In case you are interested in the America/Europe Debate:

The Great Powers of Europe, Redefined

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/opinion/17gartonash.html?oref=login&th

I think that Europe has spreading democracy right in this case.

They have proven that you can change governments with the carrot not the stick. Something Bush needs to learn.

The great Paul Krugman once again saying it better than me:

Buying Into Failure

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/opinion/17krugman.html?oref=login&oref=login

Excerpts:

In particular, the public hasn't been let in on two open secrets:

Privatization dissipates a large fraction of workers' contributions on fees to investment companies.
It leaves many retirees in poverty.

More than 99 percent of Social Security's revenues go toward benefits, and less than 1 percent for overhead. In Chile's system, management fees are around 20 times as high. And that's a typical number for privatized systems.

In Britain, which has had a privatized system since the days of Margaret Thatcher, alarm over the large fees charged by some investment companies eventually led government regulators to impose a "charge cap." Even so, fees continue to take a large bite out of British retirement savings.

A reasonable prediction for the real rate of return on personal accounts in the U.S. is 4 percent or less. If we introduce a system with British-level management fees, net returns to workers will be reduced by more than a quarter. Add in deep cuts in guaranteed benefits and a big increase in risk, and we're looking at a "reform" that hurts everyone except the investment industry.

Advocates insist that a privatized U.S. system can keep expenses much lower. It's true that costs will be low if investments are restricted to low-overhead index funds - that is, if government officials, not individuals, make the investment decisions.

So the Bush administration wants to scrap a retirement system that works, and can be made financially sound for generations to come with modest reforms. Instead, it wants to buy into failure, emulating systems that, when tried elsewhere, have neither saved money nor protected the elderly from poverty.

Then, go here and buy a t-shirt that will let everyone know who has it right (mine comes in on Monday):

http://www.cafepress.com/ninjasfordean.9396884

What are we teaching our children about who to look up to?

Miller to Honor Swift Boat Vets' Group

The American Conservative Union on Thursday announced it has tapped Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., to present the "Courage Under Fire" award to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth at the Conservative Political Action Conference's Feb. 18 banquet.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=703&e=2&u=/ap/20041216/ap_on_go_co/miller_swift_boat


Pres. Bush awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tenet, Bremer, Franks

It's the president's latest answer to criticism of his Iraq policy. Tuesday's Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients are former CIA chief George Tenet, former head of the US Authority in Iraq Paul Bremer and former CentComm Commander Tommy Franks. All three men were central to the president's policy in Iraq.

President Bush said, "These three men symbolize the nobility of public service the good character of our country and the good influence of America on the world."

Tenet has been criticized for intelligence lapses leading to the attacks on September 11th, 2001. It was Tenet who said the case for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was a slam dunk.
Bremer oversaw creation of the interim Iraqi government. His decision to disband the Iraqi army after the US invasion is widely seen as a factor in the ongoing unrest.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor.

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2689817

No politics for this one, just want anyone in the blogosphere to know that the Nada's are a great band.

I am just back from my third time seeing them live.

Check them out at:

http://www.thenadas.com/

-jef-

I have a solution for the Rumsfeld problem

It is no secret that I am enamored with Janeane Garofalo. So in my regular searches for new Janeane news, I found this virulent anti-Janeane site:

http://www.dynamictruth.com/enemies/garofalo.html

This site is particularly upset with Janeane because of a March 7th O'Reilly interview in which she makes some wild, unpatriotic accusations about our upcoming war with Saddam.

Some out-takes:

"Bill O'Reilly asked Garofalo, "If you are wrong... and if the United States - and they will, this is going to happen - goes in, liberates Iraq [with] people in the street, American flags, hugging our soldiers... you gonna apologize to George W. Bush?"

"Garofalo replied, "I would be so willing to say, 'I'm sorry.' I hope to God that I can be made a buffoon of, that people will say, 'You were wrong. You were a fatalist.' And I will go to the White House on my knees on cut glass and say, 'Hey, you and Thomas Friedman were right... I shouldn't have doubted you.'"

"Garofalo claims that our military - the best military the world has ever seen - will kill 100,000 Iraqi civilians in this next war."

