Van Hollen Paranoia - Northwoods Terrorists Will Lead Me to Tap Your Phones

From his press release today:

For example, As Attorney General, I will make sure law enforcement has the skills and resources to track and capture would-be terrorists by intercepting email and cell phone communications.

Why:

Terrorists come in all stripes and shapes, and are both domestic and foreign. And they do not only exist in the big cities on the East and West Coasts.

But:

...while federal law prohibits me from commenting on even the existence of any information I may have as the result of having served as a United States Attorney here in Wisconsin you don't have to take my word for it. A cursory look at news accounts indicates that, of course there are terrorists in Wisconsin.

So, he wants to tap your phone and email to protect you from threats that may or may not exist, because he can't tell you about them. And it doesn't matter to him whether the communication is foriegn or domestic.

Just trust him...

He must hear the voices as well.

Should they change the name of the band?

Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth turns 53 today...

It's also Saddam's birthday.

Quotes of the Day - Dumb Ideas Edition

On the Republican $100 rebate idea:

"It could be one of the dumbest ideas of the year," said Jerry Taylor, a senior fellow at the conservative Cato Institute. "I haven't looked at all of the ideas yet, but it's got to be right up there."

and

"It's not really a compensation for higher gas prices," Taylor said. "It's simply a please-vote-for-me-in-November payment."

More:

For nation "addicted to oil," as President Bush put it, Senate Republicans have a proposal that can only be described as enabling: Put $100 back into the pocket of every taxpayer.

The proposal, unveiled Thursday, has been roundly criticized not only by Democrats but also by fiscal conservatives who warn it will widen the deficit while doing little to encourage energy conservation.

Taylor pointed out that as proposed, the rebate would go only to people who paid federal income tax last year, meaning it would be no help at all to the millions of low-income Americans who pay no income taxes but arguably suffer the most in times of rising fuel prices. About 100 million taxpayers would qualify for the rebate, which would be limited to filers with incomes under $150,000 for couples or about $100,000 for singles. It would cost more than $10 billion.

Not only that, but the same tax rebate would go to the Wall Street trader who takes the subway to work every day and to the rural Wisconsin farmer who uses thousands of gallons of fuel in his business, Taylor noted.

John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union, which like Cato generally supports lower taxes and a more limited government, described the GOP proposal as "almost 100 percent political pandering."

The Many Opinions of John Gard

John Gard - 4/26/06

Gard has said he has doubts about the need for SB 1, which would merge the Ethics and Elections boards and give a new panel enforcement powers. Supporters and McCormick have accused Gard of trying to kill the reforms. But campaign spokesman Brandon Rosner defended his boss, saying that he recently pushed legislation requiring more transparency in the state contracting process through the Assembly.

"You're going to see a vote on SB 1, I assume, or some version of it," Rosner said.

John Gard - 4/28/06

Supporters of a bill to merge the state Ethics and Elections boards into a new agency with more power said Thursday the measure likely is dead.

In a closed caucus, Assembly Republicans voted not to bring the measure to the floor for a vote, effectively killing the bill, which would create a nonpartisan Government Accountability Board to enforce campaign finance rules, lobbying laws and the code of ethics that governs public officials.

"Unfortunately, the leader in the Assembly made it very clear that he did not want this bill up for a vote," said McCormick, referring to Assembly Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo.

Cato Institute: Bush "sought to strip out the limits" of the U.S. Constitution

Power Surge: The Constitutional Record of George W. Bush
by Gene Healy and Timothy Lynch
Executive Summary
In recent judicial confirmation battles, President Bush has repeatedly—and correctly—stressed fidelity to the Constitution as the key qualification for service as a judge. It is also the key qualification for service as the nation's chief executive. On January 20, 2005, for the second time, Mr. Bush took the presidential oath of office set out in the Constitution, swearing to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." With five years of the Bush administration behind us, we have more than enough evidence to make an assessment about the president's commitment to our fundamental legal charter

Unfortunately, far from defending the Constitution, President Bush has repeatedly sought to strip out the limits the document places on federal power. In its official legal briefs and public actions, the Bush administration has advanced a view of federal power that is astonishingly broad, a view that includes

- a federal government empowered to regulate core political speech—and restrict it greatly when it counts the most: in the days before a federal election;

- a president who cannot be restrained, through validly enacted statutes, from pursuing any tactic he believes to be effective in the war on terror;

- a president who has the inherent constitutional authority to designate American citizens suspected of terrorist activity as "enemy combatants," strip them of any constitutional protection, and lock them up without charges for the duration of the war on terror— in other words, perhaps forever; and

- a federal government with the power to supervise virtually every aspect of American life, from kindergarten, to marriage, to the grave.

