HT: I Am The Force
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Professional Standards vs. the Museum
Here's the REAL headline from today's chapter on the Museum's crash:
Serious accounting problems at the Tirimbina center were revealed in a draft letter from Virchow Krause & Co., the museum's new auditing firm. It was given to museum board members, who reviewed audit issues in closed session Wednesday.
The letter said in part, "We found the books and records of the organization were not in the condition that we would expect for preparation of an audit."
Really?
Serious accounting problems at the Tirimbina center were revealed in a draft letter from Virchow Krause & Co., the museum's new auditing firm. It was given to museum board members, who reviewed audit issues in closed session Wednesday.
The letter said in part, "We found the books and records of the organization were not in the condition that we would expect for preparation of an audit."
Really?
Black and White
Two views on spending a LOTTA money to keep the Bucks in town:
[Ulice] Payne said the solution to financing a new arena would have to come from the private sector, though government will have a role to play in terms of providing infrastructure.
Then you have
Franklyn Gimbel, chairman of the Wisconsin Center District board, said that if a community believed in keeping a professional sports franchise, then it should be supported through public investment.
Both seem to think that new taxes will not be part of the equasion, for some reason or other.
[Ulice] Payne said the solution to financing a new arena would have to come from the private sector, though government will have a role to play in terms of providing infrastructure.
Then you have
Franklyn Gimbel, chairman of the Wisconsin Center District board, said that if a community believed in keeping a professional sports franchise, then it should be supported through public investment.
Both seem to think that new taxes will not be part of the equasion, for some reason or other.
On Walker: The Opinion That Counts
Scott Walker decided to send back $325.00 in contributions to a couple of execs of Bell Therapy because there was a vague foggy possibility that the contributions were potentially, almost kinda, well, maybe un-seemly.
OK. The smog was placed in the air by Joe Winecke, whose "source" credibility rivals that of the Violence Policy Center--that is, approximately equal to entrail-readings.
But in the middle of the JS story, a quote from a Real Authority:
John Carter, the chairman of the county Ethics Board and a lawyer, said the code clause in question does not apply because Walker is running for governor, not a county position.
In any case, he said the total sum of donations of $2,375 from Phoenix executives to the Friends of Scott Walker campaign from 2002 to 2005 did not seem large enough to be judged to be influence-peddling.
"If we are looking at someone who gave $2,000 to his campaign for governor and they subsequently ended up with a contract, to me, that really doesn't mean very much," Carter said.
I happen to know John Carter. He's a tough, no-nonsense guy who's been through hell (blinded during the race riots in the late 1960's, obtained his degrees while blind) and since a lot of his opinions do NOT make me happy, I think he's also fair.
Relax, Scott. There will always be bitch-ninnies (some of them have blogs on statewide sites) who are trying to make BagManJimbo look "good" by comparing his massive hauls from WEAC, the Potawatomi, and the trial lawyers to piddly little $2K-class postage-fund contributions.
But their task is Sysiphean--BagMan has covered himself in manure and will be a temporary blot on the Capitol scene.
OK. The smog was placed in the air by Joe Winecke, whose "source" credibility rivals that of the Violence Policy Center--that is, approximately equal to entrail-readings.
But in the middle of the JS story, a quote from a Real Authority:
John Carter, the chairman of the county Ethics Board and a lawyer, said the code clause in question does not apply because Walker is running for governor, not a county position.
In any case, he said the total sum of donations of $2,375 from Phoenix executives to the Friends of Scott Walker campaign from 2002 to 2005 did not seem large enough to be judged to be influence-peddling.
"If we are looking at someone who gave $2,000 to his campaign for governor and they subsequently ended up with a contract, to me, that really doesn't mean very much," Carter said.
I happen to know John Carter. He's a tough, no-nonsense guy who's been through hell (blinded during the race riots in the late 1960's, obtained his degrees while blind) and since a lot of his opinions do NOT make me happy, I think he's also fair.
Relax, Scott. There will always be bitch-ninnies (some of them have blogs on statewide sites) who are trying to make BagManJimbo look "good" by comparing his massive hauls from WEAC, the Potawatomi, and the trial lawyers to piddly little $2K-class postage-fund contributions.
But their task is Sysiphean--BagMan has covered himself in manure and will be a temporary blot on the Capitol scene.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
ACLU-Approved Carolers
From The Curt Jester, a picture and text of ACLU-approved carolers:
Secularists are upset with the lyrics of explicitly Christian carols and Christians become upset when these carols are left out. To solve this problem Ms. Giesel of the the Glencoe school elemenatary choir decided instead of hymns to do hums. Students are gagged while performing to ensure no actual Christian carols are ever sung. The instrumental portions of traditional Christmas carols are slightly altered to ensure no one in the audience might attempt to sing along. Silent Night is sung just as intended - totally silent. To ensure fairness winter holiday songs are also hummed.
http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/006331.php
Secularists are upset with the lyrics of explicitly Christian carols and Christians become upset when these carols are left out. To solve this problem Ms. Giesel of the the Glencoe school elemenatary choir decided instead of hymns to do hums. Students are gagged while performing to ensure no actual Christian carols are ever sung. The instrumental portions of traditional Christmas carols are slightly altered to ensure no one in the audience might attempt to sing along. Silent Night is sung just as intended - totally silent. To ensure fairness winter holiday songs are also hummed.
http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/006331.php
Stupid Republicans Bury Clinton Investigation
Many of us who read The American Spectator's series of articles on X42 (Bill Clinton, the Monica Man) remain aghast at the gross violations of laws, ethics, morals, national security, and the rights of US citizens which were perpetrated by the President, his wife, his Attorney General, and countless other X42 operatives.
