Uppity Wisconsin

Hold on!

Hold on tight to your seats!

Leaks about the Wisconsin State Budget,

Are about to increase!

$400 million will seem,

Like a drop in the hat,

Compared to $1.2 billion,

It ain't all that,

We'll long for the days,

When we used to ask,

"How will I pay for my family's healthcare?"

And instead now say,

"I was able to get some tomatoes,

from the food pantry today,"

At least we're in a good state,

To start life back on the farm.

Why do we need money for sexual healthcare problems?

Um,  because this country just endured eight years of ignorance / federally mandated abstinence only education, they know nothing about sexual health, and as a result got all kinds of diseases?

Just a guess.

Wisconsin Republicans vote for wars. They vote to deny low income children healthcare benefits. They vote for reducing financial regulations and oversight. They vote against tough restrictions on clean water and air.

These are Wisconsin representatives that voted in favor of giving taxpayer money to Wall Street fat cats, with NO strings attached, but when it comes to Wisconsin citizens, who do they represent?

Rep. James Sensenbrenner cries "same old song." Tom Petri says this stuff won't help the economy.

And every single one of the other Congressional House Republicans (plus 12 Democrats!) voted against the Federal stimulus package proposed by our new president. And they wonder how they lost the election? HA!

Forget the $770 billion taxpayer bailout for Wall Street. As one top economist with the Atlanta Federal Reserve has said, we got snookered.

The real money game has been quietly taking place through 11 programs established by the current administration and the Federal Reserve Bank over the past 15 months to guarantee more than $7 trillion of U.S. taxpayer-backed loans to banks. Which banks? And what type of collateral is being offered to guarantee these loans? That's none of your fracking business, little taxpayer person!

I guess somebody had to take up the anti-Wisconsin rantings in place of WMC, and it looks like Governor Jim Doyle's former co-chair of the Economic Growth Council is up to the task! The Wisconsin State Journal thinks his point of view has enough credibility to publish this OpEd, "State of Wisconsin still a welfare magnet," without so much as providing numbers to substantiate any aspect of his argument.

"Wisconsin had one of the five worst migration patterns in the United States from 2000 to 2006. Higher income individuals left Wisconsin. Individuals on the lowest rung of the economic ladder migrated to Wisconsin."

Are these statements, or facts? Who knows!

A few questions for Mr. Hefty:

Is the word "migration" your quaint, racist euphemism for non-white people moving here from Chicago and other parts south?

Why don't you use real numbers from Wisconsin and neighboring states rather than relying on some Brookings Institute and Princeton studies? And why don't you name these studies, or link to them in the article? Do they exist?

To borrow a line from Art Kumbalek of the Milwaukee Shepherd Express, "Man, oh Manishevitz, what a world we live in, ain' it?"

We the taxpayers are being called upon to socialize recapitalize, not only the financial markets, but now the auto industry, too. Who's next, the retailers?

Something has to be done to save the more than 3 million workers serving this domestic industry, something we sadly could not accomplish to keep the Janesville, Wis., plant alive.

Are you kidding me? Madison couldn't come up with $680,000 to help fund the Metro Bus System, so they're raising fares by 50 cents?

What's wrong with you people? As reported in the WSJ, there seems to be all kinds of ways the City Council could've scrapped together this money.

The roads transportation budget was increased 60%! You couldn't take a little money from that? Really, State St. and Gillman need to be paved again? 

What a farce, and will someone with a modicum of credibility PULEEEZE run against this Mayor Dave guy in the next election?

UPDATE: Madison Mayor defends fare increase. I love the reader comments!

Here's what a mandate looks like from the global community, courtesy The Newseum.

Too bad they don't go back to the front pages of newspapers November 2, 2004, but I did find this. Most state "Kerry Concedes," or show the electoral map results. What a contrast.

I'm sure others have beat me to this, but I just remembered all the hullabaloo about how the 2004 presidential election was a proven mandate for Bush to lead this country. Remember this?

Wow, I didn't think I could be more proud of our country today, but President George Bush just made that happen. Let the healing begin!

Stunning. Astounding. Beautiful. People around the world agree.

Dog tired from canvassing. Still, perhaps tipsy from last night's revelry. 

A healing email from my aunt, incredibly:

"I am no longer depressed about the election because I trust your judgment on Obama's background.  It makes me very hopeful for our country's future." 

And love, peace, and prosperity to all the children who will get to grow up in a world that's a little better.

How was this supposed to work again? We give Wall Street investment banks billions in taxpayer money, and it was supposed to help how?

Now financial "experts" are saying, " ... the government is papering over the problem with a quick fix that was not well planned."

No, you don't say? Come again?

"No one else benefits," former AIG chief executive and major shareholder Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg wrote to AIG's current chief executive on Thursday. "Unless there is immediate change to the structure of the Federal loan, the American taxpayer will likely suffer a significant financial loss." 

Unfracking believable.

Knowledge ... I have a lust for the kinds of things that help me appreciate life. Do you? Share them! (h/t Kos)

I'm not sure what this means, and neither does Governor Doyle, nor Chief Judge Sue Bischel of Green Bay, so I'm in good company.

What could Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen have up his sleeve when he calls for "voter checks" on election day because the state may have to "initiate emergency, election-related proceedings."

Could this have something to do with the actions of the law enforcement personnel he's sending to the polls?

Below is the text of a letter from a family member to try to convince the few members of my family who are Democrats why they should vote for McCain.

For the last year, there has been much passionate political discussion at family events, and there is no amount of logic or fact that can be used to persuade those in my family who vote Republican to change their minds. This incredible point of view shows why: