Archive for July 2011
Dave Hansen Retained; US Reps dither in DC
Folks, I have two things to discuss tonight.
First, in the “grand opening” recall election, Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) has easily defeated Republican challenger David Vanderleest. The Associated Press called the race with 47 of 72 precincts reporting; so far, Hansen has 13,675 votes to Vanderleest’s 6,191. Or, in other words, Hansen has 69% of the vote to Vanderleest’s 31%.
This recall election may or may not be a harbinger for the six Republicans who face recall on August 9, 2011 — remember, this was an election where the question was, “Do you wish to retain Dave Hansen, or not?” more so than, “How angry are you with Dave Hansen? Do you want him out?” And while the six Republicans certainly will have to face all three questions, too, my best guess is that the second two questions — i.e, “How angry are you with Alberta Darling? Do you want her out, or not?” (fill in the name of the other five Senators in place of Darling’s, here) — that will count far more in those elections.
Otherwise, I’ve been bemused for several days now watching the United States House of Representatives dither in Washington, DC. The Republicans there have proposed something called a “Cut, Cap, and Balance” plan that would cap the amount of federal expenditures to 18% of the Gross Domestic Product (what used to be called Gross National Product), which sounds good until you realize they’re talking about doing this for political advantage rather than to do anything good for the country at all. And the fact that the US remains in, if not an actual, textbook definition recession, in very bad economic straits does not help anything.
See, sometimes if you cut programs that work during a recession (or in this case, in very bad economic straits — a “jobless recovery,” in short), that is counterproductive. It adds more strain to the economy when you don’t make any provisions for people who are hurting. And it adds more strain on the economy when people can’t find work — the case all over the country, but worse in some areas than others — or are working far below their capacity, either in hours, in pay, or in most cases, both.
All I know is, that “Cap, Cut and Balance” plan will never pass the US Senate. And the House Reps know this — which means all of this has been political posturing, not anything that will do any good in the long run.
I’d rather the US House of Reps, Rs and Ds alike, concentrated on the “art of the possible” rather than play these ridiculous games. And right now, what’s possible is this — raise taxes on the top 1%. Close loopholes in the tax rates so corporations pay some taxes — it’s absolutely absurd that a big company like General Electric pays less in taxes than I do, and some companies pay even less than GE! And continue the troop draw-downs in Iraq and Afghanistan, bring those troops back home, and station them instead on the border with Mexico to help out there. (This way, there aren’t a whole bunch of soldiers joining the ranks of the unemployed, and they’re doing something vital and necessary, to boot. But we get rid of a lot of expenses that come from having a bunch of our folks overseas in the bargain.)
If the Republicans do all of that — or even if they do some of it, as we’re talking about the “art of the possible,” here — then I agree that changes to the Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programs should be discussed, too. But at this time, the Rs have shown absolutely no willingness to raise revenue at all — not even by closing tax loopholes, which is the easiest thing in the world to do — which frustrates me greatly.
During a time of three separate wars — Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya — we need all the revenue we can in order to keep funding those wars (even if they do start immediate draw-downs as I believe would be best for the country in many senses). Why the Rs refuse to close the tax loopholes is beyond me, because that would be by far the easiest thing to do — then they can work on instituting additional taxes on the top 1% to bring them in line with the middle class in this country (note that I’m not asking for draconian increases; I simply want to see something that’s comparable to what the middle class are paying, that’s all).
So far, the Rs in Congress — especially in the House of Reps — have shown no willingness to compromise whatsoever. Which makes me wonder: why did they even go to DC at all, if they were going to refuse to work on issues that are best for the country?
Surely these Rs don’t believe that defaulting on our debt as of August 2, 2011, is really the best thing to do, right? So taking that as an axiom, why is it these Rs don’t want to deal with what they know will work — raising some revenue, even if it’s only by closing tax loopholes or eliminating corporate subsidies for oil companies (the wealthiest companies ever to exist on this Earth according to more than one economist), speed up the troop draw-downs, and then and only then talk about cuts to essential programs that many Americans use — and need — every day?