One of Clinton's convict-employees was Henry Cisneros, Sec'y of HUD, who was playing in a strange sandbox and writing off (!!!) the expenses against his taxes. Cisneros resigns and does time, which is fine.
But that's hardly ALL there is to this story.
As Tony Snow relates:
Like most independent counsels, Barrett didn't set out on such a mission. He was assigned the duty of looking into whether former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros committed tax fraud in trying to cover up payments to a former mistress.
Yet, as published reports have indicated, he soon discovered that he was onto something much bigger. He found unsettling evidence that Justice Department officials were actively interfering with the probe and even conducting surveillance of Barrett and his office. Worse, there were indications that Team Clinton was using key players at the IRS and Justice to harass, frighten and threaten people who somehow got in the former president's way.
Yup. That's Bill and the Hildebeeste, all right. Doing what comes naturally, except that there are no dead bodies (we think.) Well, who knows? Maybe there ARE dead bodies.
By all accounts, the 400-page Barrett report is a bombshell, capable possibly of wiping out Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential prospects. At the very least, it would bring to public attention a scandal that would make the Valerie Plame affair vanish into comical insignificance.
Democrats know this. Using provisions in the independent-counsel statute that permit people named in a report to review the allegations against them and file rebuttals, attorneys close to the Clintons have spent the better part of five years reviewing every jot and tittle of the charges arrayed against their clients and friends.
So--why hasn't the American public seen the Barret Report?
Democrats inserted language [into an appropriations bill] that would prevent public release of the 120 pages of the report listing the Clinton transgressions. They offered what may have looked like a good deal. They promised not to object to letting Barrett continue with any prosecutions already underway.
Republicans negotiators, led by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., and Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Mich, took the bait. They agreed to keep the public in the dark about the important stuff in exchange for a big, fat nothing. Unbeknownst to Bond and Knollenberg, Barrett shut down his grand juries three years ago.
STUPID PARTY!!! ARISE!!! CROWN BOND AND KNOLLENBERG KINGS OF STUPID!!!!
Something stinks, and the only way to get at the truth is to release the full report. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who fought a lonely battle to ensure the document's publication, is furious. So is House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc. The question is whether Republican leaders Bill Frist and Denny Hastert will step in and ensure the report's publication, or whether they'll just sigh and look the other way.
Don't bet spit on Frist and Hastert growing spines in the next couple of weeks, or in the next several decades. Hastert and Frist are distinguished only in their feeble "minds," and in their home-town newspapers.
But don't count Sensenbrenner or Grassley down and out. Jim's a pretty foxy guy, and Grassley has laid it on the line numerous times, as well.
Let's hope Paul Harvey gets to tell "the REST of the story" on X42 and the Hildebeeste.
HT: Powerline
One of Clinton's convict-employees was Henry Cisneros, Sec'y of HUD, who was playing in a strange sandbox and writing off (!!!) the expenses against his taxes. Cisneros resigns and does time, which is fine.
But that's hardly ALL there is to this story.
As Tony Snow relates:
Like most independent counsels, Barrett didn't set out on such a mission. He was assigned the duty of looking into whether former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros committed tax fraud in trying to cover up payments to a former mistress.
Yet, as published reports have indicated, he soon discovered that he was onto something much bigger. He found unsettling evidence that Justice Department officials were actively interfering with the probe and even conducting surveillance of Barrett and his office. Worse, there were indications that Team Clinton was using key players at the IRS and Justice to harass, frighten and threaten people who somehow got in the former president's way.
Yup. That's Bill and the Hildebeeste, all right. Doing what comes naturally, except that there are no dead bodies (we think.) Well, who knows? Maybe there ARE dead bodies.
By all accounts, the 400-page Barrett report is a bombshell, capable possibly of wiping out Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential prospects. At the very least, it would bring to public attention a scandal that would make the Valerie Plame affair vanish into comical insignificance.
Democrats know this. Using provisions in the independent-counsel statute that permit people named in a report to review the allegations against them and file rebuttals, attorneys close to the Clintons have spent the better part of five years reviewing every jot and tittle of the charges arrayed against their clients and friends.
So--why hasn't the American public seen the Barret Report?
Democrats inserted language [into an appropriations bill] that would prevent public release of the 120 pages of the report listing the Clinton transgressions. They offered what may have looked like a good deal. They promised not to object to letting Barrett continue with any prosecutions already underway.
Republicans negotiators, led by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., and Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Mich, took the bait. They agreed to keep the public in the dark about the important stuff in exchange for a big, fat nothing. Unbeknownst to Bond and Knollenberg, Barrett shut down his grand juries three years ago.
STUPID PARTY!!! ARISE!!! CROWN BOND AND KNOLLENBERG KINGS OF STUPID!!!!
