No Runny Eggs

Not so well.

Investigative journalist Richard Moore offers keen analysis.

WOW!

Of all places, the Capital Times reports:

State on pace to hit Walker jobs target

Earth to the Pulitzer Prize winning MJS: The above is NEWS!

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Drop protest and pass the ketchup

“Of all the things to protest — Brat Fest!?

Can we not even enjoy a brat for charity in Wisconsin without partisan politics rudely intruding?

So what if a handful of Johnsonville Sausage executives, family members and employees donated $44,250 to Republican Gov. Scott Walker over the last five years.”

School lunch madness

“The principal, Elsa Carmona, is quoted as saying that her students can either eat the school cafeteria food or ‘go hungry.’ Wow! Tough dietary deal. Carmona went on to say that some parents are morons who allow their children to eat garbage and that is not going to happen on her watch.”

On this aborted fetus, the Democrats plant their flag

“(Senator Jon) Kyl said: ‘You don’t have to go to Planned Parenthood to get your cholesterol or your blood pressure checked. If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood. That’s well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does.’

The entire mainstream media immediately rose in angry denunciation of Kyl — based on Planned Parenthood’s claim that abortion constitutes less than 3 percent of the services it provides.

Apparently, that depends on the meaning of ‘services it provides.’ If taking 30 seconds to write a prescription for birth control pills is considered the equivalent of a two-hour, multiple-visit $450 abortion, then perhaps abortion does constitute only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s work.”

Taxes are not too low: It’s the spending, stupid!

” If Congress, rather than borrowing or cutting spending, raised income taxes by the $1.3 trillion necessary to pay for 2010 deficit spending, it would need to more than double income tax collections. In fact, income tax revenue would need to increase by 144% to cover the overspending.”

Who pays for government?

“It’s Tax Day, a time when Americans briefly think about how much their government costs, instead of daydreaming about all the wonderful things it promises to do for them.  

Who pays for government?  The Evil Rich provide the lion’s share of the income taxes.”

The Trump rebellion

“I saw The Donald open up a can of verbal whup ass on Obama on Hannity last Thursday and Friday night. It was extremely convincing in that he had refreshingly solid, no-BS answers for the multifaceted debacles ‘the worst president ever’ has entrenched us in and explained how he sees himself as the crap-cutting dealmaker to pull us out.”

Oil without apologies

“We’re going to need oil and gas and coal for a long time if America wants to keep the lights on.”

A missing detail

“Wouldn’t you think if you were going to do a front page story about a teacher retiring early because of the hardship posed by Scott Walker’s bargaining changes you might want to give the story some context by saying how much the person experiencing this agony actually makes?

Well since the Journal Sentinel won’t do it for us, I will.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Landslide!

“It looks like Waterloo in Wisconsin for government unions.”

President Obama blames you for high gas prices“For the president to suggest that a taxpayer’s inability to buy a new $40,000+ hybrid vehicle (that still requires gas) is the root problem, rather than his price-increasing oil policies is shameful.”

The GOP Path to Prosperity

“America is facing a defining moment. The threat posed by our monumental debt will damage our country in profound ways, unless we act. No one person or party is responsible for the looming crisis. Yet the facts are clear: Since President Obama took office, our problems have gotten worse.”

Got a Better Plan?

“If Democrats think the Ryan budget is too radical, let them offer a credible alternative.”

Two Americas: Public vs. Private Employees

“If you want to understand better why so many states—from New York to Wisconsin to California—are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, consider this depressing statistic: Today in America there are nearly twice as many people working for the government (22.5 million) than in all of manufacturing (11.5 million).”

The swift death of the new tone“During the most heated month of the health care uprising, when more than 500 town halls took place over one month across the country, there were exactly 10 instances of documented violence. Most of them were confined to the ripping of signs and minor tussles (though there were a handful of punches thrown), and seven of 10 incidents were perpetrated by ObamaCare supporters on protesters, according to photos, police reports and witnesses.”

“Study hard, but party harder”

“Rutgers University last week contributed to the growing debate on whether higher education is worth its surging costs, when it paid the fabulous Nicole Polizzi (a.k.a., ‘Snooki’) of MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’ television show $32,000 to speak to its students.”

Misogynist Video Games“Karen’s nine-year-old son came home from a birthday party at a locally owned ‘family fun’ center with plenty to tell. The party was great, especially the laser tag and the pizza. But he didn’t like the arcade games, one in particular.”

Coerced abortions affect men, too

“For every woman who has had an abortion a man has been involved. For me it was two abortions.

My story begins at 16 when I heard that first ‘I’m pregnant’ from my girlfriend. I can remember being scared and a little confused about how it all happened. I asked all of the questions like, ‘I thought you were protected,’ and anything else I could think of to say rather than taking responsibility for my actions.

I can remember when the phone call came to my parents. My feelings of being scared and confused changed to terrified and ashamed. I don’t know how much time passed from the phone call until my parents came to talk with me, but it felt like an eternity. I remember putting on my headphones with the music cranked up, not wanting to face the consequences of my actions as my parents were trying to talk to me. I wanted it all to go away.”

Tax Time Coming“Will any of these jokes cheer you up?”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

State Budget Battles Herald the Return of the Grown-ups

“Even now that sober-minded voters have put a set of brakes on Obama’s little socialist dune buggy, our adolescent in chief has quickly abandoned his Clinton mask for the more tantalizing delights of spending other people’s money.

Enter Governor Scott Walker and his fellow adults.

No, 2012 will look nothing like 2008.

At this point, I could not care less which Republican runs against our adolescent president.  As long as that person is a grown-up with a grown-up’s perspective on the presidency and has demonstrable experience to that effect, he or she will get my vote.

So, here’s my help-wanted ad for the next president of the United States of America.”

Pleading for Violence

“Twitter, the social network that allows people to express themselves with 140 characters or less, is a wonderful invention.  It’s a gigantic virtual bulletin board covered with Post-Its, a food fight conducted entirely with fortune cookies.

What Twitter does not provide is ‘context.’  If you can’t pack all of the context surrounding an idea into 140 characters or less, it’s probably best to leave that idea simmering in the back of your head.”

Time for wandering senators to return to Mad City

“The Wandering Democratic state senators from Wisconsin should go home. Not that I don’t appreciate them spending their ‘cheesy’ money in Rockford and other cities in northern Illinois. But their road show is losing box office appeal.”

Should Unions Have the Power to Tax?

“Only about 7% of the private workforce is unionized today, but their ability to ‘tax’ union members through union dues and make political contributions gives them top priority in the White House today. Public sector unions represent about a third of public sector workers.

