Background music

I like this better than the sanitized version on the radio:

Prosser for Supreme Court

The Demonrats are doing a full-court press for Joanne Kloppenburg, as she will do their bidding on the Supreme Court. Right now, it's 4 conservatives to three liberals, so her getting elected would virtually end the success we have had so far in reversing all the liberal's excesses in the past.

Ms. Prosser has been rejected four times for a judgeship. 



Vote Prosser, if you live in Wisconsin - or give the state back to the unions and Demonrats.

Why is it the "working" people rally on a workday?

MoveOn wants us to rally on April 4th. Only trouble is - real working folks likely have jobs to go to that day:
++++++++++++++++
Dear MoveOn member,

April 4, 2011 is shaping up to be one of the most important progressive days of action in nearly a decade.

It's the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., who was killed 43 years ago while traveling to Memphis to stand in solidarity with striking sanitation workers demanding their chance to attain the American Dream.

Now, in response to the new wave of Republican attacks on unions and working people, the entire labor movement has called for a massive national day of protests, vigils, and work site events on April 4. Virtually the entire progressive movement has joined in.

Can you help make next Monday an overwhelming day of solidarity for working people by attending an event in your area? Click here to find the April 4 event closest to you: 

http://local.we-r-1.org/

Working people in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana have inspired an activist spirit that's spreading across the country, and this is our chance to keep the momentum going. This is our chance to stand up to the Republicans and demand protection for workers' rights and the restoration of the American Dream for all of us.

The events are part of "We Are One," a grassroots effort led by a broad coalition of unions and progressive allies committed to realizing Dr. King's goal of economic justice for all. The events include actions, teach-ins, work site discussions, vigils, faith events, and more.

You can simply attend an event in your area or if you have creative ideas for an event in a public place like a park, in your work site, a teach-in at a college near you, or even something at your house, you can volunteer to host your own.

We need to keep building our strength until the American Dream can finally be attained by everyone. On April 4, we will keep the momentum going. And we will not stop.

Will you join us?

http://local.we-r-1.org/

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Justin, Julia, Robin, and the rest of the team  
+++++++++++++++++++++
Their grass has synthetic roots...and MLK was Republican, I read...he's probably rolling in his grave at the thought of these commies taking his name in vain. The workers he was supporting were truly oppressed, unlike their whining modern namesakes.

Chuckie Schumer wants my help!

The same Chuckie Schumer who wants to be able to ban people from ever owning a gun because of their ARREST record, not their actual criminal record, just sent me this:


Dear Chuck,

The Republicans are coming at us from every possible direction – health care, women’s freedom to choose, workers’ rights, environmental protection.

If I could choose anyone to be my partner in fighting these battles, it would be Kirsten Gillibrand.

Kirsten has proven herself to be a dogged defender of equal rights and committed to bringing relief to Americans who are struggling in this challenging economy. I know I can count on her to never back down, even in the face of extremist opponents.

All of us have benefited so much from having Kirsten in the U.S. Senate, so all of us need to do whatever we can to keep her there. Please join me in supporting Kirsten’s 2012 re-election bid by making a donation before the end-of-quarter deadline. She needs to raise $100,000 before March 31 so she can start this race in the best position possible.

Click here to make your donation to Kirsten’s campaign before March 31. This is the first important filing deadline for Kirsten, and she needs to make as strong a showing as possible.

It’s distressing to watch what the Republicans are doing. By attacking women’s reproductive rights, preventing collective bargaining and standing in the way of health care for all, they’re trying to demolish years and years of progress.

But even as some veer towards a dangerous radicalism, Kirsten sticks to her progressive principles. She doesn’t base her beliefs on anything except what she knows to be right and just. That’s why she’s staying the course on things such as marriage equality and freedom of choice.

We need to keep Kirsten in the Senate, but the only way we can is if all of us join together today. With your help we can show the pundits that the grassroots are behind Kirsten and she’s going to have the resources she needs to fight the tough battle ahead. The Republicans sure aren’t going to make it easy – so these early months are critical.

Click here to make your donation to Kirsten’s campaign before the crucial March 31 deadline. She needs to raise $100,000 so she’s well-prepared to take on the Republicans and win in 2012.

I think we can all agree that Kirsten has already done so much for the state of New York and America as a whole during her time in the Senate. I've no doubt she’ll continue that impressive record moving forward.

Sincerely,

Senator Chuck Schumer
++++++++++++++++

Kirsten Gillibrand is the dame who ran on a platform of being a gun-owner and pro gun rights, if I remember correctly - and since has found her true calling as one of Chuckie's sycophants. The only civil rights she is 100% behind involve killing people long before they could ever vote non-Demonrat, apparently. Call a spade a spade, Chuckie - it's not reproductive rights, it's ABORTION. 


