Punching a Gift Horse in the Mouth

Amazon has ended a year of suspense by deciding that it is going to split its new second headquarters--"HQ2"--between cities just outside of New York and Washington, DC.  Hundreds of cities across the country had put together presentations and incentives packages for the retail giant hoping to land the 50-thousand high-paying tech jobs and the billions of dollars in direct and indirect spending by the company and its customers.  But in the end they are left disappointed and New York and Washington get to celebrate.

Except, some in these liberal hotbeds are not celebrating their incredible fortune.  Many of them are decrying Amazon's decision to locate in their areas and are being very vocal in their displeasure.  The opposition to New York's selection is being led by none other than the face of America's Socialist future, Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  Ocasio-Cortez says Amazon is bringing the jobs that "New York doesn't need".  She also shows an incredible ignorance of what Amazon actually does by questioning if these corporate headquarters jobs are going to be "low-wage" and if employees will be unionized.  That was followed by demands that Amazon pay to fix New York City's crumbling public transportation system and that they build "affordable housing" for those that are not going to work for them.

This continues a trend in the major liberal cities across the US where local governments do everything they can to make themselves as attractive to the "progressive" young tech entrepreneurs and cutting edge companies as possible--and then complain and exploit them once they show up.  Cities like Seattle, Portland and San Francisco spent billions to provide bike paths, light rail, streetcars, free wi-fi, riverwalks and parks in the middle of dense urban areas.  They pushed industrial companies out of the city, tore down old factories to build large-scale apartment complexes (rather than single-family homes) on transit routes, declared themselves "sanctuary cities", promoted their "diversity", made recreational marijuana use legal, and mandated $15 minimum wages.  And like the ghosts of the baseball players in Field of Dreams, they did in fact come.

The "millennial friendly" cities saw huge booms in new residents, flush with cash from their tech jobs and looking to live the liberal lifestyle.  Rents skyrocketed, old, dumpy apartments and townhouses were remodeled or torn down to make way for new developments--displacing those that could no longer afford anywhere to live in the city.  Homelessness exploded and every other employer in town struggled to find workers--even at $15 an hour or more. 

Now those same cities are turning on those that brought such prosperity to them.  Seattle initially levied its tech companies with a "head tax", where every employee and new employee would be charged to fund homelessness programs (Amazon helped to get that law repealed quickly).  San Francisco voters just approved a similar tax--despite already having some of the highest taxes in the nation.  Now Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and other Socialists are telling Amazon that they shouldn't bring their economic prosperity machine to New York or Washington either.

The Fox Valley was among those that initially considered making a play for HQ2.  Perhaps someone should shoot Jeff Bezos a quick text message reminding him that we may not have communities that cater to the lazy, liberal lifestyles of his employees, but at least we will welcome them with open arms.

The Baraboo "Nazis"

Until yesterday, Baraboo, Wisconsin was known primarily as the home of Circus World--the town where the traveling circuses of yesteryear wintered--and where the Great Circus Train originated.  Now, Baraboo, Wisconsin will be known as the home of the "High School Nazis".

A prom photo appearing to show a group of high school boys making the Sieg Heil straight-armed salute went viral on Monday--marked with the hashtag "Baraboo proud" mocking the school district's social media campaign promoting sports and other activities.  The photo was apparently taken last spring before prom--and why it only recently surfaced is not known.  The boys were juniors at the time and are scheduled to graduate next spring.

As global scorn came raining down upon Baraboo yesterday, and the media began to ask very uncomfortable questions, school district officials issued statements that the picture "is not what Baraboo schools teach".  So it is only fair to ask, what is Baraboo High School teaching kids about Nazism? 

A check of the Baraboo High School website features course descriptions.  Freshmen take a one-semester World History course that provides generalizations of major political and economic movements in human history.  Doesn't sound like much time for in-depth discussion and learning about the forces of Facism in pre-World War II Europe.  Another one-semester course is in Area Studies--that focus on non-European and American history.  Juniors then get two semesters of American History--which appears to focus on select topics from the Civil War to the modern era.  At the very bottom of the page is a half-semester elective course dedicated to World War II.

85655 World War II History
0.5 credit - 1 semester
Grades: 11-12
Prerequisites: US History
Historical introduction to WWII including analysis of such topics as the causes of war; strategy, tactics and technologies in the major theatres; political and military leadership; and war crimes. The war at home will be studied including Japanese Internment, women and minorities in the workforce, and Badger Munitions. Students will analyze a variety of films and novels in this course and it will require out of class reading.


It doesn't list the textbook used so I can't tell how in-depth the study of Nazism is.  And again, this is an elective for Juniors and Seniors--so we don't know how many of the kids in the picture had taken that course.

Might I suggest to Baraboo School District officials--and those from any other school everywhere--that Social Study classes hold discussions focusing on historical perspective and false modern equivalencies.  The term "Nazi" should be applied only to those who belonged to the National Socialist movement in Germany in the 1930's and 1940's.  Any use of the term to describe people who voted for Donald Trump should be discredited.  Any use of the term to describe members of the National Rifle Association should be discredited.  Any use of the term to describe those opposed to unfettered immigration should be discredited.

Maybe then small-town kids will associate stiff armed salutes, swastikas and Hitler Halloween costumes with true evil and not treat it as some naughty joke.

The Birth of the Common Sense Party

For the first time since the Progressive and Bull Moose members returned to the Republican Party in the 1930's, there is fertile ground for the formation of a viable third party in the US.  Don't let Libertarians or Green Party members fool you, they have no chance to win anything--and actually only serve to increase the political fracturing by siphoning off just enough votes in closely contested races between the two major parties to produce non-majority winners.

Instead, I'm talking about a major third party that would have high-profile candidates from day one, infrastructure to organize campaigns in all 50 states and an established donor network to fund those campaigns against what would remain of the two major parties.  All we need is a really cool name.

The problem with modern third party politics in modern America is that they have been the creation of just one person--or limit themselves to just one issue.  The Reform Party of the 1990's was nothing more than the ego of Ross Perot--who spent millions of his own money (twice) just to advance his own personal agenda.  Compared to what we have in today's political atmosphere, how were George HW Bush and Bill Clinton that much different from each other?  And what was Perot going to "reform"?  The party's only win was Jesse "The Body" Venture capturing the governorship in Minnesota in a race that really foreshadowed the current cult of personality politics that produced election victories for the junior Senator from Illinois Barrack Obama and the former TV reality show star Donald Trump to the presidency.

Meanwhile, parties like the Greens tie themselves to one issue--like environmentalism--limiting their appeal to all voters and then compound that by refusing to play by the modern economic rules of politics.  Their supporters create even more distaste by demanding European-style representation in Legislatures and Congress arguing that they "deserve" two percent of the seats because they got two percent of the vote.

But now the two parties are driving each other farther away from the center--where the vast majority of voting electorate lies on the political spectrum.  Trumpism in the Republican Party and Socialism in the Democratic Party has members of both looking around and asking, what happened to my party?  And that is where the Never Trumpers and the Democrats that still believe in the Constitution can come together and actually get this process back on the rails.

The key--as I mentioned before--is to pick the right name.  The Constitution Party is already taken by a bunch of nerds that will waive their pocket copy of the document in your face every chance they get while reciting obscure passages of Article II word for word.  It looks like the Centrist Party is also taken--although I've never heard of them actually getting a candidate on the ballot.  Perhaps we can look to one of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, who penned the pamphlet Common Sense Addressed to the Inhabitants of America--which spawned the first push for democracy in the New World.  The Common Sense Party--our hope for the future.

Because It Makes an Ass Out of U and Me

One thing I've heard from a lot of Republican acquaintances this week is "How could Scott Walker have lost?  The economy is doing great.  Everybody is working.  Taxes are lower.  What was there to hate?"  The results of Tuesday night show the dangers of assuming that everyone shares the same values as us Conservatives.

Believe it or not, not everybody wants to work.  And not everybody believes that you should have to work.  A lot of the folks that found new jobs during Scott Walker's eight years in office would much rather be sitting at home collecting assistance instead.  Or they are in jobs that they feel are "beneath them" or that don't pay them $15 an hour that some politicians tell them they "deserve"--even though they lack the basic skills to move up to anything better.  What's more, Walker was making thousand of people have to work to collect FoodShare benefits--and they were looking at having to work to stay in BadgerCare starting next year too.

We also tend to forget that not everyone pays taxes.  The divide is edging closer to 50/50--so talk of rate reductions and additional credits don't apply to nearly half of the people going to the polls.  And as younger Wisconsinites opt for renting over homeownership, property tax reduction means absolutely nothing to them.  How do schools and local governments get funded?  They have no idea and quite frankly, they don't care.

Even the six year tuition freeze at the UW System got no appreciation from those it benefited the most.  We assume that not having to pay more every year is great for the consumer--but as far as those students are concerned, college should be free.  And with the proliferation of student loans, they aren't paying much out of pocket right now anyway--so what difference does it make? 

Now I am not saying that we should turn our backs on the long-held American beliefs that you should work hard, save your money and pull your own weight.  But as Tuesday night--and other recent elections have shown--there are fewer and fewer people that think the same way.

It's About Time Clerks Learned How to Do Their Jobs

I would like to congratulate municipal clerks here in Wisconsin for finally conducting a fair and honest election.  On neither Tuesday night nor Wednesday morning did I hear any of the allegations of election fraud that have become "commonplace" in recent years.

