"Ben-Hur (1959) " Ben-Hur (1959)
"September 26, 2009
I never thought I would see the day that the French President made more sense than the US President.
You may have missed the comments of President Sarkozy's remarks this week as US media ignored them.
From the Big Government blog.
Sarkozy: “We live in the real world, not the virtual world. And the real world expects us to take decisions.”
The rest of Sarkozy’s remarks were, well, remarkable:
“President Obama dreams of a world without weapons … but right in front of us two countries are doing the exact opposite.
“Iran since 2005 has flouted five security council resolutions. North Korea has been defying council resolutions since 1993.
" Real Debate Wisconsin: I never thought I would see the day that the French President made more sense than the US President.
"Warning to Rich Oppressors
1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you." James 5:1-6 - Passage Lookup - New International Version - BibleGateway.com
"“Did she ask them to negotiate the price?” Kagen said. “What your readership needs to understand is that the hospitals are charging what they can get. I would ask, ‘What’s the lowest you’ve charged in the past for that procedure?’”" The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region
"The Congressman during 2008 engaged in the purchase and sale of a number of similar assets, including buying Green Bay bonds worth between $100,000 and $250,000 and selling Puerto Rico Commonwealth bonds for the price of between $100,000 and $250,000.
Additionally, Kagen reported Port St. Lucie, Fla. real estate holdings worth between $250,000 and $500,000; and a financial trust worth between $1 million and $5 million.
" WisPolitics DC Wrap: Wis. congressional delegation release financial holdings
"No healthcare, go to jail
You guys think I am goofing around here, but I am not. Being reported by the Politico:
This doesn't happen often enough.
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.
Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it "Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold."
The note was a follow-up to Ensign's questioning at the markup" Stepping Right Up!: No healthcare, go to jail
"Rules for Counter-Radicals
Andrew Breitbart, Internet juggernaut.
By Kathryn Jean Lopez
"“Bypass the Gatekeepers.”
“Don’t Wait for Authorization.”
“Target Your Villain.”
“Adapt and Innovate.”
“Embrace the Attacks.”
“Fight Small, Win Big.”
It all sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Again, these are pieces of advice from Kossak-in-chief Markos. But it could very well tell the story of the launch of Breitbart’s Big Government." Rules for Counter-Radicals by Kathryn Jean Lopez on National Review Online
"Brown County Jail phone scam under investigation
BY Mike Hoeft • mhoeft@greenbaypressgazette.com • September 26, 2009
Some Brown County Jail inmates found a way to take advantage of phone software and make thousands of collect calls that were charged to local businesses and county offices, investigators say.
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More than a dozen inmates may be involved and could face charges in the phone scam, Brown County Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Sanborn said Friday.
The jail contracts with a private phone vendor, Inmate Calling Solutions, which has since fixed the software program, said Brown County Sheriff Dennis Kocken.
ICS could not be reached for comment Friday.
The largest bill charged was for $2,400. Calls were billed to five law offices and six county departments.
The scheme had more than two dozen victims." Brown County Jail phone scam under investigation | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette
"Jobless rate drops across the region
By Nathan Phelps • nphelps@greenbaypressgazette.com • September 24, 2009
Unemployment rates dropped in seven Northeastern Wisconsin counties last month, according to a report from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development issued Wednesday.
Statewide, unemployment rates dropped in 69 of 72 counties.
Brown County's rate — not seasonally adjusted — was 7.7 percent in August, a dip from 8 percent in July but well over the rate of 4.3 percent in August 2008.
The state's unemployment figure is 8.4 percent, according to the report. That's down from 8.8 percent last month.
Other August numbers from counties in the Green Bay area include:
# Door: 6.7 percent, down from 6.9
# Kewaunee: 7.7 percent, down from 7.8
# Manitowoc: 9.6 percent, down from 10
# Marinette: 11.4 percent, down from 12.5
# Oconto: 10.5 percent, down from 11.3
# Shawano: 8.5 percent, down from 8.8
Menominee County continues to lead the state in unemployment at 17.8 percent, but even that is a reduction compared with July's figure of 18.1 percent.
Green Bay's unemployment figure was 11.8 percent last month, down from 12.4 the previous month." Jobless rate drops across the region | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette
"Tillmann Landscape Nursery going out of business
September 26, 2009
Tillmann Landscape Nursery, 2735 University Ave., is going out of business after nearly 70 years.
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Owner Steve Tillmann of Green Bay declined to comment on the closure.
Employees learned of the decision this week, and the store is holding a 75 percent off sale this weekend. Store hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Store operations include landscape design and installation, garden center, floral division, interior division, maintenance division and wholesale container and field growing operations." Tillmann Landscape Nursery going out of business | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette
"Administration Will Cut Border Patrol Deployed on U.S-Mexico Border
Thursday, September 24, 2009
By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief
(CNSNews.com) - Even though the Border Patrol now reports that almost 1,300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border is not under effective control, and the Department of Justice says that vast stretches of the border are “easily breached,” and the Government Accountability Office has revealed that three persons “linked to terrorism” and 530 aliens from “special interest countries” were intercepted at Border Patrol checkpoints last year, the administration is nonetheless now planning to decrease the number of Border Patrol agents deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border."
