That's My Opinion, Today

Follow up: The Cost of Deer Hunting v. Education

2011-03-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Would we make even more if we educated deer?

Following up on an earlier posting of mine:

Wisconsin's Deer Hunt: Time for a Bit of Truth

In today's Green Bay Press Gazette, there is another article about the influx of money from deer hunting, Big Bucks: Deer season provides economic boost to Wisconsin.

Photo by BdwayDiva1 via Flickr

Once again, there is no mention of the costs associated with hunting in general and deer hunting in particular. There is mention that an average out of state hunter pays $160 in deer licenses and tags. In 2009, there were 43,998 out of state hunters . We can concede the $160 average since the rates seem to vary. Then there were 800,372 residential hunters. They pay $24 for their license according to the DNR website. This gives us a total of $26,248,608 in license fees. The proposed total budget for the DNR in Wisconsin is $583.2 million for 2 years or approximately $291 million per year. Thus the total of the licensing fees for deer hunting is about 9% of the annual DNR budget.

That gives us a return on investment for a single year of 18.91%. That sounds great... until you consider that a University of Wisconsin - Madison education gives a 12.3% ROI every year for 40+ years on a one time investment! The ROI for certain technical colleges and fields is significantly higher.

And the hunting ROI does not yet address any of the other costs that I asked about in the earlier posting such as: lost work productivity, loss of life/tax revenue due to hunting accidents, damage to personal and public property by hunters, enforcement costs that are not covered by the DNR (such as local sheriff enforcement of laws).

It would seem that true Conservative looking at the relative investment value would opt for free Wisconsin education to anyone who signs a contract to stay in the state rather than for hunting and deer herd management. This would provide the state with a much better and longer lasting return on investment.

And So the Police State Starts - WI Republicans Show Their Fear of Smart People

2011-03-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

Just a few hours ago, a good friend of mine posted this quote on Facebook:

"Every movement that seeks to enslave a country, every dictatorship or potential dictatorship, needs some minority group as a scapegoat which it can blame for the nation’s troubles and use as a justification of its own demands for dictatorial powers. In Soviet Russia, the scapegoat was the bourgeoisie; in Nazi Germany, it was the Jewish people; in America, it is the businessmen."
~Ayn Rand

Thanks, HM.

I responded that maybe in the case of the state of Wisconsin it was the public sector workers who were the scapegoat to the Tea Party and the far right of Republican party.

Dr. William Cronon

Then I found the following articles:

Did Wisconsin GOP target Scott Walker critic with “McCarthyite” tactics? By Greg Sargent (A Washington Post article from today)

Wisconsin’s Radical Break By William Cronon (The original New York Times Article)

I won't bore you by making you re-read these articles. Let me sum up. William Cronon is a professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Wisconsin's Radical Break. Later the same week, the Republican Party of Wisconsin, under the open records laws of Wisconsin sent an email requesting that Dr. Cronon's employer go thorough his emails looking for certain names and information.

This is the list of words they want information on:

"Republican, Scott Walker, recall, collective bargaining, AFSCME, WEAC, rally, union, Alberta Darling, Randy Hopper, Dan Kapanke, Rob Cowles, Scott Fitzgerald, Sheila Harsdorf, Luther Olsen, Glenn Grothman, Mary Lazich, Jeff Fitzgerald, Marty Beil, or Mary Bell." (1)

Dr. Cronon wrote in detail about and very openly about these events in

A Tactic I Hope Republicans Will Rethink:Using the Open Records Law to Intimidate Critics

This is Dr.Cronon's first ever blog posting.

What happens now?

The first thing that will happen is that the Governor's office and the Republicans in the Legislature will deny any knowledge of this tactic. Not true. Not any more true than if the National Democratic Party did something similar to an enemy of Barack Obama and he said that he knew nothing.

The next thing will be for the Republicans to defend their actions. Those actions are indefensible. There should be emails that contain all of this information: Dr. Cronon is a Professor of History and these are historical times.

What should happen? The Governor and the Legislature should renounce this act. Using these laws to violate the privacy of a private citizen and an intellectual is disgusting. This law was designed to create transparency in the Government, not attack an individual citizen for his personal views.

Above I stated that I believe that the Republican Party is scapegoating public employees. They are also anti-intelligentsia. Conservative movements in the past and now tend to attack intellectuals first. De-fund schools, de-fund universities, and vilify educators in an effort to staunch knowledge based debate.

For the record, not all Republicans or Conservatives or Tea Party members are not interested in intellectual debate. However, when mob rules take over, all groups go to the lowest common denominator.

Breaking News: Government Dissolved by No-Confidence Vote

2011-03-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

"'(The government leader) will visit the Governor General on Saturday to dissolve (the legislature), setting the stage for (an) election in early May.

The Liberal motion passed by a vote of 156 to 145, as the opposition parties teamed up to topple the Conservatives." (1)

Felipe Calderon, George Bush and Stephen Harper standing at the grave of Conservatism. (OK, not really. It's a placard for Earth Day, but it is a cool image by Chris Greenberg.) BTW, the stone is misspelled.

OK, so its not Wisconsin. It's someplace where the people are even nicer. Canada!

For the first time in its history, the government of Canada has been dissolved forcing Prime Minister Stephen Harper to dissolve the Parliament and forcing a vote.

This is the result of the rift between the Conservatives and the Liberals in the Canadian government. The budget submitted by the Conservative government led to a coalition in the Parliament to reject both the budget and the ruling party.

What does this say about Wisconsin? (For the record, most Americans think Wisconsin is actually part of Canada already.)

This might be seen as a sign of things to come. The next election, if history proves true, will sweep out the majority party and cause the undoing of many of the initiatives that are being passed now, including today's end-run around a court restraining order and the publication of the law that was being stayed.

How did we in Wisconsin get here? In truth, it is Barack Obama's fault. His election created a fervor that buoyed the Democratic party and the more liberal portions of the people. Then, after getting into office, he took a bit too long getting oriented and became quiet and withdrawn. The mid-term election saw his opponents out in force, driven by massive monies from rich conservatives and a vocal right-wing Tea Party movement.

Gov. Walker Publishes a Law Ignoring the Courts and the Sec. of State

2011-03-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Just in case you didn't understand the definition of 'hubris,' this is it. The Legislative Reference Bureau published the collective bargaining law, ignoring a court order against its publication and the Secretary of State's restraining order.

The Governor and the Republican Party of the State of Wisconsin have no officially voided the right to call themselves the law and order party as they have now ignored a lawful court order, a court order issued by a sitting judge on a pending case in accordance with Section 813.02 of the Wisconsin Statues. During the negotiation and passage this law, the Republicans voided the right to call themselves the party of the Constitution and respect for the institution of the Government of the State.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online, the reference bureau published the law with a footnote acknowledging the court order, but insisting that the law says that all new legislation must be published within 10 days of passage.

The issue is that a law in Wisconsin does not take effect until it is published. Therefore, now that it has been published, cities and counties that have been renegotiating contracts with its public workers have had the ability to do so yanked out from under them.

This is just another example of how the new Republican majority in the Legislature and the Governor are ignoring the law and the courts. During the passage of the law, the Republicans used sleazy parliamentary tactics to pass the law. A late night, 43 second vote on the law in the Assembly, the "emergency" meeting of Senators that separated the collective bargaining part of the law, then passage of that part without the Democratic Senators present.

This is a reprehensible and cowardly act not worthy of the party of Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan. These are the tactics of a fringe group that knows that without snake-like tactics, it will be found out for the radical, out of control minority that it is.

"Today the administration was notified that the LRB published the budget-repair bill as required by law," said a statement from Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch. "The administration will carry out the law as required." from the above referenced article.

Secretary Huebsch states it as if the administration didn't know anything about the publication.

813.02 Temporary injunction; when granted. (1) (a)
When it appears from a party’s pleading that the party is entitled
to judgment and any part thereof consists in restraining some act,
the commission or continuance of which during the litigation
would injure the party, or when during the litigation it shall appear
that a party is doing or threatens or is about to do, or is procuring
or suffering some act to be done in violation of the rights of
another party and tending to render the judgment ineffectual, a
temporary injunction may be granted to restrain such act.

This is the state law that governs injunctions. There can and should be punitive damages assessed on the state by the court for ignoring this injunction.

The spirits of Lincoln and Reagan are dead and the New Republican Party has shown that they have no respect for the court system, the law, or gentlemanly conduct.

Wisconsin's Deer Hunt: Time for a Bit of Truth

2011-03-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

In Sunday's Green Bay Press Gazette, there was a section of articles on the Wisconsin deer hunt.

In the articles, the reporters explain how hunters are complaining that the Department of Natural Resources is not managing the deer herd well. After deer season last year, the news was rife with reports of deer hunters complaining that they didn't see any deer or that they didn't see enough deer. There were stories about how the local food banks did not get as many deer carcass donations as in previous years.

In the article, Robert Manwell, the spokesman for the DNR, says that hunters are skeptical about how the DNR does its job. The hunters complained that the deer hunt was small this year. The article also points out the 6 out of the last 10 years have been record years.

I have a very simple solution to this problem: Stop going out and killing the deer!

According to the paper, there are people out killing deer from September 17 to January 8 (for this coming year's slaughter). That's almost 4 months of killing. Hey, stop and there will be deer.

Moreover, as the article clearly states, in the last decade hunters have had six of the ten largest mass murders in Wisconsin history. If you keep having record years, eventually, somethings gotta give. Witness the real estate market, the stock market, marriage. There will be boom years, but at some point you will pay.

Every article about deer hunting tosses out the figure $1.4 billion in revenue for the state because of deer hunting. There is never a discussion of the costs.

Interestingly enough, I can't find a single study that spells out the costs to the people of the state of Wisconsin for deer hunting so I am going to write out the types of things that should be on such a list and keep working on it.

Possible hunting costs to the taxpayers:

Loss of life = loss of income = loss of tax revenue
Cost of medical bills and lost wages in non-fatal accidents
Cost of damage to lands by careless hunters
Cost of selling permits, etc.
Cost of enforcing state hunting and wildlife rules
Cost of lost work time for people taking time off from work (some will have vacation, that doesn't count, but we all know someone who takes extra unpaid days off to hunt)
Lost productivity due to planning hunting expeditions (we all know guys who stand around for hours before opening days to talk about what they are going to do and hours after hunting season talking about what they did).
Cost for year-round herd management efforts (this costs the state and the federal government millions)
Cost of CWD (chronic wasting disease - Mad Deer Disease) - if you ain't eatin' em, it won't matter.
Drunk driving accidents due to intoxicated hunters (not included on DNR injuries sheets)

Of course, the argument is that the deer will overrun the farmers and end up on the highways. That may be but not for long. Using the same money for chemical sterilization programs will keep the herd in check without having to shoot them. Also, if you travel through some parts of the Western states, they have developed alarm systems that monitor animals that travel onto the highway and warn drivers with lights.

There is a great deal of money spent on deer hunting. Taxpayers should not be forced to support recreational activities that benefit a limited group of people. Hiking trails that are used as skiing and snowmobiling trails in the winter is one thing, but taxpayer money being used for 600,000 people doesn't seem right. Especially for an elective activity. If I don't hunt, I don't have any potential for reaping any benefits from this.

Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty

2011-03-25T04:56:00.000-07:00

In an article in the January/February issue of Mother Jones, David Corn interviewed Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) about his interaction with the Tea Party base of the Republican Party. The article, Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty, appeared on Mother Jones blog in August of 2010.

Former Rep. Bob Inglis (R - SC)

Rep. Inglis is quoted as saying,

"They say, 'Bob, what don't you get? Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Health care is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.'"

Much of what they said to Rep. Inglis came from the rantings of Glen Beck whose spoutings have far less to do with reality than with some paranoid fantasy land of late night conspiracy theories and apocalyptic religious prophecies.

Rep. Inglis goes on to say that he believes that tea party "demagoguery" will ultimately undermine the credibility of the Republican Party. I think he is correct. Whenever a fringe group gets a hold of one of the parties in the US, the core of that party draws it back toward the center. I believe that most Americans are much closer to the center of the political spectrum than the edges.

Everyone can read the blog posting or better yet pick up a copy of Mother Jones magazine.

Here is my prediction for the short term future of the Republican party:

I wonder what animal the Tea Party will have.

The Tea Party will continue to be a vocal subgroup in the party.
The leaders of the party will get increasingly nervous about the extreme views of Tea Party members, particularly the conspiracy theory fringe. (More on that in a future posting.)
The candidates that are put forth by the party in the next Presidential election will pander either right or centrist, attempting to capture which ever side seems more viable at the time.
The Tea Party rightists will continue to smack talk the moderates in their own party.
The party will split along political lines, with the leadership of the party trying to keep it all together to win the election.
Barack Obama wins the election. (Witness the movement in 1992 then 1994 then 1996. The right doesn't seem to remember that Americans don't like extremes.) So congratulations, Mr President, on the next four years. {Psst: And, Mr. President, don't forget what Napoleon Bonaparte [the last Frenchman to win a battle] said: Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.}

Scott Walker on Hannity - An Offer You Can Laugh At!

2011-03-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Governor Walker called into the Sean Hannity Show this afternoon. "The Governor for all of the people in this State of Wisconsin" is playing politics on national radio.

He praised the "courageous" Republican Senators who are the subject of recall petitions in the state. I think one needs to analyze the word "courageous" in this context. The Fond du Lac, WI officers (and police dog) shot in the line of duty this weekend were courageous. Men and women in uniform fighting for their country are courageous. Protesters throughout the Middle East who are challenging dictatorial governments.

It is not courageous to use an shady, obscure parliamentary procedure to split out part of bill. It is not courageous to pass that bill through without any serious debate on provisions that the majority of the state indicated it was against. It is not courageous to vote on a bill then run away under police escort.

Then Scotty "The Drama Queen" Walker goes on to complain (whine) about tactics used by the unions when they sent letters to employers threatening boycotts. He called it "tactics worthy of the Godfather." 'Let me make you an offer you can't refuse or... I won't buy your stuff." What Godfather is he talking about, Beaver Cleaver's godfather. Don Corleone has got to be rolling in his literary grave... with laughter.

To Hannity's discredit, he bought it hook, line and sinker. He is putting the Governor's new website where he pitched a request for money to help the Senatorial robots with the recall votes, that do not yet exist, created by the petitions that have not be submitted. (Anyone else see a campaign war chest being built on momentary hysteria?) At no point, did either of these Tea Party drama queens mention that eight Democrats are also having petitions circulated to try to recall them.

Here is the upshot:

People are courageous when they do what everyone around them is doing and it appears politically necessary.
Send Scotty "The Drama Queen" money so he can fight recalls that don't exist, yet. (And may not if there are not enough signatures.)
Boycotting businesses because your disagree with their policies is a mafia tactic worthy of Don Corleone and the Cosa Nostra.
Whining on national radio is the new way to beg sympathy for your idiotic, overbearing political decisions.

A letter to the Guv!

Dear Governor Walker,

Please keep calling national radio shows and dramatizing what is going on in Wisconsin. Since the McCain campaign fell apart, we haven't actually had a politician we can laugh at when they act like the sky is falling because someone says boo!

Thank you.

One Wisconsin Citizen/Blogger

The Far-flung Apple: Franklin Graham Pandering for Tea

2011-03-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Teaparty.org repeats an article from Newsmax.com that claims that the Obama administration is taking advice from the Muslim brotherhood.

"The Muslim Brotherhood, with the complicity of the Obama administration, has infiltrated the U.S. government at the highest levels and is influencing American policy that leaves the world’s Christians in grave danger, warns internationally known evangelist Franklin Graham"

Here's the problem. Rev. Graham does not supply a single fact. No names. No dates. Nothing but hot air and fear.

Unlike his father, who understood that Christ's real message was one of non-judgment and love, Graham the Younger spreads fear and hate for Muslim's. Then, without a single shred of evidence presented, he pretends to know what the Obama Administration is doing.

The articles goes on to quote a Vatican report that Christians are being persecuted in unprecedented number around the world. Would that have anything to do with the fact that every war the United States has gotten involved in the last 30 years has been portrayed as a crusade for a righteous "Christian" nation?

