Practically Speaking

Lower taxes--Reagan, Kennedy Raise taxes--Hoover, Carter? 

Lower corporate taxes--Ireland, Raise corporate taxes, Europe?

Drill domestically, oil shale, offshore--Iraq, Saudie Arabia, REfuse to drill--United States high oil prices

Nuclear power--France

Health Care--procedures that are not covered by insurance have gone down in price. Competition and free market encourage affordability. Government provided healthcare: Canada, UK--Wait for necessary treatment, limited options, long lines.

Sunday, April 26, 2009, marks the start of a week of special meetings at Brookfield's Brookside Baptist Church with our staff evangelist Steve Pettit and his musical team. Photo is Steve and his team performing at our church picnic last summer. (Steve is the one in the red shirt with the mandolin.)

Steve is a gifted preacher and his group is very talented; the week of special meetings promises to be a good one for the whole family. Their musical style ranges from traditional to Blue Grass to Irish. April 26 - May 1 schedule:

Sunday: Amazing Grace Sunday. Service times are 8:30 am, 10:45 am and 6:00pm.

Monday: Men's Steak-out, 6:00pm. (Catered by Texas Road House, cost $5)

Tuesday: Ladies Night, 6:00pm. (Catered by Olive Garden, cost $5)

Wednesday: Family Night, 7:00pm.

Thursday: Teen Cola War, 5:15pm. (I think this has something to do with Coke vs Pepsi!)

Friday: Irish Sacred Concert, 7:00pm (This should be fabulous! I have a few CDs from the Pettit team and their music is first rate.)

Saturday? There is no Saturday meeting. The team packs up and moves onto the next location on Saturday to do it all again next week! These people are real troopers; they get around.

Although Steve Pettit is on our pastoral staff, we rarely see him. He is almost always on the road. Recently he hosted a tour of the Holy Land for our church. Check out his pictures from Israel.

As I mentioned, I have several CDs from Steve Pettit. Some have traditional hymns played in their unique style, some have new works and some are just pure fun with songs like Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Puttin' on the Dog. I'm looking forward to seeing them perform live--tin whistle and all.

Brookside is located at 4470 North Pilgrim Rd. Just south of Lisbon. 

Links: 

NOTICE: Brookfieldnow bloggers are being switched to a new software today between 9am - 5pm, so no new posts today here. Check brookfield7 for a post on upcoming meetings and events. 

Secretary Janet Napolitano ruffled a lot of conservative feathers when she released her Homeland Security report on taxpayer protest Tea Party day. It certainly got my attention. It also brought attention to the other security alerts regarding right wing ideas.

In her April 15th Homeland Security Report on right-wing extremists, she warned law enforcement about the possibility of military veterans committing acts of violence. So I should have put George Washington's picture first. Because he was a veteran of 2 wars: The French and Indian War and Revolutionary War, he would be suspect.  He is pictured later.

The intelligence assessment issued to law enforcement last week said some military veterans could be susceptible to extremist recruiters or commit lone acts of violence. 

If Janet were around in 1776, we might include the following people as well. 

Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents [it mentions hate groups--not Jefferson or conservatives I know], and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority... It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or [illegal] immigration.

p2 (U//FOUO) The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.

 

p5 (U//FOUO) Many rightwing extremist groups perceive recent gun control legislation as a threat to their right to bear arms and in response have increased weapons and ammunition stockpiling, as well as renewed participation in paramilitary training exercises.

These are the signers of the Constitution; George Washington is standing at the desk. Bet these guys were pro-life, better watch them too.

In the report, right-wing extremism was defined as hate-motivated groups and movements, such as hatred of certain religions, racial or ethnic groups. "It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the report said.

...The same definition was included in the agency's March 26 report on domestic extremism. Both reports were marked "For Official Use Only."

Other groups targeted would be those who believe in end times prophecy (that would be Christians who believe the Bible), those who worry about economic collapse (that would include those who don't believe we can tax and spend our way to prosperity). Pretty much this p 4 (U) Economic Hardship and Extremism section group would include most of the thousands of peaceful Tea Party attendees from April 15th.

(U//FOUO) Historically, domestic rightwing extremists have feared, predicted, and anticipated a cataclysmic economic collapse in the United States. ... Antigovernment conspiracy theories and “end times” prophecies could motivate extremist individuals and groups to stockpile food, ammunition, and weapons.

Well, I don't pack a pistol (but I do have a few extra cans of tuna in the pantry), more than one banker has told me they don't know how to advise me or their clients about future investments, and I do believe in the Bible and the book of Revelation. Guess I am in good company though if I include our Founding Fathers and the other Tea Party attendees. For the record, I believe the founding documents of our country should still apply today.

I think it would be good to read through the entire Homeland Security report on Rightwing Extremism. You just might find some of your concerns tagged as being extremist.  

Links: 

While many in the world remember the Holocaust on this day, The Day of Remembrance, Iran's President Ahmadinejad spoke before the UN anti-racism conference, spewing his usual Holocaust denial sentiments. Those comments prompted "Dozens of diplomats" from Britain and Europe to walk out. The United States, Israel, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland did not opt to attend at all, because of concerns that the forum "would be used as a platform for attacks on Israel."

Iran's President lived up to that expectation with his assertion that "the Israeli state was created by 'military aggressions to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering' from the Second World War." I guess his pretext of suffering was in reference to the Holocaust, where over 6 million Jews were murdered by the German government? Don't ask me where the military aggression came in since the homeland of Israel was a initially a diplomatic solution, not a military one by the Jews.

It is difficult to understand how people like Ahmadinejad can deny the Holocaust when there are people still living who witnessed it, photos and film showing the camps, Jewish prisoners exist (pretty hard to get actors to starve themselves to death just to fool the world), and there is historical evidence--military records, hospital records, newspaper accounts, etc.

One such witness was depicted in Hallmark Hall of Fame's production: The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, which aired on Sunday, April 19. (If you missed it, it will be coming out on DVD soon.)

The production was based on the true story of Irena Sendler, a young woman who lived in Warsaw, Poland during the war years. Soon after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Jews were rounded up and forced to live in a confined area of the city, a ghetto.  We learn that Irena's father was a doctor, who died of typhus years ago, that he contracted while treating the Jews. Irena, like her father, had a heart for the suffering of others and tried to make a difference. She was a social worker.

So she decides to not just help by bringing food and supplies to the ghetto dwellers; she sees that the children must be smuggled out and put in Polish homes for safe keeping. The rumors are that the Germans are emptying neighborhoods and taking the residents to "work camps." Irena sets out to find homes for the children.

Her actions are not without cost; she risks her life and safety to rescue the children. When asked if she realizes how dangerous her actions are, she quotes her father saying something like this: Didn't father used to say that if you see someone drowning, you must try to save them even if you can't swim? "A requirement dictated by the heart," she later said. Irena was taken prisoner herself, beaten so badly her legs and feet were broken, but she managed to escape execution. 

Hallmark did a great job portraying what true heroism looks like. Irena Sendler didn't possess any special abilities, she just saw a job that needed doing and risked all to do it. As Renata Zajdman--a rescued survivor said, "she [Irena] is proof that an ordinary person can accomplish extraordinary deeds." In all, Irena rescued 2,500 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. (Oskar Schindler, of Schindler's List rescued 1,100.)

