December 2010
FightingBob.com readers talk back
Letter on: Unhappy holiday
“Yes, and the GOP keeps getting away with it because the Dems consistently fail to build any coherent message tailored to the times. Both parties are living in the past. The GOP to some mythic American Neverland that never existed, and the Dems way to back to FDR.
Add to that the various factions in the Dems that do little more than provide somewhat moderate cover to generally GOP talking points and you have a mess.
Get rid of them both! We need a truly progressive third party ready to take on the problems of today.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | No Longer From Wisconsin | December 31, 2010
Letter on: Unhappy holiday
“The author has succinctly captured the Republican/Neo-Conservative strategy for the demise of Social Security. There are a number of economists (ie; Dean Baker, Paul Krugman, etc) who have exhaustively noted and backed this up as well. Unfortunately, I fear that the Republican tactic of continually contrived controversies*, and their underlying appeal to greed (which played a major part in the foundation of this country) may well enable them to accomplish that despicable goal. If so, it wouldn't surprise me if -- in 30 or 40 yrs -- we were to see people dying daily in the US streets and have to step-over the bodies ESPECIALLY when you factor in the numerous OTHER problems that are being 'non-solved' by the Republican politicians with their 18th century 'solutions' (which only 'worked' back then with the aid of the genocide of American natives, slavery, rapacious natural resource usage, exploitation of immigrant laborers, etc), such as global warming, peak oil, and population growth.
(*ala "The Shock Doctrine" that Naomi Klein examined in the book of the same title)”
-Big Em | Milwaukee, WI | December 31, 2010
Letter on: Talk about exciting!
“1.4 MILLION JOBS US JOBS created OVERRSEAS this year.
Love that Congress.”
-j.m. hamilton | madison, wi | December 29, 2010
Letter on: Darn it! Obama rains on Walker's parade!
“A little off topic but I just read in MJS that German Auto makers Dalmier and BMW have not closed down their plants between Christmas and New Years because of demand. The demand is not in Germany but in China and the US for luxury cars. All that trickle down money going to create jobs...in Germany.”
-Jeff Ehlers | Cedarburg, WI | December 28, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“Joel McNally is spot on with his comments in "Winning for losing". I was lucky enough to work in an unionized work force my whole career in the Railway industry, and was always aware of my good fortune. One of the biggest problems with todays workers is that they are low information voters, and usually have no idea who they are voting for, also they know little or no history to realize the unions brought them the middle class life they used to enjoy.”
-Clayton C. Peterson | Chicago, Il. | December 28, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“You lefty's are funny. You don't give two craps about workers. What you care about is the forced funding of the democratic party through union dues. Unions have become part of the democratic party. The government employee unions are the worst. They are nothing more than money laundering schemes for getting tax money to fund democrates. We pay the taxes. The state uses that money to pay employees. The union gets its cut from the employee. They then spend 100% of it on supporting every democrate running for office or democratic agenda. No one should be mandated to pay money to a political orgainization they don't agree with as a condtion of employment or simply being a tax payer. Thanks to Walker and the Republicans coming into office we won't be FORCED to any more.”
-SAW | NP WI | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Maybe Coburn ain't so hot!
“While I get no pleasure from it I have to rip the Dems again. The other day I heard a Dem spokesman in NPR responding to a question about increased size of government. It was pathetic, and full of policy speak, and then he sort of got to the main point. That being, the government would not have to "grow" if bankers were honest, if drug companies were honest, if the food industry could police itself, if the insurance industry actually insured people who might just get sick, if, if, if, But, they don't and haven't and therefor the Dems will propose legislation that protects people from the dishonest and marauders of society. Wow. I wonder how that would fly?
All this by wishing jerks likes Sykes, Limbaugh, et. al. would actually run for office and take real responsiblity when the hollowness of their policy ideas actually comes to light. Instead they get Eager Beaver idiots like Walker, Obungle etc. to do their dirty work.
Signing off from Egg Harbor. We leave Wisconsin today. Have fun, you are in for a hell of a ride.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI. | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Maybe Coburn ain't so hot!
“It seems to me that what is asked for when asking for less government involvement in our lives is similar to the wishes of the anarchist.”
-Richard Kanak | Cherry Valley, Illinois | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Campaign reform magi
“This is not a regular letter just some questions.
I would hope the impartial justice bill will work. However, won't Prosser still not sign the agreement and spend millions just like Gableman? The only difference here would be that the other candidates would have some money. (How much would that be?)
There are also the outside groups and won't they still spend millions? Is there anything in the law that limits that?”
-Kathleen Hart | Muskego, WI | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“Regarding John Ertl's interesting comments, that's the story of Thomas Frank's 2004 book "What's the Matter with Kansas?" How did a middle-American state with basic progressive values become a hotbed of conservative activism? I suspect that Goebbels could have explained that...”
-John Smart | Park Falls WI | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Maybe Coburn ain't so hot!
“Do you think Ron Johnson has any idea what a senator does? He has hired staff from outside the state. He admires people from outside Wisconsin. during the campaign he ranted/raved about his own agenda.
This boy is simply not a Wisconsin kind of fellow.
His idea of cleaning house in Washington seems to be akin to sweeping the dirt under a carpet or moving boxes from one side of the basement to the other. Johnson certainly does not have Wisconsin interests or ideals in mind. What he will do will most likely benefit himself and his business in Oshkosh. Plastics? This is a petroleum based product and one that threatens the environment. Do you really think Johnson will do anything to wean us from petroleum dependency or anything to protect the earth's environment?
Since the election we have had 2 months of wondering and worry. During the next 6 years will will be witnesses to total ineptness.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Maybe Coburn ain't so hot!
“"...those anti-public school troops led by Howard Fuller..."
Hey, Stupid!! Yeah, you!!
Dr. Fuller is a former Superintendent of the Milwaukee Public School system. He is hardly "anti-public schools".
Dr. Fuller is "Pro" education. Grow up.”
-Leo trismegestis | Wisconsin | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Maybe Coburn ain't so hot!
“I agree with you, Ed, that having friends in the Senate like Coburn and McCain saying nice things about Russ after his loss is disingenuous at best.
And I too am disappointed that the Senate - in its wisdom? - tossed Justice Butler overboard. The Senate is clearly dysfunctional, and I sincerely hope that those senators who are demanding rules reform on day 1 are successful.
But I am most concerned about the future of our Wisconsin schools under the new administration, and an expansion of that questionable voucher program is only the beginning. All that I've been able to learn about Walker's plans are that he believes that each district should be responsible for its own funding and curriculum - which means that poor rural schools are on their own and the rich suburban schools will flourish - just like things are now!
Not good enough...”
-John Smart | Park Falls WI | December 27, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“Labor unions are good. When business and government failed the worker, unions did what had to be done. Not so sure unions still have the clout of yesteryear. To dismantle unions today will be to imperil the American worker even more.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 26, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“It's mind-boggling, but studies have confirmed the fact that the worse off people are the more conservative they tend to be: http://www.ecnmag.com/News/Feeds/2010/11/blogs-the-cutting-edge-study-low-incomes-make-poor-more-conservative/
It really is tragic how the right has managed to use class warfare and wedge issues to get working people into supporting the very systems that keep them down.”
-John Ertl | Park Falls, WI | December 26, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“You're 100% right Joel. We need to keep money CIRCULATING, not STAGNANT and tied up in upscale indulgences (jewelry, McMansions as well as 2nd & 3rd homes, luxury cars, offshore tax-free accounts, etc) OR drained-off in an imperialistic military (a $700+BILLION/year dollar budget to support 700+ bases throughout the world and 5 carrier groups,etc, + Afghan/Iraq wars & occupation). Beggaring the working class so that defective CEOs can get multi-million$ salaries and bonuses and golden parachutes is obscene and economically reductive. The conservative/right-wingers have successfully exploited peoples' desire for a decent income by diverting their attention away from the most obvious source (employers) of income to things like lotteries, huckster ventures (the stock market or housing bubbles, etc) or reducing taxes and social spending, which just hurts the low/middle income people even more. Unfortunately, fomenting in-class discord is not a new tactic --- if you go back to the early US history, you'll find that Southern slave owners would try to sow hatred & separation between black slaves and white indentured servants through racism and even laws preventing inter-racial marriage, in order to prevent them from coalescing into an effective rebellious group. This anti-union PR position of the Neo-cons is just a more subtle version of those historical tactics.”
-Big Em | Milwaukee, WI | December 26, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“Making people unhappy and fearful, are just two of the few things a good Republican't can do right. Making the oppressed think they can be as well off as the wealthy is another. It should be obvious why a good Republican't isn't too thrilled about education. An educated electorate is a dangerous one, especially for those doing all the oppressing.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 26, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“People forget What Labor Unions have accomplished, here are some of the major items pushed by Unions: -legislation protecting the exploitation of children in the workplace, -8 hour workday in 1938, -Minimum wage law, -Occupational Health & Safety Act(OSHA)in 1970, -Unemployment Insurance, -Social Security act, -Wagner act granting unions the right to organize & bargain collectively, -1964 Civil Rights Act which required that no one discriminate in employment regarding race, national origin, color, religion and gender.
Before people in the workplace vote against certifying a union or vote to decertify a union, ponder these accomplishments.”
-Bob Menamin | Verona, WI | December 26, 2010
Letter on: Letters keep us going
“I have often wondered how many Sarah Palin's or Rush Limbaugh's peruse this blog. Does Scott Walker take a peek or Ron Johnson? Are they amused? Inspired? Driven further into their dark lairs of blissful ignorance? Do the ideas here make them better fascists? I wonder, too, how many closeted lefties work at Fox News and surreptitiously use company resources to get their daily dose of good sense here.
Have you ever thought of inviting any of these divergent viewpoints to Bob Fest? Good pillories are hard to find these days and stoning would probably bring down the wrath of the SPCA, but we could strap them to a stanchion and pelt them with Wisconsin Limburger. Even a dunk tank of stale beer would be good entertainment to lighten up any Bob Fest schedule. Would there be rioting to throw that first chunk of cheese?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 26, 2010
Letter on: Relax. Herb is on the job!
“For Maria: Well the "right" are once again in now in power. After creating disaster the past eight years through deregulation, not enforcing regulation, and causing disaster with casino gambling on scams of insurance and provoking failure, the "right" and "righteous" are now ready to put their money cards back on the table. So media, come on. They have exactly 2 DAYS to get everything "perfect" for the US and the world....about the time they gave Dems to effect "change." Then all of us need to scream it's not happening. They may actually make it look better for a couple years to scam the next election like they did this recent one. The problem: there were and are not many Democrats in office. Time for a labor party, and worker owned companies; and maybe opportunity for some states to promote opportunity for both. Two days...before we all try to purchase the least possible from any products made by US companies overseas. That might counter Boehner's "no's." But that assumes that the population even knows what just happened to the economy. The only thing the "right" notice is the lack of money slapping their palm. In four years, the scams will be felt all over again. A little note to those who fell for the scams: "Party with snakes; you get bit by snakes."”
-J. M. Hamilton | Madison, Wi | December 26, 2010
Letter on: Merry Christmas!
“I met a young UW grad student from China today at the community meal in Madison. This was her first time volunteering and she enjoyed it. When I told her that she could sit down and eat, too, she replied that she didn't think it was right to take food from the poor and hungry.
I don't think she'd make a very good Republican't.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 25, 2010
Letter on: Merry Christmas!
“Wal-Mart is open for business, too. Is this beneficial to the Wal-Mart worker paid poorly and without benefits?
When Walker takes credit for all these new Wisconsin jobs, will he also take credit for how poorly they pay and the lack of benefits?
And those jobs in Wautoma? You can easily find workers there who would be delighted to work for $10 an hour before taxes. Big deal!”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 25, 2010
Letter on: Merry Christmas!
“One would wish that it was a truly Merry Christmas for all but....
The numbers of homeless and hungry are up and now it is families, not drunks and dopers. Reports are in that letters to Santa this year are not ones asking for toys and goodies but a good coat for mom, or socks for little sister. Even the kids know how bad it is out there.
Foreclosures continue apace, still no Banksters in handcuffs or orange jumpsuits. But not to worry. Uncle Tomobama is off to Hawaii for some golf and to read a book about how Reagan did it. He may not have openly declared that he has switched his party affiliation but that may come in the New Year. After all, you have to forestall Bloomberg.
Yes,one would like to say "Merry Christmas" but when the supposedly Democratic President cannot address these issues, call for action and work to some result, when he says nothing about the near shafting of the 9/11 workers, well, we just ain't feeling the cheer. Not this year.
In the New Year the mantra to remember is: Nobama is good 'bama.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 25, 2010
Letter on: Relax. Herb is on the job!
“Good one Pietr !”
-Big Em | Milwaukee, WI | December 25, 2010
Letter on: Even the Wisconsin State Journal?
“Rasicim is alive and well in the US Government. Note how a rich white guy from Foley and Lardner became a federal judge in a month even though he was never a judge. Louis Butler also represented criminal defendants. That makes him evil according to Republicans - unless they are on trial, like Rush Limbaugh.
Herb Kohl? You can always count on this Montana resident to do the WRONG thing. He's a modern day silent Joe McCarthy. Just as despicable, just silent.”
-kris kringle | North Pole | December 24, 2010
Letter on: Even the Wisconsin State Journal?
