Calls for decorum ring hollow

Publication:Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date:Aug 27, 2009; Section:Opinion; Page Number:10A

Calls for decorum ring hollow
Folks right to be upset

(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)

I’m somewhat amused by all of the sudden concern about the lack of decorum in politics. Suddenly, the political left and their followers in the mainstream media are shocked that people are showing up by the hundreds and the thousands to town hall meetings to protest the proposed changes in health care.

It’s perhaps easier to understand the frustration when a famous quip attributed to Sen. Everett M. Dirksen, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money,” needs to be updated to, “A trillion here, a trillion there, and pretty soon you can’t print enough money.”

We are now looking at trillion-dollar deficits for each of the next 10 years. Nobody believes that is sustainable, yet President Obama wants to spend nearly another trillion on health care.

When Americans express their concerns, they’re told to shut up and take it. At the first rally in Madison by taxpayers in October 2007 led by Americans for Prosperity, state union employees counterdemonstrated by attempting to drown out the speakers with their shouting and intimidated the participants as they headed to their vehicles.

When concerned taxpayers showed up during the spring and summer to “tea parties” to rally against the massive expansion of government spending, suddenly an insulting sexual reference went mainstream, from the liberal blogs to cable news pundits, to belittle the rallies.

Deciding that wasn’t sufficient, tea party rally participants were accused of being part of a paid conspiracy, “AstroTurf,” rather than being part of an authentic grass-roots movement. Depending on the liberal villain of the week, ordinary citizens were accused of being agents of Big Oil, Big Pharmaceutical and Big Insurance.

Yet when the liberal special interests show up in any small number to protest anything, those are the authentic grass roots.

When it was clear that the taxpayer protests were genuine, the focus shifted. Now they’re radicals, unpatriotic, and even Nazis, according to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Even as the president was asking everyone to tone down the rhetoric, he accused his critics of lying while he spreads deliberate falsehoods of his own. As he encouraged “dialogue,” his administration’s Department of Homeland Security labeled his critics potential terrorists. And while we remember the president’s promise to improve the tone in Washington, his aides are promising to “hit back twice as hard.”

Nothing new, really. From the ’60s (for which the left has so much nostalgia) to today, the left in this country has had a policy of “taking it to the streets.” At times, it boiled over into bombings and targeted violent personal attacks.

From Chicago in 1968 to Seattle in 1999 there was some improvement. Instead of chanting “Off the pigs!” the slogan changed to, “No justice, no peace!” The threat of violence remained.

Then the Bush era, and for the last eight years one of the mantras on the left was, “If you aren’t outraged, you’re not paying attention.” We saw their outrage manifest itself in violent demonstrations, attacks on military recruitment offices, disrupted congressional hearings, and planned riots at the national conventions.

Now I will concede that some of the people at these town hall meetings are a little rude. They’re paying attention now, and it’s their turn to be outraged. Some of them let their emotions overcome their judgment of good behavior. Most of them are not as articulate as a Harvardeducated lawyer with a teleprompter. Many of them have never been involved in a political movement before.

I strongly urge them to temper their words and to be more respectful at these town hall meetings. However, a few shouts at a few congressmen is not some sort of crisis in democracy, and the concerned taxpayers are certainly not deserving of being labeled “brownshirts.”

We now hear the calls for civility from those who thought the president’s association with Weather Underground bomber Bill Ayers was no big deal, and they had no problems when Obama’s mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, screamed “God damn America” during his sermons.

Yes, I agree we should have more decorum at the town hall meetings, and more decorum in politics generally. My challenge to the political left is two words: You first.

JAMES WIGDERSON

Doyle retirement presents opportunity for GOP

Publication:Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date:Aug 20, 2009; Section:Opinion; Page Number:10A

Doyle seemed to be gearing up for re-election bid

(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)


I am surrounded by people who tell me, “Of course. I knew Gov. Doyle would never run for reelection.” They reasoned (or so they claim) that by proposing the most radical state budget of his tenure, Doyle must have known he could never seek re-election.

By that logic, every Democratic state senator on the ballot last November would not have sought re-election after their even more radical “Healthy Wisconsin” proposal. And we can all look forward to President Obama only seeking one term.

Until recently, there was every indication that Doyle was intent on seeking re-election, despite his “two terms” claim in Monday’s address. (Someone should have asked him: If two terms is such a reasonable limit, why did you serve three terms as the state’s attorney general?)

Doyle has spent the last couple of years raising campaign money – campaign money that could have gone to Democratic candidates. His current war chest is approximately $2 million.

Meanwhile, the Greater Wisconsin Committee, a Democratic special interest group often supportive of the governor, ran television advertising in July in an attempt to boost the governor’s poll numbers after the state budget was passed. These things don’t happen unless the governor was planning on running for re-election.

Unfortunately for Doyle, his numbers never improved; he was out-fundraised by one of the Republican candidates and his consecutive election winning streak was in serious danger.

Democratic candidates are already lining up.

Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton is already in the race. As a member of the Democratic Party’s “progressive” wing, if Lawton gets the nomination, the Republican candidate can coast to victory. There will be some weak attempts to portray her as a formidable candidate, but even if she is not a lightweight, as is generally believed, she will still have the problem of being blamed for everything that went wrong during Doyle’s tenure without receiving any of the credit.

The same holds true for State Sen. Jon Erpenback who will be stuck with the state budget as his albatross. The only one who really thinks Erpenbach has a chance is Erpenbach.

Congressman Ron Kind is likely to take a run and would be the front-runner in fundraising, except that the Democrats were successful in 2006 in stopping Congressman Mark Green from using his federal campaign funds for his race for governor. However, Kind will have plenty of time to fundraise. What will hurt Kind is the unpopularity of Congress. Kind will be forced to explain his support for cap and trade legislation, the stimulus bill and whatever health care reform comes out. He will have to shore up his relations with the party’s liberal wing during the primaries, but that will hurt him in the general election.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is also talked about as a candidate. However, his recent injuries may make him reluctant to take on a state campaign. Besides, as the mayor of Milwaukee, Barrett would have a hard time appealing to out-state voters. Barrett may have a problem, too, with African-Americans in his own city unhappy with the amount of development in their community and Barrett’s meddling with the local school district. The latter also hurts him with the teachers unions, the strongest voice in the Democratic Party.

There is a misperception that not having Doyle as an opponent will hurt the eventual Republican candidate, whether it is former Congressman Mark Neumann or Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. Nonsense.

Democrats are still complaining about President Bush. They ran against him last year even though he was not on the ballot and his intraparty rival was. They are going to try to run against Bush again next year.

Does anyone seriously think not having Doyle to kick around anymore will prevent the Republicans from tying the Democratic nominee to Doyle’s record?

Besides, it’s almost always easier to win an open seat than to defeat an incumbent. This time the open seat means easier fundraising for the Republican challengers and the same amount of organizational time after next year’s primary election as the Democrats.

Doyle’s departure creates a huge opportunity for the state Republican party to turn around its fortunes. Now if the Republicans could only find a candidate to take on Sen. Feingold.

JAMES WIGDERSON

Wigderson goes to Washington

(Note: I'm behind on posting my newspaper column here, so I am catching up this week. Here is the Waukesha Freeman column from August 13th.)

Publication:Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date:Aug 13, 2009; Section:Opinion; Page Number:10A

What I learned on summer vacation
Government’s failings evident in capital city

(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)

My wife and I have just returned from a trip to Washington D.C., or what I happily refer to as the “crab cakes and monuments tour.” It’s been a few years since I’ve made the trip, and this was the first purely as a tourist.

Since school children all over Wisconsin are about to be asked to write on what they did on their summer vacations, I thought I would pass along a few lessons from my own. I would just suggest that those kids should not copy any of my ideas. Your teachers will be able to tell.

Upon arrival in Washington, D.C., we quickly learned a lesson in government-run mass transit. Our nation’s capital has one of the best mass transit systems in the world, but you can’t get to where you want to go when you want to get there.

The hotel was not far from the Metro train stop at Union Station, but really too far to drag our bags. This means we had to take a taxi from the airport.

On our first day there, we had tickets on a boat from National Harbor to Mount Vernon. That involved a taxi to the boat launch. Then another taxi back to the hotel afterward.

Dinner that night was in Georgetown at one of the city’s best restaurants. Apparently, the planners for the Metro system never conceived that anyone would want to go to the oldest part of the city. Another taxi ride back and forth.

Stranded by the Vietnam War memorial on the opposite end of the mall away from the nearest metro stop, we took another taxi. You can see a pattern, and it was expensive. We finally caught a break going from the hotel to the airport. The hotel called a car service for us.

Washington, D.C., has a government like any the city. However, for much of its history the city was governed directly by Congress. Even now, Congress still controls much of what happens in the federal territory.

Despite the presence and the control of the federal government, the city still has an obvious problem with poverty. The homeless are ubiquitous, and sections of the city resemble many of the poorer urban areas around the country.

Obviously federal spending is not the issue. The really big buildings occupied by federal agencies quickly dispel that notion. Clearly more government jobs are not the answer.

Higher taxation is not the answer. We paid a shocking 10 percent sales tax on our restaurant meals. Sales taxes in Washington range from the already-high 5.75 percent to the obnoxious 14.5 percent hotel room tax.

Nonetheless, poverty remains an issue directly under the noses of those who promise so much more from the federal government (if we only allow them to spend more money).

If government has trouble with the big things, perhaps a small thing will shed some light on why.

The grass on the federal mall in front of most of the Smithsonian museums is in a really poor state. Most residents of Waukesha would be ashamed to have lawns in that condition.

One of the buildings facing the lawn belongs to the Department of Agriculture. It is a rather impressive building, visible all the way from atop Arlington Cemetery.

Most of us would assume the Department of Agriculture would be filled with experts on growing things. We would be wrong. The Department is responsible for spending large amounts of money for purposes related to agriculture, even if only tangentially.

The national park system, including the mall in front of the Smithsonian, is run by the Department of Interior. Unlike the television show “Trading Spaces,” they do not think they can accomplish a miracle growth of new grass for $100. A source working on Capitol Hill told me the department wants close to $400 million.

I immediately offered the services of my father-in-law. Just give him a new tractor, a home improvement store credit card, and bullhorn to keep the kids off the grass, and by the end of summer the mall will look like a fairway at Augusta.

He could do it on his next summer vacation.

JAMES WIGDERSON

Honor the flag by not amending the constitution

Publication:Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date:Jul 2, 2009; Section:Opinion; Page Number:8A

Celebrate flag, freedom it represents
Liberties taken for granted shouldn’t be given up easily

(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)

I had the honor recently of attending a flag retirement ceremony.

Before the flags were destroyed, the Scout master reminded us that what was about to occur was not a protest but a dignified end to flags too worn to be flown. As taps played, a group of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts presented flag after flag for burning.

The next day, my son and a few of the younger Scouts accompanied the Scout master into the woods to find a suitable place to bury the remains. The lesson in patriotism he learned that weekend was well worth the extra mosquito bites.

As we approach our Independence Day it’s a good time to remember the reasons our flag is so important. It’s the symbol of our country, a country founded for freedom. In honoring our flag we honor our country and we honor its freedoms.

Too often, we take those freedoms for granted, especially the freedom of speech. How often have you heard someone say, “I’m for freedom of speech, but...?” And then they offer some rationale why someone else’s freedom of speech should be curtailed.