There have been no claims that Voter ID kept tens of thousands of people from voting on Tuesday.  Limited in-person absentee voting hours didn't discriminate against the working poor this time around.  We are yet to hear from any out-of-state college students or military members that never received their absentee ballot--or who got it too late to get it back in time for election day.

There haven't been any stories of poll workers denying registration to people because their address wasn't right on proof of residency documents.  No one was turned away after trying to provide the most obscure form of valid identification at the polls.  No poll observers tried to "intimidate" minority voters.  Nobody that was in line at 8:00 was told that they would not be allowed to vote.

There were no pre-marked ballots reported on Tuesday.  No voting machines that suddenly switched candidates' names after the voter made their selection.  There were no complaints of ballots that were too complicated to understand and there were no ballots with candidates in the wrong party column.  (There were ballots handed out to the wrong Assembly district voters in Howard on Tuesday--but that was as much the fault of ignorant voters as the poll workers themselves.  The very first voter of the day should have noticed the candidate they wanted to vote for wasn't on the ballot and should have brought it to the attention of the workers--instead of more than 240 people not noticing.)

There were no complaints of marked ballots being left out in the open.  No previously-sealed bags showed up at city hall with their seals mysteriously broken.  No voting machines made thousands of ballots "disappear".  Bags of uncounted ballots that flipped the results of the elections were found in Milwaukee County this time and not Waukesha County.

No one has been accused of trying to hack into voting machines this year.  There have been no claims that outside agencies affected the vote totals.  Not a single candidate or party official has made any claim that the results of Tuesday's vote were a fraud.

That stands in sharp contrast to the impotent administration of statewide elections in 2016, 2014, the 2012 recall elections and 2010--where all of the issues I listed before were claimed to be rampant in Wisconsin.  It's almost like we just conducted non-partisan spring elections or August primaries this week.  Well, except for those April elections where Conservative Supreme Court Justices won.

Perhaps out municipal clerks here in Wisconsin--having finally figured out how to run an election "properly"--should teach the folks in Georgia, Florida and Texas how to do it--since all of our "problems" here have suddenly shown up down there.

The Eclipse of Scott Walker

Someday, Wisconsin political historian will consider the high point of Scott Walker's career to be the millisecond before Donald Trump descended down his tacky gold-painted escalator at Trump Tower to announce that he was joining the Republican primary race for President.

Up until that moment in time, Walker's political arc had been both astounding and groundbreaking.  Walker will likely be the last Republican to win a race in Milwaukee--taking over as County Executive in the wake of the pension scandal.  He had won three statewide elections for Governor in just four years--becoming the first sitting governor in US history to survive a recall election.  Walker had severely weakened public sector union's influence over state and municipal government with the passage of Act Ten and he had turned away Federal funding for Medicaid expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act while still increasing Badgercare enrollments.

Walker was also raising huge amounts of cash for his Presidential campaign--which he had kicked off more than a month before Trump and he was doing well in the polls in the first battleground state of Iowa--usually in the top two or three.  And then Trump came down the escalator.  The billionaire established his campaign style immediately, turning debates with an already over-crowded field into a three ring circus--and sucking all of the air out of the room.  He called Walker "a failure" and called Wisconsin's economy "terrible"--without citing any metrics or statistics.  Like every other GOP candidate, Walker had no answer for Trump--who made goofy faces for the camera that was always focused on him whenever criticism was leveled in his direction.  It wouldn't be long before Walker's funding dried up--much of it heading to Trump--and he limped home a beaten man.

Walker then tied himself to Texas Senator Ted Cruz--the last man standing against Trump in the primary--and seemed to gain a bit of revenge when Cruz won here, forcing Trump to push the campaign farther in the primary.  Eventually, Trump would win the nomination and Walker would fall in line with other members of the GOP to campaign on his behalf in the state--delivering a stunning victory for the President--and taking credit for "delivering Wisconsin".

Then came Foxconn.  The huge tax credits for the Taiwanese plant ruffled plenty of feathers of even the most ardent Walker supporters--but he got it passed.  And who showed up for the groundbreaking ceremony?  President Trump to take credit himself for the plant saying "he delivered it for Governor Walker".

And then just as Walker's re-election effort was kicking into high gear, the President decided to start trade wars with countries that import a lot of Wisconsin goods.  Dairy farmers lost markets in Canada and Mexico, grain farmers lost markets in China, and Harley Davidson faced huge tariffs for bikes shipped to Europe.  When they suggested that some manufacturing would have to be moved to the Continent, the President was there to blast them, to threaten higher taxes on their bikes and to urge people to boycott the company.  And all Scott Walker could do was stand there and try to explain away how it might lead to "real free trade".

Even the couple of President Trump's campaign stops in Wisconsin in the final weeks of the campaign to "help Walker" in his close race, became nothing more than pep rallies for the President himself--with his backers that couldn't care less about other members of the GOP and absent the long-time Conservative voters that had elevated Walker to national prominence--but have absolutely no use for the President.

And now after the 47-thousand uncounted absentee votes in Milwaukee County swung the race in Tony Evers' favor, Scott Walker is left to wonder how it all could have gone so wrong so quickly.  Much like the proverbial china shop owner must have felt after the bull went through.

The Little Monsters

It used to be that parents would lie awake at night worrying that their kids were going to flunk out of school, or die in a car crash, or get pregnant while a teenager, or get abducted by a stranger in the park.  Today, parents need to lose sleep worrying that their kids are going to kill them.

In our latest rash of disturbing youth violence, we have the 11-year old boy who killed his grandmother and then himself because he had been told to clean his room and the 10-year old girl in Chippewa Falls that stomped on the head of a six-month old boy--because he wouldn't stop crying.

It should be noted that the 11-year old killed his grandmother execution-style--with a shot to the back of the head before shooting himself.  Where does an 11-year old get the idea that because he was told to do something that he didn't want to do--clean his room--that he is going to get his grandfather's pistol, sneak up behind an old woman, kill her gangster-style, and then turn the gun on himself before his grandfather can disarm him?

In the Chippewa Falls case, the 10-year old girl admits to dropping the six-month old boy on his head at a daycare center last month and then jumping on his head until he stopped crying.  How does that become the normal reaction for a ten year old--to stomp on a baby's head instead of going to get adult help?

I would also include the Barron County case of the murdered parents and the missing 13-year old girl.  While the girl may not have been the trigger person, my 20-years of reporting on stories like this lead me to believe that she had contact with the person responsible before the shootings.  You may recall a 17-year old girl in Rhinelander in 2015 that killed her mother and step-father--in front of her siblings--so that she could run off with a 22-year old guy from Indiana that she "met" on the internet.  And let's not forget the 12-year old girls involved in the brutal Slenderman stabbings in Waukesha County.

Why have we fortified our schools to the point of absurdity in recent years?  Not so much due to external threats--but rather to protect students from each other.  The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting is really an outlier--an outside adult killing kids--and even then, the shooter's mother worked at the school. 

The Twilight Zone featured an episode in 1956 called "It's a Good Life".  Rod Serling introduced the show by saying "there is a monster living this small town"--as the camera pans across a peaceful farm setting making you wonder what could possibly be the monster--until settling on a small boy (played wonderfully by Billy Mummy).  The boy has telekinetic powers that he uses to punish anyone or anything that makes him mad--killing people and animals indiscriminately and on a whim.  The boy's parents and the remaining people in the town live in fear of the child and do everything they can to please him at all times.  I'm sure that in 1956 the plot seemed implausible, as children were kept in their place by their parents and adults in authority.  But now it appears we had better make sure the kids are always kept happy.

Killing to Make Up Time

I've mentioned here before that I hate being late.  Failing to show up on time is the number one sign that you have no respect for other people--because you are basically saying that their time is not important to you.  And as a recent rash of school bus related crashes are showing, it means you don't respect other people's lives either.

While the stories of kids being hit while getting off of buses in several states is grabbing headlines and clicks right now, there probably won't be much follow up on the criminal cases against the drivers responsible.  I'd like to see it all of them use the excuse "I was running late and couldn't wait for the bus".  It would be pretty hard to make any other claims.  I mean a school bus is big, it's yellow, it's got these bright red flashing lights.  It's all around pretty hard to miss.

But when you are running late for work, that school bus is the enemy.  It's slowing you down--making you stop--putting you even farther behind than you already are.  And each time those flashing red lights come on and that little stop sign pops out, your anger and frustration grows.  So you decide you are just going to gun it--go around the impediment and get back to speeding to work or the daycare or to Starbucks.  The bus driver probably won't be able to get your license plate--so it's worth the risk.

But this is the time that the kids are walking across the street and they pop out of nowhere from in front of the bus or from the other side of the road.  What's been even more distressing is that in the five or so cases last week, the drivers just kept right on going--even after hitting and killing the kids.  I'm sure the drivers rationalized it by saying that it was the kids' fault for being in the road and that they should have looked before crossing. 

It should feel like your day is starting an hour later than normal today.  Use that extra time to get an earlier start and not have drive like a maniac or show up late.  It shows you actually respect other people--and it might actually save a few lives.

