The Cost of Saving the Planet

We hear criticism all the time about how fiscal conservatives want to balance the state and federal budgets "on the backs of the poor and the elderly"--but we never seem to hear any outcry about how we are "saving the planet" on the backs of those same poor people.

On Friday, Wisconsin Public Service announced that it will be raising electricity rates nearly seven percent next year.  The reason?  The Cross State Air Pollution Rule--which the Environmental Protection Agency put into place earlier this year.  In order to meet the new standards for greenhouse gas emissions, WPS will have to run its most-cost effective coal-fired power plants less--and increase production at the more-costly natural gas-fired plants.  Expensive new emission controls will have to be installed on the coal plants--and the utility will have to purchase power from companies that have "carbon credits" to spare.

Now for many of us, another seven percent on the utility bill every month will be a small price to pay to keep the lights on and the house heated or cooled.  But for those living on the edge, won't that extra cost push them even closer to the edge?  And let's not forget all those "hard-working Wisconsin families" that couldn't afford to pay an extra seven-percent toward their health insurance premiums earlier this year.  This is a 100% increase in their misery.

This is just the latest in a series of shoes to drop as a result of the Obama Administration's new energy policies.  The first was reneging on the pledge to explore for more oil sources in the US--and to actually drill for it (remember that campaign promise?)--and the continued devaluation of the dollar--resulting in much of the increase in oil prices on the international market.  The second came in the pointless "Cash For Clunkers" program, which took tens of thousands of perfectly good vehicles out of the resale market--limiting the availability of less-expensive, reliable used cars.  Up next is the outrageously-inflated CAFE standards for new vehicles coming our way later this decade--driving up the cost of producing and buying new vehicles.

Of course, we have an answer for reducing the impact of our "greener" energy policies--Big Government Programs!!  Can't afford to buy gas?  Just take our publicly financed buses!  Hope your job is on the busline--or you might be walking a ways in the rain and snow.  Can't afford to buy a car or a plane ticket?  No problem, take the heavily-subsidized high speed rail!!  Once you get there--you're on your own!!  Can't afford your power and heating bills?  Sign up for our Energy Assistance Programs!!  Let everybody else pick up the cost of running your three HDTV's, your air conditioner and your kids' video game systems.

Oh well, I guess more expensive gas, electricity and cars are just a small price to pay to keep the global temperature from going up another two-tenths of one degree over the next hundred years--or least until the next major volcanic eruption or change in ocean currents can do it for free.

All We Are Saying..............

Could somebody please record a great, new protest song?  I took a Magical Mystery Tour of the old CD collection last night--browsing some of the politically-charged classics.  Every previous "tough time" in the Rock Era has had songs that capture the mood of the people and have given hope for the future.  So where are the voices of this time?

The Sixties and early Seventies were fueled by the opposition to the Vietnam War (take your pick: John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joan Baez), the fight for equal rights for African-Americans (Marvin Gaye, James Brown, George Clinton) and Baby Boomers' desires to break free of the boundaries established by their more conservative parents.  The malaise of the late Seventies bred the anger and dissatisfaction of the Punk and Post-Punk Revolution (Sex Pistols, The Clash, The MC5, Elvis Costello).  The mid-Eighties featured the new social conciousness voiced by acts like Bruce Springsteen, U2 and REM.  The late-Eighties saw the rise of Rap artists voicing the struggle of the Black community (Public Enemy, NWA) and in the early-Nineties my Generation X rejected the suburban, commercialized world of our parents with the Grunge explosion (Nirvana, Pearl Jam).

But I don't seem to be hearing any voices of dissatisfaction or protest over the way things are going now.  Yes, the Dixie Chicks made comments during a concert--but did they record any songs that directly said "End These Wars"?  Did the backlash from the overly-conservative Country audience scare away everyone else from taking a stand? 

