Hypocrisy Alert - President Bush Calls Candidate Bush (Himself) Unpatriotic!

From ThinkProgress:

Candidate Bush Would ‘Sing The Star-Spangled Banner in Spanish’ At Hispanic Festivals

President Bush, 4/28/06:

I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.

But in his book American Dynasty, Kevin Phillips notes that during Bush’s first presidential campaign, he would often sing the national anthem in Spanish. From pg. 142:

When visiting cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, he would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, sometimes partying with a “Viva Bush” mariachi band flown in from Texas.

And let's not forget this (also from ThinkProgress):

VIDEO: Bush Waves The Mexican Flag

In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets all across the nation to protest right-wing immigration proposals. As Media Matters has documented, the fact that some demonstrators carry the Mexican flag has elicited the ire of conservative pundits. For example, Robert Novak has said:

I am no hard-liner on immigration who wants to expel 11 million illegal immigrants, but flags are a symbol of national identity. The student brandishing the Mexican flag signals divided loyalty or perhaps loyalty to a foreign power.

But President Bush himself has publicly brandished the Mexican flag. ThinkProgress has obtained a copy of a five-minute ad that the 2004 Bush campaign distributed to Hispanic supporters. In the ad, Bush can be seen waving a Mexican flag while embracing a young girl. (Watch the full ad HERE.)

What Novak and others fail to understand is that carrying the flag is not a sign of divided loyalty but a demonstration of an American value — understanding and appreciating immigrant culture.

Ellis (Once Again) Disappointed With His Party...

Senator Mike Ellis says he expected Assembly Republicans from his area to vote for his ethics reform bill.

The Neenah Republican said he expected Fox Valley Republicans Steve Wieckert, Gregg Underheim and Dean Kaufert to vote in favor of bringing Senate Bill One to the Assembly floor on Tuesday. That didn't happen, and Ellis said he was disappointed.

Let's remember that, almost universally, our local Republican Assembly Reps do not want to behave ethically...

As the Northwestern termed it:

In face of reform, Wisconsin prefers to be a corrupt state

Voters should demand that their politicians explain their lack of accountability. State Rep. Terri McCormick's hand went up when she was one of two representatives who wanted a vote for SB1. Oshkosh state Rep. Gregg Underheim and town of Nekimi state Rep. Carol Owens didn't raise their hands. That means they took the position of supporting the culture of corruption that exists.

It should have read: "In face of reform, Wisconsin Republicans prefer to be a corrupt state" - Wisconsin Democrats in the Assembly were fighting to bring this to the floor.

State Assembly Debating Ethics Reform
The State Assembly is currently debating ethics reform on the floor of the State Assembly.

So far, only Rep. Terri McCormick has joined Democrats in speaking for pulling SB-1 to be placed on the Assembly calendar.

If the pulling motion passes, the bill will be up for a vote today. If not, for all essential purposes, ethics reform is dead.

UPDATE: At 5:35 pm, the motion FAILED on a vote of 45-51. The GOP killed ethics reform.

Make sure you ask all candidates where they stand on SB1.

Jeffery Hall, Sculptor

WOW! This guy's good (but not me).

Cut My Taxes? YES! Cut Government Spending? NO!

From WisPolitics:

Taxes has ranked No. 1 in 11 out of 14 polls conducted by St. Norbert/WPR, and has never ranked lower than third. However, the percentage of people listing taxes as the biggest problem has varied widely – from a low of 14 percent in October 1996 to a high of 54 percent in March 2003, with the latest poll in April showing that 26 percent of respondents ranked taxes as the state’s biggest problem. Economy and jobs (15 percent), education (12 percent) and health care (10 percent) were next in line. Government budget and spending ranked seventh on the “biggest problem” list at 5 percent

If taxes are the biggest problem, shouldn’t government budget and spending levels be close behind? Not in the minds of those responding to the poll. Apparently, people are not making the connection that one drives the other.

Wisconsin citizens love to complain about taxes in the abstract, much like they gripe about the weather. But when it comes to doing something drastic to reduce taxes, they’re not so sure they want to live with the consequences.

Appleton Post-Crescent: "That's no way to run a legislature"

The editorial is here:

Editorial: A bad day in Assembly is bad for all of us
Just when you thought you'd probably seen the worst the state Legislature had to offer, along came Thursday — and early Friday.

Specifically, the Republicans who hold the majority in the Assembly gave us two more reasons to believe they're in their jobs for themselves and not their constituents.

They rejected an ethics reform bill out of the public eye in a closed party caucus — just take a moment to consider the irony of that. Then, they passed a hastily concocted resolution to amend the state constitution — the state constitution! — in the middle of the night.

We've said it before and, sadly, we must say it again: That's no way to run a legislature.