Let's see, according to Janeane, the Iraq War will result in 100,000+ Iraqi casualties, we will not be welcomed as liberators, and the post-war will be difficult.

Now, on March 6th, 2003; Janeane Garofalo knew more about the future of the Iraq conflict than our President, out Vice-President and our Secretary of Defense.

I say, fire Rumsfeld & hire Garofalo. She'll do a better job.

Social Security Reform:

This is from MSNBC's coverage of the 'summit' today:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6718105/

"As the huge Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age beginning in about 2010, Social Security faces a shortfall projected at $3.7 trillion over the next 75 years."

WOW! $3.7 trillion over 75 years, that's a lot of money!!! We better do something right away to save Social Security.

I AGREE WITH BUSH THAT WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO END THIS SHORTFALL!

Here's my proposal:

3.7 trillion / 75 years = $49.3 billion per year

$49.3 billion / 270 million Americans = $182.72

That's right, we can save Social Security, perhaps the most successful Government program in history if each of us merely kicks in $182.72 per year.

It is not broke, do not fix it.

Sign of the times:

Steinbeck’s hometown closing all its libraries

“Unfortunately part of the $8 million solution is the $3 million library program,” Salinas City Manager David Mora said in an interview on Wednesday. “But in addition to the libraries we are not hiring police officers, we are closing recreation centers, we are making further reductions in maintenance services.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719008/

I wonder if they could afford more property tax cuts for their wealthy. To many people say this is an expenditure problem, I say when you say you can't afford police and libraries, you have a tax collection problem.

This is sickening:

As if Rep. Petri's ties to Walgreen's through his huge ownership of stock was not conflict of interest enough, now his allies in passing the Medicare Drug rip-off are cashing in as well:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/16/politics/16drug.html

Some selected lines:

"Representative Billy Tauzin, a principal author of the new Medicare drug law, will become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the chief lobby for brand-name drug companies, the trade group announced Wednesday."

"Drug makers said that the job was not a reward for Mr. Tauzin's (I have found that when they say something is not something, that is exactly what it is... -jef-) work on the Medicare bill, which followed the industry's specifications in many respects. The law was signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, a few weeks before a lawyer for Mr. Tauzin began talks with the drug trade group."

"Mr. Tauzin (pronounced TOE-zan) and Mr. White refused to discuss Mr. Tauzin's new salary, except to say it was comparable to the pay at other large trade associations. People at other trade groups said they believed that Mr. Tauzin would receive $2 million a year or more."

"Representative Pete Stark of California, the senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, said: "As a member of Congress, Billy negotiated a large payout to the pharmaceutical industry by the federal government. He's now about to receive one of the largest salaries ever paid to any advocate by an industry.""

"Mr. Tauzin wrote large parts of the new Medicare law as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and as a member of the conference committee that hashed out differences between the House and the Senate in four months of intense negotiations last year."

"The law steers clear of price controls and price regulation, which are anathema to drug companies. The law forbids the government to negotiate with drug manufacturers to secure lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries. "

Why are we disillusioned with our government? This is shamefull.

I'm listening to Joe Jackson right now and the best line just came up. It's in his song 'Rant and Rave'

"Instead of using the force of example, we use the example of force."

A truer sentiment for the times......

Ralph Nader begs Micheal Moore for Money.....

http://www.counterpunch.org/nader12082004.html

Funny letter from Nader to Moore. He bags on Moore for the letter and then tells him that he can make up for his 'sin' of supporting the Democratic Party by giving Nader and his supporters money.

You're a multi-millionaire as well, Ralph......

You both can give to jef4wi here:

http://www.jef4wi.com/contribute.html

I'm poor.

I am not keepin it a secret that I support Jeff Rammelt for Chair of the State Party.

It looks like Ed Garvey just might agree with me:

http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?PostID=1007

GarveyBlogby
Ed Garvey

December 11, 2004

Dems want two for one?The Wisconsin Democratic Party has many strengths, but nearly all of them reside at the county level--Price, Rusk, Douglas, Washburn, Dane and others. But the top-down, insider-ruled state party is the scourge of those who seek office.