“The Kwik Trip jobs have nothing to do with Walker the Squawker and everything to do with a company on the move, namely Kwik Trip.
Governors don't create jobs. Businesses and need do.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 24, 2010
Letter on: It's not always better to give
“Maybe when all the Badger fans go to California for the Rose Bowl, they can remind Californians to spend our money wisely.
On the bright side though, we still get to help pay for it.”
-nonheroicvet | Ashland, WI | December 24, 2010
Letter on: Relax. Herb is on the job!
“I didn't know that Wisconsin still had 2 senators. Herb Kohl, you say? I thought he died shortly after his first election. When Ron Johnson gets sworn in, we will have none.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 24, 2010
Letter on: Relax. Herb is on the job!
“Hey, Ed! It's Christmas Eve and you can't drop the rant for one day to reflect how good and peaceful the world would be if everything went right? Oops! I guess the world is going to the right. Sorry, my error.”
-Maria Caliente | Middleton | December 24, 2010
Letter on: It's not always better to give
“Do you care to wish the laid off workers at the Osceola Polaris plant a great Christmas or should I?
We're going to lose many more jobs before Walker figures out how to run this state. His Republican't compatriots will help him run it into the ground.
Yes, Merry Christmas by all means...”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Even the Wisconsin State Journal?
“Ed
Did you add the 2000 jobs Kwik Trip added today to your total of walkers new jobs???”
-Joe Polsky | Plover wi | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Angry yet?
“One argument I hear about the right to bear arms is to protect ourselves against government takeover. If this is indeed an argument, who will protect us from corporate takeover and how? How the heck does one shoot a corporation or bank anyhow? Looks to me that all we've done so far is to shoot ourselves in the foot.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Where were we?
“Remember the count-up of the days the embassy was held by iranian protestors during Carter administration? We need electronic billboards with jobs lost, wages cut, homes lost thanks to His Highness. Oh yeah...and how much that goddam gashog is costing the state taxpayers. Eat the rich!”
-Lance | Madison | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Angry yet?
“Republicans don't care what's happening if it ain't happening to them.
After all, with millions of worthless bums who tricked banks into giving them loans (those bankers are so gullible), as the Republican say, we've got to expect a few mistakes in the cleanup, don't we?
Its just like the death penalty, so what if we kill a few innocent people if most of them were guilty? Its just like helping the poor, if we help them we might help a few who don't deserve it and we can't have that.
Non-Republicans just don't understand the concept of "breakage".”
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Even the Wisconsin State Journal?
“It's all very black and white to me. Can't you see?”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Angry yet?
“And Republican'ts, corporations and the Sarah Palins of the world wonder why we need regulations...”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Angry yet?
“Well, you keep mentioning a revolt but I just don't see it happening. For what ever reason the American public just keeps rolling over and taking it. I honestly wish they would revolt.
Notice that the federal government has done just about nil on this outrage. That is pathetic. If it weren't for the press the Washington spin machine would have us all believing the Obungle magically fixed the housing/mortgage/foreclosure mess.
Amazing. Over 200 million firearms in this country and these thieves are still sucking air. Like I say, I just don't see a rebellion anywhere on the horizon. People are too brainwashed into thinking everything is their own damned fault.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Winning for losing
“We don't have the money to keep spending like you feel we should. Spending is what is helping the wealthy fat cats that work for the government get richer and my grand kids diet grow ever larger.”
-Gary | Wausau | December 23, 2010
Letter on: Mergers and acquiescence
“Right on! The magic phrase is always, "your jobs are safe and no changes are anticipated"! Better start looking for your next employer now while the getting is good.”
-das | Platteville, WI | December 23, 2010
Letter on: It's not always better to give
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Merry ChrismaSolstiFestiKwanzukha. There, that oughta keep all the politically correct folks out there happy.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 23, 2010
Letter on: It wasn't a dream!
“"that this is a naked power grab"
Don't you love their North Korean style rhetoric?”
-Leo Trismegestis | Wisconsin | December 22, 2010
Letter on: It wasn't a dream!
“Walker wants to make Wisconsin more business-friendly. He should really qualify the remark to say he means corporation-friendly. The only way for Wisconsin to be totally corporation-friendly, in Walker's thinking, would be to have no taxes, regulations or oversight. Corporation-friendly means profits, profits and more profits.
Taxes mean some of the profit remains in Wisconsin. Regulations mean workers and consumers are protected from abuse and predatory tactics.
If Walker gives his corporate buddies free rein in our state, we won't have the jobs he promises nor will we have an environment to enjoy.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 22, 2010
Letter on: Yes Scooter, there is a Santa!
“Actually, what I hear is that Herb Kohl worked very hard to try to get Butler confirmed, including making a direct, althogh unsuccessful, appeal to Mitch McConnell. Credit where it's due.”
-Bill Christofferson | Milwaukee WI | December 22, 2010
Letter on: High school with money
“There is no "free market" in this country. There never has been.”
-Tom Paine | Madison, WI | December 22, 2010
Letter on: It wasn't a dream!
“No offense Ed, but it is pretty pathetic when sites like this constitute the adversarial press.
Makes me glad I am leaving Wisconsin before Walker takes office.
Have fun guys, it is going to be one hell of a show. I am just glad that my taxes will not be contributing to the entertainment.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor,WI. | December 22, 2010
Letter on: It wasn't a dream!
“The WMC already owns the state supreme court and many legislators. Why shouldn't it simply take over state government too?
The British did the same thing to us in the 1770's. We fought back, kicked their slimy butts out of the country and started something new.
In 2011, let us do the same to the WMC. The are tyrants offering evil. They should be eliminated and sent packing to other states that enjoy a population ruled liked slaves. Black and white, rich and poor. Nothing has changed. The elite want to enslave us all. The question is why do we take it?”
-Tom Paine | Madison, WI | December 22, 2010
Letter on: High school with money
“No, it is more like the movie "Streets of New York" without the arson, knives, guns, and brass knuckles! They use lawyers,dictats,writs, and law instead.
Politics in Wisconsin has become little more than legalized gangsterism. And lest liberals want to feel smug you can be sure that Oily Doyle was no better, his was just a gang with a different agenda.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI. | December 22, 2010
Letter on: It wasn't a dream!
“The first rule of making the state business friendly is to beat up the labor pool and crush the unions until the workers are compliant.
Take it from me, I know what I'am talking about.”
-Vinny | Little Chicago, WI | December 22, 2010
Letter on: Yes Scooter, there is a Santa!
“2 outrages in one day.my oh my. must be the chromium in the water.”
-steve | montrose | December 22, 2010
Letter on: High school with money
“I hear what you're saying, Ed. Yet, because many of Obama's policies have worked, the state Fiscal Bureau has released positive employment forecasts that, if fulfilled, the Walker administration will take full credit for - even though they didn't lift a finger. The forecast do not even come close to his 250K jobs promise, but Scott will say, hey, they're better than they were under Doyle.”
-Tim Spence | Monona, WI | December 21, 2010
Letter on: Where were we?
“Hey, Stupid! Yeah, you!!
He's not governor yet.”
-Leo Trismegestis | Wisconsin | December 21, 2010
Letter on: Yes Scooter, there is a Santa!
“A great movie released in 1970 O Lucky Man rings true today as than. The song Justice lyrics "Next to wealth is health and only money can buy you justice." Written by Alan Price. Yet the citizens of this great country still believe in the little guy.”
-Jeff Timmons | Amery, Wi. | December 21, 2010
Letter on: Yes Scooter, there is a Santa!
“Yep, great message we're sending to our kids: If you're white and connected, you can do what you want and still get off the hook. Money buys not only elections and candidates but also good justice.
Maybe the system is too busy going after people of color to even bother with white folk anymore.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out. | December 21, 2010
Letter on: Transitions and tribulations
“The suggestion about redistricting is sensible, but who really thinks Republicans will give up their power to redistrict when they control both houses of the legislature for the first time in decades? I agree with other posts about Kraus, maybe the Republicans of Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney might have actually have embraced moderate, sensible solutions to problems, but not the Republican party of 2010.”
-Bob Franze | Waukesha, Wi.(Beloiter, by birth!) | December 20, 2010
Letter on: Where were we?
“If people are unemployed long enough, what incentives are there for any of them to go back to work, especially to jobs that just don't pay enough to eliminate debt with enough left over to enjoy life?
Does Walker the Squawker and his wealthy compatriots understand this?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out. | December 20, 2010
Letter on: Where were we?
“Russ Decker should get the Tim Culllen award for disloyalty to Dems in the Senate. What upward path does he envision? Another defense of payday lenders?”
-bruf | Milwaukee, WI | December 20, 2010
Letter on: Fatal error
“We can see now what Sarah Palin was talking about when she was ranting on about the Death Panel. Is it not incredible that the Death Panel is made up of insurance companies and Christians--those people meant to, supposedly, "save" lives! I wonder if Jesus is a part of the Christian group that has decided to be the "taker of life" and allow young women to die in child birth. Is this what you want for your daughter, wife, sister? How weak is this hospital that it bows to the blitherings of a self righteous, self appointed "god"? They can determine life or death versus the doctors and the woman in question. From these over zealous,indoctrinated, ill educated few comes the determination of life or death.”
-Pamela Carlson | Greenfield, Wisconsin | December 20, 2010
Letter on: Where were we?
“With all due respect to Pietr these self-help things were tried during the Great Depression and in the end it didn't do much. We have a similar kitchen down in Algoma and it is nice but it doesn't really amount to much. It certainly does not replace family supporting jobs. I suggest that he, and all your readers, find and read the book "The Hungry Years". Sorry, but I forgot who the author is. That will put some of this nonsense about self-help and private charity in perspective. The bottom line is that things kept getting worse for most folks until the New Deal stepped in.
What our politicians dare not say is that we are in a depression. They can call it whatever they want but when home sales and valuese sink, foreclosures continue, workers keep going backwards, buying power is gone, etc. etc. it amounts to a depression on the street even if it doesn't count as one in the minds of politicians and economists.
People forget that during the Great Depression some folks did OK and some even prospered. But currently most of us we are either just hanging on and hoping it doesn't get worse. Or, for many, it really is hitting bottom. It isn't just the stew bums who are homeless now. It is families. And, as during the Reagan years, the problem remains hidden from sight.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI. | December 20, 2010
Letter on: Where were we?
“Today's NY Times (12/20) features an article on the increasing tendency of U.S. businesses to hire temporary labor instead of permanent workers. "In November, they accounted for 80 percent of the 50,000 jobs added by private sector employers, according to the Labor Department. Since the beginning of the year, employers have added a net 307,000 temporary workers, more than a quarter of the 1.17 million private sector jobs added in total." Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/business/economy/20temp.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a2
With pledged Republican union busters like Scott Walker and Robin Vos now moving forward with plans to make Wisconsin a so called "right-to-work" state, and hard pressed Wisconsin union workers voting to take long-term cuts in pay and benefits in order to keep their jobs at all (merry Christmas and happy new year Kohler workers), the idea of our state and country becoming a tax haven for the rich and a third world country for the rest of us is seeming like a soon-to-be reality. Statistics just released by the UW-Extension bear it out: the majority of Wisconsin counties saw their poverty rates increase by more than 10% since 2000. Ten counties have poverty rates higher than 15%. I wonder how much those rates will increase after Walker and Vos get finished with their plans for us.”
-Marie Fernleaf | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | December 20, 2010
Letter on: Where were we?
“There was a story on this morning's Wisconsin Public Radio about Woodland Kitchens in Aurora, somewhere in Forest county. An empty elementary school had been converted to a kitchen facility to give up and coming cooks a place to work and bring their products to market. (http://www.nwtc.edu/atnwtc/places/regionalcenters/north/woodlandKitchen/Pages/home.aspx)
Great idea!
Just think how many empty schools we have or vacant buildings in our smaller towns. These would become great workspaces for getting people back on their feet. If community radio can function solely through volunteers and contributions, why can't we take some of these empty buildings and get them going using volunteers as well?
There are as many good ideas as there are people willing to work. Make the space, give people a chance. Hey! This might be one way to dismantle corporate America. A novel approach to reducing poverty, too.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 20, 2010
Letter on: Transitions and tribulations
“The Walker administration has lost credibility before leaving the gate with its premature decision on high speed rail and Walker's comments regarding his preference to get rid of the unions. Despite the terrible decision making on these 2 items, Walker's hamhanded style of communication and blatant authoritarianism is dispicable standing on its own. If ever there was an early case for impeaching a new governor, this is it. The disregard for a democratic approach to governance, his arrogance and his tone deafness to the needs of Wisconsin is stunning.”
-Bob Menamin | Verona, WI | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Transitions and tribulations
“I have to agree with Big Em. Kraus never met a Republican he couldn't be an apologist for. Today's GOP is the same as the old GOP. Stick it to the little guy and pander with sayings like "hand up,not a hand out".
Send them to the devil where they belong. Send Kraus with them. There are a hell of a lot of us out here who have no interest in schmoozing with these nitwit, oppressive, regressive idiots. They may have won the election but can, or will they, govern in any way that makes us better off? Doubt it.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Don't Ask McCain
“There are reasons why Scott Walker is not announcing his cabinet selections. I bet he wants us to complain all at once instead of a litany of complaints as his chosen ones are exposed. Little does Walker know, we will have 4 years of the Walker administration about which to complain daily.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Transitions and tribulations
“Republican'ts excel at sugarcoating the American experience. Everything's hunky dory, peachykeen and coming up roses. They have the answers and no one else. They certainly won't recognize the efforts of others nor will they use others' ideas as a basis.