The excuses offered often sound reasonable, pragmatic, even patriotic. Then laws get passed curtailing free speech rights in political campaigns, in peaceful protests, and even in criticizing our government.

Some would even put the American flag above the freedoms it represents. They would ban any desecration of the flag, including burning the flag in protest. When the Supreme Court ruled that laws protecting the flag from this abuse were unconstitutional, efforts began to amend the constitution. In 2006, the effort fell short in the U.S. Senate by only one vote.

Unfortunately, for many senators it was an “easy” vote. After all, who wants to be against the American flag?

But what would constitute flag desecration? Local radio personality Vicki McKenna caught some flak when her radio program first began airing on WISN. As part of the promotion for the show, she put on the Internet a picture of herself draped in the flag. Get it? She was draping herself in the flag.

The humor of the photo was lost on many who began citing chapter and verse of the U.S. Flag Code.

As we drive around town this weekend, I wonder how many giant inflatable flags will be decorating lawns. How many improperly displayed flags without the proper 24-hour lighting will there be? How many people will be unfolding flags that were not properly folded when they were put away last year?

These are not people who are intentionally disrespecting the flag, any more than McKenna. Instead they are celebrating the importance of the flag and the feelings of patriotism it inspires.

I would hardly want them locked up and the key thrown away.

In protecting the flag, the symbol of our freedoms, too many of us would give freedom away in the name of patriotism. Part of free speech is to allow others to do and say things that are really unpopular, even unpopular to the point of discrediting their cause.

I can think of no more swift refutation of someone’s argument than their own action of taking a match to the American flag. Once that occurs, it’s likely their speech will fall upon deaf ears.

But it’s their right to make such a statement about themselves, their cause and our country. In the name of patriotism we should not try to suppress their speech.

In a recent op-ed piece for The Freeman supporting the proposed constitutional amendment, state Sen. Mary Lazich wrote, “Reflect upon the enormous significance of the Stars and Stripes and the many heroic Americans that gave so much defending its honor so that we may live in the greatest, freest country in the world.”

This weekend would be a great opportunity to do so, even as we respectfully reject Lazich’s and others’ calls to amend the constitution. For if we ever reach the day that a law or a constitutional amendment is really required to compel our respect for the flag and the country it stands for, we will have much bigger problems than a protester with a match.

JAMES WIGDERSON

State budget won't be good for Democrats regardless if Doyle is running

Is the state budget a suicide pact between the governor and the legislature? That's the question I asked in this week's column for the Waukesha Freeman.

Despite claims, state budget hurts middle class, increases spending

(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)

Is the state budget a suicide pact? This last weekend found Democrats in the Green Bay area holding their state convention and defending their state budget from Republican criticism. The Democrats are telling two lies about the budget. They claim it will not affect the middle class. The MacIver Institute and blogger Steve Eggleston concede that’s true if:

None of your earnings will be from capital gains. You will not drive. You will not smoke (unless you shop at an Indian reservation tobacco store). You will not drink. You will not get sick enough to enter a hospital or urgent care center. You will not purchase over-the-counter drugs. You will not buy downloaded software, songs or videos. You will not shop in Milwaukee County, Calumet County, Winnebago County, Outagamie County, Eau Claire County, Chippewa County or the urbanized portion of Dane County. You will not shop at a business or buy from a business that has operations both within and outside of Wisconsin. You will not own a business. You will not rent a vehicle in Milwaukee County, Racine County or Kenosha County. You will not own any real estate. You will not own a phone. You will not rent any real estate. You will not operate a power boat. You will not operate any small engines requiring gas for operation.

The second lie is that the budget spends less money. It does not. It only spends less in general purpose revenue but actually spends more total money thanks to misspending the stimulus funds and raiding segregated fees. When that money is gone, Democrats will be forced again to either raise taxes or make spending cuts.

Since they had no problem with raising taxes during a recession, what do you think the likely outcome will be in the next budget cycle? The Democrats control the budget process, and the Republicans will bear zero responsibility for the final product.

Not by choice, of course. The Republicans in the state Assembly offered over 100 amendments to the budget only to see them rejected. Democrats, on the other hand, wrote changes into the budget in their caucus sessions and then presented them to the legislative chambers fait accompli.

We might forgive Republicans then for washing their hands of the most radical budget in state history, as it was certainly not of their making.

No, the fault lies with the Democrats, and the burden is heavy upon them. Most heavily does the burden fall upon Governor Doyle, who proposed most of what remains in the state budget and who will shape the final version with his veto power.

A new poll by a Democratic pollster, Public Policy Polling, shows the governor now trailing his two possible Republican rivals in popularity. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker now leads Governor Doyle 48 percent to 40 percent, and former Congressman Mark Neumann leads Doyle 42 percent to 41 percent.

The pollster is careful to point out that it’s not Walker’s or Neumann’s popularity driving the poll numbers, but rather the governor’s unpopularity. Governor Doyle has an unfavorable rating of 60 percent. Among independents the number is 69 percent.

There is speculation that the governor will not seek another term next year. This budget is too radical and the governor will be too unpopular to stand for re-election.

However, the governor was thought to be vulnerable in the last election cycle. That is when Doyle’s supporters muddied then-Congressman Mark Green’s reputation so badly Doyle coasted to an easy victory.

The other problem with believing the governor will not seek re-election is that it does not explain why so many of his fellow Democrats are willing to go along with this budget. They, too, will have to stand for election after this debacle.

Sometimes Democrats just have to be Democrats. When the opportunity came to write the budget without any Republican interference, the Democrats took full advantage. Now it’s just a matter of whether their political fortunes will survive the coming fallout.

