http://www.fightingbob.com/ An online magazine about progressive politics in Wisconsin. en-us Subscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with Pageflakes http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?postID=3032 Leaders in House Would Tax the Rich for Health Plan." They must be joking. Is the class war starting? C'mon! Just because they can afford the cost of health care why should they pay for the less fortunate? Keep taxing the working poor is their battle cry.

As if that were not enough, the Wall Street Journal reports that the luxury wine market has been hit hard. Catch this bit of bad news that could force everyone to drink table wine! Yikes. asks one expert, "if you're a $90 wine and all of a sudden you're on the Internet at $50, how do you ever become a $90 wine again?" Hey!this recession requires sacrifice across the board,

Morton's Steakhouse, according to WSJ, has revised its menu to offer mote bottles in the $60 to $70 range. "A lot of our guests (a/k/a customers)don't want to pay for $200 or $300 wine." (Nor do they want to pay for national health care.)

Now a really sad story. Mayor Bloomberg is worth $16 billion but he lost money in the market last year so he is "cutting back on household help" says NYT, in the seven homes he owns. (If he lost with all the advice he gets--you may want to re-think your chances with E-trade. I would advise you to visit Las Vegas where they let you watch your money disappear.)

Factories close, jobs flow out of our country, tuition rises, child poverty is a national disgrace, we give money to AIG so they can pay bonuses to the scoflaws who got us in this mess, Bloomberg to spend $80 million to win reelection...it could discourage you. Pass the Merlot!

I can hardly wait for Fighting Bob Fest. We need a boost. Our theme, "We have just begun to fight."]]> Ed Garvey 2009-07-11 http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?postID=3031 Washington Post. Panetta immediately canceled the program. What is the program? Sorry, can't tell you. It remains classified!

Here is the description in the Post: "Several former and current officials called it an "on-again, off-again" attempt to create a new intelligence capability...related to collection of information...". But, hey, not to worry because a former Bush official said if revealed "It would be seen as 'no big deal."

If it is "no big deal", tell us. If it is a big deal, prosecute.

Brace yourself for this one: "AIG Seeks Clearance For More Bonuses." I am not kidding. AIG wants the Obama administration to,(grab your seat with both hands) bless the payments in hopes of shielding itself from renewed public outrage." Whoa Nelly! Thus far AIG in the cockamamie bail-out has received $180 billion. Payments next week include $2.4 million in bonuses to 40 high ranking executives.

Now I would kick the waste can, yell out my window at this outrage on top of GM's heist, but wouldn't you know, AIG has a valid, heart-warming and public spirited justification. "we needed to confront the fact that many of our employees" might leave! (God forbid!) "Allowing departures would have damaged our ability to repay taxpayers." So you see, the boys at AIG were taking bonuses to help us--not themselves. Thank you AIG. Thank you. See you at the Waldof.]]> Ed Garvey 2009-07-10 http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?postID=3029 Michigan! In my blog of June 27, I quoted Governor Doyle on the GM decision to build a small-car plant in Michigan rather than Janesville. Doyle was upset and hinted that the dice were loaded. "I doubt that Michigan matched our offer." He was correct. Michigan did not match Wisconsin's offer to GM--they beat it by a country mile, but did they really win? Ask former residents of Pole Town.

Wisconsin offered $195 million to the bankrupt and irresponsible General Motors; Tennessee came up with $250 million. And Michigan? Good Lord, Michigan gave the bankrupt company $779 million. I'm not kidding. Tennessee lost out, in part, because they could only offer a measly $20 million in training and education funds, according to the Associated Press.

The Bankrupt-In-Chief Troy Clarke (BIC) said all three states tried hard. "Wisconsin's offer was quite exceptional," but the Michigan officials, says the BIC, "were very creative and brought a whole package." He really said that. (My response? I am going to rent The Gods Must be Crazy and Michael Moore's brilliant Roger and Me and try to figure out how we could use the $200 million to create jobs.

