First Debate Between Evers and Walker
Since nobody actually watched the debate live because it was on a Friday night during a Brewers playoff game and a Bucks game, here’s a recording of the debate.
Posted by Owen at 0832 hours
Around the Bend by Judy Steffes
15 vets from Washington County will be on the Nov. 3 Honor Flight
Fifteen veterans from Washington County will be on the Nov. 3 Stars & Stripes Honor Flight.
This will be the 49th mission for the Honor Flight. Two planes carrying 75 vets each will take off from Mitchell International Airport. Since 2008 the Stars & Stripes Honor Flight has flown 6,199 local veterans.
Vietnam vets on this flight include: Robert Hertzfeldt, Army, from Jackson.
West Bend veterans who served during Vietnam include Louis Malmarowski, Army, Michael O’Leary, Army, Donald Harter, Army, Robert Pfeifer, Marines, Theodore Harris, Army, Robert Mueller, Army, Ronald Henderson, Army, and the husband-wife team of John and Donna Kleinmaus.
Hartford veteran Darrell Malmarowski Shadow, Army and David Wierzba, Air Force.
Germantown veteran Robert Drewek, Army and William Eusebio, Army, and Dale Schuldt from Hubertus.
Gov. Walker and Senator Johnson participate in George Webb hamburger giveaway
The line was pretty manageable Thursday, Oct. 18 as Brewers’ fans in West Bend lined up at George Webb on S. Main Street to get free burgers. The promotion was part of the George Webb promise of one free burger per customer if the Milwaukee Brewers win 12 games in a row.
Staff at George Webb were surrounded by volunteers who helped keep customers happy and the line moving. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker stopped by for a bit to greet Brewers fans and U.S. Senator Ron Johnson took a shift behind the grill flipping burgers. Store management planned to serve 3,000 people during the one-day event.
New concert series announced at Washington Co. Fair Park
The inaugural Junction 45 Music Festival is set to rock Washington County Fair Park on Saturday August 24, 2019 with festival headliner Hairball.
“Hairball has been the No. 1 requested band since I came on board and their fan base here would agree they are the perfect fit to kick off the first-ever Junction 45 Music Festival.” said Kellie Boone, Executive Director of Washington County Fair Park & Conference Center.
“We are thrilled to offer more events in addition to the annual County Fair that showcase The Silver Lining Amphitheater; it is an asset to Washington County Fair Park and the entire county.”
Hairball is a Rock & Roll experience with lights, sound, smoke, fire, bombs, and screaming hordes of avid fans. There will be three to four more bands featured at the festival that will be announced soon. Tickets for Junction 45 go on sale for AIS Members on Monday, Oct. 22 at 8 a.m. and to the public on Friday, Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. Tickets start at $15 for general admission lawn seating and range between $25 and $35 for the reserved seating and the pit area. More information on Junction 45 can be found at wcfairpark.com/Junction45.
Culaccino Bar + Italian Kitchen open in West Bend
Culaccino Bar + Italian Kitchen, 110 Wisconsin Street, in West Bend is now open. The interior has retained some of the familiar architecture from the old farmhouse days as The Binkery but the design and feel of the establishment are a blend of elegant, chic and classy.
The menu features wood-fired pizzas including Margherita featuring San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil or Fig and Prosciutto featuring goat cheese, fig mostarda, spinach, roasted garlic and olive oil.
Pasta includes Chicken Carbonara with features papradelle, pancetta, peas, egg and cream or Beef Short rib which features red wine braised beef, red wine sauce, papradelle, charred carrot, and balsamic marinated onion. Culaccino is accepting reservations at this time.
Work underway for new basketball/volleyball/pickleball courts at Regner Park
Work is underway at Regner Park for the new Milwaukee Bucks Court Project. The basketball court, volleyball and pickleball court are being built in the current area of Softball Field A which is located to the north of Carl Kuss Memorial Field, to the east of the parking lot and to the south of the Urban Fishing Pond.
The Milwaukee Bucks and West Bend Mutual Insurance joined together to donate $150,000 for the sports complex. This week the field was leveled, the backstop fencing removed and the new court framed out. According to Park & Rec Dept. head Craig Hoeppner the concrete will be poured next week followed by installation of a sportcourt. The project should be completed by mid-November.
The Sounds of the Season is theme of Germantown Christmas Festival
Germantown’s Christmas Parade and 5K Candy Cane Run/Walk is Nov. 10. That’s the day for the annual Germantown Christmas Festival.
“This year’s theme is ‘The Sounds of the Season’ and we are really happy to have three musical groups providing holiday music along the parade route,” said Lynn Grgich, executive director of the Germantown Chamber of Commerce.
The 5k Candy Cane Run/Walk will kick-off at 10 a.m. from the parking lot of the Germantown Police Department.
