Do The Right Thing - Observations from Mark Block

In 1976, when Gerald Ford was President, Governor Pat Lucey appointed Shirley Abrahamson to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Justice Abrahamson has served the state a long - long time. Perhaps too long.

This week she gave a speech heavy on the need for the judical branch to be non-partisan and above all else non-political.

When approached after her elequent remarks by an admirer that congratulated her on the remarks she said:

“IT WAS JUST A SPEECH”.

Perhaps the voters of the great state of Wisconsin will Do The Right Thing and retire Justice Shirley Abrahamson in Spring of 2009.

Stevens Point Wisconsin was the place to be this weekend if you wanted to observe the Wisconsin Republican Party and here are some observations.

Congressman Paul Ryan rocks!!! I have said it many times-I hope to live long enough to see him President of the United States or at least my kids will be able to vote for him.

Congressman James Sensenbrenner told it like it should be told. In blasting Speaker Mike Huebsch he make it clear that Republicans will could be in the minority in the Wisconsin Assembly with leadership that governs like the GOP Congress did prior to the elections of 2006.

“Unfortunately, Speaker Huebsch decided to push it [the budget repair bill] through the Assembly.  And he did so in a manner which does not fix the problems of overtaxing, and replaces transportation fees with more state borrowing - exactly the same move which helped destroy the Republican brand.  Everyone can see this is a political shell game that simply postpones the hard decisions.  Sometimes, leadership consists of saying “NO” to bad policies, rather than going along to get along.”

Congressman Tom Petri did not attend the convention. He was only Republican Congressman from Wisconsin that voted with the Democrats this week for a tax increase.

County Executive Scott Walker is Doing The Right Things to prepare for a run for the Governor’s office in 2010.

Chairman Reince Priebus is one of my heros. He is doing an incredible job in rebuilding a party that lost “it’s brand”, and not only talks the talk - but walks the walk.

However as you looked around the convention hall you had to wonder why the Waukesha County delegation seats were almost empty -

McCain will carry Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel or more appropriately Dave Umhoefer recently won the Pulitzer prize for investigative journalism.

Looks like another great piece of investigate reporting by AP reporter Ryan Foley.  He uncovered more cronyism in the Doyle administration and totally unethical behavior by lawyer, former Governor Tony Earl. 

Political hire costs Wisconsin taxpayers $346,000

Editorial - Don’t be bluffed by budget fear - Go ahead., make the taxpayers’ day.

Beloit Daily News, 5 5 2008

ACCORDING TO THE Doyle administration, unless Wisconsin decision-makers come up with a plan to fill the $527 million budget hole soon, there will be no choice but to cut state payments for schools, municipalities, construction projects and more.

OK. So what?

Not that we’re supportive of the dilly-dallying taking place in Madison, mind you. Those full-time elected legislators - you know, the ones who only spent about four weeks in session last year - have few responsibilities more pressing than establishing the state’s budget.  The failure, again, to manage the state’s finances in a timely and responsible way just adds to the mounting evidence that the people have been poorly served.

THE POINT is that if it becomes necessary to cut … then cut!

That’s what responsible budget managers do, from coast-to-coast, in the private sector, which does not have the luxury of coercively adding revenue (read: raising taxes) or resorting to the kind of accounting legerdemain that is a staple of government.

One need look no further than last week’s announcement that General Motors is shelving the second shift in Janesville, putting some 750 workers out on the street. That is a painful process that will reverberate across the Stateline Area. Does anyone think General Motors’ managers wanted to make that truly tough choice?

By comparison, state government’s challenge is modest.

WE’VE SAID IT before, we’ll say it again. So long as every government employee - state workers, school teachers, city staffers and so on - can expect job security, annual raises and the kind of benefit packages that are rare as snowballs in Miami, stop trying to tell taxpayers how hard decisions are being made.

They’re not. And government does nothing for its sinking credibility by claiming otherwise. The answer is smaller government, coupled with an attitude adjustment by the people.

The Founders did not intend for government to meet every need or touch every corner of citizens’ lives. In fact, the Founders surely would be mortified by today’s bloated bureaucracies and endless demands on the people’s purse.

