tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28508303209284584762024-02-20T17:59:41.012-08:00Views From Rural Wisconsindphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-16864640898252182052017-08-13T21:58:00.000-07:002017-08-13T21:58:04.960-07:00Unite the Right RallyIt's 2017 people! Your culture is not being taken away from you. Your history is not being taken away. The South lost the war and we have been struggling ever since to live up to the ideals in the Constitution and envisioned by President Lincoln. This has been a struggle because we seem to be unwilling to accept that the South lost. The cause has been romanticized into being about the rights of the individual, unless you are property, and the rights of the States over the Federal government. Forgive me on this but there needs to be some unifying authority otherwise we cease to be a nation (a house divided cannot stand) and that authority is the Federal government. The States are currently passing laws to get around the civil rights measures that were passed in the 1960's and the Federal government is doing nothing. Based on what we witnessed over the weekend not only are the civil rights laws need the Federal government should be undoing what the States are doing. dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-39888222114325557782017-08-13T21:36:00.002-07:002017-08-13T21:36:57.337-07:00I don't know what's more frighteningI don't know what's more frightening privatizing the war in Afghanistan or the fact that we have a para-military group in the country that can deploy 5,000 troops to Afghanistan. When I first read about this idea I could not believe it, I thought that it was fake news. Then I saw that the ruling party is seriously considering the idea. This might be the worst idea ever. You cannot turn the fighting of a war that is being fought in the name of the United States over to mercenaries. These mercenaries will not be accountable to the people of the United States or even to Congress, their loyalty will be to their employer. And then there is the problem of a private fighting force that is at least 5,000 strong. This is crazy to allow a potentially hostile army to operate within the country. What happens if the CEO decides that he doesn't like the direction of the country and decides to takeover? This country should not be outsourcing any of the tasks that this company is currently doing for us. Instead we should be trying to figure out how to shut this company down. If we have no desire to fix the mess that we created in Afghanistan we should leave instead of privatizing the war because that will only make it worse.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-66830042378083627662017-07-22T19:35:00.000-07:002017-07-22T19:35:03.375-07:00Fair and Balanced MediaI was reading Time magazine the other day when something that I had heard for the last several years really hit me. Someone had written in complaining about Time's coverage of Donald Trump Junior saying that both sides need to be presented. The presenting of both sides is a recent phenomenon having risen with Fox news who presented a completely different point of view and in many cases completely wrong. Now we have a President who calls out the fake news, the problem is that the organizations that he is calling out get it right more times than they get it wrong, whereas sources that he holds up as accurate are wrong way more than they are right. Which brings us to the problem of presenting both side in a story. What if the other side is completely wrong? Fox said that they were fair and balanced but they never presented the other side, no balance. The hated media would be doing a disservice if they presented as fact both sides of an argument particularly if one side is completely wrong.<br />
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<br />dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-63428407887895440722017-07-22T19:20:00.000-07:002017-07-22T19:20:15.367-07:00Wisconsin Road fundingAdmittedly our road funding is a mess, and now that we are experiencing unprecedented rainfall the lack of maintenance has really shown up. There are those who think that the problem stems from not raising the gas tax for many years. That is certainly one component of the problem. A bigger source of the problem is when under the Thompson administration we began defunding the schools by allowing vacant land (including farms and forests) to be taxed at a lower rate. This resulted in a big tax increase to people living in the cities and on rural developed land. Well those taxes paid for more than schools, they also cover the roads. Counties and townships now had less money coming in from taxes, less money from federal and state grants so they deferred the maintenance on roads. The counties and townships could have solved this problem by funding their roads the way cities fund theirs by making each landowner pay half of the cost of the road. The large landowners didn't think that this was fair and got their way. Now we have reached the tipping point where the roads are crumbling and the GOP has no idea what to do. It is clear that a gas tax increase would help but it is not the answer due to more fuel efficient vehicles. Cutting what people are paid would also help (the GOP likes this idea because they believe that people working for the government shouldn't get paid). Increasing the cost of car registration and linking it to vehicle weight would also help. So would a use fee for farmers and loggers who drive heavy unlicensed equipment on the roads. And I think that we'll need to make all highways toll roads. That combination is the only way to get the money that we need.