Holiday and patriotic music will fill the parade route with three musical groups set to perform. The Germantown Community Band will be featured as the Parade Marshall. “This is the 20th anniversary of the band and we are certainly pleased that the group has been named the Parade Marshall,” says Jim Barnes, the director of the group.
Grgich expects 50 to 60 ‘units’ in the parade and “at least 1,000 people marching.” There are no fees to take part as an entry in the parade but pre-registration is required as a way of managing the order of the units. Parade lineup will be at 12:30 pm and the parade will get underway at 1:30 at Pilgrim Road and Sylvan Circle, immediately north of Mequon Road. The parade will travel north to Fond du Lac Avenue, onto Main Street to Squire Drive, then turn south onto Squire Drive ending in the Life Church parking lot.
At the close of the parade, events will shift to the Germantown Community Library. There will free, horse-drawn carriage rides, hot beverages and treats, Christmas caroling, KID IDs by the Germantown Police Department, a gift basket sale by Friends of the Library, and visits with Santa when he is finished with his work with the parade.
“The actual lighting of the official Village Christmas Tree will take place around 4:15,” said Grgich.
170th anniversary at Fifth Avenue Methodist Church By Pastor Clarissa Martinelli
We greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We would be honored if you would be a part of our 170th Church Anniversary Jamboree.
This year Fifth Avenue Methodist Church in West Bend will celebrate its 170th Anniversary. The Jamboree will kick off Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 at 5 p.m. with an enlightening program rejoicing in our past, present, and future, followed by a dinner celebration.
Our Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 at 10 a.m. our worship service celebration will be a combination of all the wonderful memories of the past 170 years, rejoicing in God’s richest blessings now, and looking forward to a great future! We are honored to have Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, resident bishop in the Wisconsin Annual Conference, as our guest speaker.
This year’s theme: “RESET FOR TRANSITION”, Making a Commitment to Improvement through Alignment and Involvement, derived from, Haggai 2:9 (The Message).
You have been an essential part of Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church’s history, I hope you will come and help make this an exceptional 170th Church Anniversary.
Please join us in praying that the Lord Jesus will be honored and glorified through all the reflections, singing, preaching, and worship on these special days!
Yours in Christ, Pastor Clarissa and Martin Martinelli
Ground breaking for new West Bend Medical
A ground breaking was held this week for the new West Bend Medical at 140 E. Water Street in West Bend. The 13,125-square-foot building will be located on the northeast corner of Water Street just east of Wisconsin Street (across from the old Dublin’s Restaurant). “We are excited for the opportunity to bring our brand of healthcare back to the heart of West Bend,” said Dr. Chad Tamez.
“We (the physicians and staff of West Bend Medical) have dedicated our careers to helping our community be healthier both inside and outside the office,” said Dr. Carey Cameron.
Doctor Wolter said, “Redeveloping an unused site in the downtown area is simply an extension of our commitment to making West Bend a better place to live.”
Sex offender released in Town of Jackson
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office informed the public this week of the release of a sex offender. According to authorities his criminal history places him in a classification level which reflects the potential to re-offend.
Christian Petak, 48, will reside at the 1725 CTH NN in the Town of Jackson; while he attempts to locate a residence and employment. During 1999 in Washington County Petak was convicted of 1 count of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, 1 count of 3rd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child and 1 count of Traveling Interstate with the Intent to Engage in Sexual Act with a Minor.
Petak will be on probation until Feb. 19, 2022 and will be monitored closely by WI-DOC Division of Community Corrections agents. Petak will have numerous rules and restrictions to follow including wearing a live tracking GPS unit.
An education at the West Bend Airport
More than 100 students from McLane Elementary learned a bit about the dynamics of flight as volunteers from the EAA1158 chapter at the West Bend Airport held demonstrations, gave tours and passed along lessons about flight. The parachute drop was popular with kids along with a chance to sit behind the steering column inside a real plane. There was also a lesson about the power of air … which was presented using a common household item; a hairdryer. Students were able to explore a plane and they were treated to a drone demonstration.
Halloween Trick or Treat in Washington County By Samantha Sali
Halloween is almost here. Here are some of the trick-or-treat times for Washington, Ozaukee, and Dodge Counties.
Thursday, October 25, 2018 – Mayville (Downtown), 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 27, 2018 – Cedarburg, 5 – 8 p.m., Grafton, 5 – 8 p.m., Farmington, 4 – 7 p.m., Hartford (Downtown), 1:00 – 2:30 p.m., Kewaskum, 5 – 7 p.m., Port Washington, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Downtown Trick or Treat (Participating businesses will have a pumpkin in the window.) 4 – 7 p.m. city-wide trick or treat, Richfield, 3 – 6 p.m., Slinger, 5 – 7 p.m. (Afterward families are welcome to a free event as Spooky Slinger will be held from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Slinger Community Park with music, pumpkin carving contest, costume contest, food and beverages.), Trenton, 4 – 6 p.m., West Bend, 4 – 6 p.m.
Sunday, October 28, 2018 – Addison, 3:00 – 6 p.m., Belgium, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Jackson, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Mayville (City), 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Mequon, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Saukville, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Thiensville, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Halloween – Germantown, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Hartford (City), 6 – 8 p.m.
Updates & tidbits
–In-person absentee voting is underway in Washington County for the Nov. 6 General Election.
-The city of West Bend Police Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct/ 27, 2018 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 1115 S. Main St., in the parking lot in front of West Bend City Hall.
-American Legion Post 36 will host a brat fry on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 and 27 at Highway 33 and 15th Avenue in West Bend. Hours will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds go to local veterans programs.
– Rally Time Sports Bar and Grill in West Bend is looking for a part-time line cook position. Rally Time has a family-friendly team atmosphere. The position is primarily day shift and coverage as needed. Call Dan at 262-389-1142 or Cindy at 262-389-0839 or stop at the bar for an application.
The Hartford community remembers the generous spirit of Terry Lutz By Samantha Sali
Neighbors in Hartford are singing the praises and saying goodbye to local philanthropist and former President of Signicast Terry Lutz.
Walter “Terry” Lutz died Friday, October 12, 2018 at the age of 78.
Former Hartford Mayor and current Director of the Chamber of Commerce Scott Henke said, “I’m going to miss Terry’s generosity and warm heart. He’s done so many things for the city…we are always indebted to him for those community donations.”
In February 2013 Terry Lutz wrote his autobiography In Pursuit of Manufacturing Excellence – The Signicast Story. In the book Lutz relayed how he “transformed a small job shop on the outskirts of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, into the largest commercial investment casting company in the United States.”
According to the book, “Lutz grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. After working many years at Haynes Stellite Company in Kokomo, Indiana, Lutz moved his family to Cedarburg in 1974 and joined Signicast as a General Manager in Brown Deer.”
By 1978 Lutz was the President of Signicast and in 1981, purchased the company. He led the company from sales of $1 million and 30 employees in 1974 to $149 million in sales and 690 employees by 2012.
Lutz reluctantly sold Signicast in 2008 to The Pritzker Group but stayed on as president until retiring in 2012.
In early 2018, Signicast renamed its auditorium in honor of Lutz. This week Signicast released a statement on its website as a tribute to its former owners.
“Terry Lutz contributed in many immeasurable ways to Signicast, the investment casting industry and to our local community. As visionary for the Signicast business we know today, it was his persistent way that revolutionized the industry. His drive, inquisitive nature, dedication to continuous flow manufacturing, use of automation and application of world class process engineering, opened new possibilities for the application of investment casting. Along the way he taught many others because of his own inquisitiveness and allowed them to expand their own careers in the process. After selling Signicast, he directed that same drive and passion toward donating both his time and financial resources in support of his local community. On behalf of all Signicast employees, our hearts and best wishes are with Terry’s family and loved ones.”
As Lutz made a significant impact on the growth and development of Signicast, his dedication to Washington County is equally noteworthy.
Creating the Lutz Family Foundation, Terry Lutz was a benefactor for high-profile landmarks in Hartford. His most noteworthy monetary gifts were to the Harford Recreation Center Signicast Family Pool, Schauer Arts Center, Jack Russell Memorial Library, the Chandelier Ballroom, and Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center.
In 2017, he also donated over $2 million to Waukesha County Technical College.
The Dean of Applied Technologies at Waukesha County Technical College, Mike Shiels, said Lutz was very involved in education.
“Terry had an incredible passion and vision for technical education and he really understood what it takes to deliver that quality education,” said Shiels. “He was willing to make significant investments to ensure education could be delivered and could carry on for generations to come. While he was an employer at Signicast, he sent many apprentices to us and hired many of our graduates. He will be missed and it was in honor to have known him.”
Michele Price, Executive Director of the Chandelier Ballroom, said Lutz had always been a huge supporter of the Ballroom and all of the projects through the years.
“I feel as though the Ballroom would not be standing here today without Terry’s support,” Price said. “His generous spirit is like nothing I’ve ever seen. He was so successful in life, paid it forward, and to be around a person like him was really special. He’s an amazing man and I’m so proud to have known him and been able to be a part of the wonderful things he’s done for the city.”
Hartford Park and Recreation Director Mike Herman said Lutz was extremely generous and quick to step forward to make the community a great place to live.
“One of the first major gifts he made was in 1999 when we were building the Hartford Recreation Center,” said Herman. “He gifted the Signicast Family Aquatic Center. Terry and his wife were also our honorary campaign chairs for raising money for the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center. They made a major donation of $1.5 million and inspired the community to step forward; we ended up raising $2.3 million. It was a pleasure working with Terry and his wife through the campaign.”
Please keep the Lutz family in your thoughts and prayers. Visitation was Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018 at the Chandelier Ballroom. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Hartford Boys and Girls Club or to the Washington County Humane Society.
Find local news for free 7 days a week at WashingtonCountyInsider.com
Posted by Owen at 0815 hours
Migrant Mob Breaks into Mexico
The United States is under no moral obligation to allow this mob into our country.
Tapachula, Mexico (CNN)A chaotic scene unfolded as a massive caravan of Honduran migrants reached the Guatemala-Mexico border Friday.
A surge of migrants broke through a steel fence that had been padlocked shut. Mexican police in riot gear pushed them back, setting off smoke canisters.Hundreds of Mexican Federal Police sealed the border as drones and helicopters hovered above the crowd, which waited on a bridge in sweltering heat.Thousands of migrants are waiting to cross, according to CNN teams at the scene.
Posted by Owen at 1603 hours
Tony Evers Heavily Plagiarized in Official Budget Request
Way to set an example for the school kids, Tony.
MADISON – State schools Superintendent Tony Evers submitted a budget request as his bid for governor heated up in September that included sections plagiarized from Wikipedia, a blog by an intern at a think tank and two other sources.
[…]
Evers’ budget request includes a 15-paragraph section on the benefits of summer school programs that is nearly verbatim to a blog post written by a Thomas B. Fordham Institute intern.
A section on the benefits of having students work matches nearly word for word a publication by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability. That section includes two paragraphs and a list of four benefits of having students work.
Two other paragraphs appear to be taken verbatim from other sources — one from the Afterschool Alliance and one from Wikipedia.
And this is telling…
A spokesman for Evers’ Department of Public Instruction acknowledged that “proper citation use was missed in certain places” of the budget request. Staff will be retrained but Evers does not plan to discipline anyone, according to the department.
Clearly there isn’t a culture of accountability in Evers’ DPI.
Posted by Owen at 1525 hours
Getting Better Educational Outcomes
Maybe it’s not all about “finding yourself” and class size.
Today Singapore’s education system is considered the best in the world. The country consistently ranks at the top of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial test of 15-year-olds in dozens of countries, in the main three categories of maths, reading and science. Singaporean pupils are roughly three years ahead of their American peers in maths. Singapore does similarly well in exams of younger children, and the graduates of its best schools can be found scattered around the world’s finest universities.
The island-state has much to teach the world. But other countries are reluctant pupils. One reason is that Singapore favours traditional pedagogy, with teachers leading the class. That contrasts with many reformers’ preference for looser, more “progressive” teaching intended to encourage children to learn for themselves. Although international studies suggest that direct instruction is indeed a good way of conveying knowledge, critics contend that Singapore has a “drill and kill” model that produces uncreative, miserable maths whizzes. Parents worry about the stress the system puts on their children (and on them, even as they ferry kids to extra classes).
Yet Singapore shows that academic brilliance need not come at the expense of personal skills. In 2015 Singaporean students also came first in a new PISA ranking designed to look at collaborative problem-solving, scoring even better than they did in reading and science. They also reported themselves to be happy—more so than children in Finland, for instance, a country that educationalists regard as an example of how to achieve exceptional results with cuddlier methods of teaching. Not content with its achievements, Singapore is now introducing reforms to improve creativity and reduce stress (see article). This is not a sign of failure, but rather of a gradual, evidence-led approach to education reform—the first of three lessons that Singapore offers the rest of the world.
[…]
The third and most important lesson is to focus on developing excellent teachers. In Singapore, they get 100 hours of training a year to keep up to date with the latest techniques. The government pays them well, too. It accepts the need for larger classes (the average is 36 pupils, compared with 24 across the OECD). Better, so the thinking goes, to have big classes taught by excellent teachers than smaller ones taught by mediocre ones.
I’d like to hear more ideas like this out of Evers and Walker instead of “we’re going to spend more on the same thing.”
I’d note that Singapore spends about $10k/year for high schoolers and about $7,700 per kid for elementary schoolers. Wisconsin spends about $11,500 per student. So Singapore is spending a good amount, but less than Wisconsin on education and getting far better results for their kids. Could it be that the answer to better education in Wisconsin isn’t about spending more money? The answer is changing the way we educate kids.
Posted by Owen at 2133 hours
Cedarburg’s Pro-Referendum Propaganda at Taxpayers’ Expense
A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about the sham referendum process in Cedarburg. Part of that process was the survey sent out by School Perceptions that was designed as propaganda – not an honest query of the community. MacIver took a closer look and has revealed just how shady that survey was.
Staff and parents of CSD students were emailed links to an online version of the survey, and then emailed multiple reminders to complete it.
Meanwhile, most local residents got a paper version via the U.S. Postal Service. The district mailed out 8,400 of the surveys—which many discarded as junk mail, according to the local newspaper.
While staff and parents got multiple emails linking directly to the survey and were encouraged to give their paper copy to another adult, everyone else had to go out of their way to request copies using snail mail.
To some, the heads-up to stakeholders more likely to support the ballot question feels more like a statistics trick than an unbiased effort to gauge public opinion. A MacIver News Service investigation in August raised concerns about bias in the district’s information-gathering effort.
“If there is a strategy behind the survey, then it isn’t really a survey and we shouldn’t call it one,” Cedarburg School Board member David Krier wrote in an April 22 email to Superintendent Todd Bugnacki.
Despite Krier’s protest, in two email blasts in the closing weeks of the survey, CSD officials urged parents and staff to fill out the survey online.
The May 22 and 29 emails signed by Bugnacki and the Cedarburg School Board encouraged staff to complete the survey electronically—and give their paper copies to another adult and have them complete that.
“If you reside in the District, you will receive a mailed survey as well and should encourage another adult (eligible to vote) in your home to take the Mail survey,” the email states.
“The involvement of our staff is critical in this process.”
Krier was concerned staff and parents, more likely to green light the referendum, would be able to skew the survey’s findings. Sending them links to the survey would boost their response rate compared with others in the community, like senior citizens.
But that was always the plan, Bugnacki said in a reply to Krier.
“The plan all along was to email the survey to parents, teachers, and staff. All residents within our school district boundaries have or will receive the survey via the mail. Additional surveys are available for families if needed,” Bugnacki wrote in a May 9 email.
Remember that the West Bend School District also used School Perceptions for their propaganda survey.
Posted by Owen at 2102 hours
School Districts Fight to Avoid Tax Cut
[Madison, Wisc…] Homeowners in 148 school districts across Wisconsin will be getting an unexpected tax cut next year, but many of those districts would prefer to keep that a secret – and backfill those savings with new spending.
The reason for the tax cut is the termination of the Energy Efficiency Exemption (EEE). This loophole allowed school districts to raise taxes for supposed energy efficiency projects without going to referendum.
The energy savings on many of these projects is negligible. It will be decades before the savings justify the expense – which was considerable. Last year alone, districts collected an additional $92.3 million through the EEE. With the program eliminated, property taxes in those 148 school districts will automatically drop $92.3 million.
However, 21 of those districts see this as an opportunity to downplay the true tax impact of their referendums on next month’s ballot. For example, the Hartford J1 School District has a referendum for $5.5 million. According to the district’s website, “If the referendum is approved, there would be no impact on current school tax rates over the life of the 15-year borrowing term.”
Southern Door County Schools has a $6,270,000 building referendum that “would not increase your taxes over current levels.”
The Edgerton School District has been more transparent about this tactic than most. It’s trying to convince local residents that a $40.6 million building referendum plus a $1.25 million recurring annual operating referendum will only raise their tax rate by less than a dollar. The finance director, Todd Wehner, openly describes this tactic as a “levy opportunity or a levy shelf.”
Posted by Owen at 0843 hours
Treasury Official Arrested for Leaking Confidential Documents
Edwards was found with a flash drive containing the confidential reports when she was arrested Tuesday, the Justice Department said, along with a cellphone containing messages to the reporter.
Investigators say that on a single day in August she ‘exchanged approximately 541 messages’ with the reporter via an encrypted app, and that she used the same app to send the documents during the past year.
Suspicious Activity Reports are documents that banks file with the government when they spot potentially illegal transactions.
They ‘are not public documents, and it is an independent federal crime to disclose them outside of one’s official duties,’ U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said.
Edwards is charged with one count of ‘unauthorized disclosures of suspicious activity reports’ and one count of ‘conspiracy to make unauthorized disclosures of suspicious activity reports.’
Posted by Owen at 1804 hours
Wisconsin Politician Invited Folks to “Vicky’s Secret Party” with Prizes for “girl goin’ the hardest”
Oh wait… it’s Mandela Barnes? Never mind. The Democrats are making it clear this election that power is more important than respect for women *cough Keith Ellison*
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Mandela Barnes was tagged as the co-host of a lingerie party in 2009 when he was 22, extending an online invitation that joked about “stimulus packages” and used derogatory slang to refer to people who would be turned away.
Barnes, now 31, is Tony Evers’ running mate after winning his primary in August. He served in the state Assembly from 2013 to 2017.
[…]
But the 2009 invitation to the “Pretty in Pink a Vicky Secret Affair” took a different tone. The invitation is unsigned, but Barnes is listed at the top as one of nine hosts. He also commented on the invitation, which was still publicly available on Facebook as of Tuesday afternoon but was deleted after the AP inquired about it.
The invitation refers to past parties, promising that the one scheduled for Sept. 11, 2009, in Whitewater would be “even bigger and better than the last time!!!” The invitation said that 203 people went to the party and 381 were interested.
Cash prizes and a Victoria’s Secret gift basket were being offered “for the girl goin’ the hardest in her Vicky’s!!!” The post also said, “Somebody said its a recession, so if you the baddest, it may be a stimulus package for you!!!”
Referencing men who planned to attend, the invitation told men that security would be there “handin’ out free choke slams and sleeper holds!!!” But it goes on to say, “Its a Vicky’s Secret party, why would you wanna roll on the ground wit a dud anyway???”
Posted by Owen at 1736 hours
Recruitment Issues
Here’s a stunning, if not surprising, bit of data in the Washington County Daily News:
According to a news release, 71 percent of the nation’s youth are ineligible for military service. The most common reasons for exclusion are obesity, drug use, low aptitude and physical and/or mental health issues. Muth said obesity is the “largest disqualifier” at about 31 percent.
On the other hand, I would question the need for physical fitness for many jobs. In an era where many military jobs – even combat roles -involve sitting at a computer, who cares how many sit-ups the person can do? Cyberwarfare is probably fought best by the Cheetos-eating basement-dwellers.
Posted by Owen at 0934 hours
Democrats Accuse Republican of Being Drunk
Is this a door they really want to open?
Shilling’s comments coincide with campaign literature being mailed to voters in Kooyenga’s suburban Milwaukee district by a Democratic group that highlights a $30,000 settlement Kooyenga paid after taking a protester’s sign in the Capitol.
The mailer also accuses Kooyenga of being “drunk at work,” referring to floor speeches Kooyenga made in July 2015 after a bomb threat at the Capitol prompted some lawmakers to have beers across the street before the threat was cleared.
The Wisconsin Leadership Committee is behind the postcard.
The group recently reported to Wisconsin election officials it was spending $84,000 in online ads against Kooyenga and three other Republicans running for the state Senate. For contact information, the group listed an address and phone number belonging to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C.
I don’t know if Kooyenga was a bit tipsy or not. But Wisconsin legislators of both parties have been taking to the floor after drinking for decades – especially when they are doing those 30-hour budget sessions. I imagine a drunk Kooyenga still makes more sense than half the Democrats when they are sober!
Posted by Owen at 0921 hours
Close the dark store loophole
Here is my full column that ran in the Washington County Daily News yesterday.
If you are voting in West Bend, be sure to turn over your ballot. Like many municipalities in Wisconsin, West Bend’s voters are being asked to weigh in on whether or not the state Legislature should close the so-called “dark store loophole” in the property tax laws. The question is: “Should the state Legislature enact proposed legislation that closes the Dark Store loopholes, which currently allow commercial retail properties to significantly reduce the assessed valuation and property tax of such properties, resulting in a substantial shift in taxes levied against other tax paying entities, such as residential home owners, and/or cuts in essential services provided by an affected municipality?”
At issue is how commercial properties are valued for the purposes of property taxes. In a pure sense, the value of anything is the price that a willing buyer is willing to pay to a willing seller. For tax purposes, the government must assess what that price might be.
Residential properties are relatively easy to assess. Based on the condition, size and location of a house, the assessor can compare it to similar houses that have recently sold and come up with a reasonable price. Assessing the value of commercial properties is far more difficult and much more subjective than residential properties. There are at least five common, but different, ways to calculate the value of commercial property for tax and accounting purposes.
In Wisconsin, government assessors have generally set the value of commercial real estate based on how much the property is worth based on the property being occupied and generating revenue for the owners. For example, a retail store in a great location that generates millions of dollars for the owners is worth quite a bit to the owner — even if the property would not be worth as much to a different owner.
In recent years, several of Wisconsin’s largest commercial property owners like Walmart, Menards, Walgreens, etc. have been suing municipalities to have the value of their properties lowered based on the “dark store” method of valuation. Under this method, the value of the property is calculated based on what it would be if the store were empty. In other words, the companies want the value of the property to be set at what that they think they could sell it for if they closed up shop and left. Commercial property owners have been winning appeals of their property assessments under this theory across Wisconsin and drastically lowering their property tax bills.
Both valuation methods are equally valid, in an economic sense, but have vastly different outcomes for Wisconsin. As more commercial properties are valued under the dark store valuation method, they are paying far less in property taxes. The result is that local governments must either reduce spending to account for the reduction in taxes being collected, or shift the property tax burden to residential propertyowners.
