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Sales Tax Referendum Explained

Randy Hollenbeck — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:01:14 GMT

While I already gave my thoughts why I do not support the Sales Tax increase, I thought it was important to post both sides of the coin. I emailed 8th District Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik for her reason for voting yes and she emailed me back, very quickly I may add, a link with her reasoning. I have included District #17 Milwaukee County Supervisor Joe Sanfelippo response to why he voted no and does not support the referendum.

Keep in mind, when has a sales tax been reduced, and when do you say enough is enough and look at what can be done to lower the costs?

Here are two sides of the County Board Approves Sales Tax Referendum

Patricia Jursik

8th District Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik

901 N. 9th Street, Courthouse RM 201, Milwaukee, WI 53233

Phone: 414-278-4231 Fax: 414-223-1380

E-mail: patricia.jursik@milwcnty.com

Website: http://www.milwaukee.gov/Jursik

Source

Parks, Transit & Paramedics Funding; Property Tax Relief

The County Board passed a non-binding, advisory referendum question to ask voters whether they would approve a 1% sales tax to pay for parks, recreation and culture; transit; and emergency medical services (EMS). This would provide property tax relief by removing $67 million from the property tax levy. It would also provide additional money to purchase buses (currently we have depleted our bus replacement program) and to care for our deteriorating parks, which have also faced cuts over the last 5 to 7 years.

It is estimated that an owner of a home valued at $150,000 would save about $165 on the property tax bill. A 1% increase in purchases subject to the sales tax would also collect revenue from visitors who enjoy Milwaukee County’s amenities. While I would have preferred asking the question in a different way with perhaps a ½ cent hike, I voted yes on the question to give constituents an opportunity to indicate whether they want parks and transit preserved by taking these systems off the property tax levy and paying through a dedicated sales tax. It is my pledge to educate voters on the referendum question before the November 4 election. I will honor the will of the voters. It must be made clear that if we choose to say No, the Board will need to make deep cuts in both transit and parks spending.

County Board Approves Sales Tax Referendum

By Joe Sanfelippo

Milwaukee County Supervisor

Source

Last week the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors by a vote of 12-6 voted to put a referendum on the November ballot asking Milwaukee County residents to approve a 1% increase to the County Sales tax. I was one of the six that voted against the resolution.

I cast my no vote for a variety of reasons, the first of which is the misleading wording of the referendum. The referendum asks whether you favor a 1% county sales tax increase, with proceeds to fund parks, transit, emergency medical services and property tax relief. On the surface, it appears that a yes vote for the sales tax increase will result in a reduction of your taxes. On the contrary, a yes vote will RAISE taxes.

Currently, the County Tax Levy for the parks, transit system and EMS services totals $67 million dollars. The 1% sales tax increase will cost taxpayers an extra $130 million dollars per year, $63 million dollars more than you are currently paying to fund these programs through the property tax roles. In reality, a yes vote is a vote to RAISE overall taxes.

Second, imposing a new tax dedicated for "transit funding" amounts to double taxation. The State of Wisconsin will collect $1.5 billion dollars in 2008 for transit funding from gasoline taxes, vehicle title and registration fees. A reasonable estimate is that almost $200 million dollars of that tax will be collected in Milwaukee County. Why do we need another transit tax when we already have one?

Since entering office, Governor Doyle has taken nearly $1 billion dollars out of the transportation trust fund and spent it on non-transportation items. Rather than burdening the taxpayers with another tax, we should be working with the Senate and Assembly in Madison to stop the Governor from raiding the transportation fund, and to properly fund transit programs. We don't need to collect more taxes, we just need to use the money already being collected for the reason it is being collected in the first place.

Third, sales taxes are regressive, meaning they hurt some people more than others. Studies have shown that lower income people, the working poor and seniors living on fixed incomes, pay as much as five times more of their income in sales taxes than the most financially well off citizens. Simply put, those earning the least in our County will feel the hardest hit.

If the referendum makes it onto the November ballot, and it appears that it will, please remember that a yes vote in reality is a vote for a tax increase.

Joe Sanfelippo

Milwaukee County Supervisor

District #17

Franklin wins it lawsuit against Steve Hanke- The details

Kevin Fischer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:00:00 GMT

In a story I discussed while filling in for Mark Belling on Newstalk 1130 WISN today during the 3:00 hour, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge John Franke has ruled in favor of the city of Franklin’s lawsuit filed against registered sex offender Steve Hanke who moved into Franklin in June of 2007 in violation of the city’s ordinance that prohibits released sex offenders from living or congregating within 2000 feet of schools and other locations. Hanke moved into a home 600 feet from a Franklin middle school.

Hanke could now be forced to vacate the premises and face fines for every day he was in violation other ordinance. The ruling is significant, essentially upholding the Franklin ordinance’s constitutionality as well as other similar ordinances enacted around the state.

The background….

Franklin has become, over the past several years, the #1 crusader against sex offenders/sex predators and the #1 crusader in the state for protecting all children in all neighborhoods in Wisconsin from sex offender and sex predators.

A few years ago, busloads of Franklin residents stormed a public hearing at State Fair Park to protest a special state committee’s thought of building a facility in Franklin to house numerous sexually violent persons. Franklin was considered an ideal location, having the most open space in Milwaukee County.

The loud and strong stand by Franklin residents couldn’t be ignored. The special panel wrapped up its business without recommending any site in Milwaukee County for a sex predator house.

A flurry of activity ensued at the state Capitol. A key piece of legislation was approved and signed into law that killed funding for the facility for sexually violent persons and also disbanded the special committee assigned to find a location for the facility. Another bill signed into law makes first degree sexual assault of a child punishable by life in prison. Both bills were authored by state Senator Mary Lazich.

After sailing through the state Senate, a bill requiring that the worst sex offenders in the state be monitored by Global Positioning System or GPS was finally approved after much wrangling in the Assembly and signed into law.

Still, city of Franklin officials wanted to go even further. They were very worried that released sex offenders would be dumped in Franklin. Sparking that fear was the state allowing notorious offender Billy Lee Morford to travel back and forth between his northwest side Milwaukee home and Franklin for 18 months without properly notifying Franklin.

After numerous public hearings and through review, the Franklin Common Council late in 2006 approved an ordinance that was amended and finally put on the books in early 2007 that placed very strict limitations on where sexually violent persons on supervised release could live or congregate in Franklin.

Franklin’s ordinance states that no sexually violent person on supervised release may live within two thousand feet of places like schools, libraries, day care centers, parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, movie theatres, etc.

As of today, 35 municipalities from all parts of the state have contacted Franklin for information about their milestone ordinance and have either enacted similar ordinances or are considering passing such laws in their own communities.

The Franklin police have used the ordinance many times to successfully move sex offenders out of areas they weren’t supposed to be.

Here’s where the story gets controversial and important to every family in the entire state of Wisconsin.

Several months after the Franklin ordinance took effect, Steve Hanke moved into a home about 600 feet from a middle school in Franklin in clear violation of the Franklin ordinance.Hanke, who is in his mid-50's, bought the home in the 8200 block of S. 77^th Street five months after Franklin adopted its ordinance, in June of 2007.

Hanke refused to leave and Franklin took the necessary legal action to force him out. The city of Franklin filed a lawsuit to evict Hanke, a registered sex offender. Hanke was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1996 for second-degree sexual assault.

Hanke's attorney, Andrew Arena, made the incredibly insulting comment that Franklin residents were overreacting. "The sky is falling in Franklin," he said. "It's just ridiculous."

Why is this all so important?

The city of Franklin had a lot to lose if it did not prevail in this case. A ruling against the city would essentially nullify the Franklin’s tough restrictive ordinance that communities all across the state are using as a model to pass their own similar laws. If Franklin lost this lawsuit, the teeth would have been taken right out of its ordinance and the fear that a facility to house numerous sexually violent persons could be built in Franklin would have started all over again.

Last fall, a court hearing on the matter was held before Judge John Franke. Franke is a very liberal judge with a history.

In June of 2003, Franke released one of Wisconsin’s most notorious predators, four-time-convicted child molester Billy Lee Morford, to a home reportedly less than a mile from two schools and a park. Morford was the first sexual predator given supervised release in the city of Milwaukee.

In 1997, Franke granted predator Shawn Schulpius supervised release, contingent on the creation of a plan for housing and monitoring him in Milwaukee. But for more than two years, officials could not find supervised housing for Schulpius in the city. In 2000, Franke reversed himself, saying Schulpius didn't deserve release after all.

So, you have the city of Franklin going to court to get Hanke out, claiming he’s violating a constitutional ordinance. A loss for Franklin in court would have been a loss for the entire state, eliminating restrictive ordinances from the books in other municipalities, and opening the doors for sex offenders to live as close to innocent families and children to prey as they please.

In a conversation I had earlier this week with Franklin’s City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski, I said that I could envision Judge Franke issuing his decision on July 3^rd at 4:00 in the afternoon, and if so, that would be bad news. It didn’t turn out that way.