The movie portrayal was a fitting tribute to one of the many people who put self aside to help others during that horrible time. Hallmark has some background information on their website that is worth reading. It tells how this almost forgotten woman's deeds came to be known again. I was surprised to learn that after the war, she "was shunned into obscurity, and branded a Fascist for saving Jews." If you didn't get to view the production on TV, look for it when it comes out on DVD. (Check the library later this year.)

The Holocaust was real. It was not a pretext of suffering. There are still many who lived through it alive today--some thanks to Irena Sendler. 

Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project

Links: 

I stumbled on this interesting bit from the Heritage Foundation: Oklahoma: High Marks for Pre-K Spending, Low Marks for Reading Achievement: (My emphasis throughout)

This clearly begs the question: Are all of those kids enrolled in Oklahoma’s prekindergarten program benefiting academically?

 

Since Oklahoma started its universal preschool program in 1998, children have actually experienced declines in their fourth grade reading scores. In fact, Oklahoma was the only state to see a significant score decrease in fourth grade reading since 1992. Last year, Oklahoma spent more than $118 million dollars on preschool, yet children in that state are still below the national average in reading.

 

Since the introduction of universal preschool in Oklahoma, the gap between low-performing students and their peers has not been reduced. The students the program was intended to help have not gained ground.

The actual article from Tulsa, Oklahoma that Heritage cited was headlined: A-plus. That would be A-plus in spending NOT results!

The latest annual survey by the National Institute for Early Education Research shows Oklahoma leading the nation in prekindergarten enrollment.

The State of Preschool 2008 showed Oklahoma in first place with 71 percent of its 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool education. This is not the first time the state has ranked first in this survey.

The survey also found that Oklahoma's preschool program is a high-quality one, meeting nine out of 10 benchmark standards. Oklahoma also was praised for increasing pre-K funding, from $3,635 per-child to $3,966 in 2008. 

The Tulsa paper only extolled the virtue of 4-K enrollment, not achievement. Considering all school districts are probably in the same boat Elmbrook is--needing to watch their spending--does Oklahoma spending $118 million a year on pre-school make sense? (Maybe I should say does it make cents?)

We have actual results to look at; some schools have had 4K for a long time. From Does 4K deserve tax dollars?

As I mentioned last year, I attended 4 year old kindergarten in the Shorewood school system. If 4K is so beneficial, shouldn’t Shorewood’s ACT scores be consistently higher than our [Elmbrook] school district’s that didn’t offer 4K? The data shows that this year was the first in the past few years that Shorewood edged out Elmbrook’s ACT scores by 1.23 points.  Of the top 10 schools in Wisconsin (Elmbrook consistently is in the top 10), at least 7 had no 4K program at the time those students tested started school. Incidentally, over 250 school districts have 4K so there should have been a better showing in the top 10 if it is so helpful. 

If 4K is so beneficial, shouldn't the students graduating from these institutions be consistently waaaaay ahead of those who don't have 4K?

Links: 

All over the nation yesterday, average people gathered to peacefully protest taxation without representation at the local, state, and federal level! By all accounts, it seems the Tea Parties were a great success.

Now the challenge is to keep the momentum going. People tend to have very short memories and if the economy improves by 2010, they are likely to be even shorter. A website, AfterTheTeaParty.com has been set up to keep the momentum going by encouraging running for office, learning about how government works and becoming active instead of passive.

I was at the Red Arrow Park location in Downtown Milwaukee. JSOnline has a video clip of both the Federal Building and Red Arrow Milwaukee groups and an article on the Madison and Milwaukee rallies. About 100 people attended the Red Arrow rally. I think it is important to note that these Tea Party protests are not just about President Obama. Taxpayers are fed up with out of control spending regardless of which party or segment of government is responsible: (Photo is of Journal reporter interviewing an attendee.)

"They're all guilty, not just one person or party," said Jim Schmitz of Milwaukee, a retired salesman.

"Instead of raising taxes, maybe we should be tightening our belts," he [O.J. Merrell] said.

Some in the crowd were critical of Obama, but others said government spending also was out of control during the previous administration. Many said the overall burden would boost inflation and burden their children with taxes for decades.

I watched the In Focus report on the Madison rally last night. Click here to watch the video. Congressman Paul Ryan was fired up! I think everyone there agreed with him that, "America is an exceptional nation...We want to keep it that way."

Julaine  Appling, of Wisconsin Family Action, told Gov. Doyle to "Back off!" His and the Wisconsin legislature's tax policy makes it more difficult for Wisconsin families:

It is absolutely true that when Wisconsin’s families are strong, Wisconsin is strong. When our families are weak, Wisconsin is weak. So, back off –back off on your incredibly bad plans to increase taxes, fees and regulations that will make it harder for our families. Harder for our families to make a reasonable living

Superior's Mayor Doug Ross spoke briefly asking, How much of our money do you want, Doyle? All of it! He is a prime example of what AfterTheTeaParty hopes will be a result of the Tea Party day: greater citizen involvement in government. He ran for mayor of Superior as a result of a proposed tax increase some years ago. When he called city hall to complain, they told him more or less, if you don't like the tax increase, why don't you run for mayor. He did! I spoke to Doug Ross at the Americans for Prosperity American Dream summit in March. He is contemplating a run for Lt. Governor. We need more people like Doug Ross.

A young homeschooled lady, Melika Willoughby, spoke passionately about the need to stop the reckless spending and to stop spending her future. (She made this homeschool mom proud of the homeschool movement.)

Here is a bit of trivia about Madison's Tea Party: There were a few brave souls who WALKED 80 miles to Madison from Fond du Lac. The trip took them 4 days. Unlike President Obama's Inauguration, the Madison crowd left the Capitol in an orderly fashion. No heaps of garbage left behind. 

Some media coverage assumed that these rallies were organized by the Republican party. Nope. They were truly grassroots, not fake grassroots as Nancy Pelosi accused. She claimed our efforts were "Astroturf", not grassroots, a campaign by "some of the wealthiest people in America." Look at the photos, do these people look like the wealthiest in Milwaukee? Couldn't be, I was there ;-)

For one, the signs were obviously homemade! 

The people in attendance were a cross section of taxpayers--young, old, rich, average, fiscally challenged, professionals, retirees, grandmothers, housewives, etc.--Americans. Nary a Right Wing extremist terrorist in the group. (We'll have to save that Homeland Security accusation for another post.)

Catch the following photos and commentary from our state and nation.

My Milwaukee Red Arrow Park Tea Party photos

Milwaukee Red Arrow Park Tea Party photos 

Heritage Foundation: Morning Bell: Big Government Backlash Brewing  (Includes great links to other Tea Parites)

Massive: Tax Day Tea Party USA, photos from Tea Parties all around the country.

From Representative Rich Zipperer:

In order to turn back the tide of taxes threatening the prosperity of our state, however, we will need to convince some on the other side to vote against the Governor's plan, either during the Finance Committee process or in the full Assembly or Senate. Even in the legislative minority, we can make a difference in the legislative process, as can the folks who journeyed to Madison today and everyone back in Waukesha County unable to attend the rally. Pick up the phone or write an email. Call the Governor. Call the Democratic leadership. Call your family in other parts of the state and tell them to contact their representatives to make sure they too will stand against the tax increases.