President Bush's constitutional vision is, in short, sharply at odds with the text, history, and structure of our Constitution, which authorizes a government of limited powers.

TABOR/TPA Bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin

Winnebago County Democratic Party
* 224A Scott Avenue * Oshkosh, WI 54901

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Jef Hall
920.203.6883
jef@jefhall.com

April 27, 2006

TABOR/TPA Bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin

OSHKOSH – As Republicans in the State Legislature debate writing fiscal policy into the state constitution, leaders in Winnebago County have already made it clear that TPA/TABOR is bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin. On April 5, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard H. Wells testified against TABOR citing its negative impacts on the economy:

“After three TPA biennial budgets, UW Oshkosh could shrink 27% smaller instead of growing 12% larger as needed.....Citizens and elected officials together have cared for and defended and supported public higher education in Wisconsin for over a century. The TPA threatens to undo this public good, and it would be a great misfortune to let that happen on our watch. True taxpayer protection means protecting the public goods, such as the UW Universities.”

On March 4, Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris said in the Appleton Post Crescent:

“The revenue limits will be so tight that few local governments could afford to issue bonds at all. The impact of this provision is that no significant investment in infrastructure could occur without a referendum.....The inevitable decline in infrastructure would quickly make Wisconsin unattractive to businesses that might otherwise locate here. The slow continued degradation of roads and streets will prove frustrating to community residents.”

On April 16, Oshkosh City Manager Richard Wollangk discussed the negative impact TPA would have on development in the Oshkosh Northwestern:

Wollangk has called the TPA bad news since word of it first aired. It also limits a city's ability to borrow money for development-spurring projects like sewer extensions and new street construction. That debt would count against state-imposed revenue caps.

Bottom line – many officials fear the changes could bring vital, tax-generating development to a screeching halt.

"If that TPA amendment would see the light of day, and is approved by the voters of the state, you could be sure it would tie the hands of development," Wollangk said.

And on March 31, leaders from area human service agencies ADVOCAP, Clarity Care, and ARC Arc-Winnebago Disability Association raised concerns with the amendment to area legislators at a legislative forum sponsored by Clarity Care.

“Any legislator or candidate running for the legislature who is listening to leaders in Winnebago County should be against this irresponsible gimmick designed to allow legislators to avoid having to make tough choices” said Winnebago County Democratic Party Chair Jef Hall. “Government is a tough business. We elect people to make tough choices on public priorities. If our current representatives can’t do the job, it is time to elect someone who can, which is what we are going to do this November.”

Hall continued “There will be some clear choices for area voters this fall. Are we going to elect people who have already committed themselves to supporting race-to-the-bottom gimmicks like TABOR/TPA? Or are we going to get behind candidates such as 54th Assembly District candidate Gordon Hintz, who believes in making the smart choices on health care and corrections spending that save the state money, while investing in education and job creation. The choice for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin is clear.”

###

FYI: Gordon Hintz's potential opponent has come out in support of TABOR/TPA.

WCDP Press Release - TABOR/TPA Bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin

Winnebago County Democratic Party

Winnebago County Democratic Party * 224A Scott Avenue * Oshkosh, WI 54901

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jef Hall 920.203.6883
April 27, 2006 jef@jefhall.com

TABOR/TPA Bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin
OSHKOSH – As Republicans in the State Legislature debate writing fiscal policy into the state constitution, leaders in Winnebago County have already made it clear that TPA/TABOR is bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin. On April 5, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard H. Wells testified against TABOR citing its negative impacts on the economy:

“After three TPA biennial budgets, UW Oshkosh could shrink 27% smaller instead of growing 12% larger as needed.....Citizens and elected officials together have cared for and defended and supported public higher education in Wisconsin for over a century. The TPA threatens to undo this public good, and it would be a great misfortune to let that happen on our watch. True taxpayer protection means protecting the public goods, such as the UW Universities.”