This is a huge victory for not just the city of Franklin, but the entire state of Wisconsin. Ordinances that are in place right now to restrict where sex offenders can live or congregate in can remain in effect. Other cities, towns, and villages watching anxiously, waiting from the sidelines to see what would transpire can now move forward with their plans to adopt such ordinances.

Franklin actually has two ordinances that are very similar but deal with the same issue.

There’s an ordinance that deals with what Franklin City Attorney Jesse Wesolowksi described as a “public order.” This ordinance basically states that Franklin is taking these restrictive measures to protect its citizens, and then it also lists all the nuts and bolts, the details of the ordinance, the 2000 feet limits, and so on.

Then there’s the all-important zoning ordinance, and this is critical. This sealed the deal for a Franklin victory.

I’m told that it appears Judge Franke made his ruling based on Franklin’s zoning ordinance that includes all those nuts and bolts details, but was crafted and adopted based on statutes that allow municipalities like Franklin to pass laws that control its land use. This ordinance, that is almost identical to the 1^st ordinance except for some legal terminology, saved the day for Franklin.

Also, Hanke presented in court at least 9 arguments that questioned the legality and constitutionality. Judge Franke found nothing to support any of those arguments.Franke also ruled against Hanke’s motion that the claims made by the city of Franklin were invalid.

So, what does it all mean?

#1- Franklin’s tough ordinance is constitutional.

#2- Other ordinances in other communities are safely in place.

#3- Other municipalities considering adopting such ordinances can safely move forward.

#4-Does Hanke have to move? The judge has asked the city of Franklin to prepare a proposed order to have Hanke obey the ordinance; in other words, to move from his current residence.

#5- Hanke could be fined, anywhere from $1 to $2500 per day for every day he was in violation of the ordinance. Remember, he moved into his home in violation in June of 2007.The judge wants a hearing to determine what the specifics on fines will be.

I have publicly criticized Judge Franke in the past and worried about how he would rule. He made the right decisions and deserves credit.

But there are other, bigger heroes, starting with the people of Franklin, the Franklin-based Citizens for a Safe Wisconsin, The Franklin Common Council and the Mayor, and especial Alderman Steve Olson, the architect of Franklin’s ordinance, and yes, state Senator Mary Lazich, who set the table for the creation of the Franklin ordinance through her collaboration with Citizens for a Safe Wisconsin to author anti-sex predator legislation that became law in Wisconsin.

The winners are every single child in the state of Wisconsin and their parents.

If you missed my discussion on the radio, the podcast is available on the Newstalk 1130 WISN website.

Happy 4th of July Menomonee Falls

Jefferson Davis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:09:00 GMT

Our Creator Has Given us Many Blessings on the 4th of July

The Vanguard would like to wish everyone a very Happy 4th of July as time is spent with family, friends and neighbors in the Falls and surronding areas.

As you attend your local parade, please remember that it is still ok in America, in spite of what some might be suggesting today, to stand in respect as the American Flag goes by. You may even encourage those around you to take their hats off, say a short silent prayer of thanks, to hold their hand over their heart and to remember that your ancestors and veterans gave us the many privileges and blessings that we enjoy today as citizens of the greatest country in the world, America.

The Vanguard has made available copies or links to some of the most sacred and tested documents in history for you to consider as you observe this authentic holiday that we have simply come to call, The 4th of July.

Federalist Papers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Papers)

Declaration of Independence (http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/)

Bill of Rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights)

U.S. Constitution (http://www.theusgov.com/the%20constitution.htm)

Star Spangled Banner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner)

Pledge of Allegiance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance)

American Flag (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States)

Happy 4th of July, Menomonee Falls

The Cheesecake Factory Server Lawsuit

Randy Hollenbeck — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:19:00 GMT

I received this email this morning.

“Randy could you please post this article on the Cheesecake Factory Server Lawsuit. While it is a shame that Wal-Mart has violated employee’s rights and wages, this practice is prevalent throughout retail and the restaurant service industry. A person for whom I will not name, that you have stated you respect will of course not like this fact. I am sure he is in denial that is favorite place could possibly have violations much like Wal-Mart his least favorite place.”

Servers Fight Back: sue the Cheesecake Factory over pay practices

A group of waiters and waitresses filed a federal lawsuit alleging that The Cheesecake Factory violated federal labor law by engaging in illegal pay practices regarding uniforms, off the clock work, calculation of overtime pay and other related wage and hour violations.