CNSNews.com - Administration Will Cut Border Patrol Deployed on U.S-Mexico Border
"-Steve Kagen voted against prohibiting taxpayer funding for so called “sanctuary cities” that harbor illegal immigrants. (Roll Call 485; June 15, 2007)
- Steve Kagen voted against full funding for the construction of the border fence as mandated by Congress. (Roll Call 490; June 15 , 2007)
- Steve Kagen voted against requiring persons receiving federal housing assistance to provide valid identification. (Roll Call 628; July 12, 2007)
- Steve Kagen voted to give illegal immigrants taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits. (Roll Call 787; August 1, 2007)
- Steve Kagen voted against a motion that would have prevented illegal immigrants from accessing federal housing assistance, which is intended for low-income Americans. (Roll Call 814; August 2, 2007)
- Steve Kagen again voted against a measure designed to prevent illegal immigrant from receiving government housing assistance funds. (Roll Call 875; September 18, 2007) " Berry Laker
"Ahmadinejad has enough uranium to go whole way'
Senior US official says secret facility is right size to make 'bomb or two a year'
By David Usborne and Andrew Grice in Pittsburgh
Saturday, 26 September 2009
The crisis in relations with Iran escalated ominously yesterday after the leaders of the US, Britain and France accused the regime in Tehran of operating a secret uranium enrichment facility buried deep in a mountain bunker near the ancient religious city of Qom. Barack Obama (George Bush) called Iran's activity "a direct challenge" to the international community.
The accusations were made public in an extraordinary joint statement by the US President, flanked by Gordon Brown and the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy before the start of the G20 economic summit in Pittsburgh.
Iran had previously insisted that its plant at Natanz, which is open to international inspection, was the only one involved in enrichment. The new revelation sharply raises the stakes at a time when Israel has been signalling that military strikes against Iran are on the table.
Related articles
Iran's first response was one of familiar defiance. "If I were Obama's (Bush's) adviser, I would definitely advise him to refrain from making this statement because it is definitely a mistake," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with Time magazine in New York.
Western sources said the plant at Qom, 120 miles south-west of Tehran, is not yet operational. But it is designed to hold about 3,000 centrifuge machines, which would provide the uranium needed to produce one atomic bomb a year. "Iran has enough uranium to go the whole way," one Western diplomat said. A senior US official said that number of centrifuges could not produce enough uranium to make sense commercially for power generation. "But if you want to use the facility to produce a small amount of weapons-grade uranium, enough for a bomb or two a year, it's the right size."
He stressed that making a bomb was "still some way off" but that the plant gives Iran "more options." French officials said the secret plant was in a "heavily protected" area under the control of the Revolutionary Guards loyal to Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad.
If nonplussed that the plant's cover has been so dramatically blown, Iran's President insisted his government was in compliance with the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "This does not mean we must inform Mr Obama's (Bush's)administration of every facility that we have," he said. Mr Obama's (Bush's) claim "simply adds to the list of issues to which the United States owes the Iranian nation an apology over".
Later, Mr Ahmadinejad softened his tone telling reporters that Iran was in fact ready to give international inspectors access to the Qom facility. "We have no fears," he said.
Yet for Mr Obama (Bush), the revelation will bolster the case for tougher sanctions on Iran, if its regime does not bend now to calls for enrichment to stop. It also ratchets up tensions significantly on the eve of talks scheduled next Thursday in Geneva between the regime and six world powers, including Britain, the US and Russia.
"The Iranian government must now demonstrate through deeds its peaceful intentions or be held accountable to international standards and international law," Mr Obama (Bush) said. His French and British peers portrayed even deeper indignation. "The level of deception by the Iranian government and the scale of what we believe is a breach of international commitments, will shock and anger the whole international community and it will harden our resolve," Mr Brown said, adding that it was time to "draw a line in the sand". He went on: "This is the third time they have been caught red-handed, not telling the truth."
Mr Sarkozy set a deadline of December for Iran to put everything on the table and provide proof that it is not attempting to weaponise nuclear technology. New sanctions could include a ban of the sale of refined petrol to Iran, which could seriously harm the regime but also hurt much of the population
British intelligence agencies played a "big part" in uncovering the plant, working closely with their American and French counterparts, diplomats said. The intelligence has been shared with Israel, but British sources are playing down the prospect of military action. One said: "We are a long way from that. We have no interest in a military operation against Iran or anybody undertaking such an operation."
Even as Mr Ahmadinejad was speaking to Time, his officials in Tehran were acknowledging the plant's existence. "In order to preserve its definite rights [in] the peaceful use of nuclear energy, Iran has taken a successful step and created a semi-industrial plant to enrich nuclear fuel," Ali Akbar Salehi, its nuclear energy agency chief, said in a statement.
Iran insists its enrichment programme is for civilian purposes and other countries have no right to interfere. But Western governments have long doubted this. British sources said the intelligence on Qom specifically suggests it is not consistent with plans for electricity generation.
US officials said that Western intelligence had found out about the Qom plant several months ago and that Mr Obama (Bush)had been briefed on it even before he took office. Exactly how they cracked the wall of secrecy erected by Iran around it has not been divulged.
Iran itself then became aware that the West had got wind of the concealed plant. On Monday, it sent a cryptic letter to the IAEA in Vienna in which it spoke for the first time of a "pilot uranium enrichment plant" in addition to the one at Natanz. It added that additional information would be furnished to the agency in due course.