Something stinks, and the only way to get at the truth is to release the full report. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who fought a lonely battle to ensure the document's publication, is furious. So is House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc. The question is whether Republican leaders Bill Frist and Denny Hastert will step in and ensure the report's publication, or whether they'll just sigh and look the other way.
Don't bet spit on Frist and Hastert growing spines in the next couple of weeks, or in the next several decades. Hastert and Frist are distinguished only in their feeble "minds," and in their home-town newspapers.
But don't count Sensenbrenner or Grassley down and out. Jim's a pretty foxy guy, and Grassley has laid it on the line numerous times, as well.
Let's hope Paul Harvey gets to tell "the REST of the story" on X42 and the Hildebeeste.
HT: Powerline
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Jensen Comes Home, We Think
According to Kevin at LakeshoreLaments, Rep. Jensen, formerly an opponent of S331, says he will vote FOR it in the Assembly. As of right now, they're not even CLOSE to a vote on 331, so we'll know more tomorrow, maybe.
Happy snowstorm!!
Happy snowstorm!!
Tech College Taxes
The point has been made--extremely well--by Jess McBride that Wisconsin's technical schools are spending money like there's no tomorrow, on facilities and salaries/bennies for their teachers and administrators.
What's most interesting about the tech-college system is that its Boards are appointed--not elected--and have the ability to levy taxes. It's another taxation without representation issue which the Legislature will take up in January.
But one line from the story caught my eye for other reasons:
"It's hard for legislators to justify giving them more state assistance when the property values have been exploding." said Rep. Rob Kreibich (R-Eau Claire).
For the moment, forget the other very important issues raised by McBride's story. Focus again on "property values...exploding."
Then think about what happens when and if property values implode. Look at it this way: it is VERY rare that local tax levies (county, city, school district, tech-college) go down. So if you're paying $5,000./year for your $350K property, you'll be paying $5,000./year on a $315K property (if values take a 10% dive.) But that means that the tax RATE will go up, from 0.14% of value to 0.16%, a 14% rise.
What's most interesting about the tech-college system is that its Boards are appointed--not elected--and have the ability to levy taxes. It's another taxation without representation issue which the Legislature will take up in January.
But one line from the story caught my eye for other reasons:
"It's hard for legislators to justify giving them more state assistance when the property values have been exploding." said Rep. Rob Kreibich (R-Eau Claire).
For the moment, forget the other very important issues raised by McBride's story. Focus again on "property values...exploding."
Then think about what happens when and if property values implode. Look at it this way: it is VERY rare that local tax levies (county, city, school district, tech-college) go down. So if you're paying $5,000./year for your $350K property, you'll be paying $5,000./year on a $315K property (if values take a 10% dive.) But that means that the tax RATE will go up, from 0.14% of value to 0.16%, a 14% rise.
GM Chairman's Comments
There is a vocal and influential group of people in this country who have tirelessly repeated the mantra that "manufacturing doesn't matter" as an 'intelligent' response to those of us who have voiced concern about the continuing decline of manufacturing in the United States.
At one time, manufacturing accounted for 30%+ of the jobs in this country; now it accounts for less than 10%. At one time, manufacturing accounted for 40%+ of the GDP--now it is less than 12%.
Rick Waggoner, the Chairman of GM, mentions a few other benefits which flow from an active and vibrant manufacturing base: [scroll down to the second set of green arrows to find the WSJ opinion-piece excerpts]
"Manufacturing generates two-thirds of America's R&D investment, accounts for three-fourths of our exports, and creates about 15 million American jobs....Together, GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler invest more than $16 billion in research and development every year -- more than any other U.S. industry."
On "legacy costs:"
"Some argue that we have no one but ourselves to blame for our disproportionately high health-care "legacy costs." That kind of observation reminds me of the saying that no good deed going unpunished. That argument, while appealing to some, ignores the fact that American auto makers and other traditional manufacturing companies created a social contract with government and labor that raised America's standard of living and provided much of the economic growth of the 20th century. American manufacturers were once held up as good corporate citizens for providing these benefits. Today, we are maligned for our poor judgment in "giving away" such benefits 40 years ago."
Let me remind you that PJBuchanan said this a couple of days ago:
To the economic patriots of the Old Republic, trade policy was to be designed to benefit, first, the American worker. They wanted American families to have the highest standard of living on earth and U.S. industry to be superior to that of any and all nations. If this meant favoring American manufacturers with privileged access to U.S. markets and keeping foreign goods out with high tariffs, so be it.
Finally,
What we want -- after we take the actions we are taking, in product, technology, cost and every area we're working in our business today -- is the chance to compete on a level playing field. It's critical that government leaders, supported by business, unions and all our citizens, forge policy solutions to the issues undercutting American manufacturing competitiveness. We can do this. And we need to do it now."
I highlighted in BOLD RED the catch-phrase. Waggoner doesn't mention Red China's currency manipulation (although he mentions that of Japan,) nor does he elaborate on the night/day difference between Red China's working conditions and those in the US.