Let’s look at one small example. In West Bend, Walgreens’ two stores were once valued at $14 million. Last year, Walgreens appealed under the dark store theory and won, thus reducing the combined assessed value of the two properties to $4.8 million. That change in value reduced Walgreens property tax obligation by a whopping $180,000 per year. Each of the local governments that rely on property taxes for funding now have to find a way to fill that hole. Multiply this equation by dozens or hundreds of commercial properties in each municipality in Wisconsin and the hole becomes impossible to fill.
While there are several perfectly rational and valid ways to determine the value of commercial properties, Wisconsin needs to determine a uniform and fair way that will be used for the purpose of property taxes. Closing the dark store loophole is a good step toward that goal.
Posted by Owen at 0910 hours
Big Fitz Backs Walker on Pre-Existing Conditions
Unpopular opinion: the government mandating that private companies cover pre-existing conditions is still horrible public policy that inflates prices, distorts the market, hurts consumers, and undermines the entire concept of insurance. The whole point of insurance is to cover something that might happen… not something that already has happened. It’s a shame that Republicans have adopted this as part of their platform. Obama moved the line closer to socialism with Obamacare and the Republicans followed.
Speaking with reporters after a WisPolitics.com Q&A luncheon, Fitzgerald raised doubts about whether there would be enough votes in the Senate’s Republican majority to pass legislation requiring insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. But several hours later, after media reports on his comments, he released a statement saying the Senate would, in fact, pass such a bill if needed.
“Pre-existing conditions are covered right now, and I support that policy. If it becomes necessary to cover them in the future, the senate would pass a bill to do so,” Fitzgerald said in a statement released early Tuesday evening.
Walker has promised throughout his re-election campaign that he will preserve insurance coverage for Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions, even if the federal requirement to do so under the Affordable Care Act is struck down. With Walker’s approval, Wisconsin is part of a multi-state lawsuit seeking to overturn the Obama-era health care law.
Posted by Owen at 2000 hours
Close the dark store loophole
My column for the Washington County Daily News is online. Here’s a taste:
At issue is how commercial properties are valued for the purposes of property taxes. In a pure sense, the value of anything is the price that a willing buyer is willing to pay to a willing seller. For tax purposes, the government must assess what that price might be.
Posted by Owen at 0741 hours
Curry’s Bait and Switch
Heh.
The foundation representing basketball player Stephen Curry and his wife, author and television personality Ayesha Curry, recently donated between $10,000 to $100,000 to the Obama Foundation, the updated contributors report reveals.
[…]
The Curry family’s donation was the result of auctioning off customized, hand-painted Under Armour sneakers to benefit the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.
Here’s the story from when Curry held the auction.
WASHINGTON (AP) — You can own a pair of shoes worn in a game by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry — and support a cause, to boot.
Curry posted on Instagram that he’ll be auctioning off the sneakers he wore in Golden State’s game at the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night to raise money for My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.
He says the effort “was created to reduce barriers and expand opportunity” in support of “young men and boys of color in their pursuit of achievement and higher success in life.”
So Curry auctioned off the shoes saying that the proceeds would go to benefit “young men and boys of color” and instead gives the money to Obama. Cool.
Posted by Owen at 2206 hours
Walker Proposes Increased Spending on Roads
Again… sigh… Walker is vowing to spend more money. I already voted for Walker and he is a far better choice than Evers, but it’s hard to get excited about his platform of trying to outspend the Democrats. Perhaps he should focus on energizing his Republican base instead of trying to appeal to the 3% of undecideds. How about eliminating the income tax or something… bold.
STEVENS POINT— State support for town roads would jump from 42 percent to 58 percent in the next state budget, Governor Walker announced this morning at the Wisconsin Towns Association Annual Convention in Stevens Point.
“We provided the largest amount in state history for town road aids in this state budget, and our proposal for the next budget adds even more support for Wisconsin’s towns,” said Governor Walker. “Maintaining our transportation system is a top priority, and our plan will help ensure we have a safe and reliable system for families and businesses across the state.”
General Transportation Aids (GTAs) are largely disbursed on a per mile basis for towns. The proposed increase would amount to more than $900 per mile in state funding for a total per mile disbursement of more than $3,300. This represents a 58 percent state funding level for town roads. If approved, this investment would represent the largest level of funding for town GTAs in state history. Governor Walker set the previous state record for GTAs disbursed to towns last year with the state covering $2,389 per mile which represents 42 percent of covered costs.
Posted by Owen at 2137 hours
Walker Vows to Return to Two-Thirds Funding of K-12
Sigh… once again, a Republican plays into the Democrat paradigm. It’s not about hitting some arbitrary funding amount or percentage. That is not accomplishing anything. It’s about improving educational outcomes for our kids. Unless Walker can articulate how this will improve outcomes, it’s just wasting more of the taxpayers’ money to get the same results.