Personally, I think the Supreme Court overstepped their bounds in Roe vs. Wade, and that the federal government has no interest whatever in sex or reproduction - either pro or con. At the best, it should be a state's rights matter.


If enough people get elected and propose a Constitutional amendment defining person-hood beginning at birth, then there's a legal basis to outlaw it. I am fearful of any new federal law being enacted - any law at all - seeing the track record of our "legislators". Every law they have passed in the last 100 years or more has turned out to cause problems, or has been corrupted and warped away from its' original purpose.

Didn't miss Earth Hour this year

Last year, I missed it - too busy doing useful stuff to realize it was "Earth Hour". I really wanted to line up all the operable internal combustion powered vehicles here on the farm and have them idling, under the glare of every light on the property, but got too engrossed in coding and missed the chance.

This year, I had all the outside and lab lights on.

An article in the Ottawa Sun says it well.
So there.

Just wait for Earth Day.

Email to Herman Cain

Herman Cain has a website for his Presidential exploratory committee, and is requesting feedback. I had just watched this video - thanks, A Trainwreck in Maxwell - and wanted to share my childhood experience.

My email:

Mr. Cain,

Just saw the video of you talking about segregated water fountains. Thought you might like to hear my experience.

When I was maybe 10 - back in 1961 or '62 - my parents took me on a trip down south from Chicago. I had no idea what segregation was. We were in a store or mall - I remember seeing a wire cage with a chicken in it, and a coin slot, with a sign - 5 cents to see the chicken dance - the cage would shock the chicken, I guess - my Dad said it was cruel, so I never saw the performance.

Anyway, I was thirsty - and there were two water fountains nearby - "white" and "colored". I went up to the "colored" one, as I wanted to see what color the water was. It looked pretty clear to me.

My Dad rushed over to get me away from there, but did not explain - just told me not to do that any more.

That's my story. I never learned prejudice, could not see the logic in it. If you get to the primaries in Wisconsin, be assured you have my vote!
++++++++++++++
Well, that WOULD have been my email, except for the 250 character message limit - why don't they warn you in the web page or as you are typing? Truncated it:
++++++++++++++

Mr. Cain,

I would have shared my "colored water" experience from my youth, but the 250-character limit prevents it.
You have my vote!
 ++++++++++++++
Wouldn't it be neat if I get a reply and request for the rest of the message?

The Coffee Can Rebellion

H/t Rivrdog

A "High Cap Freedom" Tactic:
The Coffee Can Revolution

By L. Neil Smith 

Go read.  

I'm going to save for some of those Carolyn McCarthy special 33-rounders for my Glock 19...

Sometimes, they write themselves

Reading through the paper today, this jumped out at me:

Mar. 21, 2011 3:32 AM ET
USDA funds research on crops and climate change
STEVE KARNOWSKISTEVE KARNOWSKI, Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The federal government is investing $60 million in three major studies on the effects of climate change on crops and forests to help ensure farmers and foresters can continue producing food and timber while trying to limit the impact of a changing environment.

Further on in the article,  we find out who will be in charge of these studies.

The corn project will be led by a rural sociologist, Lois Wright Morton of Iowa State University.

Tim Martin, a professor of tree physiology at the University of Florida is the head of the forestry project.

The leader of the wheat project is Sanford Eigenbrode, an entomologist at the University of Idaho.

Of the three, the only one I see as remotely qualified to lead an agricultural research project is Mr. Martin. At least the forestry project is led by someone with a degree in a tree related science.

What, exactly, is a "rural sociologist', and how does this relate to growing corn? Fertility rites? The frequency of farmers "shuckin' them dirty ol' work clothes off"? Looks to me like she will be studying the study participants, not doing anything useful towards getting crops to grow.

Entomologists study insects. OK, I get it - insects affect crops. But the AP quote for him involves the amount of carbon that grain crops "sequester" and how much nitrous oxide is released by fertilizer use.

Leave it to our government to spend $60,000,000 of our money and choose people apparently unqualified to lead the projects. Also, to misstate the aims of many of the studies. If they are so concerned on getting crops to grow in changing climates, why the emphasis on "greenhouse gases" that may or may not be important?

One strike and you're out!