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-91542105584674057722017-07-20T20:36:00.000-07:002017-07-20T20:36:01.411-07:00English Baby Denied CarePresident Trump and the Pope have weighed in on a medical case in England where the doctors want to pull the plug on a baby that is going to die from an incurable condition. I get the Pope's position, I do not get our President's position. He is prepared to sign a bill (assuming that the dysfunctional Republicans can get something to him) that would have already killed this child. That's right the party of pro-life is only concerned about life until just before birth. They would make maternity care optional (cost a lot of money). They would instill lifetime benefit caps (this child is already passed that). They would reduce assistance. Wasn't one of the Republican's complaints about Obama that he put the needs of people in foreign countries ahead of US citizens? Apparently the current President didn't get the memo.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-71635681240486596202017-07-20T20:26:00.001-07:002017-07-20T20:26:31.656-07:00$12/ year health insurance what a dealThe President proves in an interview that he doesn't know anything about health insurance by saying when you are young and putting $12 a year into insurance that by the time you're 70 you'll have a nice plan. Sounds great, where do I sign up? The problem with this idea is that he has confused health insurance with a retirement account and that is not how insurance works. But the price tag is amazing, even if he meant $12 per month it would be a bargain. The average American is paying close to 20 times that amount per month plus co-pays for office visits and drugs and these plans are bankrupting America. I have no idea what the President was thinking on this one, but he is clearly wrong.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-17132140543905095802017-07-18T22:12:00.000-07:002017-07-18T22:12:30.976-07:00Healthcare repeal and replace disasterWhile I find it humorous that the Republicans can't come up with a
replacement to Obamacare (they had 7 years to come up with a plan). I
find it more amazing that they can't get the votes for repeal either
(the House voted 62 times to repeal and the Senate said if they had the
majority it would be repealed). Then the President blames the
Democrats. No Mr. President you are responsible for this, the Democrats
are powerless to stop what you want. You lost the support of
Republican who believed you when you said that you would repeal Obamacare
and replace it with something that give all Americans affordable access
to healthcare. Sadly the House and Senate bills would not provide
affordable access to healthcare for all Americans. The bills before
Congress were going to leave millions without insurance and millions
more priced out of the market and still millions who would be denied
coverage. As one analyst said the only people this plan would work for
is a 27 year old male, with a good income, and no health problems. It
only works until they sick and dropped from their insurance or go
bankrupt because they bought the cheap no coverage plan.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-79095175858189880632016-04-01T23:00:00.000-07:002017-07-18T22:17:40.345-07:00Hostile, intimidating, and bullying workplaceI work for a very hostile and intimidating workplace which as a consequence has a good amount of bullying and mobbing as well. We are part of a major university, I know that you are thinking a liberal utopia, you would be wrong. We have some of the poorest managers that I have ever worked for in any field. Most don't have the skills of a crew chief at McDonald's let alone the ability to manage "professionals". I use the term "professionals" pretty loosely because in terms of development they are more like a class of middle school students. I am frequently asked how can it be hostile? We have managers who act on rumors and innuendo. We don't deal with personnel conflicts other than "you should work it out", which doesn't work. We affix blame to targeted individuals for things that are really out their control or where they were actually doing what the supervisor asked for. We have people who express how we can be open and honest in meetings. But if you are open and honest in a meeting, by some strange coincidence a day or 2 later you find yourself in a conversation with your supervisor about some baseless charge. Yep that is how it works. Those of us on the front lines are constantly told by others that there is no way that happened when we regale others in our misfortune. Among ourselves the constant refrain is that you can't make this stuff up.<br />
