For those of you like me that love politics…I know there are a few of you…you might really like this site:
http://www.mapthecandidates.com/
Thanks Slate for putting this together for all of us political junkies!!
Minor league promotion is homage to senator's airport bathroom bust
8 out of 10
I woke up this morning and saw this great article about the peregrine falcons that are nesting above the court house and felt that today was going to be a good day…that is until I got to page 11A and saw “CHEMICAL CURSE then I knew that the JT is just indoctrinating another generation into the DDT myth.
Here is what they wrote:
“Falcons fell prey to the widespread use of DDT. The insecticide changed female falcons’ bodies so their eggs had thinner shells, meaning they broke easily when adults tried to incubate. By the early 1970s, the 300 breeding pairs in the eastern United States had disappeared. The DNR began releasing birds into Wisconsin’s wilds in 1987.”
This is a large myth!!
Here are some facts about the falcons and DDT:
- The decline in the U.S. peregrine falcon population occurred long before the DDT years.
[Hickey JJ. 1942. (Only 170 pairs of peregrines in eastern U.S. in 1940) Auk 59:176; Hickey JJ. 1971 Testimony at DDT hearings before EPA hearing examiner. (350 pre- DDT peregrines claimed in eastern U.S., with 28 of the females sterile); and Beebe FL. 1971. The Myth of the Vanishing Peregrine Falcon: A study in manipulation of public and official attitudes. Canadian Raptor Society Publication, 31 pages]
- Peregrine falcons were deemed undesirable in the early 20th century. Dr. William Hornaday of the New York Zoological Society referred them as birds that "deserve death, but are so rare that we need not take them into account."
[Hornaday, WT. 1913. Our Vanishing Wild Life. New York Zoological Society, p. 226]
- The 1950's and 1960's saw continuing harassment trapping brooding birds in their nests, removing fat samples for analysis and operating time-lapse cameras beside the nests for extended periods of time), predation and habitat destruction.
[Hazeltine, WE. 1972. Statement before Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, March 16, 1972; Enderson, JH and DD Berger. 1968. (Chlorinated hydrocarbons in peregrines from Northern Canada). Condor 70:149-153; Enderson, JH.. 1972. (Time lapse photography in peregrine nests) Living Bird 11: 113- 128; Risebrough, RW. 1970. (Organochlorines in peregrines and merlins migrating through Wisconsin). Canadian Field-Naturalist 84:247-253]
- Shooting, egg collecting, falconry and disruption of nesting birds along the Yukon River and Colville River were reported to be the cause of the decline in peregrine falcon population.
[Beebe, FL. 1971. The Myth of the Vanishing Peregrine Falcon: A study in manipulation of public and official attitudes. Canadian Raptor Society Publication, 31 pages; and Beebe, FL. 1975. Brit Columbia Provincial Museum Occas. Paper No. 17, pages 126-144]
- There was no decline in peregrine falcon pairs in Canada and Alaska between 1950 and 1967 despite the presence of DDT and DDE.
[Fyfe, RW. 1959. Peregrine Falcon Populations, pp 101-114; and Fyfe, RW. 1968. Auk 85: 383-384]
- During the 1960's, peregrines in northern Canada were "reproducing normally," even though they contained 30 times more DDT, DDD, and DDE than the midwestern peregrines that were allegedly extirpated by those chemicals.
[Enderson, JH and DD Berger. 1968. (Chlorinated hydrocarbons in peregrines from Northern Canada) Condor 70:170-178]
- The peregrine with the very highest DDT residue (2,435 parts per million) was found feeding three healthy young.
[Enderson, JH. 1968. (Pesticide residues in Alaska and Yukon Territory) Auk 85: 683]
- Peregrine falcon and sparrow hawk egg shells thinned in Britain prior to the use of DDT.
[Redcliff, DH. 1967. Nature 215: 208-210; Redcliff, DH. 1970 J Applied Biology 7:67; and Redcliff, DH. 1967. Nature 215: 208-210]
When you get to the point of saying “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California” to justify why you are still campaigning for the Democrat nomination you are:
- Desperate
- Calling for a hit on your opponent
- Just plain nuts!