Working with others is something foreign unless they can do so through fear, oppression, limitations and excuses. A good Republican't these days would rather trash and deny than accept and do better.
Keeping people unemployed will not keep them out of the picture.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Transitions and tribulations
“Is Bill Kraus the token conservative-centrist voice presented in this blog or what? I ask this because he treats the current Republican Party (WI included) as if they were seriously interested in such things as SOLVING (as opposed to 'perpetuating') high rates of unemployment when there is no seriously discernible reason to believe that. Yeah, you can hear Walker and his cohorts mouth the words and grasp at that if you want - - - just like you can listen to that salesman at the mall tell you how much he REALLY cares about giving you the best deal on that new flat-screen TV (or whatever)... they're both spoken statements and they are both of equal veracity.
The current Republicans are more interested in crippling government, bringing it down to its late 19th century size, so that their corporate masters strength will become indomitable. Read books like Thomas Frank's "What's The Matter With Kansas?" as an explanation of this dynamic and don't waste our time with fantasies of Republican concern for social welfare issues...”
-Big Em | Milwaukee, WI | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Transitions and tribulations
“If only Bill had run for governor.”
-blurondo | Wauwatosa, WI | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Looking for jobs?
“(I'm an ex-Wisconsinite now in California.) Thank you Wisconsin for your short sightedness that gave California more infrastructure money. We sure need it because our short sighted California government foolishly allows propositions that make it near impossible to increase revenue for our government to function especially during hard times.”
-Tom of Northcal | San Mateo, CA | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Don't Ask McCain
“I wouldn't be so quick to blame Doyle or Walker for the M&I buyout by a Canadian bank. It's the overall US corporate mentality that's at fault: Go where the money is. Money is more important than people and jobs. Profit is manna from above. If money and profits can be had by going abroad, so be it. Move corporate headquarters to states and countries less taxing. Move jobs overseas where wages are cheap and regulations lax or nonexistent.
Meanwhile back home the American worker stands in an unemployment line or soup kitchen. Workers are commodities to be used, abused, traded and discarded. Good jobs and wages are a pipe dream for most of us. Even with education and further training, there are no guarantees than there will be jobs nor is there any assurance that retooling ourselves will mean we get hired.
Politicians are worthless targets for our anger. The real blame for loss of jobs falls back on each and every one of us. Over the years we became complacent thinking the golden egg would never disappear and that corporate dictatorship was good. We made too many assumptions that jobs and benefits would always be there, that our golden years would be spent in bliss and good health.
Take a look at our workforce. It's formidable. We as millions of good people have the power to break corporations. We also have the skills and smarts to create their replacements. There is power in numbers. Why isn't there rioting in the streets? It worked for civil rights. It brought the war in Vietnam to an end. It might just work now to bring about a change in how business is conducted.
Wimps get what wimps deserve.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 19, 2010
Letter on: Next window, please
“Gee, there must be money in banking. Why else would anyone buy M&I? It would make sense to raise taxes on corporations, especially banks. Not only are jobs going out of the country, so are corporate profits.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 18, 2010
Letter on: Back to school
“I would like to know how those horrible Nordic countries such as Finland pay for their schools. They are always pointed to as examples but rarely do editorialists give the complete story.
I think using the property tax to fund schools is a very antiquated system. That may have worked well back in the days of the one room country school but it certainly doesn't seem to be the case now. Perhaps we could have a system where the property tax covers the "brick and mortar" needs of the local schools but the cost of instruction is funded some other way.
It seems to me that teachers must be licensed by the state so perhaps they should be state employees and the cost of instruction covered by revenue sources other than the property tax. Pay could be more uniform. That might have the effect of people actually wanting to teach in rural or isolated and low population districts because of the other life style benefits (hunting, fishing, outdoors etc.) that those districts offer. Right now it seems that many of these districts get the folks who can't get hired elsewhere but I could be wrong on that.
All I know is this system has gone to pot and needs to be fixed. Also, maybe it is time for a real conversation about what the real role of schools should be. After all, do rural districts even have the right to expect taxpayers to support high cost athletics while libraries, science, and arts programs go begging? I think not. If kids and parents want athletics let them form private sports clubs. They do this in Europe all the time and it would an excellent life lesson in organization, responsibility, and would help them grow up and act in a more adult manner. Right now it seems we fund an elite body of students based on little more than their ability to handle toys.”
-Konstance Kaffeeschlucker | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 18, 2010
Letter on: Next window, please
“You can rag on Walker all you want but the bank purchase is proof that nothing significant came from the federal government by way of putting the Banksters in their place. More consolidation, free money from the Fed but no loans or credit going out to keep Main St. alive, and on it goes.
Walker is significant only in that he is from the party that is for all this, and whose policies helped create the problem. Add in some look alike, act alike Dems and this is what you get.
Face it, the rich and powerful truly do run the show and nothing is going to change it until people close out their accounts, tell them why, and go back to paying cold hard cash for stuff and not buying one damned thing they don't really need. As far as I am concerned it is the last tool we have and if we fail to use it we are well and truly screwed. These rich SOBs think they run the whole show, and they do. But mostly because we let them.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor,WI. | December 18, 2010
Letter on: Next window, please
“Baloney.
I don't remember the Democratic Party passing a resolution on Tuesday evening calling on Russ Decker to be a jerk, surprise his caucus, and then crow about for sticking it to the Democratic governor. I must not have been invited to that meeting of my party.
However, I did notice that the head of Mike Ellis's party seems to have been spending the bulk of his time lately (beyond when he's not killing jobs and committing other acts of economic terrorism) attacking public sector workers and our unions; and I seem to recall his entire party voting against our contracts.
Mike Ellis has a lot of nerve making such a bold, clearly erroneous statement. Political parties are not monoliths in and of themselves. All the real Democrats voted with us (yes, us, I'm a state worker and union activist) -- and I'm even prouder to have supported Chris Larson in the (D) primary to defeat Plale. But the Republicans sure acted like a monolith on Wednesday night, with every single one of them voting against the contracts -- and voting against workers as well as good government. Every. Single. One. Of them.
It wasn't "The Democrats" who let us down on Wednesday -- it was Russ Decker, and the Republicans who knew better and should have voted with us, but instead sided with anti-worker, anti-union extremists who would tear down our state.
I always thought Ellis was old-school class -- but not anymore.”
-Peter | Madison, WI -- originally from Neenah | December 18, 2010
Letter on: Next window, please
“Walker the Squawker's marketing theme more aptly might be:
"Wisconsin: Yours for the Taking"
He already has a great start at giving away the place we call home and the jobs we need. In about 2 weeks, he'll take the oath and be given his license to steal.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 18, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“Somehow we have gotten the idea that if we just kick someone who has it a bit better than we do right square in the balls that we will be better off. This is the essence of Decker and Walker et. al. when it comes to the State Employees. I think it really started during the Reign of Reagan the Retarded.
I hope that once, just once and for all, they ALL walk out. That includes the profs, the teachers, and other private union employees in sympathy. Let the legislators clean their own toilets and empty their own wastebaskets. Let them mop the floors. Let them shovel the snow and salt and scrape the ice. And then make them give up their health care, their retirement plans, their per diems, etc. Oh, and let the union members never give another damned dime or hours worth of canvassing etc for any political candidate. They just cannot be trusted to look out for anyone who might seem just a bit below their exalted status.
Nice dream huh?”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Steny and Decker
“Well, you can't say he didn't warn us. During the campaign Obungle praised Reagan as a truly great transformational president. Now you know what that particular Rorschach blot turns out to be! Now we will just "transform" Obungle into a one-term president. Nobama is good 'bama.
As for the Dems what did anyone really expect? If their lousy performance weren't so sad it would be comical. Imagine a bunch of wet hens clucking around. Now imagine the Democratic Congress, but I repeat myself.
This just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Steny and Decker
“As a vilified Wisconsin state employee and member of the Wisconsin Professional Employees Council at UW-Milwaukee, I would LOVE to see some facts/figures on the benefits, health care premium costs and coverage, salaries (including per diems claimed) and pensions of Wisconsin legislators, who, at best, are part-time employees of the state. I suspect one could not find a better example of feeders at the public trough than our less-than-illustrious assortment of elected senators and congressmen/women. And why not throw in the figures for our soon-to-be governor for good measure? Everyone is so concerned with state employee salaries and benefits, why are we not getting more information and the full picture concerning that particular breed of state employee known as elected legislator?”
-Marie Fernleaf | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Steny and Decker
“RE Plastic Man's communication director:
Michele Bachmann churns through communications directors like Michele Bachmann churns up lies. Constantly.
Most of them quit because they can't stand the extreme looney lying show.
So they might not be quite as crazy as Bachmann. Faint praise, I guess.”
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Steny and Decker
“Current immoral and unethical values seem to dominate the international/national control of our government. Some Congress men and women even say so. Owners of the companies,(and investors?) who relocated US manufacturing overseas should be stripped of US citizenship, business licenses and deported to those countries. Those who created the biggest financial meltdown prior to Dems getting in, (by set ups, scams on the poorest among us with predatory arm loans, creating an energy/worker-layoff downturn, then the previous "outfit" forcing taxpayers to pick up the tab for corporation-casino insurers on loan failure!) should have been prosecuted and jailed.
Politics will be learned the very difficult, and I predict, eventually the old fashioned, violent union way. The same group of people affected most by Corporate/Investor greed, and forced wars, are the people who will probably charge into violence eventually, to make a point, rather than even vote.
How sad...of course, middle aged yuppies are more concerned with Paris Hilton's latest escapade or purchasing the latest electronic
"stuff" for their computers, than with what Congress does or does not do. Unfortunately, it matters not which party. The only ways to now affect current huge international corporate control of this country is directly through their pocket book....yuppies do find it so hard to do without "stuff"...to the tune of credit card thousands.
The lack of money slamming into corporate receipts is the only thing these companies notice. Believe it.So who has the control to try to keep that money from going into their wallets? Well, for "extras," we do. There are: 1.absolute and outright purposeful boycotts of products not made in the US by US workers; 2. worker-owned start-ups, cooperatives, housing coops, kids living at home, 3. personal conversion to as much passive renewable energy as possible; purchase of solar products (you may have to buy things from more renewable energy bound countries' industries); moving closer to work to avoid driving; 4. teaching politics, (teaching yuppies to look, at least, at political history...how a nation of no protection, once got to a better place; how the US middle and poor classes have been ambushed, robbed, and raped by those prostituted to war, oil, Wall Street, and their snake-oil advertising; and by 5. guarding, preaching voting.
These are not "politically correct" actions for yuppies, and difficult for others trying to survive, so before these ideas are even entertained by the populace, more people will have to become really, really miserable.
Temporarily, probably Republocrats will make everything look and feel just "ducky" to justify: (a) their political posturing as the "big no" for social programs benefitting anyone but corproate welfare, (b.)their pseudo-patriotic sobbing, and whining, while planning their next big armed robbery of the majority of US citizens, because (c.) Gotta keep those international yachts "pig-polished."
So, the "games" continue while pigs fatten up. Oh, I forgot, they'll still "look" ok; they have a personal trainer! !”
-J. M. | Madison | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Steny and Decker
“Why does Ron Johnson continue to staff his organization with people from outside the Badger State?
Is he for or against us? Looks like we won't have to wait the full 6 years to find out.”
-Maria Caliente | Middleton | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Steny and Decker
“Tax cuts mean nothing to the unemployed. Good jobs do. If someone is paying taxes, this means that the individual is making money.
Using congressional logic, maybe we ought to suspend all taxes for 2 years. Would the economy boom or the country go bust?
PS: What we really need in the northwoods is a snowflake czar, one who is proficient in keeping track of snowflakes. We don't need a deer czar. We have more snowflakes than whitetails.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Steny and Decker
“If you earned millions of dollars each year, would you vote yourself a tax cut or would you choose to up your own tax rate?
If your buddies and financial backers also earned millions, would you choose to raise their taxes, too, or would you give them a break?
The tax cuts have nothing to do with the economy. The wise person know this. The cuts have to do with self interests and keeping one's friends.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 17, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“Instead of reminding everyone that Scott Walker is not creating the jobs he promised, how about starting a countdown timer of sorts to remind us how many days this fellow has in office?
Wisconsin will be served better once Walker is gone.”
-Maria Caliente | Middleton | December 16, 2010
Letter on: NewPage and new job count
“The shutdown by NewPage in Whiting should come as no surprise, given their conduct in closing Wisconsin's most technologically-advance and highly profitable plant in Kimberly in 2008. The needless shutdown threw 600 skilled workers, mostly in their 50s, out of work and dealt a heavy blow to their futures.
NewPage is actually owned by a Wall Street "hedge fund" called Cerberus (named after the mythical dogs guarding the gates of Hell, I kid you not)whose principals include former Bush II Treasury Secretary John Snow and former Vice President J. Danforth Quayle IV.
Hedge funds make money by moving paper around on the Wall Street casino, not producing anything of value. In fact, shutting down productive, profitable plants enlarges their earnings.
In Kimberly,for example, NewPage and Cerberus turned down four potential buyers who wanted to keep the plant operating.”
-Roger Bybee | Milwaukee, WI | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Back to school
“Peter makes some excellent points, and - as an unofficial democratic socialist - I agree with him. Teachers' unions are not, in-and-of themselves, evil, and they are demonstrating significant flexibility regarding issues like tenure and job security. That's good...
Franz calls for politics to be removed from our schools, which sounds good, but is a futile effort - political office-holders must make these decisions if we are to improve our schools.
As for Dohnal's comments, I speak as a former school board member and member of the board of WAES [excellentschools.org] when I say that, for the most part, the money is being spent wisely, not wasted. There just isn't enough of it, and most of what there is is coming from property taxpayers.
Change is needed - NOW!”
-John Smart | Park Falls WI | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“The Christmas present Decker gave Walker and the rest of Wisconsin is a potential "war." It looks like the only thing that will be Forward in Wisconsin is the motto. At this point in time, the union members will not agree to anymore concession. It would have been better if the contracts passed, thus giving Walker time to sell the idea of more concession to the union members.
Because of the actions of Mr. Decker, everyone, even those that are against these contracts, lost. Yes, i know some will say they won, but i will guarentee that three months from now they would be upset that Decker did this.
Hopefully God can calm our minds and keep everyone focus. But my instincts say "The war has come."”
-Bob W | Madison | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“It seems to me that, rather than pointing fingers at state (i.e. union) employees, we need to direct the discussion to raising all of us to a level where everyone, including those in the private sector, have access to the basic protections they receive, such as pensions, sufficient and affordable health coverage, a certain level of work hours per year, disability protection and so on and so forth.”
-CL | Hudson, Wi | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Back to school
“You don't have to spend more money you have to spend money wisely. Py teachers and the education lobby the same salaries and benetfits paid in the private sector and clean out the excessive administration.
Teach the kids to read.”
-Dohnal | Wauwatosa, wi. | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“Like John says, the government workers are the problem.
Like John says, they exploit the unemployed, the homeless, and the minimum wage worker and enrich themselves from taxes paid by unemployed and homeless (?).
The solution to the devastation of the economy is to drag EVERYONE down to the lowest level. Using this logic, I think that EVERYONE should be unemployed and homeless, otherwise it just ain't fair, is it?
EVERYONE must suffer, except the wealthy, because, well, they are creating all those jobs. And of course, rich people aren't parasites living off the regular folk, are they.
It used to be that people worked to make things better for everyone. The saying was "A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats". Now the saying is "You Still Afloat? Let me punch a hole in that."
Now they want to punish any working people who have a decent deal.”
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Back to school
“How did education become so politicized? Get rid of the politics and perhaps we can again have schools that work.
We need more proactive people working on behalf of education than we need another naysayer.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“18 jobs are no big deal. Not even a good start.
What about all of us living in rural Wisconsin? Where are our jobs and where are our livable wages?
There are many unemployed and underpaid workers throughout more rural areas. Take any of the backroads and wonder just who lives in those quaint little shacks or where they work. Bet my last venison steak that your guess will be wrong.
Wisconsin is more than just Dane county and Metro Milwaukee. It's more than the Fox Valley. The needs and dreams of Wisconsin citizens go far beyond those of Walker and his nefarious ilk.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“I had several discussions with Decker over the past ten years.
My impression of him was a man who wasn't very thoughtful and a man who would say whatever he though would get him the most milage.
He is what I thought he was! A snake in the grass.”
-Carmen | Little Chicago, WI | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“Not only do Republican'ts seem to have unlimited funds to buy their way into positions of power, they are also masters of using fear and spinning facts to rouse a populace that hears what it wants to hear, an electorate incapable of critical thinking.
As for paying public employees and their benefits, I used to think that public employees had it made. Perhaps they do. There are those who abuse the system, yes. There are also those doing excellent work. To keep good people, one needs to treat them well. Public employees are our employees since we ARE the state. Private business would do itself well to treat their own employees equal to state workers or better. Too many private employers see employees as liabilities instead of an investment. This is why employees are the first to go when it comes to profit. Employers aren't the brightest people. Their vision usually goes as far as their own needs and the worker becomes a commodity.
Both Walker the Squawker and Ron Johnson did not get to where they are today by being nice to workers. They did so by using others.
Time for workers to rise and take over. We need more employee-owned businesses, more co-ops, more employee involvement in their own destiny.
Until then, welcome to the world of perpetual unemployment.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Ever wonder how GOP does it?
“State employees make too much, have too generous pensions and health care. The private sector has been hammered by this economy with people losing their jobs or being forced to take draconian wage cuts. Russ Decker is no traitor; those public employees who demand more and more are. They would crush the private sector to enrich themselves.
So Ed, where does the money to pay public employees come from? It comes from people without jobs, those who lost their houses and those working for minimum wage with no benefits. It's time state employees shared the pain. Keeping the status quo while the private sector has been devastated is not fair.”
-John Kisimee | Madison, WI | December 16, 2010
Letter on: Back to school
“And as we laud the accomplishments of Finland in education (among other areas wherein they compare more favorably to the U.S.), let us note that they have the highest density of teacher unionization in the developed world. Also, they practice a form of political economy with which we Americans might acquaint ourselves, social democracy. Comparatively high taxes and an absolutely higher social wage -- both cause and consequence of a high wage economy with labor market and social welfare protections. We can do lots and lots with education policy in a vacuum; but unless we treat it as part of a broader picture of political economy and social welfare, we will get nowhere, either with education, or with political economy and social welfare.”
-Peter Rickman | Madison, WI | December 16, 2010
Letter on: NewPage and new job count
“And when the jobs don't materialize, who will Walker the Squawker blame? Why, the Democrats, of course. It's only natural and to be expected.
I'm all in favor of increasing the unemployment lines with Scott Walker in position #1.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 15, 2010
Letter on: Two men from Hope
“While I continue to support the president and this party, it is quite evident that he has made the decision not to run for re-election. We need to look at his replacement now....”
-pojo440 | Spooner | December 15, 2010
Letter on: NewPage and new job count
“Militant Middle my left foot! Always be careful of people who will not define a thing! It is just as bad as the Orwellian tendency to re-name a thing. What a bunch of mopes and charlatans! If they come around give 'em the bums rush!
Besides, there ain't nothing in the middle of the road except yellow stripes and dead skunks!”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 15, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“Reality in Hudson,
As I understand it, the Madison-Milwaukee leg was part of a regional network that has been in planning for decades now, including under Republican leadership. This was not primarily about local commuter rail, but rather, broader regional economic development and opportunity.”
-Paul Theis | Cedarburg | December 15, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“I suspect the decisions to kill improved passenger rail, in both Wisconsin and Ohio, were mostly poll-driven attempts to win the elections at hand and thus control redistricting, the all-important key to future electoral successes of all kinds. Look at how safe Rep. Sensenbrenner has been since the last redistricting.
Yes, Ed, by all means let's learn from California. For example, what role has the pot legalizaton movement played in helping to drive voter turnout amoung the young? Could such a movement make a difference for Democrats in Wisconsin, even if it is destined ultimately not to succeed? A statewide referendum question/campaign might be worth looking into.”
-Paul Theis | Cedarburg | December 15, 2010
Letter on: Looking for jobs?
“Any day now the state of Mississippi is going to rightfully claim Wisconsin as a suburb, annex us, and we'll become 'Wississippi'. Then the state government can give up the pretense of even caring about anybody that doesn't have a million dollars or more...”
-Big Em | Milwaukee, WI | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Running off the rails
“Konstance,
Thanks for clearing up your meaning of intermodal. Your point is well taken. Probably 10 or so years ago the Chicago Transit Authority had a new guy take over the operations and he made what was a really great statement. We need to look at changing what the bus system does, instead of having the busses bring people into the city have some of the busses act as the collector system to bring the people to the METRA stations and have the trains bring them into the city. It took a certain amount of courrage to actually think in that manner.
This past Saturday I caught a newscast on our local radio station WEKZ in Monroe (they have a real live news department)and they were interviewing I believe the Chairman of the Stephenson County IL Board about the new Blackhawk train which will begin running from either Dubuque or Waterloo, Iowa to Chicago in 2012.
Very down home delivery, we have to figure out yet where the stations will be, which grade crossings we'll close because of the low traffic count because all crossings have to be light and gate protected and finalize our agreements with CN Railroad. We really look forward to this new train. And what a great economic development boost
this will be for our area.
Looks like we'll have to Escape Wisconsin to see our train money at work. All Aboard for Illinois!”
-Kim Tschudy | New Glarus, WI | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Two men from Hope
“That was a pathetic performance and was matched only by the tongue lashing he gave his own liberal Democrats.
I can think of no reason why I would ever vote for this guy again. The Obamapologists have disappeared like an April snow and yet this guy keeps acting like he knows all. He is nothing more than a lawn jockey for the establishment banksters and GOP country club millioniares. Uncle Tomobama. Acting like the stuffy house butler who actually thinks he runs the plantation.
What a pathetic show this has all become!”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor,WI. | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Looking for jobs?
“We, that is the majority or Wisconsinites, ARE pretty stupid in that we put this schmuck in office. Who could blame him for taking us at our own stupidity?
Public/Private? You know the left likes to carp about Ayn Rand but this is precisely the kind of stuff she ranted against. She called it the "aristocracy of pull". This is facism defined.
Wisconsin, and the country, is on a glide path to third world status and between the crooked and cynical GOP and witless Dems one hardly knows where to aim the rifle first!”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Looking for jobs?
“The LA Times editorial is great. Thanks for sharing. I hope you have sent a framed copy to Scott Walker.
An appropriate moniker for Scott Walker may be Scott Tissues. We're going to need plenty of them to clean up his mess. Scott is saving us all sorts of money, so we can afford lots of them, and his new jobs will pay mininum. Tissues will be about all we can afford.
Oh, well, back to chopping wood so I can stay warm.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Looking for jobs?
“Let's not forget about our newly "elected" US Senator. He refuses to speak to the media yet he made sure to bow down to those that he truly represents. See the article at thinkprogrss.org/2010/12/13/chamber-ron-johnson/
It is really going to be a long 4-6 years.”
-Jeff Ehlers | Cedarburg, WI | December 14, 2010
Letter on: A czar too far
“You forgot to mention the 20,000 or so deer that are hit by vehicles every year. As for your points about managing the deer herd (e.g., extermination of wolves, deer hatcheries), please, please don't give them any ideas. They are woefully short of them and might think you serious.”
-Laura Westenkirchner | Marshfield, WI | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Two men from Hope
“It's a pretty weak president when Obama has to call in Clinton to bolster his positions.
What's next? Seances to invoke FDR, Lincoln or Truman?”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Looking for jobs?
“It does not surprise that Walker the Squawker wants to make the Dept of Commerce a public/private group.
Heck, the governorship and much of the legislature is already public/private.
I wonder how many people in this state know how government is supposed to work. Most of us know how it does not.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 14, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“I did not say or suggest that we shouldn't "engage in some critical evaluation" - of course we should. What I am saying is that we should not label our leadership as failures and chuck them out.
Would we do this all across the nation? The only state Democratic Party that demonstrated real wins was California's. Maybe we should ask them to take us all over?
The point is that we are the Democratic Party, and we took a nation-wide "shellacking." Tossing blame around will not solve our problem.
The electorate was furious and bewildered! And, as I said, if the Republicans really believe they received a mandate, it will be much easier to shellac them in two years!”
-John Smart | Park Falls WI | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“Griebie is right. Walker, and the GOP, campaigned to the outstate rubes. Don't be insulted. That is how THEY think about you. They talked trash and you believed them. What makes you think they will respect you after that?
The sad part is they can get away with it because the over educated Dems forgot who their natural base is. THEY have spent the last two decades kissing the butts of every two bit hippy dippy grievance committee headquartered in Madison.
In the meantime those of us with some vested interest in the future well being of Wisconsin go begging for some sanity.
Nicely done, all of you.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 13, 2010
Letter on: WikiLeaks
“Oh dear, how nasty, Flanders McGoogle. I assume that this is not your real name - how could it be? And I wonder that you are not willing to let us all know who you really are...
Okay - to begin with, the Democratic Party doesn't "allow" me to "run around speaking for the party." I just feel obliged to speak out on my own. So, who or what qualifies you to mouth off?
And I do not "write off critics," I debate them - providing they make sense and are not simply name-callers.
"Mentally inbred and incestuous?" You weary me.
What we need are people who are realistic, who recognize that we have a two-party system, and it behooves us to learn to work within it if we ever hope to achieve anything...”
-John Smart | Park Falls WI | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“Hey Pietr,
Not to worry! Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature have promised, no guaranteed, to create thousands of living-wage jobs, dozens of them right there in Hurley. And none of them is gummint jobs, no siree God Bless America. All of them jobs will be created by rich people's tax rates being low and small business owners thanks to Governor Walker's policies. Why, I suspect Hurley will once again be a bright shining boom town with Walker in charge.
And when it doesn't happen, remember, it's the Democrat's fault.”
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“Perhaps some in our wonderful state are confusing agrarian with backwoods and backwoods with backwards.
I noticed that during the campaigning, the Walker group spent much time saying "no" to Dane county. There's more to this state than Milwaukee and Dane counties. What about the rest of us and our 70 counties? We have needs for jobs and growing economies, too.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“Eventually Wisconsin will have its high speed rail. Most likely many, many years after all the damage caused by Walker and fellow nearsighted Republican'ts.