Interestingly, our founding father made it explicit that this is not a Christian country.

Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, signed under President Washington, states:

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."(1)

It is time we remember what this nation was founded upon: absolute religious tolerance. The very 18th Century idea that all men are created equal.

And a bit of simple truth: If you speak of a man as your enemy, your enemy he will become. And just because someone made a man a "Reverend" neither makes him wise nor moral.

Tea Party Patriots - Net Neutrality: Truth and Tea Bagging

2011-03-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

In this article, Net Neutrality is Anything But Neutral, the Tea Party Patriots on their website, states that new FCC rules will "socialize" the Internet and be "the antithesis of capitalism."

"Equal Access: Equal access says that everyone should always have equal priorities to the flow of information on the internet. Net neutrality would prevent them from doing so, and would essentially "socialize" the internet."

The article goes on:

"Equal Rates / Equal Service: According to proponents, under net neutrality, everyone has to be charged the same, and provided the same services. This is the antithesis of capitalism..."

None of this is true. The actual rules would force broadband providers to provide transparency, no blocking of lawful content, and no discrimination of lawful traffic.

Anyone who has purchased broadband knows that understanding what they are charging you for is impossible to understand. This is made more complicated by the fact that many of the companies use off shore customer service people who are hard to understand period.

Some websites, lawful websites, are already blocked. Christian Science Monitor points out that some providers are blocking Skype video phone. These rules would prevent your provider from doing that to you.

Not discriminating against lawful content is about the idea that providers might download their own content faster than other content. Image the idea that AT&T might download their video content more readily than Youtube.

There is nothing heinous in these rules. They restrict what companies do so that they can't restrict what you do. For Tea Party folks, consider the idea that most media outlets are owned by so-called "liberals." What will happen if they decide to block Tea Party content in deference to... I don't know... the Democratic party website? That's exactly what these rules prevent.

The Power of NIMBY!

2011-03-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

Joe Heller, Resident political cartoonist at the Green Bay Press Gazette, from March 20, 2011

Nuclear power? Radiation sickness and vacant cities.
Oil? Dead zones in the ocean and air pollution.
Coal? More air pollution and dead miners.
Wind power? Uh, maybe if you're too close. The funny part of it is that most of the people who complain have no problem cashing the checks from the power companies.

Funny how one guy with a pen and some ink can sum up the ridiculous attitudes of a whole nation. According to something I read once, the states of South Dakota or Montana have enough wind power to supply the needs of the entire country. Lots of new jobs, no eternal waste or air pollution, what's the problem? NIMBY. Not In My BackYard. Everybody wants to turn on the lights, but no one wants to generate power near their home.

House GOP Proposal is Painful - For Everyone!

2011-03-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Since I am on every e-mailing list, I got an email today from moveon.org, House GOP Proposes Cuts to Scores of Sacred Cows.

According to the article, written by Humberto Sanchez, the House Appropriations Committee proposed cuts that swept across the board. Mr. Sanchez states that the bill cuts into "sacred cows," such as NASA, the FBI and Amtrak.

I don't eat meat, but I still think that, as Kriegel and Brandt named their book, sacred cows make the best burgers.

The National Journal article implies that in some way these cuts a draconian or unfair. Draconian? That is in the eye of the beholder. Unfair? Absolutely not.

The list of cuts in the article show that dozens of differnet departments are having their budgets cut. this is exactly what the GOP Representatives (and Senators) said they would. Here in Wisconsin, Governor Walker did a bait and switch, saying that unions would have to make sacrifices, but never saying that he would pull their collective bargaining powers. This action by the GOP Representatives is exactly what they said they were going to do.

Normally, I lean left on issues, but in this case, this article, which comes off as somewhat hysterical, is exactly that hysterical and not honest about the spread of the cuts. The subtitle, "Proposal includes cuts for NASA, local police, rural development and low-income women." All they forgot mention was the enslavement of bunnies and starving kittens.

I don't know the details of the cuts, but if cuts are going to spread throughout the budget, it is disingenuous to imply that somehow they are unfair.

April 5: Governor Walker's First Test - The Supreme Court Candidates

2011-03-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

On April 5, Wisconsinites will go to the polls to elect a Supreme Court Justice. The two candidates, Judge David Prosser and Joanne Kloppenburg, represent two opposing views on the law and its application.

At the moment, conservative judges have a 4-3 majority, including Justice Prosser. The budget repair bill, the way it was passed and the Governor's proposed budget have lent new fire to the battle.

Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg's website starts telling her biography this way:

"Assistant Attorney General Kloppenburg has been a litigator and prosecutor at the Wisconsin Department of Justice since 1989, serving under Attorneys General from both parties: Don Hanaway, Jim Doyle, Peg Lautenschlager and JB Van Hollen." accessed March15 2011
"Justice Prosser was raised in Appleton, and received his bachelor's degree in political science from DePauw University in 1965, and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1968." accessed March 15, 2011

At the moment, Justice Prosser "judicial record" page is under construction. Mrs. Kloppenburg's page contains a half-page with not a lot of substance, talking about impartiality, etc.

The coalition that is attempting to unseat Governor Walker's allies will try to remove Justice Prosser from the bench. His political views are conservative, some say extreme. With the understanding that some of the Governor's initiatives will probably end up in the Supreme Court, moving the court to a more liberal stance will be a high priority for Scott Walker's opponents.

As the days go by I will be looking for more information on both of these people.