JAMES WIGDERSON

Sullivan doesn't merit a recall

My column in today's Waukesha Freeman:

Sullivan recall not best option

Ousting official over smoking ban misuses voters’ choice

Belly up to the bar and sign a petition. At least that’s what some bar owners and the Citizens for Responsible Government Network are hoping. On Tuesday, they launched an effort to recall state Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa. They only need 18,000 signatures, a number well within reach.

I wish the law had been changed in Wisconsin to require recall organizers to state the reason for the recall when they’re collecting petition signatures. The reason given on these petitions would be really interesting.

The press release from CRG states, “We will not tolerate one more tax, one more anti-business policy and most of all; we will not lose one more freedom to special interest groups with a hidden agenda.” The freedom, unmentioned in the press release, is the ability to smoke tobacco products in restaurants and bars.

I’m sympathetic to the argument. I don’t like the idea of a statewide smoking ban, either. It is one more needless intrusion of government into the lives of the citizens of our state, kind of like Waukesha’s ban on outdoor fire pits after midnight.

Sullivan voted for the statewide smoking ban that finally passed this year. Sullivan’s vote is hardly a surprise to his district. He is a supporter of the smoking ban, of which his constituents were aware when they voted him into office.

The municipality that takes up the largest portion of Sullivan’s district, Wauwatosa, has had a smoking ban already in place for nearly three years. No elected officials in city government faced a recall for their support of the smoking ban. Hardly a surprise when their representative in Madison also supports a smoking ban.

Much of the opposition to the smoking ban this year dissipated when it appeared likely the ban would be included in the state budget. Lawmakers moved to pass separate legislation instead, allowing for the exemptions for places like Nice Ash in Waukesha, and to delay implementation until July 5, 2010.

The law was inevitable, and Sullivan’s vote was hardly decisive. It passed the Senate 25-8.

Unfortunately for Sullivan, at least one tavern owner, Bill Savage, didn’t like Sullivan’s vote, and that tavern owner happens to be staff for a Republican Assembly member, Don Pridemore.

Sullivan also has the misfortune of being at the top of the list of Democrats targeted by the state Republican Party. The Democrats hold an 18-15 majority in the state senate. A two-seat switch would give Republicans a majority in that chamber, putting an end to oneparty rule in Madison. Sullivan’s district is considered to be Republican-leaning, and Sullivan is a vulnerable rookie.

As you can see, if the recall organizers had to give a real reason for the recall, it would be a little harder to explain than “voted for the smoking ban.”

If the recall petition drive is successful in the next 58 days, a special election would be called and Sullivan would have to defend his seat.

Among the possible Republican candidates is State Rep. Leah Vukmir. Vukmir is a conservative and an energetic politician. She’s a reformer who started in politics because of education issues, and takes a hard line on taxes. She would make a great state senator.

In a normal election Vukmir would give Sullivan a tough fight. In a special election, with the attention of the entire state on the race, she would be the odds-on favorite to win. It would also be a “free shot” for her because she would not have to give up her Assembly seat to run, unlike in the general election in 2010.

But as much as I love the idea of “state Sen. Leah Vukmir” I loathe recalling a politician just because of one vote on one issue. Recalls should be when there is demonstrable misconduct in office. In this case, Sullivan has not committed any misconduct, nor can his opponents point to any.

This is a policy difference, not an incident that puts into doubt our trust of our public representatives. The recall effort should make us uncomfortable with its partisan origins and opportunism. Sullivan’s constituents can wait until 2010 to vote him out of office, an effort I will wholeheartedly support.

(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)

CRG files to start recall of Jim Sullivan

State Senator Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) is facing a recall effort in his district because he was one vote in the 25-8 majority that passed a state-wide smoking ban. Unfortunately for Sullivan, he's at the top of the GOP target list and one of the tavern owners in his district happens to be a staff member for Republican State Representative Don Pridemore.

Ironically, the city he represents has had a smoking ban for three years, so it's hardly shocking that their State Senator might support a smoking ban, too. (I believe the number of recalls in Wauwatosa because of the ban is still zero.)

I hate the idea of a smoking ban. I hate the idea of a recall of a state legislator over one vote on one issue even more.

Look for more on this topic in my Waukesha Freeman column this Thursday. Just a couple of the big shiny coins in your pocket is all it costs.

Democrats Gone Wild, the Madison edition

Starting this week the Waukesha Freeman will no longer be posting my column online at GMToday.com. Some changes are being made to the website and the opinion columnists are moving behind the subscription wall. Think of it as Conley Select. Or you can still read it on the dead tree version for just 50 cents. Paper, ink, it's all so retro and fun.

I'll also be posting the column here (instead of just excerpts), but not until Thursday evenings.

This week's column tackles the state budget again as the whole process has just become so much tax-and-spend Democratic porn.
Publication:Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date:Jun 4, 2009; Section:Opinion; Page Number:10A


Democrats gone wild

Proposed budget most radical in state history

(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)


We’re in the home stretch now on the state budget process. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee finished with the budget (with much of the work being done late at night and behind closed doors). Now the budget goes to the Assembly, then the Senate, then finally to the governor for his final rewrite with his veto pen.

How much of the current budget proposal is going to survive is still an open question. Democrats may have the majority in both chambers, but the proposed budget certainly qualifies as one of the most radical in state history. Different Democrats may defect on different votes as the Republicans offer amendment after amendment this week. Look for more closed-door meetings, more late-night sessions, and more dealmaking as the Democrats line up the votes to make sure the budget passes.

Some of the provisions in the current budget proposal are just shocking.

Hostility to “Big Oil” has always been standard fare for the Democrats, but even Joint Finance Committee Co-Chairman Rep. Marc Pocan admits the new tax on oil company profits with the provision that the tax not get passed on to consumers might be unconstitutional. Still, he hopes to somehow fix it, according to WisPolitics.com, in order to protect $270 million for the transportation fund.