My opinion is she is just nuts…she could have cited case after case (including her own husband) of late nomination winners but NOOOO she talks about the Kennedy assassination!!!!
She is out to win this…the Party be damned!
I understand economics…I understand supply and demand…I understand logistics…but the question is: Do Democrats understand TAXES?
From the map above you will see the states in red…directly correspond to the states with the highest gas taxes (thanks to http://www.taxfoundation.org/)
State Rep. Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids) is concerned with the growing cost of fuel in this country. So much so that here are the proposals offered by this Democrat to “make a massive effort to strike back against the oil speculators”:
- going to four day work weeks with staggered schedules for employees
- reducing speed limits
- rearranging school athletic conferences
- providing tax incentives for alternative energy installations
- mandating internet classes for state university and technical college undergraduates at least in the first two years
- restricting new building construction
- additional tree planting in cities
- nuclear energy facility construction
- revisions in state building codes
- incentives for business and residential buildings to reduce the size and prevent urban sprawl
Excuse me but how is changing our lives going to be a “strike back?”
Rep. Schneider you want “a bold initiative that can be a national model” well here it is: CALL FOR DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION ALLOWING THE DRILLING FOR OIL!!!
We have the ability to tap a vast amount of oil but we are doing nothing but sitting on it and suffering the consequences as oil tops $130 a barrel.
Additionally, how about we add:
- increase the number of refineries that produce gasoline
- remove the reformulated gasoline mandate for Wisconsin
Add what you’d like to the list…
About every month we get a new person playing the game so I think that I will again state the rules…please refrain from outwardly stating the name of the country…give hints or clues to prove that you know what it is but will still allow others to participate. Thanks.
Last week was a pretty easy country…I was going to post a picture similar to still unreal’s if no one got it…the country was Libya!!
This week should be easy to name but hard to identify…4 out of 10
Good Luck!!
Well we are getting to the point where there will be more and more talk about possible VP candidates. Case in point is this article posted on Bloomberg.com this morning in which the executive editor, Albert Hunt, express his opinion on the short lists for both Obama and McCain.
Obama:
Sam Nunn
Joe Biden
Jim Webb
Michael Bloomberg
McCain:
Mitt Romney
Tim Pawlenty
Joe Lieberman
I’m not sure that Obama would really do it but I would have to agree with Mr. Hunt on Webb and Nunn…They would offset the liberal wackiness that Obama represents…but would it be enough?
McCain on the other hand is known for his strategic moves…All of those listed by Mr. Hunt are good choices that McCain would potentially choose but I still think that McCain might also look to Colon Powell as a possibility.
In a perfect world Obama and McCain should both pick VP’s that are more conservative than themselves but…I’m not convinced that either will actually go through with that strategy.
I hope Al Gore is hanging his head
I am ashamed to admit that I had never heard of Irena Sendler, whose obituary appeared in this morning’s paper. Hers is an awesomely humbling story, even by the standards of her heroic generation.
Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
A Polish Catholic, she spirited some 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto, displaying casual and extraordinary courage. She kept a list of the children she had saved, hoping one day to reunite them with their parents – although, in the event, almost all lost their families in Treblinka. In 1943, she was arrested by the Gestapo and tortured. Her legs and feet were broken, but she refused to give up her list. She was sentenced to death, but rescued, whereupon – almost unbelievably – she went back to work.
Here, though, is the sentence that leapt off the page at me: “Last year she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, eventually won by Al Gore.” Al Gore! I mean, nothing against the old lardbutt – it’s nice to see ex-politicians doing something they believe in rather than giving themselves over wholly to the getting of personal wealth – but making a film is not the same thing as donning a yellow star and smuggling babies past enemy soldiers.
Our generation, as Danny Kruger put it in the best tract of 2007, is moralistic rather than moral. We are better at holding opinions about what governments or multi-nationals should do than we are at doing the right thing by our neighbours. Having formed our opinions, we become self-righteous in a way that the Irena Sendlers of the world couldn’t understand.