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I should take a minute to discuss the lack of trust. It is not what you would expect between employee and manager. No we have what we like to call watchers. They assist in going after the targeted employees. Some of these people are known, others suspected and still others unknown. I like to play a little game of whose who by making outlandish statements and seeing if it gets back to my supervisor who will act on hearsay. Once you become a target you need to be aware of these things otherwise you will be in the meeting with personnel where you get presented with 2 letters one for termination, one for resignation you get to pick. Which fulfills what manager is fond of saying that we don't fire anyone, which I say no we force them to leave. <br />
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I've been told to keep my head down, but literally I can't get low enough. For example, I have been having few if any problems the last 6 months but it all came crashing down, probably something that I said in a meeting. Almost immediately the queasiness and desire to self medicate came back. I know that it will start to build on Sunday night. As an article in the State Journal said managers need to learn how to turn TGIF into TGIM. With our leadership there is no way that is going to happen. <br />
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I don't know what the future holds for this particular group but after being targeted off and on for more than 2 years I really don't care.<br />
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You might wonder why I am still there? Well I live in Wisconsin and have worked in a specialized area for a long time (so I'm old). I know that those of you that listen to Gov. Walker will find this hard to believe, but there are virtually no professional (jobs that you need a degree) jobs open in the State. Those that are require a boatload of experience in other narrow fields so those companies are hoping to lure someone into the state. I say good luck. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) likes to say that they can't find skilled workers. That is because salaries in the state are down and people are leaving for states where salaries are higher.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-41198035186284696032016-01-07T09:59:00.002-08:002016-01-07T10:02:25.633-08:00The insurgencyThese poor put upon ranchers and other anti-government conservatives who took over a Federal wildlife sanctuary. Where is the right wing with "America Love it or Leave it" slogans? This was and still is all the rage when a liberal leaning group protests not to mention if they would take something over. The right once again shows how they are a bunch of hypocrites. All you have to do is look at the people hold up in the federal compound. What I see is a bunch of people who think that they are entitled to more than the rest and who don't want to pay for anything. Look at the facts. One of the leaders turned to the Government (which he despises) for a loan after private banks turned him down. Look at the ranchers who have the privilege of grazing cattle on land that they don't own for $3 per head per month compared to costs of around $20 or more if they actually owned the land. I agree with the Conservatives who say that this entitlement class needs to end but I think that we start at the top and work our way down to the people who are earning $7.25 per hour and working 2 or more jobs.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-2860252396399542302016-01-07T09:49:00.001-08:002016-01-07T09:49:13.358-08:00How Obama ISN"T responsible for the Divisive PoliticsOnce again I'm reading how the divisive politics that we currently see is all President Obama's doing. If only it were that simple. The author today also tossed in FDR. Interesting in both cases you had presidents who took over a country whose economy was in shambles and where Congress was controlled by the opposition. In President Obama's case we know that the leaders of the Republican caucus met on inauguration day to pledge to oppose and obstruct everything that the President wanted to do in order to make him a one term president. So, the GOP set the stage for divisive politics, but it goes back further. Who remembers George Bush stating that you are either with us or against us in response to people opposed to the war in Iraq? Or, Ronald Reagan demonizing anyone who was on public assistance while conveniently not talking about those that receive tax breaks, tax credits, or government loans? All one has to do is turn on Fox news and listen for the language of divisiveness. Insurgents against the government are called Patriots if they are carrying guns and are white, whereas people protesting police shootings are called thugs. Although study after study would show that there is a evidence that they have a point. The Patriots would appear to be people who think that they are entitled to something. In this case it is the unrestricted use of Federal land. Whenever this President issues an executive order it is all about ruling as a King, it is unconstitutional,.... But when Ronald Reagan or George Bush issued executive orders hardly a peep was heard, although their executive orders expanded the role of the federal government more than Obama has. At a guess if the next President is a Republican we will not hear a peep when they do the same types of things as President Obama has. There might be something said when they repeal the ACA but look at the new Governor of Kentucky who is going to replace their version of the ACA with essentially the same plan. Way to go Kentucky!dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-68161045052086201052015-12-31T09:44:00.003-08:002016-01-07T10:01:35.973-08:00Heroin