The state party is little more than a conduit for in-state and out-of-state campaign contributions. The party does little in terms of recruitment, training and funding for non-incumbent candidates, but they love to have lots and lots of meetings. Just try to reach one of them on the phone.

It has been more than a decade since Dems picked up more legislative seats in an election cycle than they lost. Even this year, with all the enthusiasm of the presidential primary and election, the Republicans gained seats. Now the Assembly and Senate are dangerously close to being veto-proof, and that means concealed weapons, reduced services, and more.

There has been no grass-roots strategy, no involvement in battles to save our environment or to stop Wal-Mart, little tolerance of outsiders in the heady atmosphere of the state party headquarters. The closed atmosphere surrouding the governor's office is a reflection of the closed party which has been dominated for 20 years by Madison incumbents.

The anwer to this problem? Lobbyist and former legislator Joe Wineke and current chair Linda Honold will run as a team. Whoa Nelly! Where can we get the yard signs? When things are going badly, why not more of the same?

Sad, but so true....

http://theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4049

The Great Paul Krugman on Social Security Privatization:

"Once you realize that privatization really means government borrowing to speculate on stocks, it doesn't sound too responsible, does it? "

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/10/opinion/10krugman.html?oref=login&th

This is where we need to stake our ground and not allow passage. Write your Congress Members....

I love reading "BUSTED _ Tales From Police Beat" in the local college paper.

http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11112&story=3460

I noticed these 2 and thought it was pretty funny, yet sad....

Nov. 30, 2004
1:27 a.m. – An officer responded to a report of a male passed out in the stairwell of Donner Hall. The officer found the male to be awake upon arrival but intoxicated. UW-Oshkosh student Paul Satterlee, 20, was cited for underage drinking.

Dec. 2, 2004
12:48 a.m. – A Webster Hall Community Adviser requested officers to respond to two males causing a disturbance outside of Donner Hall. The males were yelling and pounding on doors and windows outside of the hall. Investigating officers found that an underage drinking party in the hall, where two students were celebrating their 21st birthday, was the cause of the disturbance. UW-Oshkosh students Meghan Gilles, 18 and Paul Satterlee, 20 were cited for underage drinking, while Alexander Moss, 21, was cited for disorderly conduct. Student Adam Paulke, 21, was cited for knowingly permitting underage consumption on the premises, and student Bradley Champine, 19, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Now, I do not know who this Paul Satterlee guy is, but looking him up online, he has anothe 3-4 underage busts as well.

Now, in college, before I was 21, I was known to throw down a few beers, but I never once got an underage. Much less 5 or 6.

By all means, party, but party responsibly for heck's sake.

Also, read this:

Car hits students crossing onto Algoma Blvd.
http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11112&story=3455

Jake (aka Box) is my rookie from my rugby team, wish him well if you know him.

(p.s. do you think that turning off streetlights will help the situation.....?)

AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT SEES THE STUPIDITY HERE:

University vandalism costly

Five UW-Oshkosh signs have been stolen or vandalized in separate incidents, costing the university approximately $12,500 within the last year and raising its insurance premium.

http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11112&story=3456

AND:

When the lights go down in the city

Hundreds of streetlights are being removed to cut costs

http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11112&story=3465

Here is a great reason for Dems to stick with the "NO" strategy for the next few years.

Let's make sure we become a true opposition party:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A41818-2004Dec6

"Remember Bill Clinton's 1993 economic plan that put the United States on the path to budget surpluses? It passed without a single Republican vote. Republicans predicted doom for the economy. In 1994 Republicans went after Democrats who had voted for Clinton's tax increases. They took back the House of Representatives and the Senate, and paid no price when their predictions of catastrophe proved dead wrong. "

This logic holds even in the messy scandal over the Oil-for-Food Program, a badly managed affair surrounded by corruption. But who designed the Oil-for-Food Program? The United States and Britain. They wrote the rules that allowed Saddam Hussein to choose his trading partners, banks and consultants. They vetted every one of the 30,000 contracts that passed through the program. They held up 5,000 over concerns about materials that could be used for weapons of mass destruction, but not one over concerns about corruption. Saddam's major revenues actually came from smuggling, which was an activity the United Nations was not mandated to stop. The only ones who could have stopped it were the ones with military force in the region—the United States and Britain. The truth is that Washington—during both the Clinton and the Bush years—cared little about Iraq's corruption. It cared only about its weapons.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6653227/site/newsweek/

Great points made in this article.

