Pet Peeve...

As I have mentioned before, 88.1 is a real radio station. In fact, NPR's Week in Review is one of my favorite hour of information weekly.

Therefore, if you are enjoying your IPOD by listening to it through your car stereo, please select a station that is not a real radio station in this area.

When your red Saturn Coupe pulls up next to me on De Pere Street in Menasha, I do not want to listen to your IPOD. I want to listen to NPR. Remember, there are people outside of your car that are being broadcast to as well.

Kids these days...

Quote of the day: Sucking Edition

From the Shepherd Express:

The Republican campaign for attorney general has officially deteriorated to the third-grade level of “You suck!”—“I don’t suck!” The only thing left for the candidates to do is to toilet paper each other’s yards.

Also:

Republicans didn’t even bother to field a candidate against Democratic U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl. It’s starting to look as if the same is true in the attorney general’s race.

Dean Kaufert Chases Gays From the UW

Promising UW researcher leaving over domestic partner benefits
RYAN J. FOLEY
Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. - A promising University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who has won millions of dollars in grants says he is leaving the school, citing its lack of health insurance benefits for his domestic partner.

Rob Carpick, associate professor of engineering, said he will depart for the University of Pennsylvania, which offers domestic partner benefits, at the end of the year. He's taking with him a research portfolio that has won $3.4 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, branches of the U.S. military and private companies since 2000.

"After six and one-half years of working very hard, I found it's problematic to work in an environment where you are not treated equally," Carpick, 37, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Fortunately there are other entities that are more enlightened than the state of Wisconsin on this issue and the University of Pennsylvania is one of them."

UW-Madison Provost Patrick Farrell said Wednesday that Carpick, the winner of prestigious teaching and research awards for young scholars, was among the university's top young researchers in nanotechnology, an area the school is trying to expand.
...
Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, defended the Legislature's decision to reject Doyle's plan, citing the estimated $500,000 per year cost of the benefits at a time the state has budget problems. He said Carpick's departure was unfortunate but the next person may be able to secure as many grants.

"It's too bad that we may lose a good person here or there but I do not see a mass exodus from the University of Wisconsin over this one issue," said Kaufert, co-chairman of the Legislature's budget committee.

Six lesbian couples and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state last year in an attempt to obtain the benefits. That lawsuit is spending.

Carpick wrote to Kaufert last year trying to persuade lawmakers to adopt the benefits by noting that he generates the amount of money per year in grants the benefits would cost. He said he was angered by the Legislature's decision.

"It says, 'we don't want your kind here'," he wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Well, other places do want us and are willing to offer the respect and dignity, and so, with sadness, we're leaving."

Xoff is on a Roll

He has 2 great posts on Mark Green:

Green cuts and runs from Iraq caucus

Congressman Mark Green has cut and run from the Victory in Iraq Caucus he co-chairs in the House of Representatives.

Someone much more familiar with Green's House webpage than I says that the caucus used to be featured on his official House website. There was a link with an Iraqi flag with "Victory in Iraq" on it.

On his website today, there is literally no mention of his being the co-chair, or even being a member of the caucus.

And points out that when it comes to reducing crime in Milwaukee:

A statement released by Green's campaign, however, did not provide any details on how Green would tackle crime in the city, nor did it provide a measuring stick for success, such as a particular reduction in the murder rate or crime rate.

November Is the Time to Move Past the Paulus Era

Winnebago County Democratic Party:
November Is the Time to Move Past the Paulus Era

Oshkosh - In response to the announcement of final charges against former Winnebago County Republican District Attorney Joseph Paulus, Winnebago County Democratic Party Chair Jef Hall remarked: “November will be the perfect time to move past the Paulus era by electing a Democrat with no links to his corrupt office.”

“As the Department of Justice’s statement indicated, it was the former Winnebago County Republican Party Chair who provided nearly $50,000 in bribes to his Party’s District Attorney.” Hall continued.