Servers allege illegal pay practices that include:

Unpaid Work Hours -- "Off the Clock" Work. The Cheesecake Factory has a general policy against paying servers overtime hours. This policy results in unpaid working hours or "off the clock" work. Despite The Cheesecake Factory's requirement that servers arrive early for work according to its policy that “early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable,” it routinely attempts to save server clock hours by requiring or permitting the following illegal policies, practices or procedures:

The Cheesecake Factory’s computerized time system prevented servers from clocking in except for a brief six minute window at the start of their shift.

Servers work “off the clock” runner shifts.

Servers attend pre-shift alignment meetings prior to clocking in.

Servers work “off the clock” before serving their first guests at the start of their shift.

Servers work “off the clock” after closing out their last check at the end of their shift.

Servers are clocked out by managers.

Uniform and Other Tip Credit Violations

The cost of required Shoes for Crews shoes are deducted from servers’ paychecks.

Servers are required to purchase their uniforms.

Servers are required to maintain, clean and iron, at their expense, their uniform.

Servers are required to purchase aprons.

Servers are required to purchase Cheesecake Factory logo shirts.

Servers are charged $10 for lost computer swipe cards.

Servers are required to purchase tools of the trade including, black order books, pens, lighters, and wine keys.

Servers are required to pay for a customer “walk outs."

Servers are required to pay for any cash shortages resulting from customers short paying their check, cash handling errors, or problems with the cash out machines.

Servers are required to tip out an excessive percentage of their tips

Illegal Pay Practices are common in the restaurant industry.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor has targeted restaurants for enforcement because violations are so common.

These violations are particularly troubling because restaurant workers are among the lowest paid in the nation.

http://www.techlawsuit.com/

I do think it is terrible that any company violates workers rights.

I can make the statement that I do not approve of the actions Wal-Mart has been in violation of workers rights and I hope the lawsuit sticks.

I can tell you as a manager for K-Mart we were told to have the employees punch out and clean and straighten the aisles. K-Mart called it code “S” and if you are in a K-Mart around 9:00pm you will hear a page “Code S is now in effect, Code S is now in effect”.

I never agreed with keeping the works after hour off the clock, I would not do that. I did not call the HR department at headquarters, but I did let the district and regional managers know my disagreement.

On Tim Russert and the Fourth of July Parade

Maureen Connors Badding — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:13:43 GMT

Like everyone from Buffalo, I was saddened by Tim Russert's death. Most of us ex-Buffalonians are staunch defenders of the city's reputation, but he was one of the most vocal and certainly one of the most famous.

I actually received condolences when he died, but I never met Tim Russert. By the time I was attending dances at Canisius High School, Tim was long gone. And even my five brothers, who were closer to his age, never knew him. While he was on a bus heading to his all-boys Catholic school in North Buffalo, my brothers were on a bus heading toward South Buffalo to go to theirs.

But I still watched Tim's memorial show on MSNBC and listened to all the eulogies. I was astounded when I heard a couple of people mention the many parades in Buffalo. The curious thing is, other than a huge St. Patrick's Day Parade, I don't remember many parades in Buffalo.

It really got me wondering. I even Googled “Buffalo + Parades” to see if my memory was faulty. It was. There are, in fact, lots of parades in Buffalo. I'm just now realizing that my family members weren't “Parade People.”

You see, since I've lived in Tosa, I've forgotten that I'm not really Parade People either. For many years, I was gladly recruited as a chaperone for my daughter's various groups and teams when they marched in Tosa's Fourth of July Parade. For the past few years, I've gone to see all our friends and neighbors marching with their respective groups. I couldn't imagine not going to the parade this year.

I've realized that Tosa is a Parade Town, and you can't help becoming Parade People when you live here. In particular, our Fourth of July Parade has a subtle and mysterious allure that cannot be ignored. Resistance is futile. It could be 96 degrees and blindingly sunny or 60 degrees and raining, but attendance is mandatory.

So, in spite of the crowds and the awkward gaps; the clowns and the Shriners on their loud Harleys notwithstanding, I will go to Tosa's Fourth of July Parade. And at some point, I'll probably even have a tear in my eye. It might be the Vietnam Vets and their Hmong contemporaries. It could be the littlest Dailey Deb struggling to keep up with the rest of the group. It could be the East Marching Band and all the kids I know who will be going their separate ways next year.

Something will get to me. And I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Make money while playing!!!

