Buy Your Gas at Citgo?

Jeff Cohen is the founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), an ultra left progressive organization that proudly “believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.” In other words, he believes as a pure socialist that corporate media is a barrier to achieving socialist goals. Jeff Cohen is the mastermind behind the latest activist tactic circulating around Madison. It is a call for all those who profess to hate the Bush administration to Buy Your Gas at Citgo: Join the BUY-cott.

“Looking for an easy way to protest Bush foreign policy week after week? And an easy way to help alleviate global poverty? Buy your gasoline at Citgo stations.

Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. Money you pay to Citgo goes primarily to Venezuela -- not Saudi Arabia or the Middle East.

Instead of using government to help the rich and the corporate, as Bush does, Chavez is using the resources and oil revenue of his government to help the poor in Venezuela. A country with so much oil wealth shouldn't have 60 percent of its people living in poverty, earning less than $2 per day. With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela. That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic elections. And why the Bush administration supported an attempted military coup in 2002 that sought to overthrow Chavez.”

The problem as I previously discussed here is that Hugo Chavez is plundering the economy of Venezuela and using the cash to buy the votes of the poor in an effort to create a Fidel Castro inspired socialist state. While the world was focused on the Islamofascist murder spree in London yesterday, Hugo Chavez continued Attacking Democracy In Venezuela and demonstrating More Aggressive Moves by Chavez to Consolidate Power.

“Today an outrageous court hearing will take place in Caracas, Venezuela. Organizers of last year's recall referendum against President Hugo Chavez are facing potential charges of treason. Their crime? Taking a U.S. National Endowment for Democracy grant to advance democracy. It's not just political revenge from a victorious Chavez. It's also an attack on civic institutions and, if successful, opens the door to dictatorship and anarchy.”

Fidel Castro is intent that his legacy lives on in Latin America and he has found a ruthless heir to his vision: One great man leading a socialist society with a literate but docile population and without great wealth for anyone except the ruling party and the drug lords. The Dr. Evil brilliance of Hugo Chavez’s strategy is that he will let the existing rich get out and leave the poor to his tending. How else do you explain Chavez borrowing Venezuelan banking assets at 14% and depositing it back in the same banks at 5%. The rich will soon figure out it’s best to take the money and run leaving only peasants, civil servant lackeys and the occasional traitors.

7/7

Other writers are saying things better than I am about the events of today.

Slate: By Christopher Hitchens.
This latest challenge is far more insidious, however, because the ambitions of the killers are non-negotiable, and because their methods so exactly match their aims.

Winds of Change: By Bill Roggio.
One thing is certain: the terrorist attacks in Britain will call into question the viability of the legal/policing approach to the War on Terror, as well as Europe’s immigration and asylum laws. Robert S. Leiken's article Europe's Angry Muslims in the July/August of Foreign Affairs explains the inherent problems with Europe's Muslim populations and the pervasiveness of radical Islamists in the European culture. If the latest terror attacks in Britain force Europe to take a tougher stand on the Islamists in their midst and lead to the dismantlement of the vast Islamists support structure, then al Qaeda miscalculated the impact of the attack.

DANEgerous: Islamofascism: By DANEgerus.
Cliff May: On the BBC today one British official was quite puzzled that the terrorists would strike during the G8, a time when world leaders were addressing “poverty, inequality and injustice.”

That presupposes that the terrorists care about “poverty, inequality and injustice.” How stupid do you have to be to believe that someone who takes money from a Saudi billionaire to buy bombs cares about “poverty and inequality”? How ignorant do you have to be to believe that to Radical Islamists “justice” means anything other than infidels choking on their own blood, their civilization burning and a glorious, renewed caliphate arising from the ashes?

If you don’t first accept there is a worldwide religious war against those who worship a divinity that rewards killing humans, then you will never completely understand the events of this period of time. Tenets of faith are not products derived from logic and will not be changed by logic. Killers seeking rewards in the afterlife are not the same as criminals seeking rewards of the here and now. Nothing in the actions of western civilization created the belief that God desires the killing of innocents. All guilt lies entirely upon the guilty.

Political Physics Suck

Gbfan vents some frustration with the Wisconsin Republican Party proposed State Budget, in a post also carried on the Badger Blog Alliance. I understand and share his frustration but I believe it is, in large part, a problem of inertia. The growth of government has gathered momentum over half a century and it will take a lot of force to stop that direction. The fact that growth has been only slowed is not ideal and certainly not good, but now more than ever it is important to keep pushing the brakes.

I hear a great deal of talk on both the national and state level that the Democratic Party is devoid of ideas and destined to continue their slide into political history, much like the Federalist Party of two centuries ago. I am not confident about drafting that obituary. The incredible idiots leading the National Democratic Party may well self destruct but there are new true believers waiting for the old codgers to fall and to open up the power positions.

The appeal of a strong central government to maintain civil order over a population has never totally faded from American politics and probably never will. The progressive movement does have ideas about health care and environmental control of land use that will get them votes from large urban populations. The progressives will continue the pressure to accelerate government spending and expand the reach of government power into the everyday lives of Americans.

Until the Republicans do a significantly better job of educating urban voters about the principles and values of limited government it will be very hard to reverse the growth of government. If any lesson is to be learned from the current budget it’s that the larger we let government grow the harder it will be to peacefully dismantle the excess.

Mayor Dave's Light Rail Sleight of Hand

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz fundamentally believes that people should live in dense urban clusters and the New Urbanist Theory he believes is absolutely positive that light rail transit is the most efficient method for buzzing people around the human beehive. Mayor Dave is also an astute politician who knows the game of politics is about money, as is evidenced by this passing budget item on this evening's Common Council agenda.

Madison City Council Agenda July 5, 2005: 100. 01418 Amending the Capital Budget to use $300,000 of new Federal EDI funds for the Wexford Neighborhood Center Project (project 45 in the Planning and Development 2005 Capital Budget) and to create a new project 46, "Streetcar Study" in the P&D 2005 Adopted Capital Budget and transferring $300,000 of budgeted General Obligation from the Wexford project to the Streetcar Study project. Sponsors: Mayor Cieslewicz, Kenneth Golden, Tim Bruer, Robbie Webber and Judy K. Olson

Dave’s New Urbanist worker bees have found a way to shift $300,000 of Federal Tax Dollars to pay for his obsession with building light rail in Capital City. It’s a very slick shift because Mayor Dave wants to say the street car study won’t cost city taxpayers anything because it’s paid for by “federal dollars”. The Wexford Neighborhood Center still receives its $300K, but on paper the money now comes from “municipal taxes”.

Mayor Dave and his worker bees are liberal idealists and proud of the fact. The problem with true visionaries is that they often ignore real facts when those facts don’t support the dream. Even if the Mayor reads Rail Disasters 2005 (PDF) he would most likely find the reason for all the light rail failure in big American Cities as flaws in the overall urban design planning. Mistakes of planning his administration won’t make. This 29 page pdf file has the actual numbers on 23 major US cities with rail transit and the picture isn’t pretty unless you enjoy operating deficits.

“Using newly available data, this Rail Disasters 2005 grades rail transit systems based on their ability to increase overall transit ridership in their urban areas. To score an A, both transit ridership and transit passenger miles must be growing faster than driving, while F means that transit is stagnant or declining. The report shows that, of twenty-three urban areas that had rail transit in 2003, only three score better than a D.”

“When Congress first provided money for transit, it was exclusively for capital projects; cities were expected to raise the money needed for operating costs. … Not wishing to lose any federal funds, cities chose rail transit because of, not in spite of, its high costs. Once a few cities built rail transit, other regions became concerned that they weren’t getting their “fair share” of federal funds. This led to the current stampede for rail transit.”

Mayor Dave doesn’t want to miss his “fair share” of the federal pork, especially since he really needs the cash to build his model city filled with shiny new little trains.

The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794

America celebrates July 4th to commemorate the founding of the county by the Declaration of Independence, adopted that day in 1776, although the war which secured American freedom from European rule continued for seven more years. The birth date of self government, like the birthday of any person, only marks the beginning of long journey filled with challenges and changes. So on July 4, 2005 I thought it appropriate to briefly recall the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion which flared up in July of that long ago year.

