Are they the winds of change, the winds that blew through Wisconsin this week?
I think they are.
One of my liberal neighbors now has the benefit of my Scott Walker for Governor sign, it having been pried from its moorings by the winds of change and deposited in his bushes. A higher power is at work here; yes, higher than even Blaska's Blog.
Well, it got my attention: Isthmus editor Dean Robbins analyzes as "deeply unfair" the Republican candidate's TV ad under this headline: Chad Lee denounces Tammy Baldwin's bouncing breasts.
Chad Lee responds:
"Deeply unfair"? Perhaps they don't know what that means. "Deeply unfair" is 25% unemployment in Beloit while our opponent spends us in to the poorhouse. "Deeply unfair" is our opponents vote for the Wall Street Bailouts, ensuring Wall Street works while America doesn't.
Lee also makes the point that for all the adulation heaped upon St. Tammy, the good rep -- whom I like on a personal level -- "rarely attends listening sessions in person," Lee charges. Well, Tammy did send a staffer to their candidates debate Tuesday night in Monroe.
"And, until purchasing a flat on East Wilson Street in Madison days before the primary was suspected of living outside of the district," Lee charges.
But, enough of the tit for tat: I hope it is permissible to disagree with my esteemed colleague, Most Exalted High Editor-in-Chief Dean Robbins. I don't think the incumbent's breasts are being denounced, here.
Nor shall I denounce them. No, I shall not speak ill of "the twins." I always try to find the good in my political adversaries. I try to see both sides of the issue: left and right. Examine the issue. Try to get a feel for the facts. Here, I think I have found what I'm looking for.
So, enough with the denouncing. After careful examination, the Blaska Policy Research Center concludes that they are most certainly, and most sincerely, bouncing. Will it be enough of a bounce to win on November 2?
I want to hear from Midthun, Diaz, Logan, Stu and others of the booboisie. Are they or aren't they? On a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 10 being a veritable Boob Quake. I report, you decide. Roll 'em Lester:
The recount continues (Year 10)
Voter suppression? Where is Scot Ross when you really need him? On second thought ... never mind. The Government Accountability Board trashes 12,000 spurious voters. I expect an outcry from Democrats real soon. As Craver says, there goes Al Gore's margin of victory.
Out of State, Out of Mind
Speaking of out of state, Ron Johnson points out that in 1992, Russ Feingold wrote on his garage door, "I will rely on Wisconsin citizens for most of my campaign contributions."
RoJo says, "Times have changed and so has Russ Feingold. In his third quarter Federal Elections Commission report, over 72% of the donors who contributed to Russ Feingold lived outside Wisconsin."
For another look, the cumulative campaign fundraising picture so far as developed by the Center for Responsive Politics certainly shows that Senator Feinberg has raised almost half (47%) of his money from out of state:
Top Recipients of In-State Contributions
Feingold, Russ (D): $1,365,086
Johnson, Ron (R): $1,041,568
Ryan, Paul (R): $653,625
Duffy, Sean P (R): $587,079
Kapanke, Dan (R): $456,946
Kagen, Steve (D): $293,662
Wall, Terrence R (R): $243,397
Baldwin, Tammy (D): $226,507
Ribble, Reid (R): $221,644
Lassa, Julie (D): $139,236
Top Recipients of Out-of-State Contributions
Feingold, Russ (D): $1,197,941
Ryan, Paul (R): $764,495
Obey, David R (D): $378,915
Kind, Ron (D): $222,900
Kagen, Steve (D): $212,907
Ribble, Reid (R): $147,489
Johnson, Ron (R): $144,154
Duffy, Sean P (R): $114,266
McCormick, Terri (R): $72,289
Baldwin, Tammy (D): $65,233
Another endorsement for Sen. Feinberg
Speaking of out-of-state: Blagojevich appointee Roland Burris, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, has endorsed Wisconsin senator Ralph Feinberg for re-election. "We've had a great relationship," the senator told the Chicago Tribune.
Probably on a first-name basis with his buddy, Ralph.
It's so ... so ... capitalist!
My liberal friends (for they ARE my friends) and certain cynical scribblers like to scare granny that the evil Republicans are going to take away her Social Security. No Republican has ever proposed such a thing, least of all Rep. Paul Ryan, who is one of the few political leaders from either side willing to look far down the road instead of merely to the next election.
What is being proposed is the option of personal retirement accounts for workers. "Optional" means not mandatory, not required. Nor must a personal account be invested in the stock market. It can be invested in bonds or certificates of deposit. But let's say you had chosen a personal account invested in stocks at age 21 in 1965. Forty-five years later, despite the huge losses of the recent financial crisis, that worker and his working wife would have accumulated $855,000 today -- 37 percent MORE than Social Security.
The Wall Street Journal walks us through the math.
I did pretty much that during the last 30 years of my working life myself and am very glad I did. I would not have nearly the standard of living I presently enjoy if I had not socked away roughly 10 percent of my pre-tax income in an individual retirement account.
Here is what really sticks in our liberal friends' craw: personal retirement accounts connect the investor to the health of the economy, to the marketplace, to the world of investment, risk (yes) and reward. Think about it: if you won't invest in America's future then what kind of future do you have?
It's so ... Unfair!
To hear my liberal friends tell it (and they ARE our friends), the Democrats are being terribly and unfairly out-spent in this campaign by "outside money."
But the numbers tell a different story. ... So far, the latest figures show that the Democratic Party machinery has out-raised its Republican counterpart in this campaign cycle by almost $270 million. What's more, the public employee unions are the biggest spenders of all.
Out of jail but not out of trouble
Challenger Sean Haney says that incumbent sheriff David Mahoney is wrong to say that no one on his home-detention bracelet program has committed a crime.
I have records indicating three known inmates charged with crimes while they were on electronic monitoring bracelets. Those crimes include two instances of possession of cocaine with the intent to sell, and two incidents of domestic disorderly conduct.
Take the money and run ... or bike
Watch out, the Democrats are preparing to leave office and they're taking every dollar they can find with them. Madison is getting a new stand-alone bike path that seems to parallel existing paths. It's called the Cannonball Run; price tag: $2.5 million for four miles. Statewide, a total of $32.5 million will be distributed for "transportation alternatives," Gov. Jim Doyle said in a press release.
How about saving toward that $1.2 billion structural budget deficit? Calling Scott Walker!
Legal Mary Jane? Leaf it blank!
Blaska Blog Post-It Note: County Supv. Matt Veldran won't allow those of us who live in Madison and Fitchburg to vote on his $42 million-a-year RTA commuter rail scheme. So let's return the favor by refusing to vote for his legalized marijuana referendum. Leaf it blank!
