- bringing yet another tidbit of mis-information on the Minimum Markup Law skirmish.

The latest has the petroleum whosesaler/retailers giving out two new arguments:

Doyle's move is a campaign stunt. If so, then someone should alert Mark Green since he already announced his support of the move. Why isn't he being taken to task for his statements as well?

Now we also find out that this will mean us stupid car owners are going to try putting E85 into our tanks and ruin our engines in an effort to pay less at the pumps. First off there are only 35 E85 pumps in the state. Second off, while many of us are stupid, we aren't dumb!

Anyone else old enough to remember the dreaded switch from leaded to unleaded gasoline and all the fears of people putting the wrong gas in their tanks? The fear went away when the industry simply made the unleaded tanks require thinner gas nozzles. Why wouldn't Ford and GM (and any other auto maker producing E85 engines) do the same? Or perhaps a sign reading, "Hey Dummy - don't put this gas in your car unless you have an E85 ready engine!"

Maybe it's time the petroleum wholesaler/retailers began sharing their real fears. Are they concerned about a new product (E85) that stations will be competing for? Or is just change itself that scares them?

What's my line?

2006-08-09T15:58:00.000-05:00

As an avid news watcher, I really enjoy it when a group or interest realizes that it has to say something even though they are realizing over time that they are on the wrong side of the issue.

Yesterday, I noted the next big news story -- Wisconsin's Minimum Markup Law and its impact on alternative fuel prices. Now the retail petroleum industry is struggling to choose its message.

This morning they blasted Doyle for "suspending" the law and trying to "eliminate" the law.
Obviously their PR person was writing faster than the brain was moving since most folks who have minimal understanding of how the checks an dbalances of government work could tell you that Doyle can't do either of those two things. The most he can do is direct the DACPT on how to interpret and enforce the law. Only the Legislature can suspend/eliminate it.

So now the retail petroleum lobby has a new tactic -- official apathy. They state there will be no impact on prices from this move by Doyle. Then one retailer/wholesaler states that this will actually drive up the price on ethanol blends due to increased demand. Huh? If the price on normal ethanol blends (not E85) went up, that would make them more expensive than straight petroleum based gas -- and no one would buy them, duh.

Now will the demand for E85 go up and thus the price? Maybe once we get more engines made to handle it (Ford and GM have announced plans on doing this). But I think that might just be a good thing -- for energy usage, for the environment, and for the Wisconsin economy.

Back to the news watcher fun -- lest one think this is another Doyle vs Business fight, the very Republican Senate Majority Leader, Dale Schultz, claims that Doyle is doing this only after being pressured to by Schultz's office. I can hardly wait to see how the GOP and WMC try to choose sides on this!

Shielding Her Modesty

2006-08-09T11:17:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading one of the more enjoyable and informative books that I have read in a long time. Shielding Her Modesty, by Sita Bhaskar, is a collection of short fiction that revolves around the often conflicting and sometimes complimentary cultures of life in the US for Indian nationals and life in upper class India. Stories of Indian students studying in the US heartland and facing Western pressures while meeting traditional Indian expectations leads to some very interesting and often humorous situations -- whether it be the $6,000 diamond ring one young man buys for the wife he has yet to meet or the daughter buying Viagra for her father.

Other stories also do a masterful job at capturing the infiltration of Western culture into the traditions of Indian society. The title story revolves around a billboard painter who relishes the prospect of painting a scantily clad blonde haired beauty, yet reviles the lust he sees from passers by on the street. Perhaps my favorite is the story of the children in the Barbie and GI Joe factory who want so much just to have a tiny piece of the culture they are manufacturing for American children.

The author does a splendid job of painting the stories in broad strokes and not over-detailing cultures and scenes. The stories read fast and lightly, though the reader will often finish them to find himself smiling or with a tear in his eye. For a dollar per story, this is truly a wonderful investment in knowledge and enjoyment, not only of Indian/Western culture, but simply of the human condition.

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Disclaimer -- I should note that the author is a colleague of mine, thus I may have an inherent bias. However, I went into the book not expecting much (as anyone would with a book that friend had just written), and came away truly delighted. More specifically, if I didn't believe what I wrote, I certainly wouldn't blog it!

No exploding tea cup ride?

2006-08-08T16:34:00.000-05:00

There are so many jokes to be made here, I just don't have time to start!

Well ok, I am disappointed that the Rumsfield Hot Air Baloon Ride is a no go! But really, I offer this up as a gift article to any enterprising blogger out there!