“This 1794 insurrection was caused, in part, by the lack of federal courts (which necessitated trips to Philadelphia for trial), large numbers of absentee landlords, lack of protection from the Indians, lack of access to the Mississippi River and the high excise tax on whiskey. President George Washington ordered 12,000 to 13,000 troops to the Washington Pennsylvania area. This was the first test of the power of the new government”

From the moment of creation of the United States there was a cultural and political distinction between the cities of the east coast and the settlers on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. British military forces remained in North America after the revolution, controlling Canada and disputing control of land in the west. The newly formed American Government faced with the need to defend theses lightly settled lands decided to tax whiskey distilled in this region to fund the military presence.

The excise tax was imposed upon the source of the whiskey, and the capacity of each still was taxed regardless of actual production or the production actually shipped for sale. Registration of each still was required in June each year forcing owners travel to distant tax offices. The Whiskey Tax became the issue through which independent minded western settlers vented their frustration with the new government. In addition to the unpopular tax there were also the concerns about security, commerce, land ownership rights and the newly formed judicial system.

As organized resistance to the Whiskey Tax developed, harassment and defiance of the tax collectors increased. President George Washington was forced to confront the problem. He responded by sending an army of almost 13,000 troops under the command of Gen. Harry Lee, the Governor of Virginia. Suspected insurrection members were detained and taken to Philadelphia for trial, but the following summer President Washington granted amnesty to virtually all the detained individuals.

As an episode in the evolution of our country the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 was instrumental in shaping the future principles of American self-governance. This small revolt of frontier settlers helped blunt Hamiltonian Federalist Party efforts to create a single powerful central government and affirmed that America is an association of United States. Perhaps most importantly it set a very early precedent that citizens have the right to criticize a government that ultimately derives it’s authority from the will of the citizens.

“It did publicize some of the problems the settlers were having with the government, gave the newly formed government a chance to flex its muscles and, in a sense, redefined the word treason to permit disagreement with the government without being considered treasonous.”

It is also a good reminder that the American Revolution never ended. The struggle for individual liberty and justice within a limited and voter controlled government continues.

An Electrifying Decision

Given that is hard to use a computer without electricity, there is good news from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The court ruled last week in Clean WI vs WI Public Service Commission (PDF) that the Wisconsin Electric Corporation can build a new coal burning electric plant on land they already own in Oak Creek. The new production facility is needed to meet the increasing demand for electricity in the southeastern part of the state. Environmentalist groups lead by Clean Wisconsin had launched an all out multiple pronged challenge to stop the government from approving the project, and the court’s 174 page decision is a complex tour through the myriad of issues raised in this struggle to balance economic growth and preservation of the local environment.

There are two points I find encouraging in this decision. First, a large portion of the ruling involves analysis of how government agencies interpret their legislative guidelines, and I think it is wonderful the justices actually looked up the meaning of words in the dictionary. In addition I am pleased they used an American dictionary rather than looking for guidance from international linguistic sources.

“As noted, the rule itself provides no indication as to when different proposals are sufficiently distinct so as to constitute "alternative sites." The pertinent dictionary definition of "alternative" is "[a]llowing or necessitating a choice between two or more things." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 55 (3d ed. 1992). Additionally, "site" is defined as "[t]he place where a structure or group of structures was, is, or is to be located." Id. at 1688. Thus, the "alternative site" provision requires a CPCN applicant to provide information regarding locations where the proposed power plants are to be located sufficient to present the PSC with a choice.”

Secondly, I find it both ironic and deeply satisfying that the environmentalists are forced into arguing that flaws in computer modeling make computer projections questionable.

¶108 The PSC's decision that coal-fired baseload generation was appropriate was, in part, based on Electric Generation Expansion Analysis System (EGEAS) computer modeling projections (33) that demonstrated energy priority alternatives "[could not] replace the need for new baseload, coal-fired units to serve WEPCO."

¶144 Clean Wisconsin and Calpine argue that the PSC improperly applied §196.491(3)(d)2.-3. to the present case. Clean Wisconsin argues that the PSC failed to make required findings of fact and the EGEAS modeling failed to consider pertinent variables.

Truth in language and skepticism of computer generated data combining to insure that Wisconsin maintains enough electricity for me to keep blogging. Yeah!

Brief Comments on Classical Liberalism

During this holiday weekend it’s easier to let other people do the deep thinking and so courtesy of On The Borderline via Badger Blog Alliance I recommend The Rise, Decline and Reemergence of Classical Liberalism by Amy H. Sturgis © The LockeSmith Institute, 1994. This article in not exactly light summer reading but I do want to point out her distillation of multiple conceptual lines in the following brief set of principles. “In this context, classical liberalism includes the following:”

1. An ethical emphasis on the individual as a rights-bearer prior to the existence of any state, community, or society,

2. The support of the right of property carried to its economic conclusion, a free-market system,

3. The desire for a limited constitutional government to protect individuals' rights from others and from its own expansion, and

4. The universal (global and ahistorical) applicability of these above convictions.

There is a distinction between principles and values. As humans we each value a variety of issues including personal safety, freedom from thirst and hunger, health and long life, a desire for knowledge and wisdom and the ability to appreciate the beauty within the world. The ongoing evolution of our society is in fact an ongoing evaluation of the success of the principles behind our decisions.

Personally I believe the above principles offer the best hope, over time, for the broadest dispersion of human well being, but I also understand the temptation for government power to impose quicker fixes for circumscribed populations. The task for Classical Liberalism is to continue to educate the global population while resisting the appeal of the imposed solution, the mandatory belief, the prohibited peaceful behavior, the tyranny of the majority, the tyranny of the powerful and the tyranny of the violent.

Mayor Dave and the Raingarden Solution

The last time the United States Geological Survey (USGS) caught my attention it was using US tax dollars to fund a new E-Journal with articles such as a French sustainability study addressing the core ecological contradictions of the capitalist system. Anyone interested should start with my Prior Post: New E-Journal for the details. The USGS came up again in a City of Madison press release yesterday announcing that Madison Receives $100,000 in Native Plants/Grasses for Raingarden development.

“Mayor Dave Cieslewicz today announced the city is receiving $100,000 from the Graham-Martin Foundation for the development of raingardens to reduce polluted runoff into local lakes and streams. Cieslewicz made the announcement at the newly completed raingarden at Warner Park.

The announcement comes as new evidence conclusively shows that raingardens are highly effective in reducing polluted runoff. According to a U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) report released this week on two other Madison raingardens, runoff absorption was up to eleven times higher in raingardens than in conventional turf lawns.

The raingarden at Warner Park is technically known as a "bio-retention system". Unlike most raingardens, which capture relatively clean runoff from roofs, bio-retention systems capture polluted runoff from surfaces such as parking lots. Runoff from these surfaces can contain heavy concentrations of fuel, oil and heavy metals.”

This is good news in the sense that environmental measures using local methods to correct local problems are generally worthy of support. My concerns with the environmental movement are organizations such as 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and The Sierra Club that believe there are planetary wide global pathologies of human creation requiring fundamental changes in human behavior. If site specific planning can build natural barriers to mitigate the adverse effects of excessive runoff into Madison’s lakes, then local problem areas for water drainage should be identified and reasonable steps taken to modify the locations.

My fear is that the Cieslewicz administration has repeatedly demonstrated a love for the mandatory solution and the prohibitionist approach to problems. If the environmental extremist side of Dave Cieslewicz gets excited about this approach to cleaning up the Madison lakes, then Madison property owners may be looking forward to mandatory raingarden alterations of their land at their own expense.

Global Warming: Put Up or Shut Up

The best news I have heard recently is that the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce is starting to question the questionable science behind the global warming movement. It is an incredibly beautiful and warm Wisconsin summer evening so I am not spending it reviewing the fraudulent claims of the global warming hysterics. Anyone who cares can search this blog for past posts but let me state my feelings as concisely as I can. Carbon dioxide and water are the two essential building blocks of life on earth and a foundation law of physics is that heat dissipates in open systems like a planet in orbiting in the cold of space. It is time the politicians demand that scientists attest to the validity of their publications and I believe the frauds will be exposed.

WTDY Host "Sly" Praises Hugo Chavez

Madison’s long time “shock jock” Sly Sylvester on WTDY 1670 AM knows you create audience with controversy. It was only a couple months ago he called Condoleezza Rice an Aunt Jemima, which even the NAACP conceded was inappropriate. Because Sly is an individual working hard to maintain himself as a local celebrity it is hard to tell if he really believes that Venezuela under Chavez is better than American under Bush.