As manufacturing declines in influence here, other statistics seem more meaningful:
The BLS' Employment Cost Index shows the purchasing power of all workers’ wages and benefits fell -1.4% in Q3 and by -1.5% yr/yr. Wages alone fell by -2.3% in Q3 and by -2.4% yr/yr.
The 'little matter' of manufacturing's demise is NOT 'little.' Manufacturing DOES matter. And the Bush Administration's shilly-shallying around on trade policy, like its head-in-the-sand approach to illegal immigration, has resulted in very serious negative consequences for US citizens--even those NOT employed in manufacturing.
About time someone pays attention, and I'm happy to see Waggoner stepping up to start the ball rolling. One hopes that George & Co. are paying attention.
HT: Disgruntled.
At one time, manufacturing accounted for 30%+ of the jobs in this country; now it accounts for less than 10%. At one time, manufacturing accounted for 40%+ of the GDP--now it is less than 12%.
Rick Waggoner, the Chairman of GM, mentions a few other benefits which flow from an active and vibrant manufacturing base: [scroll down to the second set of green arrows to find the WSJ opinion-piece excerpts]
"Manufacturing generates two-thirds of America's R&D investment, accounts for three-fourths of our exports, and creates about 15 million American jobs....Together, GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler invest more than $16 billion in research and development every year -- more than any other U.S. industry."
On "legacy costs:"
"Some argue that we have no one but ourselves to blame for our disproportionately high health-care "legacy costs." That kind of observation reminds me of the saying that no good deed going unpunished. That argument, while appealing to some, ignores the fact that American auto makers and other traditional manufacturing companies created a social contract with government and labor that raised America's standard of living and provided much of the economic growth of the 20th century. American manufacturers were once held up as good corporate citizens for providing these benefits. Today, we are maligned for our poor judgment in "giving away" such benefits 40 years ago."
Let me remind you that PJBuchanan said this a couple of days ago:
To the economic patriots of the Old Republic, trade policy was to be designed to benefit, first, the American worker. They wanted American families to have the highest standard of living on earth and U.S. industry to be superior to that of any and all nations. If this meant favoring American manufacturers with privileged access to U.S. markets and keeping foreign goods out with high tariffs, so be it.
Finally,
What we want -- after we take the actions we are taking, in product, technology, cost and every area we're working in our business today -- is the chance to compete on a level playing field. It's critical that government leaders, supported by business, unions and all our citizens, forge policy solutions to the issues undercutting American manufacturing competitiveness. We can do this. And we need to do it now."
I highlighted in BOLD RED the catch-phrase. Waggoner doesn't mention Red China's currency manipulation (although he mentions that of Japan,) nor does he elaborate on the night/day difference between Red China's working conditions and those in the US.
As manufacturing declines in influence here, other statistics seem more meaningful:
The BLS' Employment Cost Index shows the purchasing power of all workers’ wages and benefits fell -1.4% in Q3 and by -1.5% yr/yr. Wages alone fell by -2.3% in Q3 and by -2.4% yr/yr.
The 'little matter' of manufacturing's demise is NOT 'little.' Manufacturing DOES matter. And the Bush Administration's shilly-shallying around on trade policy, like its head-in-the-sand approach to illegal immigration, has resulted in very serious negative consequences for US citizens--even those NOT employed in manufacturing.
About time someone pays attention, and I'm happy to see Waggoner stepping up to start the ball rolling. One hopes that George & Co. are paying attention.
HT: Disgruntled.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Obnoxious Defined
An enterprising fellow with a VERY strong stomach composed a list of the 40 Most Obnoxious Quotes of 2005.
A couple here:
7) "George Bush doesn't care about black people...They're giving the Army permission to go down and shoot us." -- Kayne West on the rescue efforts in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina
11) "(The) idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong." -- Howard Dean
10) "This President is never gonna do the right thing. I think somewhere deep down inside him he takes a lot of joy about losing people, if he thinks they vote Democrat or if he thinks they're poor, or if he thinks they're in a blue state, whatever his reasons are not to rescue those people." -- Air America's Randi Rhodes speculates that Bush wanted Democrats to die in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina
HT: Michelle Malkin
A couple here:
7) "George Bush doesn't care about black people...They're giving the Army permission to go down and shoot us." -- Kayne West on the rescue efforts in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina
11) "(The) idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong." -- Howard Dean
10) "This President is never gonna do the right thing. I think somewhere deep down inside him he takes a lot of joy about losing people, if he thinks they vote Democrat or if he thinks they're poor, or if he thinks they're in a blue state, whatever his reasons are not to rescue those people." -- Air America's Randi Rhodes speculates that Bush wanted Democrats to die in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina
HT: Michelle Malkin
CCW: What's Going On Here?
While Owen agrees that the heavily-modified Personal Protection Act should pass, as I do, it's increasingly clear that political silliness is dominating the discussion of the Act.
Basics-review time:
The Second Amendment was emplaced for TWO reasons, the first being for national defense--that the citizens should be able to defend the country. The second reason is hardly mentioned these days, but it's just as important: the citizens must be able to defend themselves from rogue Government. You can ask the Jewish residents of WWII Germany about that--or the current residents of Zimbabwe, Sudan, South Africa...the list goes on.