Triin Tael, who was out with her baby along the cobblestone streets of Tallinn, said that many Estonians considered the U.S. and Russia to be equally bad. But, she said, they want to cultivate ties with distant Washington to protect them from neighboring Moscow.
"It is in our interest to be friendly to the U.S.," she said, "because we are hoping that the U.S. and NATO will protect us if Russia attacks."
So, on the basis of those 55 soldiers in Iraq, the U.S is now committed to using its full economic and military force to back Estonia?
"Yes," she said. "That's exactly what we think."
It was my turn to look stricken.
Estonia's contribution is not unusual. Eight of our partners in Iraq have fewer than 100 soldiers there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/08/opinion/08kristof.html?th

Krugman is back!!!!!

On Social Security:

"But it's a problem of modest size. The report finds that extending the life of the trust fund into the 22nd century, with no change in benefits, would require additional revenues equal to only 0.54 percent of G.D.P. That's less than 3 percent of federal spending - less than we're currently spending in Iraq. And it's only about one-quarter of the revenue lost each year because of President Bush's tax cuts - roughly equal to the fraction of those cuts that goes to people with incomes over $500,000 a year."

"There's no honest way anyone can hold both these positions, but very little about the privatizers' position is honest. They come to bury Social Security, not to save it. They aren't sincerely concerned about the possibility that the system will someday fail; they're disturbed by the system's historic success."

"For Social Security is a government program that works, a demonstration that a modest amount of taxing and spending can make people's lives better and more secure. And that's why the right wants to destroy it."

Read it all here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/07/opinion/07krugman.html?th

This is one of my biggest concerns for the short term, passing up even the healthcare crisis.

If we do not do something about the value of the dollar, we are all going the way of Argentina. This article calls on the Bush administration to use statesmanship, control and diplomacy, do you think we can trust them in this?