“And while I am not suggesting that the United States is becoming a third world country, it is interesting to note that Venezuela's government and the United States' government are moving their respective countries in two different directions. Heading in the wrong direction, unfortunately, is the United States.”

Sly knows there is an audience in Madison that eats up everything anyone can say bad about the Bush administration, but all these twenty something activist liberals should take a long hard look at Hugo Chavez, and what his administration is doing to South America’s oldest democracy. For a detailed profile of a socialist it is hard to beat the talent analysts at The Nation.

Hugo Chavez and Petro Populism: “Lately Chávez has been talking about a "revolution within the revolution," about "transcending capitalism" and about "building a socialism for the twenty-first century." It is a discourse that frightens his enemies, electrifies his base and inspires the left throughout Latin America.” … Just as the urban poor and campesinos love Chávez because of his swarthy, indigenous looks, tight curly hair and his rough, down-to-earth talk, so too are the wealthier classes driven apoplectic with rage by the fact that their president looks likes a construction worker or cab driver.”

"They lost because Chávez has a deep emotional connection with the people, and they have no connection with the people. Also, he has spent a lot of money on the barrios. He pours money into the barrios." In 2004 government spending jumped 47 percent, much of which went to pay for healthcare and education--the missions. But despite the oil windfall, the government has had to borrow heavily. Instead of turning to international financiers, it has increased its internal debt to Venezuelan banks.”

“Garcia says that in the past four years this internal debt has gone from $2 billion to more than $27 billion. The Finance Ministry confirms these figures and says that 60 percent of this debt is held in government bonds. "But what makes this really crazy," says Garcia, "is that the government is depositing all its oil revenue in the same banks at about 5 percent, then borrowing it back at 14 percent. It's a very easy way for bankers to make money. That's why I say this is a government for the rich."

To sum up, Chavez is a dictator in the making who is using whatever means necessary to achieve power. He is using the money from Venezuela’s oil industry to buy the votes of the poor while demonstrating financial discipline similar to the restraint of an alcoholic locked in a liquor warehouse. The financial ineptitude is so obvious not even an admiring writer for The Nation can ignore the reality of a country heedlessly on its way to bankruptcy.

When a thief runs out of available money the next step is to grab weapons and start stealing directly, or start selling some of them for big profit to other criminals. Chavez has already handed over Venezuela’s judicial and security forces to Cuba’s Fidel Castro whom he openly admires and emulates. There is also extensive evidence that Chavez has close working relationships with Columbia’s socialist guerilla force “FARC” and other international groups with anti-American intentions.

Pentagon Chief Escalates Threats Against Venezuela: “Echoing US rhetoric from the Cold War, Rumsfeld described Venezuela’s agreement to buy military hardware from Russia as a threat to the hemisphere. “Certainly I’m concerned,” he said, referring to the arms deal, which involves the purchase of 100,000 AK-47 rifles as well as 10 military helicopters from Moscow.”

Overview PDF (11 Pages): An overview on the dynamics of Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, terrorism and its international supporters.

Hugo Chavez is rapidly becoming the most dangerous threat to America in this hemisphere but this will not be picture the Madison media paints for their target audience. The kids think Chavez is out saving the rain forest.

A Little Walking Perspective

It is an excellent evening for walking so I stroll through the park, pausing to watch the multiple softball games and listen to the pings off the metal bats. As twilight sets in I set off down a favorite path through a prairie restoration with all the plants in summer bloom. All evening the cool clouds would drop occasional sprinkles but right before sundown a gap opened on the western horizon, glowing orange between the dark ground and the darkening sky. I have always enjoyed a little active meditation to clear the mind and a bit of time to put the electronic humming of the information age into some larger perspective.

It would be clever justice if Weare, New Hampshire does condemn Judge Souter's house to build the Lost Liberty Hotel. I hope the developer’s plans include walking paths for the guests through the gardens. It took five Supreme Court votes to remove the restraints on eminent domain but it will only take three votes to demonstrate the consequences of the greater good being imposed top down.

I Should Just Watch Cartoons

I have two quick observations on a hot summer night. First, blogging is not inherently conducive to optimal physical activity. Second, reading law professors debating religion is not conducive to an inner sense of harmony and well being. The day of the Supreme Court issued the Kelo ruling affirming there are no principled restrictions to the use of eminent domain seizure, and therefore, no principled protections for individual private property; I called for the resignation in total of the current bench. After a couple days of thought I’m still convinced that replacing the entire Supreme Court has some merit, and now think that anyone with a law degree should be barred from the sitting on the Court.

Today the Supreme Court came down with two opinions about the relationship between Church and State. In effect they say governments can display the Ten Commandments outside of a government building but not inside a Court Room. All afternoon long a swarm of lawyers descended on the pro and con opinions, dissecting out little chains of precedent and quibbling about the relative equivalence of variations in the meanings of words and phrases.

I wish the court would have simply said that church means an organization of clergy and religious officials, and in America there is no organized government church. Separation of Church and State means no State Church and nothing more. Religion means a set of beliefs about life and death, and therefore, the word church and the word religion are not equivalent and are not interchangeable. If lawyers will not commit to the definition of words then perhaps it is time to remove the lawyers from judgeships. Let the lawyers make their case to people of common sense and principle.

In America there are plenty of organizations free to believe any set peaceful religious beliefs their member’s desire. Individuals are free to join any religious organization they want or not to join any organization at all. Peaceful beliefs mean that human sacrifice is not tolerated, period. I think the Supreme Court is trying figure out a way to say that in a society with religious freedom it is permissible to be identified with your choice, but there are formal government proceedings where the external trappings of belief should be set aside. Nine adults should be able to come up with simple clear statements but first they need to stop thinking like lawyers and start thinking like citizens.

Bush Administration To Attack Comet

From the Wisconsin State Journal comes news there will be a July 4th Comet Attack by the Federal Government. A NASA mission named Deep Impact will send a probe on a suicide journey into comet Tempel 1 currently falling through space at 23,000 miles an hour. The massive explosion expected to follow the impact should expose the theorized icy core of the comet. On our nation’s birthday for only $333 million dollars, scientists should be able to view pristine primordial space ice for the first time.

No cost estimate is given for restoring the comet’s natural environment back to it’s undisturbed natural beauty, nor was a Sierra Club spokesperson quoted in the article. NASA is guaranteeing that the unprovoked attack of a neighboring space object will not cause it to slam into earth in a retaliatory suicide attack. Government authorities are saying comet Temple I is being targeted because it keeps drifting close to Earth every six or seven years. Finally, NASA firmly denies that Hollywood interests were controlling the government in 1998 when the mission was conceived.

“The Deep Impact spacecraft shares the same name as a 1998 Hollywood disaster movie about a comet headed straight for Earth. NASA says that the names for the space mission and blockbuster movie were arrived at independently around the same time and by pure coincidence.”

I hope NASA can back up their guarantee because there is speculation that violence far away in outer space potentially reaches the Earth. See: Prior Post: Connections.

The Smoke Wars: Prohibition or Regulation

In Madison, as in many cities nationwide, there is an ongoing campaign to abolish tobacco use. On a Prior Post: The Smoke Wars there is a link to a detailed history of the anti-smoking movement in Wisconsin. Thursday evening the Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill requiring local governments to allow smoking in restaurants, taverns and other workplaces. The anti-smoking groups reacted in quick and predictable fashion and in fairness these are links: Smoke Free Wisconsin Response and American Cancer Society Response.

I support what the Assembly is doing not out of love for tobacco or for smoking in public, but rather because it touches on many of the issues important to the ongoing evolution of the society we design for ourselves. The health effects of direct smoking and the second hand smoke studies used by the anti-smoking movement have been covered extensively elsewhere, so I would like to point out a constitutional concern based on our First Amendment right to peaceful free assembly.

Municipal governments have re-defined smoking as a health matter which they then claim a right to regulate as a work place safety issue. An important aspect of smoking as a health concern is that it is not an imminent health threat like a viral or bacterial epidemic. On one hand, directly inhaling smoke from multiple packs of cigarettes, consistently over thousands of days, correlates with increased rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, there is no evidence of immediate or short term life threatening consequences from tobacco smoke. Heavy smokers pretty much start dying off in their 50’s after years of the habit. This is a sad but tolerable fact within a free society allowing individuals to make both good and bad personal choices.