The Wisconsin Constitution implicitly recognizes a third item which was not mentioned in the Second Amendment--namely, the right to self-defense ("...any lawful purpose.") To the authors of the US Constitution, self-defense was a 'given,' arising from nature, and this remain so today for anyone possessed of common sense. (One could also argue that the Declaration's "...life, liberty, and the pursuit..." includes self-defense.)
So why all the amendments and restrictions about 'who can carry, where, and Who should Know?'
Mostly to get the bill passed. Restrictions on carrying in taverns, school sporting events, etc., etc., are window dressing for the wet-pants crowd which is utterly convinced that an armed citizen is an imminent danger to every single OTHER living being within, say, 50 yards. The premise is flawed; therefore, the conclusion is flawed.
Another amendment which is silly, but in a different way, has been added during this go-round: the item allowing the State's database of licensees to be perused by police when making a traffic stop. Some are already calling for this to be broadened, to include police access in domestic-violence calls, and for Press accesss under any circumstances, at all times.
Why is this silly? First off, you may have noticed that police officers now park their vehicles at a slight angle (nose-to-the-road) when arresting for a traffic violation. I noticed, and asked. The response was that the police car would provide some cover in case the arrestee pulled a gun on the officer. Secondly, most police officers are wearing body armor while on duty (you didn't really think that they ALL have barrel-chests like that, did you?) Most body armor is effective against common handgun ammunition. Finally, this silly amendment implies that the police officer is either poorly trained or very forgetful of their training: if they are not prepared for a surprise of some sort during an arrest, then they are NOT well-trained, or they are NOT thinking clearly. ALL of the above arguments apply perforce to a domestic-disturbance call. While a traffic ticket stop has a chance of armed resistance, the domestic-violence call has a much GREATER chance. An ill-prepared officer is on very thin ice in a domestic-violence call.
But a certain Republican District Attorney, not to mention certain left-wing police-administrative associations, scared the bill's authors, and the database-perusal amendment is now part of the Bill. (Oddly enough, the DA's own County Sheriff disagrees with the DA.)
Now comes the Press, arguing in effect that if law-enforcement can know about CCW permits, so should the Press (and whoever reads the newspaper, of course.) Again, the premise is flawed: the Press would have us believe that since drivers' licenses (and CPA licenses) are public records and are available for examination by anyone, that CCW licenses should also be available.
Wrong. The right to self-defense is inherent to all people by virtue of their conception and birth. However, there is no "right" to drive a car or practice accountancy which springs from nature or birth. The window-dressing concessions made by the bill's author(s)--which implicitly concede that "one has a right to self-defense EXCEPT at football games, or in a tavern" have opened this door for people who cannot think clearly. This obviously includes politicians.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will be deciding one concealed-carry carry case shortly, likely in favor of the defendant, a tavern-owner who kept a pistol handy when making his nightly bank-deposit run. With all the PPA's exceptions that are contrary to the "any lawful purpose" line in the Wisconsin Constitution, it appears that the Supremes will be busy on CCW cases for a long time to come.
Basics-review time:
The Second Amendment was emplaced for TWO reasons, the first being for national defense--that the citizens should be able to defend the country. The second reason is hardly mentioned these days, but it's just as important: the citizens must be able to defend themselves from rogue Government. You can ask the Jewish residents of WWII Germany about that--or the current residents of Zimbabwe, Sudan, South Africa...the list goes on.
The Wisconsin Constitution implicitly recognizes a third item which was not mentioned in the Second Amendment--namely, the right to self-defense ("...any lawful purpose.") To the authors of the US Constitution, self-defense was a 'given,' arising from nature, and this remain so today for anyone possessed of common sense. (One could also argue that the Declaration's "...life, liberty, and the pursuit..." includes self-defense.)
So why all the amendments and restrictions about 'who can carry, where, and Who should Know?'
Mostly to get the bill passed. Restrictions on carrying in taverns, school sporting events, etc., etc., are window dressing for the wet-pants crowd which is utterly convinced that an armed citizen is an imminent danger to every single OTHER living being within, say, 50 yards. The premise is flawed; therefore, the conclusion is flawed.
Another amendment which is silly, but in a different way, has been added during this go-round: the item allowing the State's database of licensees to be perused by police when making a traffic stop. Some are already calling for this to be broadened, to include police access in domestic-violence calls, and for Press accesss under any circumstances, at all times.
Why is this silly? First off, you may have noticed that police officers now park their vehicles at a slight angle (nose-to-the-road) when arresting for a traffic violation. I noticed, and asked. The response was that the police car would provide some cover in case the arrestee pulled a gun on the officer. Secondly, most police officers are wearing body armor while on duty (you didn't really think that they ALL have barrel-chests like that, did you?) Most body armor is effective against common handgun ammunition. Finally, this silly amendment implies that the police officer is either poorly trained or very forgetful of their training: if they are not prepared for a surprise of some sort during an arrest, then they are NOT well-trained, or they are NOT thinking clearly. ALL of the above arguments apply perforce to a domestic-disturbance call. While a traffic ticket stop has a chance of armed resistance, the domestic-violence call has a much GREATER chance. An ill-prepared officer is on very thin ice in a domestic-violence call.