All this off-stage drama was unfolding just as world leaders were gathering first for the UN General Assembly in New York and then in Pittsburgh for the G20 summit. Mr Ahmadinejad, last night cancelled a press conference he had been scheduled to give at the UN before leaving New York.
The game had already moved on after the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, signalled that Moscow was dropping its opposition to new sanctions against Iran. The switch was attributed to Mr Obama's (Bush's) decision a week ago to drop the US anti-missile shield in eastern Europe. But a senior US administration official revealed that the information about Qom was shared by Mr Obama (Bush) with President Medvedev during a bilateral meeting in New York on Wednesday. That may have helped modify Mr Medvedev's thinking.
Iran fights back: President tells US it's making 'a big mistake'
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fought back against claims of illegal concealment last night, saying that it was the United States that should be apologising to Iran and that Barack Obama (George Bush) was making a big mistake which would ultimately play into the Islamic Republic's favour.
In an interview with Time magazine, which took place as the US President was ratcheting up pressure on him from Pittsburgh, Mr Ahmadinejad shrugged off accusations of a secret underground second nuclear facility. "If I were Obama's (Bush's) adviser, I would definitely advise him to refrain from making this statement because it is definitely a mistake. It would definitively be a mistake," he told Time editors in New York, where he had been attending the UN General Assembly.
"We have no secrecy, we work within the framework of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]," he added. "This does not mean we must inform Mr Obama's (Bush's) administration of every facility that we have."
Far from seeming contrite, Mr Ahmadinejad went on the offensive saying that by bringing up the uranium facility, the US President, "simply adds to the list of issues to which the United States owes the Iranian nation an apology over. Rest assured that this will be the case. We do everything transparently".
Mr Ahmadinejad also hinted that the attack by the US, France and Britain might be just the thing around which his deeply fractured nation might rally. " 'Ahmadinejad has enough uranium to go whole way' - Middle East, World - The Independent
"Last Updated: Friday, September 25, 2009 11:48 PM CDTDoes or should the Merckx's Car insurance pay for gasoline, oil changes and car washes?
The face of the debate
Health care discussion digresses as families lose
By Giles Morris
Daily News Staff
Last week, Necia Merckx of Rhinelander fell into the middle of the great American health care debate when she lost her job as a title clerk.
The 28-year-old Merckx and her husband, Nick, pay $350 per month for an insurance plan with a $4,000 deductible that doesn’t cover her prescriptions." The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region
Merckx needs a prescription for a condition she was diagnosed with as an 18-year-old and she takes birth control pills because she says she and Nick aren’t financially ready to start a family.
The medication her doctor recommended for her condition would cost $120 per month under their current plan, so she took the next best option for $40 per month. Birth control would cost her $60 per month so instead she uses the reproductive clinic at the Oneida County Health Department, which bills on a sliding scale.
“How many people want to pay $350 out of pocket for the doctor to say it’s a virus and you have to wait it out?” Merckx said. “I was talking to my husband the other day and saying maybe we should drop our health insurance. With the economy the way it is we really have to assess what’s more important. It’s a sad thing if you have to decide between a roof over your head or health insurance this month.”Why would you want to pay $350 if it's only a virus? People call the doctor's today for minor aches and pains, no wonder health care is expensive.
But in addition to her prescriptions and doctors’ visits, Necia also went to St. Mary’s Hospital for a urinary tract infection and ended up having her appendix removed at a cost of $26,000.
Five years ago, before she was married, Merckx had her own insurance. She paid $50 per pay period for comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible.Why doesn't she know the answer? Obviously she only believes what she see on T V, what she reads in the Daily press and what her liberal friends tell her. No wonder she has no answer.
“I don’t know why insurance went up so much, but it would be nice to know. Did it go up because the insurance companies are padding their pockets? Or because the cost of everything else went up?
Dr. Terrance Moe of Country Doc’s in Eagle River runs an independent general medicine practice. Moe is all too familiar with cases like Necia Merckx’s.
Moe has been a doctor for 35 years and has run his current practice for the last five. He said his decision to open an independent practice was based on his desire to espouse older values that govern the doctor/patient relationship.
“I’m projecting an image of the old country doctor that everyone could rely on and would put their concerns first and treat them as human being not as a piece of cattle with a number,” Moe said.
“I just get by. I’ve given an incredible amount of free care because people come in without insurance and they run up a bill and I treat them and they can’t pay and then I don’t see them again,” Moe said. “I have a tremendous amount of uncollected bills. If we had a single payer system there wouldn’t be any unpaid bills.”
Moe believes the first step in the solution should be preventing insurance companies from denying coverage on the grounds of pre-existing conditions.
“They’re not in the business of providing insurance anymore. They’re in the business of denying coverage,” said Moe. “Instead of spreading out the costs across the population that’s insured, they want to cherry pick the healthy ones and keep the profits for themselves.”
Moe said the American healthcare system will not suffer as a result of a public option.There's the catch, "wait longer for an elective procedure", so rationed care is the solution. Hey Dr Moe, how's it work in Canada?
“Will you have to wait longer for an elective procedure? Yes. But that’s a small inconvenience compared to someone going bankrupt because they don’t have insurance,” said Moe. “The whole thing can be done revenue neutral. All you do is extend the benefits of Medicare to age 45 and sell it at cost to the people between 45 and 50.”