“We who were rescuing children are not some kind of heroes”, she said towards the end of her life. “That term irritates me greatly. The opposite is true – I continue to have qualms of conscience that I did so little. I could have done more. This regret will follow me to my death.” There is a haunting sincerity to that statement. You can’t imagine Al Gore saying any such thing, can you?
Posted by Daniel Hannan
This country should be really easy: 3 out of 10
Good luck!
Bisphenol A (BPA or 4,4'-dihydroxy-2,2-diphenylpropane) has also been known to cause the following in mice at low exposure (wiki):
- Decreased maternal behaviors
- Insulin resistance develops in 2 days, chronic hyperinsulinemia at day 4
Prostate cells more sensitive to hormones and cancer - Breast cells predisposed to cancer
- Decline in testicular testosterone
- Lower bodyweight, increase of anogenital distance in both genders, signs of early puberty and longer estrus.
- Increased prostate weight 30%
- Changes in breast tissue that predispose cells to hormones and carcinogens
- Permanent changes to genital tract
All I can say is WOW!!! This does not sound very good to me but it is good to note: DO NOT use polycarbonate for your hot liquids – BPA will leach out of the plastic and into your liquid!
AP: US lists polar bear as threatened species
See past post here: Polar Bears – Global warming non-sense
According to the AP story: National Climate Service Proposed The NCS will be created inside of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration) and replace the current US Climate Change Science Program which currently coordinates information from 13 federal agencies.
The claim from the head of NOAA is that we need to deal with this information in a scientific way…and that NOAA will do just that. Oh he says that they will need additional funding to do this work…the US Climate Change Science Program currently eats up about $2 billion.
Do you really think that the NCS will give unbiased climate information like they are claiming? I’m not so sure…this is there page on global warming and there is very little here that would lead me to believe that there is still any scientific question about global warming.
Kathy Carpenter, from Kenosha, has asked for WI bloggers to get the message out and to collect signatures for the Voter ID Amendment pending in our State Senate.
So please visit the petition and Sign it here.
I've told everyone that will listen to me that Clinton will take the party down before she gives up!!
I think that Hilary has shown that Democrats are not...repeat NOT...ready for a colorblind society. They still judge a person by their skin color and blame the Right for actually ignoring this difference.
Hallelujah!!! Can you imagine 4 years of Obama!??!??!!I just saw this cockamamie piece of legislation offered up by Rep. Kagen (HR 5449) and have a few things I’d like to say.
What the hell is this guy thinking!!!
You mean to tell me the best he can offer to the country in regards to health insurance legislation is this piece of crap that will make us all pay for those not smart enough to get insurance!!
This bill is very specific on what it intends to do:
A group health plan, and a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage, with respect to a participant or beneficiary may not impose any pre-existing condition exclusion.
And:
every health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage (as defined in section 2791(b)(1)) in the individual market to individuals residing in an area may not, with respect to an eligible individual (as defined in subsection (b)) residing in the area who desires to enroll in individual health insurance coverage decline to offer such coverage to, or deny enrollment of, such individual; or impose any preexisting condition exclusion (as defined in section 2701(b)(1)(A)) with respect to such coverage.
And:
Each and every health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage in the group market in a State shall charge the same premium price for the same coverage.
And:
Each and every health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage in the individual market in a State shall charge the same premium price for the same coverage; if the issuer offers such coverage in the group market in the State, shall charge the same premium for the same coverage offered in the group market.
So here we are…if you are sick then you get to pay the same amount as a person who is healthy.
Here is how the system works now…I am healthy so to save myself some money I decide not to pick up any health insurance. I become ill and decide that the medical costs are going to be very high so I try to get insurance…most are going to deny coverage since I did not have insurance prior but lets say that I find one to take me…they are going to make me pay a higher rate since they know that I have medical bills right now and will in the future.
Under Kagen’s plan I save myself some money until I get sick…opt into a plan now since they have to take me…and get to pay the same rate as those that are healthy (as long as the coverage is the same.) Then once I’m healthy again get off the plan! Talk about a
Now I know there are a few of you out there that get all emotional because “this is the health of a person!!” well I’m going to upset you a bit with the following analogy but it makes the most sense:
I own a car.