Important Phone Numbers
Governor Doyle: 608 266-1212
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan: 608 266-3387
Senate Leader Russ Decker: 608 266-2502
Find Your Representative and Senator Here
Members of the Joint Committee on Finance

Links: 

I just got my first report on the Madison Tea Party from a Brookfield lady I have known for years. She said it was phenomenal: Great speakers, lots of energy, fantastic!

She mentioned that a young man was videotaping and there would be coverage on WVCY TV 30 tonight. Oh, that must have been Randy Melchert, I said. I checked his blog and sure enough, there will be video on In Focus at 7pm tonight and replay at noon on Thursday.

So if you couldn't attend Madison's rally today, you can at least catch some of it tonight. 

Links: 

UPDATE: See bottom of post for Milwaukee's Tea Party location.

I received a comment request to post a link from Nobailoutsforgrasshoppers.com today. It came from a couple in Connecticut who have a blog and business making mugs, bumper stickers etc. (Cute stuff) They liked my Ant and the Grasshopper & Tea Parties post. Here is their latest: It's Time For Tea.

After a few emails back and forth I found the wife of the husband/wife team was attending a tea party tomorrow in New Haven, Connecticut. She was impressed that our Madison Tea Party was anticipating a huge crowd. She reported that their organizer would be on Fox News tonight. It is estimated there are between 1,500 and 2,015 Tea Parties scheduled for April 15th. These Tea Parties are catching on!

If you are going to our Madison rally, take your camera. If you take some pictures, send them to me and I will try to post them. Any interesting comments would be welcome as well. I doubt that we will get much in the way of news coverage on the rally. Americans for Prosperity has photos from Tea Parties that have already taken place at Taxpayer Tea Party.

In case you haven't made up your mind yet about attending a Tea Party, here is the info for the Madison's. You DO NOT need to register to attend if you are going on your own. There is a parking lot and free shuttle, courtesy of the Republicans.

Fight Back Wisconsin! Remember, The Wisconsin Tea Party Tax Rally is April 15th, 11:30 am on the steps of the Capitol on the King Street side, in Madison. You do NOT need to register to attend. There is a shuttle service if you are driving, or you can opt to take a bus, which you MUST register for, check the locations then click here for Bus Registration

If Madison's Tea Party seems a bit too much, there is a local man who is organizing a Downtown Milwaukee Tea Party, but please note it is NOT at the Federal Building as noted on Fairly Conservative, but at RED ARROW PARK at 920 N. Water Street at noon. I believe this change was made because the Red Arrow location was given on the Official Tax Day TEA Party site (Click the push pin to the right next to Milwaukee on page 30.)  Milwaukee is certainly is more manageable than Madison. Click the Downtown Milwaukee link for a lot of good protest sign ideas.

UPDATE: There was a bit of confusion this morning regarding Milwaukee's Tea Party location. Jay Weber announced it was at the Federal Building, but later corrected and stated it was at RED ARROW. It is at RED ARROW PARK and Johnathan will be there with his signs.

Don't forget to tell the Joint Finance Committee what you think of Doyle's budget.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, BetterBrookfield, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Randy Melchert, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

If you have been following Governor Doyle's proposed budget at all, you know that it is filled with tax increases, unwanted new government programs, new fees, and a whole host of other overreaching legislation.

According to a JSOnline article, all of these spending measures will result in a $91 dollar or 3.2% property tax increase on the median home in Wisconsin. Since the median home assessment in the state is around $167,000, that means most of Brookfield will see tax increases greater than $91.

Republican legislators called the property tax increases irresponsible, saying they would pinch homeowners struggling to pay bills and keep their jobs while their homes lose value.

"People shouldn't have to worry over whether they can afford to live in their own homes," said Republican Sen. Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau. "Governor Doyle's budget makes it more difficult for families to afford to live in Wisconsin."

I attended the public hearing on Doyle's budget on March 25th. It was very crowded! People were lining up to address the budget committee. (At the rate they were going, they would be lucky to be finished by 9pm!) I found one familiar face though, fellow conservative blogger Randy Melchert was there video taping.

I struck up a conversation with a group of people who were independent gas station owners. They were wearing red T-shirts that said, WE ARE NOT BIG OIL. The new 3% tax would not stick it to the BIG OIL men as Gov. Doyle suggests, but harm the little guys like these--the independent gas station and convenience store owners.

They explained that the Governor's proposed 3% oil profits tax would be detrimental to station owners near the state borders because Wisconsin gas would need to be 3% higher in cost than at the neighboring out of state station. Unlike the similar tax proposed last year, this one was NOT to be passed onto the customer. If that was true, they said there was not enough profit margin to absorb a 3% cost increase for them. They would be forced out of business. According to Rep. Petersen's The Inside Scoop:

Regardless of your opinion about oil companies and profits, one must realize they sell and compete on a worldwide market. If the state charges a tax which is forbidden from being passed on to consumers, what is an oil company’s incentive to do business in Wisconsin?

The fee will only serve to discourage the wholesale distribution of fuel into the state. When supplies are short, Wisconsin will be last on a distributor’s list when surrounding states do not impose an “Oil Franchise Tax.” Due to the law of supply and demand, prices will definitely increase as the supply decreases.

By the way, our transportation fund wouldn't need shoring up if Doyle didn't keep raiding it to plug unrelated holes in the budget in the past...

Since he [Doyle] was first elected six years ago, Governor Doyle has raided more than $1.1 billion of the money you’ve paid in gas taxes and Department of Motor Vehicle fees to spend on programs other than roads. In this budget he pledges to raid another $77.5 million. 

...and the future:

Governor Doyle balanced his budget in part with $271 million in revenue generated from the [his] "oil profits" tax on big oil.

The  Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association group, or WPMCA have been running radio ads and sending out postcards urging residents to call their legislators at 1-800-632-9472. Their postcard features this stereotypical oil man and states: "They say Big Oil will pay, but experts agree Wisconsin families will get stuck with the bill."

On another front, Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke Jr. spoke at the public hearing urging the Joint Finance Committee to "Remove the early release provision" for prisoners. He says Doyle is not taking into consideration the recidivist factor. He also wanted to dispel the myth of the non-violent offender, saying these people who are locked up for drug offenses are mostly drug dealers from major street gangs. "It might save $24 million," but it doesn't take in consideration the expense to local communities and the 90% re-offending rate. 

But Gov. Doyle isn't concerned about local community expense or what effect a tax or a raiding of funds will have down the road; all he wants to do is prop up his budget and extravagant spending now. Stealing from funds and shifting expense to others are just 2 of his methods of funding his plans.

This one is of concern to me, possibly because I am now more familiar with the needs of the elderly and infirmed. It's the mandatory unionization of home care workers. State Senator Michael Ellis spoke about this fact on Mark Belling's show in February. He also wrote about it in a press release, The Wheel Report: (My emphasis)

A little-known provision in Governor Doyle’s proposed budget would make the state a union organizer for personal care workers and would require most people who hire personal care workers to hire only those in the union, a requirement that will certainly increase health care costs...