[Madison, Wis.] – On Monday, Scott Walker announced that he is restoring the two-thirds funding of education by the state of Wisconsin that was instituted under Governor Tommy Thompson – and discarded by Democrats – while continuing to cut taxes for hard-working Wisconsin families. The governor released the following statement:
“We will fund two-thirds of school costs in our next state budget. Our good fiscal management and positive reforms, plus a strong economy, allowed us to make the largest actual-dollar investment in schools in our state budget while still lowering property taxes. Looking ahead, we will fully restore the two-thirds commitment made by former Governor Tommy Thompson. Tony Evers wants to undo our reforms. That would take money out of the classroom and away from students and he would allow property taxes to go up to pay for it.”
Posted by Owen at 2133 hours
Progressive Income Taxes
Americans who earned in the top 1 per cent paid more individual income tax than the bottom 90 per cent combined in 2016, according to new figures released by the Internal Revenue Service.
That year, the United States government collected a total of $1.44trillion from 140.9 million income taxpayers, according to the IRS.
These filers reported a total of $10.2trillion in adjusted gross income.
The statistics show that the top 50 per cent of all taxpayers paid 97 per cent of total individual income taxes.
That means that the bottom 50 per cent paid 3 per cent.The bottom 50 per cent paid the same amount of income tax as the top 0.001 per cent, according to the IRS figures compiled by Bloomberg.
That means approximately 1,400 taxpayers – who make up the top .001 per cent – paid 3.25 per cent of all income taxes.
Interestingly, the tax reform last year that was supposed to be, according to the lefties, be a giveaway to the rich, actually resulted in the rich paying a higher percentage.
In 2018, the top 20 per cent of income earners – those earning at least $150,000 a year – will pay 87 percent of income tax, according to the Tax Policy Center.
That is an increase from about 84 per cent of income tax that the top 20 per cent paid in 2017.
The figures show that 1,400 taxpayers paid about the same amount of taxes as 70 million taxpayers who earn incomes that are in the bottom 50 per cent
The highest earners – those making $3.2million a year – who account for the top 0.1 per cent will pay 22 per cent of all income tax in 2018.
That is an increase from 18.9 per cent in 2017.
Posted by Owen at 1909 hours
US Threatens Saudi Arabia over Alleged Killing
We are at a new place in our nation’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia warned on Sunday that it will respond to threats and political pressure with tough measures of its own after President Donald Trump said the oil-rich kingdom deserves “severe punishment” if responsible for the disappearance and suspected murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.
The apparent threat of economic retaliation from the world’s top oil exporter came after a turbulent day on the Saudi stock exchange, which plunged as much as 7 percent at one point.
The statement was issued as international concern grew over the writer who vanished on a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago. American lawmakers have threated sanctions against the Saudis, and Germany, France and Britain jointly called on Sunday for a “credible investigation” into Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Turkish officials have said they fear a Saudi hit team killed and dismembered Khashoggi, who wrote critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The kingdom has called such allegations “baseless” but has not offered any evidence Khashoggi ever left the consulate.
For generations, the United States and Europe would look past Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses because we needed their oil to fuel the economy. Those days are over. Thanks to American innovation and fracking, the US is now the largest producer of oil in the world and the world’s largest exporter of oil. Saudi Arabia’s importance in world affairs has diminished.
There is still risk to isolating Saudi Arabia. They have been a force of stability in an unstable region. And they are still a major oil producer whose behavior can impact the world economy. But it isn’t like it used to be.
Posted by Owen at 1312 hours
UWO Staff Frets about Cuts Despite Decline in Enrollment
This is funny. A professor whines about staff cuts.
OSHKOSH (WLUK) –Concerns among UW-Oshkosh faculty are rising as the school plans to reduce positions.
“The impact is going to be on the students, and that’s unfortunate,” said political science professor, David Siemers.
Siemers said faculty work load would go up; he blames the significant reduction in state support.
“This is an intentional financial crisis of the states choosing, we didn’t create that problem,” said Siemers.
Siemers said more classes for each faculty member means less attention for each student, and a less quality education.
In the SAME STORY…
“We’re down about 1,800 students undergraduate students in the last five years. So as a result we simply cannot support the same size faculty and staff,” said Leavitt.
Looking at the 6 fall semesters prior to the current one, there was a 15% decline in enrollment. The university said that’s essentially a loss of nearly $10 million.
It seems to me that the UWO staff has been enjoying a reduced workload for years without nary a peep. Now that the school is finally (way too slow) taking a tiny bit of action to rightsize the staffing level to the number of students, Professor Siemers is fretting. Whatever.
Posted by Owen at 1300 hours
