Uppity Wisconsin

My Dear Republican

"While each member of the Senate caucuses with his Party, what each of us hopes to accomplish is distinct from his party affiliation. The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation. And no Senator, no matter how loyal he is to his Party, should or would put party loyalty above his duty to the state and nation."  ---Arlen Specter, on changing from Republican to Democrat, April 28.

April 27, I mail this letter to to the Republicans of the Joint Finance Committee.
April 28, Senator Specter resigns from the Republican Party.

=========================

Dear Republican Elected Official


I am a small-business owner of a nationally known service located in downtown Milwaukee. For over 30 years, I have observed your allegiance to the larger corporations and their needs, while generally you are condescending to us small business owners.

Your party puzzles me, locked into old issues that are evaporating as fast as stimulus funds from Washington.

My impression is that to a Republican a "small business" has revenues from 10 million and upward to the value of Marquette Electronics when it was sold to GE. (By the way, the former owner of that business is someone you should spend time with: he understands the connection between public transportation and local economies; his streetcar plan is a homerun for our city. )

Governor James Doyle to announce the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Natural Resources agreement to clean the Kinnickinnic River. Today. 2000 S. 4th St, Milwaukee.

I need to grouse this morning. I have a complaint about the Democratic party (surprise, everyone). They do not like politics as usual.

If the purpose of today's event (August 20, 2008) were to get people, voters, environmental friends to the event, they could have done the usual and boring thing: invite them.

Getting It

Now, I'm not saying I'm a heavy contributor to river politics, but I've put my personhood into some public forums recently, and I am on a committee in Bay View that has the word "Environmental" [and Transportation] in it. I am easier to find than a bus. And I am beside the point. Just whom did the Party think would show up for this event? Press and political consultants? Why not voters?

See Original Post

I found this survey by following Volume One online. If applicable, please take the time to fill it out. :)

Also, if you have not yet had a chance to, remember to fill out the Eau Claire County Budget Survey.

BusStop. Bike Ride with County Supervisor Pat Jursik

Saturday, June 28. Today I turned my attention from our bus to our bicycles. Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik led a south side ride from Sheridan to Will-O-Way park along the Lake Michigan bluffs.

Bicycles and buses are two peas in the pod of alternatives to the automobile.

• Both save fossil fuel and help reduce gasoline prices.
• Bicycles are independent – so American!
• Buses are inter-dependent (we all need them).
• Bicycles and buses, both, reduce congestion for all drivers.

Sheridan Park. The team gathers with Supervisor Jursik before the ride.
Shea

From the UEDA Summit

At the Urban Economic Development Association's 7th Annual Community Development Summit, a citizen asked: Should we consider changes in SEWRPC and RTA governance?

A panelist, sounding a bit like talk radio hosts lecturing that politically incorrect caller they so love to skewer, used the moment to respond to a question no one asked.

The other panel members sat in stoned (stunned?) silence after the Panelist's unfortunate personal attack on the citizen.

What a sight.

Well and good that "Cooperation" was the word of the day.

And Cooperation should at least mean taking a question at face value, or taking a clumsy citizen question (like they do on Wisconsin Public Radio) and making it a question that any panel member can understand. That is grace; that is cooperation.

So, what did this benighted citizen ask of the esteemed panel?

Mr. Citizen asked about governance – pointing out how our two transit-planning bodies do not have elected representation, he asked if they might.