Park & Recreation Department — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:07:06 GMT

Are you looking to earn some extra money during the school year? Enjoy working with children? We have the perfect job for you. The Germantown Recreation Department is looking for qualified individuals for a before & after school program for children in grades K5 - 5. Hours are Monday - Friday, before school 5:45 - 8:45 a.m. and after school 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. Leaders will earn between $8 - $10/hr, and supervisors will earn between $10 - $13/hr. Applicants should have experience in supervising children.

Applications can be submitted to:

Germantown Recreation Dept.

P.O. Box 337

Germantown, WI 53022

For more information call Joe at (262)250-4710.

I Caught the Reading Bug!

Alisha Fischer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:33:40 GMT

I had a chance to meet with the lovely ladies of the Franklin Public Library this week to talk about summer programming and other amenities the library had to offer. I was particularly impressed with the children's section complete with a full size classroom and giganitic "tree house" play area. If you haven't visited yet it is an absolute must see, especially if you have a child in your life who is an eager reader.

Other amenities the library has to offer:

- wireless internet and computer lab for internet access

- quiet and cozy area for reading

- over 170 magazine for children and adults of all ages

- weekly entertainers and non-reading related programming for all ages

I guess I caught the reading bug!

I'm on WISN today

Kevin Fischer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:10:00 GMT

Reminder, I fill in for Mark Belling today on Newstalk1130 WISN from 3-6 pm.

Waiting for the Parade

Kimberly Laczniak — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:51:20 GMT

I must confess, I don't care about parades. At all. Maybe it's because I spent a great deal of my childhood marching in parades, both for the Robinette's (I was a baton twirler) and for the Templeton Middle School marching band (I played the clarinet and the flute). Once I got to high school, I quit the band because it was mandatory that we had to march, and I'd had enough marching.

On the way home from work yesterday I took note of all the people along the Menomonee Falls parade route who were scouting out their spot for tonights parade. It almost made me wonder if the parade was last night, instead of tonight. This morning all the stakes and string and caution tape and lawn chairs, and other marking devices were there. My daughter, who is seven, asked me: What is going on? Why are all these people in areas that are marked off with caution tape?? And I had to explain to her that it wasn't police tape in this instance, it was areas that people were marking as their own for the parade which is later tonight.

And this is what she said to me: But it's just a parade.

My point exactly. It's just a parade. I don't get it. What ever happened to showing up for the parade right before the parade started? Where the kids sit on the curb as it passes by, and the adults stand on the sidewalk? Does that not happen anymore?

My Cable TV Bill is Tumbling - Not

Paul Wickesberg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

After a year's hype cable television now has serious competition. All last year the phone company ran ads claiming that once a new law was passed the Citizens of Wisconsin would be on easy street. A bill was in the works that would allow phone companies to provide television without paying a franchise fee to local governments. The claim was that new competition would force the cable operators to quit gouging us and lower prices. It was implied that the phone company would enter the market with significantly cheaper rates for equal service. Every day the broadcast commercials told us to contact our legislators and demand that the new law be passed. How nice it would be to actually pay fair prices for video service.

The law was passed. Anyone (in the Milwaukee area) can now sign up with AT&T and bring in video programs over the phone lines. But guess what. Their rates are basically the same as the cable operator. Poof....suddenly the commercials no longer talk about lower rates but instead focus on an old woman watching TV in an odd-shaped bed.

Oh, by the way, my TV bills have increased. So much for the benefits of competition!

Booktrucks, Cows, and the Fourth of July in Hales Corners

Hales Corners Library — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:34:00 GMT

On Tuesday afternoons and evenings in the summer, the library hosts special activities for teens entitled the Teen Table. What do teens do at the Teen Table? So far the teens have participated in jewelry making, clothes un-dying, and booktruck decorating. The participants in the Teen Table activities went above and beyond for the booktruck decorating program. They painted two booktrucks white with red and blue spots to make the trucks look like cows. The teens will show-off their creations in the Hales Corners 4th of July parade so be sure to catch them as they moooove on by. If you're interested in learning about the other teen activities the Teen Table will be featuring, visit or call the library!

It's Time to Read to Wilson!

Hales Corners Library — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:33:31 GMT

Everybody's favorite Dalmatian, Wilson, is back this summer and eager for children to read to him in the library's returning program Read to Wilson. One of Wilson's favorite pastimes is listening to children read aloud. Not only does Wilson get to hear great stories this way, but children who are hesitant to read aloud to their family or peers are often less stressed when reading to a dog. Programs such as Read to Wilson have helped children reduce their reading apprehension.