Schumer's at it again. From The Daily Caller:

New gun-control legislation would prohibit those arrested but not convicted of drug crimes from possessing firearms

By Jeff Winkler | Published: 12:39 AM 03/23/2011

Get collared years ago on a bogus drug charge because the oregano in your back pocket looked like was a bag of weed? Or maybe a judge back in 2006 dropped those charges because you were able to provide proof for that Adderall prescription? Under proposed legislation, it will not matter if you were innocent all along or even proven innocent by a court of law.
Either way, you can forget about buying a gun.
The Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 would greatly expand the definition of those legally prohibited from owning firearms to include anyone who’s ever been arrested — even if never convicted or found guilty — for drug possession within a five-year period. The legislation is certainly troubling for those who want a “common sense” debate about drug decriminalization. And it would seem fears that any new national gun-control legislation would be used to limit the gun-rights of law-abiding citizens is at least partially justified.
Sponsored by New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and introduced earlier this month, the expanded background checks bill includes a “clarification of the definition of drug abusers and drug addicts who are prohibited from possessing firearms.” Under Schumer’s bill, the definition of a “drug abuser” would include anyone with “an arrest for the use or possession of a controlled substance within the past 5 years.”
Current federal law already specifies that two kinds of drug users can be barred from owning a gun: (1) Those who have been convicted of possessing or using a controlled substance in the past year and (2) Anyone who has had multiple drug arrests in the past five years, including one within a year of applying for a firearm, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Read the whole thing.

Ben Stein in The American Spectator

Couldn't have said it better.

One World Government Obama

By Ben Stein on 3.22.11 @ 6:09AM

Maybe I missed something, but wasn't that The Constitution of the United States of America that we just laid to rest this weekend?
It was buried in a private ceremony by Mr. Barack Obama of Chicago as he silently signed America on to the One World Government some of us have been worried about for decades.
Look at it this way: Where did Mr. Obama get the authority to commit United States forces to war in Libya? There was no declaration of war. There was no authorizing resolution by Congress allowing money to be spent on a war against Col. Gaddafi. As far as I know, there was no meeting of Mr. Obama and top leaders of Congress to discuss the subject in even rough form, let alone detail. There was no lengthy buildup in which the Congress was "allowed" to express the people's opinion on whether we want to be in a third concurrent war.

Go read. It's good.

Isn't it way past time we got the US out of the United Nations?

Oh, the horror!

CREDO is at it again. This time, we've got a real reason to go back to living in caves!

Tell the EPA: Fight mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution. Submit a public comment to defend clean air. Submit a public comment to support the new landmark Clean Air Act standards to reduce mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic air pollution from power plants. Dear Chuck, It only takes a little mercury to cause a lot of death, cancer and brain damage. But every year, coal-fired power plants alone pump 50 tons of this potent neurotoxin into our air. Mercury exposure is so widespread in this country that as many as 1 in 6 women of childbearing age has mercury levels in her blood high enough to put a baby at risk of mercury poisoning,1 But mercury has been totally unregulated by the Clean Air Act, until now. The EPA just announced a significant rule to reduce emissions of mercury, arsenic, led, dioxins, acid gas, and six dozen other toxic chemicals that power plants are now able to freely dump into our air. It's the most important clean air rule since the Clean Air Act was updated in 1990 — and the EPA is predictably under tremendous pressure by the coal industry and other polluters to weaken it. Tell the EPA you support this landmark rule to significantly reduce mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic air pollution. Submit a public comment now. For decades, the electric industry has successfully fought requirements to reduce these toxics. They've kept releasing mercury into the air, where it finds its way into the vast majority of our lakes and waterways, into our fish, and then into our bodies, where the poison accumulates, causing deadly disease and impairing fundamental brain functions like the ability to walk, talk, read, write and learn. Now we have a chance to change that. According to the EPA, reduced emissions from this new air toxics rule will save as many as 17,000 American lives every year by 2015, and will prevent up to 120,000 cases of childhood asthma. Submit a public comment to defend this live-saving clean air rule. These health benefits will also provide tremendous monetary benefits of between $60 billion to $140 billion annually, at a substantially lower cost of less than $11 billion for the polluters.2 With no sense of irony, polluters claim this is too expensive a cost for them to bear — as they reap billions of dollars in profit and heap substantially higher health costs onto the public. But the cost of the new regulations is a bargain, and the requirements are very reasonable: power plants have four years to install or upgrade to technology that already exists and is in use at many power plants nationwide. As we have seen with the repeated attacks on the Clean Air Act's ability to regulate climate pollution, industry efforts to weaken this air toxics rule will be fierce, and these powerful utilities have many friends in the congress who are more than happy to do this dirty work. We need to display a massive show of support to encourage the EPA to keep this landmark rule as strong as possible. CREDO is standing with numerous other environmental organizations to deliver many hundreds of thousands of comments to the EPA. Please add your voice now. Tell the EPA: Don't bow to industry pressure. Keep the air toxics rule strong. Submit your public comment now. Thank you for fighting for clean air. Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets 1. "Protect our kids from toxic mercury," CNN, March 17th, 2011 2. "EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Rule: Bottom Lines and Background," NRDC, March 16th, 2011 Power plant emissions are highly regulated now. 99.99% reduction in particulates and other emissions  isn't good enough for these people - 101% might start to  placate them. A big lie - that mercury emissions are unregulated. I can't even buy mercury to show my grandkids the wonders of science without governmental permission. It would be great if shutting down our coal plants - a huge proportion of our power generating capacity - might actually have an effect on airborne mercury and lead - but with China pumping out a new coal-fired plant every few weeks, it won't do squat...  By the way, greenies, how much mercury are you forcing into our HOMES with your "green" CFL made in China disasters?

