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Scott Walker visited Vilas Hall the other day and some of us...

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:44:34 -0500

Scott Walker visited Vilas Hall the other day and some of us decided to step outside and welcome him.

Salary boosted for worker with ties to Hopper

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:45:36 -0500

Salary boosted for worker with ties to Hopper:

Looks like it pays to be a state employee for some people. I need to find a Republican lawmaker to cozy up with.

The wonderful springtime noise going on just outside my office...

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:59:56 -0500

The wonderful springtime noise going on just outside my office window.

Police Incident Report - Glenn Grothman Gets a Hug

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:11:14 -0500

Police Incident Report - Glenn Grothman Gets a Hug:

Even though he has been a jerk to Wisconsin protestors over the last month, you kind of have to feel for State Senator Glenn Grothman. He seems to attract trouble.

Yesterday’s π day Pies.

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:08:00 -0500

Yesterday’s π day Pies.

A song for Pi day.

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:19:23 -0500

A song for Pi day.

It was beautiful at the Capitol this afternoon.

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:04:40 -0500

It was beautiful at the Capitol this afternoon.

Pay Teachers More

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 10:31:22 -0500

Pay Teachers More:

In 1970, in New York City, a newly minted teacher at a public school earned about $2,000 less in salary than a starting lawyer at a prominent law firm. These days the lawyer takes home, including bonus, $115,000 more than the teacher

Paying teachers more is not going to solve the education problems in our country, but cutting the educational budgets of school districts certainly is not going to either.

There needs to be a sea change in this country in how we regard our kids’ educators. We need to respect teachers as much as we respect celebrities, and successful businesspeople. When we start respecting the profession, and paying teachers a better salary more “cream of the crop” young people will go in to teaching.

Roger Ebert Reviews "Battle: Los Angeles"

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:01:27 -0600

Roger Ebert Reviews "Battle: Los Angeles":

Somewhere the people who made this movie are crying. He rips it to shreds.

I think the Apple TV is about to become really popular with sports fans.

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:36:38 -0600

You can now buy a season pass to watch Major League Baseball games on your Apple TV.

Basketball fans aren’t left out either: NBA League Pass for the Apple TV.

Pension Envy: Anger Over Government Benefits

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:09:41 -0600

Pension Envy: Anger Over Government Benefits:

It is interesting to me that when I speak to people that want to see public employees pay more for their benefits one of the primary arguments is typically “I have to pay a high dollar amount for my benefits, so should they.”

I think what many people do not realize is that most of these public employees don’t just think they should be getting high quality, cheap benefits, they think all workers should.

This doesn’t help you if you work for an employer who treats you like garbage, and who does not think decent benefits are a good value for their employees. Hopefully it will help some realize that public workers are not the enemy though.

Ronald Reagan, Champion of Organized Labor. Wait, What?

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:51:42 -0600

Ronald Reagan, Champion of Organized Labor. Wait, What?:

Presidential candidate, and former President of the Screen Writers’ Guild Ronald Reagan made a great speech sticking up for the working man on Labor Day at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey September 1, 1980.

I happen to be the only president of a union ever to be a candidate for President of the United States.

As president of my union — the Screen Actors Guild — I spent many hours with the late George Meany[1], whose love of this country and whose belief in a strong defense against all totalitarians is one of labor’s greatest legacies. One year ago today on Labor Day George Meany told the American people:

As American workers and their families return from their summer vacations they face growing unemployment and inflation, a climate of economic anxiety and uncertainty.

Well I pledge to you in his memory that the voice of the American worker will once again be heeded in Washington and that the climate of fear that he spoke of will no longer threaten workers and their families.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is apparently a big Reagan fan[2]. I wonder if he knows about Reagan’s sordid past?

Kudos to my friend Cheryl for the link to Reagan’s speech

Isthmus, Wisconsin Associated Press sue Gov. Scott Walker over access to emails

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:14:26 -0600

Isthmus, Wisconsin Associated Press sue Gov. Scott Walker over access to emails:

Isthmus newspaper and the Wisconsin Associated Press today filed a lawsuit against Gov. Scott Walker over his office’s failure to respond to open records requests regarding emails received by his office.

“The governor said he had gotten more than 8,000 emails as of Feb. 17, with ‘the majority’ urging him to ‘stay firm’ on his budget repair bill,” says IsthmusNews Editor Bill Lueders. “We’re just trying to see these largely supportive responses.”

The day Walker made his statements I said to my wife someone needs to submit an open records request for those emails to make him prove he has received that much support. Sounds like he is having a hard time producing all those emails of support. Just like Walker’s statements regarding Wisconsin’s financial crisis it appears his statements regarding the amount of support he is receiving may have been overblown.

Reenacting his favorite commercial.

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:25:32 -0600

Reenacting his favorite commercial.

This morning’s birthday breakfast. Flipped with the Darth...

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:31:40 -0600

This morning’s birthday breakfast. Flipped with the Darth Vader spatula.

Walker's budget removes insurance requirement to cover birth control

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:54:26 -0600

Walker's budget removes insurance requirement to cover birth control:

Is anyone really surprised he threw this in the budget? We wouldn’t want to make sure reproductive health services are easy to access now, would we?

Walker’s budget summary says the requirement is an “unacceptable government mandate on employers with moral objections to these services,” and that it “increases the cost of health insurance for all payers.”

My new quad-core MacBook Pro has made it to North America.

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:02:43 -0600

My new quad-core MacBook Pro has made it to North America.

The Wisconsin State Senate GOP is doing there best to just be...

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:23:43 -0600

The Wisconsin State Senate GOP is doing there best to just be dicks now. Democratic staffers need to turn in time sheets to the majority leader, and the Sergeant at Arms and Chief Clerk are monitoring printer and copier usage to make sure everything gets charged to the Senator’s office.

Protest against Wisconsin budget repair bill, February 16, 2011

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Protest against Wisconsin budget repair bill, February 16, 2011

Protestors on Wednesday February 16, 2011. It’s only...

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Protestors on Wednesday February 16, 2011. It’s only gotten more crowded.