A few short weeks ago, our governor mentioned that we would be contending with as much as a $3 billion budget shortfall in the next biennium.

A few days ago, that number was escalated to as much as $4 billion.  At that time, the governor was quoted as saying that he would do everything possible to avoid having to increase taxes.

Today, we appear to be staring a $5 billion budget shortfall in the eye, and, while he says he will do everything possible to avoid tax increases, there is some mention of income tax and sales tax.

I am reminded of that age old 'frog in the water' story.  We're the frog and the State of Wisconsin is the water and the elected masses will prove to be the hand that turns the heat up so that we boil under the strain of tax increases.

In the intervening few weeks, there has been no talk about how the budget can be cut to accomplish the magic 'balancing' act.  The state budget has been rigged for this failure for awhile.  Handy dandy accounting games have been used to continually push a significant shortfall into the next biennium in order to help "balance" the current biennium. 

That and the use of funds 'stolen' from every little rainy day money pot the governor could find have, to mix metaphors, kept the wolf from the door; but the 'big, bad wolf' has just huffed and puffed and the door is about to cave in on top of us taxpayers.

There is no other money available.  There are only budgetary cuts or tax and fee increases.  Guess which will be used to get the majority of the shortfall covered.  Oh, there will be some marginal cuts for our consumption but nothing even approaching what is required.

What will they cut?  Education?  Are you joking?  The new health care program they're trying to foist on us?  Are you joking?

I'm sorry to tell you that I think we all better buckle our chinstraps; we've a rough ride ahead and the Democrats are in control.  They haven't been too anxious to reduce spending as I recall.

Maybe I'll be surprised; I certainly hope so.  I'd love to take a bite of that crow!

The voters in Wisconsin have decided that the Democrats are going to run the state for at least two years.  They control state government and can, if they choose, push their way past any Republican opposition.  That remains to be seen, however I suspect the power vested in the Democrats will be too much for them to resist.  Just as there is a 'pent-up demand' in the Democrat majority in Washington, there is also that same force at work in Madison.

Some of the things I expect we'll see include (in spite of my protestations):

• Smoking Bans that apply to all public buildings, and some outdoor public spaces across the state...
• These bans will follow the patterns set by some municipalities and counties that have taken action already.  The ban will probably include taverns and gaming establishments.  The ban will not attempt to outlaw tobacco products but could also include additional taxation above and beyond that we've seen in the recent past.
• These bans will, unfortunately, trample on the property rights of business owners.  Tavern owners should be given the right to determine if they will appeal to non-smokers or to smokers.  Cigar bars and retail smoking parlors should be permitted to continue to exist.  Second-hand smoke and its dangers to employees will be the mantra and "property rights be damned" will be the battle cry.
• Expansion of state-funded health care plans...
• There will be little or no opportunity for a rational discussion of those already existing programs where lessons could be learned because the controlling party members want no such 'light of day' to shine on their ideas.  That proved too damaging in the past, and they have the raw power to ram this through.
• We risk moving too far down this slippery slope so as to inhibit a return in the future as this behemoth proves to have been the wrong decision.  These incursions in the 'free marketplace' will carry a dastardly price tag.
• There will likely be more 'mandated benefits' than in the past in spite of the fact that a significant part of our cost issues can be laid at the feet of existing over-zealousness on this front.
• Education Economics...
• I am convinced that the QEO (qualifying economic offer) provisions in place now will be eliminated or significantly altered and that this will lead to higher taxes within a year.
• I expect that there will be a significant change in the manner in which education is funded and there is a present danger that, without adequate debate, those results will be skewed toward the establishment and not the students and taxpayers.
• I expect to see limitations on alternative forms of education such as home schooling, Internet Schools, school choice and on and on.  WEAC owns the Democrats and it will demand its payback.
• Increased Taxes...
• At the very time when our state should be cutting expense to reduce the tax burden, it will add expense.  The state budget is already some $3 to $4 billion underfunded.
• Mandated programs implemented at the state level are unlikely to be adequately funded, so localities will be forced to increase their taxes to comply.
• Caps on local tax increase rates will be lifted or significantly modified so that property taxes can and will increase more often and at higher amounts.  There is never 'enough' money and there are always 'good programs' that really need to be enacted.

My concern is that the controlling party will be unable to keep itself from making too many things on its 'wish list' reality, and we will all suffer as the result.

I really hope that I am wrong

First, thank goodness that the elections are essentially over this morning.  This seemed a particularly grueling election season although I don't quite understand why.

From a personal perspective, I won some and lost some; probably like many of you.  Now, I'm trying to determine what I think will be happening as the result of the votes made yesterday and earlier by absentee ballot.  I haven't even thought about the national implications, but have some ideas about our state and local implications.

The Democrats achieved the 'trifecta' they have desired by taking control of the Assembly, and keeping control of the Senate and statehouse.

Some of the results that I foresee are these...