Here, we are held hostage by threats to not pick up our garbage or teach our children. Politicians, not facing a bottom line performance measure like GM or the steel companies but worried about re-election, give in to demands to keep voters from being unhappy. But, over time, this has produced a generally over-paid and over-benefited public sector workforce (compared to market wages).”

What we need is a Packer game to unite us again

“Might I suggest the rest of the state take a page out of my playbook when things get tense and veins start to bulge as the inevitable comes up for discussion. When it looks as though f-bombs are about to be dropped and fists may be set to fly, bring up the Green and Gold as a deflection”

Public broadcasting should go private

“If these outfits can afford to pay lavish salaries to their heads, they don’t need taxpayer help.”

Have to respect BYU’s decision

“Most people can’t relate to the school’s lengthy honor code — which doesn’t allow for the consumption of coffee or alcohol, forbids swearing and also prohibits premarital sex. But n an era in which big-time college athletics has run amok, BYU has maintained its core values and refused to sell out.”

Cigars don’t kill people…

“I ordered drinks for my lovely Italian wife and myself and fired up my first cigar for that evening, a Rocky Patel Edge. While I was enjoying the Edge and its full-bodied, spicy aroma and super long finish afforded by its five-year-old blend in a Corojo wrapper, a lesbian sitting at the table next to us started fake coughing at my smoke and flailing her arms like Nell did when she tried to explain the trees.

How did I know it was a lesbian protesting my cigar, you ask? Well, the Justin Bieber haircut and the softball jersey was a hand tip. Plus, she was making out with another chick. Nothing gets past me.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Oh, to be a teacher in Wisconsin

“The showdown in Wisconsin over fringe benefits for public employees boils down to one number: 74.2. That’s how many cents the public pays Milwaukee public-school teachers and other employees for retirement and health benefits for every dollar they receive in salary. The corresponding rate for employees of private firms is 24.3 cents.”

The chart that tells you everything you need to know about whether public workers are over-compensated

“Every labor economist, right or left, will agree that higher “quit rates” are much more likely in sectors that are underpaid and lower levels are much more likely in sectors where compensation is generous. Not surprisingly, this data shows state and local bureaucrats are living on Easy Street.”

Meet the GOP’s Newst Rising Star
* NOTE THE LIBERAL SOURCE OF THIS PIECE *

“Barely a month after his inauguration, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker already has prospective presidential candidates stampeding to help him. In today’s turbocharged political climate, fueled by constant chatter on cable television and the Internet, can talk of a vice presidential bid be far behind for the man who two months ago was a little-known county executive?”

A Governor for President in 2012

“Governors make better Presidents.  They have actually run big unwieldy bureaucracies and suffered the political impacts of tough decisions.  OK—except Jimmy Carter.”

Union fails pension math

“My mother worked as a public employee when she was a teacher’s aide in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  She was employed by the state for five years, from 1981-1986.  However, she worked only part-time, so was never credited for a full year of employment by the state for each year she worked.  Instead, she received only partial credit each year.  Fortunately for her, Wisconsin and two other states (Minnesota and South Dakota) allow for full vesting for public teachers after only three years of employment.  Using a deduction for her part-time status, Wisconsin determined her creditable service amounted to 3.07 years.  Had she worked three weeks less during her last year, she would be entitled to nothing.  As luck would have it, she fully vested, and is entitled to receive a monthly check from the state of Wisconsin for the rest of her life.”

The media on Wisconsin? A bad joke

“The battle in Madison, Wisconsin between new Gov. Scott Walker and the public-sector union hacks offers an amazing study in journalistic double standards. The same national media that have spent the last two years drawing devil’s horns and Klan hoods on the Tea Party protesters have switched sides with lightning speed. In the Wisconsin protesters, they find sweetness and light, ‘hope and change’.”

Wisconsin unions vs. the Tea Party

“A story-by-story analysis by the Media Research Center shows the Wisconsin protests are a perfect case study in the media’s longstanding double standard favoring left-wing causes while demonstrating much more hostility to the Tea Party and conservative protests.”

Results of idiotic choice of words by a Republican and Democrat

(This past week) “We had dueling idiocy from both Parties…”

President’s Day: Losing our heroes one day at a time

“Washington and Lincoln? That “and” takes on a life of its own. Remember that old Saturday Night Live routine advertising a product that was both “a floor wax and a dessert topping”? Part of what made that ad funny was its rich critique of the American tendency to combine things that shouldn’t be combined to achieve a short-sighted notion of convenience.”

Does winning an Oscar extend your life?

“It’s got to be one of the most cocktail-party-worthy scientific studies ever: a 2001 article in the Annals of Internal Medicine that showed actors and actresses who won Academy Awards lived four years longer than mere nominees…

But it may not be true.”

For two reasons:

1) As chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections, Senator Mary Lazich has successfully worked to get Senate Bill 6, the PHOTO ID bill on Thursday’s state Senate calendar.

2) Today, the state Senate approved Senate Bill 15 that repeals the mandatory requirement placed in the 2009-11 state budget that law enforcement collect racial data at each traffic stop. The bill’s author is Senator Lazich.

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Athens in Mad Town

“Protesters, including many from the 98,000-member teachers union, have gone Greek. Madison’s school district had to close Thursday when 40% of its teachers called in sick. So much for the claim that this is ‘all about the children.’ By the way, these are some of the same teachers who sued the Milwaukee school board last August to get Viagra coverage restored to their health-care plan.

The protests have an orchestrated quality, and sure enough, the Politico website reported that the Democratic Party’s Organizing for America arm is helping to gin them up. The outfit is a remnant of President Obama’s 2008 election campaign, so it’s also no surprise that Mr. Obama said that while he knows nothing about the bill, he supports protesters occupying the Capitol building.”

Lost: The common good

“Walker is trying to give Wisconsin a reality check. In response, public workers have interrupted the Legislature. Madison and many neighboring public schools have closed because so many teachers called in sick and left to join the protest. Democratic lawmakers disappeared on Thursday to stall a vote on the budget measures. Apparently some of them fled to … Illinois.

Public sentiment is changing. There is a growing sense that public-sector unions are not battling for better, safer workplaces. They’re not battling unscrupulous employers. They’re battling … the common good.”

Palin – Union Brothers and Sisters: Seize Opportunity to Show True Solidarity

“Hard working, patriotic, and selfless union brothers and sisters: please don’t be taken in by the union bosses. At the end of the day, they’re not fighting for your pension or health care plan or even for the sustainability of Wisconsin’s education budget. They’re fighting to protect their own powerful privileges and their own political clout.”