Many years ago, arrogant GM selected Pole Town in Detroit for its new Cadillac factory. The city went along with GM--jobs, jobs, jobs. Detroit used eminent domain to take homes, churches and small businesses and literally gave the land to GM to build the plant. The quid for the quo? None other than the mantra about jobs but no guarantees! I recall Ralph Nader asking, "Why Pole Town?" and asking what would happen if GM changed its mind after the damage. Oh, "Don't worry, be happy" was the response. I wonder if GM remembers. I didn't see any long-term guarantees in the Michigan package. Have they learned anything?

We get lots of great comments from you posted in Feedback. Joe Gruber, as one example, has a solution for the pathetic $40 per hour paid to Public Defenders. Joe wrote, "Add sales tax to legal fees and direct the money to the Public Defenders." Good idea.]]> Ed Garvey 2009-07-09 http://www.fightingbob.com/article.cfm?articleID=1027 Bob Menamin 2009-07-09 http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?postID=3028 the headline in the NY Times. "Robert S. McNamara, Architect of a Futile War, Dies at 93." The brilliant technician died at 93, but in reality his soul died decades ago. LBJ said he is "too perfect." JFK called him "the smartest man he had ever met," and the media treated him with respect bordering on awe. I have urged you to rent or purchase Fog of War, a remarkable documentary produced by Errol Morris in 2003--get it. Show it to your kids--your grandchildren.

McNamara was involved in WW II as part of the firebombing of Japan. The NYT: "We burned to death 100,000 Japanese civilians in Tokyo--men, women and children." The lunatic-in-charge, Curtis LeMay, called it right--"If we had lost the war, we'd all have been prosecuted as war criminals." McNamara agreed, "I think he's right---we were behaving as war criminals."

So, do we celebrate his death? No, we cry some tears for thousands--millions--who died or suffered for nothing more than ego, and ask why we, as citizens, did not do more to end the insanity of Vietnam, "McNamara's war," sooner. We should also learn from him--and we can hope for Rumsfeld's confession or Pearl's or Wolfy's, and we can pause over this McNamara quote: "Government should never start anything unless it could be finished, or the government is willing to face The consequences of failure."

What pops into your mind? Iraq--Bush and Clinton's wars? Afghanistan, Obama and Biden's war? When I think of McNamara I recall the "Whiz kids," and I see Robert Gates. A very smart man who thinks we can win a war in Afghanistan, pacify Iraq, and, and, and... Let us hope the fog of war will soon lift.

The smartest man JFK ever met...the "too perfect" architect of death and destruction--died long ago. May we learn that war is not the answer?]]> Ed Garvey 2009-07-07 http://www.fightingbob.com/article.cfm?articleID=1026 Robert Doeckel 2009-07-07 http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?postID=3027
OK, Joe! Camus, Kierkegaard and Biden. I have enough trouble understanding the philosophers--don't add to my burden. Speak plainly, Joe.

And then, unfortunately, he did. "Israel can determine for itself--it's a sovereign nation--what's in their best interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else." Whoa Nelly!

Not since John Foster Dulles declared that South Korea was not our responsibility has an official of this government said anything like Biden's invitation to Israel's leaders. Fortunately, Admiral Mullen was much more careful. (War is, apparently, too important to be decided by vice presidents!) An air strike would be "very destabilizing" and, Mullen, without leaning on Camus, warned of the "unintended consequences" of such a provocative move.

Joe, a few questions. Would the Obama-Biden administration send in ground troops to follow up on an Israeli attack? Would they be dropping American- made bombs from American-made jets? How will your remarks be treated in the Muslim world? It is summer, Mr. Vice President. Take some time off. Please.

This item: "Legal Bills Swayed Palin." The suggestion that she spent $500,000 defending ethics charges is alarming, if true. Too bad she isn't accused of a crime in Wisconsin, where we declare that the right to counsel is worth only 40 bucks an hour.

Finally, who knew? Yup. Wisconsin has hatched a new watchdog group to serve as investigative reporters on government. Wisconsin Watch is alive and looking. First report a rather pedestrian (boring?) investigation accusing Jim Doyle of spending too much on travel. This watchdog, apparently planned behind closed doors, will soon, I predict, investigate government for operating behind closed doors.