• The state budget is in a three to four billion dollar shortfall situation,  I think we'll see an increase in the sales tax statewide, and that we could see an increase in our income taxes, as well.
• The municipalities have long complained about the limitations they face on local property tax increases.  I think those limits will either be removed or significantly increased so that we will almost certainly see property tax increases at our village level.
• The state teachers' union, WEAC, has long advocated the removal of the QEO (qualified economic offer) rules in Wisconsin.  I think we'll see QEOs gone and that will result in some very large increases in teacher compensation and benefits thus increasing our local property taxes on that score, as well.

Among the other hot button issues will be the discussions concerning a state run health care plan for virtually all citizens.  This has been happening incrementally in the various BadgerCare plans, but I expect to see a real push in the coming year.

Given the budget shortfall and the pain that will cause, I suspect that other programs will have to be put on the 'back burner'.

Other things, such as the ban smoking movement will be much more visible.

Some have wondered if our current governor might be selected to become part of President Obama's leadership team.  Governor Doyle is actually less liberal than is the lieutenant governor, Barbara Lawton.  I won't be surprised if Governor Doyle is tapped for a role in Washington, but I'll grit my teeth at the thought of a "Governor Lawton".

Wow, voting day is finally here and my telephone will quit ringing so much, my mailbox will be less cluttered and I can either celebrate or cry in my proverbial beer.  This election 'season' has seemed to go on forever.  Several things are at top of mind this morning...

Milwaukee Police Unit Disbanded...

The special investigative unit of the Milwaukee Police Department that generated the 67 page election fraud report has apparently been disbanded some five days prior to today's election.  The detective who led that operation has, according to the Wall Street Journal, been relegated to the sidelines today.  John Fund of the Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Detective Michael Sandvick had predicted that Wisconsin could see as many as 55,000 illegal votes cast.  He cited the cross-border flow from Minnesota and Illinois since Wisconsin is one of only eight states that have 'same day' registration coupled with the weak verification of eligibility.  His estimate was that as many as 30,000 votes could be cast today in that manner. 

There are only two people of whom I'm aware who could've caused this 'stand down' and those are Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and/or Police Chief Flynn.  Neither has been available for interviews today to my knowledge.

~~~~~~~~~~

My Voting Site...

I drove past the site where I vote at about 7:20AM today and was astounded at the number of vehicles parked and at the length of the line of people waiting to move into the building to vote.  I plan to vote in the 9:00AM range and we'll see if this surge was simply caused by people on their way to work as I suspect.

At any rate, it certainly seems that our voter turn-out will be in the range predicted by the Village Clerk's staff which I recall was in the 73 percent range.

On top of this was an inordinately high number of absentee ballots being cast based on my casual observations of parking lot loads during the preceding couple of weeks and of anecdotal comments from people working in village hall.

UPDATE:  I voted at about 9:20AM and was number 580.  The people were still streaming in and there was about a ten minute wait at that time.

~~~~~~~~~~

Media Hype...

I am angered with what now seems to pass for the mainstream media so far as their seeming promotion of Obama's 'inevitable' victory.