The Man Who Made the (Right) Wrong Decision

Former Packers Vice President of Football Operations Tom Braatz passed away this week.  For many fans Braatz was a minor character in the franchise's history, but I would argue that he made a decision that has had the most-profound effect ever not only on the team, but on the City of Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin as a whole.

In the 1989 NFL Draft, the Packers had the number two overall pick.  When the Dallas Cowboys took UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman with the number one pick, that left Braatz with the choice of Heisman Trophy running back Barry Sanders out of Oklahoma State or Michigan State offensive lineman Tony Mandarich.  Mandarich had been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated before the draft--labeled "The Incredible Hulk" and touted as potentially the greatest o-lineman in football history.

Braatz went with Mandarich with the number two pick--and the Detroit Lions took Sanders.  Mandarich would turn out to be a creation of steroids.  He would struggle in the NFL, was often hurt and eventually was discovered to be a cheater.  Mandarich was gone from Green Bay in four years and is now considered one of the biggest busts in NFL Draft history.  Sanders would turn out to be a Hall of Fame running back and one of the greatest ever in NFL history.  But he never parlayed that amazing talent into post-season success.  In fact, Sanders and the Lions won only one playoff game in his ten year career--in five trips to the post-season.

What if Braatz had selected Sanders--and he had the same exact career in Green Bay?  Five trips to the playoffs and 15-thousand yards rushing may have saved Braatz from being fired mid-season in 1991.  That would have meant Team President Bob Harlan doesn't hire Ron Wolf that off-season.  That means Wolf doesn't fire Lindy Infante and hire Mike Holmgren.  That means Wolf doesn't trade for Brett Favre during the 1992 draft.  That means Wolf doesn't sign free agent defensive tackle Reggie White in 1993.  And that means the Green Bay Packers likely don't win Super Bowl XXI in 1997. 

And that lack of playoff success would have meant a much more difficult road for the team to get approval of the Brown County referendum that levied a half-percent sales tax to transform Lambeau Field from a utilitarian facility used ten times a year to a year-round business and tourist destination--which in turn fueled the growth of first the Stadium District to the east and then the Titletown District to the West--not to mention the dozens of other hotels, restaurants, sports shops and bars that have sprung up in the Green Bay area since 1989.  "The Green Bay Packers" are now as much of a regional industry as papermaking is in the Fox Valley--and all because Tom Braatz didn't draft Barry Sanders--and set the team on a course of mediocrity for another decade.

Think of him as the man that made the (right) wrong decision.

The Return of the Constitution

One thing that I have to give President Trump credit for is a renewed interest in the Constitution.  Since his election we have had more spirited discussions about the document that lies at the heart of our system of government.  I'm surprise the Federalist Papers isn't at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List every month.
 
By my count, we have had controversies and serious conversations about Article I (separation of powers in Federal Government), pretty much all of Article II (the Electoral College, impeachment and the Emoluments Clause), Article III (filling vacancies on the Supreme Court and the definition of treason), Article VII (Constitutional Conventions), the First Amendment (freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion), the Second Amendment (gun control), the Fourth Amendment (confiscation of guns), the Ninth Amendment (unenumerated rights of citizens), the Tenth Amendment (rights granted to the States), the 12th Amendment (the Electoral College again), the 13th Amendment (Kanye West's calling for the abolition of slavery to be repealed in a White House meeting), and the 25th Amendment (removal of the President by Cabinet vote due to incapacity).

And now, President Trump is trying to repeal the 14th Amendment via Executive Order.  For those not familiar with the Constitution, the 14th Amendment was a clever ploy used by Republicans in Union states to prevent Democrats in former Confederate states from using legal loopholes to deny citizenship to freed slaves after the Civil War.  The 14th clearly states that if you are born on US soil, territories or areas of control then you are a US citizen--even if both of your parents are not.  The Supreme Court has upheld the 14th numerous times dating back to 1898--when a child born to Chinese non-citizen parents in California was found to be a citizen by Constitutional definition.  Senator Harry Reid tried to push through a law changing that definition in the 1990's--but that effort ended up going nowhere, thanks to Republicans defending the Constitution.

I'm sure that there is someone in the Trump Administration that has told him that he can unilaterally redefine citizenship without legal challenge.  Or maybe it was someone on Fox and Friends--the main source of information for the Oval Office.  But based on the legal track record of the Administration so far, those "experts" are 100-percent wrong again. 

If there is a silver lining to the Trump Administration it is that more Americans may become familiar with the rights with which they are endowed--and be less willing to give them up in the false hope of "security" in the future.

Bordering on Madness

I'm sure that some of you pumped your fist or nodded your head approvingly when you heard that the Pentagon is sending 52-hundred active duty military troops to the US-Mexico border in advance of the "migrant caravan" making its way through Mexico.  Now that they are there, what do you expect them to do?

There are now two "caravans" in Mexico.  The original was still 900-miles away from the US border as of yesterday.  A second "caravan" just crossed into Mexico yesterday and is more than a thousand miles away.  So what are the assembled troops in Texas supposed to do in the meantime?  At their current rate, the migrants (if they walk all the way) won't get to the US before Thanksgiving.  That's a long time for our servicemen and women to just be standing around.

It's also possible that the migrants could break off into more than two groups--and try to enter the US anywhere along the border.  In case you are wondering, the border with Mexico spans 3201 miles from California to Texas.  With 52-hundred troops deployed to the region, that means each soldier would have to patrol 3/4's of a mile by themselves 24-hours a day.  And some of that land is incredibly rugged and not easily accessed.  Not to mention, much of it is privately owned--and would require permission from the owner to conduct military operations.

But the biggest mystery is what exactly our troops are supposed to do if the caravan actually reaches the border?  If all five or six thousand go to a Customs port, they are legally allowed to ask for asylum and are automatically granted a review of that request (while staying in the US).  Do you want the troops to stand between the border and the Immigration offices and bar anyone from getting past them?  Do you think the migrants are going to see that, just drop their heads, turn around and walk all the way back to Honduras?

And what if the caravan decides to storm the border?  Are you prepared to watch video of our soldiers trying to beat back women with children?  Or do you secretly hope that the troops will open fire on the unarmed masses?  The President has called them "invaders".  Will you just explain that away with "maybe they should have brought guns to protect themselves too"?

Fortunately, we have the better part of a month to reconsider using the Army and the Marines to assist in immigration enforcement.  That's more than enough time for at least 50 other crises to pop up around the Trump administration and distract the President from this half-brained solution.

Rising Together

It was Winston Churchill that gave us the phrase "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it".  Well folks, we have failed to learn our lessons from post-World War I Europe.  Based on trends in modern politics, it appears I will have to explain.  In the ashes of war-torn Europe--and continuing through the global Great Depression--we saw the joint rise of Socialism and Facism.

While the two social and political ideologies are placed on opposite ends of a straight-line "spectrum", it would be more apropos to see political thought in a circular form--thereby putting the two right next to each other--for they are truly not that far apart.  Both believe in a strong, centralized government that controls many of the aspects of citizens' lives.  Where they differ is who should be feared when it comes to disturbing the social order.  In Socialism, that blame lies with the rich and the elite.  In Fascism, that blame is assigned to those that do not share a common racial, societal or religious history.  It is no coincidence that the Fascism that overtook Italy, Germany, Spain and the Baltics in the build up to World War II came in direct response to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the growing strength of the Soviet Socialist Republic.  In fact, Hitler's Nazis gained national prominence with the Brownshirts' attacks on Communists in the streets of Germany.

We all know that it was these competing political ideologies--and their desires to expand and impose those on others--that led to the greatest human tragedies in history.  And that it was only the might of the free-market, democratic society of the United States that beat back the dual threats--both in the campaigns of World War II itself--and then in the extended Cold War that saw the Iron Curtain of Socialism descend across half of Europe and spread to much of Asia as well.

An entire generation bore witness to horrors of the twin terrors of Fascism and Socialism and many vowed to never let that happen again.  But eventually, the members of that generation aged and passed on.  Memories began to fade and the commitment to free-markets and limited government control did too.  New generations of both Europeans and Americans--with no first-hand experience of the Nazi or Soviet models started to rise to power--bringing with them ideas first espoused by Karl Marx that seemed hip and new again.  Soon "socialist democracies" began to sprout in Europe--with all the "benefits" of Socialism--without the Soviet-style gulag system and death squads.

And as long as Germans were taking care of Germans and the French were taking care of the French, it appeared that Socialism was going to work.  But then came the new wave of immigrants--first from Africa and then from the Middle East--and some of those who had heartily endorsed the high taxes and limited freedoms began to question why those spoils should be shard with those who are not "German" or "French"--and the Fascists began to find their footing for their inevitable return.

We here in the US had enjoyed a long immunity from such political forces.  Even until 20-years ago Socialists were just union leaders, hippies that smoked pot and ran co-ops and crazy old men that sounded exactly like Bernie Sanders standing on street corners yelling about the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.  Fascists were a dozen losers that dressed up in Nazi costumes and waved swastika flags in the park on Hitler's birthday every year.  But bolstered by efforts in our education system, Socialism has become the hip new thing in US politics as well--with more young people today preferring that system over free-markets.  Add in the battles over socialized medicine and control of thoughts and words so as not to "offend" anyone, plus the push to eliminate long-held constitutional rights--and you have sown the seeds for the inevitable rise of Fascism, even here in the US.