The First Amendment to the Constitution insures American citizens have the right to peaceful free assembly and no municipal government has authority to abolish this Federal right. None of the existing municipal ordinances claim smoking is violent or associated with violent activity. Smoking is a peaceful activity. None of the existing municipal ordinances claim smoking causes proximal life threatening consequences like cocaine and the opiates. The point the State Assembly is correctly making is that municipal government has the power to regulate where and when smokers can assemble, but absolute prohibition of a peaceful assembly exceeds the authority of local government. Personally, I have no problem with the concept of limited government power.

Cross Plains, Wisconsin

One thing I love about history is that true existence existed down to the level of the smallest detail. Viewed from a distant perspective our history is the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, a devastating Civil War, World War I, II, Korea, Vietnam, and then Iraq. In tighter focus our ancestry it is millions of stories like the following.

“As the United States developed westward, towns and villages built alongside roads and railway lines. The town of Cross Plains was settled along two major military roads that crossed each other on a beautiful, fertile prairie. Within 20 years of the first town meeting in 1847, two more villages were established nearby, Christina and Foxville.

People were attracted to the area by the good farm land, abundant wildlife and business potential. The Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul railroad line went through the northern part of town and the Madison-Mineral Point stage road crossed through the southern part. These available shipping routes were important to the growth of all three villages.

The first store in the area was opened around 1850 in Cross Plains by the Baer brothers. By 1880 there were hotels, a lumberyard, blacksmiths, a shoe store, churches, schools, harness shops, a post office, saloons and other businesses throughout the three communities. A grist mill was built in 1857 and the area's first bushel of wheat was shipped out from the railway depot in Foxville. Saeman Lumber and Henry M. Zander's Creamery and General Store provided local farmers with the means to trade for items they could not produce on the farm. Butter was traded at the general store and grain and livestock were traded for building materials. The farm products were then shipped off to Milwaukee and other cities on railroad cars.”

The Fifth Amendment was ratified in 1791 and by 1847 Europeans were moving to live first along the military roads and then beside the railroads which followed shortly thereafter. The settlers were attracted to the location by good land with wildlife and the opportunity to make an honest living. By 2005 the town was less than 3,000 residents, mostly all United States citizens, and committed to their community through events such as the Cross Plains Worlds Fair from Friday, June 24, 2005 through Sunday, June 26. Perhaps because they live in a Democratic county within a corporate culture country they felt the need to write a mission statement which reads:

“The mission of the Cross Plains "World's Fair" is to organize and conduct a community event each year that will promote good will for the Cross Plains area and unite the citizens of the Village of Cross Plains and local service organizations in a cooperative non-profit venture, the net proceeds of which shall be used solely to further the common good and general welfare of the people of the Cross Plains, Wisconsin, community, by bringing about civic betterment and social improvements.”

On June 23, 2005 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that municipal government has the right to seize private homes owned by U.S. citizens if the majority elected government wants the property for economic development. Private owners in the minority have no choice but to either take the money offered or not. From 1847 to 2005 Cross Plains, Wisconsin grew from zero to 3,000 residents while Chicago, Illinois grew to over 3 million people, so Cross Plains has room for economic development.

The Supreme Court Should Resign In Mass

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of municipal government in Kelo vs. City of New London. Bloggers across the political spectrum are commenting although I have yet to come upon any enthusiastic support of the winning side. This may be a good moment for everyone to actually read the Fifth Amendment and decide if this brief passage truly reflects what we believe about our society.

Amendment V - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings. Ratified 12/15/1791.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The left is having problems with the reality this decision gives government new power to seize property of the poor for the direct benefit of corporations, and indirect benefit of the total population. The right understands correctly this decision expands the seizure power of government by setting the standard of individual property protection so low that it effectively ceases to be a barrier. When this case was accepted by the Supreme Court in February I wrote the following analysis.

"The troubling aspect of this case is that normally when private land is taken under the power of eminent domain, the ownership of the land transfers to the public as represented by the government. Applied fairly this seizure power provides things like public roads and city parks. In this instance, which is not unique, eminent domain is being used to transfer the ownership rights from one private party to another private party, with the hope that the new private owners will make the land available for public use.

At the heart of the dispute is what the “public use” phrase in the 5th Amendment means. Privately owned and open to the public, for example retail shops and restaurants, is a classic business model that can be considered public use of land. This is very different from publicly owned and used by the public such as a community swimming pool. It is meaningless to use the term “public use” without direct reference to the property being used.

In this case the city government believes the greater good of the community will be served by seizing private homes for the benefit of a private organization. If the amount of revenue a government can receive from a property is the determining factor in exercising the right of eminent domain, then the whole concept of private property is mute. If the government can legitimately transfer ownership rights between private parties based on the highest bidder, then there is no meaningful right of private ownership, only a right to fair compensation as determined by the government."

So now the Supreme Court has determined that it is constitutional for government to change the ownership of private property as long as they justify the seizure and transfer as having some form of public use. In other words, individual property owners have no legitimate defense against any type of seizure that a majority desires. This may be a good time to ask that the entire Supreme Court resign in total. They no longer reason with any demonstrable consistency of logic or conviction. It will be politically bloody but we should just pick a brand new Supreme Court, nine brand new judges and let them clean up this mess.

A Mini TIF Tiff

It is late on a hot Wednesday night and lacking the ambition to do new thinking I am resorting to pulling up old posts like Building A Model City In Madison. Actually there is some justification since there is a bit of an update reported in the Wisconsin State Journal. Dean Mosiman continues some good reporting in the following article.

Madison Aldermen call for more TIF scrutiny: “Alds. Mike Verveer and Judy Olson, members of the leftist political party, are proposing a series of changes to the city's tax incremental financing (TIF) policy to ensure projects don't harm the city. … "If we are going to meaningfully shape TIF projects and get the biggest bang for the taxpayers' dollars, then we have to end the first-come, first-served rush by developers to get the city's limited TIF funds," Verveer said.”

It’s amusing to see the State Journal refer to Alders Verveer and Olson as belonging to the leftist political party, as if there were any representatives of limited government on the Madison City Council. I suppose the truth is that anytime a group of twenty people are assembled there will be a gradient of opinion on social issues, and it looks like some on the left end of the left side are not comfortable with Mayor Dave and the big developers being all buddy-buddy on building projects.

There is even some evidence around that Progressive Dane is not all that thrilled about trolley cars. It seems the Greens have enough common sense to understand that busses can go get the poor where they live, rather than hoping the poor will move themselves to live near fixed rail systems.

Fair Warning: Socialized Health Threat

It is the first official day of Summer and while most Wisconsin residents are relaxing on a warm workday evening, there are activists working on a plan to impose a very bad health care plan on every single individual living in the State. The website is up and running with the details. Everyone in Wisconsin should take this movement very seriously.

Wisconsin Health Care For All: “Universal health-care coverage in Wisconsin: It's not just a dream. … After considerable legal, economic and political study, we have endorsed a "provide-or-pay" plan for Wisconsin. Non-insuring businesses are required to either provide coverage, or contribute to a fund that buys coverage for their employees.”

“The strategy: We invite you to join us in a two-year push to achieve health care for all in Wisconsin. We will work with members of the Madison City Council to create a model law for Madison. Then we will move on to other local governments around the state.”

Brochure Page One (PDF): “Our Goal: Health Insurance for every person in Wisconsin because Health Insurance = Health Care. … By law employers will either provide insurance for their employees or pay their local government to provide an affordable comprehensive plan. Everyone must have health insurance.”

Brochure Page Two (PDF): “It's cost effective. Everyone is covered. Sharing the cost of health care among the well and sick, young and old saves money. … Local governments in Wisconsin have the authority to pass "provide or pay" group plans. These plans will attract insurance companies. We will work with local governments to see that all Wisconsinites benefit from universal health care. We can do this job one local government at a time.”

Point 1: Health Insurance does not equal Health Care. This is a deliberate phrase being used to create a false impression with the public. An object or a service is not the same thing as the price paid for that object or service. Care means diagnosis and treatment. Insurance means someone else pays most of the cost of diagnosis and treatment.

Point 2: The only mandatory requirement for hiring individuals is paying for the work performed under State and Federal Guidelines. The goal of this movement is to create a second mandatory financial obligation on all employers regardless of size.