We have been fed the 'facts' for many days that there is no way for McCain to win.  There are, unfortunately, too many voters who are swayed by this 'stuff' and who don't think for themselves.  If just 1% of potential voters were dissuaded from 'wasting' their time voting, the swing could become a 'self-fulfilling' prophecy.

~~~~~~~~~~

Direct Legislation...

Finally, we are witnessing direct legislation in Milwaukee concerning mandatory sick days from employers.  This would create a burden for many businesses that would force them to close or move thus negatively impacting the residents.  But, there are too many who can't or won't think these issues through and simply vote because they like the idea that they can have sick days. 

We are witnessing some 25 to 30 communities across the state that have ballot questions concerning 'mandatory health care plans similar to those afforded state employees'.  These types of issues are done at the state level but grass roots groups have begun to work at the local levels to bring some pressure to bear on state legislators.  The simple fact is that there isn't enough money in the state to provide that level of health care coverage for all the residents.  We would bankrupt ourselves.

Having family members in Colorado, I am reminded of the folly that those voters are subjected to in the form of ballot initiatives.  There are something on the order of fifty individual questions on ballots in Colorado today that require some real effort to understand.  The majority of voters do not take the time to do their own research and, instead, follow the direction of their associations or unions or professional affiliations.

This is a very dangerous thing, in my opinion, that lends some credence to the old saw about us voters getting the government we deserve.

There has been much ado over the signing of a "No Tax" pledge by Rep. Wasserman and whether or not he violated his pledge.  This issue has been debated and both candidates have gone after the topic vigorously.

Rep. Wasserman appeared on the Mark Belling Show on WISN 1130AM last Friday to specifically refute the claim that he had violated his pledge.

The podcast of that discussion between Rep. Wasserman and Mark Belling is found here and you must go to Hour 2 Part 1 10-31-08 to find the correct podcast segment.

This podcast will only be available until 3:00PM today, so you'll need to listen to it soon if you intend to do so at all.  You can make up your own mind as to the answer to this campaign question.

There is more and more speculation as to the potential that we'll see a 'clean sweep' by Democratic candidates on Tuesday, November 4th at both the state and federal levels.  I hope that isn't the way it turns out, but I'm tiring of being beaten about the head and shoulders every time I read a newspaper article or watch the bulk of the television news items.  Maybe that is the intent.  If us conservatives can be sufficiently demoralized, maybe we'll just stay home.  Not this conservative!

What do I mean by 'clean sweep'?  I refer to the potential that both the Assembly and the Senate in Wisconsin will see a sufficient Democratic majority that will be able to pass anything they wish in spite of the number of Republican votes that could be massed, with assurances on most such items that those will be signed into law by the Democratic Governor Doyle.

Similarly, I refer to Democratic victories in both the U.S. House and Senate that will be Republican-proof and that will likely find favor with a Democratic President Obama.

Jay Weber has done a good job on setting forth 23 items that could be part of the triumvirate of Sen. Harry Reid (D), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) and a President Obama and you can find those by clicking here.  Things included on Jay's list include renegotiating NAFTA, ending secret ballots in union organizing, government-run healthcare encroachments, reintroduction of the 'Fairness Doctrine' to control conservative access to the airways, and so on.

At the state level, we could easily see state-run health care, the increase in costs of education, ever larger portions of our income going to state and local taxes,  more and more loss of personal freedoms and so.

There has been, in most of our history, a certain "check and balance" relationship in most of our governments so that not everything that was proposed was ever likely to be passed.  That 'protection' could disappear for years if we see the 'clean sweep' at the state or federal levels, or both, as the result of our national election on November 4th.  Our country tends not to flourish well under such governments regardless of party in power.

Vote your conscience next Tuesday!

Assembly Race Questions...

The Ozaukee County District Attorney, Sandy Williams, filed charges against Dan Knodl in Washington County for making false statements on campaign literature on Friday, October 24th.  This stems from his use of various names stating these people were "Friends and Supporters".  Some of those that were identified have indicated the they are not supporters of Knodl or didn't give him permission to use their names in that manner.  Knodl has offered up different reasons for this having happened although that hasn't satisfied critics.  One of those named on the Knodl list was Washington County DA, Todd Martens, who therefore named Sandy Williams to be the special prosecutor in the case.

Knodl faces misdemeanor charges that carry fines of up to $1,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.  He obviously hasn't been proved guilty; he has only been charged.  Charging, however, seems to suggest that the case was sufficiently strong so as to warrant the trial.  DAs aren't always victorious when they bring charges, so this can't be suggested to be a 'slam dunk' either.

We will likely go into the voting booth on November 4th without resolution to this issue.  Obviously many have already voted using absentee ballots and likely weren't aware of this charging when those votes were cast.

Knodl was the victor in his Republican primary and faces Charlene Brady who was the Democratic victor in her primary race.  The voter turn-out was heavily weighted to the Republican side as is not uncommon in this district.

My question is, "What will this charging do so far as your voting decision?"  Will you change your mind if you had intended to vote for Knodl and vote for Brady instead?  Will you vote for Knodl in spite of the charges?  Will you use the write-in approach or simply not vote in this race?  What will you do when the curtain closes behind you?

Without regard to the eventual outcome, one thing is certain; this casts yet another pebble of doubt and mistrust into the political pool for the skeptics among us.  There were already plenty of ripples on the surface of that pool.

I had intended to scan a copy of the sample ballot for Germantown however that wasn't sufficiently legible.  So, we'll list the offices for which there are candidate selections to be made by all of us who are registered to vote in the village.

You may elect to vote a straight ticket including, in the order found on the ballot:

• Democratic
• Republican
• Wisconsin Green
• Libertarian

The race for President and Vice President, in the order found on the ballot:

• Barack Obama/Joe Biden (Democratic)
• John McCain/Sarah Palin (Republican)
• Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente (Wisconsin Green)
• Bob Barr/Wayne A. Root (Libertarian)
• Brian Moore/Stewart A. Alexander (Socialist Party USA)
• Gloria LaRiva/Robert Moses (Party for Socialism, & Liberation)
• Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez (Independent)
• Chuck Baldwin/Darrell L. Castle (Constitution Party)
• Jeffrey J. Wamboldt/David J. Klimisch (We, the People)
• Write-in________________

Representative in Congress District 5, in the order found on the ballot:

• F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (Republican)
• Robert R. Raymond (Independent)
• Write-in________________

State Senator District 8, in the order found on the ballot:

• Sheldon A. Wasserman (Democratic)
• Alberta Darling (Republican)
• Write-in________________

Representative to the Assembly District 24, in the order found on the ballot:

• Charlene S. Brady (Democratic)
• Dan Knodl (Republican)
• Write-in________________

District Attorney:

• Todd K. Martens (Republican)
• Write-in________________

County Clerk:

• Brenda J. Jaszewski (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Treasurer:

• Janice Gettelman (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Register of Deeds:

• Sharon Martin (Republican)
• Write-in_________________

Referendum - Germantown School District

Question #1:

Shall the following Initial Resolution be approved?

INITIAL RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $22,500,000

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the Germantown School District, Washington County, Wisconsin that there shall be issued pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $22,500,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of constructing a new elementary school on school district property next to Kinderberg Park; technology, safety and security initiatives District wide; and acquiring furnishings, fixtures and equipment.

Yes ____

No   ____

Question #2

Shall the following Resolution be approved?

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET TO EXCEED REVENUE LIMIT BY $500,000

FOR RECURRING PURPOSES

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the Germantown School District, Washington County, Wisconsin that the revenues included in the School District budget for the 2010-2011 school year and thereafter be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $500,000 a year, for recurring purposes consisting of costs associated with the new elementary school.

Yes ____

No   ____

~~~~~~~~~~

The ballot is two-sided as you would expect from the many questions.

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, has been in the news for several of the past election cycles and finds itself there again.  Is this simply a politically-driven campaign or does ACORN merit this attention?  How does ACORN influence elections, if it does?

The Journal Sentinel editorialized yesterday on this subject, and essentially took the position that this is much ado over nothing.  The editorial staff cites the recent revelation that ACORN hired seven felons to serve as 'deputy registrars' and justifies this with its further discussion about how the registration cards are subjected to review before being handed over to the election officials, etc.

That seems to miss the fact that 49 'deputy registrars' in Milwaukee were referred to the authorities for possible voter registration irregularities discovered by the Election Commission.

It is interesting to me that ACORN has no political agenda but seems to somehow find itself registering Democrat-leaning voters in over 95% of the cases.  It specifically targets parts of the communities in which it works that typically vote heavily for Democrats.  Barack Obama's campaign actually donated some $832,000 to an ACORN affiliate to 'get out the vote'.  It originally tried to obfuscate the reason for the payment but finally admitted that it was to be used to 'get out the vote'.  We can surmise which voters that money will be used to identify and push to the polls.

Why did the first 'solution' offered to end the economic crisis in our economy include an automatic funding mechanism to get more and more money to ACORN?  Do you think there might be a political agenda at work here?  That was removed as the result of the initial failure of that 'solution' to get sufficient votes.  That speaks well for Jim Sensenbrenner voting no.  Yes, I know that the Democrat in Appleton voted no, as well, but he was given permission to do that only because he is in a tough race for re-election at the end of his first two years in the House of Representatives and Ms. Pelosi needs to be able to count on his re-election.

Finally, there are legal actions being taken against ACORN in other parts of the country over the issues that have dogged this organization for years.  Why were only the 'deputy registrars' referred for legal scrutiny while the organization proper again was given a pass in our state?

Why has the state Government Accountability Board not required voter registration lists be checked for irregularities since early-August of this year?  Why have voter registration officers across the state been told to not cross-reference with the motor vehicle department database?  There was time for that yet it didn't happen...it isn't being permitted even where community officials have asked to be able to do the verification.

The action brought, finally, by the Attorney General has been 'slow-walked' through the system so as to assure there'll be nothing to interfere with the 'system' until at least after the race for President is decided. 

Beyond all this lies a simple solution, so far blocked by the party in power in Wisconsin (Democrat if you've any question).

What is that simple solution?  It is voter photo identification.  It also could be a dose of 'no same day registration' that would give our officials the opportunity to verify the information provided by those who register at the pools the same day as they vote.

Last, but possibly most important is this:  Wisconsin voters are so evenly divided as to make any illegally-cast votes significantly more important to the outcome.  If we again have a difference of a few thousand voters deciding the outcome, a few thousand illegally-registering and voting people could easily change the outcome thus impacting every honest vote in the state.  And, there can be no credible argument that illegal votes do not occur.  We all know better...or should!

My Blog on September 10th portrayed the amounts of money raised and spent as reported through that date for each candidate.  The additional reports have been made to the state and we can now show the final tallies for each candidate.

This is certainly among the most expensive races, and may go down as the most expensive primary race, for the 24th Assembly seat ever; the total amount reported as being spent was $74,250 by the six candidates in the race.  A total of 8,178 votes were cast with each vote carrying a price tag of $9.10.