Weather has me down
Folks, I have so many different things to talk about, yet we’re under a “heat advisory” (meaning it’s too hot to get much of anything done) and a pollution warning — excuse me, an “air quality advisory.” (Whatever happened to simple words to describe these things? Did they go the way of “used cars,” which has become “pre-owned” in recent years even though they’re exactly the same thing?)
That being said, we’re supposed to be under the heat advisory for several days, so I might not be blogging much during that time unless something really trips my trigger. (Even Scott Walker saying now that he wants to “work with the Democrats” doesn’t quite do it, and that’s definitely something that would usually trip my trigger.)
Right now I’m just trying to conserve my energy for needed activities; I managed to get some editing done (a plus), and have done a little reading (also good), but it’s not as much as I’d be doing if the temperature were even ten degrees cooler.
And as for writing — aside from this blog, that is — I’m writing things down as main ideas rather than trying to develop them unless the idea is really strong and won’t leave me alone. I’d rather take the time and cogitate on an idea than sit at the computer when it’s still 84 F at nearly 2 a.m. unless I know I’m going to get something accomplished . . . yes, the heat definitely is taking it out of me, big time.
Here’s hoping the weather will break/get cooler or at least less humid sometime soon.
Tonight’s SBR book review — for Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers”
Folks, I read about “Outliers” in, of all places, a baseball blog. José Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays developed into a home run hitter late, and credited reading “Outliers” as being helpful to him, so of course I had to give it a try also.
Here’s the link to my review:
I’ll have more to say about “Outliers” tomorrow, but for now, just know that this is a book you definitely should go out of your way to read.
Scott Walker, Wisconsin Republicans/Legislature, fare poorly in June 2011 Poll
As the recalls against the Wisconsin Republicans continue to gain steam, it’s time to take a look at the most recent poll, put out by the UW Badger Poll (TM) conducted by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center, link available here. It states:
. . . a majority of Wisconsinites are not happy with current state of affairs in the Badger state.
- 55% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the state today, a new high for the UW Badger Poll.
- 81% said Wisconsin is in bad times economically and 50% expect it will be in about the same economic condition in the next 12 months, while 20% said things will get worse.
- Nearly two-thirds of Wisconsinites feel that state government is run for the benefit of a few big interests over that of all the people and can only be trusted to do the right thing some of the time.
- 59% disapprove of the way Scott Walker is handling his job as Governor.
- 60% disapprove of the way the State Legislature is handling its job.
- 56% disapprove of the job Republicans in the State Legislature are doing.
- 48% disapprove of the job Democrats in the State Legislature are doing.
- Wisconsinites overwhelming think the recall option in the state constitution is a good thing (78%), and 50% said the current recalls of state senators made them feel better about Wisconsin politics.
In fact, the only thing the Wisconsin Republicans can take any heart in is the following statistic, also from the recent poll:
- 59% of residents statewide preferred that the Democratic state senators remain in office rather than be recalled and 49% said the same of the Republican state senators.
Now, I went over this poll in depth, and what the folks said about the Wisconsin Rs is a little more nuanced; 46% want them out, while 49% believe they should be retained. (The poll did not ask people specifically about their own sitting Senator or representatives in the Assembly; they asked about the person’s overall feeling.) The margin of error for this poll was 4.9%, which means this particular thing is within the margin of error — still, that one last bit of data is probably the only thing that would hearten me if I were a Wisconsin R.
At any rate, this poll looks really bad for Scott Walker. And looks really good for his recall effort, which will start in November of this year.
Update: Wisconsin state Senate Recalls, part 1.
Now, as for the recalls — first up was the primary election on 7/12/11 for the Democrats running against the six Republicans across the state. We had to have a primary because the Wisconsin Republican Party put up “fake Democrats” (what the Rs called “protest candidates”) to stall the Dems and give their own R Senators more time to raise money and fight the recall effort.