New emails from Twitter!

I'm so happy to be noticed! I can't wait to readed my new tweets!

Hi, ckuecker

You have 4 unreaded message(s) from Twitter.
First Four Showdown: USC vs. VCU - Cover The Number
Click this link:
http://twitter.com/account/confirm_email/ckuecker/33333-3333A-801364
Once you confirm, all future email from Twitter will be sent to this address.

The Twitter Team

If you received this message in error and did not sign up for a Twitter account, click not my account.

Please do not reply to this message; it was sent from an unmonitored email address. This message is a service email related to your use of Twitter. For general inquiries or to request support with your Twitter account, please visit us at Twitter Support. 

Hi, ckuecker

You have 6 information message(s) from Twitter.
Climate change is real, humans cause it, and we must act - ABC Online
Click this link:
http://twitter.com/account/confirm_email/ckuecker/EF6E8-059E8-928685
Once you confirm, all future email from Twitter will be sent to this address.

The Twitter Team

If you received this message in error and did not sign up for a Twitter account, click not my account.

Please do not reply to this message; it was sent from an unmonitored email address. This message is a service email related to your use of Twitter. For general inquiries or to request support with your Twitter account, please visit us at Twitter Support.

The only problem is that all the links go to shady domains in 'cz', and I don't have a twitter account.

It's good to know, however, that climate change is real. I was worried that Algore had slipped from godhood...

Obama trying to cripple Japan?

Karl Denninger thinks so:

Nuclear Problem In Japan: Is Obama Partly Responsible?

  From the BBC:

2226: The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, quoting a senior official of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, said the US made the offer immediately after the disaster damaged Fukushima No 1 nuclear plant. According to the unnamed senior official, US support was based on dismantling the troubled reactors run by Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) some 250 km (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo. However, the government and TEPCO thought the cooling system could be restored by themselves, the report said.

(Another source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_646444.html)
Am I reading this right?
Our government demanded that the Japanese dismantle - that is, permanently remove - over five gigawatts of power in order to help them with a critical safety problem that had the potential to destroy 100 square miles of land and kill or injure thousands of people?
That as compensation for helping them we demanded that they cripple their electrical generating capacity on a permanent basis?
You have to be kidding me.
 +++++++++++++++++++++++
Read the whole thing. If true, I definitely agree with the impeachment part - the dismantling of illegal federal agencies goes without saying...

Email from Herb Kohl

Home     Biography     News     Issues & Legislation     Constituent Services     Contact Senator Kohl     Unsubscribe

The United States has the safest food supply in the world.  Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one out of every six Americans are affected by food-borne illnesses each year – costing the health care system an estimated $88 billion according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  

This highlights the need for an even stronger food safety system. Guarding our food supply cannot just be passed on to states and local governments or left to private industry.  Protecting public health is an inherent function of the federal government.  Consumers should be confident that the food they purchase at the grocery store is safe and will not cause harm to their families.  

Over the last week we examined important policy and fiscal questions at two Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearings held to review the President’s fiscal year 2012 budget request.  I used these hearings to ask Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and FDA Commissioner Hamburg about the President’s proposed funding requests for food safety.  I asked whether these increases are necessary at this time given the mounting federal deficit. 

 Every dollar of taxpayer money that we spend must be questioned, defended, and well thought out.  We must ask whether or not we can do more with less, but we must not jeopardize public health.   The way our food is produced is becoming more complex every day, so we need our food safety agencies to have the ability to adapt to these changes. 

As we prepare to write the fiscal year 2012 spending bills, I will work closely with our food safety agencies to make sure we are protecting public health and being good stewards of your taxpayer money. 

Sincerely,

 +++++++++++++++++++++++++

It's good to see he's willing to consider how much something will cost us before he votes to spend our money, isn't it?

Email to my state Senator

Senator Cullen,

I stand beside my earlier email, where I questioned the cowardly way you and your compatriots ran away rather than face the fact that you are now in the minority.

However, I have to say that I am pleased that you have returned and are proposing amending the Wisconsin Constitution to eliminate the requirement for a 20-Senator quorum for budgetary issues.

Perhaps in the future, we won't have to read about "fleebaggers".


Regards,

Chuck Kuecker

Public sector unions explained.

Seen at The Daley Gator - h/t A Trainwreck in Maxwell

Union thugs at it again

At Legal Insurrection (H/t Ace of Spades)

If you can't abide the will of the people, just invoke "democracy" (mob rule) and wreck stuff.



