Now that I’ve put down Louis Freeh’s My FBI for a bit, it’s time to do some fast takes on the items of the day (or today’s news tomorrow :-) –
- The latest Carnival of the Badger is now up over at Badger Blues. I extend a welcome to those that came here from there, especially from the left side of what Folkbum calls the Cheddarsphere.
- It sure looks like the tax “freeze” is sublimating rather than melting. Not only do reports continue to come in from across the state of 4-6% increases in tax levies (the latest locally is Wauwatosa’s 4.7% levy increase), but several communities, such as Waukesha, Eau Claire and Oconomowoc, are looking at new fees rather than fat in government.
- On the Miers front, you have the the White House threatening Republican holdouts with primary challenges if they don’t blindly swallow the Mushroom. Also, today’s OpinionJournal Best of the Web is devoted to looking at her testimony in a 1989 voting-rights case called Williams v Dallas. If I were Culbrun, Brownback and Santorum, I’d say, “Bring it on,” and organize a counter-offensive against the likes of Chaffee and Hatch.
- Milwaukee may go wireless. It is an intriguing proposal, especially since no taxpayer money is going in, the system is envisioned as a multi-ISP system, and there appears to be no “sole franchise” clause in the proposal, but the company making the proposal already crapped out in Madison after their partner (AOL) pulled the plug, and there are precious few details.
- Don’t look for the Battle of Summerfest Island, with the DNR and the city of Milwaukee in one corner, and Summerfest and the ethnic festivals in the other, to end soon. Summerfest rejected a deal that would allow them, but not the ethnic festivals, to shoot off fireworks. In response, the DNR and Milwaukee’s Harbor Commission are taking a fresh, greedy look at the Summerfest grounds.
- Charlie Sykes has links to a pair of potentially-explosive Doyle stories that reek of corruption that you probably won’t ever see in the official Milwaukee newsletter of the Doyle campaign. Then again, the LeftStreamMedia already proved that Dems can get away with illegal campaign contributions and handing travel arrangements to their friends.
- UW continues its “What us, worry?” approach to access to its nuclear reactor. I guess they think that one locked door manned by students all-too-willing to open it for anybody with a camera is enough security, and that anybody that would want to steal the weapons-grade uranium (or other byproducts) contained in the reactor would swim for it rather than use whatever refueling mechanism exists to take it.