The audacity of mobs

“Let’s understand this clearly. A governor of a state, who was elected on a promise of trying to bring fiscal discipline to a state budget process, asks for small sacrifices while still guaranteeing full employment and between 88%-95% of the original benefits promised, is being protested–by largely protestors who were bussed in by the president and all parties who are loyal to him. Hey – it’s Chicago brute politics at its best!”

What’s at stake in Wisconsin’s budget battle

“The labor laws that Wisconsin unions are so bitterly defending were popular during an era of industrialization and centralization. But the labor organizations they protect have become much less popular, as the declining membership of many private-sector unions attests. Moreover, it’s become abundantly clear that too many government workers enjoy wages, benefits and pensions that are out of line with the rest of the economy.”

Retire the racial bean-counters

“Instead of shutting down the racial bean-counters, the government is giving them new powers.”

What happens to all those Super Bowl T-shirts?

“What happens to all those preprinted ‘Pittsburgh Steelers 2011 Super Bowl Champion’ t-shirts?  Apparently, each year the NFL gives them to the international relief and development organization World Vision, who then ships them to Africa.

Is this good or bad? And why should anyone care?”

Did Live Action Lie?

“Of course, Lila Rose is not the first pro-lifer to pretend to be someone seeking an abortion in order to obtain information from abortion clinics. The fact is, pro-lifers have been doing this for years in an effort to stop the killing of the unborn. The writer of this article is no stranger to these methods. However, because this latest Live Action video has attracted much attention, many are asking whether pro-lifers lied in the undercover tactic they employed—namely: is the behavior of pro-lifers as seen in the Live Action video contrary to the precepts of the 8th Commandment—thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor?”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Walker plan fair; offers solid footing for the state

“Let me be blunt: Wisconsin is out of money. Our state faces a $137 million shortfall in the current fiscal year and a projected $3.6 billion hole in the next biennium.

The recession has left Wisconsin families hurting. We simply cannot expect the taxpayers to shoulder an even greater tax burden to close the budget gap. Inaction is also not an option. Without immediate action, our most vulnerable members of society will be put at risk as the state’s coffers run dry and programs run out of money.

Labor costs account for 60% of the state general fund operational budget, and any serious budget solution must address the cost of labor.

Gov. Scott Walker is asking state employees to lend a hand in balancing the budget.

Under this plan, no public workers will lose their jobs or be forced to take furlough days.”

Admit it, you wished you lived in Wisconsin

“It’s not just that Wisconsin stands atop the football world, or that Wisconsin is quickly ascending to the top of the political world. It’s that Wisconsin’s CEO has what’s commonly known as ‘a pair’.”

What taxpayer-funded union bosses think of us

“This public employee union boss, who is paid with your tax dollars, actually called folks like you and me ‘mentally retarded’ for working to cut spending.

Voter ID? How about candidate ID?

“I think common sense suggests that the vast majority of people without IDs are too disengaged from society to ever vote anyway. Telling a man without an ID that he can’t vote would be like telling an Eskimo in Nome he’s not allowed on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

Not really a problem.”

More f-bombs for your iPad

“When you can’t even count on the Muppets to behave in front of children, the world has become sick enough to make your head spin.”

De-fund the predators of Planned Parenthood

“Planned Parenthood is a $1-plus billion business that rakes in one-third of its budget from government grants and contracts at both the state and federal levels. Congress has interrogated banking, energy, health insurance, tobacco and oil execs — treating them like serial killers before the cameras. When will they finally de-fund a corrupt industry that has real blood on its hands?”

New Climate Alarmist Movies About To Hit As Animals Freeze To Death And Barry Eats Well

“Remember around 15 years ago, when the alarmists were still somewhat rational, and they came up with the brilliant plan to ‘spread awareness’, rather than actually taking action in their own lives? And, if Something Wasn’t Done, winters would be a thing of the past and we would all burn? Flash forward to today, and, nothing has changed.”

Liberal bouquets for dead conservatives

“If liberals are going to celebrate Reagan, they might try to account for the fact that they fought his every move, alternating between derision and slander in the process.”

And you wonder why health insurance is so expensive

“The opening line in a New York Times piece caught my attention.   It is typical of how government, once it gets control of something, then begins to expand it (and make it more costly for everyone) as it sees fit.  Note the key falsehood in the sentence…”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Super Bowl ad targets wrong audience

“While many Americans will park in front of their televisions to watch football on Super Bowl Sunday, others will tune in just to see the commercials. Unknown to most Americans, one commercial will be seen only by members of the U.S. military deployed overseas. Sadly, it’s a spot that probably needs to be shown to federal, state and local election officials, too”

* “Nobody gets married anymore, Mister”

“Within my lifetime, single parenthood has been transformed from shame to saintliness. In our society, perversely, we celebrate the unwed mother as a heroic figure, like a fireman or a police officer. During the last presidential election, much was made of Obama’s mother, who was a single parent. Movie stars and pop singers flaunt their daddy-less babies like fishing trophies.

None of this is lost on my students. In today’s urban high school, there is no shame or social ostracism when girls become pregnant. Other girls in school want to pat their stomachs. Their friends throw baby showers at which meager little gifts are given. After delivery, the girls return to school with baby pictures on their cell phones or slipped into their binders, which they eagerly share with me. Often they sit together in my classes, sharing insights into parenting, discussing the taste of Pedialite or the exhaustion that goes with the job. On my way home at night, I often see my students in the projects that surround our school, pushing their strollers or hanging out on their stoops instead of doing their homework.”

We need to stop glorifying single mothers

“Because most of us know single mothers, know how hard they’re working, and wish them well, we do what we can to support them and build them up. That’s very understandable and it undoubtedly does some good. However, because we’re constantly talking about how wonderful single mothers are, we’re also making the option look a lot less scary than it should be to young girls — and that’s a very bad thing for them and for society.”

Talking with the president

“As some readers might know, your humble correspondent (that’s me) will be conducting a live interview with President Obama a few hours before the Super Bowl game begins on Sunday. The chat is scheduled to last about 12 minutes and is fraught with danger. For me, not for the president.”

Tawdry details of ObamaCare

“If you would like to know what the White House really thinks of Obamacare, there’s an easy way. Look past its press releases. Ignore its promises. Forget its talking points. Instead, simply witness for yourself the outrageous way the White House protects its best friends from Obamacare.”

* – Especially recommended

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

What of the crimes, massacres prevented?

“A reader who refers to himself as ‘a common-sense liberal’ writes in:

In view of the agonized calls for increased restrictions on firearm ownership resurrected by the recent shooting in Arizona, could you write a column with meaningful statistics on death and injury nationwide prevented by the civilian ownership of firearms?”

High speed rail is a fast way to waste taxpayer money

“High-speed rail may sound like a good idea. It works, and reportedly even makes a profit, in Japan and France. If they can do it, why can’t we?