in WisconsinWe have recently passed a bunch of laws to curtail heroin use in Wisconsin. How noble. Unfortunately they will do nothing to curtail the use and abuse of heroin. Creating a database of everyone with a prescription for synthetic opium will not stop abuse. Neither will the requirement to show an id. The numbers are pretty clear that it is both easier and cheaper to get real heroin. About all that this law will do is be a major inconvenience for law abiding citizens attempting to get their legal prescriptions. I will give some credit to allowing a greater use of Narcan which will reduce overdose deaths. A real solution would involve doing stuff and spending money on things that Republicans just can't even comprehend. Like maybe we should figure out why the use of this drug is on the rise. Everyone knows that heroin is bad for you, why are more and more people turning to it? Maybe we could invest in treatment rather than incarceration and creating databases. Once again a terribly misguided policy and waste of taxpayer money.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-27137890199635273052013-09-02T09:18:00.000-07:002013-09-02T09:18:02.254-07:00Minimum Wage MovementI think that a lot people are sympathetic to increasing the minimum wage but I think that the movement will flame out without accomplishing anything. It is a lot like the occupy movement or the 99%; a lot of people identify with the goals and are in those respective groups figuratively speaking but the majority politicians and the mainstream media will not take up the cause. This would create popular sustaining support and that is lacking. You have billions being spent to convince would be members of these groups to act against their own best interests. What we should look at is how many of these low wage workers are voting for Republicans. It has to be a lot because the Republicans keep getting elected and they are not going to raise the minimum wage. The silver lining might be that some editorial writers and cartoonists have seized on the fact that many of these workers get food stamps, housing assistance, and medical care covered by all taxpayers and that this amounts to a business subsidy. I think that this tact could be successful because people are tired of give aways to business in exchange for jobs that never seem to materialize in the numbers or wages that the companies said they would. So her's to hope that something will move because right now the majority in this country is being crushed by low wages, rising costs and a growing income disparity.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-3623142632912406732013-08-27T19:37:00.000-07:002013-08-27T19:37:34.377-07:00Syria Here We Come...As the war mongers would say it is about time we get into Syria. Yes, they successfully got the President to agree to a war if the Syrian government uses weapons of mass destruction. Apparently they have and we are considering options from a missile strike to aircraft bombardment. No ground forces yet.<br />
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My question is can anyone tell me what side we are on and will we be greeted as liberators like in Iraq and Afghanistan? One thing is really clear, none of the sides like us. It is also clear to me that given the track record of using drones and guided missiles that we sometimes miss the intended target. What happens if one of those missiles get hit by anti-aircraft fire and hits an apartment building, school, hospital,...? Once again I have to congratulate George W. Bush because it was his idea to remake the Middle East utilizing the domino theory. Look what we have now a bunch of newly democratic countries that have elected Islamists who have been just as oppressive as the governments that they replaced and they still don't like us. So we are going to get involved in another war in an effort to bring US style democracy to Middle East. Who knows it might work this time.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-57440617475734304812013-08-26T16:59:00.000-07:002013-08-26T16:59:10.459-07:00Citizen TedWhy is the media totally ignore the Ted Cruz citizenship issue. Is it that they are scared of being portrayed as partisan because they didn't go after Obama as hard. Once again lets review Obama was born in America, I know it is hard to believe but Hawaii is in the United States. Cruz was born in Canada. Certainly not native born but what about natural. Don't know but maybe the Roberts court can carve out a ruling for Senator Cruz so that they don't allow Democrats or anchor babies the same opportunity. But again the real issues are did Ted Cruz vote in an election and is someone with dual citizenship allowed to serve in the Senate. The first one is a felony, which eliminates ones ability to serve as President. <br />