Biolo said Republicans are not rejecting reform initiatives — pointing to Newt Gingrich’s Center For Health Transformation plan and to Congressman Paul Ryan’s (R-Janesville) “Patients’ Choice Act” — but instead are rejecting solutions that interfere with a market-based approach.Yes there are alternatives but does Dr Moe even know about them? Has Necia Merckx heard about Wisconsin Paul Ryan's plan? Answer to both, they didn't and don't care. One wants a government take over and the other wants it all for free.
“I think we could all agree that people that are down and out a compassionate society would want to take care of their healthcare, but the debate should be about how we are going to pay for them,” Biolo said. “We need to engage in these specific kind of arguments and we haven’t really done that. It sounds cold, but I don’t know of anything in the Constitution that guarantees the right to healthcare.”Here Pete Biolo gives good answers to good questions, but as usual with those on the left, it falls on deaf ears.
Kagen has pushed for a reform package that contains three fundamental features — no discrimination due to pre-existing conditions, pricing transparency for healthcare services across the system, and a standard plan for insurance that would create competition between government and private providers.
“In my lifetime our insurance companies divided our communities. They separated mother from child,” Kagen said. “When America begins to stop pointing fingers and start solving problems as a community then we can move forward on this issue.”
“Did she ask them to negotiate the price?” Kagen said. “What your readership needs to understand is that the hospitals are charging what they can get. I would ask, ‘What’s the lowest you’ve charged in the past for that procedure?’”Mr Kagen, Necia and her husband are not a millionaire like you. They cannot pay cash like you. How can he make such a outlandish statement about people who need help. The poor gal was supposed to ask for a break on her $26,000.00 appendix removal. Can you see how out of touch Kagen is?
Kagen admitted the specifics of the healthcare debate are complex. He pointed to Wisconsin’s Senior Care program as a success story for the type of state-level insurance cooperative outlined in the plans calling for “exchanges.” The program has allowed around 100,000 low-income seniors to obtain cheaper prescription drugs by negotiating as a large purchasing pool.
According to Kagen, the plans he supports would allow small businesses to purchase insurance in similar purchasing pools. Kagen said his sources have told him that about 50 members of the Senate currently support some kind of public option but that Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-Montana) Senate Finance Committee has voted against the creation of a standard plan for coverage.
“When people look at this issue they’ve got to start saying, ‘Who’s side are you on?’ I’m working hard to make sure that there’s a bill in the House that works because small businesses can’t hold their heads above water any longer and people can’t continue to pay exorbitant prices for insurance,” Kagen said.
In the meantime, the Merckx family and a whole host of other people are waiting and watching to see if healthcare reform will actually result in affordable health insurance.
"Celebration to mark Hwy. 41 project
Updated: Friday, 25 Sep 2009, 12:22 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 25 Sep 2009, 12:22 PM CDT
OCONTO - The Department of Transportation plans to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 17 to mark the completion of the Hwy. 41 expansion project in Oconto County.
The ceremony is set for 2 p.m. at the intersection of Highways 41 and 22 in Oconto. Among the dignitaries invited to participate are Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, US Congressman Steve Kagen, Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi and other state and local officials. Plans also include participation by the Oconto High School band and local veterans.
Following the ribbon cutting, the celebration will continue until 7 p.m. Some of the many activities include a DJ, food, refreshments, children’s activities, helicopter rides, and a classic car and motorcycle parade." Celebration to mark Hwy. 41 project
"04/17/2007
Ted Nugent On Deer Hunting
As reported by Phil Proctor:
Rock star and avid bow hunter, Ted Nugent, was being interviewed by a French journalist, and when the discussion touched on deer hunting the journalist asked, "What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, 'Are you my friend?' or is it 'Are you the one who killed my brother?''"
Nugent paused for a moment and then replied, "Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, 'What am I going to eat next, who am I going to have sex with next, and can I run fast enough to get awa"
Tom McMahon: Ted Nugent On Deer Hunting
"9/25/2009 9:43:00 AM
Voters go to polls Tuesday in Mercer School board recall election Incumbent Shannon Hiller challenged by two other candidates
Joe VanDeLaarschot
Reporter
Voters in the Mercer School District will be heading to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots after district residents had gathered enough names on a petition to force the recall election concerning current school board member Shannon Hiller.
The other two names on the ballot will be longtime Mercer area resident Deanna Pierpont and former Mercer School Board member Karl Anderson.
The petition forcing the recall election contained 230 signatures. A minimum of 205 signatures were required to force holding Tuesday's vote." Voters go to polls Tuesday in Mercer School board recall election
Pierpont has been a resident of the Mercer area for 46 years. She said that if she is elected she will dedicate herself to helping the children in the community to get the best possible education in the most cost-effective manner.
"Tax dollars have been squandered here recently paying for unnecessary expenditures," Pierpont said.
She cited $130,000 "to buy off the contract of a former administrator and $10,000 on unnecessary lawyers fees in the most recent fiasco."
Joe VanDeLaarschot can be reached at jvandelaarschot@lakelandtimes.com.