Lots more at the source
Recall Jim Holperin
Thugs Destroy Recall Petitions

Gun control in Illinois - the consequences

An example of why we cannot have gun control.

Support Verizon, boycott Ben & Jerry's!

Just got this neat email from "CREDO", a lefty-liberal outfit I keep an eye on:

HOW VERIZON HAS SUPPORTED THE RIGHT WING — AND WHY YOU SHOULD SWITCH TO CREDO Why did Verizon Wireless sign on as a major sponsor of The Daily, the new iPad-only "newspaper" from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. — the company that brought us Fox News and gave a whopping $1 million to the Republican Governors Association? Maybe Verizon is so steeped in business-as-usual that it will cozy up to the likes of Murdoch. And maybe Verizon and Apple — which joined forces to offer the iPhone to Verizon customers — think Murdoch and Fox News are "fair and balanced" media. CREDO Mobile sees Fox News for what it is: a vehicle for ultra-conservative propaganda. CREDO would never do business with the makers of Fox News. Unlike CREDO, Verizon plays the insider game in Washington and ends up donating money to right-wing politicians: Verizon donated to the campaigns of Tea Party-backed Senators Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Mike Lee and Pat Toomey. It also gave more than $35,000 to members of the House Tea Party Caucus — most of whom are climate change deniers, voted to repeal health care reform, and have cosponsored a bill that would redefine rape. But Verizon doesn't just contribute cash to ultra-right politicians. It throws its corporate weight around to oppose freedoms you care about: Verizon fought hard against net neutrality, going so far as to sue the Federal Communications Commission in January to eliminate rules protecting an open internet. And Verizon once rejected NARAL Pro-Choice America's request to send text messages on the Verizon network, saying it had a right to block messages it deemed "controversial or unsavory." So maybe it's time you join CREDO Mobile. We'd never give a dime to Tea Party politicians. We also support a woman's right to choose and fight hard for a free and open internet. Since 1985, CREDO has raised more than $65 million for progressive nonprofits like Planned Parenthood, Doctors Without Borders, Earthjustice and the ACLU. And we fight for change through our CREDO Action network of 1.9 million activists. When you join CREDO Mobile, you'll get everything you expect from a mobile phone company — plus a whole lot more. Sign up today and get:* A coupon for a free pint of Ben & Jerry's® Ice Cream each month for a year Contract buyout credit up to $200 No contract for 30 days** FREE shipping Number portability (keep your current number) Nationwide coverage on the all-digital Sprint® network, reaching more than 280 million people.†  So act now and get a great deal — plus the satisfaction of knowing that your phone company is supporting progressive change, not right-wing media or politicians.

Like CREDO doesn't "throw it's weight around" supporting causes that most Americans find disturbing or evil?

Please, someone, tell me where anyone in the federal government is trying to "redefine rape"?

More video from Madison

Stolen from  A Trainwreck In Maxwell

The police unions show their true colors!

Protection racket, anyone?

Seen at 620 WTMJ:

UNIONS THREATEN BUSINESS

By Charlie Sykes

Story Created: Mar 10, 2011
Story Updated: Mar 10, 2011

That's a nice business you got there. Pity if anything were to happen to it if, say, you didn't toe the line and denounce Governor Walker like we're asking nice-like.

March 10, 2011

Mr. Tom Ellis, President

Marshall & Ilsley Corporation

770 N. Water Street

Milwaukee, WI 53202

SENT VIA FASCIMILE AND REGULAR MAIL

Dear Mr. Ellis:

As you undoubtedly know, Governor Walker recently proposed a “budget

adjustment bill” to eviscerate public employees’ right to collectively bargain in

Wisconsin. ..

As you also know, Scott Walker did not campaign on this issue when he ran for

office. If he had, we are confident that you would not be listed among his largest

contributors. As such, we are contacting you now to request your support.

The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor

Walker’s efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in

Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this

request, we ask for your response by March 17. In the event that you do not

respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with

Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters,

and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.

Sickening. I hope the Governor does kill all the public unions dead. They are like certain lizards in that they can grow parts back after an amputation - best to kill them outright so they never can come back.
H/t Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

UPDATE: PDF of the letter, here.

Email to Governor Walker

Just sent this:

Governor Walker,

First off, thank you for staying on course and removing some of the union's conflict of interest powers. This is why we elected you. Keep up the good work!

In that vein, I've got a few suggestions to help our budget problems.

First, why not close the "Handgun Hotline" bureau? Besides being an infringement on our Second Amendment rights, this department is a duplication of effort. The FBI operates their "E-Check" website that Wisconsin gun dealers must use for background checks for long guns, and our federal taxes pay for it. To operate a duplicate state bureau to do this, and charge Wisconsin residents $13 per check is just wrong.

You could also advocate removing the waiting period on handguns - this only affects the law-abiding again infringing on the Second Amendment. Removing this would not cost the state one cent.