The Dirtiest Photo Yet: Randy Hopper's 'Brett Favre' Moment

2011-03-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

And you thought the Brett Favre and Jesse James photos were bad... here you can see Senator Randy Hopper (gulp!) wearing the shirt of the same union he just voted to destroy. Smile when you drop the ax!

Do you think he has knives in his hands twisting in the backs of these union members?

Governor Walker's Stimulus Bill - AP Report

2011-03-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Governor Walker's New Budget is more stimulus pork and unnecessary building projects

Wisconsin state building projects total $1.1B in Gov. Scott Walker's proposal

An article from today's AP wire via the Green Bay Press Gazette

"Walker said in a statement that his proposal released Monday “aggressively uses the funds available to us to maintain state buildings, plan for growth, and most importantly create jobs.”

"This plan will save or create over three million jobs -- almost all of them in the private sector." Barack Obama, Feb. 9, 2009

$900 million cuts from education and Governor Walker is spending millions on what?

$76 million for a new sports and education center at UW Madison
$44 million for a new education center at UW Eau Claire
$5 million for a museum for the state historical society and the Department of Veterans Affairs

"to maintain state buildings"

Over 67% of the funds are for NEW construction and major renovations, not maintenance!

In his inaugural speech, Governor Walker quoted Article 1, Section 22 of the Wisconsin Constitution where it speaks to "fruglaity." Governor Walker's idea of frugality is borrowing $900 million of the $1.1 billion through new bonds!

"Other major projects include $38.5 million for expansion of the west campus and $67 million for the Institute for Medical Research both at UW-Madison, $8 million to help pay for expansion of the Marquette Dental School and $17 million to renovate Carlson Hall at UW-Whitewater"

"Walker has confirmed that he will propose cutting education aid by about $900 million..." theroot.com, March 1, 2011

So the Universities, particularly UW Madison, receive the money taken from the K-12 school. Not really a lot of point in making the campuses nicer and newer when the incoming generations won't be educated well enough to be able to go to college. Or perhaps this is what Governor Walker meant when he said that Wisconsin was open for business. We won't educate our own kids, we'll educate everyone else's. That's a forwarding thinking Wisconsin-centered plan. Thanks, Scott.

Here is a specific list of the projects on this list:

$67 million for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Medical Research
$50 million for UW-Milwaukee
$44 million for an education building at UW-Eau Claire
$38.5 million for UW-Madison West Campus Expansion
$27.4 million to improve existing DHC and state prison facilities
$17 million to renovate Carlson Hall at UW-Whitewater
$8 million to support the expansion of the Marquette University Dental School

That's $251.9 million for universities and prisons. Only one is where our uneducated students will end up.

Republicans and Dems Agree on Nuclear Power in the U.S. in Spite of Japan

2011-03-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

The Obama Administration and the Republican Senate Leadership finally found something that they can agree on: both sides are not willing to pull nuclear power off the table because of events in Japan.

“The President believes that meeting our energy needs means relying on a diverse set of energy sources that includes renewables like wind and solar, natural gas, clean coal and nuclear power," White House spokesman Clark Stevens is quotes as saying at thehill.com.

Meanwhile on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, on Fox News Sunday, "This discussion reminds me, somewhat, of the conversations that were going on after the BP oil spill last year,I don’t think right after a major environmental catastrophe is a very good time to be making American domestic policy.” wsj.com

The sad thing is that this same group couldn't get it together to make any decisions on what to during the Gulf spill. At that time, the Administration suspended drilling and the Republicans wanted to poke new holes in the ground.

As far as oil goes, the Administration has authorized more drilling and the completion of several wells in the Gulf that had been started before the BP oil spill. And, while the Republicans try to gain political capital with the "Obama is to blame for high gas prices" story, neither side thinks that tapping into the Strategic Oil Reserve is a good idea.

In an earlier posting, I already talked about what is really causing the rise in gas prices. The reluctance on the part of both the Democrats and the Republicans is acknowledgment of what I said then: the fuel crisis is not being caused by a lack of oil, but by speculators.

So, where will nuclear power end up in the future after Japan? Probably, right where it was, on a slow track to reentering the American power grid, allowing us to be less dependent on oil, natural gas and coal to fuel our lights.

Joe the Plumber? Seriously? - Conservatives Need the Past to Survive the Future

2011-03-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

I think that Conservatives have some valid points. There is something to be said for some ideas, like controlling the size and scope of government, protecting our borders and maintaining financial solvency. The ideas aren't bad; I part with them on execution.

Here's the problem that I see with the Neo-Con/Tea Party/Republican movement as it exists now: it has become an American Idol pageant of misfits and 15-minute media hounds.

So, who is the Tea Party getting its information from:

Glenn Beck - A recovering alcoholic, coke addict DJ who was pro-life until he found a new life at Fox. After converting to Mormonism, apparently Beck found out that God is running the show and he needs to be a decent person. No Osmond, he has not let that stop him from using profanity and mercilessly attacking people, including children. (Click here) He also peppers his shows with an apocalyptic prophecy ascribed to Joseph Smith. (reference) The next time he says that the US Constitution is "hanging by a thread," look up the prophecy.
Sara Palin... former beauty queen, mayor of a large town in Alaska, former Governor of Alaska, reality TV star. OK, she's pretty. She was the mayor of Wasila, Alaska, the town with the Bridge to Nowhere. She declined the bridge, but not the money. As Governor of Alaska, she resigned. For all the accusations of nepotism, cronyism and other shenanigans, she resigned, despite having already being on the campaign trail with John McCain for a year or more. Her biography, Going Rogue , is named for a joke from SNL!
Joe the Plumber - Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher shot to fame after questioning then-candidate Obama about a small business tax for businesses making over $250,000 per year. Interestingly, he wasn't making $250,000! When asked by Diane Sawyer, he responded, "No, not even close." At the time, he was a plumber's assistant, not a business owner. Then he became a campaign issue. His political view suddenly becomes a touchstone for the New Right.
Mark Williams - Radio host and de facto Tea Party spokesman - Let him speak for himself. "Williams denounced those carrying blatantly racist signs against President Obama during the tea parties as "no more part of the mainstream of America than the hippies who wear nipple clips and feather boas in San Francisco streets during so-called peace demonstrations."* Really? What? Huh? 'Nuf said?
Rush Limbaugh- This one is harder. He is an entertainer, therefore not necessarily constrained by truth. That said, he has maintained his point of view for a very long time and his following is undeniable. A little more self-education of his listeners might help things, but at least he's not Mark Williams.

Conservatives who are needed to lend this new movement legitimacy:

Margaret Thatcher - Although the PM of Britain, her philosophies had a huge influence here in the U.S.. Well thought out, articulate and applied with compromise and discretion, Maggie was a woman that no one messed with. She was respected around the world and left a lasting impression on those who grew up listening to her political views.
William F. Buckley, Jr. - Soft-spoken, polite and generally demure, his intellect was astounding. He was able to article Conservative philosophy while still sounding like a man off the set of Kathryn Hepburn film.
Ayn Rand - Not strictly a Conservative, she was a Capitalist who understood how wealthy and power could make the world a better place. Unfortunately, her ideas fall apart when humans touch them. Her novels in particular have influenced Conservatives since their publication.
Ronald Reagan - Father of the modern Conservative movement, the Tea Party doesn't actually listen to what he said and did. Instead, they listen to a myth of the man. Not without his foibles, he was a man of great compassion and vision. He was smart enough to hire the right people into the right places and leave them alone.
Barry Goldwater- Goldwater was a Constitutionalist. He wanted to the government to return to the original vision that had been laid out by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution. Again, the ideals never really met up with the ideal. Kennedy's assassination destroyed any possibility of Goldwater being elected.

There are many on both lists that could be added, but if the Conservative movement expects to survive, it needs to look back to its roots. The danger of the cult of personality, on both ends of the political spectrum is that all of these people can talk, few can lead and fewer still can understand what they are doing and why.

Look Out!: The Deer May Be Shooting Back!

2011-03-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

A Recent Article in Journal of Biological Chemistry states that Chronic Wasting Disease may be Transmissible to Humans

In it's January 4 edition, the Journal of Biological Chemistry published an article that indicates the CWD (chronic wasting disease) may be transmissible to humans.

CWD is a form of Mad Cow Disease(bovine spongiform encephalopathy) disease that affects deer. These diseases are related to CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease).

Chronic wasting disease is the deer form. According to this article, transmission of this disease to humans appears possible!


Charlene (last name withheld), 1st known US case of BSE

HOW TO AVOID CWD IN YOUR FOOD:

Don't eat venison! (That's simple!)

Like AIDS, Mad Cow Disease and most of the other new diseases that have begun to show up in the human population and the populations of the animals that we are closest to the way to avoid the diseases is simple: No unprotected sex, no eating animals (particularly factory farmed animals, or animals whose populations are closely controlled by humans).

A little background:

Mad Cow Disease was first identified in England in 1986. Since then, BSE has been found on every continent, with several cases in the US.

For those who think that animal diseases should not be our concern should remember: AIDS started as a primate disease in Africa!

Mad Cow Disease, in humans Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, is lethal.

Brew City Brawler's Blog Post: GOP insider admits budget repair is about hobbling Dems

2011-03-12T14:33:00.002-08:00

The Brawler has been somewhat surprised that the remarks in Sunday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel from Steve King, a member of the national GOP's executive committee from Wisconsin, have not received more attention than they have.
Because, rather than regurgitating platitudes about balancing the budget or giving people the right not to join a union (and instead be free riders -- "moochers," in Charlie Sykes' parlance), King gets to what the union busting provisions are all about.
Beating up on labor and beating up on the Democratic Party.

Get the rest of the story here!

The Brawler is commenting on what we knew all along. This isn't about budgets, but about hamstringing the Democratic party be defunding on of its stringest contributors. It won't work and here's why...

If the union does not collect the money directly, it won't matter. The individuals who just got smacked by Governor Walker's "Budget Defraud Bill" and by the Stalin-esque tactics of the Republicans in the Senate and the Assembly are not going to forget. Barack Obama's campaign made grassroots, individual funding viable and successful. Expect that those same machines will show up here in Wisconsin and Scott Walker will be completing his employment application at Koch Industries. At least there there will be a little bit of honesty... Walker's paycheck will be signed by David Koch directly instead being hidden as a campaign contribution!

Perspective: Earthquakes in Japan and Madison

2011-03-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

Over the last four weeks, we here in Wisconsin have been consumed with the events in Madison. A Governor who is stripping union privileges from state workers, Senators on the run and a populous bitterly divided and fighting amongst themselves over political issues.

USGS map showing the ground shake this morning.

Then, this morning, off the coast of Honshu, Japan, a massive earthquake struck. Estimates of the dead are just coming in and the videos of the quake(s) (there have been dozens in the last few days) are terrifying even form this distance.