"1 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Polaroid
2 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T
3 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt
4 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
5 98 Paul Menard Ford Energizer / Menards
6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Burger King
7 96 Bobby Labonte Ford DLP
8 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Taco Bell
9 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac
10 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy's Geek Squad
11 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries
12 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal
13 6 David Ragan Ford UPS
14 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army
15 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1
16 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground
17 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel's
18 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull
19 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Vaseline Men Body Lotion
20 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
21 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine
22 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite
23 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
24 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Valvoline
25 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox
26 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser
27 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Super 8
28 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's
29 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil
30 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Kellogg's / Carquest
31 20 Joey Logano* Toyota The Home Depot
32 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Camping World
33 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
34 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing
35 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / Amp Energy
36 4 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Morgan McClure Motorsports
37 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies
38 82 Scott Speed* Toyota Red Bull
39 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet TRG Motorsports
40 09 Mike Bliss Dodge Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
41 36 Michael McDowell Toyota Wave Energy Drink
42 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports
43 37 Tony Raines Dodge Long John Silver's
44 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports "
NASCAR.COM
"Actor Will Farrell hates farmers, hopes they stay poor.
Okay, maybe not literally. But he sure doesn’t want them getting rich. Or even comfortable.
Because that would be wrong."
"There are a lot of rich doctors out there, too, the greedy bastards. Imagine: getting rich by charging people money for their basic needs!
But, y’know, there are needs even more basic than health care. Food, for example. Without food, there’s really very little need for doctors and hospitals. Right? A doctor can’t keep you from starving to death if there’s no food (and if he’s unwilling to open a vein).
So: grocery stores. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI). Distribution companies. Trucking companies. Big corporations who make millions – billions – by processing and selling food products to the people who would starve without them.
Farmers, for crying out loud. No, farmers aren’t getting rich. Most of them, anyway. Not in my neck of the woods. They’re mostly family farms around here, and they struggle to make ends meet.
And that’s a good thing, from Farrell’s point of view. From his millionaire Hollywood friends’ point of view. How dare farmers want to make more money? People need that food – don’t they know that?
How could you sleep at night…how could you look in the mirror? How could you look your own little children in the face, knowing that that G.I. Joe with the kung-fu grip was paid for with money extorted from people whose choice was pay you or starve?" The TrogloPundit
"Wisconsin Rep. Kind Passes Up Bid for Governor
By Emily Cadei | September 24, 2009 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Democratic Rep. Ron Kind will not run for governor of Wisconsin in 2010, deciding instead to seek an eighth term in his 3rd District seat.
Kind, who would have been a top contender in the governor's race, released a statement Thursday afternoon in which he cited efforts to pass a health care overhaul as the top priority keeping him in Congress."
CQ Politics | Eye on 2010 - Wisconsin Rep. Kind Passes Up Bid for Governor
"As a physician I have been studying air quality for a quarter century. I deeply appreciate the connections between a healthy environment and healthy people. Wisconsin has a proud heritage of environmental activism, led by Aldo Leopold, Senator Gaylord Nelson - the father of Earth Day and our state’s Native Americans."First, Mr. Kagen said he studied air quality since 1984, when he was 35 years old. What was he doing when he was 18 to 34? Steve Kagen didn't care about air quality till he started running for the 8th Congressional District. The bologna on his web site is just a good campaign sound bite. He didn't care till he needed the support and votes of the loony left. Back to the story.
Protecting our Environment
"Environmentalists Seek to Wipe Out Plush Toilet Paper Soft Toilet Paper's Hard on the Earth, But Will We Sit for the Alternative?
By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 24, 2009
ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. -- There is a battle for America's behinds.
It is a fight over toilet paper: the kind that is blanket-fluffy and getting fluffier so fast that manufacturers are running out of synonyms for "soft" (Quilted Northern Ultra Plush is the first big brand to go three-ply and three-adjective).
It's a menace, environmental groups say -- and a dark-comedy example of American excess.
The reason, they say, is that plush U.S. toilet paper is usually made by chopping down and grinding up trees that were decades or even a century old. They want Americans, like Europeans, to wipe with tissue made from recycled paper goods. " Environmentalists Seek to Wipe Out Plush Toilet Paper
"G-20 opponents, police clash on Pittsburgh streets
AP
Officers fire pepper spray and smoke at protesters during clashes in Pittsburgh, AP – Officers fire pepper spray and smoke at protesters during clashes in Pittsburgh, Thursday Sept. 24, 2009 …
By DANIEL LOVERING and MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press Writers Daniel Lovering And Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 22 mins ago
PITTSBURGH – Police fired canisters of pepper spray and smoke at marchers protesting the Group of 20 summit Thursday after anarchists responded to calls to disperse by rolling trash bins and throwing rocks.
The march turned chaotic at just about the time that President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrived for a meeting with leaders of the world's major economies.
The clashes began after hundreds of protesters, many advocating against capitalism, tried to march from an outlying neighborhood toward the convention center where the summit is being held."
G-20 opponents, police clash on Pittsburgh streets - Yahoo! News
Bret Hatch, 26, of Green Bay, Wis., was carrying an American flag and a "Don't Tread on Me" flag.
"This is ridiculous. We have constitutional rights to free speech," he said.