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For you impeachment as long as they are Democrats fans there is an opening here. Obama could have had dual citizenship until he was 23 and he probably voted in elections which is of course illegal.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-52906065780137575682013-08-22T20:35:00.000-07:002013-08-22T20:35:04.407-07:00Liz Cheney CaughtLiz cheney in an effort to shore up her Republican brand went and got a fishing license in Wyoming the other day despite a lack of evidence that she is a fisherwoman. Of course with her being a Cheney complications and lawbreaking ensued. It turns out to get an in state license in Wyoming you have to have lived in the state longer than a few days. This snafu cost her $250 and a lot of embarrassment.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-19860576823000942162013-08-21T19:24:00.000-07:002013-08-21T19:24:52.893-07:00Can Ted Cruz Serve as PresidentWe all know that Senator Cruz is running for President. We have now learned that he was born in Canada (not the United States) to an American mother and a Cuban father. Not all that different from the current President except for one tiny difference, Barack Obama was born in Hawaii (the United States). Clearly the Tea Party Senator is not a natural born citizen. However this is not the most serious issue facing the Senator. You see Canada like the US only requires that you be born in the country for citizenship, so he was sort of an anchor baby in Canada. Now it starts to get complicated. By virtue of an American mother he gained US citizenship, again the US is a little rare in this regard. President Obama did not have dual citizenship after he turned 23 because he failed to renounce US citizenship in favor of Kenyan. Canada on the other hand doesn't drop you unless you file a form with the government so Senator Cruz is still a Canadian citizen. Now this brings up several interesting points. First can someone of dual citizenship serve in the US Senate? No one is really saying if this is ok, I believe that it create such a big conflict of interest (looking out for another country) that it shouldn't be allowed. My guess is that the founders would have felt the same way because they didn't allow foreign nationals to vote. Second, has he ever voted in a US election? It is a felony to be a citizen of another country and vote in a US election, which then would disqualify the Senator from serving as President. As a Republican who sees voter fraud around every corner I find it ironic that he would have voted in a US election which would have been fraudulent. If he had any morals at all he would resign from the Senate immediately and submit to prosecution for voter fraud but being a Republican we know that won't happen. dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-53868870458502639412013-07-30T19:13:00.001-07:002013-07-30T19:13:40.238-07:00Liz CheneyWhy does anyone take Liz Cheney's senate run seriously. Here is a woman who was an architect of the NSA spy program that had many up in arms especially her own party when they realized that Obama was still doing it. Whenever she is on Fox she spews the same discredited talking points from her father's administration. She is another neocon who has been proven to be wrong about everything. dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-41620859158617529292013-07-30T19:09:00.000-07:002013-07-30T19:09:05.730-07:00Free Speech at the CapitolI for one was troubled by the whole idea that you needed a permit to protest your government on public property. I believe that this is unconstitutional, nowhere does it say that you need permits to peacefully assemble. When the tea party rolled into town on Monday I thought that they of all groups would not get a permit. No, I was totally wrong. For all of complaining about government excesses and wanting to restore the constitution they are really all about law and order. The first question I always ask is would they be ok with the rule if a guy they don't like did it. Amazingly that becomes a different story. But, some are consistent and as a person told me all of the protestors breaking the law should be in jail. This person was all about maintaining civil society. They would probably do well in a dictatorship. The fact is that protest and the ability to protest is a key component to the country's founding as well as nearly any change that has taken place since. There is no question that opponents of health care reform succeeded in watering down what was eventually passed.<br />
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If you want to look at protests another way compare the reaction of the Walker administration to unarmed protesters with the debate on gun regulation. The right to assembly does not mention permits, regulation, control,... Whereas, the second amendment mentions a well regulated militia as being essential to defense as being the reason why gun possession shall not be infringed. Does that mean that everyone needs to be in a militia that is regulated? Then there is the argument that we no longer need militias since we have a large standing army. This is where the above people who got a permit say that we need weapons to fight the government with.<br />
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I believe that both amendments shouldn't be curtailed but unfortunately that is not what is happening and only a minority seem to care about the first amendment.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-11952139953333289472013-06-28T20:14:00.001-07:002013-06-28T20:14:59.512-07:00Can't Someone in the Governor's Office Read a GraphThe local paper ran a graph on job growth over the past 2 years. Of course our Governor touted the increase and there is one, but the Governor went on to say that it shows that we are on the right track. I looked at the graph and came away with a totally different assessment. First the graph finishes with a decline. This decline is part of the normal cycle, except that it appears to be steeper that the past declines shown. Second we divert from the national line for the first time in the 2 year time period shown. The national job growth of the Obama economy is outstripping Scott Walker's open for business economy. Conservatives love to point out how Obama tanked the economy. I want to know what they are saying about the Wisconsin economy under the Republicans?<br />