Point 3: U.S. Citizens are currently free to pay their own health care debts and only their own health care debts. The phrase “everyone must have health insurance” means this freedom is abolished. This design imposes a mandatory obligation on an individual to pay the medical bills of strangers.

Point 4: Health Insurance does not reduce the cost of health care. Health Insurance divides the total cost of health care among a pool of individuals, regardless of who created the expenses. The inflation in health care pricing is in large part due precisely to the fact that insurance has blunted competitive market forces.

Point 5: The dollar volume of expenses an individual incurs is significantly dependent on the choices that individual makes. Keep in mind how the City of Madison has already demonized smokers precisely because of potential health effects.

Point 6: This people behind this movement are intelligent and serious about achieving their goals. More importantly they are absolutely correct that Wisconsin municipal governments have the right to enact and enforce this type of socialist control over municipal residents and business operations. The courts will not override an ordinance of this design.

Hot Monday Night Doldrums

It feels like a summer Monday night. I keep exploring off in different directions looking for the compelling good idea for the day but can’t seem to settle into any single area. I wanted to find an online version of “Sustainable Times”, a pulp newsprint ad-rag I found on the east side over the weekend, but there is nothing in the digital realm. I was ready to dissect the article urging us to buy second hand clothes since the “U.S. ships tons of clothing overseas where it can disrupt local markets”. I wonder if she means the local overseas markets that make all the clothes worn in the U.S. in the first place.

The same paper has a long article about Socially Responsible Investing which begs the question can an anti-corporate socialist invest in the stock market and still be a socialist? The more I work through the thought process of the left, the more it seems they have real issues with the concepts of wealth and money. In general wealth is bad if it belongs to the wealthy and good if it belongs to non-profits or the government. It’s as if large sums of money cease to be wealth outside of a corporate structure. I do like this post over at Coyote Blog which concludes:

“And that is the heart of socialism's failure. For the true source of wealth is not brute labor, or even what you might call brute capital, but the mind. The mind creates new technologies, new products, new business models, new productivity enhancements, in short, everything that creates wealth. Labor or capital without a mind behind it is useless.”

Driving Will Continue In The Future

The Socialist – Progressive movement in the United States is to a large degree dependent on convincing voters the American way of life is neither sustainable nor safe for the environment. I believe they are wrong on both counts. A foundation eco-socialist belief is that the world is running out of oil, and therefore, oil based economies, especially the United States, will contract dramatically or collapse entirely. The progressive leadership’s hatred of capitalist organizations appears to blind them to the reality that the laws of physics still apply, and human imagination allowed to explore the universe will create solutions that preserve political and economic freedom.

Kudos’ to UW Madison Professor James Dumesic and the Dumesic Research Group for doing true science with measurable and reproducible results, and unlimited potential for sustaining the quality of life our ancestors fought and worked to provide us. The following two articles cover the innovative research, and the key point to understand is that it is possible to economically produce liquid fuel, so there is no reason to fear fictional horror stories the left is selling.

New Green Diesel: “University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering researchers have discovered a new way to make a diesel-like liquid fuel from carbohydrates commonly found in plants. … The fuel produced contains 90 percent of the energy found in the carbohydrate and hydrogen feed. If you look at a carbohydrate source such as corn, our new process has the potential to create twice the energy as is created in using corn to make ethanol."

Process Increases Biodiesel Efficiency: “The researchers' method converts biomass into liquid alkanes within a self-sustained refinery. Alkanes are hydrocarbons. The simplest is methane. More complex alkanes are the main components of gasoline. … The conversion process has the potential to allow domestically-available biomass to become part of the solution to the United States' current dependence on fossil fuels, according to Dumesic.”

Computer generated projections are not science. Cherry picking and analyzing only favorable data is not science. Calling yourself a scientist does not necessarily make your work scientific. When trained activists pontificate about peak oil, simply ask them so what?

A True Madison Acitivist Story

The following is a true story about a Madison Activist who discovers that not all environmental organizations have the environment as their main agenda. While reading this journey about one persons Green Corps activist career, I am reminded that religious cults are also non-profit organizations. What Green Corps Brochures Won't Tell You By Nathaniel Miller.

“Green Corps sounded like the ideal program. I had been an activist in college and Green Corps claimed that it took college graduates, trained them, and paid them to work for a year on various campaigns with big-name environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Greenpeace.”

“After the August training was complete we were sent into the field to work on campaigns with various environmental organizations. Some people worked on Clean Energy issues with Greenpeace in Florida and California. I went to work with the Sierra Club in Madison, Wisconsin.”

“Naomi Roth stated, “maybe racism will be solved in a couple hundred years, but the environmental movement needs to recognize its base of power is with the white middle class, and that is where we should organize.” Central Staff constantly reiterated the statement that “Diversity is not part of Green Corps’ mission.”

In the end Nathaniel Miller Gets Fired from his position working with Dane County Supervisor Brett Hulsey in Hulsey’s Sierra Club office. In Madison there is always work for youthful idealists and Nathaniel moves on to another position with the Student Environmental Action Coalition where activists work to achieve both social and environmental justice through national campaigns to Prohibit the Use of Tampons.

Big Brother Redux Referral

When I was a child, my grandfather had an old metal drum beside the back alley to burn trash. Paper in particular burns to complete oblivion, beyond the reach of reclamation technology. I recommend reading the entire Big Brother Redux post below.

My Catharsis “Another day, another violation of our civil rights by our Department of “Justice”.”

I want to make sure the Republican’s remember that I vote Republican because the Democrats desire to oppress more liberties than the Republicans, but neither side is without prohibitionist zealots with members fully willing to use power to stop behavior they do not like. The important word in that last sentence is like …

Rumor, Rumor! Read It Here First

There was a Bryan Smith sighting yesterday. The former blogger of Sanity in Mad City (in hiatus) was spotted attempting “civil dialog” with a Madison Liberal. As of this evening Bryan has not yet been called a “Nazi” but it’s clear that dealing with Madison Democrats has his adrenaline pumped. The real news is that Bryan let the following comment slip out:

“if they knock down the village bar, that's the last straw. I'm running for city council :). # posted by Bryan Smith: Wed Jun 15, 03:25:55 PM”

I am officially starting the rumor that Bryan Smith is running for the Madison City Council with hopes of one day soon going head to head with Oil Addict and Madison Alderman Lyin' Austin King. Maybe sometime in the near future the two will get into official discussions on subjects like Raising Madison Bus Fares. I can envision Mayor Dave Cieslewicz sitting passively while the conversation between King and Smith goes like something like this:

Bryan: Madison Metro is coming up about $421,000 short this year, and we can no longer depend on State and Federal tax dollars to bail out a system that costs Madison more to operate than it earns in passenger fares.

Austin: Are you logrolling me? Are you trying to get me to trade my vote for a vote on your capitalist spending plan?

Bryan: Calm down Austin. All I’m saying is that the busses are packed on the morning and evening commutes into central Madison, but our deep discounting of bundled fares for the UW-Madison and State of Wisconsin workers aren’t covering our expenses. The fact that ridership is very high at these two times demonstrates there is a market for mass transportation at these specific times. Perhaps that market could be contracted to licensed and regulated private bus companies.

Austin: What about social justice? Where is the Social Justice in charging poor people to ride to work? You are trying to keep the poor from working!

Bryan: Mayor Dave! Can’t you make Austin shut up? This is insane.

Lost on Wednesday Night

The solid cloud cover almost lasts until the very end of the day when in the cool evening air occasional rays of bright sunshine break though reaching the ground. This statement is true for:

a) Wednesday, June 15, 2005,
b) Four hundred million seven hundred five thousand six hundred twenty six years ago,
c) Eight hundred million four hundred thirty two thousand sixty three years in the future,

d) a only,
e) a & c,
f) b & c,
g) none of the above if you are on a boat,
h) all of the above if the confidence limits for the data are tweaked.
i) who cares, what else is happening?

Jiblog: “Today is officially Jiblog's 1st Blogiversary. I thought about doing a great big retrospective on the last year, but then I decided "ah, screw it." Thank you to all of my readers for making this an enjoyable year of blogging.”

Badger Blogger: “This socialized medicine plan makes HilleryCare look good! And WHY are supposedly pro business groups like Wisconsin Independent Businesses supporting a plan that will bankrupt small businesses? How many businesses can afford a tax of 8% - 10% of their entire payroll? This will kill businesses and drive other out of Wisconsin and there is no way new businesses will move to Wisconsin.”