I have no insurance.
I get into an auto accident and damage my car, someone else’s car, and another person.
Should I be able to get insurance now and pay the same rate as you (who has a clean record) without any penalties?
Well that is exactly what the Kagen “non-discriminatory” health bill will allow!
Kagen is putting a on a little ‘dog and pony’ show that you can read about here: M.D. Congressman Goes Without Health Insurance
Gateway Pundit put together the following which hits it right on the head:
Over the past 30 years:
Which party blocked the development of new sources of petroleum?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling in ANWR?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off the coast of Florida?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off of the east coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off of the west coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off the Alaskan coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked building oil refineries?-- Democrat
Which party blocked clean nuclear energy production?-- Democrat
Which party blocked clean coal production?—Democrat
H/T Gateway Pundit (and RDW…who pointed it out)
“Representative Don Pridemore: What part of “we are spending too much!” don’t they understand?”
You got to love it when a politician just puts it all out there.
Here is the press release and a few selected quotes:
“Governor Doyle’s own administration continues to demonstrate that they are ignoring the economic condition our state budget is currently in. Mere weeks after the Governor asked state employees to reduce or eliminate their travel expenses, it has been reported that Wisconsin state employees have spent over $900,000 in travel—and this figure does not include Doyle’s own trip to Great Britain!”
“Now is the time for political leadership! What if gas and diesel prices continue to rise at their current rate? Food prices are on the rise mainly due to other government interference. How long can this state survive if we keep trying to tax ourselves out of our economic woes? Cutting
spending is the only answer.”
Last week’s, I had thought, was pretty easy. I guess I was wrong. So this week here is a hint:
This country has 23 states and its constitution recognizes all of the 31 indigenous languages in the country.
This week’s country was very hard for me but I’m sure you’ll have no trouble with it. 8 out of 10
Another Badger Poll released last week…looked at the presidential candidates.
Here are some intriguing numbers:
Impression of Obama:
- Democrats – 64% Favorable
- Independents – 45% Favorable
- Republicans – 25% Favorable
Impression of Clinton:
- Democrats – 63% Favorable
- Independents – 36% Favorable
- Republicans – 12% Favorable
Impression of McCain:
- Democrats – 25% Favorable
- Independents – 42% Favorable
- Republicans – 81% Favorable
McCain vs. Clinton
- Democrats – 16% McCain – 77% Clinton
- Independents – 44% McCain – 38% Clinton
- Republicans – 89% McCain – 9% Clinton
McCain vs. Obama
- Democrats – 15% McCain – 80% Obama
- Independents – 28% McCain – 52% Obama
- Republicans – 89% McCain – 9% Obama
Looks like Democrats might help McCain more than people really think!!
A recent Badger Poll asked the following question:“In the next 12 months or so, do you expect economic conditions in the state of Wisconsin to get better, get worse or stay about the same? “
Now before I tell you then answers let me remind you of some important facts:
The Wisconsin Governor = Democrat
The Wisconsin State Senate = Democrat Controlled
The Wisconsin State Assembly = Republican Controlled
Here is how the answered the question:
Democrats: 13% = get better; 47% = get worse; 39% = about the same
Republicans: 24% = get better; 28% = get worse; 48% = about the same
87% of Democrats believe that Wisconsin’s economic conditions will stay the same or get worse in the next 12 months!!! Even Democrats don’t trust this governor and his minions in the Senate!!
Mathematically the end is here for Hillary. There is no way for her to recover from the loss she suffered last night without a large number of super delegate defects to her side and no one sees that happening.
But I do not think that Hilary will go gently into that good night…I think that she is going to go kicking and screaming…if she has to she will bring the Democrat Party to its knees.
If she does step aside…I believe that she is under the assumption that Obama has no way of winning and that she will have another chance at the White House in 4 years.
Either way it has been an enjoyable ride and I look forward to the action continuing on to Denver.
As if there was really any doubt...