The shenanigans started when Assembly Republicans went into their caucus — a closed meeting — to discuss a bill that would merge the state Ethics and Elections boards into a Government Accountability Board. The new board would have stronger enforcement authority and more resources to use it.

Critics of the bill within that group said they're opposed to it because they're afraid of the prosecutorial powers it allows. They're afraid of an investigator going on a witch hunt against a legislator.

One of them, Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, also said the bill hadn't gotten enough public input. This despite that fact that it was introduced in January 2005 and was the subject of two public hearings since. Gundrum's call for a task force to study the bill sounds more like stonewalling.

Things got heated and personal in the caucus, those who were there told the media. Sen. Michael Ellis, R-Neenah, the bill's author, and Rep. Steve Freese, R-Dodgeville, who pushed for the bill and another campaign finance reform bill he authored, were the main targets.

There's no love lost between Ellis, the Legislature's most vocal force for reform, and legislators who want things to stay as they are. And the bill's chances in the caucus certainly weren't helped by the 8th District congressional primary race between Assembly Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo, and Rep. Terri McCormick, R-Greenville, the bill's lead Assembly sponsor.

In the end, a vote in the caucus was nearly unanimous against bringing the bill to the full Assembly.

Later in the day, the Assembly met in session, with Gard on a mission to pass some version — any version, apparently — of the Taxpayers Protection Amendment.

A stricter version that limits revenue for state and local government spending failed that night, but a weaker version that only sets limits on growth of the state's general fund passed 50-48 — at 4:35 a.m. Friday.

In fact, the entire resolution was discussed, amended and voted on in the span of about four hours in the middle of the night.

It's funny that Gundrum didn't object to a lack of a public hearing this time. Well, it's only the state constitution, right?

So a resolution that could set the course for a new constitutional amendment — it would have to pass the Assembly and Senate twice before going to a statewide referendum — was started by a slim majority of bleary-eyed legislators who will say they did it for "the taxpayers."

Come on. The Republican caucus killed the ethics and elections bill to try to keep their jobs the way they are now. And 50 legislators voted for the Taxpayers Protection Amendment well after bar time and without the public knowing about it in advance to try to keep their jobs.

That's our Legislature at work. It has most certainly had better days.

In Interesting Analysis of Satire and Stephen Colbert

Here is a sample quote, but I encourage you to read it all here:

That's what made the audience at the Correspondents' dinner so deadly silent. Colbert made not-very-exaggerated statements that could easily have come out of the mouths of any pompous reporter or Republican flunky, statements that not only made the press and the administration look silly, but also hubristic, heedless, weak, and even murderous. Those of us who were not implicated by his speech could laugh freely at it. I didn't vote for this administration, and I certainly haven't enabled it through silence. Colbert embodied all those whose ambition, toadyism, and cowardice fuel Bush's whims, while also making it clear that only the "backwash" of Americans support his work as President anyway. To laugh at Colbert as a blowhard is to recognize the evil that his kind of blowhardery enables.

Polls Stay in Dem Territory

USA Today Poll:

The poll showed Democrats leading 54%-39% among registered voters who were asked which party they would prefer in a congressional race.

Forti also noted that the poll showed 59% of respondents said their own representative deserves to be re-elected. However, poll data show that's the lowest percentage since 1994, when Republicans won control of Congress from the Democrats.

Some Details:

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?
Approve 34%
Disapprove 63%
No opinion 3%

I never understand the 'they are all bad except my guy' mentallity in politics:

Please tell me whether you think each of the following political office-holders deserves to be reelected, or not.
A. The U.S. Representative in your Congressional District
Yes, deserves 59%
No, does not 26%
No opinion 14%

B. Most members of Congress
Yes, deserves 38%
No, does not 53%
No opinion 10%

I'd like to ask you about your member of Congress and most members of Congress. Would you say that your member of Congress is…?
A. Focused on the needs of special interests, or focused on the needs of the constituents in your district
Your Member
Special interests 40%
Constituents 48%
No opinion 12%

Most Members
Special Interests 65%
Constituents 30%
No opinion 6%

B. Generally out of touch with average Americans or generally in touch
Your Member
Out of touch 38%
In touch 55%
No opinion 7%

Most Members
Out of touch 77%
In touch 22%
No opinion 1%

------------------------------------

Regardless of how you, yourself, plan to vote, which party do you think will win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the Congressional elections this fall?
Republicans 39%
Democrats 52%
No opinion 9%

Next, we'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of these people -- or if you have never heard of them.