And that is the path we are now facing.  The question is, where are the people that are willing to fight for freedom going to come from this time?

Who's the Star Here

After three high-profile campaign appearances by heavy hitters in both political parties, I have to wonder what, if anything, our Wisconsin candidates gained from them.  Ostensibly, the visits from Senator Bernie Sanders, President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama were supposed to boost their parties' respective candidates--but if anything, they magnified some weaknesses--and only served to boost the "big name" instead.

We started last week with the Bernie Sanders appearance in Milwaukee--held on a college campus.  Tony Evers did not appear at this rally--although those there were encouraged to vote for him too.  Tammy Baldwin gave her usual speech in her "I'm your mother and I'm very disappointed in you" tone--with half-hearted attempts from the crowd to whip up some cheers.  Then Bernie took the stage to thunderous applause from the college kids.  He took a few minutes to attack Governor Scott Walker and to tell everyone what a great ally Senator Baldwin is--then he launched into his promoting his own "Medicare For All" program (which Senator Baldwin has distanced herself from on the campaign trail) and his desire to raise taxes on the rich (which Baldwin has also underplayed).  Then he leaves the stage to chants of "Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!" and you wonder, whose campaign rally was this?

Then came the President's appearance in Mosinee.  House Speaker Paul Ryan had to ask for quiet while trying to condemn the mailing of bombs to high-profile Democrats around the country--but the Trump crowd would have none of it.  Governor Walker gave his usual stump speech putting a rosy hue on everything going on in Wisconsin and got a relatively warm response.  State Senator Leah Vukmir then took the stage and delivered her usual "I'm your mother and I'm very upset with you" speech.  And then it was time for the President to arrive (a half-hour late).  He reminded everyone that he beat Scott Walker in the race for the Republican nomination in 2016.  He mispronounced Tony Evers' name and Vukmir's name--TWICE (chuckling about it)--and then launched into a rambling speech about Democrats, some building that he built really cheap, his accomplishments and of course, how the media lies about him all the time.  It was all met with thunderous applause and he returned to Air Force One with the music blasting so loud that people had to cover their ears.

Former President Barack Obama wrapped up the week with a stop at a Milwaukee high school.  Senator Baldwin was there again playing the "disappointed mom".  Tony Evers showed up for this one, delivering his rousing stump speech that reminds everyone of a tenured college professor teaching a 100-level class for the 35th year.  (Kudos for the National Rifle Association for calling Evers' campaign "sleepy" in their TV ad).  And then out came President Obama getting everyone fired up and ready to go.  He too bashed Governor Walker and then he also mispronounced Tony Evers' name--before reminding everyone of the all the "great things" that he accomplished.  I'm sure everyone in attendance was ready to vote for a third Obama term--but weren't quite as excited as for the candidates that are actually on the ballot.

There's an old adage in show business "Never work with kids or animals"--because they will always upstage you.  Perhaps state candidates should add "national party stars" to that list.

S%*t's Getting Real

I hope everyone realizes what happened this week.  We saw attempted widespread political assassination on a scale not seen since John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater, while his conspirators tried to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward all on the same night.  That was done with the misguided belief that it would resurrect the Confederacy and bring down the Federal Government.

We don't yet know what the motive was for the distribution of pipe bombs to billionaire activist George Soros, President Bill Clinton and Former First Lady Hillary Clinton, Former Attorney General Eric Holder, Former Democratic National Committee Chairperson Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Congresswoman Maxine Waters.  We do know that each of them has been singled out for criticism and mockery by President Donald Trump and all of the talking heads at Fox News Channel.

While the President addressed the attempted attacks during his rally in Mosinee last night, he lacked the strong statement that would actually condemn the actions of what appears to be one of his supporters.  And he certainly did not accept any blame for the current tone of modern politics.  I did notice there was no mention of "Pocahontas" or "Crooked Hillary" or "Horseface" at last night's rally--but there was still chants of "lock her up" before the event.  The President's strongest condemnation last night was for the media for being the one's getting everyone riled up.

Will the pipe bomb scares bring us all to the realization that a serious cooling off period is needed in our national political dialogue?  Will all-out efforts to demonize and destroy political opponents return to the much more productive presentation of platforms and discussion of real issues?  Unfortunately it will not--as the timing of the attempted attacks could not have been any worse.  Breathless coverage of the news and discussion of the ideas that I just mentioned were interrupted across the country by continuous attack ads for the mid-term elections that don't build up any candidates but rather make their opponents out to be enemies of the state and people that need to be stopped by any means necessary--like sending them pipe bombs in the mail.

Once we are done tearing each other apart in the lead up to November 6th, on November 7th check out the new book by my candidate for President in 2020, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse entitled Them: Why We Hate Each Other—and How to Heal.  It's a thoughtful examination on how we got to the point that someone would send explosives in an effort to kill the critics of "his President"--and a whole bunch of people would wish that it had been successful--and how we can get back to being "Americans" again.

Protecting the Paint

For the vast majority of us, the white lines are nothing more than paint.  A visual representation of the kind of white noise and distractions that we tune out on a daily basis.  To those with the lines in front of their homes, they are a barrier to enjoying the full use of a public utility.  But to those who demanded they be put down, the white lines are a powerful symbol of what they think society should be like--and they will not stand for seeing them removed.

In case you didn't figure it out, I'm talking about bike lanes here in Oshkosh.  And they are facing their first challenge since being put down--as residents of Westhaven Drive between Witzel Avenue and Highway 21 have petitioned the city to have them removed so they can park in front of their condos.  Those residents point out that they did not ask for bike lanes to be put on Westhaven--and they argue that they are never used by bicyclists--but the Oshkosh Common Council is sending the petition on to three committees filled with members that will fight tooth and nail to keep those lines on that street.

The Advisory Bike and Pedestrian Plan Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Advisory Traffic Review Board were the architects of the bike lane plan here in Oshkosh.  And for them, those bike lanes are their crowning achievements--monuments to their belief that automobiles are really going to be replaced by non-fossil fuel powered vehicles or government-run mass transit.

In developing their plans, those committees did not conduct bike traffic studies.  And one will not be ordered to determine the need for bike lanes on Westhaven now--because those members know that such a study would show NO bikers using the lanes on Westhaven.  That would be the same result for a traffic study on any of the other bike lanes outside of the streets near the UWO campus, and it's built-in bicycling population. 

Instead, those committee members will echo the sentiments expressed by Council Member Lori Palmeri last night--who did not argue that volumes of bikers use the lanes along Westhaven, nor that the bike lanes have prevented any accidents between vehicles and bikes on any street in Oshkosh--but rather that removing bike lanes anywhere would be a "step backwards for the city".  A "step backwards" from what?  You can't go any more backwards from zero usage!  But if you give in to residents of one street, another will petition to have theirs removed, and another and another--until the beautiful master plan you worked on so hard for so many years is gone--even if just a handful of people will miss it.

I would suggest that the Westhaven residents that appear before Advisory Bike and Pedestrian Plan Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Advisory Traffic Review Board to ask the members a simple question: When making a right turn on a street with bike lanes, do you always check your passenger side mirror and your blind spot?  Or do you know that there is never going to a be a bike in that lane?  Of course, the members aren't going to give an honest answer.  They feel it's too important to save that paint.

The Employee Caravan

While President Trump wants to send the military to the Mexico border to greet the so-called "Migrant Caravan" from Central America, I think we should send different groups down there to meet them.  Every employment agency and Department of Workforce from the lower 48 states should be on-hand at the border ready to take the "new arrivals" right to businesses that need workers.

We hear all the time how many jobs employers cannot fill.  While most of the focus is on skilled labor, nearly every restaurant, store and farm in this country could use more help.  And that is where the "Migrant Caravan" can come to the rescue.  They claim that they are coming to the US to find a better life--well as our ancestors found out, the best way to build that life is to get right down to work.

So bring those folks here to Northeast Wisconsin and start filling all available positions that you can.  Put the able-bodied men to work on dairy farms in the milkhouses or moving feed and manure.  When my German and Belgian great-great-grandparents came to this area, that is exactly what they did.  Get others set up at retailers needing people to unload trucks or stock shelves during the upcoming busy holiday season.  Find businesses that need cleaning services or laundry staff.  Send them over to restaurants that need dishwashers or line cooks.

If these are only part-time positions, work out schedules so our new arrivals can work two or three jobs a week--because the hours are definitely available and obviously, they need the money.  Don't see this mass of humanity coming to the US as a bunch of charity cases, see them as the workforce that our booming economy needs right now!

The housing part could be a bit tricky, but I see a lot of churches and social justice groups demanding the migrants be allowed in.  Let those supporters open their doors, whether they be shelters, low-rent housing complexes or even their own homes.  We plan to put our new friends to work as soon as they get here--so they should be self-sufficient and able to find their own places in short order.

There is plenty of effort being made to compare the Migrant Caravan with the ships that brought European immigrants to the US throughout the 19th and the early 20th centuries.  And if that is the case, we should welcome our Central American arrivals the same way they did at Ellis Island--"Welcome!  Now find a job."

For Want of a Nail....

When I was a kid I read a nursery rhyme called "For Want of a Nail".  It tells the story of how not having a nail to properly shoe a horse prevents an important message during war from being delivered and a kingdom falling to the enemy.  It was meant to teach us that the least of things can lead to catastrophic results--and that you really should "sweat the small stuff".