With the winner in each party shown first, following are the final numbers by candidate:

• Charlene Brady (D) spent $274.04, and won her race with 564 votes that cost her $0.49 each.
• Torrey Lauer (D) spent $5,602.59, and lost his race with 386 votes that cost him $14.51 each.

~~~~~~

• Dan Knodl (R) spent $17,072.32, and won his race with 2,706 votes that cost him $6.31 each.
• Jason LaSage (R) spent $16,830.56, and lost his race with 2,312 votes that cost him $7.28 each.
• Randy Melchert (R) spent $33,754.76, and lost his race with 1,995 votes that cost him $16.92 each.
• Michael Moscicke (R) spent $715.80, and lost his race with 215 votes that cost him $3.33 each.

The two biggest spenders were Melchert and LaSage.  Melchert contributed $30,000 to his own campaign, and LaSage contributed $20,000 to his own campaign.  They each were certainly willing to "put their money where their mouthes were".

Obviously, the complaint against Dan Knodl over campaign issues has yet to be decided.  So, that shoe is still to fall and until then it is silly to make any predictions.  The charges lodged are serious in terms of the penalties that could be levied.

Much is being written and discussed during this Presidential election period about health care reform.  Barack Obama prefers a government-run version of reform.  John McCain prefers a private market reform that would use tax law changes to accomplish nearly-universal coverage...the stated goal of both approaches.

I saw a news report this morning that serves as a great reminder of one of the things we need to be mindful of if we are going to move to government-run health care.  Here is that article:

Medco CEO argues for federally mandated end of life care protocols for Medicare patients.

CQ (9/17, Weyl) reports that in a recent speech at the National Press Club, chairman and CEO of Medco Health Inc., David B. Snow Jr., said that "the federal government should set protocols based on medical science to guide Medicare treatment for patients at the end of their lives." Snow elaborated that "30 percent of Medicare spending -- about $130 billion per year -- is spent on patients in the last year of their lives, often when recovery is no longer possible." But, nearly all of that money could be saved by establishing guidelines "of when to forgo further treatment." Snow also proposed "increasing electronic medical coordination, passing tort reform, promoting healthy lifestyles, and encouraging compliance among patients," which would save an estimated "$1 trillion per year, or half of current healthcare spending."

I have written of the "R" word before.  Rationing is a very common practice where tax dollars are used to fund health care.  I recall the situation recently reported from Oregon where a patient with cancer was not accorded medicines that likely would prolong life, but would be accorded coverage for 'assisted suicide' since that is legal in Oregon.

This isn't intended as a debate on the efficacy of withholding treatment that would extend life.  It is intended to provoke some thought about the need for such decisions if we go down the government-run health care road.  There will never be enough tax money available.  We see that in the debate over a new school building, and in road repair discussions and so on.

When there is not enough money in a government-run health plan, the patient will pay the price.  The organizational structure won't be pared down and taxes won't be increased because it is politically unpalatable.  The weakest link in this chain is the patient who has no way to fight the decision.  A "dispassionate" board who have never met the patient will make "an informed" decision and move on to the next agenda item.

Medicare is government-run healthcare.  Medicaid is government-run health care.  Between the two programs, more than 50% of the people in the United States already have health care coverage provided by the government. 

So, we debate the question all the while that government-run health care grows essentially unchecked.  The next step in Wisconsin, by the way, after BadgerCare Plus is to be BadgerCare Connect...if the politicians on the Democrat side of the aisle in Madison have their way.

Incrementalism is alive and well in Wisconsin.  It reminds me of the old saw that asks how one eats an elephant?  The answer, of course is: one bite at a time.

The Wisconsin Attorney General finally brought legal action against the Government Accountability Board concerning the voter database and lack of action to verify that those included are legitimately registered to vote in the November election.

That, of course, brought the response that one might've expected.  Governor Doyle hired an attorney, Lester Pines, to challenge this action.

At the bottom of all this is the 'big question'.  That 'big question' centers on the suspicion that previous elections have seen the votes of people who were not properly vetted as part of the electorate to be counted.

One side says that only properly registered and verified voters ought to be allowed to cast their votes.  The other side says that there is really no problem and that this is all a move to try to assure that their side is victorious.

One side has pushed for voter photo ID and the other side has done its best to preclude this from ever occurring.

The voter data base was supposed to have been in place since January 1, 2006 but, for some reason, Wisconsin couldn't get its act together so that the checks could be begun until this past August.  Now, it is claimed that there is simply too much work to be done so that it is impossible for this to occur prior to the November elections.

Disenfranchisement versus illegal votes.  Tough call but we really do have to err on the side of culling out any illegal voters.  To argue to the contrary seems to me to be quite disingenouous...and just a little damning of those arguing that case.

Congressional 5th District...

Congressman Sensenbrenner (R) easily defeated challenger Burkee (R) by a vote of 47,157 (78%) to 13,083 (22%).  This race appeared to be quite competitive if all the pundits were to be believed.  Burkee started with a very conservative message that seemed to fade into a somewhat conservative message.  That very probably is what turned the tide.  That and the support of the Journal Sentinel and Shepherd Express for Burkee spelled the end to this challenge.

To be fair, Sensenbrenner was very engaged this time around given the perceived threat.  But, Burkee just couldn't mount a serious challenge in the final analysis.

Assembly District 24...

This was a wide open race with four Republicans and two Democrats in the fray.  Brady (D) waged a very quiet campaign with knocks on doors giving her exposure rather than advertisements.  Lauer (D) spent a good deal more money but apparently was done in by name recognition and maybe lack of a resonating message to inspire Democrat voters.

Three of the four Republicans seemed to be 'everywhere' with signage and mailers.  One of those, Melchert, easily buried the other two with his spending.  The fourth Republican barely showed his face.

It is interesting to look at the money spent in this primary race (based upon state filings with Dan Knodl's being incomplete and filed only through June 30th while the balance reflect filings as of September 8th) .  While one might expect the actual race to carry a big price tag, this seat is usually solid Republican.  Unless there is some kind of bombshell, this race is virtually a foregone conclusion.

• Charlene Brady (D) spent $274.04, and won her race with 564 votes that cost her $0.49 each.
• Torrey Lauer (D) spent $5,602.59, and lost his race with 386 votes that cost him $14.51 each.