Hall pointed out areas of the report indicating of the former Republican Chair’s conviction and probation for filing false tax information in the scandal.

“The Northwestern coverage also mentions the former Republican Party Chair admitted bribing his District Attorney many more times than the 20 cases the FBI investigated. This illegal activity included extortion and laundered campaign contributions by the two top Winnebago County Republicans at the time.” Hall continued.

“There is only one way I see to get past this shameful chapter in our county’s history. In November, the voters of Winnebago County need to resoundingly elect a Democrat with no connection with either Paulus’ corrupt office or party. We need a District Attorney with a broad resume outside of Paulus’ corrupt office, and outside of the Republican party.”

Hall concluded, “Joe Manske is that candidate. His experience in the Outagamie County prosecutor’s office as well as his years in private practice has prepared him for the job of District Attorney. His moral fiber and independence from the Winnebago County Republican DA scandals of the past make him the candidate we need in November.”

The Sub-Headline Says It All

Health Hazards:
How mounting medical costs are plunging more families into debilitating debt and why insurance doesn’t always keep them out of bankruptcy.

MSNBC has this report on the state of healthcare in America:

Health-care debts typically play a role in about half of the approximately 1.5 million bankruptcies filed in the United States each year, according to Harvard researchers Elizabeth Warren and David U. Himmelstein. And, like the Jacksons, 75 percent of those who declare medical bankruptcy have health insurance at the onset of the illness that ultimately helped to push them over the financial edge, according to the Harvard research.
...
Today, 46 million Americans are uninsured. And 53 percent of adults who were uninsured at any time during 2005 reported medical debt or bill problems, according to a Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance survey this spring. But medical debt is not limited to the uninsured. One-fifth of working-age adults, both insured and uninsured, currently have medical debt they're paying off over time; and three of five adults with medical bills or debt problems said they were insured at the time the debt was incurred, according to the Commonwealth survey.
...
The solution: universal health insurance, says Warren. "Bankruptcy is a Band-Aid. It doesn't solve the underlying problem." Himmelstein, her Harvard colleague, agrees. "It needs to be coverage that continues whether or not you're sick, whether or not you're working," he says. "If you're in an auto accident today and can't work for six months, how many Americans could actually withstand that as a disaster in their lives?" Too many Americans lack a safety cushion for expensive medical costs. "There are just so many people who live so on the edge that medical emergencies can just spin them over that edge," says Brett Williams, author of "Debt for Sale: A Social History of the Credit Trap." "They skimp on things that are ultimately cheaper, like screenings. Or diabetics will skimp on insulin. Then amputations end up being so much more expensive."

The elderly are particularly hard hit because they often lack a significant income at the same time that they need more medical care and more medication. "They've got high fixed expenses, and they don't have lots of income," says Skeel. Medicare provides prescription drug coverage-but with a huge gap called the "donut hole," which forces seniors to pay 100 percent of the costs of their drugs between $2,250 and $5,100 in purchases in a year.

Kathryn Lopez, 67, and her husband, Conrad, 68, spend at least $150 a month on prescriptions, though they pay $260 for Medicare with a supplement. The couple now owes $47,000—despite starting their retirement with $135,000 in savings. They're in the hole largely because of large co-pays and uncovered expenses for a series of surgeries, including an operation to remove Kathryn's esophagus because of cancer and to replace Conrad's hips. He works as a restaurant manager, and she runs a bed-and-breakfast out of their home in Canyon City, Colo., but their income isn't enough to pay their medical bills.
...
Often medical bankruptcies are the result of an illness or injury combined with the loss of a job. That's why even non-catastrophic medical problems often lead to catastrophic financial results. The median medical debt for the people in the Harvard survey: $11,000. One man in the study needed knee surgery. His insurance paid for it—but didn't cover his rehab, his drugs or his crutches. He wound up with $12,000 in out-of-pocket expenses—a problem "when you're making $40,000 and living pretty close to the edge," says Warren.

Of course, many people do not want to file for bankruptcy, even when faced with astronomical medical debts. "For every family that ends up with a medical bankruptcy, there are many more hanging on by their fingernails, selling the home, cashing out the pension, trying to make the payments for the medical care they received," says Warren. And while bankruptcy is designed to give people a fresh start, it's not much help when an expensive medical problem is ongoing. Warren recalls telling a couple whose hemophiliac child had contracted AIDS that they shouldn't file for bankruptcy until the child died.
...
Thomas Mason, 67, says he hasn't filed "because of the cost." Mason, who had a heart attack when he was 51, says it's tough to land a job with insurance at his age and with his health history. So he works full-time as an assistant manager for a small grocery chain that doesn't offer insurance. Meanwhile, he suffers from an enlarged heart and enlarged prostate and needs surgery on both legs for blockages and varicose veins. His wife, Brenda, 52, is a type II diabetic and can't work because her health is so poor. So they squeak by on his income of $25,000 to $27,000 a year—hardly enough to pay their $12,000 to $15,000 annual expenses for doctors' visits and medicine, including insulin. Of their $12,000 in debt, $9,000 is owed to doctors. "I never lived lavishly," he says. "The things in our apartment have either been given to us, or we get at garage sales or Goodwill or Salvation Army." Unfortunately, they may be able to get free clothes—but not free medical care.

Scot Ross is Right On Elections:

"We need elections that are fair and clean and Mark Green is standing in the way," said Ross. "No one is more concerned than I am about keeping someone who doesn't have the right to vote out of the ballot box. The only thing that concerns me more is any eligible voter being denied his or her Constitutional right to vote."
...

"With what a miserable failure Green and the Bush Administration have been, it's no wonder Mark Green's top priority is keeping people out of the voting booths," said Ross. "We've got skyrocketing gas prices, out-of-control health care costs and a mess in Iraq yet Mark Green's priorities are keeping people from voting and pleasing his extremist special interest pals."

Something Lieberman could learn from Republicans:

“We expected to win, we didn’t win, so we’ll support the nominee,” Murkowski said after arriving at election headquarters to concede.

Bush: Iraq has nothing to do with 9/11

He seems to be losing it here - transcript:

BUSH: The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East.
QUESTION: What did Iraq have to do with it?
BUSH: What did Iraq have to do with what?
QUESTION: The attack on the World Trade Center.
BUSH: Nothing. Except it’s part of — and nobody has suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a — Iraq — the lesson of September 11th is take threats before they fully materialize, Ken. Nobody’s ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq.

Winnebago County Dems Proudly Welcome Jessica Doyle

Winnebago County Dems Proudly Welcome Jessica Doyle
Annual Corn Roast Saturday, August 26th

The Winnebago County Democratic Party is proud to welcome Wisconsin’s First Lady Jessica Doyle as the honored guest at this weekend’s event.

“It is an honor to have Mrs. Doyle at our annual corn roast.” said Winnebago Dems Chair Jef Hall. “It shows the statewide interest there is in this fall’s elections here in Winnebago County.

“On the heals of recent visits by both of our Senators, Mrs. Doyle’s visit will continue to highlight the successes we have seen in Winnebago County”

The Annual Winnebago County Corn Roast is Saturday, August 26th from 1-5PM. Jessica Doyle
will be speaking at 2:00PM with other state and local candidates following.

The Corn Roast is at Winnebago County Park. It is located on the corner of Hwy 76 & Y, just south of 41 – across Hwy Y from the fairgrounds. The cost to attend is $5 and includes hot dogs, beverages and all the Allen corn you can eat! The public is welcome.

Bucher Does Suck...

Milwaukee Rising has the details.

He's not so good at his job in Waukesha.

Bucher: "Support Me, I'll Lose to Peg or Kathy by Less!"