http://hnn.us/articles/8669.html

Don't Let the Dollar Take the Fall
By JEFFREY E. GARTEN
New Haven — AS the dollar continues to sink against the euro, the yen and other currencies, the conventional wisdom is that there is little choice but to allow it to continue to fall.
America's trade imbalance can be corrected, the current reasoning goes, with a much cheaper dollar - perhaps 30 percent cheaper than it is today. The idea - supported by Treasury Secretary John Snow and Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman - is that this would raise the price of imports for Americans, who would thus buy less from abroad. A cheaper dollar would also supposedly allow us to sell more to the world by making our exports less expensive.
Here is what's wrong with this analysis.
A falling dollar is unlikely to curtail imports as much as hoped. It is more likely instead to act as a consumption tax. About one-quarter of the United States import bill arises from oil purchases, which are priced in dollars. A rapidly depreciating dollar thus means lower earnings for OPEC producers. In response, the cartel might well raise prices. Goods from Asia, especially China, account for at least another 25 percent of our import bill. Because these computers, machine tools, TV's and toys are essential to our work and lifestyle, chances are that we will still buy them, even at higher prices.
Nor will a cheaper dollar encourage domestic production that can replace imports, as some argue. Auto parts, for instance, are increasingly produced in Mexico and other developing nations. These plants, part of a highly specialized global supply line, are not likely to be replaced by suppliers in the United States just because of temporary currency movements.
American exports, meanwhile, will not be spurred as much as most forecasters hope. Because currencies' values are relative to one another, the lower the dollar gets, the higher the euro and yen rise. As the currencies of Europe and Japan strengthen, the exports of these nations will become more expensive. That could easily translate into slower growth in those already slow-growing regions - and less money to buy our exports.
What's more, with the exception of agriculture, fewer American products are sold from our shores. Increasingly, they are sold by American subsidiaries overseas. While big American companies still export billions of dollars' worth of goods across the Atlantic, they sell three to five times as much from their European-based operations - to countries in Europe. A lower dollar won't have much effect on those sales.
The problem with the administration's devaluation policy is that it doesn't treat the root causes of America's economic imbalances. Our need to borrow so much from abroad is caused by our enormous consumption and our anemic savings. Today, Americans save just 0.2 percent of their disposable income, practically the lowest level in 45 years. Since we have so little savings to finance capital investment, we borrow from savings pools abroad. Our government, too, needs foreign creditors to invest in Treasury securities, to finance its escalating budget deficits.
Another trade issue not addressed by dollar devaluation: the need to sharpen our global competitiveness. In an advanced economy like ours, price should be less of a selling point than the quality and sophistication of a product. This isn't going to happen unless we improve the fundamentals underlying competitiveness - our education system and labor-force skills. A devalued dollar also does not lower health-care costs - costs so high that they encourage American employers to move operations to countries where governments often pick up the insurance tab.
Traders churning $2 trillion daily in currency markets know that if the United States relies on a cheap dollar alone to correct its trade imbalance it will push the currency down fast and for a long time - because the benefits will never quite match the predicted expectations.
This is a one-way bet for speculators. Already, rumors are rampant that several central banks with significant dollar holdings may diversify into other currencies. Hedge funds and other speculators may be moving in. If momentum to sell dollars gathers steam, it could lead to a dollar plunge, a global financial crisis and deep worldwide recession.
The dollar may well be overvalued now. But rather than just talking the currency down, Washington should try to pursue a formal agreement with Europe, Japan and China that addresses not only currency realignments but also the domestic policy changes needed to back them up.
A model for this is the so-called Plaza Accord negotiated by the Reagan administration with Germany and Japan in 1985. Then, as now, the United States was running large trade deficits and wanted to devalue the dollar. But rather than talking down the currency or letting it fall on its own, President Reagan's team got key trading partners to share the burden of adjusting policies to correct the imbalance. It worked. America's trade gap slowly narrowed, and foreign lenders did not demand significantly higher interest rates on Treasuries. If Washington negotiated a similar accord today, countries like China and Japan could slow the dollar's slide by revaluing their currencies. The pact could also involve policy commitments to support the currency realignments.
For example, rather than just assert that economic growth will reduce our budget deficits, the Bush administration might postpone or trim permanent tax cuts. It could also agree to partly privatize Social Security only after creating a plan to finance the $1 trillion to $2 trillion in transition costs without deepening the deficit. It could announce measures to improve our export performance - starting, perhaps, with more support for certain research and development programs and a plan to lower health-care premiums for employers by offering reinsurance for catastrophic-illness costs.
For their part, European nations could pledge to accelerate deregulation to further open their economies and become bigger importers. And key countries could agree to intervene in currency markets to keep the dollar's decline gradual and orderly.
A great power does not debase its currency - a currency around which most global commerce revolves. It does not take its hand off the tiller, as if the market bears all responsibility for global financial stability. To fix the problems that underlie huge trade imbalances, it uses statesmanship - at home and abroad.
Jeffrey E. Garten, dean of the Yale School of Management, held economic and foreign policy posts in the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Clinton administrations.

Read this.... It is FDR's reaction to Clavin Coolidge's re-election.

I believe this is just history repeating itself, unfortunately.
http://hnn.us/articles/8669.html

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/120704U.shtml

Howard Dean on the future of the Democrats - I agree with himthat to win we do not become more like Republicans, we draw the lines that define us better:

"For example, Democrats historically tackle economic issues with bold, common-sense policies. Our last Democratic president created 22 million new jobs in this country. In the last four years, George W. Bush oversaw the loss of over 1.5 million. Democrats balance budgets, Republicans do not. Democrats consistently try to pass legislation that would provide some kind of affordable health care, Republicans do not. Democrats believe we ought to raise the minimum wage to help the average worker keep up with the cost of living, Republicans do not. Democrats believe corporations have too much power over our daily lives; Republicans do not - and to prove it, they have given away billions of dollars of our tax money to the biggest corporations in the world over the last four years."

How's this for a frightening headline:

Fox to provide news to Clear Channel stations
Network signs 5-year deal that covers more than 100 stations

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6660838/

Welcome to the future - keep fighting.....

"You can actually make the case that the president's marketing of his Social Security "reform" has been brilliant. Why? Because it has diverted people from asking a basic, simple question. Which is this: wasn't Social Security designed to be a safety net for old people? When did it change from something designed to keep you from being poor into something to supposedly help make you rich?"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6652755/site/newsweek/

Fear this program - it is not in the best interest of most of America....