The truth about abortion

“The fact is that the majority of abortions — far from all, but the majority — serve as nothing more than routine birth control: Most women who have abortions became pregnant by willingly engaging in high-risk sexual activity, and many resort to abortion more than once. For a solid pro-choicer, this presents no problem; if unborn children have no rights, there is no harm done.”

Why Sarah Palin Drives Them Wild

“I wonder how many television hosts and “journalists” tuned in to Sarah Palin’s interview on ‘Hannity’ this week, waiting with bated breath for her to say something they could try to distort. And the more she says ‘this isn’t about me,’ the more they make it about her. Let’s enter the world of Sarah Palin for a moment.”

The State Against Blacks

“The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn’t do. . . . And that is to destroy the black family.”

Don’t kids shovel anymore?

“During my nearly three decades in Boston, exactly one kid has come by seeking a shoveling job. He worked for about 20 minutes on freeing my car from the snowplowed ridge that held it captive, whittling the wintry berm down to the point where you might possibly have extracted the vehicle if, say, you had a mammoth fork-lift at your disposal. When I noted same, he said he’d settle for half the agreed-on fee — and left me to finish the job.”

The following is an entry I posted on MLK Day 2008 on my blog at FranklinNOW.com:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963.

On more than one occasion on Channel 10’s InterCHANGE, I’ve surmised that if alive today, King would oppose affirmative action. He would denounce racial quotas.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

That sounds to me like a perfect conservative value.

Character- conservative candidates say it matters, and conservative voters look for it in various candidates.

On this Martin Luther King Day, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial page editor Paul Greenberg says:

“Martin Luther King Jr. meets the very definition of an American conservative, that is, someone dedicated to preserving the gains of a liberal revolution.

You can tell a lot about an age by the heroes it chooses. While the Malcolms and Farrakhans come and go in favor, Martin Luther King Jr. remains the standard by which all other leaders are measured, and not just black leaders. That’s a hopeful sign.”
—Kevin Fischer blog, 1/21/08

Given King’s famous remarks, it makes one wonder why so many liberals today relish playing the race card. Wouldn’t King find that offensive and insulting to minorities?

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Liberals seek a ban on metaphors in wake of Arizona shooting

“Every time liberals produce an example of military lingo from a Republican – ‘we’re going to target this district’ — Republicans produce five more from the Democrats.

President ‘whose asses to kick’ Obama predicted ‘hand-to-hand combat’ with his political opponents and has made such remarks as ‘if they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun’ — making Obama the first American president to advocate gun fights since Andrew Jackson.

These are figures of speech known as ‘metaphors.’ (Do liberals know where we got the word ‘campaign’?)

By blaming a mass killing on figures of speech, liberals sound as crazy as Loughner with his complaints about people’s grammar. Maybe in lieu of dropping all metaphors, liberals should demand we ban metonyms so that tragedies like this will never happen again.”

The progressive “climate of hate:” An illustrated primer, 2000-2010

“The Tucson massacre ghouls who are now trying to criminalize conservatism have forced our hand. They want to play tu quo que in the middle of a national tragedy? They asked for it. They got it.”

The hateful left

“‘The Left’s sudden talk about incendiary political rhetoric in the wake of the Arizona shooting isn’t really about political rhetoric at all. It’s about the real-world failure of leftist policies everywhere—the bankrupting of nations and states by greedy unions and unfundable social programs, the destruction of inner cities by identity politics, and the appeasement of Muslim extremists in the face of worldwide jihad, not to mention the frequently fatal effects of delirious environmentalism.”

Jared Loughner was a Tea Partier (and I’m am Atheist River Dancer Who Hates Hunting)

“I bet you Lefties in D.C. and in the Blame Stream Media really sucked at playing connect the dots in first grade, didn’t you?”

The 11 most ludricous free passes given to the Obamas

“What burns conservatives most of all is the refusal of the journalistic community to do its job where Obama is involved. Historically, the American press tends to be hard on a sitting president and the American people expect it. This keeps everybody honest. Never have we witnessed the media so willing to forgo its purpose for the advancement of one man”

Let’s break out the chainsaws

“I want to give Speaker John Boehner the benefit of the doubt. Really, I do. But it’s hard when he fumbles the gimmes like he did in an interview with Brian Williams of NBC News.

Dude. You’re on national television and you can’t name one useless government program? Tell me again why we elected you Speaker?

I’m no career politician but I can come up with 5 things to cut without breaking a sweat.”

Eek! A male!

“Last week, the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, Timothy Murray, noticed smoke coming out of a minivan in his hometown of Worcester. He raced over and pulled out two small children, moments before the van’s tire exploded into flames. At which point, according to the AP account, the kids’ grandmother, who had been driving, nearly punched our hero in the face.

Why?

Mr. Murray said she told him she thought he might be a kidnapper.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

White Flight

“The new data show that white voters not only strongly preferred Republican House and Senate candidates but also registered deep disappointment with President Obama’s performance, hostility toward the cornerstones of the current Democratic agenda, and widespread skepticism about the expansive role for Washington embedded in the party’s priorities. On each of those questions, minority voters expressed almost exactly the opposite view from whites.”

Two Californias

“The last three weeks I have traveled about, taking the pulse of the more forgotten areas of central California. I wanted to witness, even if superficially, what is happening to a state that has the highest sales and income taxes, the most lavish entitlements, the near-worst public schools (based on federal test scores), and the largest number of illegal aliens in the nation, along with an overregulated private sector, a stagnant and shrinking manufacturing base, and an elite environmental ethos that restricts commerce and productivity without curbing consumption.”

Are we still the home of the brave?

“Sadly, this risk-averse/avoid-pain mindset is overtaking America. Anything that entails risk is to be avoided and, when possible, banned.”

The ten most under-reported stories of 2010

“You won’t see the stories below in the pages of the NYT or on the screens of NBC. You won’t hear them discussed at the water cooler. They’re the stories that show without any doubt the cards held by those who wish to enslave the masses to the god of government. A theocracy, to be sure, but one that holds up the state above all else. These stories are what progressives are trying desperately to erase from the annals of history, an effort that the new penny press, new media, refuses to allow.”

Top Ten Political Lies of 2010

“Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 political lies of 2010.

1. Ninety-five percent of ‘working families’ received a tax cut.”

While teachers are laid off, fortunes spent on….

“Teachers have been getting laid off right and left in Florida’s Broward School District. Despite all the taxes, the money just isn’t there to pay them. This gives an idea of where it went.”