 ~~~~~~

• Dan Knodl (R) spent $17,072.32, won his race with 2,706 votes that cost him $6.31 each.
• Jason LaSage (R) spent $5,921.18, came in second with 2,312 votes that cost him $2.56 each.
• Randy Melchert (R) spent $33,754.76, came in third with 1,995 votes that cost him $16.92 each.
• Michael Moscicke (R) spent $46.00, came in fourth with 215 votes that cost him $0.21 each.

What does all this mean?  That is difficult to fathom but here are some points:

• Name recognition seems to carry significant weight with both current Washington County Supervisors carrying their respective races.
• Money didn't make the biggest difference in the Republican race.  LaSage seemed to make more door-to-door visits than Melchert and spent 17.5% of what Melchert spent and garnered more votes.
• A total of $62,670.89 was spent in the Assembly race for which 8,178 people turned out.  That seems to be a relatively low "return on investment".
• Future contestants may well be dissuaded from running simply because they can't spend 'enough' money.
• One candidate contributed $30,000 to his own campaign; that seems quite grandiose to me.
• Finally, if the ultimate winner holds the Assembly seat for eight or ten terms, he or she will probably think the initial investment was quite reasonable.

Would term limits be something we should consider in state politics?  As was pointed out in a week-end newspaper article, term limits have certainly not held the state of Colorado back from growth, low taxes and good educational results. 

Remember that we have several contested races in the Germantown area.

Election day is tomorrow, September 9th, in your normal polling places.

Make your choice known!

Encourage your neighbors to vote.  These are very important days in our democracy.

Labor Day has arrived and signals the 'end of summer' as nights get chillier and children and grandchildren go back to their respective schools.  Ideally, we will enjoy a luxurious fall season with leaves ablaze and many beautiful days before snowflakes once again arrive.

Labor Day was formally decreed across the United States in 1894 by then President Grover Cleveland.  The new federal holiday was swiftly approved by Congress and has been with us since.

Labor Day has, like so many special holidays, lost a lot of its meaning for many people.  For some, it is simply another three-day week-end.  For others, it is the time when the Muscular Dystrophy fund drive is hosted by Jerry Lewis, and so on. 

I have never been a member of organized labor, unless by accident during my six-week 'career' at the Estwing hammer plant in Rockford, IL in the early 1960s.  I have friends who were and still are members of unions.  I have many acquaintances who were and/or are members of unions.  My feelings about the labor movement tend toward the position that they were very important during the later years of the Industrial Revolution and during the early third of the 20th century.  Since that time, I am convinced that unions, in general, have lost the essence of what made them so dominant during those times.  Child labor laws have curtailed that practice.  Employers have come out of the dark ages in most cases and recognize they must treat their employees as humans who are part of the reason for the success or failure of their business.

Among the strongest unions today is the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) run by Mr. Andy Stern.  He has proved to be a consummate organizer and is one of the brightest people in organized labor today of which I'm aware.  I see entities such as 9 to 5 with the soon to be held referendum that would bind employers in Milwaukee to offering sick leave for all employees.  These organizations tend to signal the changes that have been occurring in our country.  The strongest union is one that organized workers in the 'service' sector.  The old United Auto Workers (UAW) struggles with the malaise felt throughout that industry.  Coal miners no longer have the clout that once was theirs.

I see the Democrats in Congress still carrying the water for labor with such things as the open vote effort that would certainly favor organizers and quiet the opposition.  Political power changes hands periodically and that has a great deal to do with the ebb and flow of organized labor.  Labor organizations still have the ability to mobilize tens of thousands of 'volunteers' to get out the vote.  Republicans can only stand in the shadows and lament that they do not have similar clout.

I wonder where organized labor will be in a decade or two or three.  I don't know but I do recognize that change will continue at the same or a faster pace.  Will organized labor find ways to make inroads in India or China?  Will those governments permit such organizing?  If the government of China permits organizing, I wonder at what cost to the workers?  Will unions in the U.S. come together to maintain a level of strength that many have already lost individually?  If so, where will the new leaders come from?  I doubt that heavy industry will be the source of leadership; it more likely comes from the service sector of our economy given the massive shifts in employment in our country.