I was reminded of that Saturday night as one decision by Milwaukee Brewers Manager Craig Counsell set in motion a chain of events that cost his team a chance to make the World Series for the first time in 36-years.  And that decision was to bring in his best reliever--Josh Hader--in the third inning of a game that the Brewers trailed 2-1.  While Hader pitched three shutout innings--and kept the Brewers just one run behind--what happened after his departure from the game revealed the lasting impact--which I equated on social media to a chess player exposing his Queen early in a match.

I think the Fox TV crew underplayed the most immediate impact the early Hader insertion had on the game.  Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts removed his starting left-fielder, Joc Pedersen, and moved second-baseman Chris Taylor to left.  That paid dividends for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 6th inning--as Taylor--who is faster than Pedersen, and who is also right-handed--made a spectacular running catch in the gap that the slower-footed and left-handed Pedersen would not have made--to preserve the Dodgers' one-run lead.  Had Craig Counsell gone to one of his right-handed relievers (or kept starter Jhoulys Chacin in the game for more than two innings) Pedersen would have watched Christian Yelich's hit bounce off the wall and Lorenzo Cain come streaking home to make it 2-2.

The early Hader insertion then forced Counsell to bring in the struggling Jeremy Jeffress to face the heart of the Dodgers order in the 7th--where he was promptly greeted with a single, a walk and the game-sealing 3-run homer by Yasiel Puig to make it 5-1.  Had a right-hander like Brandon Woodruff been brought in to pitch the three innings that Hader covered, the left-handed Hader would have been in to face Puig--who somehow hits lefties worse than righties despite being right-handed.

Ultimately, the blame for the Brewers losing the series should go on the offense--which features a complete and utter lack of situational hitting and the ability to make productive outs with runners in scoring position .  But Game 7 proved that the smallest of decisions can have huge consequences down the line.

Concerned Man #2

In the new, new, new economy, it's important to have what the millenials like to call a "side hustle"--a part-time job to help you make ends meet--because you can't be expected to pay for your student loans for that advanced degree in a field that you will never be able to find a job in, a thousand dollar smartphone, an unlimited data and talk plan, having two meals delivered to you every day, seven dollars in coffee every morning and Amazon Prime delivering everything else to you so you never have to shop on just one full-time gig.

I'd like to pick up a part-time job as one of the "concerned voters" in the myriad of political commercials flooding the TV airwaves right now.  I don't have any formal acting training--but I doubt anyone else in the ads does either.  Most of them are county party leaders, or members of the League of Women Voters or they are the candidate's family members.  You didn't really believe the candidate showed up at someone's door asking to talk with them about "the issues" and there just happened to be a TV camera crew there ready to shoot, did you?

But I can certainly pretend to be scared or very concerned when the candidate talks about their opponent's evil plans to "take away" some kind of program or "right".  I can also get a big smile on my face and nod approvingly as the candidate talks about how they are going to "fight for me" or make sure I "get what I deserve".  I can clap enthusiastically at the end of the commercial for "my candidate".  The crew can even use my backyard or my living room as the setting for an ad--even though the candidate would never come to my house--unless I was hosting a $1500 a person "cocktail social" for their campaign fund.

The only problem with my "side hustle" idea, is that there doesn't seem to be a role for me in any political ads anymore.  I'm a middle-age, middle-class white guy with no pre-existing medical conditions, no kids that had a porn-watching teacher and I'm not a veteran that got hooked on painkillers.  This election isn't "about me"--and may never be about me again.  One party takes my support for granted and doesn't even try to include me in the message--while the other would consider my presence in a TV ad a "micro-aggression threat" to their supporters.

I guess I'll just have to rehearse my "frustrated" look so I can play the "before guy" in all of the erectile dysfunction ads that will return after the elections.

The Borrower is Slave to the Lender

Here is what the US is going to do about Saudi Arabia's alleged murder of a dissident reporter at its consulate in Turkey: absolutely nothing.  And here is what the US is going to do about the disappearance of the Interpol President in China: absolutely nothing.  It's entirely possible that President Trump or State Department officials will say negative things the rulers of those two countries and their brazen acts, but it's not going to make a lick of difference.

And it's not because the President doesn't care (even though he really doesn't) or because the American people don't care (because we really don't).  It's because we owe those countries one.  Actually, we owe them billions and trillions.  China and Saudi Arabia own vast amounts of US debt.  In the case of Saudis, it's about 168-BILLION dollars.  We owe China the most of any other country at 1.17-TRILLION dollars. 

There's an old Biblical adage that "The borrower is slave to the lender".  And as globalization grows, so too does the power that "lending" countries have over "borrowing" countries.  The weapons of the future may not be pilotless drones or satellites with nuclear weapons on them, but rather the simple threat of calling in debt.

Further complicating matters is that Saudi Arabia and China control large segments of the US economy.  OPEC follows the Saudis' lead.  If they turn off the oil spigot, America is suddenly facing an energy crisis (although we are greatly increasing our own oil and natural gas production as a buffer against this threat).  And China is the leading manufacturer of goods made in this country.  Forget the impact of tariffs by the Chinese, consider instead the potential nationalization of those production facilities and the assembly lines being shut down.

Much like the Mutual Assured Destruction theory of nuclear weapons usage during the Cold War with the Soviet Union, such draconian measures by our bond-holders would do them as much damage as us.  But holding that power in reserve makes countries like Saudi Arabia and China far less responsive to American demands for adhering to human rights and answering for their actions.  It's pretty tough to send out the warplanes and ships against the countries that helped you buy them.

The Greatest Game Nobody Saw

Well that was one hell of a baseball game last night.  You had pressure-packed pitching, outstanding defensive plays, benches clearing after a dirty play, and high-tension drama that ended in 13-innings.  Too bad hardly anyone saw all of it.

As someone who gets up for work at 2:45 am, I knew there was no way I was going to watch any of last night's Brewers/Dodgers game as soon as I saw the first pitch wasn't until 8:04 pm.  Better to be in bed and catching some z's before it starts than to think that I was just going to watch a few innings and then be able to sleep.  Based on my Twitter timeline this morning, all of that stuff I mentioned before happened after 11:00 our time.  The game itself didn't finish until 1:15 am Central Time.  Where else could you get five hours and fifteen minutes of constant drama like that?  Unfortunately all taking place after almost everybody had joined me in bed.

There is absolutely no reason that our sporting events have to start so late.  Yes, the game was in Los Angeles in the Pacific Time Zone.  But baseball is a daytime sport meant to be played in the sun.  Yesterday, they could have played the Astros/Red Sox game in Houston with a 1:00 local start time and the Brewers/Dodgers in LA at a 2:00 local start time.  That would have meant first pitch here in Wisconsin at 4:00--and a conclusion to an epic game at 9:15--still early enough for the kids (and early-rising adults) to get a decent night's sleep.

The idea that all of our sporting events need to take place in TV prime time in all time zones is an antiquated idea based upon the belief that the only way people consume TV is still in their living rooms after work.  Mobile devices and the internet have made viewing of everything ubiquitous.  All of the Brewers fans that went to bed at midnight or earlier last night would have had no problem catching early inning action on their phones or on half their computer screens at work before 5:00 yesterday--and the exciting conclusion sitting on the couch.  And all the same prescription drug commercials that make up every break between innings could have been streamed to them--along with the annoying "Hey Google Assistant, why does everyone hate Joe Buck?" in-game questions.

Ten or twenty years ago, "everything at night on TV" made sense, because that was the only way to watch.  Now if networks want to capture the most eyes possible, why not hold your major sporting events at times when all of them are open?

Profiting Off the Dead

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen died on Monday, leaving behind a net worth of $20.3 BILLION.  While I'm sure that his family and co-workers are saddened by his passing, those most disappointed are Socialists like Senator Bernie Sanders and likely-Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez--who will see another mega-billionaire not have to pay his "fair share" despite being dead.

The current top estate tax rate in the US is 40%--a pretty good punishment for trying to pass on your wealth to your relatives.  Sanders during his run for President wanted that raised to 65%--meaning the Government would take away 2/3rds of everything you own when you die.  That money was going to pay for his Medicare For All program.  Or was it going to pay for the Free College Tuition For All program?  Or maybe he was using it for the Free Child Care For All program.  Or maybe that money was going to the expanded Social Security Benefits For All.  It's hard to remember because Bernie promised to spend the same money over and over for a lot of things.

But let's consider the nightmare scenario on the horizon as growing numbers of milennials and other young voters see Socialism as a viable economic system for this country.  With the passing of Paul Allen, the Government would cash in 14-billion dollars--if the Allen estate was somehow able to liquidate all of the assets within the next tax year.  Add to that the taxes that would be paid on any capital gains and this little windfall by death just keeps getting better!

But what if the Allen family couldn't find buyers for all of the assets?  Well then, Uncle Sam would become the owner of 65-million shares of Microsoft.  They would also become the majority owner of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team and the Portland Trailblazers NBA franchise.  That would actually be a better proposition for the Socialists--as Allen's death would provide just a one-time payment--but having ownership of private enterprises provides a long-term cash stream.