When it does come, it will cost many times more than what it will cost today. Where's the savings? Walker's crowd seems to crow that the real savings will be today. The rest of us know any future system will bankrupt us.
I wonder if Walker isn't getting us ready for Armageddon and the final rapture...”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“Your turn Ayn Rand politicians. It is going to be painful going back to the policies that brought us the "greed crises recession." I remember Paul Ryan voting for everything Pres. Bush requested and now he chairs the budget committee.
Thank you for this blog, Ed.”
-Pat Nelson | Three Lakes WI | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Fool me twice
“Can you hear the inexorable machinations of the profiteers seeking growth? Here is what will happen:
Customers pull their accounts from big banks.
Big banks suffer losses and seek new cash.
To regional lenders we give our thanks.
Big fish eat small and its gone in a flash.
A brace of couplets in iambic pentameter on this cold winter day. Regional solutions cannot fend off the big business angling for growth opportunities (no matter how small).
The Bank of North Dakota is the nation's only state owned bank, and it is flourishing. Now there's a model lender.”
-Lex Tinker-Sackett | Eau Claire, WI | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“You're right on this one Ed. Governor "Wanker" will go down as the most bone stupid govenor Wisconsin has ever had. What a dunce.
Time to start looking into the specifics of a recall.”
-Steve Carlson | Trego WI | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Almost feel sorry for Walker-Talker?
“The only person I feel sorry for is me. The State of Wisconsin is now officially not just red, but redneck. Little Scotty said he was ready to "go the distance" and I take him at his word. There is no stupid idea that is beyond him and his GOP pals.
It really is odd seeing the posh eastside Milwaukeeans playing to the rubes and rednecks. I wonder if all these redneck idiots really know what they are letting themselves in for.
If they really think that in four years they will be better off than now then they really are too stupid to have the right to vote. Just think what is coming. A right to work state putting the boss class completely in the drivers seat again. Less affordable medical care. Trashing of the environment. Jobs already planning to LEAVE instead of come here. But, on the plus side they will get a Deer Czar.
Hey, sounds like a deal to me.
Makes me glad I am going to Escape Wisconsin. On second thought I am not sorry for me. I will be gone. Have fun suckers.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI. | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Running off the rails
“Maybe my definitions are off here. By inter modal I meant to suggest that the train would hook up with other means of public passenger service such as air or bus routes.
I gather that it is common in Europe for airports to also provide connections to rail and bus lines and that is what I was getting at.
This proposed line was essentially a commuter run but the high speed angle was a gee whiz factor. I think this led to some opposition, but not all. Certainly a Hiawatha type line would not be a bad thing but..., a full interstate passenger line would more nearly meet the federal idea for federal dollars and if Walker had any brains he would have networked with other governors and pushed that idea, kept the funds and jobs, and made us a better state. Of course we are talking about Walker so all bets for brains are off.”
-Konstance Kaffeeschlucker | Sturgeon Bay , WI. | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Campaign finance follies
“"Welfare for politicians???"
Nothing could provide more welfare than our current system that ensures a 90% re-election rate. Public funding of campaigns is "fair," and politicians don't like fair when their jobs are at stake, and unfair benefits their re-election.
And nothing could costs more public money than our current moneyed system. I'd gladly pay my $5 to offset the costs of a publicly-funded system.”
-Jack Lohman | Colgate, WI | December 13, 2010
Letter on: Running off the rails
“Konstance I believe you're wrong in one of your statements. As I recall this is part of the state midwest rail consortium with the Madison-Milwaukee run being only a very small part of the overall plan.
You're correct that it isn't an intermodal train. Amtrak tried this very thing and it proved to be very successful carrying LCL (less than carload) freight. But that was killed when one or several of the big railroads, BNSF or UP filed a suit that Amtrak was using their tracks to compete with them. That wasn't true because railroads today don't carry LCL freight. It better be inter-modal or unit trains of coal and grain.
Remember back approximately 10 years ago when the Heifer Zephyr or Heifer Hiawatha ran from Janesville to Milwaukee? The selling point of this line was its ability to carry LCL freight for same day delivery. It was a dismal failure because it was one of those Tommy Thompson see what I got you deals to make himself look good. Properly run and run by Amtrak and not Tommy's friends, this probably had some hope of working.
I find it interesting that the Madison birkenstock Saturday night liberals were dying for this new Madison Milwaukee train but yet when we were fighting like hell to save the Illinois Central tracks from Monroe to Belleville where there was a need for freight rail our biggest opponents were these same Madison Sahara Klubbers and Freddy Feelgood's that were screaming we need more bike paths.
And out in southern Dane County and Green County we needed the jobs that paid decent wages.
Three years ago I was asked to testify at a city council meeting in Peoria, Illinois where there was a push to convert a working rail line into a bike trail.
One customer along the line, an employee owned lumber company that paid darn good wages, full insurance and retirement benefits needed rail service to be more competitive. The lack of rail service cost that company approximately $65M in higher transportation costs.
At that meeting a Sahara Klub representative blatantly told the lumber yard people to Get Real, we need this bike path more than you need rail service.
What we lost in Southern Dane and Green County was a good industry that moved to Janesville because they needed rail service and took with it may well paying jobs. A factory in Belleville wanted to expand but couldn't do so without rail.
The Madison Sahara Klubbers won this one for their own personal needs but not the needs of the greater good. I hope they like the feeling of having been beaten at their own game on their Madison-Milwaukee train.
FYI the Illinois Central tracks could have been rebuilt at less than half the cost of the Badger Trail and there would have been some darn good jobs created.
Kim Tschudy
New Glarus”
-Kim Tschudy | New Glarus, WI | December 12, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“I like and respect John Smart, but I am not particularly comforted by his logic.
He says the coordinated campaign worked better than any in recent memory, that our Dem party leadership should stay put and keep up the good work, and that our losses were not for lack of effort on our part, rather it was simply that the electorate was in a foul mood. Hmmmm.
If we don't engage in some critical evaluation of what we did wrong over the last couple of years our prospects going forward are not good.”
-Steve Carlson | Trego WI | December 12, 2010
Letter on: WikiLeaks
“250K per year is rich, no matter how much the DLC and Obungle want to portray it as middle class. That is a useless term if ever I heard one.
If you want to know what people make just take the hourly wage, double it, and add three zeros. That is close enough for horseshoes for coming up with gross income. So, $20.00/hr gives you 40K gross income per year. Who these days in Wisconsin is getting that kind of money? The Dems used to know that their base, and the people they fought for, were those under the median income.
And Mr. Smart et. al. still thinks the Dems are worth bothering about? Brother, you lost Factory Joe a long time ago! You may have the union bosses but the rank and file on the floor are giving you the shove. At least the other side does a better job or pretending they are for them. Of course it is a lie. But since when has truth mattered in politics. The Dems have been absolutley stinko at keeping their natural base.
And with people like Mr. Smart willing to just write off critics it will just get worse for them. Really, why does the party allow fools like this to run around speaking for the party? I think the fact that it does shows just how mentally inbred and incestuous the party really is.”
-Flanders McGoogle | Rio Creek, WI. | December 12, 2010
Letter on: Running off the rails
“I understand the antipathy towards this particular train run in that it is short and is not interstate or intermodal.
Still, if Walker were a better, or less ideological politician he might have been able to translate those dollars into a changed plan that included Minnesota and Illinois and thereby made it much more of a federal, and therefore more legitimate expenditure of federal dollars.
But of course these guys are just against. Against anything except some kind tax break or preferement or low interest loan that benefits their pals.”
-Konstance Kaffeeschlucker | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 12, 2010
Letter on: Running off the rails
“Walker isn't even the governor yet. He's merely governor-elect. How can a single individual who is not governor toss out the $810 million grant? This is the question. Are we a democracy or is Wisconsin becoming a dictatorship?”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 12, 2010
Letter on: WikiLeaks
“$250,000 would certainly make this writer "rich". Heck, I'd settle for half that amount. Even a quarter of that would expand my opportunities.
Think of all those making $10-15 an hour with kids to feed, rent to pay, etc. I bet they have absolutely zero dollars at the end of their month of one or more jobs.
We need a system for taxing everyone fairly and consistently. We don't need veiled talk about tax cuts which are really a mean ruse to pass along our problems to future generations of Americans.
If someone earns $50,000 and sees a tax savings of $1000, this is equivalent to a 50 cent raise or about $20 more each week. It's not free money either because it will be included in one's gross and subject to tax. Net is about $16-17 more to spend each week or about a little more than $2 a day.
Real savings will be when the US ends its diplomacy based on threats and ultimatums, the wars cease and our men and women come home where they belong. Real savings will be putting our hard earned dollars into programs that benefit each one of us and not just the privileged few.”
-Maria Caliente | Middleton | December 12, 2010
Letter on: WikiLeaks
“How was it that Charlie (the hypocrite) Sykes was for the sales tax for the Brewer stadium? Oh yes it is the transfer the money to the rich thing.”
-WisconsinLiberal | Fox Valley, WI | December 12, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“Oh no - Flanders McGoogle is leaving the Democratic Party! However will we survive?”
-John Smart | Park Falls WI | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“I am curious as to the fascination with the train. There is already a bus that makes the round trip each day and I doubt its packed. According to my assemblyman, the train would not be high speed either (traveling at about the same speed as a car and would not be "cheap" either) so there is no incentive for commuters. Of course most of us don't set out to take on years worth of debt when we look in our checkbook and see negative numbers. Something train supporters seemed to be blind to. Why not go after the MPS school system? Oh wait, that is a Democrats love nest in public education and big unions. Of course that debacle is a real problem.”
-Reality In Motion | Hudson WI | December 11, 2010
Letter on: A czar too far
“We don't hunt in Wisconsin. We ambush. Hunting would imply tracking an animal. Ambushing allows time for beer, cards and sitting in unheated blinds.
Of course, some hunt for work. We don't ambush work. Ambushing is something reserved for inept bosses.”
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 11, 2010
Letter on: He really is a Republican!
“No sweat with his public/private partnership to replace the department of commerce, reporting of jobs paid for with taxpayer funds rather than jobs actually created, Scott will have his 250,000 jobs whenever he wants them. He won't even need to move the DNR deer counters to the public/private partnership to accomplish his goal.”
-nonheroicvet | Ashland, WI | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“So Ed, do you think there are 500-thousand Wisconsin voters who are as incredulous and enraged about the loss the train from Milwaukee to Madison and all that will and will not occur as a result that they'll sign a recall petition? Add union workers who don't want Wisconsin to become a right-to-work state and 500-thousand seems a small number.”
-Eric Schubring | Drummond | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“We spend thousands of dollars a year on Wittman Field in Oshkosh, that is really not used except for one week a year. But that is not a waste is it? We subsidize many things.”
-WisconsinLiberal | Fox Valley, WI | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“I'm not so sure that a summit of losing candidates to tell us what went wrong is the right thing to do. Instead, how about a summit of rank-and-file Democrats, party members, activists, and voters, to discuss the problems.
With candidates that lost, we'll probably hear about needing centrist "solutions," more "bipartisanship," reaching out to "independents," and the same tripe that has consigned our Democratic Party to a decade of minority status. With rank-and-filers, we'll hear about how the inability and unwillingness of Democrats in power to adopt good policy led to a broken economy that left people feeling (and being) insecure, frustrated, and powerless-but-for-voting-GOP.
The rank-and-filers will talk about (re)building the party through organizing people (especially workers, including organizing some into some unions), fighting for single-payer (and other issues that point to core Democratic values), and recruiting progressives to run for local offices. The defeated candidates will talk about raising more money to communicate their message of being "focused on jobs" to moderate, independent voters.
In short, defeated candidates will retrospectively fight the last battle with an approach keyed toward exactly the same things that got us here; the rank-and-filers will talk about a program, agenda, and course of action to build a real, working progressive majority through the Democratic Party. I know which one I want, as a progressive and as a Democrat.
So yes, let's get going a discussion about the direction and action of our party; and let's have the people at the table engaging in a little participatory democracy of rank-and-file leadership.”
-Peter Rickman | Madison, WI | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“It is pretty pathetic when Little Barry has to bring in Big Bill to flog his nitwit "compromise". If Obungle thought his presidency was on the ropes before he just proved it by this insane act. What a loser! That is the only message he sent by doing this. When he can't even stand and defend his own actions and has to run off to a party and let the former president, the one whose wife he beat in the primaries, come on stage and dominate his own administration then you know he is disengaged at best.
Time to dump Uncle Tomobama. Time for him to just get it over with and join the GOP. Time for some real Democrats to step forward. This is just a farce! And, when he is gone, maybe he can get a lobbying job here in Wisconsin and negotiate a compromise with Little Scotty and get us a stage coach line instead of a train.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI. | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“Clinton and Obama are both millionaires. The tax deal benefits them both just as it does most members of congress.
With the corporate grip on American politicians, it's going to be extremely difficult to give in to the needs of the majority of us.
Welcome to America, the company town.”
-Pietr Haiikuu | Hurley | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Amtrak
“It isn't just about trains. It's about anything that even smells of progress and a future.