“This provision is shocking in its scope,” Ellis said. “The state is becoming a coercive union organizer....

“The state is requiring all home care providers to become members of the union or they won’t get hired, because the state is requiring all people who hire home care workers to hire only those workers who are on the registry and members of the union.

This law will affect any person hiring a home care worker. It is rather like Doyle saying all baby sitters must be unionized. Certainly it will impact senior citizens or anyone who depends on home care workers to help a loved one stay in their home longer. It also negatively impacts the service provider company--many of which are just mom and pop type businesses. With unionization, firing an inferior worker becomes much more difficult.

How about Gov. Doyle's backdooring gay marriage by providing Domestic Partner benefits despite 59% of the voters in our state voting to ban gay marriage in 2006?

Same-sex couples could form domestic partnerships and receive dozens of the same legal benefits as married people under a proposal by Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle.

So Doyle's budget sticks its nose into the Domestic Partner issue but does nothing to prohibit using the state funded Madison Surgery Center to perform 2nd trimester abortions. His motives are pretty clear.

Rep. Vukmir informed me, "The first executive (voting) session for JFC is on the 16th and only a small part of the budget will be considered." So at the very least, contact the Democrat co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee with your concerns: Senator Mark Miller and Representative Mark Pocan

Here are the email addresses of all the Joint Finance Committee members if you wish to send a group email (The last 4 addresses are Republican members of the committee): Rep.Pocan@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Miller@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Hansen@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Lassa@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Lehman@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Robson@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Sen.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov, Rep.Colon@legis.wisconsin.gov, Rep.Grigsby@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Mason@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Sherman@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Shilling@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Sen.Olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov, Rep.Montgomery@legis.wisconsin.gov

If you wish to call the Joint Finance Committee members, they can be found on Leah Vukmir's State Budget Hearing page.

Please register your comments with your representatives in Madison too. Both of Brookfield's Assembly Representatives Leah Vukmir and Rich Zipperer and Senator Ted Kanavas are against Doyle's tax increases.

(R) Rep. Leah Vukmir 414-759-1100, Leah@LeahVukmir.com

(R) Rep. Rich Zipperer's Boondoggle Alert page  262-264-0655, rich@richzipperer.com

(R) Senator Ted Kanavas  (608) 266-9174, (800) 863-8883, email:Sen.Kanavas@legis.wisconsin.gov

(D) Senator Jim Sullivan   (608) 266-2512, (866) 817-6061, email: Sen.Sullivan@legis.wisconsin.gov

There are of course many, many more spending measures that are just a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. "High Speed Rail" to Madison's airport anyone? Raising sin taxes again? Hospital Bed/nursing home tax? Just take a look at his plan: 2009-2011 Executive Budget  These and many of the other tax increases will be discussed by the legislature in the upcoming weeks, but since Republicans are in the minority in both houses, don't expect much cutting.

Fight Back Wisconsin! Remember, The Wisconsin Tea Party Tax Rally is April 15th, 11:30 am on the steps of the Capitol on the King Street side, in Madison. You do NOT need to register to attend. There is a shuttle service if you are driving, or you can opt to take a bus, which you MUST register for, check the locations then click here for Bus Registration

CORRECTION: Can't get to Madison on tax day? How about Downtown Milwaukee at the Federal Building, 517 East Wisconsin Ave. (east of US Bank) at RED ARROW PARK at noon? (920 N. Water Street) Johnathan emailed me to say this is where he will be on April 15th instead of the Fed. Building. 

Previous Post: Public Hearing on Doyle's Budget, March 25th, State Fair Park 

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, BetterBrookfield, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Randy Melchert, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

Christians the world over celebrate Christ's birth at Christmas time. Good Friday and Resurrection Day, Easter Sunday, mark the completion of His mission on earth.

Last night at church, my pastor asked much the same question that Tony Perkins of Family Research Council raised in his Good Friday address: "How can the worst day in human history be described as good?"

This is the day that Our Lord was crucified. It is the day he hung on the cross for all our sins. It is the day of darkness at noon.

The story of the last days of Jesus' ministry should be familiar to all. Knowing he would be killed, our Lord entered Jerusalem on the back of a colt. He was hailed by the multitudes, who lay their cloaks in his path, who spread palm fronds before him. "Hosanna to the Son of David," they cried. How quickly that would all change.

But it was a "good" day for us because it was on that cross that Christ took the punishment for the sins of all mankind upon Himself, so that we could have peace with God. He was the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world." The second verse of the old hymn, "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" speaks of His payment for my wrongdoing:

What thou, my Lord, has suffered
was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
vouchsafe to me thy grace.

If you were not able to attend Good Friday services yesterday, you might want to attend Brookside Baptist Church's "The Risen Christ" musical program today, Saturday, at 5pm. It chronicles the events of Holy week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday through a choir and orchestra program.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, the day Christians celebrate the fact that Christ rose from the dead. If you do not have a church home, may I invite you to mine, Brookside Baptist Church. Easter Sunday Services are at 7:00, 8:30, and 10:45 AM. (There is no evening service.) It is easy to find; the church is located on Pilgrim Road just south of Lisbon.

To those of you who celebrate Easter, may you and yours have a blessed, joyous day.

Links: 

Hey, what happened to Climate Change? Guess that crisis didn't fit as nicely into the idea of blocking sunlight?  Notice they are again referring to it as Global Warming instead of Climate Change? Odd, since we are in a period of Global Cooling.

In case you have no idea what I am talking about, President Obama and his top science adviser are actually talking about shooting a missile up into space loaded with pollution particles, to deflect or block the sun's rays. It is to mimic a volcanic eruption. Yes, you heard that right. They are talking about tampering with the atmosphere! (I remember one summer in the 1960s when there was a lot of natural volcanic activity in the Philippines? It was a very cold summer. In fact, it sleeted in July, as I recall, while we were camping near West Bend!)

An idea similar to this was bounced around last year. It involved shooting up millions of mirror-like objects to reflect the sunlight, but even the Australian concluded that was too risky. (I looked for my saved link on the article, but wouldn't you know, it is on my half-dead hard drive--I know, that is rather like the dog ate my homework.)

Doing something like this is very dangerous, whether it is introducing pollutants or shiny objects. What if we are headed into another ice age? Do we really want to block the sun? What about plant life and the normal warmth obtained from our friend Mr. Sun? And doesn't this hamper the President's solar energy program and all those green jobs?

This is John Holdren*, Obama's new science adviser--the one we are trusting our planet's future with. (AP Photo/J. S. Applewhite)

Read what he says about Global Warming: (My emphasis)

Tinkering with Earth's climate to chill runaway global warming — a radical idea once dismissed out of hand — is being discussed by the White House as a potential emergency option, the president's new science adviser said Wednesday.

That's because global warming is happening so rapidly, John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month.

The concept of using technology to purposely cool the climate is called geoengineering. One option raised by Holdren and proposed by a Nobel Prize-winning scientist includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays.

 ...[That] first approach would "try to produce a cooling effect to offset the heating effect of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases," Holdren said.