This is the definition of desperation:

In a head-to-head match-up with incumbent Peg Lautenschlager, Bucher is merely 6 points away from the incumbent (41%-35), with the margin of error at plus or minus 4 percentage points. He would defeat Lautenschlager with male voters (40%-37). In contrast, Van Hollen loses to Lautenschlager by 20 points
(42%-22).

If that is the best spin they can put on it, this poll and press release tells me if I were a Republican, I'd put my money and energy into a different race.

Now the race is just to see which Democrat will win in November.

I don't know if anyone saw the debate between the two jokers (they both suck, by the way) on PBS ? They were asked how conservative they are, on a scale of 1-10. Tweedledee said he was an 8, while Tweedledum said, in essence, "Oh yea, well I'm a 9!" (I forget which said which, I believe I was making potato'e' salad at the time for a family picnic).

How is this an election strategy. They are fighting to be the farthest out there from the mainstream, yet hope to then secure 51% of the vote in November.

As a proud Democrat, I would like to thank the RPW for these two guys.

Update - Yet another reason Bucher sucks... And here...

Quote of the Day: WAC Edition

From a release from the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities, I can only assume they are talking about a certain Rep. Green:

Then the candidate who wants to return from Washington to teach us fiscal conservatism which is like coming from Iraq to teach political moderation) claims he will introduce a real freeze. At what cost? The end of economic development and loss of thousands of jobs.

More:

So here is my request. Tell your homeowners and voters to ask state candidates for two promises. First, I'll stop hurting you. Second, I'll tell you the truth. Local officials live under the laws set by the governor and the state legislature. They control what you do and how much revenue you will have to do it with. I wonder when collectively they will take responsibility for their actions.

I can tell you we have allies in the state legislature. They belong to both parties. I hope the public sends more like them. You know the kind. People who won't shift property taxes from manufacturers and other special interests to homeowners. People who will reject new non-funded mandated spending.

Could These Be Related?

NYTimes - Aug 10th:

Detroit's Answer to $3-$4 Gas: New Muscle Cars

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Aug. 9 - As gasoline prices surge past $3 a gallon in most of the country and closer to $4 in some cities, sales figures show Americans are snapping up small cars that go easier on fuel and on their wallets.

But none of the smallest cars are designed or developed by Detroit companies, which in the face of high gas prices are now highlighting another kind of automobile not usually thought of as energy efficient: the muscle car.

Ford Motor said Wednesday that it planned to build a 325-horsepower version of the Ford Shelby GT. It also plans a big luxury car, the Lincoln MKS, which will become the struggling brand's flagship sedan. The announcement came at an industry conference here sponsored by the Center for Automotive Research.

MSNBC - AUG 18th:

Ford to slash production amid sales slump
Report: Ailing automaker seeks to accelerate turnaround plan

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. on Friday announced sharp cuts in its North American production that would force it to partially shut down plants in the United States and Canada in the fourth quarter.

The company said fourth-quarter production would be down 21 percent, or 168,000 units, from last year. Third-quarter production will be 20,000 units below what was previously announced.

For the full year, Ford plans to produce about 9 percent fewer vehicles than last year.

George Will: John Kerry was Right About Fighting Terrorism in 2004

What too him so long?

The London plot against civil aviation confirmed a theme of an illuminating new book, Lawrence Wright's "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11." The theme is that better law enforcement, which probably could have prevented Sept. 11, is central to combating terrorism. F-16s are not useful tools against terrorism that issues from places such as Hamburg (where Mohamed Atta lived before dying in the North Tower of the World Trade Center) and High Wycombe, England.

Cooperation between Pakistani and British law enforcement (the British draw upon useful experience combating IRA terrorism) has validated John Kerry's belief (as paraphrased by the New York Times Magazine of Oct. 10, 2004) that "many of the interdiction tactics that cripple drug lords, including governments working jointly to share intelligence, patrol borders and force banks to identify suspicious customers, can also be some of the most useful tools in the war on terror." In a candidates' debate in South Carolina (Jan. 29, 2004), Kerry said that although the war on terror will be "occasionally military," it is "primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation that requires cooperation around the world."