The Republican Party
Favorable 36%
Unfavorable 58%
No opinion 5%

The Democratic Party
Favorable 48%
Unfavorable 45%
No opinion 8%

Look at this - People think that Republicans are good at 'Staying true to core Republican values' - but disapprove of all those values:

How would you rate the job the Republican Party is doing on these issues?
Staying true to core Republican values
Very good/ good 59%
Very poor/ poor 36%
No opinion 5%

Providing leadership from the presidency and executive branch
Very good/ good 43%
Very poor/ poor 55%
No opinion 2%

Providing leadership from Congress
Very good/ good 42%
Very poor/ poor 56%
No opinion 3%

Managing the war in Iraq
Very good/ good 34%
Very poor/ poor 64%
No opinion 2%

Offering solutions to the most important issues facing the nation
Very good/ good 33%
Very poor/ poor 64%
No opinion 2%

Putting country's interests ahead of their own political interests
Very good/ good 28%
Very poor/ poor 70%
No opinion 2%

Working with the Democrats in Washington to get things done
Very good/ good 27%
Very poor/ poor 70%
No opinion 2%

Dealing with corruption in government
Very good/ good 26%
Very poor/ poor 72%
No opinion 3%

-------------------------

Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think it applies or doesn't apply to George W. Bush.

Picks good people for key leadership positions
Applies 41%
Doesn’t apply 56%

Is honest and trustworthy
Applies 41%
Doesn’t apply 56%

Shares your values
Applies 40%
Doesn’t apply 58%

Cares about the needs of people like you
Applies 38%
Doesn’t apply 61%

Can manage the government effectively
Applies 37%
Doesn’t apply 62%

Quote of the Day - Gore is the Man Edition

When asked at a screening of his film in Washington this week what he would say to Bush’s claim that global warming needs further study, Gore quipped, “I hope he finds the real killer,” adding quickly, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

More Warantless Searches

WASHINGTON - The FBI secretly sought information last year on 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents from their banks and credit card, telephone and Internet companies without a court's approval, the Justice Department said Friday.

It was the first time the Bush administration has publicly disclosed how often it uses the administrative subpoena known as a National Security Letter, which allows the executive branch of government to obtain records about people in terrorism and espionage investigations without a judge's approval or a grand jury subpoena.

Krugman on Health Insurance:

Taken together, these stories tell the tale of a health care system that's driving a growing number of Americans into financial ruin, and in many cases kills them through lack of basic care. (The Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, estimates that lack of health insurance leads to 18,000 unnecessary American deaths — the equivalent of six 9/11's — each year.) Yet this system actually costs more to run than we would spend if we guaranteed health insurance to everyone.

Read it all here (subscription required).

Mission Accomplished!

Today in History:

2003
President George W. Bush landed in a jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast and, in a speech to the nation, declared major combat in Iraq over.

WOW!!!

Check out Stephen Colbert at the White House Press Dinner.

Click here for part one - here for part 2.

Thank him here.

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.

Where's the Dem's 'Contract With America'?

I hear this from people all the time. I always try to explain that this was a late development in 1994. As usual, professiona writers can explain it better than I. Read the whole story here, but here is an important excerpt:

It's understandable that pundits take one look at congressional Democrats today and declare them to be a far cry from the mighty mighty Gingrich revolutionaries of 1994. The implosion of the Bush administration and congressional Republicans has led to speculation not about whether Democrats could regain power but about how they will muff up the opportunity. Turn on a television these days, and you won't have to count to 10 before you hear, "Where is the Democrats' Newt?" or "Why don't Democrats have a Contract with America?"

But the truth is that Newt Gingrich and his Contract loom so large—and today's DC Democrats seem so small—largely because of the magic of hindsight. Back in 1994, Republicans were at least as divided as Democrats are now, if not more so. Traditional statesmen like Robert Michel, Howard Baker, and Robert Dole were constantly at loggerheads with the conservative bomb-throwers like Gingrich, Bob Walker, and Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). As for unity of message, the now-revered Contract with America didn't make its debut until just six weeks before the election; Democratic pollster Mark Mellman recently pointed out that one week before Election Day, 71 percent of Americans said they hadn't heard anything about it. And while political journalists rushed to hail Gingrich's genius after the election, before November they were more likely to describe Republicans in terms we associate with Democrats today. "Republicans have taken to personal attacks on President Clinton because they have no ideas of their own to run on," wrote Charles Krauthammer in the summer of 1994, while a George F. Will column in the fall ran under the headline, "Timid GOP Not Ready for Prime Time."

What the GOP did so brilliantly in 1994 was exploit Clinton's weaknesses (his 1993 tax increase, his wife's failed health-care initiative), as well as the sense among voters that reigning congressional Democrats had become complacent and corrupt (reviving the Keating Five and House banking scandals). Well, guess what? This is precisely what congressional Democrats have been getting better at doing over the past 18 months. And just as most observers missed the coming Republican revolution in 1994, so they're missing a similar insurgency today.