On March 4, Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris said in the Appleton Post Crescent:

“The revenue limits will be so tight that few local governments could afford to issue bonds at all. The impact of this provision is that no significant investment in infrastructure could occur without a referendum.....The inevitable decline in infrastructure would quickly make Wisconsin unattractive to businesses that might otherwise locate here. The slow continued degradation of roads and streets will prove frustrating to community residents.”

On April 16, Oshkosh City Manager Richard Wollangk discussed the negative impact TPA would have on development in the Oshkosh Northwestern:

Wollangk has called the TPA bad news since word of it first aired. It also limits a city's ability to borrow money for development-spurring projects like sewer extensions and new street construction. That debt would count against state-imposed revenue caps.

Bottom line – many officials fear the changes could bring vital, tax-generating development to a screeching halt.

"If that TPA amendment would see the light of day, and is approved by the voters of the state, you could be sure it would tie the hands of development," Wollangk said.

And on March 31, leaders from area human service agencies ADVOCAP, Clarity Care, and ARC Arc-Winnebago Disability Association raised concerns with the amendment to area legislators at a legislative forum sponsored by Clarity Care.

“Any legislator or candidate running for the legislature who is listening to leaders in Winnebago County should be against this irresponsible gimmick designed to allow legislators to avoid having to make tough choices” said Winnebago County Democratic Party Chair Jef Hall. “Government is a tough business. We elect people to make tough choices on public priorities. If our current representatives can’t do the job, it is time to elect someone who can, which is what we are going to do this November.”

Hall continued “There will be some clear choices for area voters this fall. Are we going to elect people who have already committed themselves to supporting race-to-the-bottom gimmicks like TABOR/TPA? Or are we going to get behind candidates such as 54th Assembly District candidate Gordon Hintz, who believes in making the smart choices on health care and corrections spending that save the state money, while investing in education and job creation. The choice for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin is clear.”

###

Aditional Note: Gordon Hintz's potential opponent has declared herself a TABOR Supporter.

Good Cartoon - GOP November Election Plans...

Notes from the April 25th County Board Meeting...

... are here and here.

(The first is the new member orientation notes- the second is the actual meeting.)

Just a Reminder to the General Public.....

While I think that those mini-FM transmitters that enable you to listen to your mp3 player through your car radio are a great idea...

Please remember that 88.1FM is a WPR station that a lot of people (myself included) enjoy. Please try to set your transmitter to a different frequency.

I was stuck next to some guy broadcasting pop-country tunes for several blocks, overpowering my (very interesting) talk program.

Come on guys... Check the frequency you select... Tech is a great thing, use it in everyone's interest...

Good News:

News briefs: Kavanaugh new school board president
Dennis Kavanaugh was chosen unanimously as the new president of the Oshkosh School Board Monday night. Amy Weinsheim, beginning her second term on the board, was voted in as vice president, also unanimously. Karen Bowen was re-elected as clerk. Tom McDermott, who was the school board president, was chosen as treasurer.

Petri & Travel: Only if no one is watching!

Niel Wright, a Petri spokesman, said: "Office policy is probably stricter now while the debate goes on in Congress over what's appropriate and what isn't."

Petri traveled heavily on privately sponsored trips in the same period a year earlier: to Paris, Tokyo, New York City and Florida, and, at taxpayer expense, to France and England.

Wright said "no specific decision" had led Petri to forgo trips more recently.

Quote of the Day, Abraham Lincoln Edition

The issue of preventive war as a presidential prerogative is hardly new. In February 1848 Rep. Abraham Lincoln explained his opposition to the Mexican War: "Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose -- and you allow him to make war at pleasure . . . If, today, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, 'I see no probability of the British invading us'; but he will say to you, 'Be silent; I see it, if you don't.' "

Petri:Gas Indexing is Good... And the Republican Party is Controlled by Milwaukee Talk Radio...

GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Petri said today it was "unfortunate" that Wisconsin state lawmakers ended automatic gas tax indexing to keep “a couple of talk show guys happy,” adding the move could hurt the state in the long run.