Christchurch, New Zealand and Queensland, Australia and hundreds of other places in the world are battling the planet itself. Then of course there are true political battles. Libyans are dying for freedom, Egypt is still looking for its new identity, and Tunisia, where it all started, is giving all that it has to help the Libyans who are coming over their border.

Maybe, when we argue about these things that are important in our lives, we can bear this in mind. Before we look at our neighbor or brother or co-worker, we should look at the ground and say, "I stand on solid ground, the same ground you share. For that, I respect you. Now, let's talk."

Peace in the United States is rarely broken. On a September morning, almost 10 years ago, 3,000 people died in a horrible attack. We rightfully cried. We were outraged. We still wince at the thought. There are and should be mourned.

As a matter of perspective, approximately 19,629 people have died in Afghanistan and 900,338 in Iraq since 2001. * Each person was someone's child, father, sister, brother, lover. Not all of them were innocent, but I guarantee, most of them were!

I know the I will continue to write about the politics of our state and country. I know that at times I will lose my perspective. I also hope that in the end, I will remember what is really important: the love of family and friends and dying with the knowledge that I left the world a happier, nicer place.

Here's One to Watch: AJR 8: Power to the Governor?

2011-03-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

Assembly Joint Resolution 8 Has Potential for Power Grab

Allows Declaration of Emergency that might be Questionable

Article IV, Section 34 of the Wisconsin Constitution allows for the 'continuity of government' in case of enemy attack. This resolution proposed by the Assembly would modify the language to allow for natural or man-made disasters of emergencies.

"[Article IV] Section 34. The legislature, in order to ensure continuity
of state and local governmental operations in periods of emergency
resulting from ~~enemy action in the form of an attack~~ a severe or prolonged,
natural or human−caused, occurrence that threatens life, health, or the
security of the state, shall (1) forthwith provide for prompt and temporary
succession to the powers and duties of public offices, of whatever nature
and whether filled by election or appointment, the incumbents of which
may become unavailable for carrying on the powers and duties of such
offices, and (2) adopt such other measures as may be necessary and proper
for attaining the objectives of this section." AJR-8

Obviously, I am not a Constitutional lawyer but this change seems to open a gateway for the declaration of emergencies that might allow for the replacement of elected officials, a declaration of a state of emergency or Lord knows what else.

The language leaves some significant questions unanswered:

Who decides what is severe or prolonged?
What is meant by threatening life, health or security of the state?
Which of the powers enacted in the rest of the Constitution will be activated under the continuity of government clause, such as the militia clause, Section 29?

Just last night, hundreds of protesters stormed into the Capital building and set into occupation. For four weeks, there have been thousands of protesters in and around the Capital. If this clause had been in place, would Governor Walker have been able to declare this an "occurrence" that warranted the activation of this clause? Could he have used it to replace the Democratic Senators, as their actions and those of their supporters might constitute a threat to the "security of the state?"

Before this goes to a vote of the people, many of whom are ready to cede power to the ruling Republican majority, these questions need to be answered.

A Case for Democratic Budget Balancing

2011-03-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

In my lifetime, (I am approximately middle aged), there has been one President who balanced the budget, Bill Clinton; there have been two Presidents who entered into war, both Bushes; there was one President who spent enormous amounts on defense without a war, Reagan; and there was one President who was just nice, Carter. I don't remember LBJ or Nixon, except as History Channel specials. This is a highly subjective over-simplification but it's where my memory starts.

I have always thought that Democrats seemed better at balancing the budget than Republicans.

I decided to put this idea to the test tonight. I decided to look for the facts (that's what this blog is about). Below is a link to the document I would have written had someone else not already done it. This article was written by Dr. Stephen Bloch of Adelphi University.

For those of you who can't bear to slog through a scholarly article, although easy to read and well written, let me summarize:

First, the information is derived from the Department of the Treasury. Dr. Bloch explains everything he did and why.

The last Democrat to show a budget deficit was LBJ. The last Republican was George W. Bush.

The largest deficits in history are all under Republicans, that includes FDR during World War II and the Great Depression.

Personal observations: Democratic economic principles allow the "little guy" to get off the ground. Witness the stellar economy under Clinton. The dot-com economy was bound to collapse under its own weight, but the Clinton administration policies made it possible for business people who are not established to get a start. It helps that Al Gore invented the Internet! :)

Republican/Conservative principles do exactly what the name says: they conserve the status quo. This means that those who are already successful will continue to be successful, but those who are trying to get a foothold will have a harder time.

One example is the idea that under Democrats, the Federal Government will provide more small business grants than under a Republican administration. This helps start-ups to get off the ground.

The "tax and spend" concept might make good bumper stickers or talk radio, but if you tax and spend on the right things, the economy gets better. The rest is simple: More people making more money pay more taxes therefore less deficit.

What does all of this mean for today... As the economy improves, the tax rolls will expand. Leaving taxation levels alone will go most of the way to solving the country's debt problems. Then we need to plug the heinous gaps in our spending, foremost of which is the wars that we are cleaning up, which at one point cost the US taxpayer $1 billion per week each!

Click here to read Dr. Bloch's article: U.S. Federal Deficits and Presidents Stephen Bloch.

Dr. Bloch's personal page at Adelphi University is here.

I would like to thank Dr. Bloch for his hard work and for showing all of his sources and methodology.

Gov. Walker and the Cult of Insincerity: Collective Bargaining in Wisconsin

2011-03-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

And in another shocking (not really) display of do as I tell you to not as I say, Governor Walker commended the Green Bay school district for passing a contract that handled all of the Governor's concerns without needing a dictate from Madison.