The Gutting on American Manufacturing

From the Baltimore Post via Altercation:

Job growth over the last five years is the weakest on record. The US economy came up more than 7 million jobs short of keeping up with population growth....Over the past five years the US economy experienced a net job loss in goods producing activities. The entire job growth was in service-providing activities--primarily credit intermediation, health care and social assistance, waiters, waitresses and bartenders, and state and local government.

US manufacturing lost 2.9 million jobs, almost 17% of the manufacturing work force. The wipeout is across the board. Not a single manufacturing payroll classification created a single new job.

The declines in some manufacturing sectors have more in common with a country undergoing saturation bombing during war than with a super-economy that is “the envy of the world.” Communications equipment lost 43% of its workforce. Semiconductors and electronic components lost 37% of its workforce. The workforce in computers and electronic products declined 30%. Electrical equipment and appliances lost 25% of its employees. The workforce in motor vehicles and parts declined 12%. Furniture and related products lost 17% of its jobs. Apparel manufacturers lost almost half of the work force. Employment in textile mills declined 43%. Paper and paper products lost one-fifth of its jobs. The work force in plastics and rubber products declined by 15%. Even manufacturers of beverages and tobacco products experienced a 7% shrinkage in jobs.

The knowledge jobs that were supposed to take the place of lost manufacturing jobs in the globalized “new economy” never appeared. The information sector lost 17% of its jobs, with the telecommunications work force declining by 25%. Even wholesale and retail trade lost jobs. Despite massive new accounting burdens imposed by Sarbanes-Oxley, accounting and bookkeeping employment shrank by 4%. Computer systems design and related lost 9% of its jobs. Today there are 209,000 fewer managerial and supervisory jobs than 5 years ago.

These statistics are followed by a discussion of how economists are getting the story on American jobs, unemployment and the economy wrong.

Of course, some people will read this and say liberal' - however this was written by:

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.

FOX: Bush at (yet another) new low:

President Bush’s job approval rating slipped this week and stands at a new low of 33 percent approve, down from 36 percent two weeks ago and 39 percent in mid-March. A year ago this time, 47 percent approved and two years ago 50 percent approved (April 2004).

Approval among Republicans is below 70 percent for the first time of Bush’s presidency. Two-thirds (66 percent) approve of Bush’s job performance today, down almost 20 percentage points from this time last year when 84 percent of Republicans approved. Among Democrats, 11 percent approve today, while 14 percent approved last April.

"It seems clear that many Republicans, while they may still like and support George Bush, are growing uneasy with what may happen to their candidates — and the policies they support — in the November elections," comments Opinion Dynamics Chairman John Gorman.

Building for Habitat for Humanity

Yesterday, I spent the day working on a home in Neenah that the company I work for, J. J. Keller & Associates is building along with Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Fox Cities.

It was a great experience. Yesterday we shingled the home. It is being built for a couple that are refugees from the wars and ethnic cleansings in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The homeowner, Baijro, worked side by side with us all day, even double checking my measurements on the trusses (it needed it).

All in all it was a very rewarding experience. I urge you to get involved if you can. Here is some info on Habitat for Humanity from their website:

About Habitat
Mission Statement
"Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with God's people in need by building houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which people can live and grow into all that God intended."

Our Beginning

Local citizens who were concerned about the housing problems in our area attended meetings in 1992 and organized a steering committee. This group worked with Habitat for Humanity International and developed a set of bylaws in keeping with the principles of Habitat for Humanity. The group was recognized as Neenah-Menasha Area Habitat for Humanity on February of 1993, but expansion plans led to the change of our name to Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity in 1996. As an affiliate we follow the philosophy and operation guidelines setup by Habitat for Humanity International, but operate as a separate entity. Each affiliate is registered with their state as a non-profit organization and completely responsible for funding and building homes in their area. Affiliates are governed by a local board of directors and operate through working committees.

What We Do

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity builds houses using volunteer labor and funds raised from the support of local businesses, churches, individual donors and fund-raising events. These houses are sold at no profit and no interest to a partner family chosen through a nondiscriminatory selection process. Partner families become 'Habitat Homeowners' after they have completed the required number of sweat equity hours. A small down payment of $500 is required, and the interest-free mortgage is held by our affiliate. Homeowners are required to pay monthly mortgage payments and obtain homeowners insurance.

What is Sweat Equity?

Each partner family is required to complete 300 hours (single adult family) or 500 hours (two adult family). Homeowners are required to work on the construction site of their home, other Habitat homes, attend budget classes, attend homeowner education courses, and complete community service hours with other non-profit organizations. Habitat has this requirement because we are a hand-up, not a hand-out. We want the family to develop a sense of ownership through hard work on their own home. Applicants who lack interest or motivation to help themselves are not viable candidates for our program.

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2003. Since our beginning we have built 60 homes for needy families and individuals.