"Pigs Fly"

Jamir Wall has a good add out there - see it here.

Will the PA Greens Give the Money Back Now?

Text and links from the Center for American Progress:

SANTORUM WITHDRAWS SUPPORT FOR GAY AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS:

Last month, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and a member of his staff met with Adrien Shanker and three other college students representing the gay rights group Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC). Following the meeting, Santorum posed with the students for a picture and signed a statement saying "sexual orientation and gender identity...is not a consideration in the hiring, promoting or terminating of an employee in my office." GenderPAC praised the senator for the move, stating it "puts him in good company with 169 other Members of Congress who have signed this statement." But yesterday, Santorum's office faxed the group a statement withdrawing his support. "To be clear, myoffice has not adopted the proposed 'diversity statement' nor the agenda of your organization," their office said in a fax.
"My name should no longer be reported as having adopted the 'diversity
statement.'" Shanker said he was "frustrated" with Santorum's "flip-flopped message."

Quote of the Day

“If you landed here from Mars and looked at Congress’s agenda,” said Jared Bernstein, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, “you’d think that the problem in America is that rich people don’t have enough money.”

Endorsement Raises More Questions on Campaign Reform Survey

Endorsement Raises More Questions on Campaign Reform Survey
Anti-reform group backs Pung Leschke

OSHKOSH – The recent endorsement of Republican Assembly candidate Julie Pung Leschke by an organization that publicly opposes election reform calls into question the candidate’s true position on clean government. It also contradicts her original response on why she failed to answer the League of Women Voter’s reform survey.

When asked by the Oshkosh Northwestern why she failed to fill out a six question survey on political reform distributed by three non-partisan groups, including the League, Pung Leschke, a former County Board Supervisor, said “I have surveys piled up a mile high.”

The ignored survey was distributed by the League of Women Voters, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and Common Cause.

“For someone who says she doesn’t want to be a politician, this former elected official ducks questions with the ease of a veteran, out-of-touch legislator,” said Jef Hall, Chair of the Winnebago County Democratic Party. “We need candidates who are straight forward with voters about where they stand on key issues. Gordon Hintz has supported campaign and ethics reform since day one.”

Wisconsin Right to Life announced their endorsement of Julie Pung-Leschke last week after reviewing their completed candidate survey.

“She ignored a non-partisan, six-question, yes-or-no survey” said Jef Hall. “It is tough to believe that she found the time to return a survey from an anti-reform interest group but not the survey from the League of Women Voters, in which she claims membership. Who snubs the League of Women voters?”

When pressed for a position on campaign and ethics reform in Saturday’s Oshkosh Northwestern, Pung Leschke ducked the question and once again offered no position, stating “I will devote myself to making something happen.”

However, Wisconsin Right-to-Life, who vehemently opposes potential life saving stem cell research and emergency contraception for rape victims, also opposes campaign finance reform. In fact in their survey, they state they are “opposed to any legislation which would require a citizen organization to provide the State of Wisconsin with information related to their issue advocacy activities or information related to their organization.”

“It is not surprising to get some-double speak from a Republican Assembly candidate trying to appeal to voters who want reform, while not alienating right-wing interest groups and anti-reform legislators like Majority Leader Mike Huebsch who are backing her campaign,” said Hall.

2006 Wisconsin Right to Life Candidate Survey Questions on Campaign Reform:

Question 13:
Will you vote against legislation which would restrict or regulate the constitutional right of citizen groups (such as Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.) to engage in issue advocacy? (Please see enclosed explanation.)

Question 14:
Will you vote against legislation which would force Wisconsin taxpayers to fund the campaign expenses of candidates? (Please see enclosed explanation.)