Wilson brings tons of experience to the table. He is insured and has passed the American Kennel Club's "Canine Good Citizen" exam. He and his handler have also achieved the Handler/Pet Team Accreditation through Pets Helping People. Aside from the library, Wilson has also worked in both school and hospital settings.

Children in grades K to 5 can sign up for a 20-minute session with Wilson. Each child is encouraged to complete two 20-minute sessions with Wilson to earn a free book and certificate. This summer's Read to Wilson program kicked off on Monday, June 23rd but there are still several dates and times left so sign the child in your life up today! For more information regarding available times and dates please contact the library at (414) 529-6150 ext 10. Wilson is waiting to hear from you!

Animal Emergency Center: Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week

Kyle Prast — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:22:00 GMT

Seems kids and pets always get sick in the evening, on the weekend, or worse yet, on a holiday. We've been blessed never to have needed the emergency room for our son, but our little pooch, Zipper, is another story.

A few summers ago, Zipper and I were out working in the yard. He was having a blast exploring the woods while I pulled weeds. But when he emerged from the brush, I noticed something was very wrong. Zippers' eyes were rimmed in red and swollen; his lips looked puffy too.

As I examined him more closely, I saw he had many red welts on his head. Oh, my goodness, wasp or bee stings?

Wouldn't you know, it was on a holiday. Now what?

We called our vet in Glendale. Their phone message directed us to the Animal Emergency Center. I called them and let them know we were coming in.

What a blessing! They are open 24 hours a day, every day--even holidays. They were easy to get to and quickly attended to our pet.

Poor Zip must have encountered a wasp nest or minor bees in our woods? He had around 20 stings. If I had not seen him in time, he might have met his Maker!

After a few hours at the emergency center, we were able to take our dog home. We were very grateful to have found a place to take him in his hour of need.

Just in case you may have a pet emergency...

The Animal Emergency Center is at 2100 W. Silver Spring Dr., Glendale, WI 53209, 414-540-6710

I took I-94 to I-43 north to Silver Spring west exit, then west on Silver Spring to 21st street. The emergency center is on the north side of the street.

Hope you never need them!

Click here to sign the DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW.

PAY LESS. domestic drilling petition and see the latest links to related oil news (updated every day).

Drill Here is now over the 1.27 million mark. The goal is 3 million signatures by the Democratic and Republican Conventions.

Links:

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin , Vicki Mckenna

It Must Be Getting Really Hot In Florida

Janet Evans — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:01:00 GMT

The heat must be getting to people.

It must be making them dizzy and not thinking straight.

Hallucinating.

So hot that it might make a low life think that something is actually a weapon when it isn’t.

Get a load of this guy….

That’s Gelando Olivieri Jr., and he wants $50….from a beverage store. He’s using a palm frond as his weapon of choice. Way to go Gelando. Not the smartest coconut on the palm tree.

Read the story from the DeLand-Deltona Beacon ç here

Then we move close by where Gregory Praeger, who's been drinking, has an argument with his poor mother.

He’s later arrested on battery charges.

Maybe he didn’t like what she was making him for dinner….

from Fox News ç here

Candanian Court overrules father's grounding

Randy Hollenbeck — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:26:41 GMT

Quebec: A judge has ruled that a 12-year-old girl who was grounded and not permitted to go on a school trip because she broke her father's rules for using the internet may indeed go on the trip.

The father had grounded the unidentified 12-year-old because she had circumvented security measures on the computer to access forbidden sites and had uploaded images of herself described as "inappropriate for a child her age.”

"I don't think this tribunal was the proper forum for a decision like this one. If we don't learn at the age of 12 there are rules to follow, when do we?" said lawyer Kim Beaudoin. An appeal to the ruling is planned.

Source: www.upi.com

And to think how our courts are beginning to be so liberal that something like this is headed our way. I see a time where the Judge and Government tells the parents no more paper bag lunches because we have to make sure not peanuts and the food you send your children with is healthy enough for them.

When people talk about the military taking away our freedoms and they feel it is okay for a Judge and the Government to parent our children and there is no outcry there is something wrong.

Your Entertainment Dollar

Steve Makovec and Katherine Beeson — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:25:22 GMT

In just a few weeks we will be presenting "All Shook Up" the musical based on the music of Elvis Presley. Rehearsals are underway four nights a week and many more hours are being devoted to set building, costuming and a variety of behind-the-scenes occupations.

We realize that all our efforts do not guarantee a financial success. We are, for the most part, a volunteer organization. We may be working very hard, but we realize that your entertainment dollars only go so far and there is a lot going on every summer competing for your attention.