The Socialists have to be kicking themselves for not getting an earlier start on their American takeover.  Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Steve Ballmer are all around the same age as Paul Allen--and in Buffett's case much older--and their billions would all become available for the pillaging soon.  If only HIllary Clinton hadn't struck that deal with the Democratic National Committee to shut Bernie Sanders out of the process in 2016!  Oh well, maybe Jeff Bezos will make it another 40-years and they can take back all of the cash the millenials gave him while putting the rest of the retail segment out of business.

Not Helping the Planet a Large Amount at a Time

Because we have been doing it for so long now, sorting your recycling from your garbage seems like more of a chore and a bore than a positive step to "save the planet".  It's a good thing that recycling has become a routine in our lives.  Just this weekend, I felt bad throwing a plastic bottle into a regular garbage can at the golf course because I didn't see anything marked "recyclables" around the clubhouse.  But have you ever thought about what happens to those recyclables once the big truck hauls them away every couple of weeks?

We'd like to think that every single article that we toss in the blue bin is being reused and replaces the manufacture of a new plastic item.  But in many cities and states, that is not even close to being the case.

I came across an article by the Better Government Association that finds just 9% of recyclables put into the blue bins in Chicago actually makes it to recycling centers.  The rest is collected by regular garbage trucks and is taken to the landfill.  The same report finds a number of other cities have ridiculously low recycling rates--like Houston and New York City at just 17%, and Philadelphia at just 18%.  The best recycling city in the country--San Jose--is only at 79%--meaning that one out of every five items put in the blue bins never gets recycled.

In the case of Chicago, the low recycling rate may be the result of fraud.  The city contracts with Waste Management to pick up blue bins in about 40% of the neighborhoods.  And the workers have sole discretion to determine if items will be collected--or rejected for garbage pickup due to "contamination"--meaning non-recyclables mixed in with acceptable items.  Allegedly, Waste Management employees mark the majority of bins as "contaminated" without actually inspecting the contents.  Given Mayor Rahm Emanuel's penchant for covering up negative aspects of his administration, follow up on this will be slow or non-existent until his term ends.

But even where such shenanigans are not taking place, recycling is becoming a greater money-loser for municipalities every year.  The amount collected by cities and counties far exceeds the needs of the plastics and paper industries.  That has driven the price paid for recyclables to lower and lower levels--while expenses for manpower and equipment continue to go up.  Ironically, that makes sustainability unsustainable.  And what is the popular option for unsellable recyclables?  The dump.

I'm not telling you to throw all of your plastics and papers in the garbage.  Reusing even small amount is still better than burying 100% percent.  Just know that you aren't saving as much of the planet as you think you are.

Meekly Staying Where We've Always Been

It is fitting that the Neil Armstrong movie First Man comes to theaters today--just a day after a Soyuz rocket failure leaves humankind with no reliable way to get a person into space.  In just fifty years we have gone from the greatest accomplishment in human history, to settling for low-earth orbit flight, to having to pay the Russians to take us into space, to now being grounded.  If Armstrong was still alive, I'm sure that he would be embarrassed by our regression in both technology and exploratory spirit.

For generations, man was an explorer.  Our earliest ancestors wanted to know if something good to eat or someplace safe to stay was just over that next hill.  We weren't satisfied not knowing what lay on the other side of bodies of water.  We climbed the tallest of mountains, we went to the deepest depths of the oceans.  We not only got off the ground and flew, but we left the atmosphere and with the small steps of Neil Armstrong, we set foot on the next celestial body.  And then we stopped.

We've talked about going further.  We've sent satellites and probes to other planets and now to the very edge of our solar system.  But we as humans haven't gone along for the ride.  We've grown content to let hi-resolution photos and data streams substitute for personal experience.  As part of what will undoubtedly be a failed attempt to send tourists on a joyride around the Moon, Elon Musk says the capsule will be equipped with ultra-high-definition 3D cameras that will allow everyone back here on Earth to experience the trip in virtual reality--without ever leaving the couch.

There was a controversy a few weeks back after advanced screenings of First Man when fake patriots got all up in arms because the scene where Armstrong plants the American flag on the moon was left out of the movie.  The star--Ryan Gosling--fanned the flames by saying that was done intentionally because going to the moon was not an "American achievement".

While Gosling could not be more wrong about why the US is the only country to go to the moon, it's probably best that the flag scene is not included--because the America that sent Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon 49-years ago is definitely not the America of today.  That America was willing to take risks.  That America was willing to--as President John F Kennedy so perfectly put it--"Do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard".  And because that America was willing to say "We are number one--and we are about to prove it".

With the impending rise of Socialism here in America, we can forget about going back to the moon or Mars or anywhere else to advance the human species.  There will be too many "economic injustices" here on Earth to consume all of our national resources.  There will always be someone without food or without a home or without access to the internet that should get the money that would be needed for rockets.  Or there will be people getting sick.  Or somebody will have something else that not everyone else has and the Government will have to spend money to make sure that everyone is "equal".  And we will voluntarily leave the natural resources needed to power such machines in the ground because that is "better for the planet".

Hollywood loves sequels.  They could probably start production on the follow up flick called Last Man featuring the heroic tale of the final astronaut to abandon the International Space Station before it fell back to Earth from disrepair.

We've Seen This One Before

Do you ever wonder what Hollywood pitch sessions are like now?  For those not familiar, a pitch session is when producers come in and meet with studio executives to lay out their ideas for potential movies or TV shows.  If the execs like what they hear, they "green light" a project and the producers can start casting for roles and choosing set locations. (The best depiction of this ever was on South Park when Cartman was pretending to be the AWESOMO robot and came up with more than 200 movie ideas all starring Adam Sandler). 

If I was in one those meetings I'd probably be rolling my eyes constantly and asking "Didn't they already make that one?"  Half of all movies are now superhero flicks.  Half of all TV shows are "reboots" of shows we in Generation X watched as kids.  And now we have the fourth incarnation of A Star is Born coming to a theater near you.

Today's moviegoers may vaguely remember the 1976 version starring Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand.  I've always though that Kristofferson should have won an Academy Award for pretending to find Streisand attractive in that movie.  But I doubt many remember that a remake was done in 1954 that starred Judy Garland--who did get an Oscar nomination.  And no one has probably seen the original A Star is Born released in 1937 starring Fredric March and Janet Gaynor.

Little has been done to change the stories in all of these versions.  The first two featured fading male stars that fall in love with rising young starlets and help them further their careers.  The '76 version flipped the script by switching from Hollywood actors to rock and roll stars--and that is the storyline the new re-re-re-remake is sticking with--as Bradley Cooper becomes the new Kris Kristofferson and Lady Gaga replaces Streisand.

I can only assume that Netflix and Hulu aren't streaming any of the first three versions of A Star is Born--and that is why the studio thinks anyone will be interested in version 4.0.  Spoiler alert, just like the first three times we've seen this, the girl becomes the star and the aging man dies in a horribly tragic way.

Now let me tell you about this idea I have for a remake of Ben Hur--but with giant, fighting robots that come from outer space.

D Legit 2 Quit

Someday, political scientists and historians will look back at this time and call it the "Age of Delegitimization".  An era where both political parties sought not to just defeat each other, but to destroy the legitimacy of elected officials, government institutions and other pillars of society in case they lost.

That was accomplished in the Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh--who will forever be referred to as an "accused rapist" who "shouldn't be on the court".  The same goes for Justice Neil Gorsuch, whose seat "legitimately" should have been filled by Merrick Garland--President Obama's nominee that was never given a hearing by Republicans, because they argued a President shouldn't be allowed to make a nomination in the last year of his term--delegitimizing that process.

Of course, the 2016 Presidential elections were delegitimized after the fact by accusations of "Russian meddling" that benefitted the winner--Donald Trump.  That came after Trump tried to delegitimize the election before November by claiming that his expected loss would be due to a "rigged system".  And let's not forget the arguments that the Electoral College undermines the "legitimate will of the people" by not rewarding the winner of the popular vote with the White House.  All of that came after years of claims that Republican majorities in the House of Representatives and most state legislatures were not the result of the actual will of the people but rather the illegitimate process of "gerrymandering districts".

It's not just modern day politics that is being delegitimized.  The Constitution itself is now called into question with claims that because it was drafted by white, racist, slave-holding, misogynist men seeking only to preserve their power over women and people of color, that the document itself is illegitimate.  With that argument, all aspects of Government--Judicial, Executive and Legislative--are delegitimized, destabilizing the democratic institutions all the way down to the local level.--undermining the ability to govern ourselves.

Add to that the concerted efforts to undermine the legitimacy of  police powers, scientific research, free speech rights, and reporting of the news and you are sowing the seeds of the destruction of our society.  Because when you trust no one, you fear everyone.  The question is, how to rebuild something that took more than 230-years to construct when no one will agree on what we should try to create?

Crawling Into the Future

It looks like it will be slow-going in the future.  I'm not talking about how information travels in our society--that continues to get faster.  I'm not talking about the pace of life, as humans adapt to getting less and less sleep or time to relax because we work more and spend more time staring at video screens.  I'm talking about how we transport ourselves from one place to another.

One of the most progressive things done by government in the past decade was to raise the speed limit on our interstates and expressways to 70-miles an hour.  That knocked twenty percent off the travel time needed to get between our major cities.  Oshkosh to Green Bay fell from just over an hour to about 45-minutes.  Oshkosh to Milwaukee from almost an hour and a half to just over an hour.  Double that for a round-trip and you can see what an incredible time (and money) saver that is.

But now "progress" is seen as anything that slows us down.  Outagamie County wants to lower the speed limit on Interstate 41 from Appleton to De Pere back to 55.  That would add another 15 minutes to trips from Oshkosh to Green Bay--each way.  Major cities are dedicating precious street space and public transportation dollars to streetcars--that can only go as fast as the traffic already on the road--and run on limited schedules (or in the case of Cincinnati, if they run at all).  Even here in Oshkosh, traffic lanes are sacrificed for bike lanes.  And everyone wants to spend money on walking paths through cities--the absolute slowest form of transportation. 

As with many things today, the actions of a few are ruining life for the many.  It's just a handful of people that cause accidents along Interstate 41 by driving like idiots.  Just a couple thousand people in major cities want to ride a trolley everyday.  And the few hard-core bikers here in Oshkosh are certainly not wearing out the bike lanes--especially between November and March.

Some think that autonomous cars will put us back on the fast track.  They envision columns of vehicles moving in perfect synchronized speed at regular intervals traversing all of our roads safely.  But as anyone who has ever used a computer knows, the crash--in this case literal--is always just seconds away.  And what do you do with those of us who will never, ever, ever give up control of our vehicles to the machine itself?

No wonder Millenials do all of their shopping, socializing and entertaining on-line nowadays.  They know it's getting harder to get anywhere fast.

This is Unacceptable Part III--Who is Really Failing

This is the third and final My Two Cents on the Student Assessment Data report on the Oshkosh School District

The root of the Oshkosh School District's struggles to get kids up to state standards in key educational areas was hinted at during a recent School Board meeting as Board President Barb Herzog tried to provide some support to teachers after approving a health insurance plan that will end up costing taxpayers a couple million dollars more than an HMO plan opposed by the teachers' union.  Herzog sounded wistful as she told the teachers that had just given the Board a standing ovation, "We realize you have a very hard job.  The kids of today are not like the kids of 20 or even 10 years ago.  It's just.............very hard."

You could tell that Herzog wanted to add more, to take a shot at the real reason why only 40% of kids are proficient at reading and writing, why only 42% can do math and why just half understand science.  But she hesitated, perhaps knowing that identifying the real culprits might lead to backlash when played back here on WOSH--or might undermine the argument that everything that ails public schools today can be fixed by spending more money.  But I am under no such restrictions and I'll gladly identify the underlying problem that continues to decimate our public schools.

Parents are failing their kids--and the rest of us in the Oshkosh School District too.  When I see 60% of kids below proficient in reading, I see 60% of parents not making sure their kids are reading something other than social media posts and writing something other than text messages.  When I see 58% of kids struggling in math, I see 58% of parents not caring that the only numbers their kids deal with are the body counts on Fortnite.  When I see 50% of kids below the grade in science, I see half of parents that keep the TV on Netflix and Hulu all day--and never on Nat Geo or the Smithsonian Channel.

What compounds the problem is that those within education let parents skate on this.  They make the tired arguments that "some kids just don't do well on tests" or that "tests are not a valid measure of knowledge".  Well if I took a test on Mandarin Chinese vocabulary and didn't get any answers right, would you say that I don't do well on tests, or would you say that I don't know Mandarin Chinese.  And you know what, everyday life is a test of what you know.  You can learn how to run a machine or fill out important documents--but unless you do it correctly almost all the time--no one is going to hire you.

And don't use social status as an excuse for our children's failures.  The 60% not up to snuff on reading exceeds the percentage of low-income, minority and special needs students in the district.  Oshkosh parents are sending kids to class now that are not only not prepared to learn, but lack the discipline and social skills to even learn how to learn.  And when those kids fail, those parents just blame the schools themselves--or support the efforts to "spend more to fix this problem" that shifts the blame to taxpayers--who had nothing at all to do with raising those failing students.

It's almost come to the point where I am ready to support the liberal education agenda that calls for children to be taken from their parents as soon as possible for early childhood education and pre-kindergarten programs and before school and after school and summer programs--because it's clear those who should care the most about their kids don't.

This is Unacceptable Part II: Where is the Return on Investment?

This is the second part of a three-part commentary on the results of the Student Assessment Data in the Oshkosh School District.  Part three comes up tomorrow.

Continuous Quality Improvement--better known as CQI
The Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program--better known as SAGE
Everyday Math
Team Teaching
Reading Specialists
Math Specialists
New school buildings
New Math
Chromebooks for all students
Digital Whiteboards
Referenda to fund continuing operations

That list represents some of the "education initiatives" that the Oshkosh School District has adopted in the 18-years that I have been covering schools for WOSH.  Each was going to "revolutionize" the way kids learned and set us on the path to raise low test scores.  Yet here we are 18-years later with test scores that show 60% of grade schoolers can't read or write to grade level.  58% are non-proficient in math and only half understand science.  Many of those programs and initiatives cost us taxpayers additional money, so you have to ask "Where is the return on my investment?"

CQI was the brainchild of former School Board President LuAnn Bird.  After foisting it upon Oshkosh Schools she left to sell the idea to other districts as a "paid consultant".  SAGE was all the rage under Governor Jim Doyle--as schools were getting extra money from the state to reduce elementary school classes to less than 18 students per teacher.  The only problem was, Oshkosh's small neighborhood schools didn't have the classroom space for additional segments--or there were only 23-kids in a grade, making the implementation of SAGE very inefficient (although the District still kept the money).  That's where the idea of Team Teaching came in--putting two teachers into larger classrooms to meet the "spirit" of SAGE.  Adding reading and math specialists in every school was going to allow one-on-one intensive instruction to get everyone up to grade in both subjects.

Everyday math was going to ensure that kids knew the basics of the mathematics that they would actually use "in the real world"--but then the test numbers got worse, so they switched to the new form of math where kids don't just learn that three plus four equals seven--but rather why three plus four equals seven.  We built a new Oaklawn Elementary, completely overhauled Jefferson and Lakeside and sold off Lincoln and Sunset Elementaries--all to improve the efficiency of operations and give kids the best learning environments.

Giving kids their own laptop computers and connected whiteboards would "modernize" teaching and learning--putting the entire world at kids' fingertips and save us so much money on textbooks and homework materials that could be poured back into instruction.

And yet, despite all of that spending, despite all of the hours spent overhauling curriculum, despite the growth in personnel--especially in areas of administration--we still have less than half our kids making the grade.  Is it possible that throwing more and more money at educational problems really isn't the solution?  Tomorrow, we get to the heart of who is really failing our kids here in Oshkosh.

This is Unacceptable Part I--The Numbers

This is the first of what will be a special three-part My Two Cents on Student Assessment Data results released by the state Department of Public Instruction this week.  Part II will come on Thursday and Part III on Friday.

If you are over the age of 40 like I am, I have a question for you: When you were in grade school, can you remember sixty percent of your classmates being unable to read or write at the proper grade level?  Were 58% unable to do math?  Were half failing science class?  Well new results from the 2018 Assessment Data tests show that is the current situation in the Oshkosh School District.

Just 40-percent of kids in grades three thru eight in this district are "proficient or advanced" in English Language Arts.  Only 42% are "proficient or advanced" in math.  Kids in Oshkosh must really like their science classes, because a whopping 50% are "proficient or advanced" in that category.  And please keep in mind that "proficient" means "able to do it".  Anyone below that level has not learned the minimum skills or knowledge for that subject.  They are not just doing "OK".

Hopefully no one at the Oshkosh School District Administration building, the administration offices at the individual schools or in any of the classrooms is celebrating these numbers, because they are embarrassing.  I would say that scoring less than 50% in any of the classes in school would be considering "failing" but it's entirely possible that is considered to be good enough to pass nowadays.  If anything, everyone at OASD should be crying because these numbers make me want to cry and I don't even have kids in the system.

Of course, the press release from the District puts a rosy spin on the numbers.  It claims that the District "continues to make steady gains in the area of English language arts and continues to perform above the state average in math and science".  The Director of Curriculum Julie Conrad is quoted in the release as saying "We understand that students are more than numbers and data points and we strive every day to help students reach their potential and become college, career and community ready."

What college is taking the 60% that can't read or write to grade level?  What career are the 58% that can't do math going to pursue?  And what community thinks any of those numbers are acceptable? 

Tomorrow, who is to blame?  Here's a preview: It's not taxpayers or lawmakers.

Lazy Oshkosh

In case you were wondering, some of your elected officials think you are lazy.  During last week's Common Council discussion on restoring some of the on-street parking lost to the reconstruction and re-striping of Oregon Street, Mayor Steve Cummings used the phrase "Oshkosh doesn't have a parking problem, Oshkosh has a walking problem".  The inference being that Oshkosh residents are too lazy to walk a block or two from an off-street lot along Oregon Street or North Main Street to get to a store or restaurant.  It sounds like a great point--if you are down there on one of the 100 or so nice days that we have weather-wise--but not so great in the bitter cold or the pouring rain.