In today's NYT (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/science/earth/11fossil.html?hp), there's an article about a Swedish town of 80,000 that made the commitment to get off fossil fuels a decade ago. Today they are basically getting energy from non-fossil fuels. We could easily do it here, if those without vision would only quit shouting "socialism".
Where are the Republican'ts when it comes to the future? They're still arguing about gays, abortion and family values. Those who vote Republican't think "what's in my wallet" more than "what's in my life".
The next 4 years will be bleak ones, indeed, for Wisconsin unless you can somehow be blessed enough to participate in Walker the Talker largesse.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Why so angry?
“I want to invite Barry to our weekly poker game. Does anyone have his phone number”
-nonheroicvet | Ashland, WI | December 11, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“Oh brother! More dumb comments from Mr. Smart. The guy who thinks it is wonderful that the Dems are disorganized.
Well, we see where that gets us don't we. Yes, Dems all over the country took a beating and that is because Dems all over the country are a damned herd of cats. Disorganized with no clear message and no message discipline. EXACTLY why we need to dump them and form a progressive/liberal third party and run for legislative seats, as Ziggy noted.
Forget the Dems. They are yesterday and we are so over you! Bye Bye.”
-Flanders McGoogle | Rio Creek, WI. | December 10, 2010
Letter on: A czar too far
“It's called a "hunt" for a reason. We don't call it a "shoot"; the "hunting" license does not carry a guarantee. Hunt: To search for. Maybe they have "harvest" confused with what happens in a bean or corn field, where you do get a crop.”
-Peter | Monona | December 10, 2010
Letter on: He really is a Republican!
“I am past the stage of enragement (or trying to be) and I'm now thinking more in the mode of the old saying, "don't get mad, get even." In other words, where do we go from here?
I'll say this about Walker: as perverted as his priorities are, he is acting in a manner that I wish Obama had acted when he was sworn in. Then and now are not the time for us to be singing "Kumbayah" with our adversaries.
In a broad sense, we need to call upon Democratic members of the incoming legislature to demonstrate the same level of cooperation toward Walker that the GOP has shown toward Obama. This means, in part, Democrats doing what they're not always good at: standing together.
More specifically, I'd like to see:
• Civil lawsuits against the state for destroying this project. Maybe even a class action suit brought by such entities as Watertown, the city of Milwaukee, and even Milwaukee County, which will be lucky enough not to have Walker as its exec after this month. And Talgo and all the subcontractors may also have a case for civil action. The legal fees incurred by the state can be used by progressives as more expense heaped upon the taxpayer by Walker in the name of "saving money."
• A push for a criminal investigation of Walker and his ties to the road-building industry. This may need to start with someone conducting a lot of muckraking, investigative journalism. I don't expect Van Hollen to do anything, but there may be interstate ramifications of his actions, which would allow for Federal charges.
• A media campaign on the part of Wisconsin's progressives to showcase the aftermath of Walker's decision: e.g., when Talgo pulls out, full page ads throughout the state showing pictures of their locked gates with the tagline, "Thank you, Governor Walker."
Stopping HSR is just the start of the damage Walker plans to do this state. To quote a line from an old movie, "he has the courage of his ignorance." We need to dig in and remember that for the next four years, "opposition" is the operative word in "loyal opposition."
Either that, or we should change our state name to "North Mississippi."”
-Aredee | Madison, WI | December 10, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“If Democrats wish to be victorious in 2012, they will have to do more than simply depend on the Republican'ts screwing up. Democrats will have to demonstrate to the people that they have solid solutions. Talk is cheap. We need a checklist in writing.
Teachers write lesson plans with specific goals and how to achieve them.
Democrats need to also write lesson plans that specify goals and then, in no uncertain terms, tell us how the goals will be met.
Unless Democrats take the bull by the horns, you can bet the next election will be no more than bull.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 10, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“Yes, the Wisconsin Democrats sustained huge losses in the recent election, but we were hardly alone. Just in case you missed it, Ed, significant losses were tallied pretty much everywhere. The electorate is in a truly foul mood, no question.
[One might wish they had kept themselves better informed on the issues - have you read "What's the Matter with Kansas?"].
But I suspect that any Republicans who really believe that they've been given a mandate are in for some rude shocks. The voters are mad at all politicians, not just ours!
And blaming Mike Tate and the state party leadership for our losses is counterproductive. In my opinion, the coordinated campaign worked better than it has in my memory. It truly was a coordinated campaign, with a large group of dedicated folks working hard for each and every candidate. I wrote to everyone after the election saying that it was sad we lost, but it was most definitely not for lack of effort...
I'm hereby endorsing Mike and Melissa and Jef and the rest of our leadership to stay put and keep up the good work!”
-John Smart | Park Falls WI | December 10, 2010
Letter on: He really is a Republican!
“Keep hitting yourself in the head with a hammer Little Scotty. We are going to feel really good when you stop!
As for the Bradley Foundation and their ilk wouldn't it be really refreshing if all the comfortably concerned North Shore Milwaukee liberals gave that whole crew the cold shoulder and and empty check book for the social scene? And how about if labor actually organized for a change and outed the businesses that support this crap and then mounted a boycott. Nah, too much to expect. In this modern post partisan age terms like organized labor are oxymoronic.
Have a nice four years Wisconsin. Glad I am escaping to a sunnier clime!”
-Flanders McGoogle | Rio Creek, WI. | December 10, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“Quick quiz. Tell me, in 25 words or less, what the Wisconsin Dems stood for in the last election. You can't, can you. That is exactly the problem. Screw 'em. We need a real progressive third party that will run for legislative seats at the state and federal level. The heck with the top of the ticket nonsense. Box 'em in at the legislative level. After all, that is what the (formerly) minority GOP did and it works.
As for the Dems telling Uncle Tomobama to shove off it is a day late and billion dollars short. They are like the slow kid in the third row in fourth grade who only got the clue AFTER flunking the test. What a pathetic bunch our current Dems really are!”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 10, 2010
Letter on: He really is a Republican!
“I always liked our state motto "Forward".
Too bad Walker the Squawker has changed it to "Backward".
He is coming into office with his own agenda, one that has nothing to do with the rest of us. Giving back $800 million escapes reason. I wonder if Walker even knows where Wisconsin is. My map shows it strategically placed between Chicago and the Twin Cities. We are in the perfect spot to benefit economically from regional growth. But, if Walker the Squawker doesn't want to be part of that growth maybe he ought to erect a wall of cheese so he can keep Minnesotans and Flatlanders away. How soon before Walker starts to print his own money?
I know I didn't vote Walker. I wonder who did.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 10, 2010
Letter on: He really is a Republican!
“Also do you know who also is a "True Red"? Ron Johnson, it has been reported that he has hired a K Street lobbyist as his Chief of Staff. You know what the payback for his backers will be.”
-WisconsinLiberal | Fox Valley, WI | December 10, 2010
Letter on: Here they come!
“Walker doesn't have to make Wisconsin a Right to Work state, it already is one. That means you get to work and the boss is always right, no matter how bad he wants to shaft you.
This is really pathetic and frankly, I don't see any kind of solidarity among working people or even between unions. When there is a strike in Europe the other unions go out if the issue is really a major one. We have none of that and until we do workers are going to be picked off.
The Tea Party picked up on "Don't Tread On Me" but maybe workers should pick up on the line of all hanging together or they will be hung seperately!”
-Flanders McGoogle | Rio Creek, WI. | December 9, 2010
Letter on: Here they come!
“Why do Republicants hate labor so much?
Were Wisconsin voters thinking, "that they were not labor"?
Laborers who did not vote, did not vote for Democrats will suffer the consequences.
Once Walker figures out how to steal from Union Pension Funds he will whistle a different tune about putting unions out of business.”
-Frankie | Little Chicago, WI | December 9, 2010
Letter on: Growing stronger in Wisconsin Dells
“Damn! And all this time I thought milk came from Kwik Trip. Aren't tomatoes supposed to be perfect tasteless red plastic balls? I'd hate to bite into an apple and find I wasn't the first. Next you're going to tell me that birds fly over my lettuce.
(Seriously, great article! Thank you!)”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 9, 2010
Letter on: Here they come!
“I hardly know where to begin. Not to defend Little Scotty but having a college degree does not make you smart. As proof I give you our current Dems and their Affirmative Action President. So.., be careful on that. Like my daddy always said, "When you don't have an education you just have to use your brains." As proof of that I give you Truman. He didn't have a college degree either.
As for the Deer Czar this is nothing more than Little Scotty playing the bucket biologist crowd. They will do it with fishing too. In fact, if the enviros had been paying attention they would have noticed it by now but I guess you have to be a group like Trout Unlimited to get that info.
Frankly, a lot of these deer hunters are a bunch of lard butts. Just got some photos from my friend in Idaho. He packed into the back country for his cow elk freezer filler. He and his pals were packing out the quartered animal down steep snow covered mountains. Around here the Beer, excuse me DEER hunters want to sit on their (heated) duffs and shoot a trophy buck and then get it out of a twenty acre field on their four wheeler. Hmmm, another issue to watch, more "access" for four wheeled recreation in the "healthy outdoors".
Face it. Liberals need to do some soul searching. They have mocked, denigrated, and otherwise poked fun of the conservatives yet they keep losing the political game despite all the college degrees. Seems they are book smart but ordinary stupid. Little Scotty and the GOP didn't win because they are smart. They won because the other side was stupid.
By the way. Is there any way to get spell check on this site? My college English is starting to wear off.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI. | December 9, 2010
Letter on: A czar too far
“I don't know. I say we put one of those funny fuzzy antler hats on Scotty and let him run around Mazomanie for a while and see what happens. Maybe we'll get lucky.”
-Flanders McGoogle | Rio Creek, WI. | December 9, 2010
Letter on: A czar too far
“Weird, too, is the fact that Walker the Talker wants to rein in state spending. So, how does he do this? He hires an overpaid czar to count deer.
Maybe he really ought to count the days left in office once he is sworn in. It shouldn't take too long for the people of this state to realize how they squandered their votes a few weeks ago.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 9, 2010
Letter on: In deep doo-doo and getting deeper!
“For years now WPR has done a nice job of providing excellent programs on gardening, how to take care of your home, animal behavior and more - it has been years since they have had the courage to tell it like it is!
No one asks even the simplest of challenging questions - if a guest says "we all know that the majority of Wisconsin citizens believe we should..." have you heard the host at the least ask where can we verify that? And now with major issues such as the high speed rail, to heck with taking on the issue as "this is how we feel here at WPR and why!" Then let the guests justify their thinking, with callers agreeing or disagreeing.
For 15 years our state, along with neighboring states, have had discussions and planning taking place on high speed rail. And at a hearing where the room was jam packed in Eau Claire groups like the Chamber of Commerce, City Council, environmental organizations, county board, downtown business development groups, individuals and more all coming together to say as one voice - "we want and need high speed rail!" Shouldn't WPR find it reasonable to ask the newly elected officials including the governor elect - just who do they represent - on air - the governor, the road building folks and their money, or those folks back home who see the future and want to be part of it? And then let the discussion begin!
So, I would rather listen to the one "publicly supported" radio station with the courage of convictions - it is called WOJB. A station where they state the issues, where they stand on that issue and then let the discussion take place. And whether a guest or caller - they know they will be challenged as to their opinion and their so called facts.
And, even though they are a native American project in a world of those who may well have a different set of biases - they have a faithful following of a variety of citizens.
To listen to WPR hosts who are so often unprepared as to the nuances and facts about a critical issue having a discussion that allows people to come on the air and spout their rants and hope a listener might call in with a challenging comment shows a total lack of journalist professionalism.”
-Steve Anderson | Eau Claire, WI | December 9, 2010
Letter on: Here they come!
“Finally got a chance to watch Michael Moore's "Capitalism, A Love Story". I usually don't like horror flix, but this one moved right along. Toward the end was footage from one of Roosevelt's final addresses wherein he presented his Second Bill of Rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bill_of_Rights):
Employment, with a living wage.
Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies.
Housing.
Medical care.
Education.
Social security.
The commentator mentioned that Japan and Europe already have them. The US does not. I wonder why.
Unfortunately for Walker the Talker, counting deer never made the list. Heaven help us if we someone even suggests livable wages. I'm beginning to have greater empathy for Republican'ts.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 9, 2010
Letter on: Sanity
“I just woke up from a very long sleep.
When did Obama switch parties?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 8, 2010
Letter on: Sanity
“Anyone who didn't expect the right wing morons from balancing the budget on the backs of the workers must be one of them. How many union workers have been furloughed, how many union workers have seen their co-pays rise. It seems has if the unionized state/federal employee is seeing a tax no other American is seeing. A tax cut generally means a larger paycheck but if you happen to be a union employee your check is smaller. With the help of the democratic party the republican party has realized their goal of a cheap labor force, thus ensuring rising profits. Any union employee who voted repiblican should lose his job.”
-Dol O'Mite | Oconomowoc, WI | December 8, 2010
Letter on: Sanity
“Each day the news reports detail the capitulation of our current President to the goals and ideals he espoused as a candidate. It is painful to feel so duped by campaign rhetoric even though the recent election demonstrated how easily us electorate are duped by marketing.