I’m pleased to report that the real Democratic candidates all won; most won easily, with Shelly Moore of River Falls having a relatively tough race against Isaac Weix of Menomonie due to the efforts of the St. Croix County Republican Party, which actively worked to get Republicans to vote in the open primary in an attempt to force Moore out. Moore won by the percentage of 54-46, with 17496 voting for Moore and 14990 voting for Weix with 97% of the vote counted in Senate district 10.
Here’s an overall look at the recall races from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, with the insightful title of, “6 fake Democrats fall, setting stage for GOP recalls.” A relevant quote from the article:
Six fake Democratic candidates put up by the Republican Party to buy time for Republican state senators subject to recalls accomplished that job Tuesday, but none of them did the unexpected and knocked off a real Democrat.
Candidates backed by the Democratic Party won all six Senate primary elections, all but one of them by substantial amounts. They’ll all go on to face the Republican incumbents on Aug. 9, in an attempt by Democrats to regain control of the state Senate and put the brakes on Gov. Scott Walker’s agenda.
That the primaries were held at all is a function of the twists and turns of political strategy played out in recent months as the state broke into warring camps over Walker’s attempt to restrict collective bargaining for public employees.
The Republican Party forced the primaries to give its six senators facing recall another four weeks before facing a Democratic challenger, in order to allow them to take their case to the voters and argue that their work on the budget was good for the state.
Take a look at that last sentence again. Do you all remember the mantra, “Wisconsin is broke, that’s why we have to do X, Y, and Z.” (With X being the elimination of collective bargaining rights for public employee unions, Y being cutting $800 out of the public education budget, and Z giving tax breaks to corporations?)
Well, isn’t it hypocritical for the Rs, who claim that Wisconsin is “broke,” to force these recall elections into primaries using “fake Dems” to extend the process?
I mean, here the GOP forced these recalls because of these “fake Dems,” which has caused the state of WI to have spent at least $450,000 more money than needed to be spent on recall elections. Which makes this the next relevant question: how broke can be Wisconsin be if the Wisconsin Republican Party is willing to play games like this?
At any rate, the six real Dems now will face the six sitting Rs on August 9, 2011, to see who will take control of the state Senate. There will be one election already in the books by that point — state Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) will run next week, July 19, 2011, to attempt to hold his seat, and it’s strongly believed he will win easily — with two more to come on August 16, 2011, for the remaining two Democratic state Senators, Jim Holperin (D-Conover) and Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie — Pleasant Prairie is a suburb of Kenosha), to attempt to hold their seats. Providing all three Dems hold their seats, the six Democratic challengers will need to knock out at least three Senate Rs to take control of the state Senate.
Tonight was only the first step toward restoring a check on our currently all-Republican state government; we have more steps to come. Keep watching my blog for further updates, as I promise to “keep ’em coming” as long as there’s something to say on this topic.
Updates: Vinny Rottino on AAA All-Star Team
Tonight, after watching the major league baseball game’s All-Star team (where Brewers 1B Prince Fielder hit a 3-run home run, leading the National League to a 5-1 victory with Fielder taking MVP honors), I looked up how Vinny Rottino’s doing in AAA. To my surprise — and great pleasure — Rottino’s made his fourth AAA All-Star game and will represent the New Orleans Zephyrs in Salt Lake City, UT, on 7/13/11 (later tonight).
Here’s a link for you all:
I’m very pleased at this article because it gives more information about how Rottino’s doing as a defender. Rottino is catching part-time while mostly playing in the OF, and has thrown out 10 of 25 baserunners attempting to steal. (This is an acceptable percentage, which shows Rottino’s improved as a defensive catcher.) Rottino’s also hitting .300 right now (is in a bit of a slump, but that’s all right; he’ll come back out of it), has stolen 9 bases (tied for the team lead, as this article says), has 5 HR, 34 RBI, and 18 doubles with a good OBP of .367.
I keep saying this, but the Marlins could do a whole lot worse than to promote Rottino to the major leagues. Rottino works hard, is a good defender now at every position, has an excellent arm, hits well for contact and can steal bases for you. He also won’t run you out of an inning because he’s a smart ballplayer who uses his brain and high baseball IQ to help you win ballgames.