I have been travelling the state in past couple weeks and have heard quite a few stories of people that want to do the right thing and some stories of people that think they want to do the right thing - but seem to be totally clueless.

Case in point - Representative Kagen from the Green Bay area. Seems he told a group of loggers that are in serious financial hardships for a variety of reasons that he needed to check with his friends with butterfly collections on the impact to their hobby before commenting on restrictive policies of the federal government on the logging industry.

I heard this story sitting a restaurant in the early morning in the most northern part of Wisconsin. The restaurant - usually empty at this time of day - was packed with loggers that didn’t have work to do because of the extreme actions of the environmentalist.

What a perfect commercial - Congressman Kagen checking with his friends on the impact of their butterflys while the north woods of Wisconsin sees jobs lost - businesses closed - families unable to make ends meet - while his friends are trying to determine the impact of their butterfly collection. 

In my opinion Kagen has no clue on Doing The Right Thing.

Court elections give voters needed voice

By Maureen Martin

The polls had barely closed in Wisconsin ’s judicial election — in which the conservative beat the liberal for the second time in a row — when liberals began calling the election a “tragedy ” in a “broken ” judicial system and vowed to fix it. But the system ain ‘t broke. Actually, the election was a stellar example of democracy in action.

What Is ACORN?

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is the nation’s largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities.

RootscampDC - April 12-13, 2008 in Washington, DC

National Education Association
1201 16th Street NW
Washington, DC

What is Rootscamp?

RootsCampDC an “un-conference” where you set the agenda and lead the sessions. RootsCampDC is for people who played a role in the 2008 elections and are prepared to share with others innovations, failures, old wisdom and new discoveries.

Seems like ACORN or affliated groups are up to it again - this time there may be someone watching over thier shoulders.

You may remember that Robert Doeckel from Progress Now/One Wisconsin Now responded to my challenge to have video cameras and volunteers from his organization and mine at 100 polling places on election day and post to YouTube any mischief.

“and video cameras at the polls are just another right-wing voter intimidation tactic. i’ll be glad to share with you our reports of intimidation and misinformation to get voters to stay home.” Robert Doeckel

Seems like Robert and his friends are in training. Rootscamp Attendees

I trust Robert and all the attendees are planning on Doing The Right Thing. Yeh Right!

(Isn’t it interesting that Progress Now and One Wisconsin Now has same template for web site. Wonder where they get their money from? - George where are you?)

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported that State Representative Mark Pocan requested assurances from the State Department of Revenue that “businesses do not deduct political contributions to groups that run third-party independent campaign ads…”

Pocan said the state’s largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, which ran some of those independent Supreme Court election ads, has solicited contributions from businesses to pay for the TV ads and other efforts to decide elections

I am sure Representative Pocan wanted to Do The Right Thing  to make sure the ads that ran against Judge Mike Gableman were not funded by illegally deducted contributions. Ya Right.

WMC spokesman Jim Pugh said all its member businesses are told any contributions they make for political ads run by its political arm, WMC Issues Mobililization Council Inc., ads are not tax-deductible.

Dr. Wasserman should Do The Right Thing - Drop out of the race for the State Senate.

If these are the tactics he and Decker will use it would be better for him to drop out now then incur the wrath of the voters in November. Debate the issues - disagree on how to solve the problems facing the state - but do it without stooping to the lowest form of political sleaze ever to be seen in Wisconsin’s history.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this morning. 

Misinformation was “getting spread for political purposes,” said Darling, 63, of River Hills. “It was an issue that (Capitol) people are talking about.”

In the news release issued Wednesday, Darling accused her opponent, Democratic Rep. Sheldon Wasserman of Milwaukee and Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston) of spreading rumors that she had health problems.

The Institute For One Wisconsin has a new web site. Protect Wisconsin’s Vote.

They are talking about the upcoming November election in Wisconsin and that there is a myth about voter fraud in Wisconsin.

I cannot agree with them concerning past elections because I saw it, but agree with them in November of 2008 it will be a little tougher for all the mischief that used to take place.

They must have heard the same rumors about the undercover folks already trying to see who is behind the past abuses and who is funding it. A FBI agent once told me - just follow the money.

George - where are you?