But we should, and we do, welcome Wisconsin Watch. Any group that involves Chuck Lewis and Jack Mitchell has a head start on everyone else. Should be fun watching as they move from the capillaries to the jugular.]]> Ed Garvey 2009-07-06 http://www.fightingbob.com/guestblog.cfm?postID=3026
Everybody knows about the fall from grace of the automobile and the bankers and a few reckless insurers, along with anyone in the construction business, particularly home construction.

All that discretionary stuff people used to buy to fill up their McMansions has pretty much gone the way of the McMansions themselves.

It would seem that those of us who are waiting for these former lynchpins of the economy to come back are in for a very long wait indeed.

What should not be overlooked are some other one-time favorites that are no longer the beneficiaries of our fiscal generosity.

Any business that depends on healthy advertising and promotion spending is on life support.

To take an example at random, sports events are beginning to wonder where the next big purse will come from. The Greater Milwaukee golf open, which was rechristened the U.S. Bank Open, will certainly go back to its old name now that U.S. Bank is on the government dole and will probably go away altogether. Lining up sponsors for these kinds of events when the sponsors have to borrow money to pay to get their names in lights is not working.

Trade and professional organizations of all kinds, sizes, and shapes are finding that their place on their members’ priority lists is at or below the cutoff line.

Worthy charities are suffering. The NY foundation that puts on a big annual dinner to raise money for research on Lou Gehrig’s disease canceled this year’s gala because its managers calculated that it would do no better than break even.

Do-good organizations are doing a lot less well, too. Now that those catalogue companies that haven’t run away altogether have run to the internet for sales, if it wasn’t for pleas from political, social, and economic advocacy groups and the regular stream of offers from Bank One’s credit card division, I wouldn’t get any mail at all.

This brings up the question of whether every dark cloud has a silver lining. Campaign spending hasn’t been put to the test yet. There have been no serious campaigns since the economy hit the wall, the super-rich became merely rich, and the nickel and dime donors’ piggy banks went on empty. Is there any reason to think that politics will be spared? At the very least, those candidates who have become accustomed to eight-digit campaign spending might have to scale back to seven digits, perhaps even the low-seven digits.

Too bad about that for the TV-ad addicted campaign managers, because the once-lush and mighty TV broadcasters have a lot of space and time they will be selling at bargain prices.

No one seems to know what the new economy will look like, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it will not be a simple reincarnation of the old economy. And the most important reason it will not is because of dramatic changes in our priorities.]]> Bill Kraus 2009-07-06 http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?postID=3025
I am not making up the story. Biden was in Baghdad to witness naturalization ceremonies as 237 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen became American citizens. (Why? One imagines they got citizenship as the reward for joining the armed forces.) Biden declared, "I'm damn proud to be an American." Then, in a moment Studs would have enjoyed, the new citizens swore to "renounce all allegiance to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereign." Where did the swearing-in occur? In Saddam's palace.

Biden then went nuts: "I am reminded of the founding fathers--and yes, they're your founding fathers, so get used to it." Yikes!

Asked if the palace was an "appropriate" venue, Biden said, and I'm not kidding, "I can think of nothing better. That SOB [short for son-of-a-bitch] is rolling over in his grave right now."

Let me see: 4,300 American soldiers killed, 17,000 critically injured, millions of Iraqis homeless, a million or so killed, our reputation tarnished by torture and secret prisons...the country in ruins. Damned proud, but humble?

Meanwhile in the Obama-Biden war in Afghanistan, the NYT reports young Afghans are leaving to seek asylum in Europe. "Afghans are voting with their feet." One big problem, according to the Times--no jobs in Afghanistan! How are we doing on the job front? Not so good. The 237 sworn in yesterday--promised jobs in their new country? I kinda doubt it.

Yes, we honor veterans on the 4th of July, but rarely do we focus on the policies that created the veteran status. Were all our wars necessary?

JFK was brilliant. He surrounded himself with smart people who led us into the quagmire known as Vietnam. Barack is brilliant and he is surrounded by very smart people who think they have the answer in Afghanistan. I doubt it.]]> Ed Garvey 2009-07-05 http://www.fightingbob.com/article.cfm?articleID=1025 John Smart 2009-07-05