This isn't what the Govern-meant

2006-08-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

This hasn't gotten much press yet, but as gas prices go up it could be the story of tomorrow.
I am trying to catch up on what the heck Wisconsin's Unfair Sales Act was meant to fix! The FTC doesn't seem to think it is all that fair. I know I have heard the argument that Wisconsin's minimum mark up of 9.18% is the highest in the country and I am only now beginning to understand how the law works.

Let's see if I have this right, gas retailers must use the "average posted terminal price" as determined by the petroleum industry as their base price and add 9.18% to cover what the Legislature feels is the exact amount of business costs and overhead. Presumably this is to prevent the BPs of the world from undercutting the Mom&Pop gas stations (that for the most part don't exist anymore).

Obviously, the Legislature wasn't thinking of their being alternate petroleum fuels such as E85 on the market when this was enacted. Only 15% of E85 fuel is petroleum based gasoline, the rest is ethanol - which is much cheaper than petroleum. Thus the base cost for E85 is significantly less. But according to S.100.30, there is no difference and E85's price is required by law to be artificially inflated to that of regular unleaded.

Those of you who understand this better than I please let me know what I am getting wrong here, cause this just makes no sense!

And for my left leaning friends -- please tell me why Dale Schultz and Mark Green are the only politicos to pick up on this story so far!

********

Edit -- apparently the Governor's office has taken notice in a good way.

How can you tell if Smart Growth becomes Stupid?

2006-08-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

So the Evansville Smart Growth Plan faces its first real challenge fourteen months after it was put into place. Upon the Plan Commission's recommendation, the City council will be holding a public hearing tonight on whether to amend the plan to redesignate 47 acres from Undeveloped/Agriculture to Future Residential. Although this does not by itself accelerate Evansville's growth beyond the 27% over 20 year goal stated by the plan, it opens the bureaucratic gates for doing so.

Once a city's plan designates an area as appropriate for future development (residential, commercial, industrial, etc), developers have a green light for their business planning. The argument at that point becomes not "if" but "when?"

During my years on Council and Plan Commission, I was periodically chastised by developers for not understanding their perspective and business point of view. So rather than simply rehash the fine comments already given by Grumps and The Observer, I thought I would try and explain this process and the implications from the developer's point of reference.

A developer looking at property outside the city will first look to the city's Master Plan or Smart Growth Plan to see if they have a shot in hell at getting an annexation and approved land division from the City. The Plan represents the City's philosophical "line in the sand" for not what will happen but rather what ideas of development the City is willing to entertain.

A developer knows that the first step is for the Plan to show the land as future development - regardless of the planned use. Any land shown as future development means that 1. the city has expressed interest in future annexation and 2. the township that currently governs the land is aware of that interest. Thus future use lands are less controversial for the developer since the debate between city and township were likely resolved or exhausted during the Plan process.

For example -- the Brunsell property on the south side of Hwy 14 (across from the Piggly Wiggly) has been designated as future land use for nearly two decades. When it was originally added to the Master Plan in the mid 1980s, it was designated as future Industrial. From that point onward, the Town of Union accepted the fact that the land was Agriculture - 1 on borrowed time. When the Master Plan was updated to change part of the land to future Commercial, the Town of Union didn't bat an eye - they had already written off the property as future city land.

Once the land has been designated as future use, there is no going back. You are now in the competetive phase of development -- the competition between the Plan (27% over 20 years) versus the Market (the developer's business plan). This competition almost always favors the developer even though the city appears to have all the control.

At this point the developer will begin spending cash on the project. Surveys, soil testing, engineering studies, environmental impact, marketing studies, real estate surveying, etc. Thousands of dollars will be invested by the developer in putting together their comprehensive plan for development. This is where the city typically goes weak in the spine - the developer will cry out about the money invested and how the Plan supports the development, how could the city possibly say no at this point? Every "delay" that the city "causes" equals more dollars spent and lost by the developer.

What the developer will leave out of the conversation is that these preliminary costs are also necessary to their loan or satisfy their investors -- not just to convince the city. They have to spend this money up front regardless of the city's wishes.

The developer will likely argue that simply updating the Plan to include 47 acres as future land designated for development does not equal immediate growth. However, they wouldn't push the issue on to Plan Commission's agenda if they didn't have near future plans - why go through the headache? If the idea is floated during the Smart Growth Planning process, then it may well be just a concept for consideration. If the idea is pushed forward only a year after the Plan has been implemented, then the developer has a short-frame timeline already in mind.

So the question comes to the City Council -- do you wish to have this 47 acres on your agenda for the next year or two, first as an annexation request, then as a formal land division. Because, in spite of what Mr. Morning might say tonight, that is what this really means.

