Archive for March, 2010

Send a message to Mayor Tom Barrett on the Zoo Interchange:

Dear Mayor Barrett,

I am tired of sitting in traffic and disappointed that you worked with Governor Doyle to put off fixing the Zoo Interchange. If you and Governor Doyle can’t even fix Wisconsin’s existing roads, how can you think it’s a good idea to spend over $800 million dollars of the taxpayer’s money on a fancy train to Madison?

Sincerely,

To sign, go to http://www.barrettbypass.com/

Mayor Tom Barrett, June 25, 2005: “I’m writing in opposition to funding preliminary engineering of the Zoo Interchange.”

See Tom Barrett’s letter at http://www.barrettbypass.com/barrett_letter2.jpg

“It is amazing that Governor Doyle and Mayor Barrett can advocate spending $810 million on a new ‘high-speed’ rail line while the state government cannot even fix one of the busiest interchanges in Wisconsin. Years of raiding the Transportation Fund and years of Milwaukee politicians like the Mayor fighting work on the East-West corridor have now led to a crisis that will have a negative impact on commerce.” –Scott Walker at http://www.scottwalker.org/node/1035

by Ed Koch, former Mayor of New York City, realclearpolitics.com, March 29, 2010

President Obama’s abysmal attitude toward the State of Israel and his humiliating treatment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is shocking. In the Washington Post on March 24th, Jackson Diehl wrote, “Obama has added more poison to a U.S.-Israeli relationship that already was at its lowest point in two decades. Tuesday night the White House refused to allow non-official photographers record the president’s meeting with Netanyahu; no statement was issued afterward. Netanyahu is being treated as if he were an unsavory Third World dictator, needed for strategic reasons but conspicuously held at arms length. That is something the rest of the world will be quick to notice and respond to.”

–SNIP– So I ask again, where are our Senators, Schumer and Gillibrand? And, where are the voices, not only of the 31 members of the House and 14 Senators who are Jewish, but the Christian members of the House and Senate who support the State of Israel? Where are the peoples’ voices? Remember the words of Pastor Niemoller, so familiar that I will not recite them, except for the last line, “Then they came for me, and by that time, there was no one left to speak up.”

Supporters of Israel who gave their votes to candidate Obama - 78 percent of the Jewish community did - believing he would provide the same support as John McCain, this is the time to speak out and tell the President of your disappointment in him. It seems to me particularly appropriate to do so on the eve of the Passover. It is one thing to disagree with certain policies of the Israeli government. It is quite another to treat Israel and its prime minister as pariahs, which only emboldens Israel’s enemies and makes the prospect of peace even more remote.

Read more at http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/03/29/never_again_will_we_be_silent_104961.html

Where is Russ Feingold? Where is Herb Kohl?

By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel, March 30, 2010

Madison — The state’s medical malpractice fund closed its books with negative net assets for the past two fiscal years after legislators and the governor drained $200 million from the fund to shore up the state budget, a new audit says.

The shaky economy and record claims against the fund also contributed to the poor condition of the account, says the report released Tuesday by the Legislative Audit Bureau.

To balance the state budget in 2007, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature pulled $200 million from the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, which is used to pay medical malpractice victims. They said the account could afford to give up the money because of a surplus, but the fund has performed poorly since then, auditors said.

At the time, Democrats controlled the Senate and Republicans controlled the Assembly.

“This is a bipartisan failure,” said Rep. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa), who voted against that budget. “This is fiscally . . . unsound and nothing more than a gimmick.”

Read more at http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/89515217.html

People HATE your bill and we’re TARGETING you in the November RACE.

From Chip Bok at http://www.bokbluster.com , March 26, 2010

See more Funnies at http://milwaukee.wisgop.info/funnies/

by Andrew Breitbart, bigjournalism.com, March 25, 2010

As I have said over and over and over, the left has one trick that it will use again and again when its back is in the corner: shout ‘racist’ in a crowded country.

On Saturday, during the peaceful and patriotic tea party protest at the Capitol, the Democrats staged a series of symbolic acts meant to manipulate the media to do its bidding. The Congressional Black Caucus pulled the Selma card and chose to walk through the crowd in the hopes of creating a YouTube incident. This is what it looked like:

and this:

There is no reason in 21st century America on an issue that is not a black or white or a civil rights issue to have a bloc of black people walk slowly through a mostly white crowd to make a racial point. The walk in and of itself — with two of the participants holding their handheld cameras above their heads hoping to document “proof” — was an act of racism meant to create a contrast between the tea party crowd and themselves.

This is the same failed symbolism that Janeane Garofalo and MSNBC have been trying to implant for the last year. The only supposed evidence of white-on-black racism at a tea party that MSNBC was able to find was a man carrying a gun at an Arizona Obama rally. But, wait, MSNBC cut off the man’s head with a photo editing software. That Second Amendment fan was actually black. Never mind.

Read more at http://bigjournalism.com/abreitbart/2010/03/25/2010-a-race-odyssey-disproving-a-negative-for-cash-prizes-or-how-the-civil-rights-movement-jumped-the-shark/

Our State debt isn’t so good either!

By ERIKA LOVLEY, politico.com, 3/26/2010

Nearly 2,000 House of Representatives staffers pulled down six-figure salaries in 2009, including 43 staffers who earned the maximum $172,500 — or more than three times the median U.S. household income.

Starting salaries on Capitol Hill are still low — many entry-level congressional jobs pay less than $30,000 a year. And many of the most highly paid staffers could make several times the maximum by jumping to lobbying and consulting jobs in the private sector.

But the salary data, compiled for POLITICO by LegiStorm.com, show that it’s possible to make an enviable living in Congress, even without winning an election.

The 43 staffers who maxed out at $172,500 — the salary cap for leadership and committee staffers — include John Lawrence, chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Paula Nowakowski, the late chief of staff to House Minority Leader John Boehner; and House Parliamentarian John Sullivan. They earned only slightly less than rank-and-file members of Congress, who make $174,000.

Read more at http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/35050.html

By James P. Gannon, American Spectator, 3/30/2010

There is a quiet anger boiling in America.

It is the anger of millions of hard-working citizens who pay their bills, send in their income taxes, maintain their homes and repay their mortgage loans — and see their government reward those who do not.

It is the anger of small town and Middle American folks who have never been to Manhattan, who put their savings in a community bank and borrow from a local credit union, who watch Washington lawmakers and presidents of both parties hand billions in taxpayer bailouts to the reckless Wall Street titans who brought down the economy in 2008.

It is the fury of the voiceless, the powerless, the ordinary nobodies of Flyover Country who are ridiculed, preached to, satirized and insulted by the Celebrity Loudmouths of the two Left Coasts, the Jon Stewarts and Keith Olbermanns, the Paul Krugmans and their ilk.

It is the salted wound of the millions who see that ruling Democrats in Congress are not listening to them but are willfully ignoring public opinion and the verdict of recent elections in passing a huge new health care entitlement when the existing entitlements of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are already going broke.

It is the frustrating helplessness of citizens who revere the Founding Fathers and the genius of the Constitution that they wrote, who actually believe the words of the Constitution mean what they say, not more and not less. They who watch politicians and the courts stretch and bend that Constitution — finding “rights” not enumerated, powers never granted, meanings unimagined — believe that their country is being redefined without their consent.

Read more at http://spectator.org/archives/2010/03/30/americas-quiet-anger

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE, NY Times, March 29, 2010

An association representing 300 large corporations urged President Obama and Congress on Monday to repeal a provision of the health care overhaul that prompted AT&T, Caterpillar and other companies to announce substantial charges for the current quarter.

The association, the American Benefits Council, said the provision — which reduces the tax deductions for companies with drug coverage for their retired employees — would deal a significant blow to corporate profits and would discourage companies from hiring more workers.

AT&T announced last week that it was taking a $1 billion charge because of the provision. Deere & Company announced a $150 million charge, Caterpillar a $100 million charge, and 3M a $90 million charge.

Many companies said they were taking these charges now, before the current quarter ended, to comply with accounting rules. But some corporate critics asserted that the companies’ rapid response to the health legislation was aimed at pressing the administration to repeal the provision.

Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/30subsidy.html

by Mark McKinnon, thedailybeast.com, 3/25/2010

The passage of Obama’s health-care plan has Republicans on the run. Mark McKinnon on why Paul Ryan has the ideas and the attitude to make his party competitive this fall—and beyond.

Calling all Republicans: Pay attention to Paul Ryan. You need him. You are in quicksand. And he’s got the policy and rhetorical ropes to save the party from being perceived as insular and irrelevant on the issues—most notably the implementation of Obamacare—which will drive the next couple of election cycles.