From the Northwestern:

I can tell you this with certainty. I have disagreed with Mark Harris on a number of issues but he is not capable of being spiteful. I am not in the position to say the same thing about Van De Hey.

http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/columns/stories/columns_18895823.shtml

I would like the echo him. I have come to know Mark Harris, and I can say he is a very genuine person. Someone truly concerned with Oshkosh and it's citizens. I look forward to seeing what his energy and compassion can do for the county.

Go here:

www.harris4exec.com

For more info & to volunteer/contribute.

Another story that should have hit a month ago:

Asked whether he considered the invasion a mistake, the Pakistani leader said: "With hindsight, yes. We have landed ourselves in more trouble, yes."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/05/musharraf.cnn/

This is an amazing opinion piece.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/25/opinion/25friedman.html?th

In My Next LifeBy THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
n my next life, I want to be Tom DeLay, the House majority leader.
Yes, I want to get almost the entire Republican side of the House of Representatives to bend its ethics rules just for me. I want to be able to twist the arms of House Republicans to repeal a rule that automatically requires party leaders to step down if they are indicted on a felony charge - something a Texas prosecutor is considering doing to DeLay because of corruption allegations.
But most of all, I want to have the gall to sully American democracy at a time when young American soldiers are fighting in Iraq so we can enjoy a law-based society here and, maybe, extend it to others. Yes, I want to be Tom DeLay. I want to wear a little American flag on my lapel in solidarity with the troops, while I besmirch every value they are dying for.
If I can't be Tom DeLay, then I want to be one of the gutless Republican House members who voted to twist the rules for DeLay out of fear that "the Hammer," as they call him, might retaliate by taking away a coveted committee position or maybe a parking place.
Yes, I want to be a Republican House member. At a time when 180 of the 211 members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Iraq who have been wounded in combat have insisted on returning to duty, I want to look my constituents and my kids in the eye and tell them that I voted to empty the House ethics rules because I was afraid of Tom DeLay.
If I can't be a Republican House member, I want to be Latrell Sprewell, the guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves. I want to say with a straight face that if my owner will only give me a three-year contract extension for a meager $21 million, then he's not worth working for, because "I've got my family to feed."
Yes, I want to be Latrell Sprewell. At a time when N.B.A. games are priced beyond the reach of most American families, when half the country can't afford health care, when some reservists in Iraq are separated from their families for a year, including this Thanksgiving, I want to be like Latrell. I want to make sure everyone knows that I'm looking out for my family - and no one else's.
If I can't be Latrell Sprewell, I want to be any American college or professional athlete. For a mere dunk of the basketball or first-down run, I want to be able to dance a jig, as if I'd just broken every record by Michael Jordan or Johnny Unitas. For the smallest, most routine bit of success in my sport, I want to be able to get in your face - I want to know who's your daddy, I want to be able to high-five, low-five, thump my chest and dance on your grave. You talkin' to me?
I want to be able to fight on the court, off the court, in the stands and on the sidelines. I want to respect no boundaries and no norms. And when I make your kids cry, I want to be able to tell you to just "chill" - that my coach says "stuff happens" and that my union rep is appealing my punishment in the name of the Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta. Yes, in my next life, I want to be The Man.
If I can't be The Man, then I at least want to be the owner of a Hummer - with American flag decals all over the back bumper, because Hummer owners are, on average, a little more patriotic than you and me.
Yes, I want to drive the mother of all gas-guzzlers that gets so little mileage you have to drive from gas station to gas station. Yes, I want to drive my Hummer and never have to think that by consuming so much oil, I am making transfer payments to the worst Arab regimes that transfer money to Islamic charities that transfer money to madrassas that teach children intolerance, antipluralism and how to hate the infidels.
And when one day one of those madrassa graduates goes off and joins the jihad in Falluja and kills my neighbor's son, who is in the U.S. Army Rangers, I want to drive to his funeral in my Hummer. Yes, I want to curse his killers in front of his mother and wail aloud, "If there was only something I could do ..." And then I want to drive home in my Hummer, stopping at two gas stations along the way.
If I can't be any of these, then I want to be just a simple blue-state red-state American. I want to take time on this Thanksgiving to thank God I live in a country where, despite so much rampant selfishness, the public schools still manage to produce young men and women ready to voluntarily risk their lives in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to spread the opportunity of freedom and to protect my own. And I want to thank them for doing this, even though on so many days in so many ways we really don't deserve them.

