Commentary Update for October 14, 2003
1. This week's show: This week's program features a return of Oshkosh Common Councilors Mark Harris and Paul Esslinger. We spend the entire hour talking about budget related issues.
2. Our Post 9/11 Priorities: That's the title of my October Media Rant for the Valley Scene.
3. Bulgaria Still Learning: Dan and Billie Jo Rylance recently sent in their 4th installment of "Letters From Bulgaria."
4. CC/WI, WDC, Wispolitics: On Wednesday, October 15th I am fortunate to have the opportunity to chair a panel that will have on it Jay Heck of Common Cause/Wisconsin, Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and Melanie Fonder of wispolitics.com. Common Cause recently demonstrated how the corrupt political system that led to the indictment of legislative leaders is still pretty much intact, while the Wisconsin Democracy Campaigntoday filed complaints against the governor and assembly speaker for violating campaign finance laws. Melanie Fonder recently interviewed Bush/Cheney 2004 reelection chair Mark Racicot for the website.
5. Corrupt Legislation Exposed: Jay Heck and Mike McCabe have demonstrated time and again how the state's corrupt political system results in legislation that favors narrow special interests over the state as a whole. Melissa Scanlan of Midwest Environmental Advocates showed in yesterday's Madison Capital Times the devastating environmental impact that will ensue from "economic development" legislation passed recently. Two paragraphs from the piece demonstrate the kind of malarkey masquerading as legislation in Madison these days:
"The legislation (Senate Bill 246/Assembly Bill 486) calls for state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources, to establish short timetables for the review and processing of applications. If the agency fails to meet established deadlines, the application is automatically approved.
Several supporters of the legislation also voted to cut 74 full-time DNR positions - these are the people who are vital to an efficient and protective permit review process. Legislators have essentially limited the DNR's ability to do its job and then required it to do it more quickly. They now expect a strained and harried DNR staff to review all applications to determine completeness, no matter the size of the project, within 14 days or risk losing the right to seek further information from the applicant. The practical effect of these bills would be automatic permits for a Perrier water plant and a Crandon mine. In other words, the Legislature is paving the way for a wholesale giveaway of Wisconsin's natural resources."
6. Simile of the Week: Well what do you know? Rush Limbaugh, who I always thought was addicted to causing pain, is actually addicted to pain killers. But this week's simile is actually about Rush's statement from a few week's back that a black quarterback who has been to the pro bowl three years in a row is overrated. The simile is from legendary wild man Hunter S. Thompson, who writes an online column for ESPN: "Rush Limbaugh is a lame professional Swine and he makes a good living at it. He is like a hired Geek in some traveling backwoods carnival -- the freaks who bite the heads off Chickens -- but Limbaugh is a modernized Geek who thinks he can bite the heads off of people."
7. Porn Star's Advice For Arnold: Porn star Mary Carey received 9,855 votes in the California recall election, which was over 2,000 more than Bill Simon (he received 7,746), the Republican who lost to Gray The New Democrat Davis last November. Carey came out with the best post-election quote: "Arnold, if you ever need advice on the state of California or want to grope another girl, call me." By the way, if what happened in California is not the final proof to the Democrat Party that the "New Democrat" program of Republican-lite corporate butt kissing is a sure loser, than they deserve to slip even further into irrelevance than is already the case. Finally, Stew Rieckman had something interesting to say about recall politics this past Sunday.
8. American Empire Needs General In The White House?: Do you ever wonder what's in the mind of Democrats who write for the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal? I do, mostly because I live for laughs. So today on the WSJ page, we have Democrat and Yale scholar Harold Bloom telling us why we need Wesley Clark as President:
"We need, at just this time, a military personage as president,
one who is more in the mode of Dwight Eisenhower than of Ulysses Grant. In Wesley
Clark, we have a four-star general and former NATO commander who is a diplomatic
unifier, an authentic hero, wise and compassionate. That Gen. Clark saved tens
of thousands of Muslim lives in Bosnia and Kosovo is irrefutable, despite current
deprecations by worried supporters of the president. They are accurate only
in their anxieties. Gen. Clark is highly electable for 2004; the other Democratic
candidates are not. Even should our economy worsen considerably by a year hence,
Howard Dean and John Kerry cannot win, unless the terrorists again bring down
American temples as vital as the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Most of
the electorate will vote for the incumbent, because of their national security
concerns.
Our most vital interest is to persuade as much of Islam as possible not to join in what the Muslim fundamentalists consider to be a Counter-Crusade. Who is more qualified than Gen. Clark to render such persuasion plausible? His leadership of international forces is Bosnia and Kosovo was precisely calibrated, and prevented Serb paramilitaries from even more dreadful slaughters of Muslim innocents than those already performed as 'ethnic cleansings.'"
Jeez, if Howard Dean and John Kerry need another terrorist attack on "vital temples" to win, what the hell has to happen for Gephardt, Kucinich, Edwards or any of the others to have a shot? Nuclear blast coupled with a 1930s style depression? Perhaps a bubonic plague outbreak? Maybe some purposeful, synchronized power outages during "Kill Bill Vol. I" matinees? (talk about something that would anger people to the point of voting Democrat). Remember, Bloom is a Democrat.
9. LuAnn Bird Named WI LWV Executive Director: Former President of the Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education and regular Commentary guest LuAnn Bird has been hired as new Executive Director for the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. Congratulations LuAnn! Here is the LWV press release:
Date: October 13, 2003
Contact Person - Julie Arneth President
Phone Number: 920-434-0764, or call 608-256-0827
Re: LuAnn Bird hired as new Executive Director for the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, a non-partisan political organization dedicated to increasing public participation in democracy, recently hired LuAnn Bird as the new Executive Director. For the last 3 years Bird has been a consultant providing services in strategic planning, teambuilding and governance training primarily for school boards and non-profit organizations. In announcing the appointment, Julie Arneth, President of the LWVWI Board said that Bird is the first member to be hired as Executive Director.
Bird joined the League in 1994 to become more active in the political process and to learn how to advocate for issues. Her husband was paralyzed in a construction accident in 1990 and she was having trouble with wheelchair access in the Oshkosh public schools. "I don't know what I would have done without the support of my friends in the League. They taught me how to lobby the school board, which led to the formation of the school districts Americans with Disabilities Committee."
Eventually Bird successfully ran for the school board and today, all of the Oshkosh school facilities are wheelchair accessible. According to Bird, there are only two schools left out of 24 that need elevators. "Once I learned how to use the political process, I was able to work with the district and to solve many of the problems for persons with disabilities." Bird said.
Prior to being on the school board, Bird was appointed to her local sanitary district commission and helped to get sewer installed her neighborhood after realizing there were many failing septic and holding tanks.
According to Arneth, the LWVWI Board believes that Bird's understanding
of League, previous experience in the political process and skills in planning
will help the organization to reach its vision of sustaining our democratic
society. "LuAnn has a lot of energy and has demonstrated her ability to
overcome challenges," traits which Arneth believes will help the League
as they continue to develop greater participation of all citizens in the political
process through education and advocacy.