But a certain Republican District Attorney, not to mention certain left-wing police-administrative associations, scared the bill's authors, and the database-perusal amendment is now part of the Bill. (Oddly enough, the DA's own County Sheriff disagrees with the DA.)
Now comes the Press, arguing in effect that if law-enforcement can know about CCW permits, so should the Press (and whoever reads the newspaper, of course.) Again, the premise is flawed: the Press would have us believe that since drivers' licenses (and CPA licenses) are public records and are available for examination by anyone, that CCW licenses should also be available.
Wrong. The right to self-defense is inherent to all people by virtue of their conception and birth. However, there is no "right" to drive a car or practice accountancy which springs from nature or birth. The window-dressing concessions made by the bill's author(s)--which implicitly concede that "one has a right to self-defense EXCEPT at football games, or in a tavern" have opened this door for people who cannot think clearly. This obviously includes politicians.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will be deciding one concealed-carry carry case shortly, likely in favor of the defendant, a tavern-owner who kept a pistol handy when making his nightly bank-deposit run. With all the PPA's exceptions that are contrary to the "any lawful purpose" line in the Wisconsin Constitution, it appears that the Supremes will be busy on CCW cases for a long time to come.
Highway Contractors and The Tavern League
Another fine example of the Best Legislature Money Can Buy:
Officials in two growing suburbs at opposite ends of metro Milwaukee say development in their communities is being hindered by a state law that limits the number of liquor licenses that can be issued
Those limits make attracting new restaurants very difficult if not impossible because the establishments can't get new liquor licenses and often are not successful in buying the licenses belonging to current businesses, officials said.
Others though, including the politically powerful Tavern League of Wisconsin, say the state's liquor license law works well and that Wisconsin is already awash in such licenses.
The suburban leaders say the law is archaic and needs to be changed to meet the needs of their growing communities.
The State of Wisconsin has no business whatsoever establishing economic oligarchies, which "licensing" generally does. If a local government wants to issue 500 tavern licenses, let them. If the residents of the local area think their Village Board or Common Council is nuts, then we have elections.
Just like the Governor of Wisconsin, whocan WILL be replaced.
Officials in two growing suburbs at opposite ends of metro Milwaukee say development in their communities is being hindered by a state law that limits the number of liquor licenses that can be issued
Those limits make attracting new restaurants very difficult if not impossible because the establishments can't get new liquor licenses and often are not successful in buying the licenses belonging to current businesses, officials said.
Others though, including the politically powerful Tavern League of Wisconsin, say the state's liquor license law works well and that Wisconsin is already awash in such licenses.
The suburban leaders say the law is archaic and needs to be changed to meet the needs of their growing communities.
The State of Wisconsin has no business whatsoever establishing economic oligarchies, which "licensing" generally does. If a local government wants to issue 500 tavern licenses, let them. If the residents of the local area think their Village Board or Common Council is nuts, then we have elections.
Just like the Governor of Wisconsin, who
The Elephant in the Living Room
Waaayyyyyy down at the bottom of the article describing Greendale's teachers' contract is the picture of the elephant in the living room (preceded by a few pictures of gorillas and rhinos):
The district should negotiate with the union to get a cheaper health insurance plan, the group says. The one it pays for through the state teachers union is, at $18,132 a year, nearly double the average insurance plan in Wisconsin, according to information compiled by the group.
District officials note that in the contract ratified last week, teachers are increasing their pharmacy co-payments and are for the first time paying $20 to $25 for each doctor's visit.
Co-pays of $20./doctor visit plus co-pays on pharmaceuticals and WEAC still gets $1,500/month? Really....
The district should negotiate with the union to get a cheaper health insurance plan, the group says. The one it pays for through the state teachers union is, at $18,132 a year, nearly double the average insurance plan in Wisconsin, according to information compiled by the group.
District officials note that in the contract ratified last week, teachers are increasing their pharmacy co-payments and are for the first time paying $20 to $25 for each doctor's visit.
Co-pays of $20./doctor visit plus co-pays on pharmaceuticals and WEAC still gets $1,500/month? Really....
Maybe Miller Park Will Be Paid Off
But at this point in time, nobody really knows. Another chapter in the Department of Revenue's sales-tax problem unfolds:
The Miller Park stadium district, which receives the proceeds of a tenth-of-a-cent sales tax from residents in Ozaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Milwaukee and Racine counties, has had a drop in those collections.
Mike Duckett, the district's executive director, said Friday that, from 1997 through 2002, collections went up an average of 7.9%. Since that time, the district has experienced an average decrease of 0.6% a year.
Coincidentally, or not, those decreases began to appear at the same time the state installed the new computer system.
"You can draw your own conclusions," Duckett said.
So far this year, sales tax collections in the five-county district are $2 million less than projected. In fact, in eight out of the last 11 months, district sales tax collections have dropped below forecasts.
In response, Engan said the drop may be a reflection of reduced economic activity in the five-county district.
The district hopes to retire that tax by 2014, but Duckett said the new numbers - assuming they are correct - might change the sunset year for the tax.
Of course, it's also possible that the Stadium Board will buy all kinds of hot new Stadium Toys for the Brewers (you know, like advertising devices), which will delay the end-date of the tax for another several years.