Oh, and do you think maybe you should ask the Town of Union how they feel about 47 acres of land that they thought safe from development over the next 20 years now being on the annexation table?

A Simple Question...

2006-08-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

This started off as an honest question into the local area Blogasphere:

What are the details of the road construction for Main and Madison Streets?

Then I realized -- gee, since you rarely blog anymore, no one is going to read this. And gosh, if no one reads this, you won't get any answers.

No problem there -- I have the internet and bandwidth to spare! I will just check some obvious spots:

Anything on Grumps' site? Nah - he is busy keeping the neo-cons on their toes. Wonder if folks in Evansville realize just how big our local blogger has gotten? Regular hat tips from X-Off and a regular host of the Carnival! Frankly, I don't want him to get bogged down too much in local stuff as he is adding so much at the state level of bloggers.

So, how about The Observer? After closing the figgin' Bravenet pop-ups, I scrolled through the potpourri of news, stories, etc. but couldn't find anything. Took a while to search and I am starting to wonder if the EO hasn't outgrown the blogger format?

Ok, what about the OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE? Surely they will have something on this upcoming event that will literally shut down major portions of the city? Oh yah - I forgot the Gildners don't believe in the internet yet. Somehow, I don't think I have the strength to go sifting through the Official City Articles on what happened 60 years ago.

So, how about The City has it's own website! If anyone would have information on a major City project it would be the City! …….or not…… Maybe it is there - who would know with trying to look through the orange-hued clutter?

So apparently Mayor Decker was right after all. If citizens want to know something, they can just hoof it down to City Hall and ask in person.

***************

Many thanks to Grumps for some insight! Not sure how nice I was, but I definately appreciate the follow up. =P

Even geeks need motivating...

2006-07-20T07:28:00.000-05:00

Hat tip to Grumps for this collection!

As a gamer geek who is too old but refuses to admit it, I got a very good chuckle from these.

Is there an echo in here?

2006-07-14T15:47:00.000-05:00

Been a while since my last post and it is likely that those few followers have long since given up checking here for updates. That's okay though - the beauty of virtual posting is I can always pretend I have a virtual audience, even when I'm talking to myself.

Former Nixon Administration notable John Dean has come out with a new book decrying the fall of the Republican Party. I am hoping to grab it and read through it soon. Though not a GOPer, the shift from "conservatism" to "morality" has me fascinated and the cracks are starting to show in the party foundation.

Now if Tommy would write a Wisconsin version, that would be a must read!

How Now, Brown Cow?

2006-05-24T13:04:00.000-05:00

I know I am being overly nostalgiac in an era where things are supposed to be new and shiny and preferably part of a corporate chain, but I can't help but feel sad to see that Janesville is losing a key part of its identity.

Yes the cow is staying, but somehow I think it will be lost between the Lowe's, Outback, Red Lobster, and Quiznos signs. Aside from the unique asthetics of the Oasis, this also marks another loss of local busines in favor of national. While that is a moot point for the macro-economics and might even mean more jobs/revenues, it does point to a loss of individuality for the city.

The 700 Weather Channel Club

2006-05-19T12:43:00.000-05:00

I'm guessing that the Pacific Northwest region of the US will be pretty dry and possibly have a drought during 2006. Why? Because God told Pat Robertson otherwise.

Normally, I am not this much a skeptic of divine inspiration and supernatural foresight -- but this is the same guy who believes that Ariel Sharon's stroke was due to God's punishment on him for pulling out of the Gaza Strip and that the US should assassinate the President of Venezuala. If God tells Pat Robertson anything of the future - I am betting it will be a bad stock tip to bankrupt the charlatan.

Why isn't the sky falling?

2006-05-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

With the big stink raised about how awful raising the minimum wage would be, isn't it curious how no one seems to be noticing that it is about to happen again? Yes, this is simply the second phase of the law change, but I really expected the sky to have fallen by now.

Now THIS is a reason to defeat the nomination of Hayden

2006-05-11T13:32:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago, I had chosen not to jump on the anti-Hayden bandwagon based on his not too bright discussion of the 4th Amendment. We are too nitpicky when we expect poiltical leaders and top level bureaucrats to know everything there is to know about constitutional law. I still stand by that assertion - the greatest of nominees are still going to be imperfect people and we should be tolerant of that.

The new revelation of the NSA requesting and receiving phone records on tens of millions of Americans on an ongoing basis since September 11, 2001 if different. This would have been a policy carried out under the direct supervision of General Hayden. Thus it would have received his blessing and approval. As this program is the quintessential Big Brother tactic of an apparently paranoid Nixonian administration, the last thing we need is for the director of that policy to become the director of an even larger and more influential spy agency.