Lance Burri: “…before Democrats talk of sitting on their hands in 2006, or half-heartedly supporting Doyle, or even flirting with a third-party candidate, they need a reality check. For now and for the foreseeable future, Doyle is all they've got.”

Free Will: “Because Democrats sent Loftus, Chvala and Garvey to carry their Party’s campaign banner, legislative Democrats are in the minority in both chambers, by a handsome margin to boot, leaving Jim Doyle too few allies among his Party to matter, and no one on the GOP side willing to trade budget votes against the hope of Green or Walker winning next year.”

Wigderson Library & Pub: “Het2Blog has changed it's name to Cooler Near the Lake. Same Link. I like the name change. Maybe I should change mine to "Warmer Inland?" Naaaahh.”

Problems With Driver License Based ID

Joe Wineke, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin rushed this Press Release to the public today claiming it proves “Republicans are not interested in election reform; they are interested in stacking the elections in their favor and turning away voters like the elderly, women, African Americans, Hispanics, and young people who traditionally vote Democratic.” It may well have been a “Howard Dean Moment” with yips and whoops and the euphoria that comes from unbridled expression of simultaneous superiority and contempt.

The press release while filled with invective is missing almost anything from the actual report so in the interest of accuracy, here is the link. The Drivers License Status of the Voting Age Population in Wisconsin (PDF) by John Pawasarat, Employment and Training Institute, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, June 2005. The report which compares census data to drivers license lists appears to make the case that the Wisconsin Drivers License system is to messed up to be an effective ID system of any kind.

The first major issue centers on the fact that not everyone has a drivers license. When the existing license holder population is divided up, it is clear there are subgroups that either don’t drive or don’t drive legally. The caution that must be applied to this analysis is that not having a drivers license does not mean the person does not have a photo ID. “A portion of the population without a drivers license – whether valid or not – will have a photo ID, but without an analysis by race and location, it is not possible to estimate that population.”

This study generates lots of graphs from the manipulated data but since the number of other photo ID holders by their own admission is unknown, it raises the question: so what? Besides, the whole study ignores the fact that there are provisions in all proposed voter ID legislation to provide ID for those who need them. If you are a legal Wisconsin voter you can vote.

A second issue concerns the accuracy of the residential information on the drivers license. ”Those students and young adults living away from home but retaining their permanent home address on their drivers license need to provide proof of residence to vote prior to registration under current laws. Because the drivers license is a valid ID, regardless of address, few if any in this population would have a photo ID with a current address.” This is also a concern in minority populations that move frequently.

The problem that Republican sponsored photo ID legislation is attempting to correct is the accuracy of voter identification. The current system attempts to verify residential location but does not attempt to verify the individual actually doing the voting. If Democrats want the existing photo ID system to be considered flawed beyond utility, then where is Joe Wineke’s outrage that students, minority youth and the elderly are shut out by this unfair, unjust and inaccurate system required just to buy Sudafed? Do the poor not suffer their allergies the same as the rich? The hypocrisy is just unbelievable.

Abu Ghraib & Guantanamo in 4 Paragraphs

The war on terrorism should more accurately be called the war on religious terrorism. Our inherent American sensitivity toward religious beliefs apparently prevents our leaders frankly stating this fact loud and clear. Our soldiers are in Afghanistan and Iraq only because Islamic extremists emerged in this large region of the planet and have demonstrated that no society on the planet is safe from their anger.

The unique and defining danger in this conflict is the emergence of a branch of Islam that believes in human sacrifice. I know of no other term that applies to the concept that a divine being grants favors to individuals who kill other humans. Tyrants and criminals who kill for personal gain can be controlled by their fear and greed, but religious killers who sacrifice human life for immortal glory must be captured or eliminated.

The harder task is to disprove the power of a blood thirsty God. The opponents of this war have objections to every aspect of the conflict, but they do not have an answer about how to rid the world of the powerful notion of achieving immortality by killing others. The only answer is the one the Bush Administration has been forced to pursue, and that is to prove to the entire world that human sacrifice does not work in the world of the living.

What I see in the Abu Ghraib photographs is the absence of blood, bruises, burns, broken bones and bullet holes. What I read about in Guantanamo are trapped men given every single opportunity to summon Allah to save them from their captivity. Every day these men exist with flesh intact and free to pursue their devotion as proscribed by their religion is another day the Islamic world observes that an all powerful being does not answer calls for the vindication of wicked killers.

Lazy Daze and Bad Law

Quickly surfing around the local blogsphere there is considerable support for being lazy now that real summer weather is established in Wisconsin. It appears the legislature is ahead of the public in that lazy politicians screw up the bad legislation Governor Doyle signed this week. In the spirit of summer, I resort to referring to my prior comments and supporting documents and defer to Boots & Sabers who nicely sum up my feelings on this whole sad sorry story of government taking away another piece of freedom from the public, because it was the easiest thing for them to do. As always the public is left to adapt to the consequences, like budgeting more shopping time when driving the car to Wal-Mart.

Buy Wisconsin Pot This Weekend

Lola and I recommend buying POT this weekend and the best opportunity is the 14th Annual Cambridge Pottery Festival where forty nine Local Ceramic Artists will be displaying their wares. If you want plates, bowls, cups or vases you can purchase factory molded single glazed Martha Stewart Living Chinese imports or hand made Wisconsin pieces of superior quality and style. Madison residents in particular are reminded they are to think global, act local, eat local and eat off local dishes.

We highly recommend Susan & Eric Anderson of Markesan, WI who created the “Altered Pottery” shown in the photograph on the artist list page. Jerry Reinwand of Portage, WI for his continual development of crystalline glazed porcelain which no photograph does justice. Finally Ruth Hansen from Verona, WI because there is apparently no limit to her imagination about the shape and form clay can obtain.

Lake Geneva's Moonbat Gathering

UW-Madison's Havens Center organized Wisconsin Radfest 2005 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin last week and I missed the actual event. The Havens Center is part of the UW-Madison’s Department of Sociology which makes it a Wisconsin taxpayer funded aspect of our general commitment to “higher education”. The center exists for the expressed purpose of proposing utopian alternatives to activists. You can’t make this stuff up.

“The traditional tasks of critical social thought have been to analyze the sources of inequality and injustice in existing social arrangements, to suggest both practical and utopian alternatives to those arrangements, and to identify and learn from the many social movements seeking progressive social and political change.”

“The Havens Center seeks to promote progressive social and political change through engagement with the activist community in Madison and beyond. The principal vehicle for this effort is RadFest/Midwest Social Forum, an annual conference for progressive activists and academics held the weekend after Memorial Day.”

For any one seriously wanting to understand the left the Radfest Program (PDF) is a guided tour of the clumped aggregate of dislikes and concerns that the socialists want to knit into a grand theory of HOW WE SHOULD LIVE. As an extra bonus it includes a wonderful listing of Wisconsinites working to achieve “radical” change in the Badger State.

I don’t know how people decide which sessions to attend. Ed Garvey is talking about how to create a “people’s legislature” while next door the Madison Area Democratic Socialists talk about how to defeat Wal-Mart. Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager making the case that women should rule the world or three UW-Whitewater Professors discussing how horrible it is that Ward Churchill was protested. Finally from a purely tactical standpoint, how does one decide between learning to organize mobile home parks or how to effectively use race in campaigns. After all in the real world, the democrats don't care what utopian dream you believe as long as you vote them into power.

Jagged Little Pills All Around

Isn’t it ironic that Canadian Alanis Morissette sings the United States National Anthem to open the NBA Finals the year that no National Hockey League games were played? Right now I’m too tired for proper outrage at each and every single Wisconsin politician and my methamphetamine dealer just quit to take a $7.85/hr job doing short order cooking. Apparently Woodman’s still carries the ingredients to make killer beef tips on the grill.

Isn’t it ironic that Governor Jim Doyle is outraged now that he supports what he used to oppose. I would be tempted to call this a “flip flop” but in my cool logical methamphetamine free brain, I understand the Governor is engaged in nuanced policy alternatives sensitive to the changing needs of his constituents.