Back to the budget - Do we really need the hundreds of upper management school superintendents and associated staff? Our schools did quite well back in the days of one-room schools, without all the bureaucracy. Perhaps we should think about moving back to simpler methods?

The Wisconsin law requiring registration of septic systems by homeowners is another place you might find savings. The bureaucracy involved in maintaining records of every cesspool in the state, and requiring homeowners to provide proof of maintenance periodically is an intrusion on privacy, and likely has little effect on the health of the state. People who own septic systems know when they need service, and maintain them without state interference in other states - are Wisconsin residents less intelligent that their neighbors?

Mandatory recycling - if local governments want to impose this, let them charge the full cost to their residents. If recycling is profitable, as the people pushing for it have always claimed, we should not be using tax money to support it. Let the free market show demand, and let the communities profit.

End the subsidies for wind and solar power. Grid-connected wind power is technically unworkable, and will never replace one fossil fuel plant. As an electrical engineer, I know a bit about this, and can provide research if you want it. If people want to put up wind turbines for their own use, this should be a matter for their immediate neighbors and their own investment.

Repeal the law requiring a fixed amount of power to be obtained from "renewable" sources. Arbitrary numbers in laws are always a bad idea. If industry sees a way to make an honest profit with renewable energy, they will build plants - if the state stays out of their way with sensible regulations, not obstacles.

Repeal the de-facto ban on nuclear energy. Federal rules make this hard enough to work with already.

Once the heat dies down, and the teachers and other public workers see that the world has not ended because their collective bargaining "rights" have been removed, perhaps you could extend this to the rest of the public unions. Police, fire, and prison workers should not be able to hold the people hostage with union demands.

Make Wisconsin a right to work state.

How about a ban on state funding of "roundabouts" or traffic circles - one of my major pet peeves? If a local area really wants one of these monstrosities, let the people in that area pay for it - and pay for the resulting traffic problems and injuries. Those in the Whitewater and Beloit areas are accidents waiting to happen, and a huge waste of our highway funds. Wisconsin is not Europe, however much our "liberals" may wish it to be.

I thin that's enough for now. Again, thank you for your efforts so far.

Regards,
Chuck Kuecker

Earthquake in Japan

Google links

I am praying for everyone affected.

Got to wonder how Mr. Osama will respond - if we can afford to.

They sure are civil, them Demonrats!

An example:

Thursday, March 10, 2011

10:38 AM

Scott Fitzgerald releases text of death threat e-mail

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald's office this morning released an e-mail death threat it said it received and passed onto Capitol police.

A spokesman declined to release the e-mail address from which the message was sent, saying the office was advised not to because of the investigation.

As a warning, there is some profanity in the e-mail.

Here it is:

Go read.

Update: Here's the actual text taken off the 620 WTMJ website:

The following is the unedited email:

Please put your things in order because you will be killed and your familes
will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks. Please explain
to them that this is because if we get rid of you and your families then it
will save the rights of 300,000 people and also be able to close the deficit
that you have created. I hope you have a good time in hell. Read below for
more information on possible scenarios in which you will die.

WE want to make this perfectly clear. Because of your actions today and in
the past couple of weeks I and the group of people that are working with me
have decided that we've had enough. We feel that you and the people that
support the dictator have to die. We have tried many other ways of dealing
with your corruption but you have taken things too far and we will not stand
for it any longer. So, this is how it's going to happen: I as well as many
others know where you and your family live, it's a matter of public records.
We have all planned to assult you by arriving at your house and putting a
nice little bullet in your head. However, we decided that we wouldn't leave
it there. We also have decided that this may not be enough to send the
message to you since you are so "high" on Koch and have decided that you are
now going to single handedly make this a dictatorship instead of a
demorcratic process. So we have also built several bombs that we have placed
in various locations around the areas in which we know that you frequent.
This includes, your house, your car, the state capitol, and well I won't
tell you all of them because that's just no fun. Since we know that you are
not smart enough to figure out why this is happening to you we have decided
to make it perfectly clear to you. If you and your goonies feel that it's
necessary to strip the rights of 300,000 people and ruin their lives, making
them unable to feed, clothe, and provide the necessities to their families
and themselves then We Will "get rid of" (in which I mean kill) you. Please
understand that this does not include the heroic Rep. Senator that risked
everything to go aganist what you and your goonies wanted him to do. We feel
that it's worth our lives to do this, because we would be saving the lives
of 300,000 people. Please make your peace with God as soon as possible and
say goodbye to your loved ones we will not wait any longer. YOU WILL DIE!!!!

YAY!