"They've recognized it's much better to have control of your own destiny. It's much better to have a handle on that so they protect jobs, they can prevent massive layoffs and they can ultimately protect the kids," Walker said. Green Bay Press Gazette, March 10, 2011

It is touching and heartwarming for the Governor to recognize that people can actually govern themselves. Isn't that a Conservative plank? Local self-governance, self-determination, no overlords from afar?

How much less fighting screaming and anger would there be if the Governor had simply asked the unions for what he wanted and made it clear what the consequences would be? It would appear that Green Bay was able to figure it. No wonder Green Bay is the only city in the state with a national champion this year. Green Bay people are smarter (obviously, I live in Green Bay!)

According to the article in the Green Bay Press Gazette today, the contract "suspends" collective bargaining rights for the two year term of the contract. Suspension rather than outright elimination would seem to be an excellent way to solve what is in truth a temporary problem, the budget deficit.

Governor Walker is using his (temporary) power in Madison to permanently strip collective bargaining away from public sector employees. Meanwhile, there is very little serious evidence that the "benefits" that unionized public employees get have anything to do with the deficit in Wisconsin.

All of this is more perplexing since there was no deficit (according to the Legislative fiscal Bureau) until after Governor Walker extended tax cuts to businesses in his first few weeks.

Collective bargaining is not technically a right, but it is a privilege that workers spent years earning. Some people lost their lives to create unions and earn those rights. Governor Walker, one of those dreaded 'career politicians', has never actually held a significant job since dropping out of Marquette University.

I agree with Governor Walker, people should control their own destinies. Madison, Washington, no one should decide the fate of the people of Wisconsin but the people of Wisconsin.

The American Mistress

2011-03-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

"Patriotism made me do it!"
"I did it all for you, America!"

"ATLANTA – Newt Gingrich says his passionate hard work for his country contributed to his marital infidelity. In an interview posted Wednesday by The Christian Broadcasting Network, Gingrich — who recently converted to Catholicism — said he had sought God's forgiveness for mistakes in his past." AP, March 9, 2011

Newt Gingrich joins the ranks of...

Jimmy Swaggart: "I have sinned against You, my Lord, and I would ask that Your precious blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgiveness."

Bill Clinton: "I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman..."

Gingrich actually said that he committed adultery because he was working so hard for America.

He also announced today that there is another spot open in the Republican hopefuls field to take Barack Obama's job.

Scott Walker's Latest "Not My Fault": The Emails

2011-03-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

The New Smartest Guys
in the Room?

Lest anyone think that tonight's actions by the Senate happened in a vacuum, a close reading of the emails between the Governor's staff and the Senate Democrats shows how calculated this move has been.

By releasing these emails, the governor can point to all of the effort he and his staff went to to compromise with the rogue Democrats.

However (you knew there had to be a however), the emails show little or no effort to actually change anything. From March 3 to March 8, the actual terms that the Governor's office is willing to compromise on don't actually change much.

March 3:

Remove CPI clause
Length of collective bargaining agreemnts
Time frame for initial ceritification of collective bargaining agreements
A change in the definition of 'workplace safety'
Guidlines for changes to the Medical Assistance program

March 8:

Remove CPI clause
Allow some economic issues to be negotiated, none of them responsive to the Democrats emails and requests
A change in the definition of 'workplace safety'
Time frame for initial ceritification of collecitve bargaining agreemnts
Length of collective bargaining agreements
Guidelines for changes to the Medical Assistance program
Allow collective bargaining for UW Hospital Clinics Authority (this was an item recommended by the Joint Fiscal Committee before the email exchange)

Another item worth noting is that it seems that the emails from the Governor's office are in response to a complete different conversation. The Democrats write that they would like "X" and the governor responds with "blue."

There must be missing emails. There appears to be a great deal of missing conversation here. In the five days covered by these emails, there seem to be gaps in the progression of the conversation. In particular, there is a great deal of activity on the 3rd, one from the 6th and then the 8th. It seems odd that there are no emails in between. In fact, the first email from the Democrats to the Governor's office was written on February 28th with no recorded response until the 3rd of March. With something this controversial and important, one would expect a quicker response.

The most important thing to note about the emails and their very well-timed release is that Governor Walker can now say, "Well, I tried. Look at these emails... I really tried."

This action and the related actions in the Assembly will be the focus of the recall votes and future elections.

Ronald Reagan and Scott Walker

2011-03-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ronald Reagan on the importance of political compromise(in his own words)
An American Life (his autobiography) | 8/7/03 | Ronald Reagan

Posted on 08/07/2003 2:05:04 PM PDT by Diddle E. Squat
"When I began entering into the give and take of legislative bargaining in Sacramento, a lot of the most radical conservatives who had supported me during the election didn't like it.
"Compromise" was a dirty word to them and they wouldn't face the fact that we couldn't get all of what we wanted today. They wanted all or nothing and they wanted it all at once. If you don't get it all, some said, don't take anything.
"I'd learned while negotiating union contracts that you seldom got everything you asked for. And I agreed with FDR, who said in 1933: 'I have no expectations of making a hit every time I come to bat. What I seek is the highest possible batting average.'
"If you got seventy-five or eighty percent of what you were asking for, I say, you take it and fight for the rest later, and that's what I told these radical conservatives who never got used to it. http://goo.gl/Lu3XZ

Scott Walker is not a Reagan Republican.