I am a cynic at heart when it comes to conspiracy theories -- but this revelation just plain scares me. Time permitting, I will elaborate on my next post.

George W's Palace

2006-05-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

Guess I now understand why Saddam's palaces weren't roundly ridiculed by the Bush Administration for its excesses. They didn't disapprove, they were only jealous!

Another Brett to be proud of

2006-05-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

It isn't too often these days that I can point to a State Republican Legislator with pride, but hats off to our own Brett Davis for being one of five willing to break ranks from the wingnut led lemmings and at least try to open the discussion on SB1 for ethics reform. It is refreshing to see legislators think for themselves and with consituents in mind for a change.

Death of a Drive Through?

2006-05-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

Proof positive that I am consistently out of the local loop -- I noticed the other day that Ringhand's is out of business?? When, how, what, and why???

Larry retire? Get ticked off?

Enquiring minds want to know...

I'll take Adam Smith for $4 Billion, Alex...

2006-04-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

Gee - who woulda thunk it?

Yes, I am piling on my previous post on Commodity Markets and Oil Companies. I might as well, since the oil companies are.

River City, WI

2006-04-28T06:34:00.000-05:00

Good anaology on one of the Republican AG candidates from Grumps.

I played the Mayor in my high school's production - think it was due to all of his singing parts!

Not quite what Adam Smith meant...

2006-04-27T12:42:00.000-05:00

The following is my amature economic theory (I only got a Minor in Econonics, not a degree!) - I invite confirmations of fact and refutations with fact as well! If nothing else, it makes for interesting coversation.

Any oil company exec will tell you that the rising cost of oil represents an increased cost of doing business and thus that cost must be passed on to the consumer at a relatively equal rate to prevent financial damage from occuring to the company.

However, smart investors know how the market really works! What they know is that Exxon/Mobile, as well as the others, not only run a business as refiner/distributer/retailer, but they also serve as a commodities market middleman. In commodities trading, you are investing in the future price of goods -- if the price goes up on a commodity you own, that directly increase the value of your commodity. However, if the price drops, the value of what you purchased has now lowered. This scares off a lot of would be investors from getting into the commodities market - it can be a get rich quick market, but you can also take a nose dive in a big hurry.
A good Wall Street investor knows that the oil company can act as a safety valve for the risk of commodities trade while still offering, albiet diluted, profit opportunities.

Consumers are used to the fact that when the price of oil jumps to $75 per barrel, the gas pump prices will jump immediately. If the consumer questions why the gasoline that Citgo bought off of oil that had sold for $68 per barrel is now priced at the $75 per barrel rate, they might get a tutorial on how commodities markets work. Increased price in oil raises the immediate "value" of all oil related products on hand.

What consumers need to be asking though is why, in a commodities ruleset, doesn't the price of gasoline at the pump drop just as quickly when the price of oil drops? Under a true commodities model, this should be the case. But here is where the Wall Street investors understand the reality -- the oil company realizes its profits by passing price reductions based up on the actual cost of the oil refined, not the current commidity value.

What other company do you see investors flocking to when their primary cost of production skyrockets?? If the price of steel jumps, the stock in GM can drop. But somehow, that cause-effect relationship just isn't there with the oil industry. The investors obviously know their economics a lot better than the normal guy paying $2.91 per gallon!

Making Public Notices that much more Public

2006-04-25T16:04:00.000-05:00

The Gazette is advocating something I have been thinking about for a while now. I was just thinking of writing on this subject, honest!

One of the public awareness issues that Evansville has long struggled with is public notices. State Law requires that municipalties post advance notice on meetings, zonings, conditional use permits, variance requests, and a few other things both in a physical accessible location (typically City Hall) as well as in a newpaper that meets certain criteria (I wonder how long before the League of Municipalities takes up this issue? It would be far cheaper, however, to post the notices on the web than print them in the paper. Arguably, if a City is doing their website in house (or at least has update access to it), posting notices shouldn't be any additional work than preparing them for a newspaper.

Am I advocating such a shift? Not really, but it is something that I think will gain momentum - especially with increased pressures placed on budgets. Evansville now spends $900/month for the Review to publish notices - that's $10,800/year or half a police car or one fourth of a Public Works shed or the cost to asphalt a block - or four computers, etc. Doesn't seem like much money?? I doubt the Finance Committee has changed much other than faces from when I chaired it but those items would be cause for a hour long discussion - don't underestimate temptation of being able to save $10,800!