"PETROLEUM ($/bbl)
-----------------------PRICE*--CHANGE--%CHANGE----TIME
Nymex Crude Future-----65.94---.05-------.08---------20:28
Dated Brent Spot-------64.33---.03-------.05-------20:37
WTI Cushing Spot-------65.72----3.05--4.44------09/24
PETROLEUM (¢/gal)
-----------------------------PRICE*----CHANGE----CHANGE---TIME
Nymex Heating Oil Future-----168.25----.11-------.07-----19:10
Nymex RBOB Gasoline Future---163.00-----.66------.40-----18:57"
Bloomberg.com: Energy Prices
"Food prices starting to drop
By Dionna Harris
POSTED: September 23, 2009
ESCANABA - The impact of lower fuel and transportation costs are being seen not only at the gas pump, but also on supermarket shelves.
When gas prices hit $4 per gallon or more and oil was $140 per barrel in 2008, food makers passed along increases to grocers. Grocers, in turn, passed them on to consumers.
Retailers now dealing with stagnant incomes, unemployment and economic uncertainty have dropped prices on dairy, fruits, vegetables, and bread, according to Associated Press reports.
Rick Kobasic, of Sav-More IGA in Escanaba, said he has seen milk and other dairy prices drop. The reduction in prices have been passed on to consumers.
"Last year at this time, milk was selling for nearly $4 per gallon, now the price is down about 20 percent," said Kobasic.
Kobasic also said cheese was down, along with eggs. He did say there were no noticeable changes in prices in some areas.
"There have been some changes in prices with reductions being seen in poultry and some meats; soft drinks and alcoholic beverages remain unchanged," said Kobasic.
He also said there had been no change in the prices charged per loaf of bread. Rod Stende, general manager at Elmer's County Market, said price reductions generally take longer to be realized for processed foods.
"The price reductions in processed foods come directly from the supplier, if they pay less for the items, then we pay less and pass on the savings to our customers. However, the opposite holds true as well," said Stende.
Stende said some manufacturers are quick to raise prices and slower to lower them, while commodities such as cheese, butter and milk most often reflected current market prices.
Some processed food producers raised prices and reduced package sizes to protect profits.
A Labor Department price index of food sold to be eaten at home fell for the seventh time in eight months in July. The index, which is part of the Consumer Price Index, fell 0.5 percent in the most recent month and is down 0.9 percent in the past 12 months.
In fact, overall food prices - what's sold in groceries and in restaurants - haven't risen on a monthly basis since November 2008.
Still, that doesn't make up for the surge in food prices from last year, when costs for ingredients like wheat and corn and fuel costs for transportation soared to record highs. Food makers raised their prices and some even shrank package sizes to protect their profits. CPI's food-at-home index finished last year up 6.7 percent, so the less than 1 percent drop so far this year doesn't erase that.
But ingredient costs for major food makers, including Heinz, Kraft and Hormel, are down about 28 percent on average as of Sept. 1, from the same time last year, according to Jonathan Feeney, food analyst for Janney Montgomery Scott.
That means the food industry now has room to give back some of those price hikes - and feed the frugal consumer who is using more coupons, buying more store brands and switching to discounters to stretch a budget.
Consumers' demand to save money is pressuring retailers and manufacturers to cut everyday prices and boost promotions throughout their stores.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report" Food prices starting to drop - DailyPress.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Escanaba Information | The Daily Press
"Proposal would eliminate ZIP codes as factor in Wisconsin car insurance rates
By Paul Gores of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Sept. 23, 2009
All Politics Blog
All other factors being equal, car insurance would cost the same whether you lived in a high-risk area in Milwaukee or a sparsely populated rural town under a proposal in the state Legislature.
Some Democratic legislators have revived the plan even though Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a similar measure that was included in the latest state budget.
Generally, the cost of insuring a vehicle can be 40% to 60% higher in the state's most heavily populated areas, unless a credit score - itself a controversial and influential measure - is a mitigating factor, one longtime Wisconsin insurance professional said. The risk of thefts, vandalism and accidents typically is higher in densely populated areas.
Proponents of the plan to eliminate ZIP codes as a factor in setting rates contend that with mandatory car insurance taking effect next year, insurance should be priced more evenly across the state.
"We're just trying to make it affordable. We want people to comply and go out there and get insurance, and this is one of the barriers," said state Rep. Leon Young (D-Milwaukee).
The insurance industry is opposing the bill, saying premiums would go up for motorists in less-congested areas if it becomes law. The current system is fair because it lets companies charge more where the risk and cost of auto insurance claims are higher, insurers say.
"If insurers can't use ZIP codes, it would just be a redistribution of premium - plain and simple," said Steve Witmer, a spokesman for Madison-based American Family Insurance, the state's largest insurer of autos.
In addition to ZIP codes and credit scores, insurers look at factors such as driving records, the number of miles driven in a year, the customer's age, the type of car and amount of coverage in setting premiums. According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurers also consider local trends such as the number of accidents and car thefts in areas where customers live.
State Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee), the author the bill prohibiting what he calls "ZIP code discrimination," said constituents in his south side district have reported bizarre cases of their auto insurance premiums dramatically increasing after moving nearby where the ZIP code was different.
