Curmudgeon's Corner
cur-mud-geon: anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner
DNR Too Soft Under Walker?
It seems a bit off-the-wall that the DNR would be accused of not going far enough down the Eco trail, but that is what happened when gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Falk opened her mouth on the subject. She served in the ‘public intervener’ role at one point in her government service career, and so has a vested interest in what I would call a tightly focused DNR that could, and virtually did, find wetlands where a bottle of water had been spilled.
A Bit 'Inside Baseball', But...
As we wait for the United States Supreme Court to render its decision concerning the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a/k/a ObamaCare), a couple of studies have been done dealing with the aftermath of ObamaCare if it is permitted to continue largely as is.
Does China Already Own Us?
The recent situation involving the Chinese dissident who fled his rural home and found his way to the U.S. Embassy brings much to mind and none of it good, unfortunately.
Huge Election Next Tuesday
Tuesday, May 8th is closing in on us and many of us will be voting that day. I suspect that turn-out will be strong and that is important since these primary race results will lead us to the all-important recall elections in about a month.
Imagine My Surprise...
The morning Journal Sentinel contained an editorial that surprised me since it agreed with my opinion on the recall election fever that we live with today. My opinion and the editorial page do not often align. Some of you would suggest that I finally got it right.
Just Another 'Accident'
Another infant death and another ‘accident’, even though there was ‘co-sleeping’ involved. In this instance, a 3 & ½ month-old girl was placed in a bed at about 8:30PM where her 2-year old sister was already sleeping. They were later joined by their mother around 10:00PM. At 12:30AM, the mother awakened to a “thud”.
New Neighbors...
We have been given the gift of life as seven (as best we can count) new Red Fox pups and mom and dad have graced our neighborhood this spring. We saw them for the first time yesterday when the pups were cautiously exploring this new world. That seems to point to them being about four weeks old since that is when they typically emerge from the den. We had seen the father hunting throughout the neighborhood for some months this year and during the latter part of last year.
Fewer Left Standing...
The races have narrowed after yesterday’s primary elections across the state where recalls are taking place. The turn-out appeared to be quite good on both sides. The labor money that was poured into Wisconsin to support Kathleen Falk appears to have been wasted if the result of those expenditures is taken into account. She was demolished by Tom Barrett.
Evolving or Devolving?
The President said his position on same-sex marriage has been evolving over the past two years. He said that he has finally decided to make his new position clear. His pastor has told him that he disapproves of the President’s newly evolved position, but that hasn’t deterred the President. He made his newly evolved position clear yesterday.
ObamaCare...The Gift That Keeps On Giving
There is another ‘small’ issue with PPACA (a/k/a ObamaCare) that we just had to pass in order to learn what was in it. That small thing is a 2.3% tax on the gross revenues of firms selling medical devices in the United States. George Will pointed out that this small surcharge actually amounts to about another 15% tax on profits for medical device manufacturers.
What Drives The Recall Election Now?
Is ‘collective bargaining’ the driving issue in the recall election or is it not the driving issue? There was an early and concerted effort to frame collective bargaining as the issue, and then any mention of that phrase was almost accidental and jobs and the economy became the new defining issue until that, too, blurred.
What Would Our Biographies Look Like?
If someone were to decide to write a biography of your life, would it be a ‘tell all” or would it describe a person you’d have been proud to be thought of in that way?
Distracted Driving...
I happened to be driving north on Hwy 41-45 yesterday morning at about the time the three-vehicle accident occurred, and watched as the Flight for Life chopper set down on the southbound lanes and awaited the extrication and stabilization of any injured parties.
Will America Be Ready?
I have been intrigued with the declining birth rates in certain races in Europe and have blogged on that topic before. An article in this morning’s Journal Sentinel titled “Whites account for under half of births” consequently captured my attention.
Fish Fry Tonight? All You Can Eat?
It is Fish Fry Friday once again in the land of what appears to be the ‘stuff guts’ and the ‘gluttons’, as I was always accused of being during the hazing in the military academy I attended to obtain my commission. We had Tactical Officers whose job it was to make our lives miserable when we sat to eat a meal as they tried to weed out those whom they determined were ‘unworthy’ of being officers. We were kept under psychological stress to see if and when we would ‘break’ and cash in our chips.
Political Bits & Pieces
Things political are all over the place in this crazy recall season in Wisconsin. I am neither Democrat nor Republican; I am a conservative (fiscal and social) independent and that almost always means that I will vote for the Republican candidate. Although decades ago, there would’ve probably been a Democrat or two that would’ve caused me to consider that vote.
Two Weeks To Go
There are now some two weeks to go until the election on June 5th that will determine who the Governor of Wisconsin is to be for the balance of Walker’s first term. In politics, two weeks can be almost ‘forever’.
In The Eye Of The Beholder
The old saw that goes ‘in the eye of the beholder’ seems quite appropriate during times of electioneering, which now seem virtually never-ending in Wisconsin.
Enjoyable Public Utterances...
The current state of politics in our state and in our country caused me to think back over earlier presidencies. Among those that were, to my way of thinking anyway, among the most enjoyable based on public utterances was that of President Ronald Reagan. Some of the quotes attributed to him follow, and I hope they might bring a smile to your face and even a chuckle.
Political Humor for a Long Week-end
Continuing in the political vein over this long week-end, here are some quotes attributed as shown for each. These cut in both directions so this is indeed non-partisan.
Memorial Day 2012
Memorial Day 2012 is upon us and our state lost ten more members of our military during combat these past twelve months:
Instead of Writing a Blog...
I missed publishing a blog piece yesterday since I was scheduled to undergo cataract surgery. Long story short…I have a new lens in my right eye and am already amazed at the significant improvement in my sight.
