folkbum's rambles and rants

by folkbum

If this doesn't get your week started right, I don't know what will.



More.

Labels: Music

by folkbum

(Updated: If you missed the show, our segment is online here.)

I'm quite certain that tens of thousands of people all across the state are waking up this morning and watching "UpFront with Mike Gousha" and, impressed by my madd debating skillz, are immediately firing up teh great gizoogle and finding this here blog.

Owen and I had about 4 seconds to debate about a million things, so I thought I would add a few things here that I didn't get to say.

I spent the most time boning up on the sate budget and was able to get the fewest of my talking points in about that topic. In fact, the more I read up on the budget, the more impressed I was with it.

Owen's a bit lucky that Republican talking points on the budget are easily reducible to the lazy conservative dog whistles: increased spending, benefits for gays, illegal immigrants, blahdy blah blah blah.

The truth about the budget is a bit more wonky and a bit more important to the actual real lives of people across the state. For example, the budget was done on time this year for the first time since 1977. In these difficult economic times--indeed, in worsening economic times, as the revenue news was revised downward several times since the beginning of the year--Democrats were able to come together and get a budget done on time.

It's also a budget that does not raise the sales tax, income tax (for 99% of people), property tax, or gas tax. State workers and state agencies took a big hit so that education and shared revenue could be spared the worst. The spending from General Purpose Revenue--the big pot of tax dollars the state collects from you and me--is lower, in real dollars, in actual total dollars spent, in this budget than in the previous one, but 2.5%. The total increase in spending (yes, $61b for 09-11 is larger than the $58b for 07-09) is almost entirely accounted for by federal stimulus dollars, not tax increases--and don't let the Republicans tell you any differently. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimated that the median home's property taxes would increase a grand total of just $94 if schools and municipalities taxed to the max under revenue limits.

Wonky, yes. But also worth being proud of--and not something that petty little issues like gay-bashing and immigrant-bashing should be allowed to overcome.

As for Jim Doyle, and whether he's running for re-election, I will reiterate what I said on the show: No one has told me any differently. However, Doyle has indeed been invisible lately, not even taking much credit for the budget. Some Democrats have expressed quite a bit of displeasure over Doyle's relative absence lately, and they have a legitimate beef. However, if you remember four years ago, Doyle was perfectly happy just to go about doing his job and letting his opponents beat each other up. I firmly believe the Republican primary will get ugly, soon, and I will be happy to watch that happen. So will Jim Doyle.

UPDATED to add something else: One other thing I wanted to say on the show but that I didn't is that the single toughest opponent Jim Doyle will face next year is the economy. It doesn't matter which Republican's name is on the ballot; if the economy is still in the toilet, Doyle's re-election is less secure.

ALSO: I'm watching Mark Neumann on the program this morning, and he's taking credit for the Clinton economy of the 1990s that he voted against consistently. Ugh.

Labels: 2010 Elections, Jim Doyle, Mark Neumann, State Budget, Television

By Keith R. Schmitz

Is this the year we declare our independence from health insurance companies?

Labels: Health insurance companies, True independence

by folkbum

I will be counting fingers on Monday, so be careful.

by folkbum

I just don't know what to say about this.

Labels: Sarah Palin

by folkbum

I'll be appearing in a way too brief segment Sunday morning during "UpFront with Mike Gousha." Milwaukeeans can see it on channel 12 at 9 AM; others should check listings here. The program will also be archived and available online by early next week, too.

I'm up against (natch) Owen Robinson. I got in a few good shots, but I didn't have quite enough time to get to everything I wanted to.

Also, the regular make-up person was not available when we taped, so anyone with HD should probably watch blindfolded. That is all.

Labels: Owen Robinson, Television

by folkbum

Karl Malden apparently did not get my request for a pause in the whole dying thing. However, at least he reached 97 and died of natural causes. You know, just to throw us off.

Labels: RIP

by folkbum

Finally.

Labels: Al Franken

By Keith R. Schmitz

The state of Wisconsin budget just signed by Governor Jim Doyle is a reflection of torturous decisions. Of course what really helped the process was the shrill screaming that emanated from the GOP and the rad right that seemed to dominate the "discussion." For months we have been treated to charges of torrents of taxes and job killing regulations. Of course their needle seems to be stuck in that groove.