But he said there could be grave side effects. Studies suggest that might include eating away a large chunk of the ozone layer above the poles and causing the Mediterranean and the Mideast to be much drier.

And those are just the predicted problems. Scientists say they worry about side effects that they don't anticipate.

There are always "side effects that they don't anticipate." Here are just a few "good ideas" of the past that came to my mind:

• Using asbestos for insulating pipes and heating duct work, kitchen heat resistant trivets, and even carpet type mats. Today we are spending millions to rid buildings of asbestos.

• Live virus polio vaccines used to be administered until we realized the only new cases of polio in the United States came from contact with newly vaccinated children.

• Introducing Asian Carp to eat the "submersed aquatic vegetation" in ponds near the Mississippi or "direct introduction" to the river occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, the carp are thriving and expanding their turf in the river system, threatening good native species of trout, salmon, etc.

• How about the St. Lawrence seaway? That introduced the lamprey and alewives to the Great Lakes. The big ships also bring with them other detrimental invasive species.

• Lake Yellowstone's native Cutthroat Trout are in decline because the introduced Lake Trout overtook the native fish's habitat. Yup, it seemed like a good idea at the time. It also has a negative affect on fishing birds of prey such as the Eagle and Osprey who depend on surface swimming fish for food. (Lake Trout like deeper waters.)

There are hundreds more good ideas gone bad, those were just a few I thought of off the top of my head. Let's not forget that the leading scientists of the day once thought that garbage spontaneously generated rats and that the world was flat!

I think we should adopt the Hippocratic Oath when dealing with the earth: Avoid deliberate harm!

*...John Holdren, [who] out-does Al Gore with predictions of global warming calamities. Back in the 1970s he was worrying whether mankind would survive the “threat of making the planet too cold.”

More reading: 

In a unique solution to fight global warming, scientists have suggested firing trillions of mirrors into space to deflect the sun's rays forming a 100,000 square mile "sun shade".

...Despite the obvious obstacles, including an estimated 350 trillion dollars price tag for the project, Dr Angel is confident of getting the project off the ground.

"What we have developed is certainly effective and a method guaranteed to work," he said. "Tests are ongoing but we expect to be ready to launch within 20 or 30 years time. Things that take a few decades are not that futuristic," he added.

Can smoke and mirrors ease global warming?

Backers of extreme technologies to curb global warming advocate dumping iron dust into the seas or placing smoke and mirrors in the sky to dim the sun.

...Climos is seeking to raise money to test adding iron dust to the southern ocean to spur growth of algae that grow by absorbing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the air. When algae die, they fall to the seabed and remove carbon.

FYI, in our biology class we learned that ocean algae is one of the chief producers of CO2! (Plants exhale CO2 at night.)

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President Obama is getting a taste of what it is like to be a president whose ideas aren't embraced by the rest of the world. While he speaks of a world without nuclear weaponry, North Korea shoots off a rocket! Guess they let us know what they think of a nuke free world! Rather like a big thumbing of the proverbial nose, eh? Saying, "North Korea broke the rules" is hardly going to make the North Korean's quake in their boots!

What is he going to do as a threat? Talk them to death? He reminds me of my elderly neighbor in Milwaukee who used to scold her dog for incessant barking. "Now Charlie, stop barking," she would say and then wouldn't do anything to remedy the situation. Pathetic.

Look back to the Cuban Missile Crisis; it wasn't our rhetoric that saved the day, it was our technology. We had The Ace in the Hole a.k.a. the Minuteman Missile. And President Obama wants to cut new development of offensive and defensive weapons? Our president's naivete' is stunning and scary.

Some suggest the US should put greater pressure on China to keep North Korea in line. But we are hardly in any position to lay down the law with China, since they hold so much of our debt.

It is ironic that one of the primary purposes of even having a federal government is national security, and this is an area the President proposes cutting? That's "both breathtakingly naive and incredibly dangerous to our national security."

More reading:

US Offers to Cut Nuclear Arms

...The administration is also working to develop an international nuclear-fuel bank, potentially hosted by Kazakhstan, that fledgling nuclear-power states could tap, according to a senior Obama administration official.

And the Rockets' Red Glare

In Prague on Sunday, President Obama pledged an effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons, calling them "the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War."

Well, we won that war in part because of our possession of those weapons and in part to the commitment by President Ronald Reagan to build a missile defense against them.

Obama's Unreality Tour

Barack Obama vowed to turn to the U.N. Security Council for strong action following North Korea's weekend missile launch. He would have done better by turning to Dr. Phil.

So, as the good doctor likes to say: Get real. Get real about North Korea. Get real about the U.N. Get real, also, about NATO, arms control, Russia, the global financial system, and every other item headlining the president's unreality tour through the capitals of Europe.

The military will eventually suffer combat readiness problems as it did under Democratic presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, who both inflicted deep wounds in defense spending.

With a rocket, Obama's hope is shot back down to earth 

History may one day record it as a stark irony - and let us hope an amusing one rather than the tragic kind - that on the very day that Barack Obama was sketching out to an adoring throng in Prague his vision of a post-nuclear world, North Korea launched a rocket that may one day give it the capacity to fire a nuclear warhead as far as 3,700 miles. This means, to get down to brass tacks, that it could hit Alaska.

Palin Attacks Obama's Anti-Missile Cuts

Responding to North Korea's missile test, Gov. Sarah Palin reaffirmed Alaska's commitment to protecting America from rogue nation missile attacks, according to a statement her office released Monday.

 

"I am deeply concerned with North Korea's development and testing program which has clear potential of impacting Alaska, a sovereign state of the United States, with a potentially nuclear armed warhead," Palin said.

 

"I can't emphasize enough how important it is that we continue to develop and perfect the global missile defense network. Alaska's strategic location and the system in place here have proven invaluable in defending the nation."

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I was hoping to say everything's coming up roses for Rose Fernandez, but it was not to be. With 91% of the vote in, she is stuck at 43% at 11:30pm.

Judge Randy Koschnick did better than I thought, considering most people were not aware of him or the race, and he spent so little money on advertising and his campaign. He is at 41%. (Judge Shirley Abrahamson raised $1.3 million for this campaign.)

But locally, my choices were in the majority: Meg Wartman winning another 3 years with 66% of the vote and Jean Lambert with 59% of the final vote tallies. Congratulations Meg and Jean.

In Elm Grove, the 3 incumbent Village Trustees won; Charles Wickens only received 12% of the vote. Possibly Elm Grove voters didn't know how he could be in two places at once either?

For those of you with an eye on the referendums, West Bend's $41 million referendum failed 53% to 47%, but their $27 million dollar referendum passed, however by a narrow margin. The percentages were even, 50% - 50% of the vote--with only 74 votes separating the yeas from the nays. That has got to hurt! Recount anyone?

Interestingly, it appears that 11,949 people total voted on the $41 mil question, but only 11,868 voted on the $27 mil measure. That is 81 votes less than the first question. Did those 81 voters just not see the second question? I bet if they were against the 2nd referendum they are kicking themselves now! (Remember our referendum last year? 294 voters left that question blank too.)

Cudahy's $3.7 million referendum passed by 85 votes, 52% to 48%, which shows that even in tough times people still will spend if "it's for the kids".