And where are the voices of Black America?  Unemployment above 20-percent, half your members failing to graduate from high school--I'd think someone might have something to say about that.  The aforementioned Public Enemy and NWA rapped about those very same problems almost 25-years ago--urging the community to rise up and take action to improve their lot in life.  But then the Hip-Hop movement rolled in--and it became far more lucrative to sing about getting drunk, getting high and getting lai--um, getting a lot of "lady friends".

I certainly hope that having a Democrat in the White House--and an African-American President to boot--isn't curtailing political dissonance in the arts.   If you aren't happy--and the guy in charge isn't getting it done for you--then he is fair game for criticism--regardless of his ideology.  I'd recommend budding young artists start rehearsing The Beatles' classic "Taxman".  If five percent appears too small...be thankful I don't take it all!  'Cause I'm the Taxman...and you're working for no one but me.

Naivete

The Yahoo Sports article on the improper benefits provided to football players at the University of Miami by just one booster is certainly generating plenty of buzz this week.  There is talk of University President Donna Shalala losing her job and the Hurricanes becoming the second school ever to suffer the "Death Penalty"--being forced by the NCAA to suspend its football program for major rules violations.  It's certainly easy to sit here in Wisconsin and point at Miami and get all sanctimonious saying "I'm glad that's not the way we do things at our school."

The Badger fan in me wants to believe that the Wisconsin program--in all sports--is doing everything by the book and above board.  But the reporter part of me has that nagging feeling that it's just a matter of time before the Badgers join the long list of schools with "reported improprieties".  So far the only incident was the infamous "Shoe Box" scandal--where athletes were getting discounts that may or may not have been offered to all other UW students.  You may recall, it cost a number of starters several games and created negative momentum for a team that was considered a favorite to make a run for the Rose Bowl.

In no way am I saying that I know about violations in the Athletic Department--and I'm not saying that I've even heard anything.  I am saying that we just shouldn't go around with a "holier than thou" attitude--because we know those people usually end up getting their come-uppance in the end.  Just ask Ohio State fan--who has seen that program brought to its knees by players trading their jerseys and game-worn equipment for free tattoos--compounded by their former head coach knowing about it and trying to cover it up--then lying about trying to cover it up.  Michigan had its own scandal--with a former head coach violating the NCAA limit on practice time.

It's unfortunate we have come to this point--where everybody has to be held to a certain level of suspicion.  (OK, maybe we don't have to worry about Northwestern cheating).  You have to ask yourself why that powerful running back from Florida has decided to matriculate in the upper Midwest.  You have to wonder who is the guy with the flashy watch and "special guest" credential standing with the Athletic Director on the sidelines during the game.  And you have to question who owns the shiny new SUV with the custom rims parked next to the stadium--is that a coach's or player's (purchased by a single parent who couldn't afford to send their child to college without an athletic scholarship just two years ago)?

As the NCAA peels away the "layers of the onion" that could represent the Miami football scandal to find out who knew what and when--you will hear about everyone from the Head Coach to the Athletic Director to Donna Shalala herself saying that had "no idea such a thing was going on in our program."  While they can claim to be so naive or worse--so blatantly ignorant--we the fans shouldn't be.

Whither Boat Guy?

There are few things you can guarantee in life--but I can safely guarantee that I will never be a "boat guy".  First off, as someone who believes that drowning has to be the absolute worst way to die--"fun on the water" is an oxymoron to me.  I tend to agree with author Samuel Johnson who said "Being on a Ship is like being in prison--with an increased risk of drowning."  I mean, what do people do on boats other than get sunburned and drink?  Secondly, no one who owns a boat seems to use it that much.

That was reinforced over the weekend as four guys I played golf with in my tournaments heard or saw boats out on Lake Butte des Morts or Green Lake and said "Hmmm, maybe we should use the boat sometime this summer."  Boats must be like time shares.  You get sold on "fun and excitement and quality family time" that you are sure come with owning a boat--and then slowly come to the realization that you are never going to come close to getting the value from the thing that you've had to sink into it.