At any rate, I trust you will have or have had a very pleasant Labor Day 2008.

You and me are really great people.  Why is that?  Well, we seem to help bail out just about everything that bangs on Washington's door.

A short time ago, the sub-prime mortgage companies received their bail out; likely the first of their bail outs since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are still in the throes of that mess.

Now the automobile industry is in the queue for what yesterday was about $25 billion and today has already climbed to $40 billion according to the press.

Is this a proper use for the tax dollars that are extracted from each of us?  Should we be funding these bail outs for industries that essentially have gone bad because of their own doing?  If you or me were responsible for these 'disasters', we'd probably step up to the plate and take what was coming to us.  But we didn't force people to be too gullible and let people sell them homes they couldn't afford.  We didn't cause the oil price jump because we didn't approve new refineries for thirty years or drill for new fields of oil?

If any of us should be paying 'the price', it seems that the finger of blame needs to be pointed at Washington and the people we send there to represent us.  That group has caused these issues to surface through favors to those putting money into their campaign accounts.  That group has caved in to the environmental groups that are fanatical to the extreme in their pursuit of the ultimate goal they espouse.

Oh, that's right.  We are to blame because we continue to return the same people to Washington in spite of what they do and don't do.  We don't require any 'reparations' for their actions.

Maybe we all need to get a little more involved and a little more vocal starting with our upcoming local elections.  Too may of us simply shake our heads and fume; we really need to be more active in our precincts and districts and villages or cities, and in our counties and states.

I saw a quote in the past few days that went along these lines:  "Too many people have died for our freedoms for us to not vote."

Why is it that at the bottom of too many discussions about rate increases or tax increases we find a series of initials?  It apparently isn't enough that we are forced to deal with the MATC.  We also are saddled with the MMSD.

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District (MMSD) hit our village and other taxing entities with a significant increase in capital expense contributions that it requires from its 'customers'.  Its 'customers', of course have no other options.  So like other communities, Germantown has had to 'pony up'.  We've been depleting the sewer fund reserves to the tune of nearly $1 million each year over the past three years, and our reserves are going down as the result.  The idea of a reserve is that there will be adequate funds available in reserve if needed due to some unforeseen situation. 

The long and short is that we'll likely face an increase in sewer charges due to these charges laid on us by MMSD.

MMSD, like MATC, is governed by an appointed board.  These eleven people include village/city officials, elected representatives, and others whose names seem to always be involved in such appointed positions.  You and I do not have any representation on the MMSD board over which we exercise even indirect control.  The citizens of Germantown should, by now, be resigned to our fate...except there has to be a better way.

I challenge one or more of the current crop of candidates for state positions to pledge their best efforts to change this system.  Every appointed board in the state should be subjected to thorough review to determine if direct elections are a more appropriate way to determine those who'll be seated.  We have heard that some are willing to look at the mechanism for governance of the State Technical College System.

There really must be a top down review of every similar entity in Wisconsin, and it ought to be very rigorous...not simply a 'lip service' group convened with foregone conclusions from day one!

Cigarette Taxes...

The state raised cigarette taxes to $1.77 per pack and promptly budgeted/spent all the new money that would bring in.  The only problem is that this 230% increase in the tax rate only generated a 48% increase in the tax money received!  Now, we're stuck with a lot of people circumventing the tax entirely by buying cigarettes out-of-state or over the Internet.  And, we have added to an already staggering budget shortfall.

Makes a lot sense, huh?

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Clean Air Act Gone Wild...

One of my favorite agencies, the EPA, has decided that it now has free rein over so-called greenhouse gases.  This came to pass as the result of a 'namby-pamby' U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that didn't go quite far enough to ward off this rampant agency.  EPA has now released its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule-making, an ANPR in the jargon, and this is astonishing.  EPA would regulate airplanes, trains, ships, boats, tractors, farm and mining equipment, lawn mowers, garden equipment, portable power generators, fork lift trucks, construction equipment and logging equipment.

EPA estimates that more than 500,000 new permits will be required.  Among the supposed new requirements are these:

• Lawn mower standards:  "...each application could require a different unit of measure tied to the machine's mission or output-such as grams per kilogram of cuttings from a 'standard' lawn for lawn mowers."
• Truck speed standards:  "Speed limiters are generally available on new trucks or as a low cost retro-fit..."
• Single family homes become polluters:  "...we believe that small commercial establishments...and indeed, a large single-family residence could exceed this [CO2 pollution] threshold."

All of this means that our taxes go up exponentially since the EPA will be forced to grow staff and facilities to handle this new found mission.  And, it means that we'll all pay more for products and services.