Governor Doyle June 2005: "I am deeply disappointed that the Joint Finance Committee today voted down a bipartisan recommendation for construction of a Hmong Cultural Center. … "I urge the Legislature to reverse course and provide the deserved and necessary funding for the Hmong Cultural Center."

Governor Doyle July 2003: “The Legislature's budget committee voted Tuesday to spend $3 million to help build a Hmong cultural center in Milwaukee - a project Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed because it was part of a pork-barrel deal that got a now-recalled senator to vote for the state budget.”

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz feeling the need to toss in his 2 cents worth goes on record saying: "I am very disappointed that the Joint Committee on Finance failed to support building a Hmong Cultural Center in Madison.” Not only will there be no State cash to build more density into Capital City but all those Hmong are potentially qualified condo loan applicants, even those who are not U.S. Citizens.

Neko Case Night

Lola is trying to pass this off as a Honky Tonk Night but there is no way a “theatre” can ever equal a sleazy bar. Tonight it's Neko Case at The Barrymore Theatre for one show only.

“Over the past five years, it's become abundantly clear that Neko Case has emerged as the finest female country singer of her generation, the 30-something redhead possessing such a unique, instantly recognizable voice, evoking husky-voiced torch singers from decades ago, the Nashville chanteuses of the 1960s and '70s, and combining it all with a tough-girl edge, a result of her punk rock background.”

Daydreaming on a Warm Afternoon

The talk on the radio is speculation about the 2008 Presidential election and who will be players and what topics will move the public to the polls. A guest is making an educated guess that “immigration” will be the deciding issue three years in the future. He has a documented track record of taking polls and analyzing polls and projecting what the polls foresee. The next election will be about who is a citizen and what does citizenship mean.

It’s the warmest day of the year in Wisconsin so I grab my best kaleidoscope, wander outside, sit down and point it at the sky. As I twist the cylinder the translucent trinkets jumble around in reflectively multiplied colored patterns. At times I create brilliantly blue striated triangles with pure green centers, and at other times I create ruby red clusters flecked with diamond white insets. Each little motion in the progress of time changes the structure of the pattern. The next election will be about what can be done to keep me and my loved ones healthy and alive, and who pays price.

So let me tip the hat to Boots & Sabers for exposing the Dean Health Plan and WEA Trust Non-Compete Agreement. Once large pools of money are accumulated it is much easier to keep them intact if you don’t have to defend against predatory competitors.

“This is an email from an Account Manager at Dean Health Plan in Madison to a person at WEA Trust. In it is discussed the language of a non-compete agreement between Dean Health Plan and WEA Trust where Dean promises to NOT approach any school districts which currently use, or plan to renew with, WEA Trust.”

The health care available in the United States is the best on the planet, and it achieved this level in large part because individuals and organizations can profit when they improve the results of medical treatment. Health care financing in America, however, is deeply flawed and wide open to political manipulation of human fears and desires. Both factions of the Democratic Party see this as their best hope back into power, especially if no one is checking the citizenship of urban voters.

Madison Property Tax Screw Up

Buried way back on page 40 of the Madison City Council June 7th Agenda (PDF), the Council gets to decide if they want to pay back $2,775,000 of property tax money to American Family Insurance. It appears that Madison overplayed a money grab from the big boys who have pretty good lawyers, ample cash and can read State Tax Law.

“Item 101 Approving a settlement of property tax litigation with American Family, authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to sign settlement documents authorizing a payment of $2,775,000 from City resources to effectuate the approved settlement, and amending the 2005 Operating Budget to reduce estimated General Fund revenues by $933,000 to recognize the City's share of settlement costs.”

The history and details are in Legislative File ID 01349 which has a link to the full legislative text file. Allow me to paraphrase the message to the council: We are screwed if this goes to trial and we should settle this quickly.

“The City of Madison and American Family Mutual Insurance Company have been litigating the property tax assessments for the American Family headquarters. … Prior to the mediation, the City had concluded that a significant refund likely would be due to American Family if the cases were tried. The issue at trial would focus more on the amount of the refund, not whether one was due. … The City of Madison must pay the full amount of the refund and then file with the State Department of Revenue to be repaid the shares for other taxing jurisdictions.”

Oh but the fun is just beginning! Not only does the city have to pay back what they owe; they need to pay back what they distributed to other governmental units. The script may go something like this: Hi, I’m Mayor Dave. My administration gave you some tax dollars and now I need the money back. I understand that you have already spent it but I really need (fill in the blank*) to write me a refund check.

* Possible choices include the Sun Prairie School District, the DeForest School District, Madison Area Technical College, Dane County (sorry Kathleen) and the State of Wisconsin (my bad Jim).

It will be curious to see if the Green Party alderpersons Konkel, King and Benford can be persuaded to voluntarily give tax dollars back to a private business because Two Million Seven Hundred Seventy Five Thousand dollars is a lot of money. It’s enough to buy 1.3 million gallons of fossil fuel or to pay for 232 annual full time minimum wage jobs. Who knows how much trolley track it could build on the Isthmus? This is just another set back like the lost school referendum, and I’m positive Mayor Dave still thinks like the little engine that could: I can afford light rail, I can afford light rail, I can afford light rail.

Ed Garvey and Brett Hulsey Update

In an update in the Monona Wal-Mart battle, "anonymous" points out that Monona City Councilman Peter McKeever is also an attorney with the law firm founded by Democratic Party uber-liberal Ed Garvey. Garvey & Stoddard support liberal agenda items in the court system. One area of specialty is fighting Wal-Mart expansion and it is telling that the firm has represented the two organizations identified at the initial organization meeting to stop the Monona store.

“A more recent issue facing communities is whether to site big box stores, especially Wal-Mart. Citizens across the state are saying “no,” and Garvey & Stoddard is helping them. We currently represent groups fighting Wal-Mart in Janesville, Minocqua, Beaver Dam, Waupaca, and Franklin.”

“Garvey & Stoddard was retained by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Sierra Club, 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, and the River Alliance of Wisconsin …”

The presence of Dane County Supervisor Brett Hulsey at a non-governmental meeting outside of his elective district must mean he is involved in his capacity as Senior Midwest Regional Representative for the Sierra Club. Brett Hulsey and the Sierra Club believe that the oil based economy in general and the automobile in specific cause permanent harm to life on planet earth. Brett’s writing clearly shows his primary goal, whether as government agent or private citizen activist, is to stop people from driving cars.

Better Communities Start With More Transportation Choices (PDF): “Sprawl and a lack of transportation choices force people to own and drive cars in order to reach most destinations.”

New Roads Are Not The Answer (PDF): “Congestion plagues a road, the road is expanded, and more people can now drive on the road. Public transit or carpool riders switch to driving, drivers switch routes and take longer trips, and congestion reappears at a greater level than before the construction. More traffic is dumped on local streets. Welcome to Induced Traffic.”

Highway Health Hazards (PDF): “Crucial public policy changes must include a more balanced transportation policy, greater emphasis on public transportation systems and other options such as walking and bicycling. In addition, we need to limit development near new roadways.”

Much of the environmental movement’s logic is flawed. Many evironmental arguments are composed of cut and paste snippets of anecdotal evidence, bad statistical analysis, computer generated projections misrepresented as science and plausible sounding horror stories. When Brett writes that an expanded road “causes” more traffic, it is probably no concern to him that the cause comes from people’s love of personal freedom, and not because concrete and lane paint “force” them into anything.

Unfilmed Scenes

On the hillside there is a clearing in the forest and the blue and white canvass is still stretched between the wooden paint chipped camp chair frames. No other humans are in sight and only Lola is within earshot of a shout. Fluff tufted seeds drift in the air in an aimless search for a landing. First one and then another with about the frequency of meteors and satellites on clear June nights. Then the wind picks up and for minutes on end blows strong enough to brush back the exploratory branches of trees and bushes, testing their strength and resilience. Afterwards in the relative calm a bumblebee darts inches above the grass line between the wildflowers.

Monona Wal-Mart Opponents Flunk Reading

Two weeks ago I wrote about how Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s former organization is the opposition in the Monona Wal-Mart Battle and commented that Monona citizens should be concerned that Madison is “in effect” working to control their municipal development. The opposition has set up a website called A Better Monona which covers their campaign to prevent a new store from opening. One post reads in part:

“The Supercenter will certainly raise the property tax value of that land, and provide jobs to staff and manage the store. But the NET taxes and NET jobs within the city depend also on how many local businesses have to cut jobs or close down in the face of Wal-Mart's predatory pricing.”