–SNIP– For better or worse, Democrats own 100 percent of the stock in the new health-care law and they have begun their “let us tell you how great it is” message assault in earnest. They understand the 2010 congressional elections and Obama’s reelect in 2012 will hinge on this historic legislation. Right out of the gate, they’ve made it clear they intend to take the offensive and will try and paint Republicans as opposed to the popular features of the bill. Which is, of course, not true. Without granting primacy to the state over the individual, Republicans earnestly desire to achieve many of the same benefits through the utilization of competitive, free-market principles. But, right now they do not have the votes to reverse the course set by the new law. Right now, they’re in a political fight. And Republicans had better get on the stick.

Enter Paul Ryan.

Unlike many of his GOP colleagues, Ryan, a six-term House member from Wisconsin, is not a “just say no” Republican. A ranking member of the House Budget Committee and senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Ryan is a thoughtful, measured, policy-focused and positive force who has been a clear and consistent voice for Republicans on many issues—especially on health care, offering substantive, real and practical alternative solutions. Ryan was the GOP star of the show when Obama spoke to the Republican caucus and held the health-care summit.

Read more at http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-25/can-this-man-save-the-gop/full/

3/27/2010

For More Information, please contact
David Karst (262)455-1554

The Fourth Congressional District in Caucus assembled held a straw poll for the following offices, Governor, Lt. Governor, United States Senate, and 4th Congressional District.

The results were are follows:

Governor
Walker 91%
Neumann 4%
Paterick 3%
Todd 1%

Lt. Governor
Ross 33%
Kleefisch 30%
Davis 24%
Collins 14%

United State Senate
Wall 45%
Thompson 29%
Westlake 27%

4th District Congressional
Sebring 84%
London 11%
Martini 5%

4th District GOP Caucus
Bob Spindell, Chair
Doug Haag, Vice-Chair

cbs2chicago.com, Mar 23, 2010

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) - Add an entire school day to the chopping block. State lawmakers want to move financially struggling schools to four day weeks. They say it will save money, and it won’t affect classroom time.

The superintendent of one local school district believes the plan could work. CBS 2’s Dorothy Tucker paid them a visit.

“I think it’s something we should take a look at,” said Dr. Kamala Buckner, Superintendent of Thornton Township High Schools District 205.

Kids would still have to complete the same number of hours per school year, so switching to four-day school weeks would mean longer school days or shorter summer vacations.

It’s an intriguing proposal because district 205 faces a $5 million deficit next year and Buckner sees a shortened week as a viable option.

Read more at  http://cbs2chicago.com/local/four.day.school.2.1583104.html

Join your fellow supporters at this fundraiser event!
David D. King for Wisconsin Secretary of State 2010
With Guest Speaker James T. HarrisMonday March 29th, 2010
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Stella’s Home Cooking
2730 N Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Cost: $25.00 Per Person (includes Dinner)

For more information please contact Mariana Maciel at (414) 627-KING.

LAWMAKER PLEDGE

“I hereby pledge to the people of my district/state to sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010, and replace it with real reforms that lower health care costs without growing government.”

http://www.repealit.org/

by WordWayze, American Thinker, March 24, 2010

The Senate health care bill just signed contains some exemptions to the “pay-or-play” mandate requiring purchase of Obamacare-approved health insurance or payment of a penalty fine. As Fox News has pointed out, for instance, the Amish are excused from the mandate:

So while most Americans would be required to sign up with insurance companies or government insurance plans, the church would serve as something of an informal insurance plan for the Amish.

Law experts say that kind of exemption withstands scrutiny.

“Here the statute is going to say that people who are conscientiously opposed to paying for health insurance don’t have to do it where the conscientious objection arises from religion,” said Mark Tushnet a Harvard law professor. “And that’s perfectly constitutional.”

Apparently, this exemption will apply similarly to believers in Islam, which considers health insurance - and, for that matter, any form of risk insurance - to be haraam (forbidden).

Read more at  http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/03/amish_muslims_to_be_excused_fr.html

By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH, NY Times, March 24, 2010

The bursting of the real estate bubble and the ensuing recession have hurt jobs, home prices and now Social Security.

This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected to cross until at least 2016, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Stephen C. Goss, chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, said that while the Congressional projection would probably be borne out, the change would have no effect on benefits in 2010 and retirees would keep receiving their checks as usual.

The problem, he said, is that payments have risen more than expected during the downturn, because jobs disappeared and people applied for benefits sooner than they had planned. At the same time, the program’s revenue has fallen sharply, because there are fewer paychecks to tax.

Analysts have long tried to predict the year when Social Security would pay out more than it took in because they view it as a tipping point - the first step of a long, slow march to insolvency, unless Congress strengthens the program’s finances.