13 explanation:
Various campaign finance reform proposals would place severe and unprecedented restrictions on the right of citizen organizations, like Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., to communicate with the public regarding the positions of those who hold or seek public office. Proposals such as these are gross infringements on a particular type of political speech, called issue advocacy.

Some argue that restrictions on issue advocacy are justified in order to diminish "special interest" influences. But "special interest" groups, like Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., are made up of ordinary citizens who come together in order to advance the policy positions they favor. In doing so, these citizens have chosen to exercise their First Amendment constitutional right to associate.

Wisconsin Right to Life is opposed to any legislation that would restrict or regulate in any way the dissemination by citizen organizations of printed or broadcast issue advocacy communications that comment on the positions and voting records of office holders and office seekers, including any restrictions on the timing, amount, or funding sources of such speech. Wisconsin Right to Life is also opposed to any legislation which would require a citizen organization to provide the State of Wisconsin with information related to their issue advocacy activities or information related to their organization.

14 explanation:
Some lawmakers lament the fact that an insufficient number of Wisconsin taxpayers "check off" the sum of one dollar on their state income tax forms to fund the campaign expenses of candidates. These lawmakers have proposed legislation that would force taxpayers to pay for these campaign expenses by using taxpayer dollars for this purpose. This would result in taxpayers being forced to pay for the campaigns of candidates they may not want elected or with whom they may strongly disagree on issues of importance to them. Members of Wisconsin Right to Life, for example, do not want to be put in the position of funding the campaign expenses of candidates who are pro-abortion or in favor of assisted suicide.

Wisconsin Right to Life opposes legislation that would allocate any taxpayer dollars to fund the campaign expenses of political candidates.

Champagne Wishes, Caviar Dreams, Winnebago Republicans

Above is an invite for the 'Champagne Reception' for Republican Candidate Julie Pung-Leshke.

Just like before, we have different plans...

We will be hosting our reception right downtown at the Roxy:

Please Join State Assembly Candidate - Gordon Hintz
with
special guest - U.S. Senator Herb Kohl

For a Reception
Monday, August 21st - Noon to 1 p.m.

The Roxy Supper Club
571 N. Main Street
Oshkosh

What Do Republicans Think of Members Who Support Campaign Finance Reform?

"She's (McCormick's) a nonentity," said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee to The Associated Press.

Wisconsin Uniting Against the Ban

Fair WI put out a good press release today overviewing the outpouring of support accross the board for people rights.

Last week, Wisconsin AFSCME PEOPLE Conference came out against the ban because it would endanger health care and retirement benefits for thousands of working families across the state. AFSCME, AFT Wisconsin, the state AFL-CIO, WEAC, CWA Wisconsin, and other labor and professional groups are offering financial support and people power to the effort.

This week, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce came out against the ban because of the harm it would do to the economy. Downtown Madison Inc. is also against the ban.

The Wisconsin Medical Society opposes the ban because it could interfere with health care issues like hospital visitation and medical decision-making.

The Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups opposes the ban because it would jeopardize legal arrangements for elderly couples who choose not to remarry after the death of a spouse. CWAG is providing educational information about the ban to its statewide members and affiliates.

The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin believes the ban goes against their principles of personal liberty and small government. Former gubernatorial candidate Ed Thompson speaks out often against the ban on his radio show in Tomah and at events around Wisconsin.

The Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA opposes the ban because it violates Christian principles that call on us to respect and love our neighbors. Numerous churches are organizing forums and volunteers to aid Fair Wisconsin’s efforts.

If you go to their website, they have a detailed list of support - it is an interesting group.

Evolution: The Oshkosh Northwestern is Right On

However, I bet the letters are about to be pouring in...

Editorial: Evolution debate not worthy of further energy
For a moment, let's consider some of the top issues facing the Oshkosh school system:

Adapting to a myriad of new state and federal education standards.

Finding money to fix aging buildings.