MTV abortion special: Happy for the kill

“Now we get to ‘No Easy Decision,’ which follows one of the teen moms from ’16 and Pregnant.’ Markai finds out eight months after having her daughter that she is pregnant again and decides this time to abort.

Announcing the special, Entertainment Weekly wrote, ‘MTV sources say the documentary will tackle all sides of the issue. …’

So I expected the pro-life position to be fairly represented alongside the pro-abortion position – by educating on the documented harm of abortion to women, describing fetal development at the age of the baby being aborted and offering a counseling session at a pregnancy care center as well as an abortion clinic. I was resigned that Markai would move ahead with her abortion but thought her decision would be fully informed.

None of this came to pass.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).

Time to think the unthinkable: A Democratic primary challenge to Obama’s re-election

“It is time for Progressives to stop ‘whining’ and arguing among themselves about whether President Obama will or will not do this or that. Obama is no different than any other President, nominated by his national party. He was elected with the hard work and 24/7 commitment of persons who believed and enlisted in his campaign for ‘Hope’ and ‘Change.’

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist nor have a PhD in political science and sociology to see clearly that Obama has abandoned much of the base that elected him. He has done this because he no longer respects, fears or believes those persons who elected him have any alternative, but to accept what he does, whether they like it or not.”

What to cut

“Congress should enact government-wide spending caps that gradually return spending to 20 percent or less of GDP. After a $727 billion spending increase since 2007, there is no shortage of programs to cut to meet that 20 percent target. The 112th Congress should target programs based on their economic impact, their cost, and the feasibility of reforming them. It should build credibility with the public by including cuts in the federal government’s spending on itself, unpopular earmarks, and even traditional conservative spending programs. Conservatives could begin with the following twelve projects…”

A nude awakening-TSA screening and privacy

“The TSA continues to advocate a model of security based upon overreaction. Ineffectual peripheral threats relating to liquid explosives, shoe bombs or printer cartridges coincide with rapid changes to the terrorist alert level (as if the risk of terrorism increases after a failed plot!) and reactionary modifications to security protocol, resulting in the loss of millions in governmental revenue, inconvenience for passengers and the abatement of fundamental liberty.

The fundamental problem is that terrorism is innovative while TSA policy is reactive. The TSA modifies its protocol on the basis of terrorist plots that have already happened, while an intelligent terrorist knows not to duplicate the failed efforts of past terrorists.”

Last state budget bill contained $39.2 million in earmarks

“With all the talk about banning earmarks in the new Congress, it’s easy to focus on the national and forget the local, but it turns out the porksters in Madison have been wallowing in the earmark mud just as much as those in Washington have been.

In fact, even as the state battled an approximately $6 billion shortfall going into the last budget cycle, lawmakers managed to successfully insert $39.2 million in earmarks in the 2009-11 state budget bill.

Among the goodies passed out by the Democratic majority – and left in the final budget act by outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle – was $500,000 for an upgrade of the Oshkosh Opera House, $5 million for the Bradley Sports Center in Milwaukee, $250,000 for the Madison Children’s Museum, another half-million dollars for the Aldo Leopold climate change laboratory, $100,000 to restore a stone barn in the town of Chase, not to mention recycling bins for the town of Wrightstown and $50,000 for a public shooting range in Eau Claire.

Even OneidaCounty got a little taste of pork, just enough perhaps to whet the appetite – $10,000 for a trail crossing.”

Locked and loaded

“’A look into the minds of the gun-toters among us.”

“I swore to myself I was not going to be defenseless ever again.”

Texting ban won’t make us safer

“In a country where we regularly affix ‘caution, hot!’ warnings to cups of coffee, is it really conceivable that government safety czars would agree that two, 3,000-pound hunks of metal could safely be maneuvered past one another on a two-lane country road in the rain by two 16-year-olds jamming out radio Top 40?) 

But as it is, driving in America is inescapable, dangerous by nature, and often so mind-numbingly routine that we look for other diversions of the eye, ear and hands. Because of this, it’s unlikely bans on texting while driving will make much of a dent in the crash numbers.”

Here are some of the key ingredients for this entry:

cheese·burg·er  (chzbûrgr)

n. A hamburger topped with melted cheese.

The above is the Frenchie burger from the NY restaurant, DBGB.

obesity   (-bs-t)

n. The condition of being obese; increased body weight caused by excessive accumulation of fat.

gar·den  (gärdn)  n. A plot of land used for the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit.

The above garden is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. 

hyp·o·crite  (hp-krt)

n. A person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.

hyp·o·crite  (hp-krt)

n. A person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.America, you don’t eat right.

Barack and Michelle Obama, the two leaders of the federal government’s food police, have lectured us to death.

We will show you how to eat properly.

We will tell you what to eat.

We will tell you what not to eat.

Restaurant owners, we will tell you what to serve.

Restaurant owners, we will tell you what not to serve.

We will set the rules and you will follow them or government bureaucrats will make you suffer.

The complete and utter condescension has been sickening.

The Obama’s have become the quintessential spokespeople for the phrase, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Last year, the New York Times reminded us, “As President Obama ran for office, whenever questions of his ordinary-man credentials arose, his aides were quick to say that he loves a good burger. As he worked to win over male voters, a stop at a beer joint would suddenly be on his itinerary. But when the cameras weren’t rolling, he was just as likely to have a healthy plate of sea bass and steamed vegetables as a burger and fries.”

The newspaper noted Obama’s cholesterol had jumped 42 points since 2007. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told White House reporters, ”You guys think he eats carrots and celery. There’s more cheeseburgers, fries and pie than you previously knew.”

How could this be? After all, the First Lady took on America’s girth as her persoanl crusade, going so far as to plant a veggie garden to promote all heathy items green and orange.

The British press asked the obvous question: What would Michelle say? (We also learn the Obamessiah isn’t exactly a terrific tipper).

So, Barack isn’t following his wife’s advice. One could argue the president is allowed because Mrs. Obama doesn’t practice what she preaches.

On March 11, 2009, the website Listicles.com suggested five foods Michelle Obama should banish for American diets. Sure enough, burgers made the list, and that would seem to follow the First Lady’s emphasis on vegetables rather than meat.  A month later, the Associated Press shockingly reported that, for shame, Michelle sneaks out for burgers.It gets better.

Last August, Mrs. Obama visted the Good Stuff Eatery in Washington D.C. with daughters Malia and Sasha where they dined on cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes. The New York Post reported, “Fellow patrons had their cellphones temporarily confiscated to prevemt pictures from being taken. Nope. Can’t have photos floating around of the queen of carrots and peas chomping down on a juicy, fat-laden burger. 

This past October, while campaigning for Russ Feingold, Mrs.Obama stopped at Miss Katies Diner in Milwaukee and ordered a cheeseburger. Apparently forgetting she was in America’s Dairyland, she eschewed a milkshake.