Read more at  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/business/economy/25social.html

By Gene J. Koprowski, MoneyNews.com, Tuesday March 17, 2009

One of the nation’s largest labor unions, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is promoting a plan that will centralize all retirement plans for American workers, including private 401(k) plans, under one new “retirement system” for the United States.

In effect, government pensions for everyone, not unlike the European system and regardless of personal choice.

The SEIU, which was integral to the election of Barack Obama as president, is working with the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute (EPI), and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, on SEIU’s plan, called “the Retirement USA Initiative.”

Claiming that the retirement system in place now has “failed most Americans,” EPI vice president Ross Eisenbrey, told a labor union publication that “account balances have fallen by a third since late 2007, leaving many older workers unable to retire just as our economy is shedding millions of jobs.”

Read more at  http://moneynews.com/StreetTalk/unions-401k-pensions/2009/03/17/id/328862

by Mike “Mish” Shedlock, Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis, March 24, 2010

President Obama managed to arm-twist Congress into passing an unpopular healthcare bill. Not a single Republican voted for it.

Supposedly the bill will guarantee coverage of 94% of the US population.

–SNIP– How Will Corporations React?

Inquiring minds are reading interesting anecdotes about Healthcare on Silicon Investor. A well respected poster Hawkmoon writes …

Mish,

Had a VERY INTERESTING conversation this evening with a CFO for a local business who employs about 100 people total..

I asked him how this health care bill was going to affect the company he works for.

He told me that he had run the numbers based upon providing health care for all of their employees and realized that he could save the company 1/2 million dollars by just paying the $2000 per employee penalty and not offering any coverage at all.

Is this how the government plans on taking over all health care?

If it’s more cost effective for business to just pay the penalty rather than provide coverage, I wonder how many are going to opt for that strategy?

Any other business owners out there have a different view?

Would be interested to know.

Read more at  http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/03/health-care-passed-how-will-individuals.html

By David M. Dickson, The Washington Times, Friday, March 26, 2010

President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget will generate nearly $10 trillion in cumulative budget deficits over the next 10 years, $1.2 trillion more than the administration projected, and raise the federal debt to 90 percent of the nation’s economic output by 2020, the Congressional Budget Office reported Thursday.

In its 2011 budget, which the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released Feb. 1, the administration projected a 10-year deficit total of $8.53 trillion. After looking it over, CBO said in its final analysis, released Thursday, that the president’s budget would generate a combined $9.75 trillion in deficits over the next decade.

“An additional $1.2 trillion in debt dumped on [GDP] to our children makes a huge difference,” said Brian Riedl, a budget analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “That represents an additional debt of $10,000 per household above and beyond the federal debt they are already carrying.

Read more at  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/26/cbos-2020-vision-debt-will-rise-to-90-of-gdp/

2009

•2‐year tax credit (total cap of $1B) for new chronic disease therapy investments
•Medicare cuts to hospitals begin (long‐term care (7/1/09) and inpatient and rehabilitation facilities (FY10)) 2009

2010

•States and Federal officials review premium increases
•FDA authorized to approve “follow‐on” biologics
•Increase brand name pharmaceutical Medicaid rebate (from 15.1% to 23.1%)
•Medicare payments to physicians in primarily rural areas increase (2 years)
•Deny “black liquor” eligibility for cellulosic biofuel producers credit
•Tax credits provided to certain small employers for health care‐related expenses
•Increase adoption tax incentives for 2 years
•Codify economic substance doctrine and impose penalties for underpayments (transactions on/after 3/23/10)
•Provide income exclusion for specified Indian tribe health benefits provided after 3/23/10
•Temporary high‐risk pool and high‐cost union retiree reinsurance ($5 B each for 3.5 years) (6/23/10)
•Impose 10% tax on indoor UV tanning (7/1/10)
•Medicare cuts to inpatient psych hospitals (7/1/10)
•Prohibits lifetime and annual benefit spending limits (plan years beginning 9/23/10)
•Prohibits non‐group plans from canceling coverage (rescissions) (plan years beginning 9/23/10)
•Requires plans to cover, at no charge, most preventive care (plan years beginning 9/23/10)
•Allows dependents to stay on parents’ policies through age 26 (plan years beginning 9/23/10)
•Provides limited protections to children with pre‐existing conditions (plan years beginning 9/23/10)
•Hospitals in “Frontier States” (ND, MT, WY, SD, UT ) receive higher Medicare payments (FY11)
•Hospitals in “low‐cost” areas receive higher Medicare payments for 2 yrs ($400 million, FY11)

Read more at  http://republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/UploadedFiles/WM_hcr_timelinel.pdf

and even more in later years.