Short Takes

Just some short takes on various topics today:

--Given my wife's excitement over the news of a Kohl's Department Store coming to Oshkosh soon, staying on the Dave Ramsey Plan may be a bit more of a challenge.  Her only disappointment--the store won't be open by the Christmas shopping season.  All we need now in Oshkosh is a Golf Galaxy or one of those stores that sells authentic sports jerseys and ballcaps and I'll need to get a third job.

--It's "Mission Accomplished" for everyone in Washington DC this week.  By approving--but not by enough votes--President Obama's Jobs Act, the Senate has given all those running for election next year the ammunition they need.  For the President, he can go out on the campaign trail and say "I put forth a bill that would have 'created' thousands of jobs and fix our infrastructure and cut taxes and cut spending and they (Republicans) said 'no'"  Senate Republicans can go out and say "We kept the President from sinking us farther in debt with a plan to increase the size of government and not 'create' any long-term jobs for anybody."  And the Red-State Democrats in the Senate can say "Hey, I didn't vote for that bag of flaming dog doo either--check the record!"

--I figure you have about two more weeks to actually enjoy watching television.  After that, both sides in the Recall Scott Walker effort will start firing up their advertising machines.  AFSCME and WEAC will be first on the tube with their "Governor Walker's extreme agenda has cost hard-working Wisconsin families money and jobs"--while showing the protests at the Capitol and the stock footage of a couple looking disturbed by the latest bill they got in the mail.  That will be followed a few days later by Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce ads saying "Governor Walker took on the special interests and union lobbyists in Madison and achieved tax savings for most Wisconsinites"--over the stock footage of protesters clashing with Capitol police and all of the headlines about school districts saving millions of dollars on benefits packages.  Our only hope is that they wait until after the World Series is done--and there is really nothing to watch anyways.

--And finally, kudos to those who organized and attended the Oshkosh Pub Crawl last weekend.  Citations and arrests were down this year--while attendance was up.  I know there was a segment of the population here in Oshkosh that was disappointed there wasn't looting and clashes with riot police so they would have grounds to completely shut down the Crawl.   I look forward to continued support of downtown businesses created by this event--here in "Event City."  Prost!!