Crafting a long-range plan to address enrollment trends.

Engaging parents to get more involved in their children's homework and classrooms.

Working with the business community to graduate students with relevant job skills.

Preparing students for college.

Notice that you don't find the teaching of evolution as a critical or even tangential topic of discussion. That's because it is not relevant.

Sandra Gade, a retired physics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, is mounting a petition drive to ask the school board to change the way evolution is taught in high school biology classes.

Wisconsin law does not provide a mechanism for petition drives to force a vote on school curriculum issues unlike the municipal law that is behind the drive for a garbage fee referendum that could be placed on the November ballot in the city of Oshkosh.

The evolution petition drive is even less relevant when we consider the amount of time school officials have already spent on the issue.

District administrators met with Gade to listen to her concerns, reviewed the district's biology curriculum and textbooks, confirmed that Oshkosh's curriculum meets state and federal standards and consulted with UWO scientists on Gade's claims.

Moreover, Gade addressed the school board several times last spring during citizen comment portions of board meetings.

The issue has had more than it's fair share of discussion.

The school board and the community can safely move on and address the issues of far greater importance to the future of our schools.

The Final Thought: Oshkosh school officials have appropriately addressed concerns about the biology instruction in city schools. It is time to move on.

New County Board Agenda is Up

Details at Winnebago17 - My Winnebago County Board Blog.

Mark Green: Environmental Incident in Alaska Means We Need to Stop Caring for Wisconsin's

From NPR:

Workers are cleaning up more than 200,000 gallons of oil that leaked last week from a pipeline in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. It's the largest oil spill ever on Alaska's North Slope, and it has added fuel to debates over the wisdom of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Mark Green's solution:

Yesterday, Mark and his good friend – Congressman Paul Ryan – urged the Environmental Protection Agency to waive the reformulated gas requirement in Wisconsin due to an announcement about a supply disruption in Alaska. Mark said:

Wisconsinites have been feeling the burden of unfair gasoline regulations for far too long. With the potential for yet another spike in oil prices in the coming days, the EPA should immediately take steps to bring relief to Wisconsin motorists.

So according to Mark Green, because of 200,000 barrels of oil have been spilled into Alaska's tundru, we need to allow more polutant into Wisconsin skies, streams and lakes.

Working at Mid-East Peace, Then and Now

Kristof in the NYTimes:

Sandy Berger, the former national security adviser, says that when he was flying by helicopter to the Israeli-Palestinian talks at Camp David in 2000, President Clinton turned to him and said, “We’re either going to succeed or get caught trying.” In other words, even if the effort to achieve a Middle East peace failed, there would still be a payoff for the U.S. in the court of global public opinion.

“We used to get criticized all the time for being too tough on the Palestinians, on the Arabs,” said Dennis Ross, a Middle East envoy for both President Clinton and the first President Bush. “But nobody ever accused us of not being passionate about trying to resolve the conflict. We got enormous credit for that, because we showed we weren’t indifferent to a core grievance in the region. It’s been an enormous mistake in the last few years to send a message of indifference.”

He also points out:

The Tyndall Report, which monitors television network evening news programs, says that since the bombardment of Lebanon began, the crisis there has received more minutes of coverage on average each week than the Darfur genocide has received in total since it began in 2003.

Oh, to be 33 forever...

And sharing a birthday with me today are (from the NYTimes):

The Edge turns 45 years old today.

74 - Mel Tillis - Country singer
69 - Dustin Hoffman - Actor
67 - Phil Balsley - Country singer (The Statler Brothers)
59 - Larry Wilcox - Actor (''CHiPS'')
57 - Keith Carradine - Actor
48 - Deborah Norville - TV personality
45 - Rikki Rockett - Rock musician (Poison)
44 - Kool Moe Dee - Rapper
30 - JC Chasez - Singer ('N Sync)
30 - Drew Lachey - Singer (98 Degrees)
25 - Roger Federer - Tennis Player

For the Record

Al Gore - September 23, 2002:

"Now, here's another of the main points I want to make: If we quickly succeed in a war against the weakened and depleted fourth-rate military of Iraq, and then quickly abandon that nation, as President Bush has quickly abandoned almost all of Afghanistan after defeating a fifth-rate military power there, then the resulting chaos in the aftermath of a military victory in Iraq could easily pose a far greater danger to the United States than we presently face from Saddam.