Nobody by any stretch is happy. For me, in a recession government is the employer of last resort and we should have found ways to keep state workers on the rolls full time. Studies have shown that putting a dollar into the economy through government jobs has greater yield than not taking that dollar out through taxes.

The Wisconsin Technology Network is not a Doyle cheerleader by any means, but kudos for having the fairness to find aspects of the budget that benefit business and growth. Doyle by no means hates Wisconsin business, as well as Democrats in the state legislature, or Democrats for that matter, a good number who are in business and doing very well at it.

We simply don't like a having a government that brings out the worst in business or steamrollers the other stakeholders in the state.

Labels: Jim Doyle, Progress, Republicans, State Budget

by folkbum

The Ricci decision is out. Let the howling commence.

Also from SCOTUSBlog: "The fact that the Court’s four more liberal members would affirm the Second Circuit shows that Judge Sotomayor’s views were far from outlandish and put her in line with Judge Souter, [whom] she will replace."

Labels: Sonia Sotomayor

by folkbum

Look. Is there some sort of cosmic pause button we can press here to keep people from dying for a few weeks? It's getting a bit overwhelming.

Also, here's an "On the Media" from a few weeks back that I quite enjoyed about the pitchman trade. Seems fitting to revisit it now.

Update: I wonder where Tim Cuprisin got the idea to link to OTM? Hm?

Labels: RIP

by folkbum

That death list is getting longer by the day.

Labels: Cheddarsphere

by folkbum

RIP, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Is Gabe Kaplan next?

Labels: RIP

by folkbum

Q: What made Sonia Sotomayor so wise?
A. She did everything John Roberts did, but backwards and in high heels--and in a second language.

Labels: Patrick McIlheran, Sonia Sotomayor

by folkbum

When Jim Sullivan ran against then-incumbent State Senator Tom Reynolds in 2006, Reynolds's bizarre personal behavior and ability to alienate his Republican colleagues allowed Sullivan to win a squeaker in a fairly conservative district. I think most observers agreed back then that had Rep. Leah Vukmir challenged Reynolds in a primary, she would have won and made the Senate contest a little tighter.

But in the three years since then, Vukmir has managed to damage her reputation among members of her party, just like Reynolds. From Milwaukee Magazine's best and worst leggies story (the "worst" section, that is):

Rep. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa): Her champions rank this former nurse and educational reform advocate among the Legislature’s best. “Very, very bright and really bones up on the issues,” says a conservative lobbyist. A Republican operative credits Vukmir, 50, for making her case “in a more appealing way than some of the other archconservative troglodytes.” He even sees her as poised for a leadership position.

But this is the minority view. “Vukmir should be a star but is an absolute dud,” says another Republican. By withholding her vote and claiming the “more conservative than thou” pose, Vukmir forced her caucus to cut deals with the Democrats and give up more ground. “She just has no strategic sense,” he despairs, adding that Vukmir is despised by most fellow Republicans.

“It’s all about Leah,” grumbles a current Republican staffer. “Given the choice of reaching a compromise or having an issue to campaign on, she will choose the latter.”

There are also pretty persistent rumors from multiple sources about Vukmir's personal life as well. (Heck, given how far out of the loop I tend to be, you've probably heard them, too--and you know it is the kind of thing that might have a bearing on her job were she elected to the State Senate.)

So we might well be looking at a kind of replay of 2006 once Vukmir makes it official later this morning. Sullivan, well liked in his district (and now a successful incumbent with a solid track record), up against a Republican who can alienate her party and whose personal behavior may become a distraction in the campaign. In that case, I'd put my money on Sullivan again. (And you can, too, literally, through my ActBlue page.)

Labels: 2010 Elections, Jim Sullivan, Leah Vukmir, Tom Reynolds

By Keith R. Schmitz

Labels: Religion

by folkbum

They say it won't be that different, but we all know better.

Labels: Midwest Airlines, RIP

by folkbum

He's riding in heaven's prize patrol now.

Labels: RIP

by folkbum

Okay, look, sometimes we like to joke about how leaders at various levels seem to be missing in action when they fail to act to our liking about some pressing issue or another.

So what do you do when your governor actually is missing in action?

Labels: Mark Sanford

by folkbum

To any and all fathers in attendance here today.