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
Silver Linings
The term “silver lining” is used to describe good things that seem to flow from adversity of one sort or another. There are some silver linings in New Orleans that have evolved from the effects of Katrina in late 2005 and from the devastation that was wrought.
The Debt Ceiling Show
The ‘debt ceiling’ show in Washington, D.C. may be over (or is over) as this page is read. The process has been at times invigorating, angering, unbelievable, tiring, or just plain aggravating.
Village Buzz - August 3rd
The Neighbors Against Crime Night Out at the Police Department last evening was an enjoyable time. I had the pleasure of serving as a volunteer and was able to interact with hundreds of Moms and Dads and children while convincing them to let me place a bright orange bracelet around their wrists as they registered.
Why Stiffarm the FAA?
What was the ‘real’ issue that led to Republicans stonewalling the FAA bill that raised the hue and cry from the President and the usual suspects in the Senate and House? While there might have been some Republican angst over spending increases to keep some small ‘favored’ airports running with big subsidization, that wasn't the entire reasoning.
Village Buzz - August 8th
Germantown’s voter turn-out on Tuesday, August 9th may very well determine the outcome in the 8th District Senate race. Arguably, the Germantown turn-out in the last election is what carried Sen. Darling to victory, and that high level of turn-out will be needed if she is to retain that seat. Our community’s vote has tended to blunt other parts of the 8th District in past elections and it appears that will be needed in this election.
Village Buzz - August 9th
The polls today appear to have lines that require a wait of from thirty to forty minutes, at least as of about 10:45 this morning. The bottle neck appeared, at least in my district polling place, to be the fact that the books containing voter information were not broken down into segments of the alphabet so that two or more segments could’ve been being served simultaneously.
Time Flies
Where does the time go? I am attending a funeral service today for one of my last aunts and was very surprised to learn from her obituary that she was only 17 years older than I am. I thought that just had to be a mistake but I guess it isn’t.
What Did You Make of the Iowa Debates?
What did you make of it all…the Republican Debate, that is?
A Bump in the Road for ObamaCare
ObamaCare hit another pothole on the road to full implementation. The 11th Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a two to one decision (with a Clinton appointee in the majority) that the requirement for individuals to purchase health insurance was unconstitutional.
Village Buzz - August 15th
Concealed carry is soon to become legal in Wisconsin and you have no doubt seen the small signs that suddenly popped up at intersections advertising classes. I know that hunter safety courses as taught currently in Wisconsin are considered adequate for a concealed carry permit, but there seems to be more than simply gun safety involved.
An Enlivened Republican Race
The entry of Rick Perry into the field of Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for the office of President of the United States has transformed that race. That hit, of course, in the midst of the Iowa ‘straw poll’ and had some people quite upset with its timing. Others thought it a stroke of campaign genius.
A Change I Can Hope For...
Rick Perry has been officially in the race for President for several days and has already taken over first place amongst the declared candidates on the Republican side of the equation. The most recent Rasmussen polling shows the “generic” Republican candidate polling up 6% over President Obama.
Tighten Recall Rules?
We have weathered the “recall elections” after additional millions of dollars were spent. There is now discussion, and there will be a bill proposed, about changing the state’s constitution as it pertains to what would constitute grounds for recall.
Garage Sales...
I don’t recall ever being the host of a Garage Sale before but that changed over the past Friday and Saturday. Our daughter, who lives in Colorado, was home for a visit and thought she’d help us rid ourselves of the basement ‘clutter’ she hears complaints about during our regular telephone visits.
Village Buzz - August 24th
School systems making changes in health plan providers are obviously big news these days. It seems almost impossible to read any publication in the past several weeks without seeing something about such a change.
Village Buzz - August 25th
Washington County is conducting another Clean Sweep program on October 15th in West Bend. You can click here for the website that will take you deeper and deeper into the facts about what is and what isn’t acceptable on this site.
Much Ado About Nothing?
I am tempted to simply dismiss the foolishness over Supreme Court Justice David Prosser as “much ado about nothing”.
Village Buzz - August 29th
The announcement by Dr. Erdmann that he was resigning from his Board of Education seat and the Board Presidency was a surprise, at least for me. He had been a fixture for quite a few years. That obviously leaves a seat open and six members still in place. First, he is to be thanked for taking this length of time from his personal life to serve on the Board. I know from conversations with other members that this can get to be a huge consumer of time between meetings as well as at meetings.
Village Buzz - August 30th
As the “debate”, such as it is, continues in some of our public school systems across the state, I am reminded of the disconnect that exists between some of our public school employees and the great majority of our other workplaces’ employees.
A Life Lesson
Isn’t it remarkable how something can seem so cut and dried to us but be viewed completely the opposite by others?