Of course the Gazette is arguing to replace newspaper notices with the web, that would be counter to their business objectives. But savvy city officials looking to save a buck or 10,000 might jump to that conclusion.

Beltline Blues

2006-04-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

This may come off as a whiny speeder rant - if so, my apologies. For the record, I didn't get caught.

Apparently not to be outdone by the Town of Madison, the City of Madison held a nifty little sting operation this morning on the Beltline. I counted four squad cars, a motorcycle cop, and a roadside assistance truck running the operation in the eastbound lane between Stoughton Road and the Interstate to get the morning rush hour speeders.

On the surface, this is a great plan -- traffic thins out enough after Stoughton Road that those who have been tailgating the slow moving (60-65 mph) cars since Park Street finally have enough room to cut across lanes and speed to the Interstate at around 70-75 mph. The State Patrol will occasionally set up a car just past Stoughton Road to catch these speeders.

Here is the problem -- because the Beltline goes over Stoughton Road with a curve added for flavor, the road beyond the intersection is not in line of sight. Rarely is there any sort of slow down however, since half of the traffic just exited at Stoughton Road. Imagine the look of horror in the drivers' eyes this morning when the sped over the viaduct and suddenly saw traffic at a standstill (I kid you not!) cause they are all slowing waaaaaay down to see who got pulled over for speeding.

The fact that you are driving into the sun is not helpful. Nor is the Roadside Assistance Truck the police have set up with flashing lights warning that the left shoulder is closed (so they have room to pull over speeders). Not only is there the potential for a major multi-car accident, but the very police officers involved are now putting their lives in jeopardy since they are standing in the path of potential escape route for a driver who might not have seen the traffic jam in time.
Funny thing is, I thought catching speeders was meant to make the roads safer.

Green's re-Fuse-al to deal with reality

2006-04-17T15:06:00.000-05:00

One of the challenges of living in an older home is trying to run all my electronic gizmos with a 40 Amp Fuse Box. To keep the antique wiring from overloading, I know that I should be using 20 Amp fuses at the most. But the temptation is always there to push my luck with a 30 Amp fuse so that I can have the TV, Computer, Printer, Shredder, and Window Air Conditioner all on the same circuit. The danger of course is that instead of overloading the fuse (which is what you want to happen if you are overloading the system), I overload the wires instead and risk a fire.

Some folks just aren't comfortable with this kind of set up. They don't trust it because you have to understand the process and pay attention to make sure the system isn't being abused. They bemoan the fact that rewiring and upgrading to a 100 Amp Circuit Box is too complex, so they find ways to over-protect the system instead. They choose to use 15 Amp Fuses instead of 20 Amp -- thus ensuring that the system is never abused or overloaded. Problem is, as time goes forward, the demand for more juice keeps on growing. You are stuck with at system that while "safe" no longer serves its primary purpose -- to service the home.

Now apply this logic to property taxes, and you can see the wisdom (or lack thereof) of TABOR, TPA, and Mark Green's latest election promise. Sure it's "safe" -- but how does local government decide which vital "appliances" for the community simply need to be unplugged? The easiest campaign pledge for a state office seeker to make is to freeze local taxes -- they don't have to worry about the cuts.

The Faceless Take it on the Chin

2006-03-27T15:29:00.000-06:00

The Blogging Clique made the Gazette again.

Nice job Richard, Grumps, and Mason for keeping the local spotlights going in a positive and productive manner!

Does anyone else find Ms Decker's remarks in the article a bit humorous and naïve? I won't go so far as to say arrogant since the printed word can make one sound different than reality, but she is not winning any votes - literally.

Her campaign is based on "personal communication" meaning what? How does one personally communicate if she chooses not to show up? I guess I should feel better that if elected, she might occasionally read a blog.

"My whole campaign is about that (sic) the mayor is going to be at city hall," she said. "I want you to come in and talk to me and let's work on (it)." So the burden of communication is now on the citizen to come to the Mayor?

But then we are apparently the "younger and newer citizens who are saying they are disinfranchised." That line made me chuckle - I don't think I have been accused of being younger in at least 10 years! Nice to be stereotyped, even if she is dead wrong. For the record, I am 41, have lived in Evansville for 16 years, have served as an elected and appointed official for seven of those years. I don't feel disinfranchised at all; on the contrary, being able to blog about Ms. Decker's comments makes me feel very very plugged in.