Newsweek CW Nails Bush

Bush:
Mideast policy's a flop, his generals say we're losing and now he's in Crawford. Come home and fix things.

Also:

Cong. GOPs:
Typical election-year scam: Crumbs for the workers, but only if super-rich get billions. Not this time, fellas.

Ethics Reform: Weekend Catch-Up Edition

Well, it looks like there were several interesting stories in the local news about ethics over the weekend.

I would have blogged them, but I was in beautiful Grant Park, Chicago for the Lollapooloza Festival. (Quick synopsis - Best Stageshow: The Flaming Lips - Best Performance: The Hold Steady - Best Band I Had Never Heard Of: Panic! at the Disco - Best Cover: Britney's 'Toxic' by Nickel Creek - Surprise of the Festival: Perry Farrell doing children's songs, and Kanye West is as good as he says he is)

The Oshkosh Northwestern covered Julie Pung-Leshke's inability to answer 6 questions for the League of Women Voter's here (my press release, which is mentioned is here):

Winnebago County Democrats are criticizing 54th Assembly Republican candidate Julie Pung Leschke for not responding to a series of issues-based, ethics and campaign reform questions distributed around the state and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Pung Leschke noted on her election Web site she is a member of the organization.

"She's been running for the State Assembly for almost seven months and voters still don't know where she stands on nearly every important issue in this race," said Jef Hall, chairman of the Winnebago County Democratic Party in a statement.

But Pung Leschke said the only reason she hasn't replied is because she is a first-time candidate swamped with surveys and knocking on doors.

"I have surveys piled up a mile high," Pung Leschke said.
...
Pung Leschke said it's "just a matter of time" before she responds.

How much time? Sorry, but that doesn't hold water for several reasons. One, she did fill out some surveys, ones she must have felt were more important than the League of Women Voters. And, should she win, as a Legislator in Madison, she will need to be a great multi-tasker and able to make sure she communicates with her constituents as well as does all of the duties and study of an informed Representative. If she cannot find time to answer 6 yes/no questions as a candidate, what will she do as an elected official?

The Northwestern then followed up with an editorial on Sunday:

That recent survey of state candidates for office on Wisconsin political reform issues should have been a no-brainer of the first degree.

Politics 101 teaches that candidates answer surveys because it's free advertising for their positions. Some politicians aren't going to get a passing grade, however. Assembly District 54 Assembly candidates Julie Pung Leschke and Larry Didlo didn't reply to the "Fall 2006 Government Ethics Voter Guide Questionnaire."

District 53 state Rep. Carol Owens, R-town of Nekimi, said she would refuse to reply.

What's up here? Why did these three people avoid giving answers? Is this an indicator of how they will act if elected to the 2007-'09 term in the state Assembly?
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Frankly, the refusal to answer survey questions surprises this editorial board. Pung Leshke strongly advocated greater accountability when she was a Winnebago County supervisors. Owens should know by now how to fill out a survey. Didlo has asked for voter trust in past campaigns.

If these three candidates are as smart as they want people to think they are, they each will find a way to finish that survey.

But voters shouldn't let them off the hook. Voters should make sure that the six questions on the survey become the most common questions these candidates must answer.

The bottom line here is that constituents are entitled to know where political candidates stand when the issue is a statewide survey prepared by non-partisan interests.

With few reasonable exceptions, candidates who don't answer six survey questions probably shouldn't be in office in the first place.

I agree...