In the more affluent north shore area, which includes some of Glendale, Fox Point, Bayside, and River Hills, Maple Dale's K-8 district passed its $4 million referendum by a healthier margin of 513 votes, 68% to 32%,  Maple Dale's exceed the limit question also passed by 177 votes, 56% to 44%.

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Or I could title this post: Of MULES AND MEN

Often we hear figures of speech used to portray a character trait but don't understand the full meaning behind the expressions. Lately, I've heard the trait of stubbornness being associated with the Republicans' resistance to buying into Obama's spending plans and agenda.

We usually think of stubbornness as a bad thing. The expressions stubborn as a mule or being mule-headed pop up when speaking of someone who will not budge on an issue. We even say sometimes that they balk at an idea--balk meaning a refusal to move forward.

But is balking or being stubborn always a bad thing? No. We want our children to stubbornly resist the temptation to do drugs or engage in premarital sex, don't we? I want my legislators to be just as resolute in protecting my freedoms and resisting wasteful spending too.

Here is how I found out first hand why being stubborn as a mule can be a good thing--even a lifesaver.

The humble mule suffers from an image problem. The hero in cowboy movies and lore always rides a horse, but the comical sidekick often rides a mule. Because of that, I used to think the mule was inferior to the horse. It wasn't until my family and I took a trail ride a few years ago up the John Muir trail in Yosemite and down into the Grand Canyon on another trip that we learned the truth about mules. (That's me with Justin, who carried me safely up and down the trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls in Yosemite.)

One wrangler informed us that the mule's smoother gait and narrower width make them much more comfortable to ride, earning them the nickname "The Cowboy's Cadillac."

True, mules are stubborn. But they are stubborn for a reason. They will not move into situations they see as being dangerous. No amount of coaxing or bribing will make them change their minds. A horse, on the other hand, can be coerced into going onto dangerous ground. They are more susceptible to the rider's opinion.

Mules are more aware of their surroundings. They can see their hind feet whereas a horse cannot; they also have smaller, more sure footed feet. This makes them much more able to turn around on those switchback turns that are sometimes no bigger than a card table. I wouldn't want to do that on a horse.

(That smooth narrow ridge about 2/3 down the right cliff in the photo is the trail at the Grand Canyon!)

Whenever we have told other park visitors that we had or were about to take a National Park mule ride on the trails, people invariably thought we were taking our lives into our own hands. They assumed it was a death defying act. But in truth, no tourist has ever suffered a fatality riding a mule down into the canyon or up a mountain trail in the parks. This is because mules have a strong sense of self preservation, making the stubborn mule a trusty steed in contrast to hikers who suffer fatalities, trusting in their own ability and get too close to the edge.

So next time you hear the Republicans (and some Democrats too) being described as stubborn when they won't arrive at consensus, think about the humble mule and its reputation for superiority and safety. When I am putting my life on the line, or my country's future is at stake, I don't want compromise!

Congressman Sensenbrenner recently was the only Wisconsin Representative to NOT vote for taxing AIG bonus money at 90%. He voted no because it was unconstitutional. That is what I call stubbornness with a purpose.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, April 7th!

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This tasty soup concept came from New Orleans via a friend. While visiting relatives there several years ago she was served this delicious soup. Being the great cook she is, she had to recreate it upon returning home. Fortunate me, she shared her recipe. Yum! I make it several times a year.

Whenever I cook soup, I make about 3 to 4 times the amount I need and then freeze the rest. That way, I always have a supply of homemade soup on hand.

This recipe is for a large pot full. I would guess it makes about 6 quarts. (The stock pot pictured is my smaller 10 quart size.) This soup is meatless, so I believe it would be OK for those observing Lent.

Ingredients & Proceedure

1 large onion, chopped

3-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large green or red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" or so dice (This is optional, and was not in the orig New Orleans version.)

Gently saute the above until translucent and peppers are soft

ADD

2 small cans of tomato sauce

4 - 6 cans of stewed tomatoes, chop up a bit

1 - 2 teaspoons salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons dried basil, or more (fresh would be great too)

2 Tablespoons dried parsley (fresh great)

~2 quarts water

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Simmer for at least an hour

ADD

1 1/2 pounds of frozen chopped spinach

Simmer for about another 1/2 hour

ADD about 15 minutes before serving

2*,  9oz. packages of FRESH tortellini, I like 3 cheese  (I like the fresh. The dried tortellini always tastes rancid to me.)

1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago, Fontinella type cheese

Serve with extra cheese grated on top.

Team with a big salad and warmed crusty bread and dinner is served!

Helpful hints and cost estimates

If you are not going to use all of the soup at one meal, DO NOT put all the tortellini in. The soup freezes well, but not the pasta. I get around this problem by immersing a strainer into the soup pot and cooking the tortellini in the soup broth, but keeping it separated. You could also remove the portion you don't think you will be immediately using from the pot and then cook the tortillini directly in the kettle. You do not need to use all the tortellini in the package. Just use what you want and bag the rest and freeze for next time.

If you shop wisely, the soup can be economical. Here are some prices and brand choices for main ingredients:

From Aldi: Tomato sauce .25 cents/can, Stewed Tomatoes .49/can, garlic, 3 heads for $1.29

 

From Pick 'n Save: Roundy's frozen chopped spinach, 9oz square pkg. .99 cents-I think. (I used to use Freshlike bagged frozen spinach, but ever since that e-coli spinach scare a while back, I can't find it.) Roundy's frozen tortellini is much less expensive than the name brand fresh, and it was fine for this purpose. (Sorry, I don't remember the price.) To cut expenses, you can use some other pasta too. I like the fun true Italian types from Angelina's Deli on North Ave.

 

From Angelina's Deli: Fontinella Cheese, about $7/pound, this is somewhere around $2 - $3 less expensive that Pick 'n Save and elsewhere. Extra Virgin Olive oil, 3 liters for about $24 for Mama Francesca brand from Italy.

 

Angelina's has a whole host of interesting pasta shapes. I used a cut Ziti style to add to my soup. They also have wonderful Italian bread from Canifora.

 

Since the weather is still stuck in soup season, give this recipe a try. I have shared this recipe with many people and so far it has met with rave reviews!

Post Script: Don't tell the kids it has spinach in it, just call it by it's name or say it's Tortellini soup. ;-)

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Did you see this article: City may face budget shortfall of $915,000? Revenue sources declining along with economy, director says.  It shouldn't surprise anyone that when the economy is in a downturn, people cut back on spending--either by choice or necessity.

As the article stated, consumer spending cuts affect city revenues collected from taxes and fees: less travel = less room taxes, fewer building & remodeling projects = fewer permit fees paid to Brookfield.

Struggling local restaurants, retail, and office buildings could result in other lower revenues. Commercial property owners with high vacancy rates might request lower assessments. Vacant businesses may become delinquent in paying their property taxes. The mayor and city department heads are looking for places "to cut costs." In addition to that effort, shouldn't we also be looking at how we are spending the resources we still have?

Late last year I raised the question about revenues from the cell phone towers all being put toward the Greenway Corridor Bike Trail system:

The money comes primarily from the cell tower lease fees the City of Brookfield charges the cell phone companies to put up towers in our city.

