Man Buys Super Bowl Ring at Pawn Shop

Wow.

NEENAH — A Neenah man is the new owner of a Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XLV ring.

Dennis Brucks, 71, purchased the rare piece of jewelry Wednesday for an undisclosed amount at Pawn America in Grand Chute.

“I sat on the 50-yard-line during the Ice Bowl and sat there for the whole game,” Brucks said. “And I do enjoy the Packers; it’s good for our community. When you want something relating to the Packers, how can you get any better than this?”

Pawn America manager LeRon Wilder confirmed the ring was sold between 1 and 2 p.m. Wednesday, but could not provide further details due to client confidentiality.

The Super Bowl XLV ring caused quite a stir in the Fox Valley earlier this week with fans stopping by Pawn America for a look at the female ring with the name “Pace” on the side. Certification paperwork confirmed Sarah Pace, who works in the Packers front office as “Atrium Operations Lead,” as the seller.

US Proposes High Tariff for Chinese Solar Panels

Not so free trade.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday assessed penalties against solar panels imported from China, the latest move in a sun power trade dispute.

The decision was viewed as a victory by solar panel manufacturers, including Helios USA in Milwaukee, but was criticized by a coalition of installers and inverter manufacturers who said it would drive up the price of solar panels for consumers.

The finding follows up on a similar move in March in unfair trade practices complaints filed by domestic solar panel manufacturers like Helios. They charged the Chinese were unfairly dumping panels in the U.S. at prices below the cost of production.

Helios makes panels that are more efficient than typical solar panels because they can generate more power using the same amount of space. The firm was expanding last year, until a flood of imported panels in the market prompted it to cancel one of its production shifts.

Tariffs proposed Thursday range from 31% for several key panel makers, including Suntech and Trina.

Another Community Benefits from Act 10

This time in Monroe.

MONROE - Teachers in the Monroe School District will have new health and dental insurance carriers starting in the 2012-13 school year.

The Monroe school board approved Unity Insurance point of service and Delta Dental plans Monday night.

Monroe Business Manager Ron Olson said the Unity plan will save the district a little more than $800,000 in premiums compared to the current Wisconsin Education Association Insurance Trust. The total costs to maintain the WEA plan would be 18.3 percent. The district was targeting a 5-percent increase; Olson said the deal with Unity is a 3.2 percent increase.

Olson said the savings will help the board meet and exceed its current budgeted objective.

The Unity POS plan is associated with the UW Health Care System, but Monroe Clinic, Mercy System and Beloit Hospital System would also be included as providers.

The Delta Dental plan also includes a vision coverage that employees can pick up. Olson said the Delta Dental plan is a 5.8 percent reduction in dental insurance compared to this year and will save the district $21,475.

DNR Buying More Land

I wish that Wisconsin would stop buying up land to “preserve” it. It’s expensive, removes massive amounts of land from the tax rolls, prevents development (that’s the point), and is just generally a huge waste of money for a useless objective.

MADISON — The Department of Natural Resources says its agreement to buy 100 square miles of forest in northern Wisconsin would be the state’s largest land conservation purchase.

The DNR has a tentative agreement to spend about $17 million on land in four counties owned by Lyme Timber Co. of Hanover, N.H. The purchase protects the property from future development. The approximate 67,000 acres are located primarily in Douglas and Washburn counties, with smaller parcels in Bayfield and Burnett counties.

Walker Leads

This is positive news.

The new Marquette University Law School poll showed Walker taking a lead of 6 percentage points lead among likely voters, with the Republican governor 50 percent of the vote and Barrett with 44. The numbers were far closer just two weeks ago, when a poll released shortly before the May 8 recall primary showed Walker and Barrett in a virtual dead heat.

At the end of the day, it’s looking like Wisconsinites know Walker. They know Barrett. And not much has changed since last time.

Jobs and Dreams

It’s great news for Wisconsin that the state is adding jobs and the economy is improving. I largely agree with John Torinus’ take:

In short, the UI numbers are hard core numbers. It’s bed rock data.

The whole political brouhaha in the state has been over a survey conducted by the federal Department of Labor (DOL). For years, the less reliable survey numbers generally tracked pretty well with the UI census – until mid-year 2011. For Q3 2011, the DOL survey showed a job loss of 8500 in the state. When the real numbers came out from the UI census, Q3 showed a gain of 2876.

Of course, that variance was lost in the political dust, but it does show that something has gone kaflooey with the DOL survey. As one economist said, “Put a box of salt on the survey numbers.”

Gov. Walker’s people finally unearthed the Q4 UI numbers, and they reversed the jobs picture. Instead of losing jobs, the state is gaining jobs. That squares with every other economic metric, such as a falling unemployment rate, rising state tax revenues, rising personal incomes, Manpower surveys that show a pattern of increased hiring and an uptick in housing and auto sales.

Of course, the timing for the Q4 numbers was political. But it is also good policy to have the the freshest, cleanest numbers to work with. So, again, why haven’t the Q1 2012 numbers been made public? DWD has had them for two weeks. Someone should get fired if they aren’t released in the next week or so.

The public has a right to know how the state is doing on jobs in the timeliest manner – up or down, politics aside.