We'd also like to remind our Northern Wisconsin friends that THEIR legislators voted to impose this tax on SE Wisconsin residents. Keep that in mind as you chant 'The Sky Is Falling' due to the end of gas-tax indexing.
The Miller Park stadium district, which receives the proceeds of a tenth-of-a-cent sales tax from residents in Ozaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Milwaukee and Racine counties, has had a drop in those collections.
Mike Duckett, the district's executive director, said Friday that, from 1997 through 2002, collections went up an average of 7.9%. Since that time, the district has experienced an average decrease of 0.6% a year.
Coincidentally, or not, those decreases began to appear at the same time the state installed the new computer system.
"You can draw your own conclusions," Duckett said.
So far this year, sales tax collections in the five-county district are $2 million less than projected. In fact, in eight out of the last 11 months, district sales tax collections have dropped below forecasts.
In response, Engan said the drop may be a reflection of reduced economic activity in the five-county district.
The district hopes to retire that tax by 2014, but Duckett said the new numbers - assuming they are correct - might change the sunset year for the tax.
Of course, it's also possible that the Stadium Board will buy all kinds of hot new Stadium Toys for the Brewers (you know, like advertising devices), which will delay the end-date of the tax for another several years.
We'd also like to remind our Northern Wisconsin friends that THEIR legislators voted to impose this tax on SE Wisconsin residents. Keep that in mind as you chant 'The Sky Is Falling' due to the end of gas-tax indexing.
PJB Makes It Clear--to Those Who Will See
In an editorial captioned "Who Killed General Motors," PJB once again attempts to enlighten our Cogniscenti:
A sea change has taken place in the mindset of our elites. The economic patriotism of Hamilton and Henry Clay, of Lincoln and T.R. and, yes, of the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age, who forged America into the mightiest industrial machine the world had ever seen, is dead.
To the economic patriots of the Old Republic, trade policy was to be designed to benefit, first, the American worker. They wanted American families to have the highest standard of living on earth and U.S. industry to be superior to that of any and all nations. If this meant favoring American manufacturers with privileged access to U.S. markets and keeping foreign goods out with high tariffs, so be it.
But that Hamiltonian America-First vision that guided us for 150 years no longer informs our politics. Economic patriotism is dead.
For the Davos generation of leaders puts the Global Economy first. They are all good internationalists. If it's good for the Global Economy, it must be good for America. Theirs is a quasi-religious faith in that same free-trade ideology for which Hamilton, Clay, Lincoln and T.R. had only spitting contempt.
...our free-traders believe that everything that is happening to America has to be happening for the best.
That U.S. manufacturing that once employed a third of our labor force now employs perhaps 10 percent does not matter. That the most self-sufficient nation in history, which produced 96 percent of all that it consumed, now depends on foreigners for a fourth of its steel, half its autos and machine tools, two-thirds of its textiles and apparel, and most of its cameras, bicycles, motorcycles, shoes, televisions, videotape machines, radios, etc. does not matter.
...that we borrow $2 billion a day to finance consumption of foreign goods – none of this matters. The nation does not matter. The country does not matter. For we are all now in a Global Economy.
And so, as the jobs and skills of U.S. manufacturing workers disappear, and the taxes they pay into Social Security, Medicare, and federal and state governments fall, and the cost of their pensions is passed on to taxpayers, and the government goes deeper into debt to cover rising social costs corporations used to carry, other countries quietly observe.
Fifty years ago, a trade deficit of 6 percent of GDP, a hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs and a growing dependence on foreign nations for the vital necessities of our national life would have been taken as signs of the decline and fall of a great nation...
A sea change has taken place in the mindset of our elites. The economic patriotism of Hamilton and Henry Clay, of Lincoln and T.R. and, yes, of the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age, who forged America into the mightiest industrial machine the world had ever seen, is dead.
To the economic patriots of the Old Republic, trade policy was to be designed to benefit, first, the American worker. They wanted American families to have the highest standard of living on earth and U.S. industry to be superior to that of any and all nations. If this meant favoring American manufacturers with privileged access to U.S. markets and keeping foreign goods out with high tariffs, so be it.
But that Hamiltonian America-First vision that guided us for 150 years no longer informs our politics. Economic patriotism is dead.
For the Davos generation of leaders puts the Global Economy first. They are all good internationalists. If it's good for the Global Economy, it must be good for America. Theirs is a quasi-religious faith in that same free-trade ideology for which Hamilton, Clay, Lincoln and T.R. had only spitting contempt.
...our free-traders believe that everything that is happening to America has to be happening for the best.
That U.S. manufacturing that once employed a third of our labor force now employs perhaps 10 percent does not matter. That the most self-sufficient nation in history, which produced 96 percent of all that it consumed, now depends on foreigners for a fourth of its steel, half its autos and machine tools, two-thirds of its textiles and apparel, and most of its cameras, bicycles, motorcycles, shoes, televisions, videotape machines, radios, etc. does not matter.
...that we borrow $2 billion a day to finance consumption of foreign goods – none of this matters. The nation does not matter. The country does not matter. For we are all now in a Global Economy.