Why didn't we do this in Ohio & Florida.

There is still time....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6374820/

I can no longer remain silent (but I don't have much time now, so I will post more in depth later...)

After Petri says that it is no big deal that DeLay is dishonest, they vote to change the rules so that if he faces FELONY INDICTMENT he can still be the leader of there party?

Where are we going?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61374-2004Nov18.html


Then - Why didn't Greenspan give this speech 3 weeks ago:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6529487/

Greenspan: Trade gap could hurt U.S. economy
Fed chairman says reducing budget deficit is key

WASHINGTON - The persistence of bloated U.S. trade deficits over time can pose a risk to the U.S. economy

Time to put down my PS2 & Pick up the fight.....

Hello!

I have just finished up the series of debates with Rep. Petri. I have heard from attendees and the media that it was a sweep! Jef Hall won all three.

There has been great response. I am trying to get the first debate on local cable shows before Election Day. I have a DVD of it available if you can help me get it on your local cable access channel. On the DVD Tom Petri replying to ethics concerns about his Medicare votes in light of the millions of dollars he owns in Walgreen’s stock, is quoted “Walgreen’s isn’t a drug company, they just sell prescriptions.” He also equated Tom DeLay’s selling of access to the congress laughing, “It’s a little like a traffic violation, you can get arrested for something, but it’s not like a murder.”

On the issues, we were 100% in opposition in healthcare, worker’s rights, tax policy and many other issues. We need to change our representation.

We can hold Petri accountable for his Medicare record at an upcoming forum - Wednesday, October 27th, 1:30 at Pine Haven Christian Home, 500 block of Giddings Ave in Sheboygan Falls. The sign says “Medicare reform, Rep. Tom Petri, Public Welcome.” I would like to get a crowd of people there with pill bottles and Walgreen’s stock certificates (background info is here: http://www.jef4wi.com/petridrugs.pdf). Please reply to this message if you can be there. Also, please pass this on to others who may be able to come. We need to get press on this issue, and this is the best way.

While Petri has received the recommendations of the Oshkosh Northwestern and the Appleton Post-Crescent both included great words about my campaign, and given the political tilt of those papers, I consider this a victory. A quote from the Post-Crescent:
“In Jef Hall, Petri faces a worthy opponent who isn’t simply a name on the Democratic ticket. He espouses a noble philosophy that, if you take care of people, business will take care of itself. He makes his strongest arguments about health care reform, strengthening the middle class and eliminating unfunded mandates.”
What can we do between now and the election? I hope you are volunteering at your local coordinated campaign or county party office. They will be organizing lit drops and have my lit piece there as well. Please sign up for a shift, there is nothing more important than getting the vote out this year, here are some places you can contact:

Winnebago County: Charis Rose – 101 High Ave, Oshkosh – 920-996-0081 – charisr@wisdems.org
Fond du Lac County: Ben Gaines – 20 S Main St, Fond du Lac – 920-924-0569 – beng@wisdems.org
Sheboygan County: Mike Bare – 816 N 8th St, Sheboygan – 920-4578685 – mikeb@wisdems.org
Manitowoc County: Kate Farrar – 822 S 8th St, Manitowoc – 414-704-4577 – katef@wisdems.org

We have been very lucky in the quality of the organizers that have been sent to our area, please utilize them. Also, make sure they are including my lit piece with any lit drops they do.

Please continue putting out signs, displaying my bumper sticker, and wear my lapel sticker around. There is a large supply in each of the county offices.

I have a supply of lit pieces in each office; please grab a handful to pass them out to friends, family and co-workers.

Thank you for all your help over the campaign. And please keep up the good work!

Don’t forget, reply to this message if you can help me make a scene at the Sheboygan Falls Medicare Forum, Wednesday.

-jef-