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The other thing that is not discussed is just how much are these new jobs paying? I don't see many high paying jobs being advertised. Mississippi and Alabama here we come. Our politicians already have co-opted their laws we might as well have their economy.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-40532913354020904882013-06-26T20:03:00.000-07:002013-06-26T20:03:49.179-07:00FEMA aid to TexasI saw this reported a few days ago that FEMA has no more money for Texas. I was wondering what disaster had befallen Texas? Further reading said it was the fertilizer plant explosion. I have no idea why this should qualify. This is a State of Texas/ corporation issue. Poor zoning by the State and village and not following the rules by a corporation caused this disaster. Tell me why someone who lives in Wisconsin should be paying for this? If the people have a problem they should sue the company and the state.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-40893531899626894002013-06-25T19:48:00.000-07:002013-06-25T19:48:01.693-07:00Worst Administration EverJust heard that George W Bush's poll numbers have increased, wow what an indictment of Obama. I can't believe it. This was the worst administration ever, I can't think of another president who was worse. They were wrong about Iraq, they were wrong on the economy for eight years culminating with the worst economic collapse ever (it didn't appear as bad because of the social safety net), they bungled the occupation of Afghanistan, they bungled the occupation of Iraq (41 people were killed there today after we made the country safe and left, and they were wrong on domestic policy. And now his poll numbers are going up? I don't get it.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-45358587778666282752013-06-25T19:40:00.000-07:002013-06-25T19:40:16.950-07:00Why Does the Media Consult with Dick CheneyEver wonder why when a quote is needed the media turns to former Bush officials including Dick Cheney? This is a group of people who were wrong about everything and yet they are treated as authoritative sources by news organizations. Maybe it is because W's poll numbers are increasing (don't ask me how this could be) the media seems to have forgotten just how wrong these people are. dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-78303433522452095742013-04-04T19:51:00.001-07:002013-04-04T19:51:20.773-07:00BullyingLast week the Cap Times had an article discussing how bullying can affect you for life according to recent studies. They said that both parties are affected, which I highly doubt but that was their contention. That somehow those of us that are victims need to feel sorry for the perpetrators. I for one am not going to do that. While I was contemplating these things I had the opportunity to watch the movie Bully. I don't understand why it was so controversial when it came out. It appears that not much has changed in all of the years since I was in the grade schools. Teachers and administrators continue to fail to do the right thing. There is a scene in that movie where a kid was beaten by another (he says that he was picked on continuously) the principle wants the two to shake hands and for the one to accept the apology. The one kid wouldn't do it because he knew the other was not sincere. She told that kid he was just like the bully. Really how does this women still have a job. Then there was the kid who was tormented and pulled a gun, the police charged her with 47 counts, crazy. In the end the bullies get away with bullying. Something needs to be done. I actually think that the different education options have helped some escape from the bullying situation but you need parents to know what is going on so that they can move the kid out of school or to an online school. While not ideal it is a start.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-56191969821318367722012-11-27T21:07:00.000-08:002012-11-27T21:07:04.733-08:00Cross Country Ski RacingOver the weekend the US women had some of their best results ever including an historic 3rd place in the relay. There is certainly a talented committed group of skiers right now, hopefully we can keep on developing young talent and become a ski power.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2850830320928458476.post-82979978482642902792012-11-27T20:59:00.002-08:002012-11-27T20:59:57.864-08:00Renaming Gilda's clubThe Madison organization that runs Gilda's Club Madison is going to rename the facility. Apparently the driving reason is that young people don't know who Gilda was. What blow to Gilda's memory. There are lots of things named after dead people. It is the organization's responsibility to tell the story of Gilda and how club came to be.dphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854730797167998439noreply@blogger.com0