Somebody needs to ask Pocan the obvious question: If Democrats are so concerned about the transportation fund, wouldn’t it be wiser to stop raiding it, so far $1.1 billion, to fund other items in the state budget?

Then there’s the Democrats’ continued hostility to any child receiving an education outside a Wisconsin Education Association Council-approved institution. Rep. Pedro Colon, D-Milwaukee, inserted at the last minute a requirement for any school in the choice program where over 10 percent of the students had limited English proficiency to have bilingual education.

The Democrats also cut funding for choice program students by $165 each. Brett Healy of the MacIver Institute points out choice schools receive $6,607 per pupil compared to more than $13,000 for students in Milwaukee Public Schools.

Meanwhile, as a favor for the teachers unions, Democrats are repealing the Qualified Economic Offer that helps keep public education costs in check.

Republicans can seize the education issue and make it a winner in the next election cycle. Clearly they are the party of reform, while the Democrats are the party of continuing to subsidize failure.

It’s hard to pick the most brazen grab for tax money, but surely the tax on cell phones has to be near the top of the list.

In 2003 the state imposed a tax on cell phones to upgrade the 911 system to be able to pinpoint 911 cell phone calls. When the upgrades were done, the state under Governor Doyle kept the $20 million in “leftover” money. (Nothing says “home cooking” the books like “leftovers.”)

The Democrats are not only going to keep the tax in place, they are going to raise it by 75 cents per month and impose it on every phone, including the land lines. The total tax increase on cell phone users is $100 million, but it gets worse.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that using a tax on cell phones for something other than the 911 system may make the state ineligible for federal funds. This means local communities will have to raise taxes more to pay for the costs of supporting the 911 system.

Perhaps the most absurd provision in the state budget is the idea of creating a special driver’s license for illegal aliens. Did nobody in Madison say to themselves that if we can identify the illegal aliens to give them the special driver’s licenses, we ought to just deport them?

I once described the state budget process as a horror picture. We’re now in the genre of tax-and-spend porn, “The Democrats Gone Wild.” No wonder they’re busy making decisions late at night with the curtains drawn.

If you’re tempted to smoke a cigarette afterward, they’re raising the tax on that, too.

State budget tragic opera

If they didn't have a golf tournament to attend tomorrow with their campaign donors (ht: Charlie Sykes), the Democrats probably would have waited until tomorrow afternoon before letting loose with this budget bomb. As it is, they're probably hoping that the 65 page single budget motion will keep us all too busy to figure out what's in it. Fortunately the MacIver Institute is on the case and is updating some of the more outrageous budget items on Twitter.

My favorite so far: "Fat Lady Sings. No, the JFC isn't done. They haven't started yet. But the Oshkosh Opera House to get $500k bonding in new #wibudget."


As I wrote in this week's column for the Waukesha Freeman:

For three months the public debated the governor’s original budget proposal. Now the Democrats are trying to cram through a new state budget in 11 days, making the choices behind closed doors. The state budget is turning into a train wreck of bad social policy, increased spending, increased taxes, new taxes, and a neglect of the public safety.

For all of the complaints about how a state Legislature divided between the Republicans and the Democrats turned the last budget debate into a 10-month marathon, the public was better served.

Sounding off on the disgraced Archbishop Rembert Weakland

From today's sound off in the Waukesha Freeman: (ht: Spring City)

Wigderson column

I absolutely loved James Wigderson’s column in Thursday’s Freeman about the disgraced former archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland. Right on, Jim! Someone needs to speak up about this man and his poor example to the Catholic community. There are still many confused souls out there because of him. What needs to be done now is to get his name removed from places of honor. My parish, St. William of Waukesha, has a Weakland Room in the Parish Vercelli House. They also often refer to his name when invoking blessings. These things are almost as shocking and scandalous as the things he admits to freely doing while archbishop of Milwaukee. For the purpose of healing, he and his name need to go.

For what it's worth, I would hope they would stop mentioning him once he moves to New Jersey since he will no longer be an archbishop-in-residence (ret.).

That's why they call it a railroad

In my column this week for the Waukesha Freeman (just a couple of quarters for the deadtree edition), I questioned the leadership of the Waukesha County Board and their inaction on the proposed Regional Transit Authority in southeastern Wisconsin.  It was a timely piece, appearing the morning the Joint Finance Committee in the legislature was to consider the structure and funding of the RTA.

According to local environmental writer Jim Rowen, former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist said there were two stages to any transportation plan: “It’s too soon to know” and “It’s too late to do anything about it.”

By deciding to punt on this important question, the county board’s executive committee decided to push off the decision from possibly too early to possibly too late. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee is expected to consider the RTA for southeastern Wisconsin today.

Contrary to Wolff’s assertion, the RTA is not an inevitability. There is a very real chance it may be defeated today, or else modified to only include Milwaukee County.

Waukesha County’s leadership could have taken the opportunity last week to express clearly the opposition of Waukesha residents to any proposal to include Waukesha County or any of its communities as part of the RTA. Such a clear statement that Waukesha County would never be a willing part of the RTA might have helped kill it.

Instead, Waukesha residents might wake up at the end of the state budget process to see Milwaukee County trying to suck more of our tax dollars to fund their buses and a train from Milwaukee to Illinois.

Even I could not foresee the Democrats' sense of self-preservation taking such precedence over any common sense. The Democrats, fearing a taxpayer revolt in Racine removing their Senator John Lehman, decided to exempt Racine and Kenosha counties from the proposed sales tax. However, Milwaukee County would be taxed, while Racine and Kenosha would receive representation on the RTA. Those counties would have representation, but Milwaukee County would not given how unreliable the suburbs within the county have proven in their support for a train or light rail system. Instead on the City of Milwaukee would have representation.

So we have no taxation with representation (Racine, Kenosha) and taxation without representation (Milwaukee County).

Waukesha County residents might take some false comfort in all this. After all, we have been spared in this opening round and a precedent has been set. Perhaps the city of Waukesha should petition the state to force Milwaukee County to build (and pay for) the pipeline necessary for Milwaukee to provide the City of Waukesha with water from Lake Michigan.

But the reality is the other precedent this sets. Waukesha County residents should be increasingly wary of any attempt to force them to subsidize Milwaukee's transit issues. That pressure will grow as the pressure on Milwaukee's taxpayers grows.

Unless we start taking firm stands now, the legislature may decide to punish our Republican representation, even as the state is currently punishing Milwaukee County residents who voted for Scott Walker as their County Executive.

Cooperation between the Waukesha and Milwaukee on transit is possible, such as the recent agreement between the City of Waukesha and Milwaukee County to eliminate the transfer fee between the two bus systems. But such cooperation must be as equals, and not imposed from the state.

When does the Bush blaming end?

From today's Waukesha Freeman Sound Off:

Social Security

I am commenting on the person that was published in the Saturday Sound Off blaming President Bush because they lost half of their money in the stock market and was also glad that he never had a chance to privatize Social Security.

Your problem is that you can’t blame yourself for your bad investment choices so you blame Bush. Blame your investment adviser, who should have directed you to a more secure investment. The stock market is a risk! It is why investments are not covered under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. You need to hold yourself accountable for your poor choice and lack of education in investing in the market.

As far as Social Security goes, I would have loved the opportunity to invest my own Social Security money. The problem is that the Social Security system creates dependents on the government. When I retire, it won’t be there and I don’t have a choice as to whether I want to contribute. You probably don’t even realize that your benefits are being paid today by me. In the next 10 years, Social Security will shrink and begin to disappear. Without those funds to shrink our ever-growing deficit, Congress will have no choice but to raise taxes even more, cut programs and let deficit amounts climb. In 2017, it’s going to get worse. Today Medicare and Social Security consume 60 percent of income taxes.

Why would you suggest that the government is the best at administering Social Security when it is headed for a train wreck? ...

At least Bush offered a solution to the problem. Maybe not a perfect one but he faced the reality that Social Security will disappear eventually and cause financial peril if not fixed. The current administration isn’t even addressing it, instead offering more and more governmental programs so that we lose our independence and become just like you – believing that government will fix everything and that it was that horrible Bush’s fault.

I suggest you better educate yourself and hold yourself accountable for your own decisions. Bush isn’t going to be around forever for you to blame.

But they're sure as heck going to try.

Doyle playing hide and seek with sex offenders

Good news for the sexual predators up the street. That is, I think they're still up the street. Maybe. Anybody know where the sexual predators are?

As part of his budget, Governor Doyle would reduce the monitoring for many sexual offenders from active real-time monitoring to passive after-the-fact monitoring. Instead of an alert being sent immediately when an offender enters an area that puts them in violation, the state would only find out when the GPS device is "recharged" and the record of the previous 24 hours is sent.

In other words, if the sex offender re-offended after finding a child victim in an off-limits area, we won't be able to put the offender at the scene until long after the crime has been committed.

Sex offenders would be moved from an active monitoring to a passive monitoring system after a year on parole even if they meet the following criteria:

* Raped a child under 12 years old.

* Molested a child under 13 and caused great bodily harm.

* Raped a child under 16 through the use or threat of force or violence.

* Molested a child under 16 through the use or threat of force or violence.

I think most of us as parents would rather the state know where those people are rather than cross our fingers and hope that our child is not the blip on the GPS record downloaded 24 hours after the fact.

Closing in on the end of the Fernandez-Evers race

Election day is tomorrow, and in my latest column for the Waukesha Freeman I looked at the twists and turns of the Fernandez-Evers race for state superintendent of public instruction. I conclude,

There are, of course, serious issues in the campaign. As an employee of the state Department of Public Instruction, Evers spearheaded the effort to close down Wisconsin’s virtual schools. Evers has not shown any independence from the teachers unions. Evers endorses the lifting of the state QEO even though it will cause an explosion in Wisconsin’s already high property taxes.

Fernandez has a plan to attack the education problems in the Milwaukee Public Schools, supports exploring alternatives to the public schools, supports rewarding good teachers with merit pay within the qualified economic offer framework and has received bipartisan political support from across every demographic and geographic line.

What remains to be seen is if the last-minute WEAC media blitz, complete with juvenile photo doctoring, will be enough to motivate teachers union members to show up in force on Tuesday to protect the status quo, or will there be enough enthusiastic supporters of Fernandez to carry the day?

Waukesha Freeman to cease publishing on Mondays

The news was announced today that the Waukesha Freeman will be available as an online edition only on Mondays.

Let me quickly say that I am not on the staff. I write a column that they purchase. For how much is none of your business. After they purchase it, they own it. Sometimes they run it in other newspapers. If they decide they don't want my column anymore then they can run something else and I'm just out of luck.

I don't have any special insight into the newsroom. I have this vision in my head of Bill Yorth yelling, "Duffy! Run a photo of Wigderson on page one. Only not too big."

I'd offer some great insight into the future of newspapers, but I have yet to find any plausible future for newspapers. I assume that they will all be published online someday. Perhaps they'll be in alignment with other media outlets.

But maybe our entire concept of media, especially mass media, is about to be completely overturned.

After all, radio stations have less people working for them everyday, too. They're struggling for ad revenue. They're suffering from competition with the internet and iPods.

Television is also in decline, and more programming is migrating to the internet as well.