Brookfield gets between $200,000 - $300,000 each year in lease payments. The park department gears its new Greenway projects to stay within this dollar amount. Kolstad informed me that we also benefited from $135,000 in DNR matching grants over the past 5 years. (That would be [more] free :) money.)

 

...I am not a fan of the Greenway Corridor Recreation Trail system, primarily because of the expense for construction, maintenance, and snow removal.

In some respects, the cell tower rent money going to foot the bill for Greenway construction is very much like the stimulus projects some officials are rejecting.  Although our cell tower money may cover the initial expense of constructing the path, it does nothing to pay for maintenance and snow removal costs for the path every year thereafter.  Every additional trail segment adds to the city's yearly expenses.

We probably don't need to repair yet, but I'm thinking that special snow blower tractor gizmo can't be cheap. I guestimate snow removal costs somewhere around $75+/hour when you factor in initial blower tractor purchase, maintenance on unit, labor and benefits, and transportation of the unit from site to site? The concept of getting a Greenway Corridor at no cost is rather like getting a free puppy! (Think of the maintenance of path and snow removal as Vet. bills, dog food, groomer, and boarding charges for that free pet. Hardly no cost, is it?)

I know many people enjoy the Greenway Corridor. That is not the issue right now. A $915,000 shortfall in revenue, however, is. According to the article and Finance Director Robert Scott, this is not going to turn around soon. The shortfall for 2010 is estimated to be $950,000.

So, what do we do in the meantime? Do we tap into our reserves and keep spending at its current levels? Or, do we cut back where we can and use this cell tower lease fee money for something more important?

I had estimated the cell tower rents at $200,000 to $300,000 a year. I was corrected in the comments section by an alderman; "The cell tower revenue for 2009 is forecast to be $382,964." He also concluded that the savings to the typical home in my area if we applied the lease money to the city's coffers would be 12 cents for the year. That figure just did not seem feasible to me. I roughly calculated it at about 100 times that amount at $11 - $13. It was later confirmed by someone at City Hall that the dollar amount was higher, $16.17 per home of my value, "...divide it by our total City assessed value of $6,532,118,790. That comes out to 5.9 cents per thousand of assessment. .059 x 274 = $16.17."

My purpose here is not who is right and who is wrong or to talk about past squabbles (so please, comments should stay on the topic of the shortfall and cutting spending.) I am just trying to illustrate that this "free" money for a no cost bike path adds up. We are in tough times; this cell tower windfall could help plug more than 2/5ths of the forecasted shortfall.

The mayor, city departments and council are going to look at places where they could cut spending. Maybe they could cut back on:  landscaping? - another big ongoing maintenance cost, sidewalks on BOTH sides of the street? - same snow removal and path maintenance issues as with the Greenway. I am sure there are more areas. I would hope they would at least put the Greenway projects on hold until the economy improves.  Rather than increase the property tax levy, certainly they should look into how they spend this free money! 

POST SCRIPT: I do recall efforts in 2006 to reduce some of the surplus funds, one of them being the $375,000 mosquito abatement fund:

Mellone [Jerry] had wanted to cut the full $100,000 in mosquito funding, noting that the program had a surplus of about $375,000 and the city had not needed to do any mosquito treatments in four years despite taxing annually for them.

And Surpluses bedevil Brookfield, Some aldermen wonder whether they're doing too much taxing: (My emphasis)

In the last three years, city departments have spent almost $3.5 million less than what aldermen budgeted for them, city data shows.

...A $1.6 million budget surplus in 2005 prompted several aldermen this week to question a recommendation for a 4% spending increase for city departments in 2007. Aldermen Dan Sutton, Gerald Mellone and Scott Berg questioned why departments would need 4% more than their 2006 budgets when their previous annual budgets were larger than needed.

Aldermen gave city departments a 4.3% increase for 2006, and the city's finance director predicted that 2006 will end with a $500,000 surplus.

That would reverse a trend of rising general fund surpluses. After no surplus in 2002, there was a $664,000 surplus in 2003, $1.2 million in 2004 and $1.6 million in 2005.

"Right now it just looks like we're overtaxing," Ald. Sutton said at a special Finance Committee meeting on Monday.

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Last week, the article K4 back on the table in Elmbrook on Brookfieldnow caused quite a stir. The way it was written, it led people to believe that 2 board members who previously voted against 4K were now thinking about it. The article was heavy on the positive effects of 4K on the school budget without much detail regarding the negatives to the taxpayer.

Newspaper reporters frequently misquote or misreport--not necessarily maliciously but because they just don't get the nuance of the situation. The remedy is a correction. Unfortunately, most people who read the original article never see the correction. When an election is just 2 weeks away, a misleading article can be damaging.

When I read the article, I thought the statement regarding Meg Wartman and Glen Allgaier's position did not ring true. So I emailed them and the remaining school board candidates so they could clarify their positions. Meg and Glen's explanations regarding the meeting and revisiting 4K will be at the bottom of this posting.

Here are the candidates' responses to my 2 questions, just as they were sent to me. (I did break up some of the longer responses for easier web reading.): Are you for 4K? Would you vote for 4K as a way to increase Elmbrook's budget revenue knowing it costs the Elmbrook taxpayer more?

I will start with the At Large board position. 

Meg Wartman:

This first response was from my Feb 15th question to her regarding a private pay parent funded 4K program:

"As far as 4K, I would not support any 4K program that was funded using taxpayer dollars.  My expectation would be that the parent would pay the entire tuition amount.

Here is her most recent response to state her position since the article:

 "I have not changed from my past position of the program. I do not believe we should to ask taxpayers to fund a four year old kindergarten program.  If by future consideration the District is willing to look at some sort of option that would allow for a private pay 4K program that could be offered at district buildings then I would be willing to revisit the issue.  However, that discussion would need to occur within a context of our long range financial plan and future facility use.

Charles Wickens:

" Regarding 4K - My position is crystal clear with this. I do not support any tax base increase for 4K.  Also, we do need effective leaderhip to address the issue. In the face of declining student enrollment and a 10M budget deficit - we as a distict are turning way about 350 family's per year ( assuming about 350 enrollments at 5k/year) with no options. I propose that we provide an option to those families that need 4K services by providing leaderhship/curriculum, perhaps space to a private provider - resulting in a pass-through cost, allows the district to capture the family and student with content that will prepare the student for an Elmbrook 5K slot and lastly but not leastly - address this growing need for young working families.

I did ask for a little clarification. "Could you define 'I do not support any tax base increase for 4K'? There is state aid, fed. aid, and Elmbrook property taxes. The district has looked longingly at the additional 4K state aid dollars disregarding the increase to the community member's property tax bills."

"Regarding my approach vs yours ...would love the discussion - possibly come up with a hybrid plan that would actually meet our communities needs. We can't continually stick our heads in the sand and pretent that this will go away.  I want to bring clarity to this issue which has been lacking in past discussions.

"To be clear - our programs need to compete at the 5K - 12th grade level.  I do not support an increase to the community member property tax bill to support a 4K program.

 "The state is totally confused with the 4k issue -- i.e. funding and aid etc.  Again - lack of clarity. The state needs a best practice to feed from...Elmbrook could provide this.