On a recent trip my wife and I visited the grave site of Mother Jones in Mt. Olive Illinois. How saddened I was, standing graveside, with the realization that what she fought to gain for the miners for so many years, mine safety and equitable pay for the miners still eludes the miner today. I am additionally amazed that her life and struggles for justice were never chronicled in the history textbooks which were used when I was in school many years ago. History has been written by old white guys so the accomplishments of any other than the old white guy was ignored.
With great anticipation after Obama' s inauguration I did have hope for change as promised only to quickly realize the only change was skin color and age. He is acting like an old white guy and there are too many already determining the direction of government. Current conditions in the US are proof.”
-Richard Kanak | Cherry Valley, Illinois | December 8, 2010
Letter on: Sanity
“President Obama's press conference was an insult to the intellegence of his followers. Let me see if I have this straight; he campaigned against tax cuts for Billionares, then does a 180, THEN says "just wait 2 years and I'll fight them again on the same issue only this time I WON'T back down."
The irony here is that democrats are coming together as never before to fight this thievery, and what is their battle cry? "Stop the Obama sell-out!" If only we could unite this strongly against the McConnell's and Bohner's of this world the mid-term elections would have turned-out different in a big way; and please spare me this nonsense about ending tax cuts in a recession is a bad idea. Do you know what's worse? Implementing a tax-cut during a time of war. Does anyone recall why the Federal income tax was created in the first place? President Lincoln created the tax and thus the IRS to finance the war against slavery. Lincoln understood the price was worth it. Now we have two wars going at the same time and where is the sound financial logic of Roosevelt in WW II, or Wilson in WW I, or Lincoln before them?
Barack Obama may yet succeed in uniting the left against the greedy, unpatriotic forces in this country; but not quite the way he intended.”
-Tim Buban | New Berlin, WI | December 8, 2010
Letter on: Sanity
“We all know that unions are evil. Just look at what came from unions:
40 hour work week
Overtime pay
Paid Vacations
Safe workplace
Protection from employer harassment
Reduction in punitive firing without legitimate cause
Living wages
Whistleblower protection when companies take illegal actions
But, you know, now that unions have won all that for all workers, we don't need unions any more. Now unions just cost us more money and make jobs go to China. I'm sure that with no unions, no jobs will go to China anymore and employers won't abuse workers.
Just like we don't need pollution laws anymore because, gee, the rivers are cleaner now. I'm sure they will stay clean with no laws in force.”
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 8, 2010
Letter on: Why so angry?
“I like how the Obungle deal gave out that a payroll tax break is a big help. What it really is is another concession to the GOP that has always wanted to get rid of Social Security. Now the system will be deprived of revenue which means the general fund will have to make up the difference.
Anybody looking for a bargain would have suggested that in return for all kinds of tax break extensions for the ultra rich an increase in the amount subject to Social Security withholding be increased. After all, it is the Bowles/Simpson folks who are so worried about future debts and obligations. But nooo, not this dimwit! Talk about Stockholm Syndrome!
This guy just cannot help sucking up to those who wish him no good. It is a life pattern with him. Time to lose this guy like a bad habit.
Nobama in 2012. The HAS to be a real Democrat out there somewhere.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 8, 2010
Letter on: A fighting chance
“Hi, Ed. I can definitely understand Ziggy's point of view, though I want to follow your battle cry. I have become sick-at-heart over Obama's continuing way of negotiating with himself--to his and our detriment. Similarly, I am sick and tired of there being no real movement in the "movement." As you say, the conservatives can pile on the cash and we can't, but every time I attend Fighting Bob Fest I come away energized and wonder where the followup organizing meetings will be held.
I live in that moron Paul Ryan's district, which I moved to seven years ago from Jan Schakowski's district (talk about culture shock!) It would do my heart good (though like other underpaid Dems I have little money and time) to be able to plug in to an active organization. Give me a task that I can squeeze in to my life and I'll go to town. Where and when, Ed? Say the word!
It's time for a statewide organization to gear up to throw the bums out, but not cater to any vested Democratic interests, either. Power corrupts. We need fresh blood and a group that tilts equally in the opposite direction from the tea-baggers.
I could say more, but I'll save it for when we actually meet to organize.”
-Paul Marren | East Troy, WI | December 7, 2010
Letter on: Why so angry?
“I have a friend who is 61. He can't find a job that pays a livable wage. He's mad, too.
He wants to work and has much to contribute.
Why won't anyone hire him and pay for his years of experience?
I'm beginning to believe that business has it all wrong when it comes to hiring workers. They go for cheap and for those wet behind the ears thinking they will have greater profitability. Why does it seem that everything is geared to young people?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 7, 2010
Letter on: Why so angry?
“On December 6, 2010 President Barack H. Obama formally began his campaign to be a one term President.
Whether intended or not, Obama gave all appearances of having joined the Republican Party in it's battle to widen the income disparity in the United States. The "Bush/Obama" tax cuts for the wealthy have now become permanent. Screw the "deficit hawks".
Obama's finely honed negotiating tactics were put to to good use yesterday. Now, in the future, these rapier-like skills will be put into play in "fixing" Social Security, reducing spending in the bloated Defense Department of the Empire, and developing regulations to control the Wall St. Casino (Round up twice the number of usual suspects).
DEMOCRATIC President Harry S Truman summed up Obama's behavior when he said:
"Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time."
Make way for candidate for President Sarah Palin.”
-Jim Kubiak | Hudson, WI | December 7, 2010
Letter on: It bends toward justice
“Ah yes, the world will be a better place when we have women in there.
I give you Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandi, Michelle Bachmen, Sarah Palin, Carley Fiorina, the dingbat who ran for California governor, etc.etc.etc. ad nauseum.
Forget it. If men and women are equal it follows that just as many women will be skunks.
Progress in not a arch that goes ever upward. There are ups and downs and having more females in positions of power will not slow our current descent, it will just look different.”
-Konstance Kaffeschlucker | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 7, 2010
Letter on: Why so angry?
“What can one say. Obungle is one of those guys so impressed with how smart he is that he just has a knack for sounding and acting stupid all the time. I say body language tells all. On the night he won he had a look down there in the park in Chicago that telegraphed contempt for those masses out to celebrate. Yeah, he put on a smile, but it was those little asides and those little glances.
There is no real empathy for those who are struggling with this guy. Don't know where it comes from but it shows and because of that he will be a one term president. He can never compromise enough to make the GOP happy, independents are not actually since most of them end up voting GOP no matter what they tell pollsters, and he has trashed his own Democratic base.
He has no vision, no guts, no great theme to his administration, and is pragmatic to a fault. Of course he will come out just fine and probably land some nice job or speaking fees. In the meantime the Great Recession will outlast him, we will sink further into a second rate status, and the GOP will run the country into an even greater division between them and us.
Nobama in 2012. There HAS to be a REAL Democrat out there somewhere.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor.WI. | December 7, 2010
Letter on: Elect v. Appoint: making the case
“I'm wondering if we really need a judiciary...
Corporations seem to have a fairly good grip on everything and conservatives are happy (for a change).
If the electorate lacks the intelligence to put good people into office, do you really think they can figure out the best justices? Most people probably haven't a clue how the various courts function. Do they care?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 6, 2010
Letter on: In deep doo-doo and getting deeper!
“The answer is LINK TV. It might just be the last truthful and independent news source left in the United States.
NPR is obviously subservient to the wishes of the powerful which unfortunately is not masses.”
-Richard Kanak | Cherry Valley, Illinois | December 6, 2010
Letter on: In deep doo-doo and getting deeper!
“Community sponsored radio is the way to go... No one controls them nor do corporate types tug their strings.
I did catch a feature on NPR this morning where the chatter was about up and coming affluent blacks earning $75,000+ a year. This is good news, but what about all the folks who are stuck making mininum or entry level wages, where paychecks disappear faster than bills arrive? These workers have nothing at the end of their months. If they can pay the electric bill, perhaps they have TV. If they can make it to the food pantry before close, they might even have enough to eat.
We worry so much about the fictitious middle class in the country and whine about the filthy rich, but who is taking care of the poor and those really in need?
The upcoming holidays are times to be festive and to rejoice with family and friends. These are not times to forget those with much, much less.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | OUt | December 6, 2010
Letter on: In deep doo-doo and getting deeper!
“NPR, WPR, MPR. Living in the border area, I am familiar with all three.
For a few bright shining decades, journalism was about finding the truth. And unfortunately, the truth rarely spoke well of the privileged and powerful. Whether it was the truth about overthrow in Iran, the Bay of Pigs, the Gulf of Tonkin, the overthrow of Allende, the secret bombing of Cambodia. the Iran Contra, death squads in Central America, and weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the truth was that the ruling powers were liars and acted in secret ways because the decency of the American citizens would never stand by while such unethical violations took place. This list could go on and on, not to mention the list of domestic lies like Hoover, CIA operating in U.S., banking schemes, election tampering, and on and on.
At one time, NPR/WPR/MPR represented the search for the truth. Which, of course, made them the enemy of the powerful and their flag-waving sycophants. They needed to make a choice. They could operate with government money and tone it down, or they could move off of government money and through tough choices become an independent voice for truth.
Their leaders chose to go "fair and balanced", report "both sides" and let "you decide". A bad choice, because unless you are a flag-waving sycophant, the right will see you as the enemy.
Much better to have told the truth and taken the pain of going on private contributions only, than to attempt to mollify people who will always see you as the enemy. Anyone who doesn't echo Fox News is de facto the enemy.
And now? Who cares? I barely listen to NPR now, its all pablum and little truth, just "both sides". Will NPR's "base" step up and make up the lost government money? Not now, not after a decade of degradation in the name of "balance".
NPR/WPR/MPR died more than a decade ago, during the 90's, when they capitulated to the Gingrich's of the world. I can imagine the unheeded warnings given to the executives and board of that time by professional journalists warning them "that way leads to ruin". What we have been witnessing ever since is the decomposing of the organization, and it has been a long slow process.
I'll always think back with fondness of NPR when it had ethics, courage, and commitment to holding power accountable. The old NPR. The decomposing hulk that now exists? Good riddance.”
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 6, 2010
Letter on: The war on underpants
“I flew for the 1st time in years to the School of the Americas Watch at Fort Benning Ga via the Atlanta Airport. I was looking forward to a good groping so I could perform some guerrilla theater just like the olden days in the 60s Madtown. I even volunteered as the grabfest included one of my fellow Milwaukee peacenik travelers. I was waived on. Dang. I had planned to fall on the floor giggling uncontrollably. I am ticklish.
A crotchgrab critic interviewed by Steven Colbert stated his case clearly and tersely thus:
1) Such 'security measures' keep fear alive, to borrow from Mr. Colbert.
2) Follow the $$$, and there is a hellava lot going to the friends of fear who sell these machines. He suggested recipients were of the same cabal who were prominent donors to The Shrub. Remember those hearty Pioneers? They were the patriotic folks with $200,000 in spare change.
What struck me as most ludicrous were the Orange Alerts broadcast repeatedly both in Mitchell and the Atlanta airport. They were broadcasting a warning that a thief may be among us. Well "DUH'. (deserves another DUH) Is there any traveler who does not watch over their luggage/wallets/purses in a major airport in the largest city in the respective state? And a petty pickpocket deserves the same warning as 9/11 terrorists???”
-Jim Limbach | Stevens Point Wisconsin | December 6, 2010
Letter on: Elect v. Appoint: making the case
“The answer is simple. We elect them. Candidates only spend public monies. Media prints/broadcasts debates set up by The League of Women Voters free of charge.
A 50 cent surcharge on state income taxes insures we have impartial justice for all. Add another 50 cents and all Federal and state wide elections are secured from corporation-people.
The only major flaw I see in this idea is it ain't gonna' happen in my lifetime. But, hey, I long to be wrong.”
-Jim Limbach | Stevens Point Wisconsin | December 6, 2010
Letter on: In deep doo-doo and getting deeper!
“The sweetheart loans by the Fed are the reason they fought against openess. Now we know but so what? Who will do anything about it? Obungle? Nope, his Treasury Secretary is from the New York Fed? The Congress? The bill for a more transparent Fed barely passed. The "people"? Who and how?
Sorry folks, but we are now offially living under the rule of an "aristocracy of pull" where the connected make the rules, get the goodies, and run the show. The rest of us, from Main St. right on down to the other side of the disappearing tracks can go pick s--t with the chickens.
But don't worry. Go shopping. These folks know what is good for us. They give us Hope and Change in abundance.
Amazing. Over 200 million firearms in this country and these SOBs are still sucking air.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 6, 2010
Letter on: OK McCain!
“McCain is just a jackass. As far as I understand it there is a chain of command in the military. That means you follow orders. Given that Obungle is Commander in Chief maybe he just give the order and dump anyone who bellyaches. Of course we are speaking of Obungle here so....”
-Flanders McGoogle | Rio Creek WI. | December 5, 2010
Letter on: Are the gods crazy or just the Democrats?
“Well, I know this is going to sound racist to some but I assure you it is not. The point being that it just seems to me that Obungle won the Democrats in large part because he was black and not because of what he actually had to say. He was a good way to ease their suburban white guilt on past matters of race. Now we know what you get when you vote like that. A big zero.
Anybody who was paying attention to what he actually said on the campaign trail should not be surprised by this incompetent administration. Post partisan my left foot!
I have said it in many other posts to this site. There IS a difference of opinion betweent the two sides and on many issues you CANNOT split the difference. We aren't all purple.