What I do know is that it would be a disaster to allow the government to attempt to shore up any of these industries. Government would surely dictate the content as readily as it imposes regulations on the nutrition labels on my ice cream. Unfortunately the government already does too much already in governing media outlets, and we see the effects every day.

If the choice is between a temporary information vacuum and being told what to think, I'll choose the vacuum. Eventually, something worthy will fill it.

Wiggy say don't

It's time to walk back from the ledge, everyone. Step away from making that plunge to the sidewalk. Come back to the window. Back inside where it's warm. As tempting as jumping into a recall of Governor Doyle sounds, just don't.

This is an incredible waste of time, money and volunteer effort. Making matters worse, nobody has made the sufficient case to recall the governor.

I am not a fan of Governor Doyle.

His latest budget is the most radical state budget in Wisconsin history. I wish I were writing about that instead of the recall effort. Doyle is literally putting criminals back on the street, reducing money spent on law enforcement, taking money for the general fund that does not belong to the state, taxing old people in their nursing home beds, taxing sick people, punishing wealth with a new tax bracket, creating a pseudo gay marriage status, and raising state spending by 7 percent in the middle of a recession. He is a horrible governor.

However, he has not used the state police power to investigate opponents. He has not been found guilty of any crimes despite repeated investigations. Nobody on his staff has been found guilty of any crimes. There is no single issue of wrongdoing that compels a bipartisan effort to oust him. This is a policy dispute, not a case of personal misconduct in office.

Worse, pursuing a recall now will only cause the Democrats to reflexively defend the governor and his budget. We should be focusing our energies on getting the Democrats in the Legislature to make a choice between the governor and the people on several key budget points. If the recall goes forward, any criticisms of the governor or the state budget will be seen in the light of the politics of the recall and not on their own merits.

This proposed recall is the wrong tool at the wrong time applied the wrong way.

You know, if you spent just two quarters today on the newspaper (not even the cost of a Snickers bar) not only could you have enjoyed the tremendous sensation of holding newsprint in your fingers, you could have seen my handsome face on the front page promoting this week's column. Now that is a bargain. Or at least a cheap thrill.

Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser

Why don’t they fight?

Last week at a town hall meeting with Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, the theme seemed to be one of frustration, including with the Republican Party. I wrote my column for the Waukesha Freeman (two quarters and its yours) on that very subject:

While the audience was politically right of center, judging from the applause at different times, their frustration with the Republican Party was clear.

One of the first questions asked of the congressman: "Why don’t Republicans fight?" Sensenbrenner replied they are fighting but that effectively he and Kramer are "out of the legislating business." The legislative agendas are being set by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (a Democrat) and Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (a Democrat).

Still, the congressman noted, House Republicans were successful in voting unanimously against what he called the "non-stimulus stimulus" bill.

Unfortunately elections have consequences, a theme on Saturday. Despite the frustrations of many in the room, there is little Republicans can do at the moment except to protest every step of the way toward massive increases in state and federal spending.

However, even that little bit may be beyond some of our current Republican office holders and officials. At the end of my column I mentioned the RNC Chairman Michael Steele/Rush Limbaugh debacle. Turns out that’s not the only Michael Steele goof. Byron York reported:

But some Republicans who were not particularly upset by Steele's references to Limbaugh were appalled when Steele, during the same program, sat quietly while CNN host D.L. Hughley said that last year's Republican National Convention "literally looked like Nazi Germany. It literally did." GOP insiders who saw the performance unanimously agreed that Steele was seriously, perhaps unforgivably, remiss in not challenging a television host who compared Republicans to Nazis.

Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus (an early endorser of Steele for the RNC chairmanship) responded, "I think the criticism is stemming from those who like the way things have always been done. Well, that's not going to happen. Michael Steele promised wholesale change, and he's delivering it.”

I don’t think anyone in the room at the Sensenbrenner town hall meeting last Saturday wants the RNC to continue doing the same things, and I certainly don’t believe that of the 19 million Rush Limbaugh listeners. But sitting there nodding while someone calls your party a bunch of Nazis is not what they want either.
David Freddoso at National Review Online “The Corner” also lists five other occasions where Republicans just refused to stand up:

1. Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), speaking on Obama's proposal for health insurance, offered conciliatory words: "I think that having Senator Ted Kennedy involved in this process would help us get to a solution. That's what the American people want, they want solutions...I think if there's a way to provide every American with access to affordable, quality health insurance, we ought to find a way to get it done."
2. On the omnibus, Boehner helpfully declares that he has the votes needed to sustain a presidential veto. He is daring the president to keep his promises on spending, but does anyone believe that President Obama is going to make nice and veto his own spending bill?
3. After that, I spoke by telephone with New York State Assemblyman Jim Tedisco (R), the Republican candidate favored to replace Kirsten Gillibrand in the U.S. House. He expressed clear disagreements with many of Obama's positions on both social and fiscal issues, but his comments on Obama himself and his performance were extremely kind: "I think he's trying hard, he's trying to do the best he can for the country. Some of it is good, and some of it is not so good." (Obama, who carried his Congressional District, is extremely popular there.)
4. I had a few conversations about Sen. Sam Brownback (R, Kan.), a stalwart pro-life legislator who could not even pay lip service in opposition to Obama's appointment of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D). This despite her unusually deep connections, even for a pro-choice politician, to some of the most unsavory characters in the abortion industry. Along with Pat Roberts, his fellow Kansas Republican senator, Brownback released a statement anticipating healthy dialogue and discussion with her once she is in Obama's administration: "It's an honor for the State of Kansas to have an elected official appointed to the president's cabinet...We will be able to pick up the phone and talk directly with the secretary about issues that are important to Kansas."
5. Again, Obama's omnibus spending bill, which is huge and contains several troubling policy changes. Among other things, it could yank two of Sasha and Malia Obama's classmates out of their good school and put them back into a terrible school, all because of Democratic obeisance to teachers' unions, which want to eliminate the District of Columbia's school choice program. It is barely shy of the votes it needs for passage, but not for lack of a few Republican votes.
   