As a side note, Torinus tosses this into his commentary:

The American Dream is now a good job…

Wow. That’s quite a statement. While the definition of “The American Dream” has always been elusive, is Torinus right? It strikes me as marked downgrade of what most people thought of the American Dream even a few sort years ago. First of all, it’s a direct claim that people identify their goal and worth in terms of their employment. While many people do, the American Dream has historically been put in terms of an end - a lifesyle - a position of independence in life. This statement characterizes The Dream as just having a job, which is usually considered the means to the end. I need a job to earn money to be able to enjoy the lifestyle I want. Second, to say that the America Dream is to have a job emits a waft of desperation. Having a job should be an expectation and consequence of leading a life of value to others - not a dream.

Anyway, Torinus may be right about how people define the American Dream nowadays, but I sure hope not. That’s certianly not my American Dream.

Prayers for Lily

Little Lily Voelkel passed away yesterday. She was three. Our hearts go out to her family.

Walker lied?

My column for the Daily News is online. It’s called, “Walker lied?” Here’s a snippet:

What I can’t find in any of Barrett’s public documents or statements is what he would propose in his first budget should he be elected. He hasn’t said if he would change any of the tax code. He hasn’t published a policy statement on how he would change K-12 school funding. Nowhere has he said how he would reform BadgerCare or the prison system.

  Since the standard advocated by liberal recall supporters is that a governor should be recalled if he or she advances any policies that aren’t mentioned in a campaign, then we must think that a Gov. Barrett wouldn’t advocate any policies other than to reverse Act 10. He won’t propose a budget. He won’t change any policies regarding school funding. On the bright side, he won’t propose any laws regarding abortion or firearms. If he does, then we must maintain our newfound standard and recall him immediately.

Remiss

I admit, I’ve been remiss. We own a complete collection of James Fenimore Cooper’s works, but I have not read all of them. I’ve read a couple of his books, but not what he deserves. Let’s be fair… his works cover a shelf-and-a-half on our book shelf, so it will take me a while. Still… as long as I have books to read, I will never grow bored.

A Wee Bit of Tennyson

Amazing to envision war in the skies and the utopia of a Parliment of Man in one poem. I wonder if he appreciated the dichotomy.

For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see,
Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be;

Saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails,
Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales;

Heard the heavens fill with shouting, and there rain’d a ghastly dew
From the nations’ airy navies grappling in the central blue;

Far along the world-wide whisper of the south-wind rushing warm,
With the standards of the peoples plunging thro’ the thunder-storm;

Till the war-drums throbb’d, no longer, and the battle-flags were furl’d
In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world.

There the common sense of most shall hold a fretful realm in awe,
And the kindly earth shall slumber, lapt in universal law.

Wisconsin Economy Improving

Candidate Barrett’s Wife Allegedly Engaged in Politics On Taxpayers’ Dime

Well, well...

A Media Trackers open records request revealed that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s wife, Kris Barrett, who taught at Dover Elementary used her Milwaukee Public School email account to twice lobby Democratic lawmakers and a third time to recruit fellow teachers to campaign against County Executive candidate Jeff Stone. The use of a taxpayer funded email account for such political purposes is a gross misuse of resources and forbidden by the Milwaukee Public Schools Employee Code of Ethics as well as the MPS Staff Acceptable Use Policy.

I deeply anticipate Mayor Barrett’s condemnation of this alleged illegal activity and his demand for prosecution.

GAG Lawyer Says Governments Can Ban Guns At The Polls

Personally, I don’t think that the law includes election sites as a “special event,” nor do I think that was the intent of the provisions. After all, elections are normally regularly scheduled events. They aren’t “special.” Still, such an interpretation is not wholly unreasonable. If the DOJ upholds the interpretation, then hopefully the legislature can clarify the law before the taxpayers have to defend a lawsuit about it.

Madison - State election officials say local governments can ban concealed weapons at all polling sites, from city halls to assisted living homes.

Government Accountability Board attorney Mike Haas writes in a report that Wisconsin’s concealed carry law contains a provision that allows organizers to ban concealed weapons at special events. Haas writes that an election qualifies as a special event.

Town Bans Texting While Walking

The next step...

Avid texters beware: Fort Lee, N.J. police said they will begin issuing $85 jaywalking tickets to pedestrians who are caught texting while walking.

“It’s a big distraction. Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware,” said Thomas Ripoli, chief of the Fort Lee Police Department.

Ripoli said the borough, which is home to approximately 35,000 residents, has suffered three fatal pedestrian-involved accidents this year. He hopes his crackdown on people who display dangerous behavior while walking will make his town safer, but not everyone is on board with the idea of issuing $85 tickets.

“...half a liter of urine per swimmer per day.”

That’s a lot of pee.

Peeing while swimming in a lake may not just be taboo – it could also be lethal, for the fish.

At least that’s what a group of anglers contend, blaming swimmers for the 500 dead fish that have turned up in a picturesque German lake near Hamburg, The Local reported.

“Swimmers who urinate in the lake are introducing a lot of phosphate,” Manfred Siedler, a spokesman for an angler’s group, told Bild newspaper. “We’re calculating half a liter of urine per swimmer per day.”