This isn't about respect for blogs though. This is about recognizing that in the 21st century there are more ways to communicate than telling citizens to hoof it down to City Hall if they have an issue. Someone might want to mention to Ms. Decker that one of the fastest segments of the internet community are elderly/disabled who are discovering a method of communication that helps to overcome their physical difficulties with travelling to places like, oh say, City Hall.

2006-03-23T14:57:00.000-06:00

And I thought this sort of thing only happened in Madison:

Gaylord Syndrome spreads to Minnesota

Trying to remember all those biblical references to the Easter Bunny...

Faceless Endorsement

2006-03-22T12:08:00.000-06:00

Here I was worrying about who to vote for in the Mayoral election - now it seems a faceless no-brainer! I'm not sure what Ms. Decker's true motivation is for avoiding on-line discussion, but I have a few guesses.

If it is truly for the reasons that she states - that she does not feel it necessary to respond to questions from faceless individuals, then she is truly clueless and will not have a forward vision for the good of Evansville.

If it is, as I suspect, because she feels anything as open as a virutal discussion can only harm her campaign (which based on the primary should guarantee an election), than I would argue she is clearly more concerned about the appearance of a support rather than truly testing the waters of reaching out to constituents.

Either way, consider my official faceless endorsement to go to Karen Aikman.

Does that mean I get to join the clique?

2006-03-08T15:20:00.000-06:00

Since we have the most Bloggers per capita (or so it seems), I thought it prudent to spread the word on WisPolitic's Blogging Summit.

All the big names from left and right in Wisconsin blogging are supposed to be there. Not sure if I will make it, but hopefully one of us in Evansville, Blogville, Ringhand's Bedville, whatever can attend!

Jensen taking his friends down with him?

2006-02-24T11:05:00.000-06:00

Some very interesting tidbits coming out of the Scooter Jensen trial - rather than rehash the latest, I encourage you to check out Bill Christofferson's coverage.

What I will add is my confusion over what Jensen must have been thinking in taking this to trial! His defense has been two-fold so far:

1. Everyone else was doing this too, and
2. This was going on before he was elected to office.

And the point is? Campaign ethics laws, weak as they might be in Wisconsin, are still pretty clear that State workers absolutely may not campaign on state time, using state property, in state buildings. I don't think there is any "consensus" clause that makes it legal if enough people are breaking the law with you.

What surprises me even more than his lame defense is that Scooter seems to be okay with bringing down all of his political allies with him! Gubernatorial candidate, Mark Green is now fully implicated as well - even if no charges are ever brought against him, Jensen just handed Doyle and Scott Walker one hell of a campaign issue.

To be fair to both sides of the isle - I wish Chuck Chuala would have lived up to his arrogance more and gone to trial. Full exposure on both sides of the isle might finally wake up some citizens and convince them how poorly represented they are by either party!

Whoa - do we need a general election?

2006-02-21T21:15:00.000-06:00

Well, of course we do, but wow! Per the unofficial results from Ambulance Fugo's site, Sandy Decker won the primary in a landslide wit 324 votes. Karen Aikman, the "heir apparent" to the Mayor received a distant 94. Mike Anderson came in third with 76.

The big question is how did Ms. Decker manage such a commanding victory?

Phone calls to everyone in the phone book, yard signs everywhere, and the only candidate (to my knowledge) to hand out personally signed flyers door-to-door can't hurt.

2006-02-21T06:09:00.000-06:00

I found it quite ironic that the Gazette predicts such a miserable turnout when so little has been done to inform and educate. Where were the candidate profiles? Where were the previous articles on the issues? I remember one article from a month ago. So yeah, turnout will likely be low as even those who care to vote have a good chance of not remembering.

As is my habit, I will mull over my choice right up to when the curtain closes behind me in the voting booth. I am leaning a bit toward Sandy Decker lately. She is the only one I have gotten literature from. Besides, I owe her father serious payback for being instrumental in starting my seven years in City politics.

Mike Anderson is an intriguing choice and I am always supportive of the rabble rouser alder. I just wish I knew more about how he would act on different issues.

Karen is the "safe" status quo choice. That isn't necessarily a good thing, but is a comfortable choice.

I look forward to the Observer gettting the results out!

Preconcieved Notion?

2006-02-17T10:51:00.000-06:00

I know the Badger Women have struggled this year and have had a hard time winning the close ones, but has it gotten to where the media has pre-determined headlines now? Check it out (read both the headline and the story):

DOH!

The Double Negative

2006-02-15T14:53:00.000-06:00

Who would have thought that our city could become polarized over a national/international political issue? School Referendums - sure. Mandatory sidewalks - you bet! The real cost of a mill rate - damn straight!! But the current war in Iraq?