"Our state leaderhsip has failed young working families too long -- time for Elmbrook to provide the leadership and roadmap to the state by addressing this issue without imposing a tax burden to the community.

In another email from Wickens yesterday:

"1) I believe that Elmbrook should compete at the 5k-12th grade level

"2) I do not support a property tax based 4k program - i.e. no tax burden

"3) I do believe we need to address the issue.  We have approximately 350 children come into our 5K programs annually.   Today, we don't have any option for those families (as many as 350) for 4K. I believe that this is unacceptable. I support an option that will allow parents to enroll in a private 4k program that has Elmbrook approved curriculum, leadership in terms of delivery and performance criteria.  Those parents would engage in these Elmbrook 4K approved programs and pay for them as a direct payment.  This would give our parents an option and prepare their child nicely for an Elmbrook 5K program.  Win/Win.

The Area 4 position.

Jean Lambert:

"I am happy to provide you with my position on 4K.

 

"Since the Elmbrook School District 4K pilot program a number of years ago, I have been opposed to taxpayer-funded preschool. I firmly believe that the School Board and Administration are stewards of the finite pool of district resources. We must assure that these resources are dedicated to optimal student learning. Research shows the educational benefits of 4K accrue to disadvantaged children - very few live within our district; the main advantage cited for 4K in the suburbs is that of socialization. Many 4 year olds in the district - including my own -  have been socialized in private 4K programs, at the family's expense.

 

"With the many revenue challenges that face us in the coming years, I believe it is unconscionable to impose yet another tax increase on the citizens of this community for programming that will deliver socialization benefits that should rightfully be funded by the families of preschool children. Some argue that children who begin 4K in a private/parochial setting never return to the public school setting. However, I'm told that the Elmbrook School District ratio of public/private enrollment has maintained at a steady rate of approximately 70/30%, in spite of the lack of availability of publicly funded 4K.

 

"Some advocate 4K as a solution to declining enrollment: add ~300 more students via 4K, fill up the empty classrooms, and add significant revenue to the budget. They're forgetting that those revenues are a direct result of increased taxation at both the state and local level. Whether it's state or local taxation, taxpayers are funding preschool.

 

"I do wholeheartedly support partnerships between the district and local private preschool programs, with Elmbrook School District collaborating on the curriculum to ensure a smooth transition to the 5K program offered by the District. Tuition for this 4K option would be privately funded by families participating in the program. 

Donald Moore:

"I haven't made up my mind regarding 4K and I am still open to arguments. Not having been involved in the initial board decisions much of the information I've received in the past two months has been piecemeal and not authoritative. I understand the arguments for both sides of the issue.  When 4K comes up again I will closely examine both sides and make my decision on what I think is best for our young students and the community."

Now for the clarification on what occured at the school board meeting. First from Meg Wartman:

"I appreciate your following up and verifying the statement.  I made no comment on revisiting 4K other than to state that it was too late in the year to look at offering 4K in 2009 - 2010 (something Mr. Ziegler had hoped the district would take a look at) and facilitate the discussion.  If the BrookfieldNow reporter felt there was an openness to a 4K discussion I believe it was to allow simply for that, a discussion.  I think it is important to explain that board protocol would allow any board member to ask that an item be on a future agenda for discussion.

"I did not interpret Glen's comments to be pro 4K.  I believe he directly stated that he held the same reservations about the program that he had held when the board voted in 2007.  Overall there was a certain politeness in listening to a fellow board member's concern and willingness to allow the board member his 'day in court'.

"Mr. Ziegler was certainly more direct in his comments and was clearly asking the board to consider reinstating 4K as soon as possible.

Her comments did ring true to what I have heard each board member express in the past. She sent this additional email after she watched the cable broadcast:

"I still cannot understand how the BrookfieldNow reporter interpreted any of my comments to be pro-4K or even showing any interest in pursuing the program further.  The board members that spoke in response to Mr. Ziegler's request clearly indicated that they did not feel their positions had changed.  However, as I mentioned earlier, Mr. Ziegler made a formal request that 4K be a topic of discussion at a future board meeting and such requests have always been honored by the board.

And lastly, board member Glen Allgaier's stance on 4K (He is not running for the board at this time, but was misrepresented in the article):

"I do not support 4K because (a)  It offers no clear educational benefits and (b)  the cost would require increased property taxes.  There are some members of the Board who still would like to see 4K and who felt that, given our financial needs, we should consider all options.  I would anticipate such a discussion will only increase public awareness regarding the 4K issues and why the Board voted to not continue it.

Brookfieldnow did post an update on that K4 article:

Board member Meg Wartman said the program could not be implemented so quickly. In a later statement, she said she believes the board is still opposed to K4, though some members may be willing to discuss the issue.

"I am not supportive of revisiting 4K at this time," she said.

So there you have it--the ins and outs of who is for 4K and who is not. I hope this shed some light on this very important issue. Remember, while 4K would increase the dollar amount the school district had at their disposal, it does it at taxpayer expense! It also will eventually lead to more building referendums to increase the size of the elementary schools. I am glad some of the candidates understand the ramifications of 4K's impact on Elmbrook resident's property tax bills!

The election is Tuesday, April 7th. We not only vote for 2 candidates for school board, but also for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction and Supreme Court Justice. Elm Grove residents vote for 3 Village Trustees.

UPDATE: Rose Fernandez will be interviewed on WVCY TV 30 tonight at 7:30pm.

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If you have ever grown a vegetable garden, you know that sometimes the carrots or potatoes grow in some unusual shapes. I have harvested anatomically correct boy carrots or potatoes that looked like aliens. But I have never encountered produce that resembled the female form. That is until now.

I bought some really good looking strawberries on Friday. As I was washing some off, I came across one unlike any I had ever seen. It was like Pamela Anderson on steroids!

Laughingly, I yelled, you have got to see this strawberry. My son came trotting into the kitchen to see and quipped, maybe genetic engineering isn't such a good idea?

If this is a natural phenomenon, as it is with the carrots, or if it is a result of genetic engineering, I have no idea. Some of the gene splicing projects I have read about are a little frightening. Correcting a defective gene and replacing it with a perfect gene is one thing, but adding human genes to pigs or taking out the gene in strawberries that makes them decay is quite another. I don't think we know enough yet about the complexities and ramifications of genetics to be making such drastic changes.

As for our femme fatal strawberry, not wanting to take any chances, I told my son, I better eat this one. If anyone is going to be enhanced, it's going to be me!  ;-)

Actually, the strawberry had many, um, appendages.

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My neighbor, Mike Lilek, is involved with a local Frank Lloyd Wright group that is restoring one of these "American System-Built" homes in Milwaukee. He emailed me today to say he and another project member will be interviewed for a segment of the PBS "In Wisconsin" program on Sunday morning, Chanel 10, at 11:30 am. 

I believe there are other Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Milwaukee that the group has worked on, but it is the one at 2714 W. Burnaham in MIlwaukee that will be featured in the segment. It is an "American System-Built" home, Model B1.

If you are interested in Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and historic preservation, you might want to tune in and see what Mike and the group have been doing. You may also watch the program on the internet.

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