Washington’s radical attempt to reform America’s diet isn’t working. A recent Gallup poll shows that we are not stupid. Most of us understand the value of healthy eating and can easily find affordable fresh produce.

NEWS FLASH to the food police: We just don’t want to eat it. We eat what we want to eat because we live in what is still a free country. What a concept!

No one is suggesting that the Obama’s should never indulge in a greasy burger. However, if they’re not going to lead by example, they need to tone down their pontificating and over-regulation.

But they won’t.

A new book contains an anecdote about the all-knowing Calorie Counter-in-Chief counseling an overweight staffer that he will eat a salad and like it.  

hy·poc·ri·sy (h-pkr-s)

n.
1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.
2. An act or instance of such falseness.

It’s run amok at the White House.

WOW!

There couldn’t possibly be more, Kev, could there?

It couldn’t possibly get any better, could it?

It could and it does.

(Cross posted at FranklinNOW.com.)

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).

Fall reckoning

“Before the vote on Nov. 2, humorist P.J. O’Rourke quipped that it wasn’t an election, it was a restraining order. For Democrats in Wisconsin it was an apocalypse. They lost the governorship; a Senate seat; two congressional seats; both houses of the state Legislature, and, just to run up the score, the office of state treasurer to a guy who ran on a platform of abolishing the job.”

Girls just wanna have guns

“I have a dream! 

A dream where instead of reading about a cute college coed left dead and naked out in a vacant lot or bloated and floating in a river, the story reads: ‘dead jackass found double-tapped and dead on the curb as his soul wings its way to Hades—all because he messed with the wrong mama’.”

Naked Truth

“According to the  Transportation Security Administration, Americans have no problem with the new airport screening procedures. So they should stop complaining.

That self-contradictory reassurance, which would be unnecessary if it were true, seemed slightly more plausible after chaos failed to ensue from protests by Thanksgiving travelers who refused to walk through the TSA’s full-body scanners last week. But there are reasons to question the TSA’s portrait of placid passengers happily baring all for the sake of homeland security.”

What is not being discussed in the groping debate

“It doesn’t seem to me that wanting to get from point A to Point B by flying the friendly skies provides probable cause to justify doing a virtual strip search of a person…or doing a combat pat down of what we USED to call suspects when justifying the search…

All because Mohamed Atta and a group of America hating murderers decided to destroy this nation and everything she stands for by flying planes into buildings? (Maybe they succeeded in doing far more than they believed possible that day given what we’ve surrendered as a result?).

So…Here’s the 800lb TSA Agent in the room everyone is missing.”

Why this fear of a civility pledge?

“It’s only 32 words. Yet, only two sitting members of Congress or governors have signed the civility pledge. So what was it about civility that all the other 537 elected officials couldn’t agree to? Read it and decide for yourself.”

Joe Scarborough tells GOP to confront Palin

“Republicans have a problem. The most-talked-about figure in the GOP is a reality show star who cannot be elected. And yet the same leaders who fret that Sarah Palin could devastate their party in 2012 are too scared to say in public what they all complain about in private. Enough. It’s time for the GOP to man up.”
KF NOTE: I found Scarborough’s views too harsh and off-base, but the article is still interesting.

Is NPR for sale?  

“It seems George Soros, sugar daddy of 1,001 leftish crusaders, personal hobbyhorses, and even some good causes, has just given NPR $1.8 million to hire a hundred new reporters.

Some commentators on the state of the American media, formerly the American press, are shocked, shocked! Others aren’t. Inquiring minds want to know if this is a scandal, just philanthropy, a menacing portent for the independence of American journalism, or all of the above.”

The care and feeding of progressives

“I’ve had to ask readers of my blog to register in order to post comments.  There are three reasons why: 

1. Trolls 
2. Trolls 
3. Trolls

When I started my little blog, it didn’t occur to me that trolls would come out in droves.  Why would leftists expend their energies on me? And why would they subject themselves to scrutiny by a licensed psychotherapist?

But apparently, numerous trolls have been drawn to me, like venomous bees to honey. These trolls use the same weaponry of other extreme progressives: shame and degradation. They try to use ridicule as sort of stun gun, immobilizing the other.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).

A Redneck’s Bitter and Clingy Thanksgiving List

“I’m thankful for the socialists, anti-theists, demons and those who despise freedom, family, faith and our nation’s flag. Yes, I’d like to thank you because you ramp up my mind, my attitude, my loyalty to God and Country, and my study of our nation’s history and founding docs. Indeed, you’re my reason to get up every morning, to write, to do my show and to produce videos with a vengeance. Without you and your wacked worldview, your screeching lesbians, your nightly news hacks, and your America-loathing rhetoric I wouldn’t have the resolve and the capital to auger for that which is holy, just and good.”

Washington Post covers for Team Obama with body scanner poll-53% idiocy

“The Obama Administration is tone deaf as to what is going on with airport checkpoints.”

Airport “Security”?

“No country has better airport security than Israel– and no country needs it more, since Israel is the most hated target of Islamic extremist terrorists. Yet, somehow, Israeli airport security people don’t have to strip passengers naked electronically or have strangers feeling their private parts.

Does anyone seriously believe that we have better airport security than Israel? Is our security record better than theirs?”

11 Unusual Security Measures Employed By the TSA

“I wanted to give some attention to some of the TSA’s lesser-known (and more peculiar) security policies. Here are 11 unusual security measures that the Transportation Security Administration currently has in place, all courtesy of their website.”

Higher taxes won’t reduce the deficit

“The claim here is that these added revenues—potentially a half-trillion dollars a year—will be used to reduce the $8 trillion to $10 trillion deficits in the coming decade. If history is any guide, however, that won’t happen. Instead, Congress will simply spend the money.”

Why letting tax cuts expire will hurt small businesspeople like me

“It’s said that small business owners work eighteen hour days for ourselves so we don’t have to work eight hours a day for someone else.  And often our income on a dollar/hour basis is less than the established firms we may have left to go on our own. Certainly this is generally true for those few scary years at the beginning when a myriad of mistakes are made and unanticipated events occur that prompt the principals to pay ourselves only after all other obligations have been met   So why do it?  Why take such risk?

First….”

The 25 best quotes about liberals

“Enjoy!”

If you got cancer from smoking, that’s YOUR problem

“But does anyone really care about people that have damaged themselves for smoking?”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).

New Wisconsin Senate President says deficit can be solved

“There is a way to get out of this. First of all, you have to be honest with the public. There won’t be more of anything for the next two years. What we need to do is get rid of that debt and do it in one year.

To accomplish that, there are a number of things that are going to have to be done. Everybody’s going to have to take less. If you got a dollar in 2010-11, you may only get 95 cents in 2011-12. It may not be a permanent deal, but it’ll be for at least two years.”

Tears (my own) and airport scanners

“Ok, so folks start through the old-fashioned screeners. Everyone. But when my turn comes, I’m motioned through the naked-scanner. I objected, asked why (‘random selection’) and shared that I preferred the regular detector. Oh no, not possible – it’s not my job or right to make a choice. Rather, I’d have to submit to a pat down. I asked for details and learned I would be patted under my breasts and up the inside of my leg until ‘we feel resistance.’ Oh my.

I asked for a supervisor. And then another supervisor. And then the gendarmes showed up. Three of them. Oh my.”

Pat Me, Pat Me

“The other day a CBS News Poll found that fully 81 percent of Americans approve the use of the high-tech machines at the airport, but that means nothing to Drudge. How many more Americans would welcome a soothing pat-down midst the hurly-burly of travel at our nation’s stress-filled airports I do not know, but count me in — especially if the patter-downer is a cute little number on the order of, say, Sarah Palin.”

Amid airport anger, GOP takes aim at screening

“Did you know that the nation’s airports are not required to have Transportation Security Administration screeners checking passengers at security checkpoints? The 2001 law creating the TSA gave airports the right to opt out of the TSA program in favor of private screeners after a two-year period. Now, with the TSA engulfed in controversy and hated by millions of weary and sometimes humiliated travelers, Rep. John Mica, the Republican who will soon be chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is reminding airports that they have a choice”

Obamaganda: Campaigning on your tax dollars

“The Department of Health and Human Services spent $700,000 on a TV commercial featuring the 84-year-old Andy Griffith, explaining to seniors why the Democrats’ health care overhaul was good for them and their Medicare.

In the ad, the star of the ‘Andy Griffith Show’ says, ‘This year, as always, we’ll have our guaranteed benefits. And with the new health care law, more good things are coming.’

The government bought airtime on CNN, the Weather Channel, Hallmark and Lifetime, considered the most popular networks for seniors.

He ends the ad saying, ‘I think you’re gonna like it,’ in the folksy Andy Griffith way.

The core problem with the ad is that it’s not true.”

Should Illegals have drivers’ licenses?

“You don’t think these illegals with license are voting as well, do you? How much easier is it to vote when you have a driver’s license? Completely unacceptable.

This story becomes more interesting when you consider it is the first female Hispanic Governor that will revoke the licenses.”

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).

Democrat candidates play down party

“One New York Democrat proclaims that he proudly opposed the federal government’s health care overhaul plan. Another one pledges, in the finest Tea Party spirit, to oppose any future financial bailouts. Still another has rolled out three Republicans in three separate commercials, all vouching for his credentials. But there is one word you will not hear mentioned in any of these campaign advertisements: Democrat. ”

The fired Congress

“Some companies have a policy that once someone is fired, they aren’t allowed back on the premises out of fear they might do further damage to the company. It’s too bad Congress doesn’t have the same policy. Because before they’re replaced in January, all of the Democrats who are put out of a job in November will be able to come back and rob the nation blind.”

The rise of black Republicans

“One might think the resurgence of black Republicans, coming as it does at a time when a black Democrat is president, would rate more than a feature story or two in the national media. But that would conflict with the liberal meme that Republicans are racist.

Many liberals also say Republicans are anti-immigrant, even though Hispanic Republicans are poised to win a Senate seat in Florida (Marco Rubio) and gubernatorial races in New Mexico (Susana Martinez) and Nevada (Brian Sandoval).”

A letter from a Republican to Hispanics

“First, a message to those of you here illegally: You may be very surprised to hear this, but in your position, millions of Americans, including me, would have done what you did.”

Regulatory tsunami hurts job growth

“Regulations coming out of Washington, D.C., are impeding job growth and moving the United States away ‘from a government of the people to a government of the regulators,’ the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says.”

Five Societal Trends That Signal Our Nation’s Decline

“Each of these five trends taken separately could be viewed as a serious problem but not necessarily a signal of national decline. However, when these problems are considered collectively with their cause and effect and interrelationships, it becomes apparent why we are facing a society-transforming tsunami that our nation as a free market democracy is nearly powerless to stop — no matter how many millions of dollars our government throws at these problems.”

Is hate speech protected?

“The Supreme Court is now hearing the Snyder-Phelps case and the outcome is important for all Americans. With the rise of the internet, cyber-bullying and threatening behavior has become a plague upon the land. Kids are committing suicide because they are humiliated on the net and anyone can be targeted by sick individuals. Inflicting emotional distress on another human being is just a mouse click away.”

Shocking: Bigoted White Tea Party Woman Beats Petite Black Female Reporter

“I’m sorry, I got that wrong. Stupid me. I’m never going to make it in this business. It was actually a big black liberal woman who whaled on a petite white conservative female reporter last weekend.

Whew, thank God I corrected myself because we all know that if a hulking honky Tea Party mama with dragon nails had smacked down a svelte progressive black female reporter (and on film, no less) it would have caused a media firestorm.”

Here is the Appleton Post-Crescent article I discussed on WISN today while filling in for Mark Belling:

“Federal law makes sewage overflows illegal. Yet they frequently happen and mostly without the public knowing.

In all, about 9.1 billion gallons of untreated sewage-contaminated water — enough to fill 457,000 backyard swimming pools — were released into the environment by 276 villages, cities, counties and sewage districts on 1,198 occurrences statewide since Jan. 1, 2006, according to data collected by the DNR and analyzed by The Post-Crescent. The wastewater overflows happened in 58 of the state’s 72 counties, including throughout the Fox Valley.

The state’s biggest by far came from one source: the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District, which provides sewage service for 28 municipalities, including Milwaukee, through a shared pipe system. The district reported nearly 8.5 billion gallons of overflows, mostly into Lake Michigan, since the beginning of 2006, when the DNR began organizing the data electronically.”

And here is the CRG news release mentioned on today’s program:

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release                                                                            
October 3, 2010
For Further Information Contact:

Chris Kliesmet, 414-429-9501

Unelected Boards Create Campaign CashBarrett Example Yields Over $150,000 in Board Contributions

Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) has long analyzed and reported on the drawbacks of unelected boards, particularly those with the power to unilaterally impose taxes.  The CRG audit and online database of Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) Board spending and the well-publicized shortcomings of the Metro-Milwaukee Sewage District (MMSD) Board highlight a lengthy list of perceived problems with unelected boards given broad regulatory power as well as taxing power without direct voter representation.