First we have the Soglin-esque referendum from CUUE (Citizens United of Union/Evansville) calling for an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, beginning with the National Guard and Reserves. It was predictably met with accusations of being unpatriotic and treasonous - funny, isn't that what Thomas Jefferson was called by his Torie neighbors?

Then comes Pastor Gay with his referendum calling for support of the President's leadership and for troops to not quit this fight until unquestioned victory is clearly won. While it smacks strongly of a Rush Limbaugh feel, I have to credit Pastor Gay and Tony Ryerson for acknowledging the legitimacy of our democratic system known as the referendum rather than taking the easy route of simply attacking CUUE.

Evansville now has to give conscious thought about the issue. They have to either check a yes or no box on their ballot or counsciously choose not to decide (this assumes the person votes of course!). That is democratic tradition at its finest and I wholly applaud the efforts on both sides of the issue for bringing this to the ballot.

For myself - I get to cast two "No" votes. Although many will tout this election as a choice between two points of view, the reality is that each referendum must stand on its on merits, not as an alternative to the other. Both fail on their merits.

The CUUE referendum calls for immediate withdrawal and specifies which portion of the military should be withdrawn first. As noble as that may sound, I think it very presumptious of the electorate to pretend that they somehow know that now is the strategic military/political opportunity to withdraw. The argument from conservatives that this would create a 'power vacuum" is unfortunately very correct. One need only look at the bloody history of the British withdrawal from India in the 1940s, the French withdrawal from Vietnam in the 1960s, and the Balkan situation in the 1980s and 90s to see the vacuum that is created when a large occupying force leaves abrubtly from an unstable region without a stable sustainable local regime in its place. Iraq would likely become a place of anarchy and a battleground between Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish minorities.

The Gay/Ryerson referendum calls for two things that I can not vote in favor of:
1) the support of the President's leadership. I can support the President's right and privilage to lead - that is our government. But the wording implies that I tacitly support the current results of that leadership, which I do not. I am guessing that Gay and Ryserson didn't support Clinton's leadership either.

2)that the troops not quit this fight until unquestioned victory is won. Guess what? Any claimed victory in this war will always be questioned, therefore this referendum would state that we don't want the troops to be withdrawn, ever. Ick.

What would I propose? I support the orderly and planned withdrawal of troops using a timeline that is reasonable and prudent (whatever that means!). I also support the men and women who have sacrificed themselves to the cause known as the United States of America.

So for any readers who are wondering which side to support on this issue, I propose that there is a third side: None of the Above!

Turn up the heat?

2006-02-14T15:48:00.000-06:00

Article V Section 4 of the Wisconsin State Constitution states:

He [the Governor] shall have power to convene the legislature on extraordinary occasions,

In my Civics class, the "power to convene" meant they actually showed up. This isn't an invitation to a Packer Party, but a call for the Legislature to come together to address what the top elected official in the State has deemed a critical issue.

Today's case was providing emergency funds for Heating Assistance for low and low-mid income families. Considering heating prices have nearly doubled in the last two years and as of April 15 (which is NOT the end of most Wisconsin winters) Utilities can and will shut off customers who are behind on their bills, I would have to agree with Gov. Doyle that this is indeed a critical issue.

Apparently the elected officials of our Legislative Branch don't agree. Nor do they consider the "power to convene" to mean anything more than a message the Assembly and Senate chambers will be open if they decide they want to meet. Only two Assembly and seven Senate members bothered to respect the Constitution. Only two Assembly and seven Senate members seem to think that family heating costs are a critical issue.

The Democrats have already blasted the Republicans -- but I am pretty sure there are more than nine Democratic legislators in Wisconsin. I know the Republicans have made some strong gains recently, but not that strong. The Republicans' excuse is they will work on a bill in the coming weeks - that doesn't excuse them from their Constitutional duy to attend Legislative Sessions however.

The irony of course is that I have no doubt that maintenance staff at the Capitol made sure that both Chambers were fully heated this morning!

Chuck and Scooter...

2006-02-14T13:29:00.000-06:00

When I saw the Chuck Chuala had begun his 90 day jail term, I thought I would feel more satisfied. But I'm not.

As I see Scooter Jensen's day in court drawing near, I keep thinking that justice will somehow be served. But I am pesimisstic.

The only real winner it seems is apathy. Nobody seems to really care that the top elected state officials from both parties are (or are about to be) convicted felons. This is the state of Fighting Bob! Tommy Thompson's common man! Where is the outrage? I don't get it.