Vos to Seek Reelection in 2008
“We have passed many positive policies over the past session, but there is still much more to be done,” said Vos. “I am running for state representative so I can continue to fight for the values of the residents of our community.”
Vos says his constituents are most concerned about Wisconsin’s high tax burden, maintaining affordable, quality health care, improving our schools and the overall state of the economy.
“The answer to improving our tax burden and our economy is not to give more money to government,” Vos remarked. “I advocate for smaller government every day so that citizens can keep more of their hard earned money. If reelected in November, I will continue to be a tireless advocate for the taxpayers of Racine County.”
Rep. Vos cited a few of his accomplishments in the past session, which included:
- Authoring legislation to eliminate state tax on pension income
- Proposing the State Government Disclosure Act to create a website where taxpayers could monitor the payments made by all state agencies
- Passing a community rehabilitation tax credit for benevolent organizations who help cognitively disabled citizens lead productive lives in the mainstream workforce
- Improving heath care access by voting in favor of health insurance premium deductibility, health care price disclosure, and HSA premium deductibility.
- Supporting K-12 education by voting for an historic increase in state aid.
- Making higher education more affordable for Wisconsin’s college students by voting to cap tuition and fees
- Promoted alternative forms of education by authorizing a proposal in the budget to provide $250,000 to expand the very successful Burlington Construction Academy at Burlington High School to other areas of the state
Vos was also successful in facilitating the incorporation of Caledonia and placing language in the budget that made it possible for the Town and Village of Rochester to consolidate. These municipalities have intended to consolidate for many years, but have been hindered from doing so because of bureaucratic red tape at the Department of Administration.
In addition to passing meaningful legislation for the residents of Racine County, Robin also prides himself on his constituent service. Almost every constituent who contacts his office receives a personal phone call.
“When I first ran for the Assembly in 2004, I adopted the slogan ‘Listening, Learning, Leading’, and I vowed to adhere to that philosophy as long as I remain in office,” recalls Vos. “I make hundreds of phone calls every week and have personally spoken with thousands of constituents from my district to listen and learn about their concerns. Even if we don’t see eye to eye on every issue, I want to make sure that the residents of the 63rd Assembly District know they can always contact me to voice their opinion.”
Vos also makes it a priority to provide as much information as possible to his constituents. Every week, thousands of subscribers read The Robin Vos E-Update, a newsletter detailing current events in the Legislature. In the spring and fall, Robin embarks on a speaking tour to provide legislative updates to school boards, town and village boards, and community and professional groups throughout Racine County.
“I want to remain as accessible as possible to the residents of the 63rd Assembly District,” said Vos. “It’s the only way to ensure that I continue to correctly represent their views in Madison.”
The 63rd Assembly District is comprised of the Towns of Raymond, Dover, Norway, Rochester, and Yorkville; and Villages of Union Grove, Caledonia, Rochester, and portions of Mt. Pleasant. The general election for the 63rd Assembly District will be held on November 4th, 2008.
h/t Real Debate Wisconsin
I posted this last week and now RDW has confirmed that Linda Flashinski has filed papers to run against Assemblyman Robin Vos.
I read this short editorial in the Sheboygan Press today and was surprised to find that they hit it this one on the head.
We have budget problems here in the state and I am tired of hearing politicians give lip service to the issue and not fixing the problem.
Here are the choices:
Raise taxes to fix the budget problem - Democrat solution.
Cut spending to fix it – Republican solution.
But would that actually fix all of the budget problems we have?
Look at what this administration and the legislature has done so far…Used the tobacco settlement to balance the budget…Raided the Transportation Budget to balance the state budget…raised fees without an offsetting lowering of any other tax.
There needs to be clear rules established for the budget process here in Wisconsin and I am beginning to lose faith that either side has the entire budget in mind when they make claims that budget needs to be fixed.
Note to all politicians in Wisconsin: If you want to be a political hero…come up with a comprehensive plan to actually fix the budget process. Not just a few sound bites or the same old “raise fees/cut taxes” banter…I’m talking a real solution that will work in this state for years to come.
Last week was a little too easy, Cuba, so this week is a bit harder…but not by much...4 out of 10.