All the base of the party wants is someone willing to fight. I have a hunch that this will come up often at tomorrow’s Defending the American Dream summit.

The budget bill that ate Wisconsin

Prominent on my computer desktop is the pdf file of Governor Doyle's proposed state budget. It's more stimulating than a double-espresso. All you have to do is click on any page (AB75) and the ohmigawds will come out of you while your blood pressure rises.

In last week's column for the Waukesha Freeman, I took a look at some of the goodies in the state budget gift bag for some of Doyle's friends.

Gov. Jim Doyle will give plenty in the next state budget. Despite an era of fiscal retrenchment, he proves himself very generous, at least to those on his preferred "nice" list.

Governor Doyle proposes the repeal of the qualified economic offer for his friends in the teachers unions. The QEO is what allows a school district to give annual increases in teachers’ combined salaries and benefits of at least 3.8 percent in return for avoiding salary arbitration. The repeal in the QEO will likely mean the return of exploding employee compensation costs in school districts, and exploding local school property taxes.

The governor proposes making "domestic partners" of homosexual government employees eligible for state benefits. He proposes releasing many "nonviolent" prisoners from jail before the end of their sentences. Doyle even proposes extending collective bargaining rights to faculty and academic staff of the University of Wisconsin System.

The biggest present under anyone’s tree is the giant increase in transportation spending. Santa’s special government spending sleigh is going to have a smooth ride.

Governor Doyle is proposing a $271.8 million tax on oil companies for increased transportation spending. He says that the government will make sure the tax will not be passed on to the consumer.

Of course, the state also fought to preserve the minimum markup law that kept gas prices artificially inflated. Many in Madison are still upset over the repeal of the automatic gas tax increases. And many environmentalists in and out of government believe gasoline prices should be much higher to encourage us all to drive less. It’s not like the state has a big incentive or a good track record for keeping gas prices low.

And what’s Christmas, even Christmas in February, without trains? Doyle’s proposed budget includes the establishment of regional transportation authorities. The Southeast RTA would include Milwaukee and Kenosha counties, and the portion of Racine County east of the freeway. Waukesha County could also join the RTA if it chooses (unlikely) but the budget bill also allows individual municipalities to join as well. So even if the rest of Waukesha County wisely says no, the city of Waukesha could say yes.

Since then, we've learned about more horrors hiding in the budget. Many of these items are not really budget items, but policy items that deserve far more debate and scrutiny than can be afforded to an individual item in a state budget bill that eventually must pass.

For example, the governor has proposed increasing the minimum level of auto insurance coverage. This will result in increases of 33% or more in insurance premiums, an increase that may cause many families to opt out of auto insurance entirely. More uninsured motorists, more money out of the family budgets for those that keep their insurance, all to give more money indirectly to the trial lawyers.

In the Waukesha Freeman on Thursday (still just 50 cents, even under Governor Doyle), I'll be taking a look at some other non-budget items in the budget bill.

In the meantime, consider this.

...while Doyle promised “major” cuts to make up the deficit, his proposed budget spends 8% more in 2010 than it did in 2009. His increases are funded largely by swapping out general fund spending for federal “stimulus” aid, which constitutes a one-time budget plug. In the most egregious example, Doyle cut school equalization aid by $498 million, then replaced it with $498 million in temporary federal funds. Additionally, there are hundreds of millions of dollars Doyle plans to sprinkle over the budget like fiscal oregano, seasoning his budget to the government workers’ tastes.

Christian Schneider at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute also points out Governor Doyle's "plan leaves structural deficits of $2.5 billion in 2010 and $2.3 billion in 2011 – barely less than the $5.9 billion he claims to have 'balanced' this time around."

Charlie Sykes formally endorses Fernandez

Charlie Sykes formerly announced his endorsement today of Rose Fernandez for State Superintendent for the Department of Public Instruction. He includes a link to his on-air remarks supporting Fernandez the other day.

Rose Fernandez is exactly the kind of person we need. She doesn't represent the teachers' union; she's willing to take on the teachers' union. She's not part of the establishment; she's willing to challenge the establishment. She is not an educational bureaucrat. She thinks that the system should work for students, what a radical concept. Rose Fernandez is the only one in this race who thinks the schools ought to be about the kids.

Sykes also links to newspaper columns by me and Owen Robinson supporting her candidacy.

Before you celebrate Valentine's Day

Think before you celebrate. My Valentine's Day column from 2007.

We can’t go to dinner this year. After all, how could I enjoy my meal knowing the wait staff and the kitchen help might be earning less than a "living wage," recently established as $10.64 per hour in Los Angeles?

And what are we supposed to eat? Goose pate is off the list, and so is veal. No tuna or sea bass allowed, and any seafood from Canada is off limits until seal hunting is banned. No food, and definitely no drink. Coca-Cola is depleting the groundwater in India and suppressing trade unions in Colombia while Pepsi is a "top donor" to the Republican Party. Bacardi Rum is anti-Castro. I plan on still boycotting grapes in honor of Cesar Chavez, so no wine. "Anti-testing requirements in education" advocates are urging a boycott of orange juice in Florida. And my new vegan friends are asking me to boycott milk.

Don’t get me started on coffee. A romantic afternoon at the local coffee bar is banned until I can find organic, free-range, union-picked, fair-trade coffee in a cafe that is union run, pays a living wage, provides full health insurance to domestic partners and is not owned by a multinational corporation.