The Dems had a majority but failed to build a narrative and make the case against further GOP policies. Obungle goes out of his way to appease because he thinks, and others tell him, that he is the smartest guy in the room. When Krugman said that he looks like a guy wearing a "kick me" sign on his back he didn't go nearly far enough.
Nobama in 2012. There HAS to be a Democrat out there somewhere.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor,WI | December 5, 2010
Letter on: The war on underpants
“Didn't our moms always tell us to wear clean underwear? Now we know why.”
-Pietr Haiikuu | Hurley | December 5, 2010
Letter on: OK McCain!
“When will we as a nation and people quit putting others into neatly defined categories that define people by parameters that have nothing to do with anything other than a way to control others and promote misguided agendas?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 5, 2010
Letter on: OK McCain!
“McCain is following in Reagan's footsteps, still in government while being senile.”
-Richard Kanak | Cherry Valley, Illinois | December 5, 2010
Letter on: The war on underpants
“Terrorists have imaginations, something TSA and those who protect us do not. They will strike in the most unexpected moment while trying an unconsidered tactic.
What makes terrorism work are the elements of surprise and mass panic.
I'm surprised none have gone after our water supplies or foods. Walk through a produce section sometime and all sorts of goodies are fully exposed. How many times have you seen someone snitch a grape or berry? It would take nothing at all for a coordinated group of terrorists to hit dozens of cities and markets simultaneously with toxins to sprinkle on produce.
How long before we see car bombs that actually work?
How long before we have full body scanners and pat downs at Woodmans or terror alert messages above the grapefruit?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 5, 2010
Letter on: Are the gods crazy or just the Democrats?
“Egg-fricking-zackly Ed !! You dead-nailed it. Though I'll sound defeatist (and maybe I am in this area), unfortunately to my reading of history it seems like this is one of those horrible realities of life* that --- by and large --- is immune to rational intervention. Recall that the US population put up with this same sort of thing (even WORSE) until the progressive era. Strikers were shot & hanged, child labor was common and working conditions were often horrible, the US courts repeatedly sided with business leaders, there was NO Social Security/unemployment compensation/regulatory agencies/etc, and yet people kept too often voting for more of the same.
The only things that I see that MIGHT change it would be a continued growth in the unemployment/poverty rate or some MAJOR world event, like a world-war, the rise of a countervailing political movement (like Communism), or (new to us) a major resource shortage (oil/water/arable land/etc). It HAS to be something that will DIRECTLY effect the US middle class in a highly negative way. The Vietnam War did that when it killed 50,000+ US soldiers, most of whom were WHITE MIDDLE CLASS MEN (the browns and the blacks didn't count in the political equation, much less the 2-3 MILLION Vietnamese/Cambodians/Laotians that died didn't even rate a mention) - - - and after about 20,000 deaths and 4 or 5 yrs of it, people started getting upset about it and voting against it. A dark horse solution could be the changing demographics of the US. Once we baby-boomers die-off, and the US has less elderly/too-often conservative voters, there MIGHT be a possibility of younger, potentially progressive voters prevailing more often. It's not much to hang your hat on though, especially since it could also swing towards a fascist/tea-party type 'solution'.
(* only surpassed politically by the horror that millions of people in foreign lands face due to our foreign policies [overt and covert] where they are subjugated/coerced/embargoed/displaced/injured/killed in their own lands, 98% of the time for illegal and/or immoral reasons).”
-Big Em | Milwaukee, WI | December 4, 2010
Letter on: A fighting chance
“I agree, Ed. These folks are pretty hard core. We don't have the luxury of surrender, we must fight for what we believe if we want to see it happen.”
-Andy Olsen | Madison, WI | December 4, 2010
Letter on: Are the gods crazy or just the Democrats?
“When you are sitting in a fancy restaurant among friends and others who can afford the menu, there is no unemployment or poverty. The fine food fills the belly and vintage wines numb the senses into euphoria. Nothing else matters.
And, you wonder why Republican'ts or the blue dogs can't get it right?
They surround themselves with similar ilk and create barriers to keep the rest of us out of sight.
Walker the Balker wants to make state employees pay more toward retirement and health insurance. Walker is soon to become a state worker, too. Unlike the others who are struggling at their jobs, he is already wealthy and an increase here or there doesn't matter much to his personal budget. Walker wants tax cuts and at the same time he wants to reduce worker take home pay. In essence he may be cutting taxes because that is what workers want to hear but he is increasing what it costs to be an employee. The bottomline is the same: workers will have less at the end of each month.
Voters are poor at choosing good people to govern. Walker is poor at his math unless it benefits him and the corporate base that has bought him.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 4, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“Ah, excuse me Fritzy but one hell of a lot of people voted for Obungle because they thought he was so "articulate" and smart. What he was was a good bulls---ter! Jokes on us huh?
I will take good old principal and common sense over the smartest guy in the room pragmatism any day. Like the refrigerator magnate my old man had. "When you ain't got any education you just gotta use your brains!"
Obungle and his crew are book smart and ordinary stupid and just like the debate squad geek in high school he really IS wearing a "Kick Me" sign on his back. He just hasn't figured it out yet because all the teachers are telling him how smart he is. What he really needs is to "go to school" in the political sense. That isn't going to happen.
Nobama in 2012! There has to be a Democrat out there somewhere.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, Wi. | December 3, 2010
Letter on: Our leaking ship of state
“All Assange did in his publication of State Dept. information is show us and the world that yes indeed the United States Government is run for the benefit of corporations. The United States Government can't be taken for their word, supports the violent over throw of democraticaly elected foreign leaders and is willing to gamble our childrens future in order to gain access to the only wealth left in this world, natural resources and cheap labor. Sounds like an unethical corporation business plan to me. When will the stockholders of America replace the governing board? Be they Dems or Repubs”
-Dol O'mite | Oconomowoc, WI | December 3, 2010
Letter on: Our leaking ship of state
“So, why don't we prosecute people who violate laws? Perhaps those who make them are above them.
Cheney/Bush and others ought to be tried for war crimes. Democrats haven't the courage. It's ironic when Clinton lied, everyone jumped all over him.
By selecting whom gets punished for what crimes, we are setting a bad example, not only for the rest of the world, but also for our kids.
It used to be that crime doesn't pay... guess that old saw has been tossed out along with most of our democracy.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 3, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“Paul Krugman is certainly one smart cookie.
Why don't we voters insist that intelligence be a requisite to hold office?”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 3, 2010
Letter on: Not to worry!
“Ours is a puzzling country for sure.
We haven't money to help our own people, but we certainly have all sorts of money to help the wealthy AND to wage absolutely stupid wars abroad. We also have excess funds to bribe foreign leaders and to keep corrupt regimes functional.
We have pumped so much money into the military and wars this past decade, and more is on the way. The excuse is to protect American interests.
Take a look at what we have here and ask yourself exactly what is it we are protecting. Other countries have better infrastructures, superior safety nets for the sick and unemployed, better government involvement in lives of ordinary citizen, greater life expectancies, better climates and healthier environments.
We, on the other hand, get mired in partisan bickering, a system skewed to the wealthiest.”
-Pietr Haiikuu | Hurley | December 3, 2010
Letter on: A fighting chance
“Yadayadayada. You keep saying we have to "visualize" and then magically turn out a high vote. Gimme a break.
This society is a bunch of cry babies. When teachers got the shaft with the QEO what happened? Nothing but a lot crying and whining. Visualize at least 50% of the teachers going to Capital Square and hollering bloody murder. Never happened.
Much the same on any other issue. The sainted people don't have it bad enough yet and GOP is determined that the beatings will continue. May it do them good. Maybe, just maybe, if they push far enough the brain dead public will get up off their fat satisfied butts and actually raise some hell.
So, unless you have a plan, an organization to hook on to that actually plans and executes actions, or a real solution why don't you just drop all the liberal cant and psycho babble of faux liberalism and write about something else for while.
And please, quit bitching about Palin. Why oh why are you giving her free press? The more she gets the more she likes it and the more it does her good. Out of sight is out of mind.
Sorry to be so cranky but I really am sick of the crying of liberals. They have failed. Now suck it up and ride it out. Just like the rest of us who kept getting suckered by the Dummycrats.”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay, WI. | December 2, 2010
Letter on: California has a star
“Gee Ed, while it's a good exercise to chart Walker's 'progress' (in his supposed quest to create 250K jobs) in the MSM, just to show his utter insincerity, I don't know that I'd bother your progressive/left readers here with that? We here all know - - - as in K-N-O-W - - - 100% kind of assuredness - - -that Walker is/was NOT serious about that at all and that it's only 1.) a throwaway line to try and get elected, with the expectation that a.) no-one will care nor remember 2 yrs from now & b.) if anyone DOES ask, bad results can be explained-away with a myriad of reasons (some of them even true!), & 2.) it's Republican short-hand for "we have to reduce taxes for the rich so that we can create jobs via the trickle-down method that Saint Ronnie had SO much luck with" (except when he didn't, which was virtually always). He's an utter hack, and Republicans don't care because they think that they can get along WITHOUT any significant government (because they're meeting their mortgage/car payments THIS month) so if Walker/Johnson/Palin/et al DO fuck-it up, so much the better.”
-Big Em | Milwaukee, WI | December 2, 2010
Letter on: California has a star
“I don't think the Dems, or Obungle, have a clue about the quiet rage out there among long time Democratic voters. This clown got handed a significant victory, as did the party. They piffled it all away with a nearly seamless continuation of every hare brained Bush policy you could think of.
More troops for a stupid, and yes unwinnable war, bailing out the crooks, no prosecution of same, burying Elizabeth Warren away in some stupid office with no power or voice, allowing the Fed to dole out billions to European banksters, RomneyCare for all instead of tough regs on the insurance and drug company malefactors, etc. etc.etc.
Now they sit on their soild hands and let long term unemployed go begging and there is no push from the White House except for the mildest of platitudes. And the Dems and other would activists sit back and let this Schmuck get away with giving away the candy store to Boehner, Simpson,Bowles, and all the rest of the brain dead establishment that merrily spent us into this mess.
Again, it just amazes me that the Tea Party movement came from the right. I guess the comfortably concerned that run the Democratic Party just don't have the time or energy to give this guy another set of stitches. Somebody needs to get out the can of WhupAss and talk to this dummy by hand!
What a farce. If it all weren't so serious it would be funny. Instead it is just pathetic!
Nobama in 2012. There's gotta be a REAL Democrat out there somewhere.”
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor,WI. | December 2, 2010
Letter on: California has a star
“I hope you're right about Obama not running again.
If we're going to have a Republican President, let's get a real one.
Never in my 55 years have I been ashamed of the Democratic President I voted for. Until now.
Thoroughly, completely, profoundly disappointed and ashamed.”
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 2, 2010
Letter on: California has a star
“Walker the Talker's solution to creating jobs as well as his advice to the jobless is simply a restatement of the never-changing Republican't exhortation: Go! Get a job!
Did you vote for Walker the Balker? Great! Then you have a chance at a job. Will that job pay and support a family? Buy yourself a lottery ticket. It's a surer bet.
While we all patiently await for the deluge of better paying jobs, please remember your friends and neighbors, the homeless and the forgotten with a few bags of groceries to the local food pantry of your choice.
Feed the hungry. Cloth the naked. Care for the sick. The payback from these simple acts is far greater than any Walker created job.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 2, 2010
Letter on: Seriously? C'mon!
“Since the rich and powerful will soon control the rest of WI, where do I sign up to be one of their servants? Those will be the only secure jobs left in this economy. As Mr. Dylan wrote "You gotta serve somebody".”
-JS Lauver | Clear Lake, WI | December 1, 2010
Letter on: Seriously? C'mon!
“Some time back, I read Scott Walker's comment about government workers being the haves and the tax paying public being the have nots.
Either a couple days before or a couple days after, I heard Newt say the EXACT SAME WORDS - I think it was on Hannity.
A couple years back it was the gays. More recently illegal immigrants. Now that the public has gotten tired of those tropes, it's the public employees' turn to serve as the wedge issue.
These cats are nothing if not consistent. Pit one group against another - make sure people have somebody to blame. Why not? It sure seems to work.”
-JB | Madison, WI | December 1, 2010
Letter on: Seriously? C'mon!
“Nice to read that McCain holds Feingold in high esteem. Where was McCain and his support when Feingold was fighting to get reelected? Surely McCain doesn't have higher respect for Johnson...
I'm wondering if prisons aren't merely to convince citizens that politicians are doing their job to make the country safer. Prisons don't solve problems. They simply sweep them under the carpet where they lie out of sight. This makes politicians look much, much better.
Are we better off now than we were 4 years ago? Why aren't the Republican'ts asking this one anymore? It's not that they are afraid of our answers; they already know we are not.”
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 1, 2010
Letter on: Seriously? C'mon!
“I am assuming that the country club reference is about Boehner inviting Obungle to come play golf with him and hash a few things out.
I hope Obungle takes him up on his offer. After all, our first Affirmative Action President should be there. Besides, it will erase the last shred out doubt among the Obamapologists that he really is one of THEM instead of one of US. It would just confirm what many of us have known for a long time. That Obungle is just a popped up, over smart Jack and Jill fella who really wants to be part of the insider group. You can take that, and your cancelled unemployment check, to the bank!”
-Ziggy Zickenschlager | Sturgeon Bay ,WI | December 1, 2010
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