At Hot Air:

Breaking: Wisconsin Senate GOP to split off collective bargaining bill from budget, pass it separately? Update: Senate passes collective bargaining bill; Update: “Affront to democracy,” says … runaway Dem; Update: Capitol livestream added; Update: No security whatsoever

Share

posted at 7:09 pm on March 9, 2011 by Allahpundit
printer-friendly

Question mark in the headline because all we know for sure is that they’ve sent the bill back to a conference committee for unspecified changes. But some of the fleebaggers are squawking that this means they’ve gone for the nuclear option — i.e. rather than include the collective bargaining provisions in a broader budget bill, which they can’t pass without Democrats because it’s “fiscal” in nature, they’re going to strip out the CB part and pass it separately. That’s not fiscal, according to Wisconsin law, so a simple quorum will do.

This is how you fight back

Without doing anything illegal or violent...

What we are trying to avoid having in power

Madison has been called "Berkeley East" - are these same people now protesting there?

http://www.zombietime.com/hall_of_shame/


Found at A Trainwreck In Maxwell.

Emila to Tammy Gay

Just saw where she voted against repealing the totally idiotic requirement for businesses to issue 1099 forms for every transaction over $600.

Sent her another (useless) email:

Tammy,

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Our state is drowning in debt - hundreds of thousands are unemployed.

And you vote to retain a rule that will saddle small businesses with literally tons of paperwork, not to mention costing the IRS another ton of money to process it.

You were elected to serve the people of Southern Wisconsin. Looks to me like you've switched to the Dark Side!

2012 is coming, and we remember. Try and remember that fact yourself.

Good anti-union ad

Response to a letter to the editor.

I got a response in the paper today.
++++++++++++++++

‘Realize true impact of bill’

Published: Thursday, March 3, 2011 11:47 AM CST

This is in response to Mr. Kuecker letter, “Fire teachers, hire non-union” on Febuary 25.

Mr. Kuecker suggests we hire non-union teachers and sign them up for a five year contract at half the current wage and perform regular evaluations. If the students do not learn, then fire them and again hire more non-union people.

Does Mr. Kuecker realize that no matter how well teachers teach, not all students learn or advance because they have parents that don’t respond to notes sent home from their teacher, or they just don’t care how well their child does? I know of one teacher who has sent three notes home, and has called the parents, just to get no response back from them. Is this the teacher’s fault? I don’t think so.

I do agree that all state employees need to pay some part of their health insurance and retirement. But if we “privatize” teaching, do you really think that the big businesses will care about a child’s test scores? States that do not have collective bargaining have some of the lowest scores in the nation.

Does he also realize that this effects more than just the teachers? It effects the city and county workers including road crews and office personnel, prison guards, county health care nurses, the game wardens and so forth. It also means that federal funding will be lost for bus services. Where do you think this money will come from? The cities and counties will be forced to raise taxes in order to make up the difference. School districts will have to eliminate all extra activities including sports.

It’s time the people wake up a realize the true effect that Governor Walker’s bill will have on all of us.

Todd Nelson
Beloit

++++++++++++++++
So, I replied:

Since Mr. Nelson was good enough to respond to my letter of February 25th, I will respond to his letter of March 3rd.

Does Mr. Nelson realize that realistic measurements of teacher effectiveness are not skewed by a few non-performing students in a class? Our present system has a large number of third graders reading below their grade level, and many high school graduates ill prepared for college. Parent interaction is certainly important, but not the only problem here.

He states that he agrees that public employees should pay part of their benefit costs. I think that they should be very grateful not to be paying the entire bill, as I have to, as as many other Wisconsinites do.

Where did I ever propose "privatizing" education? I can't find that reference in my original letter. Since you bring it up, a private business would lose students if they didn't teach, and would be results-driven from a profit motive. Allowing parents to choose their schools will weed out the non-performers. Good idea, Todd.

How, exactly, does making street crews and public health nurses pay for some of their benefits cause the loss of federal funds? Please explain.

I note that every time there is a conflict between education and funding, that the issue of cutting sports is brought up. How did schools handle sports in the last depression?

Another place we can look to cut educational costs is management. It's a mystery to me why we need all those high-powered - and high-paid - administration people supposedly running our schools. Perhaps some of them could show their solidarity with the teachers by taking on more work for the same pay, and some of those management positions could be eliminated?

I'm still for getting rid of public teacher's unions completely.

Email from Herb Kohl

He doesn't like high gas prices - so he's got a fix!

+++++++++++++++++++++

Home Biography News Issues & Legislation Constituent Services Contact Senator Kohl Unsubscribe

For car owners, filling up the tank is often a part of a weekly routine. And as many have noticed, gas prices are on the rise. Drivers are reaching deeper and deeper into their pockets to spend over $3 a gallon at the pump. And prices could go beyond $4 a gallon this summer unless something is done.