CRG began an investigation and analysis of MMSD due to citizen outrage over recent flooding and basement sewage back-ups.  Initial findings suggested that these failures are largely due to governance issues at the City of Milwaukee and on the MMSD Board level rather than operational issues at MMSD.  Further investigation of political actions and involvement within MMSD revealed significant contributions from MMSD Board members to the politicians that appoint them.

For example, MMSD Board members contributed almost $10,000 to Tom Barrett campaigns with $4,000 being contributed in 2009-2010 election cycle alone.  Every MMSD Board who contributed gave at least $100, six gave at least $250, five gave at least $500, and three gave over $1000 with one donor exceeding $2000 and another exceeding $3000.

As a result, a pilot project was undertaken to analyze and understand the relationship between political contributions and appointments to boards such as MMSD. The City of Milwaukee and Mayor Barrett were chosen as the initial study example based on the large number of appointed boards the City has jurisdiction over as well as the large number of mayoral appointees to those boards.

The study methodology required compiling a partial list of mayoral board appointees by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to 92 boards during his tenure as mayor (list is partial as a complete list of past appointees do not exist – spouses were included on list). This list was cross-indexed against contributions to Barrett campaigns from 7/1/2000 to 6/30/2010 obtained from databases maintained by the City of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.  The entire tabulated data set may be downloaded at www.crgnetwork.com/shared/Barrett Board Appointee Contributors Worksheet.xls.

The following are selected statistics from the analysis

 Project leader Chris Kliesmet commented, “The numbers yielded by our analysis were quite surprising and perhaps more than a little disturbing.  Given that the total contributions are well into six figures and the average total contributions per donor crosses the one-thousand dollar mark, it does suggest at least a perception of impropriety that should be addressed, particularly when reviewing compensated boards.  Additionally, one must not discount the imputed value of the regulatory power wielded even by uncompensated boards.  For those seeking appointments, and there are many who covet such appointments, the regulatory power may be more highly valued than any monetary reward.  Whether by design or sheer happenstance, it is safe to say that the power to make unelected board appointments can be used as a tool to raise campaign cash and creates yet another strong argument against unelected boards.  CRG will issue updates to our investigations should our analyses continue to yield noteworthy results.”

UPDATE:While I was on the air today, Chris Kleismet of CRG tried to phone in, but couldn’t because the lines were jammed.He wanted to pass along important information.

CRG’s analysis of campaign cash contributions showed that one person, Ronald S. San Felippo gave six contributions on or about the 22^nd of each month to Tom Barrett with the last contribution made on 6/22/10. Here are San Felippo’s donations to Barrett:

1/22/10: $1,500

2/22/10: $1,500

3/22/10: $1,500

4/22/10: $1,500

5/22/10: $1,500

6/22/10: $1,500

Note the last contribution on 6/22/10

Just six days later, San Felippo was appointed to the Business Improvement District Board #2 by Barrett.

A coincidence? I don’t think so.

Kleismet also offers that a video and transcript of MMSD Kevin Schafer’s remarks saying that 2 of 4 previous sewerage overflow dumps could have been avoided by a change to legislation can be found here.

Kleismet wrote to me:

“By law they (MMSD) must start dumping in ANTICIPATION of separated sewer flows IN CASE they MIGHT come in. That means they start dumping with the tunnel often less than half full. On two occasions the suburban flows DID NOT COME IN AS PREDICTED and they dumped sewage that didn’t need to be dumped.

Why are politicians like Barrett unwilling to crusade for this change? This is outrageous they COULD have eliminated half of the overflows last year without so much as the cost of the ink for their signatures on a piece of legislative paper.

This is a huge campaign issue that Scott Walker needs to hammer on. He could use your help doing so. Please consider sending a contribution.

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend:

Compare and contrast: Karl Marx 10-point program of Communism and Democrat agenda

“No federal government has damaged the American free market more than this one. No federal government has stolen more employment, more freedom, more private property — from this and future generations — than this one. No government has created more regulations, more unconstitutional dictates, more — dare I say it — slavery than this one.”

Don’t show all your cards

“If all goes well for Republicans in the midterm elections, they’ll capture the House and maybe the Senate, having revealed few specifics of what they might do in the next Congress. This makes sense. It’s the Chris Christie strategy.”

When blacks attack Obama

“I am forbidden to critique BHO and his boys on anything they say or do. Yes, if I do utter anything derogatory regarding his holiness it is immediately dismissed because of four primary reasons. Herewith are the raisons d’être of why I cannot decry señor Hussein.

Reason #1: I am white. How do I know I’m white? Well, aside from my skin color, one telling mark of my Caucasian-ness is that I have Hall & Oates on my iPod (I always set the treble up higher than the bass) and, of course, my Florence Henderson tattoo. If that ain’t white, I don’t know what is. Since I’m white I’m not allowed to disagree with Obama because that’d be hatred. It’s true. It’s science.

Reason #2: …”

The Ted Pledge

“What Republicans owe the American people is a hefty dose of plain-speaking, bold pragmatism that clearly articulates the GOP’s vision for America. Even I, your humble Motown guitar slayer, remain steadfastly locked on the vision of our Founding Fathers and am prepared to ride to their rescue with the Ted Pledge. My crowbar of logic and truth does not gently weep.”

The Five Biggest Lies about Liberalism

“Every now and then liberals like to claim that they’re patriotic. Usually around an election. Of course they’re not patriotic in the ‘wear a flag on your lapel’ kind of way. They’re more patriotic in the ‘point out everything wrong with your country and then threaten to move to Canada if you don’t win the election’ way. Which is fine. America has seen patriots like that before. They used to wear green coats and moved to Canada, right around the time the last British troops left New York on Evacuation Day.”

Quietly racking up the abortion toll

“While Planned Parenthood continues to sit on its annual report for 2008-2009, new documents found hidden on its labyrinthine website give taxpayers an insider’s look into the beleaguered abortion monopoly it is helping fund.

The shocking thing about these numbers is that they are finally dispelling the ubiquitous Planned Parenthood lie that the organization is about something other than abortion.”

Finding Reassurance for America in Baseball

“Anyone who says America is broken, dysfunctional and doomed hasn’t been to a ballgame lately. The people who come out to such sporting events aren’t just the superrich or the privileged few: They represent every economic and ethnic segment of the society. When 20,000 enthusiasts can still find the money to come out to cheer a last place team, it’s inappropriate to peddle apocalyptic visions of a nation made up primarily of the destitute and desperate.”

Toys from our youth that would be illegal today

“A while back I wrote about the Johnny Seven One Man Army rifle (a toy from the sixties that Chuck Schumer would personally ban). What other toys from our youth would the Party of Weakness outlaw in this politically correct day and age?”