Enjoy your 4th AAA All-Star game, Mr. Rottino — and congratulations!
My first “blog-i-versary” — one year old
Folks, today my blog turns one year old.
Over the past year, I’ve discussed many things. My novel, ELFY. My writing in general. The books I’ve reviewed. The issues that have upset me, stimulated me, or moved me in some way. Sports. And even one post about my favorite guilty pleasure, the Maury Show.
Over the next year, I hope to discuss many more things. My novels-in-progress, including CHANGING FACES, AN ELFY ABROAD, and KEISHA’S VOW. Finishing up Michael’s stories and novels. More issues. Assuredly more on Wisconsin politics, a subject that both fascinates and dismays. More about baseball, writing, and other current events and stories. And, if I’m fortunate, a few story or poem sales to liven up the monotony.
Thank you for reading my blog over the past year; here’s to my one year “blog-i-versary.”
Kenosha News Refuses to Print my Election Letter
The Kenosha News, in their infinite whatever, refused to print my election letter on the grounds that I’m not a Kenosha County resident, and that I’m not a subscriber to their paper. Yet as far as I know, their “Voice of the People” section (what most papers call the “letters to the editor”) does not contain anything that says you must be a Kenosha County resident or a subscriber in order to comment on current events or anything else — I’ve read the Kenosha News many times because I don’t live that far from the Kenosha County line and often pick it up at a local gas station.
At any rate, since the Kenosha News refused to print my election letter, I’m going to print it here, in its entirety; you see if you find it objectionable in any way, shape or form:
To the Editor:
Though I live in the city of Racine, I have a great appreciation for Senator Bob Wirch and wish he were my state Senator. Here’s why.
In 2006, Sen. Wirch discovered that Gateway Technical College (which had a $2.4 million budgetary shortfall at the time) had appropriated five million dollars of taxpayer money to create two private organizations. One of these was actually run for profit, but did the taxpayers of Wisconsin ever see a dime? No!
Without Sen. Wirch bringing this to light, we’d have likely had no idea about what had happened to that five million dollars.
At a time of unprecedented belt-tightening, we need Bob Wirch to stay in the Senate to make absolutely sure that our money is spent wisely; we can’t afford to waste a single penny.
During these unsettled times, where Republicans run “fake Democrats” in recall primaries to give themselves more time to raise money, and Gov. Walker told the “fake David Koch” that he’d seriously considered planting fake protestors in Madison to cause further unrest, we need Sen. Wirch more than ever. He’ll fight against bad budgetary decisions while continuing to fight for a transparent, honest and accountable government.
We need more people like Bob Wirch in the state Senate, which is why I urge you to please cast your vote for him on August 16, 2011.
Sincerely,
Barb Caffrey
Racine, WI
Now, what’s wrong with this letter? That I like Bob Wirch? (That’s what election letters are for — expressing your appreciation, or your disgust, for a candidate running for office.) That I think it’s great he’s been able to bring things to light that otherwise would’ve gone unknown and unheeded? That it’s under 250 words, which fits their guidelines? What?
Mind, if the Kenosha News had prominently said on their Opinion page that they do not, emphatically do not, accept letters from people who neither live in Kenosha County nor subscribe to their paper, then I’d not be as upset. I’d still not be happy about it, but I’d not be upset.
My letter to them in return after they said they were uninterested in my “voice” was something to the effect that I didn’t appreciate this, at all. And that as I live in Racine County — right up the road from Kenosha — it’s ridiculous to think I don’t know what’s going on in this election, especially as part of Bob Wirch’s district runs straight through Racine County.
I also sent a voice mail, which, while again polite and using no four-letter words, expressed my outrage over this. Emphatically.
So, now I know that at least one newspaper in this area doesn’t care what real people think about the important recall elections. And that’s not just bad, sad, or shameful — it means they’re unwilling to do their real job, which in part is to report on what real people in their area think about the issues at hand. Including this recall election.
Barb Caffrey's Blog 