Let fantasy guide you this month. Plan on escaping your everyday world and experience a live show reminiscent of those light-hearted Elvis movies you watched again and again. The songs in "All Shook Up" are Elvis classics. These are the songs you loved, danced to and turned up the radio to hear.

So save on high ticket prices, parking fees and gas. Our ticket prices are only $15 for adults and $13 for seniors and students. Our theater is located at West Allis Central High School Auditorium at 85th and Lincoln, parking is free on the Lincoln Avenue or in the West Allis Central High School parking lot across the street. Our theater is air-conditioned and refreshments will be sold in the lobby before the show and at intermission.

Steve and I will be working the box office at each performance. We will be the first ones to welcome you and let you know that we appreciate your being at the show. "All Shook Up" runs July 18 the, 19th 25th and 26th, the curtain rises at 7:30. We also have a 2 p.m. matinee July 27. See you at the show!

What's Great About America: Part 7

Kevin Fischer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:40:00 GMT

Dinesh D' Souza, an immigrant from India who is now a U.S. citizen, is author of the New York Times best-seller What’s So Great About America. A few years ago, he wrote a paper for the Heritage Foundation called What’s Great About America. For the past week, I’ve been posting one of the qualities D'Souza listed in his paper.

Here's the 7^th and final segment, America’s Virtue, with the entire paper.

D’Souza’s new book is, What’s So Great About Christianity.

On Independence Day, Leadership Lessons of the Founding Fathers

Jim Burkee — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:02:30 GMT

Over the past few years Americans have been noticeably drawn to the era of our Founders. The acclaimed HBO miniseries John Adams followed David McCullough's bestselling books, John Adams and 1776. Walter Isaacson profiled Franklin; Ron Chernow, Hamilton; and Joseph Ellis presented Washington, Jefferson, and the generation of Founding Brothers.

Students of historiography - the writing of history - note that history books reflect the time in which they are written. There is a reason Americans are fascinated by the Founders today. So it is worth asking, why the great interest with our Founding Fathers, and why now?

Perhaps it is that Americans find in our Founders qualities so starkly absent in our own generation of political leaders. While our young nation's first leaders were imperfect, they were espoused virtue, duty, civility, and sacrifice. They represented thirteen unique states - each considered their home countries - with diverse interests and passions. Coastal towns preferred commerce while western and southern promoted agriculture. Populous states like Virginia faced small states like Rhode Island. Pennsylvanian Quakers opposed Carolinan slaveowners; Anglophiles feared Francophiles; and Anti-Federalists disputed Federalists.

And yet they found a way to get things done - through compromise.

The first week of July is a hallowed one for Americans. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to separate from Great Britain, signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on the 4^th. Twelve years later, on July 2, 1788, the Constitution - after a long year of debate - was ratified, becoming the law of the land.

Both the Continental Congress and the Convention that preceded ratification and crafted that exceptional document say a lot about the virtues of the Founders. And there are lessons to draw as we contrast that generation of leaders with today's less able and certainly less fraternal representatives in Congress.

They identified a crisis and committed to act. The nation's first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, was almost uniformly seen as a failure by 1786, when James Madison proposed they be revised. When in May, 1787, he called for a "Grand Convention" to rewrite a constitution, all states but one sent delegates.

They worked toward a common goal. The Articles of Confederation created a hopelessly weak central government. It had no authority to tax, and therefore had to request money from the states. The original Congress also had no authority to raise an army. But states were often unwilling to volunteer funds or troops because of disproportional representation (big states and small states each had one vote). There was also no chief executive. The government, as Washington put it, was "little more than the shadow without the substance." While the fifty-five delegates at the Constitutional Convention differed on how to remedy the failures of Articles, they almost all agreed on goals: Stronger central government, an executive branch, and fairer representation.

They deliberated in private. James Madison understood that no comprehensive reform would be agreed-upon at the Convention without compromise on several issues. But he knew that transparency would undermine compromise: Delegates would be reluctant to express their views freely, or to suggest ideas not fully though-out, knowing their views would be recorded and publicized. So he posted armed sentries outside the Philadelphia hall's doors and held the entire convention in secrecy.

They understood the value of consensus. Adams and Franklin understood that the July 2, 1776 vote to declare independence from Great Britain would carry less weight were the vote anything less than unanimous. Twelve of the thirteen colonies' delegations voted to separate with Britain (New York, which abstained, later affirmed its support). At the Philadelphia convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin implored each delegate to present a united front, "and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument." Though differences remained within state delegations, each of the twelve participating states voted "aye" for the new constitution.