The press has covered the stories dutifully. Bloggers have blogged away on the subject. But bring the subject up in the Capital city in a government office building where you would think the most interest would lie and you get, "huh? They still aren't done with those trials?" I guess it is no wonder that Wisconsin has such an incredibly ineffective Legislature. The people voting them in obviously don't care - why should the legislator?

The Sequel...

2006-02-09T15:00:00.000-06:00

Here we go again…

Son of TABOR

Never mind the debacle in Colorado and how badly this hamstrung local governments there -- this apparently makes for good politics in the minds of Republicans.

What I could never understand is for a party that claims to be dedicated to reducing the role of "big government," why they seem so determined to remove local control and decision making.

At least today if my property taxes seem to high or the city/school/county services seem to low -- I know who to not re-elect!

Evansville Mayoral Race

2006-02-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

It is time to focus on the candidates for Mayor - election day is just a couple of weeks away. Problem is, there seems to be so little information. I am out of the city gossip loop and have been for years. The Gazette hasn't run its comparison yet. What I am left with are the ads in the Review/Trading Post and a couple of well done blogs: The Evansville Observer and Ambulance Fugo's.

I guess that is an improvement over years past when it was word of mouth and yard signs to guide your thought. Door to door seems a lost art. I remember when I ran for Council and received some votes, not because they agreed with me, but because I took the time to knock on their door and listen for a bit. I don't think candidates do that these days. It's a shame.
The following is what little I know and think of the 3.5 candidates running:

Karen Aikman -- seems competent and experienced. Knows how the City runs and understands the process. Basically agrees with Mayor Ringhands policies and would continue those forward. Basically, more of the same.

I guess it is a known quantity and there is comfort in that. Janice Ringhand and I disagreed on more issues than not, but I always respected her ability, honesty, and consistency. I'm guessing that Karen would be the same way.

Mike Anderson -- no political experience (though one might argue that working for the Madison FD is political by nature). Volunteer Evansville FD member - always a plus, not only for the obvious community volunteerism, but also because they have a very good information network (read - gossip grapevine) for the City. Whenever I wanted the "real poop" I would often go to the folks that know - EPD and EFD!

I want to like Mike, but don't know enough to get there yet. I want to think he is the alternative issue guy that I am looking for, but he needs to step up and let us know. I will await his letters to the editor and blog comments!

Sandy Decker -- I know more about her from her yard signs than anything else, thus I know she likes her first name but not her last. Not sure why, it seems a nice enough name. From what I have gathered from blogs, she is well educated which is a plus.
No clue on this one. Her picture and the few comments I have seen make her sound stiff. Waiting to see what she says.

Tom Nonn -- Write in candidate. Owner of Badger Cycles. I know I saw him on the Agenda of one of the City committees with the subject "Enforcement" in front of his name. Is this a protest candidate? They are always fun to watch!

Please feel free to tell me where I am dead wrong on any of the 3 1/2 candidates. Most of this is gut assumptions at this point, but that is what usually drives the polls anyway!

2006-02-08T13:13:00.000-06:00

I missed the Mayoral candidate's forum last night at the Bauer House, but looks like The Evansville Observer is putting out some coverage. I am anxious to see the text from all of the candidates.

Apparently one issue that was raised was regarding the City not helping to fund the School Crossing Guards. Talk about what goes around comes around!

As I recall from my time chairing Public Safety, the City helped create the crossing guard program along with the leadership of some wonderful volunteers. $5,000 seems to be the annual amount that comes to mind to provide equipment and stipends. The School District became involved only after the program got off the ground and the City began wondering why it was footing the full cost. It seemed clear at the time that the program was in the interest of BOTH the City and the District.

While I agree with the City's decision not to absorb the District's wage increases, it is a shame that this is no longer a partnership.

Been a long time...

2006-02-03T13:46:00.000-06:00

Hmmmm…Odd. 'Woulda sworn I had a blog here somewhere. Oh well - wasn't much to look at.
Anyhow, imagine my surprise when Google-ing Sgt. Fitter's Blog (which I still haven't found), I discovered a very active blog community in my town of Evansville. But then, time has a way of showing us just how much happens that we aren't aware of.

I am way behind the times with Evansville news -- I seem to have become the stereotype commuter I always promised not to be. Four people that I have never met running for Mayor? I never would have admitted that as ever being possible - but my fault for not paying attention. I might have to actually leave the house next week and check out the Mayor's Forum at the Bauer House.

Incidentally -- I haven't been there since it was the Coach House. Do the Allen brothers still own it?

So bear with me -- this blog is going to take some time to build up any steam. It is better if I hold off on my ignorant statements till I have caught up on all the news! But it is good to be back.