"This makes no sense," Carpenter said in a statement. "I don't think good drivers should have to pay extra because other parts of their ZIP code - which could be miles away - may have higher crime rates or more irresponsible drivers. My bill will make sure that auto insurance premiums will be based upon the driver's record, the years of experience a driver has behind the wheel, and the miles driven, not ZIP codes."" Proposal would eliminate ZIP codes as factor in Wisconsin car insurance rates - JSOnline
"Maple Lane referendum rejected
By Tim Ryan, Leader Reporter
Shawano County voters Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a referendum to fund projected deficits at Maple Lane Health Care Center through additional increases in the tax levy over the next three years.
The measure was voted down by a margin of 2,998 against to 1,831 in favor.
The vote now puts the fate of the nursing home in the hands of the County Board, which could consider alternatives ranging from a sale of the facility to finding some other source of revenue, such as an assisted living program, to supplement it.
The only option ruled out by the County Board is an outright closure of the facility.
“The people have spoken,” said Shawano County Chairman Marshal Giese, who added he would be meeting with county staff and Chairman of the Maple Lane Board Marion Wnek this afternoon to discuss what’s next.
“We’ll move on and see what steps there are that need to be taken,” Giese said.
Giese said the county decided to go to referendum after seeing projected deficits rising much higher than previously projected.
“Enough is enough,” he said. “People don’t want any more taxes and there are a lot of other things we have to do in the county.”
More in today’s Leader."
"Game over: Police caught playing Wii game in house they had just raided, face discipline
Sep 22 04:57 PM US/Eastern
raided, face discipline
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LAKELAND, Fla. - It's game over for some police officers who played video games while they raided a convicted drug dealer's home in central Florida.
Surveillance video obtained by WFLA in Tampa caught the officers playing a Nintendo Wii bowling game, with one furiously jumping up and down in celebration. Officials say some of the officers could be disciplined.
Officers with the anti-drug task force had just stormed into the home of the convicted drug dealer, who was already in custody. One Polk County sheriff's detective can be seen taking several breaks from cataloging evidence so she can bowl frames.
The officers did not know a video camera had been set up in the house before the March raid. " Game over: Police caught playing Wii game in house they had just raided, face discipline
"For now, Wisconsin's bat population is hale and hearty. But a devastating fungus is racing through cave-dwelling bat populations in eastern states and it's headed this way. White-nose syndrome has now killed an estimated 1 million bats, and experts say it could reach Wisconsin within two to three years.
"We need to set a baseline and if we do get hit (by white-nose syndrome) we need to know what's here and what's healthy," said Dave Redell."
Sounding the alarm for bat health - JSOnline
"Red Raider Community Fitness Facility to hold open house
September 23, 2009
The Red Raider Community Fitness Facility will hold an open house from 6 to 7 p.m. today at Pulaski High School, 1040 S. St. Augustine St.
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The facility opened in June and offers stationary bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines, free weights and weight machines for the community's use.
Membership runs from $50 to $100 per year and is free for students in the school district."
Red Raider Community Fitness Facility to hold open house | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette
"Roundabouts subject of talk in Oconto
September 23, 2009
A presentation on how to safely maneuver through roundabouts is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Community Room at the Oconto City Hall, 1210 Main St., Oconto.
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Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff will provide information and will be available to answer any questions.
Two new multi-lane roundabouts will open Oct. 2 at the U.S. 41/Wisconsin 22 (Charles Street) interchange in Oconto. They are being built as part of the U.S. 41 expansion project."
Roundabouts subject of talk in Oconto | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette
"Wisconsin Senate expected to approve NFL police escort billBusy, busy, busy, need something to do? Did anyone look into speeding wheel chairs on city streets?
Measure ending liabilities could pass today
By Ed Lowe • Post-Crescent staff writer • September 22, 2009
A bill allowing state police agencies to provide nonstop escorts to celebrities, dignitaries and visiting sports teams could become law within days, its lead Senate author said Monday.
The bill facing possible Senate approval today eliminates liability concerns raised in late 2006 in response to the police escorts of National Football League teams by the Outagamie and Brown county sheriff's departments.
State Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, said he's not expecting a close contest when the Senate votes on the same bill passed unanimously by the Assembly in June.
In fact, he said he will be surprised if the vote to concur with the Assembly isn't unanimous.
"I'm not expecting a lot of debate," Hansen said.
If passed, the bill will head to Gov. Jim Doyle, who could sign the bill into law "almost immediately," Hansen said.
The two sheriff's departments began escorting the caravans of NFL teams staying overnight in Appleton before games against the Green Bay Packers in the early 1980s." Wisconsin Senate expected to approve NFL police escort bill | Postcrescent.com | Appleton Post-Crescent
"Pulaski residents vote down school budget hike
By Joan Koehne, Wolf River Media
PULASKI — “Tighten your belt,” demanded the residents of the Pulaski School District, as voters soundly rejected the district’s proposed 12 percent increase in the tax levy at the annual meeting Sept. 16.
With a 77-30 vote, a motion to adopt the $14 million tax levy was rejected. The proposed tax rate was proposed at $9.36 per $1,000 equalized value, an increase from $8.34 last year."
The state cut funding by 1 - 2 %. We need 12 % more to insure no cut backs in education or services.Let us not forget the money they received from the stimulus. From a previous post.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to cut back and close the band department.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to cut back on school sports.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to cut back on coaches for all sports.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to cut back on bus service to the children in the outlining areas. We will have to cut back on buses and start picking up children at 5:30 am and drop them off by 6:00 pm at night.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to cut back on the school lunch program.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to lay off teachers and secretaries.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to add to classroom size and will have to put 30 students in each class per teacher, right now we are at 15.