And, none of this was ever the intent of Congress nor has it had the opportunity to inject itself to this point.

~~~~~

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs...

Regular, nice old incandescent light bulbs (starting with 100 watt bulbs) become illegal to manufacture in 2012.  The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) points out that this means we can forget about spending 20 cents or so for the old bulb while buying the new CFLs for something on the order of $3.00+ (remember that these are usually subsidized today).

While CFLs save energy, they have costs associated with them that make all this really questionable:

• The average lifetime is not 10,000 hours, but "up to 10,000 hours"
• The energy savings and lifetime of CFLs has been exaggerated in some applications
• The CFL only achieves the claimed efficiency if burned continuously for long periods
• If left on for only 5 minute periods, the CFL will burn out just as fast as an incandescent bulb
• CFLs dim over their lifetime and do not deliver what is promised

And, we're adding mercury to the environment which supposedly will be handled by proper disposal.  Yeah, sure!  How many of us has disposed of a burned out CFL improperly already?  How is that ever going to be policed?

~~~~~

Clean Water Restoration Act...

The EPA is back again.  The original Clean Water Act of 1972 had gotten to be very broadly interpreted under various EPA rulings.  "Navigable waters" had morphed into isolated wetlands, dry lake beds and drainage ditches, for example.  Now, two Democrat members of Congress have introduced the bill named in the title.  It would replace the phrase "navigable waters" with the phrase "waters of the United States"  This means "all waters subject to ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds and all impoundments of the foregoing".  Reason magazine, August/September 2008

If this bill were to pass in its current state, it would very likely result in massive new regulations for boaters, fishermen, hunters, and even conservationists.  This act would leave it to the courts to decide what constitutes "waters of the United States".

Thanks to Ronald Bailey for writing the article "Feds in a Fishbowl" in Reason.

~~~~~

Anti-Meat Campaign...

Finally, from the Heartland Institute, this on global warming activists' latest efforts.  They are launching new efforts to restrict meat production and consumption, building on prior efforts to restrict various agriculture activities that supposedly would reduce 'greenhouse gases'.

More on this can be found on the worldchanging.org website.

If we continue to have a ban on drilling more oil, we won't be able to buy meat anyway, so maybe this isn't as bad as I first thought.

Maybe we really do have too many crackpots in Congress...or too many people are being paid through campaign contributions and don't have the commonsense necessary to sort out the good from the crazy.

This subject has been visited before, and, unfortunately, will probably be visited again before we've achieved the proper result.

The Journal Sentinel editorialized on August 8th about the new Wisconsin voter registration system...delivered more than two years after the deadline and with cost overruns (but who is surprised with that outcome).  The editorial opinion was that photo IDs for voters were simply to be taken off the table now that this system was up and running.

On August 12th, an article appeared citing two different organizations for apparent violations in registering voters that had resulted in criminal referrals.  Those two organizations are the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and the Community Voters Project.  ACORN leaders were quoted as saying then that they had found between 200 and 300 improper voter registrations cards turned in by their workers.

On August 20th, Sue Edman, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Election Commission raised the total count of election workers forwarded to the DA to a total of 39.

This all points to the simple fact that voter photo ID is appropriate; in fact it is an absolute necessity.  Even with the focus having been placed on these registration organizations, they are still sending through cards that are sufficiently questionable as to warrant the district attorney's office investigating.

Beyond this, we still have same day registration that permits even greater levels of election fraud to be foisted upon those of us who are properly registered and qualified voters.  It is very possible, since the voter organizations have the records of names registered, that people can be corralled to vote using one of those false names.  Without photo ID, that is significantly more easily accomplished.

Wisconsin had among the slimmest margins to be found in the country in our last major election.  Every indication is that this will be the case in this year's Presidential election, too.  If only 1% of the registered voters are invalid, they can easily swing the results given the voter apathy that exists even in Presidential races.  The numbers of registered voters always is considerably higher than those of actual voters.

Photo IDs will not keep citizens from the polls.  That is a bogus argument.

Most of us understand exactly what has been going on for years.  Activist groups seek out the potential voter most likely to represent their political interest.  There are far more liberal activist groups than conservative activist groups.  These groups stop at little, not even the law in these instances it appears, to get their chosen people registered and out to vote.  Cigarettes were the pay-off in a fairly recent Milwaukee election with the 'voters' recruited from the Rescue Mission.  Slashed tires were another ploy aimed at the Republican Party in another recent election.

Much of my group of acquaintances is conservative (surprise, surprise), and virtually all of them recognize that this activity is most often aimed at electing liberal candidates.  When was the last time you can identify a story about illegal voter registration tied to conservatives? 

It is way past time for voter photo ID!

I have fallen behind with the pieces concerning the candidates for the Assembly seat being vacated by Sue Jeskewitz.  Lo and behold, a fellow Blogger in the Menomonee Falls NOW group whose name is William Weaver has posted these responses on his site called 'Hunting Season'.

Never one to duplicate another's good work, please click here for his compilation.

My thanks to Mr. Weaver.