That’s why, as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, I introduced the bipartisan No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act (NOPEC). It would authorize our government, for the first time, to take action against illegal conduct of the OPEC oil cartel. The NOPEC bill would establish clearly and plainly that when a group of competing oil producers - like the OPEC nations - act together to restrict supply or fix prices, they are violating U.S. law. I recently raised the subject of increased oil prices with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at a Senate Banking Committee hearing to gain insight about current efforts to curb rising oil and gas prices. It is time for the U.S. government to fight back against efforts to fix the price of oil and hold OPEC accountable when it acts illegally.

Late last year, OPEC ministers indicated that they may decide against an increase in output in 2011, saying that the world economy can tolerate a $100 per barrel price.

Months later, that prediction has come true, and the price of oil has once again topped $100-a-barrel. This is the highest price since the summer of 2008 when gas prices exceeded $4-a-gallon, squeezing family budgets and threatening business profits.

It is clear that the global oil cartel remains a major force conspiring to raise oil prices to the detriment of American consumers. When the price of crude oil rises as a result of these actions by OPEC, there is no doubt that millions of American consumers feel the pinch every time they visit the gas pump. This is why I am working with members of both parties to end oil price fixing and decrease the cost of oil and gasoline.

Sincerely,

+++++++++++++++++++++

Cute name, anyway. NOPEC - sort of like NOBAMA.

+++++++++++++++++++++

I sent him this:

Hi, Herb,

I just got your email about high gas prices.

Instead of a law prosecuting "illegal" (under whose laws?) OPEC machinations, why not a bipartisan law removing all the restraints on domestic production your party and Mr. Obama have passed?

Drill baby, drill! NOW!!!
++++++++++++++++++

Proof there are outside agitators in Madison

You knew it had to be. Proof:

Chicago Man Cited for Trying to Sabotage Fox News Truck in Madison

Remember, the left just loves free speech. As long as they can regulate it.

A Chicago man was ticketed for allegedly disconnecting extension cords for cameras and lights on a Fox News truck on the Capitol Square Tuesday, Madison police reported.

Michael Moore: Communist

In is own words.

Moore On Wealthy People's Money: "That's Not Theirs, That's A National Resource, It's Ours"

Quote:

"They're sitting on the money, they're using it for their own -- they're putting it someplace else with no interest in helping you with your life, with that money. We've allowed them to take that. That's not theirs, that's a national resource, that's ours. We all have this -- we all benefit from this or we all suffer as a result of not having it," Michael Moore told Laura Flanders of GRITtv.

"I think we need to go back to taxing these people at the proper rates. They need to -- we need to see these jobs as something we some, that we collectively own as Americans and you can't just steal our jobs and take them someplace else," Moore concluded.

+++++++++++++++++++

So - no mention of the hundred of thousands of pages of federal and state laws aimed at making businesses unprofitable here, just a demand to tax the rich 'til there are no rich no more.

And then we can all starve in the dark, when there's no economy left.

Civility in politics

The protesters got none - but some Democrats do have it:

Angry protesters confront a locked-out Sen. Grothman

By Journal Sentinel staff

Updated: March 2, 2011 7:49 a.m. |(311) Comments

Protests against Gov. Scott Walker's budget and the battle for access to the Capitol took a tense turn last night when GOP Sen. Glenn Grothman was locked out of the building and was eventually surrounded by hundreds of angry protesters, according to the Cap Times.

The paper reports that State Rep. Brett Hulsey, a Democrat from Madison, intervened and tried to calm the crowd. The incident lasted 5 to 10 minutes and firefighters eventually cleared a path for Grothman and Hulsey to make their way to a side entrance to the building.

"This guy and I disagree on everything, but we're friends," the Cap Times quotes Hulsey as telling the demonstrators. "This is a peaceful protest. You need to back away."

++++++++++++++++++

Update. Here's some video.

Just what they need

Fines.

Capitol Chaos: Resolution Passed To Fine 'Wisconsin 14'

By Jay Sorgi, Mick Trevey and the Associated Press

Story Created: Mar 2, 2011

Story Updated: Mar 2, 2011

MADISON - The 14 Wisconsin state Senate Democrats who left the state two weeks ago will now face fines of $100 for each day they miss, if they miss two or more days.

More reasons to bust public-sector unions

A friend sent me this link:

Time to Restore Voter Control: End the Government-Union Monopoly

Published on February 25, 2011 by James Sherk Backgrounder #2522

Abstract: With Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker attempting to rein in the unbalanced power of government unions, and given the fierce stranglehold that union members have on their ever-increasing taxpayer-provided benefits, now is a crucial time for Americans to understand the difference between private-sector and public-sector unions. Collective bargaining in the private sphere—where companies face competition—is a world away from collective bargaining in government—which faces no competition, and where unions have a legal monopoly. Heritage Foundation labor expert James Sherk explains why it is time to restore voter control over elected government, and how it can be done.

A very good read.