I have to admit I was surprised to learn that there are any public parking lots near Oregon Street.  And if they hadn't been highlighted on a graphic during the Council meeting, I could never have told you where they are--as they don't seem to be well marked and there are no directional signs pointing you toward them as you drive.  Maybe if people knew about them, they may use them--if they aren't too "lazy".  During that entire discussion I kept waiting for at least one Council member to suggest that Oregon be restriped to include bike lanes--and that the City install bike racks along the sidewalk--to "fix" the parking problem.

But let me tell you who is lazy: WalMart shoppers.  More specifically, WalMart shoppers that take Go Transit.

In an effort to speed up their routes and to improve safety, Go Transit no longer picks up or drops off riders in the parking lots of stores.  They have put up new bus shelters near Pick and Save on both sides of town, at Festival Foods and just recently along South Washburn Street in front of WalMart.  Because that stop is right outside of my office window here at the Radio Ranch--and on my way home--I see what goes on there more than any other bus stop in town.

WalMart may as well put a cart corral right next to that bus shelter, because every day dozens of shopping carts are abandoned on the sidewalk, in the terrace and on the small patch of grass between the driveways.  Last Thursday, there was one up against the curb in the far lane of traffic on Washburn--likely blown there by the wind.  All left by people who didn't want to carry their two bags of items from the store front to the bus stop.  They may want to put a garbage can out there too, because Subway cups and wrappers are left in the shelter and on the ground--along with assorted other junk.  So far, I've only seen a person sleeping in the bus stop on my way into work at 3:00 am just once.

Actually, I am shocked that advocates for those that ride the bus regularly haven't been up in arms about this change.  Why should those that can afford to drive a car get to walk a shorter distance to those stores than those who rely on public transportation?  If anything, Go Transit should be building covered lanes directly into the stores themselves rather than moving their shelters out to the streets.  Mayor Cummings has it all wrong.  On-street parking and giant free lots aren't for the lazy--they are for the socio-economic elite--further repressing the less-fortunate in our society.

Everyone I Talk To

There is a hot new buzzword phrase in the political vernacular: "Everyone I talk to".  Candidates now drop it into all of their rehearsed answers and talking points checklists.  "Everyone I talk to is concerned about education."  "Everyone I talk to doesn't want taxes to go up."  "Everyone I talk to says their street is full of potholes".

Political advisers are pushing their candidates to use this phrase because it accomplishes three goals: One, it gives the impression that the candidate is hearing what people are saying and paying attention to it.  Two, it minimizes the issues favored by one's opponent.  And three, it assures the candidate's own supporters that there is a large group of people that think the same way they do--or gets those with opposing viewpoints to question if they might be in a small minority.

If you pay very close attention to candidates as they actually do talk to voters, you will notice a young person in a suit standing nearby and recording the conversation with a cellphone.  The campaign folks listen back to those, note the person talking and the issue they raise, and file that away for future reference.  That way their candidate can say things in their stump speech like "I spoke with Agnes in Oshkosh and she was concerned about her grand-kids' school"--even though the candidate couldn't tell Agnes in Oshkosh apart from Carrie in Madison or Susan in Superior.

"Everyone I talk to" makes it sound like what the other candidate is talking about is not at all important.  "While he talks about tax breaks, everyone I talk to is concerned about the environment." It's also the perfect deflection away from a question about what a candidate knows is his or her weakest issues.  "How do you plan to pay for all of that extra spending?" can be effectively answered with "Everyone I talk to is more concerned about the quality of their drinking water than what they are paying in taxes" and just like that, you don't even have to answer the question that was posed.

Now it may entirely be possible that candidates are only hearing one point of view on all issues.  Great care is taken nowadays to make sure that only supporters are getting into campaign appearances.  Businesses with owners "friendly to the cause" are selected for visits and candidates have "walking lists" of which doors to knock on while canvassing neighborhoods.  It's a lot more comfortable to be in an echo chamber than have to face tough questions or complaints all day.

So don't believe it when you hear a candidate claim the "Everyone I talk to thinks we should have unlimited spending on public education", or "Everyone I talk to thinks building up our workforce it eh most important issue we face".  Because I don't think that--and it's likely you don't either.

News From the Future

Today's My Two Cents features News From the Future:

FEBRUARY 23RD, 2050 (CAPITOL CITY, DISTRICT OF SANDERS)

The lone surviving member of the US Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, has died.  Sotomayor passed at way at the age of 95 from pancreatic cancer--which the Medicare For All Treatment Rationing Board decided was too expensive to treat.  Sotomayor had been the last remaining Justice for four years following the death of Justice Neil Gorsuch back in 2046.

The Supreme Court never regained its nine members after President Donald Trump's four nominees appointed before his impeachment and imprisonment in the late 2010's were denied confirmation by the Senate when all of them were accused by Democrats (the previous name of the Socialist Party) of sexual assault and harassment, with the last infamously disqualified for saying that girls had cooties and giving a classmate a purple nurple in kindergarten.

Following that tumultuous time, the Supreme Court saw its numbers dwindle as the two parties exchanged efforts to destroy all nominees--or never bring them up for a vote.  The blockade was nearly broken in 2038, but Senator David Hogg (Socialist, FL) learned just before the confirmation vote that the nominee once owned a gun and may have fired it--a common thing in the country before the repeal of the 2nd Amendment in 2028.  Hogg rallied the so-called Millenial Caucus in opposition of the nominee, accusing him of being responsible for school and mall shootings.

Sotomayor had not been asked to rule on a case for nine years, as the Senate had also failed to confirm any Federal or Appeals Court judges since 2018.

El Presidente Alexandra Ocasio Cortez (Socialist, NY) issued a statement (translated from the official national language of Spanish) on Sotomayor's death: "While Justice Sotomayor should be hailed as a pioneer in the Latinx rise to power in this country--and a great help in the establishment of our Socialist State--her death represents the passing of the final vestiges of a racist institution designed strictly to deny advancement of minorities with imperialistic ideals like 'constitutionality', 'individual rights' and 'due process'. 

Ocasio Cortez adds that she looks forward to striking Article 3 from the Constitution as "all of my executive orders are inherently fair and require no legal challenge".  Any legal disputes will now be handled by the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

We reached out to Republicans for comment on Justice Sotomayor's death and El Presidente's response, but they all cited the recent repeal of the First Amendment and new laws establishing criticism of the ruling Socialist Party to be treason as reasons not to speak on the record.

After the break, we'll tell you about hyperinflation that is forcing the Government to raise the minimum wage to $351 an hour.  And a Keynsian economist will join us to explain why the Federal deficit reaching a googol dollars is not a reason for concern.

Let's Get the Innocence Project On This

First a My Two Cents update: Oshkosh School Superintendent Vicki Cartwright says last night's closed session meeting of the School Board was legal as the request for proposals from health insurance vendors contained a provision that allowed the District to negotiate final details with the winning bidder--so those negotiations could be discussed in closed session.  All discussion on why the Board chose to reject a bid that would have saved taxpayers $4.3-MILLION was held in open session last night.  Now onto today's My Two Cents......

You know who I will be thinking of during today's Brett Kavanaugh vs his accusers Senate hearing?  Steven Avery.  It's not because Making a Murderer Season 2 is coming out next month.  Before he became a cause celebre, Avery was a 22-year old petty criminal in the Manitowoc area.  But he became an accused rapist and attempted murderer in the summer of 1985 when a woman was brutally attacked along a Lake Michigan beach.

That woman picked Avery's photo out of a lineup at the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department--and deputies believed that she recognized her attacker.  She again picked Avery out as her attacker during an in-person line-up--and detectives believed her.  When Avery went on trial, the woman testified that it was Avery that attacked her on the beach that night--and the jury believed her--even though Avery was able to produce a receipt that showed he had made a purchase in Green Bay just minutes after the time of the attack.  "A receipt doesn't prove anything!" said the prosecutor "Anyone could have bought something and given Steven Avery that receipt!".  Sixteen witnesses that testified that they thought they saw Avery in Green Bay at around that same time were also dismissed--because it was important to believe the victim.

The judge believed the victim too.  He sentenced Avery to 32-years in prison.  And two appeals courts believed the victim--upholding the convictions and the sentence.  A few years later, the Brown County Sheriff's Department let Manitowoc County deputies know that a jail inmate up there was confession to the attack along the beach.  But those who accused Avery and helped convict him rejected that tip--famously claiming "We've got the right guy in prison."

It wasn't until the intrepid attorneys with the Wisconsin Innocence Project got involved in the Avery case in the early 2000's that someone finally doubted the victim.  After years of legal challenges, they got DNA evidence testing done that proved Avery was not the attacker--and that the wrong man had been accused, tried and convicted.  Of course, by that time he had sat in prison for 18-years and there is really no way to provide "restorative justice" to him.

The existential question is "Did Steven Avery's accuser lie about him attacking her?"  When you stop to think about it, she truly believed that he is the one that assaulted her on the beach that night.  She was just wrong about who it really was.  And was Avery and his defenders wrong to deny those claims?  As history would eventually prove, they were not.  What I find interesting now is that the same celebrities and talking heads that decry Steven Avery's treatment by the justice system are the same ones who immediately called for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be rejected as a Supreme Court Justice.

Of course, if everyone had continued to believe the beach assault victim, Steven Avery would just now be getting out of prison, Teresa Halbach would probably be a successful wedding photographer in the Green Bay area, and Brendan Dassey would still be playing video games and watching violent porn in his mother's mobile home.