If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to cut back on school security and the safty of our children will be at risk.
Oh, and I forgot my favorite, If we don't get the property tax increase we will have to increase school fee's by $75.00 to $100.00 dollars per student.
"Funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will go to school districts as follows (numbers represent total Title I, IDEA K-12 and IDEA preschool funding for each school district):"
Pulaski Community: $919,138
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN SCHOOLS TO RECEIVE OVER $37 MILLION THROUGH RECOVERY ACT | North America > United States from AllBusiness.com"
Berry Laker
"From The Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment. The PORKULUS Bill
"Pulaski Community $733,318.00 IDEA Part B Grants
Pulaski Community $34,670.00 IDEA Part B Preschool Grants
Pulaski Community $2,769,404.00 State Fiscal Stabilization Fund - Education
Pulaski Community $151,150.00 Title I Grants"
Wisconsin Office of Recovery and ReinvestmentOffice of Recovery Program and Projects by County
$3,688,542.00
Berry Laker
"Pulaski looks to fix rejected schools budget
District voters shot down proposed 12% hike in levy
By Malavika Jagannathan • mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com • September 21, 2009
The Pulaski School Board will hold a special meeting tonight to discuss the next steps in their budget process after citizens voted down a proposed 12 percent increase in the tax levy." Pulaski looks to fix rejected schools budget | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette
At their annual meeting held last week, electors made clear their opposition to a proposed budget that included $46.7 million in expenditures and a 12 percent hike in the tax levy, Superintendent Mel Lightner said.
"They had major concerns about the state of the economy to afford a tax increase," Lightner said. "The citizens' preference sent a very strong message."
The School Board will possibly consider cuts in the next month, but today's meeting is an opportunity for them to give the administration some parameters for a revised budget, Lightner said.
The proposed budget that did not win approval called for $46.7 million in expenditures for the 2009-10 year. The proposed general fund budget, which represents most of the district's expenditures, was at $37 million, up 1.5 percent from the $36.4 million in actual expenditures in 2008-09.
About $14.5 million would have been levied against property owners, up about 12 percent from the 2008-09 levy of $12.9 million.
The school district will receive about 1 percent less in state aid this year — from $24.3 million last year to about $24 million this year. State aid revenues account for more than two-thirds of the general fund budget, which is the fund the district uses for most expenditures. The amount of that aid is not finalized until October.
Meanwhile, the district is not predicting a change in the equalized property values in the area from last year, but an additional 200 students thanks to a new 4-year-old kindergarten program that began this year.
If you go
The Pulaski School Board meets at 6 p.m. today at Pulaski High School, 1040 S. St. Augustine St.
"NASA launches rocket, dozens report strange lights
(AP) – 22 hours ago
WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — NASA says it successfully launched a rocket in Virginia as part of an experiment, and the blast may have caused dozens of people to report seeing strange lights in the sky.
The space agency said it launched the Black Brant XII on Saturday evening to gather data on the highest clouds in the Earth's atmosphere. About the time of the launch, dozens of people in the Northeast started calling local television stations to report seeing strange lights.
The calls came from as far away as Boston, which is about 380 miles northeast of the launch site.
The rocket is designed to create an artificial cloud. NASA hopes the experiment will provide information on the formation and properties of noctilucent clouds, which occur at high altitudes."
The Associated Press: NASA launches rocket, dozens report strange lights
""Martin just screwed me -- he just stopped the car on the apex, right on the bottom, and I had nowhere to go," Montoya said. "I could have pushed him out of the way ... but I respect him a lot. [Next time] I won't wreck him, but I will bump him. ..." NASCAR.COM - Martin wins Chase opener, extends lead in standings - Sep 20, 2009
"Martin wins Chase opener, extends lead in standings
By The Associated Press
September 20, 2009
06:13 PM EDT
LOUDON, N.H. -- Mark Martin held off Juan Montoya on a late frantic restart to win the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway." NASCAR.COM - Martin wins Chase opener, extends lead in standings - Sep 20, 2009
"Report: Obama asks N.Y. governor to step aside
National Dem leaders concerned that Paterson won’t win re-election 2010
ALBANY, N.Y. - National Democratic Party leaders have asked Gov. David Paterson to consider withdrawing from the 2010 governor's race, according to two senior New York Democratic advisers."
Report: Obama asks N.Y. governor to step aside - More politics- msnbc.com
"Thousands rally in Milwaukee against government spending
The Associated Press • September 20, 2009
MILWAUKEE — Demonstrators packed a lakefront park in Milwaukee on Saturday to protest what they say is runaway government spending.
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The rally is the latest of the so-called "tea party" demonstrations held nationwide to protest tax policies, growing government spending and bank bailouts.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department estimated the crowd at Veterans Park at 8,000 to 10,000.
Don Kraus of Jefferson said government is "spending money like crazy," and taking away taxpayer rights.
Last weekend, tens of thousands of protesters fed up with government spending marched to the U.S. Capitol." Thousands rally in Milwaukee against government spending | Postcrescent.com | Appleton Post-Crescent