The post then offers a link to a “balanced and thoughtful” article entitled How Do You Deal with the Entry of a New Wal-Mart Supercenter into Your Town?

“My studies of Wal-Mart supercenters in Iowa and Mississippi have shown that total local sales usually increase after the opening of a supercenter. This is because a huge store like this one will keep a lot of residents shopping at home, rather than outshopping to other localities, and it will also attract more residents from outlying areas.

This effect can be observed in most communities of up to 50,000 or so in population. In larger places, the impact of one store is hard to measure;

In summary, a new supercenter makes the host place more of a regional trade center. In larger communities, it sometimes forms a critical mass that attracts such other chain stores as home improvement and office supply retailers and restaurants.”

This is an absolutely fair and balanced assessment of the local economic effects of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. It makes me wonder if Dane County Commissioner Brett Hulsey or anyone from Dave Cieslewicz’s 1000 Friends of Wisconsin actually read the link they were posting. In all probability, some eager “activist” took the “resources” Kevin Pomeroy provided and liked the title of this article enough to include it in the post.

Let me put the findings in other terms. A Supercenter has both good and bad economic effects and the size of the community is directly related to the severity of any adverse effects. If I drop a bowling ball into a 25 gallon aquarium it pretty much messes everything up. If I drop a bowling ball into Lake Monona the ripples are barely enough to bounce a floating baby duck. The opposition will attack with wave after wave of anecdotal evidence of small business disruption, so it will be useful to question what size of little town suffered the horror stories.

Russ Feingold will Handle the Money

I’m cleaning off the summer fans outside in shorts and The Doors “Light My Fire” starts playing on the radio, the old fashioned way, with static. The weather is to beautiful for politics so the briefest summary about “The Progressives” is that the lead issue is health care reform, and give your money to Senator Russ Feingold. Seriously, funnel all campaign donations through Russ’s Progressive Patriots Fund. Russ will handle the money.

An Apology to Joel Rogers

I owe Joel Rogers an apology on the fact that I have referred to him as a “Socialist”, whereas in his own writings he refers to himself as a “Post Socialist”. I suppose a post socialist comes into existence when the failure of the socialist experiment forces a review of what went wrong so that the subsequent experiment works better. This is how the scientific methods works, hypothesize, experiment, analyze and try again.

If I understand Joel’s writings correctly, the socialist experiment failed because “State Socialism” became corrupt and did not produce the goal of a more even distribution of resources. In other words, State Socialism failed to create an egalitarian and participatory culture. Since the autopsy concludes the cause of death was found in the central government institutions, there is still the possibility a truly just and fair society may emerge from the “Radical Democratic” concepts of traditional socialism. Since imposing utopia top down didn’t work, the lesson to be learned is that utopia needs to be developed from the local level. Experiments with “Empowered Participatory Governance” in towns and cities still have the potential to home grow a workers paradise. Of course, all gardens require a gardener.

After Howard Dean and Arianna Huffington open the Tuesday June 2 session of the Take Back America Conference 2005 , Joel Rogers wraps up they day teaching how to build a Progressive Movement. At some point in the conference there will be a photo opportunity where Joel and Senator John Edwards share a few words. The only question is if someone snaps the shutter to capture the moment.

Next: City Level Universal Healthcare

Attention Wisconsin! The socialists are in charge of the City of Madison and they are planning to capture the State. Joel Rogers and Dave Cieslewicz have a broad, organized and intelligent coalition working to implement and advance their progressive agenda. Remember Municipal Smoking Prohibition, Municipal Minimum Wage, Phosphorous Bans and Inclusionary Zoning? The next push is for Universal Healthcare at the local government level.

The Strategy: “We invite you to join us in a two-year push to achieve health care for all in Wisconsin. We will work with members of the Madison City Council to create a model law for Madison. Then we will move on to other local governments around the state. We intend to create citizen lobbyists across the state to push the model law. The end result will be a broad risk pool and statewide universal health care.”

Democracy for Wisconsin - Madison is run by a vibrant core group of Howard Dean workers and they are the advance brigade responsible for the taking “provide or pay healthcare” from a theory on paper to municipal ordinance and beyond. There is little doubt that Mayor Cieslewicz is an informed participant as evidenced by this May 26 Update comment.

“We need support for our plan from small and large businesses. Politicians across the political spectrum will respond to business support. Mayor Dave, in particular, need to know that business people are behind our plan.”

This is not a Paul Soglin, “lets have block parties” administration. This is not Susan Bauman, “I reduced your property taxes and was voted out” flawed pragmatism. These are not John F. Kennedy Democrats wanting business to be good to the common man. Rogers and Cieslewicz are serious, studied social planners who are experimenting with this city and this state. I recommend keeping a strong spotlight on their activities.

Brat Fest with the Local Celebrities.

I took a small sample of area bloggers and about 3% admitted attending Madison’s Brat Fest, the ever evolving celebration of grilled meat sausages. Construction at Hilldale Mall, where the event originated, forced a move this year to the Alliant Energy Center. The Aerial View of Alliant Energy Center helps show the pressing need for urban infill and mixed use high density development in the city. The green areas in the photo are mostly underdeveloped and thus under taxed land. Photoshop high rise condos in these areas and the need for a taxpayer funded light rail system is apparent.

It’s Memorial Day and it is exactly like someone found the summer switch and flipped it on. Lola and I make the trip, eat our fill, look at a brand new city garbage truck, listen to a 70’s rock cover band and leave with the satisfaction we have done our part. The Brat Fest officials just announced they came up 77,000 brats short of their goal which may be due to cool weather the first several days of the four day event. One other potential reason for coming in short of goal may be the Celebrity Cashiers. Did the grilled meat merchants really believe that Green Party Alderman and “Oil Addict” Austin King is a strong drawing card? Seriously, take a look at what passes for celebrity in capital city.

Memorial Day Race Recap

Danica Patrick stalled her engine in the pits, spun out on a re-start and still finished 4th in the Indianapolis 500. Her most impressive move, however, may have been when she took a hit in the side at full speed and held the car steady as it headed into the turn. Open wheel racing is designed to push the limits of ground speed and the cars are exceptionally susceptible to even slight contact. Danica’s control over her Indy Car reminded me of all those Japanese animation stories where a tiny human sits at the controls of a massive robot. It was a transforming performance.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a cash machine for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) as well as for numerous sponsors and even NASCAR itself, but earlier this week DEI changed Jr.’s Crew Chief which is clear sign of problems within the organization. In the middle of the Coca Cola 600, Dale Jr. wrecks team mate Michael Waltrip and the accident also takes out former winner Matt Kenseth and Terry Labonte. It was a totally unprofessional move by Jr.

NASCAR racing is designed to allow a level of contact between cars but recently races have begun to resemble a drawn out demolition derby. In a classic example of the law of unintended consequences, the safety changes NASCAR implemented after the death of Dale Earnhardt appear to have increased aggressive driving tactics. Tonight’s race had a record 22 cautions before Jimmy Johnson emerged from the war of attrition for his unprecedented 3rd consecutive Coca Cola 600 victory. NASCAR is very good at changing the engineering details in the rule book, but they need to start addressing road rage. Rubbing is racing but bad driving is just pathetic.

Victory #1 Five Years Ago

Cars have done more to eliminate poverty in American than any government program. The jobs created to fulfill the widespread desire for individual freedom of mobility are one of the supporting pillars of the American economic miracle. There is a lot of blog talk about Danica Patrick racing in the Indianapolis 500. It’s a great story and Danica deserves all the attention she has earned. When the Indy cars finish there is another major race and five years ago Wisconsin native Matt Kenseth Wins the Coca Cola 600.

“It was Mark who risked his reputation several years ago by advising Jack Roush to sign Matt Kenseth, an unknown from Wisconson. … It was Kenseth - only a rookie in the Winston Cup series - who finished first in Sunday's 600, which is considered to be one of NASCAR's three "majors", along with the Brickyard 400 and the Daytona 500.”

I suppose North Carolina writers spell the Badger State “Wisconson” as in “Wis you coming son”? I suppose it’s no different from professional east coast sports announcers saying “Westconsin”. Wisconsin Racing occurs in small tracks all over the State and I believe it was Richard Petty who once said, “I know exactly when auto racing began. It was the day they built the second car.”