And so, as the jobs and skills of U.S. manufacturing workers disappear, and the taxes they pay into Social Security, Medicare, and federal and state governments fall, and the cost of their pensions is passed on to taxpayers, and the government goes deeper into debt to cover rising social costs corporations used to carry, other countries quietly observe.
Fifty years ago, a trade deficit of 6 percent of GDP, a hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs and a growing dependence on foreign nations for the vital necessities of our national life would have been taken as signs of the decline and fall of a great nation...
But hey! We can Save Money with Cheaper Imports from China!!
"Jobs Americans Won't Do"
That's the President's mantra. OK, Mr. President, here's a fine example:
An illegal alien twice deported by the U.S. "hit the jackpot" on his third try, gaining a job paying $44,000 a year and a federal loan helping him to buy a home in North Carolina.
Now, the 24-year-old Mexican is accused of terrorizing American women, as authorities believe he committed up to nine rapes in addition to other crimes.
According to the Greensboro News and Record, Gilberto Cruz Hernandez of Mexico was caught and ousted from the United States twice, but was able to gain entry a third time, and secure employment with a printing company in North Carolina's Piedmont area.
Ironically, "the same federal government that twice deported him put its financial might behind a $123,000 Federal Housing Administration loan that allowed him to buy a brand-new house in Winston-Salem," the paper notes.
And even though he was ticketed 11 times for speeding and other driving infractions, none of the stops resulted in his detention as an illegal alien, a prior deportee or a potential threat to public safety.
The tickets DID result in local inquiries of the Feds, who took 2+ weeks to respond, by which time the illegal in question had posted bond anyway.
By the way, who do you suppose will pay off the mortgage on the home?
An illegal alien twice deported by the U.S. "hit the jackpot" on his third try, gaining a job paying $44,000 a year and a federal loan helping him to buy a home in North Carolina.
Now, the 24-year-old Mexican is accused of terrorizing American women, as authorities believe he committed up to nine rapes in addition to other crimes.
According to the Greensboro News and Record, Gilberto Cruz Hernandez of Mexico was caught and ousted from the United States twice, but was able to gain entry a third time, and secure employment with a printing company in North Carolina's Piedmont area.
Ironically, "the same federal government that twice deported him put its financial might behind a $123,000 Federal Housing Administration loan that allowed him to buy a brand-new house in Winston-Salem," the paper notes.
And even though he was ticketed 11 times for speeding and other driving infractions, none of the stops resulted in his detention as an illegal alien, a prior deportee or a potential threat to public safety.
The tickets DID result in local inquiries of the Feds, who took 2+ weeks to respond, by which time the illegal in question had posted bond anyway.
By the way, who do you suppose will pay off the mortgage on the home?
Sunday, December 11, 2005
The Matter of the Missing $50 Million
At the close of Wisconsin's fiscal year (6/30/05) our State was short $50 million or so, a violation of the State's Constitution. Seems BagMan overspent the budget. Surprise!!
When the Legislative Audit bureau gently reminded BagMan that he could go to jail (or whatever) for his indiscretion, there were a few account switcheroos pulled off, and presto!! the books balanced again.
Of course, they are not REALLY in balance--they just look that way--sort of like the "balanced" budget passed for 05/07: it's balanced, as long as you don't operate like normal people. You just count revenues as 'collected' a little ahead of time, and simply send out your checks a little late. No problem, eh?
Well, this matter was a little more important than the standard bait-and-switch of budgeting--what the Hell, Tommy's been doing budget games for years, too--but our dear Legislators don't know WHAT to DO about BagMan's violation of the Wisconsin Constitution.
To sue, or not to sue--that is the question.
When the Legislative Audit bureau gently reminded BagMan that he could go to jail (or whatever) for his indiscretion, there were a few account switcheroos pulled off, and presto!! the books balanced again.
Of course, they are not REALLY in balance--they just look that way--sort of like the "balanced" budget passed for 05/07: it's balanced, as long as you don't operate like normal people. You just count revenues as 'collected' a little ahead of time, and simply send out your checks a little late. No problem, eh?
Well, this matter was a little more important than the standard bait-and-switch of budgeting--what the Hell, Tommy's been doing budget games for years, too--but our dear Legislators don't know WHAT to DO about BagMan's violation of the Wisconsin Constitution.
To sue, or not to sue--that is the question.
Bleg--But Not For Money
Sometime this week, the Assembly will take up S331 (the bill which stops taxation without representation.) It is likely, but not certain, that the bill will have difficulties in the Assembly, most likely from "killer" amendments brought by various legislators.
I've ruminated about purchasing a case-lot of Lipton teabags and hauling them out to the Assembly gallery for use at an appropriate time. (Can't buy case-lots of raw tea anymore, drat it.)
Takers?
I've ruminated about purchasing a case-lot of Lipton teabags and hauling them out to the Assembly gallery for use at an appropriate time. (Can't buy case-lots of raw tea anymore, drat it.)
Takers?
Yes, Indeed--Christianity IS A Target for Democrats
As pointed out by Texas Hold Em, the Washington State Democrat Party was selling bumper stickers as a fundraiser--with a distorted 'fish' (symbol of Christianity) as one of the features.
For whatever reason, the Washington Democrats took down the webpage--just a little too late.
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