They compromised. Each delegate settled for less a document agreed to be less than perfect, but they best the assembly could produce - to work, as one delegate put it, in the "spirit of mutual concession." Franklin concluded before the final vote, "I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."

The Constitution and subsequent Bill of Rights satisfied no one entirely, but everyone sufficiently. Yet this "Great Compromise" has stood for 221 years as the most exceptional governing document in the modern world.

The Founders were men of principle who built coalitions. In contrast to today's conventional partisans, trapped by ideological inflexibility and often hostage to special interests, America's first leaders understood that principle and compromise are not always mutually exclusive.

It was a tradition that extended for much of our nation's history. The great legislators of the 19^th century - men like Henry Clay (known affectionately as the "Great Compromiser") and Daniel Webster - won their reputations crafting compromises that held the young nation together.

The crises our nation faces today - energy, health care, immigration, entitlements, indebtedness and more - will require statesmen in Washington willing to remove their partisan shackles and personal gain, identify common objectives, and work to achieve them with the greatest degree of unanimity possible, in a "spirit of mutual concession." Great legislation cannot happen with fifty plus one, debated before CSPAN's prying eyes, and without leaders willing to embrace a concept once widely-accepted, now frequently rejected, by America's political class: Compromise.

Jim Burkee, an Associate Professor of History at Concordia University Wisconsin, is a Republican candidate for US Congress in Wisconsin's 5^th Congressional District

Happy Fireworks!

Julie Shea — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:17:54 GMT

This will be the first year my husband and I will go to State Fair Park to see the fireworks. Have any of you gone in years past? Are they pretty good?

No matter, I suppose. Whether it’s the Big Bang at Summerfest or if it’s the small town, Eagle River fireworks, I know I’ll love it. I’ve often driven around town to catch more than one fireworks display. Often I would be downtown for the Big Bang on the 3^rd and then a local fireworks display on the 4^th. The more I can see, the happier I am.

I’ve always loved fireworks. I don’t know what it is about them, but there’s nothing better than lying on a blanket in the grass with fireworks exploding over your head. The beads of light fall gently towards the earth, like a blanket surrounding you, slowly disappearing before arriving at their destination.

Maybe it’s the brilliant reds, blues and greens lighting up the darkness, clouds of smoke cling to the sky, following the direction of a breeze you hadn’t noticed.

Maybe it’s the possible danger. It is, after all, like playing with fire. It wouldn’t be the first thing I’ve loved because it was dangerous. I love sharks. I’ve dated a few unsavory characters. I like a little danger now and again. More accurately, I like the idea of a little danger now and again.

Maybe it was because it was one of the few nights we were allowed up past our bedtime. The fireworks take me back to a simpler time when a neighborhood picnic would end with a car load of us driving over to the park to watch the fireworks. It was the symbol of summertime to me as a kid. School was over and fall was still a long way off.

You don’t begin to appreciate the freedom they represent until later. Once, as a woman, I started learning about the lives of women in other cultures, wars then and now…it’s kept me loving this symbol of American freedom.

I wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday weekend.

Independence Day

Andrei Junge — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:47:36 GMT

I hope that everyone takes the time this holiday weekend to reflect on how lucky we are as a nation and remember the sacrifices that were made to help grow America into the best place in the world. Anyone who for a second thinks otherwise should spend some time in any other country. I'm tired of people saying we should be more like this or like that. Baloney. As someone who is a first generation American I know firsthand of how good we have it.

I'm also sick and tired of the way people treat those that protect and defend our country. Shameful. How easily we forget tyrants and terrorists who threaten our freedom. Instead of thanking our soldiers, cowards throw eggs at Army Recruiting stations and degrade the military. Cowards. Throughout our history brave men and women have consistently and honorably defended those, like myself, that are too scared to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of our country. Those who do not thank our soldiers are frankly ignorant about what would happen to our freedoms without these brave citizens.

We all have it easy compared to the vast majority of people in the world. Be thankful that we are allowed to speak freely without fear of imprisonment. Be thankful that we are allowed to worship as we wish. Be thankful that women are allowed to vote. Be thankful that we are allowed freedom of expression. Be thankful that we can more or less do as we wish without fear of the government telling us that we can or cannot do something.

Go to your community parades. Proudly display your American flags. Wear red, white and blue. Talk to your neighbors. Go to a barbeque. Watch the fireworks. Be proud of your country.

Enjoy Independence Day.