I have a friend who tried to be a "boat guy".  Big dreams of cruising up and down the Fox River and Green Bay--towing the kids on the tubes, fishing for walleye, weekend trips to Door County.  And then came Little League practices, games and tournaments, off-season hockey camps, a cousin's wedding out of town, graduation parties, vacations out of state, weekends with bad weather, and funerals.  Not to mention the damaged hull from when the wife thought she could operate it from the boat landing to the dock and the engine and propeller problems--likely due to lack of usage to keep everything properly lubricated.  That friend recently became "ex-boat guy" earlier this month--agreeing with the old adage that "the happiest day of a boat owner's life is the day they get the boat--the second happiest day is when they sell the boat."

And it's not just busy family men that don't use their boats.  My parents have a pontoon.  They've been retired and living at the cottage since April.  Everytime my wife and I ask about how much fishing or cruising they have done, the answer is always "not that much--we're too busy with other stuff."  People with absolutely nowhere to be and nothing to do don't even have time to use their boat!  And yet--just like the time share market--new people are willing to jump into the "boating lifestyle".

That won't be me.  I've got my golf clubs and that will be my pursuit for the rest of my life.  And believe me, we'll be spending plenty of time together until I'm too old to hit it past the ladies tees.

The next time I hear someone say "we spent way to much time on the boat this summer"--it will be the first time I've ever heard someone say it.  At the beginning I mentioned there were few guarantees in life. I can guarantee every guy with a boat is now saying to his wife, "You know what--we hardly used the boat at all again this year."  And remind me this winter to talk about "boat guy's" seasonal cousin "snowmobile guy". 

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That (or Bert Enjoying Himself In Ernest)

Nothing spices up an otherwise boring Thursday afternoon like a press release from the producers of Sesame Street announcing that Bert and Ernie are not gay.  It seems there are some gay-rights advocates that are pressuring the folks at Sesame Street to bring the roommates out of the closet--to teach kids "tolerance" for gay couples.  Some even want the duo to participate in a marriage ceremony on the show.

Now it has been a number of years since I watched an episode of Sesame Street.  I gave up on the show when they decided to make it more like "ELMO!!...and the rest of the Muppets" to cash in on marketing of the most annoying character in children's television history.  But when I did watch, I don't remember any Muppet flaunting their sexuality.  Big Bird never went on a date--with Snuffalupagus--or anyone else for that matter.  I can't recall any skits starting with Kermit and Prairie Dawn in bed smoking a cigarette and discussing how awkward it was going to be trying to cover up their affair in front of the other Muppets.  As the show's producers point out in their release, none of the Muppets have any sexual orientation.

One of the most effective aspects of Sesame Street is that "non-human" element of the Muppets.  If you pay close attention, you find that each character represents a child at a different stage of social and educational development.  That allows any child to naturally gravitate to one Muppet or another who most closely matches their own place in life.  Personally, I was always a SuperGrover guy--the well-meaning, slightly-self-agrandizing "superhero" who always arrived to make things worse--until the kids themselves actually solved the problem.

Now let's be honest, everyone already knows that Bert is gay.  High-strung, a neat-freak, collects bottle caps.  I mean c'mon.  As for Ernie, sloppy, laid-back, oblivious to pretty much everything going on around him--he's obviously well on his way to being the guy who sits in the LaZBoy all day and asks his homecoming queen wife to bring him more beer.

Sesame Street has certainly dealt with complex adult situations on the show.  I am in the generation who learned about death on the show about Mr. Hooper passing away.  And I know some of the human women on the show have become pregnant--and that was addressed in a "non-technical" way.  And there have been handicapped children featured on the show.  But in those examples--it was the humans that brought the issue to the Muppet's (and therefore the child watching's) world.

If it is so incredibly important to force homosexuality awareness on children--then introduce some gay adult characters.  Have Ellen and Portia become regulars.  Or Tom Cruise and John Travolta.  Or better yet, watch the show with your own 3,4 or 5-year old child and just pretend that Bert and Ernie are gay.  You can say that they are married--and that's why they live together.  I'm guessing that A--your kid will have absolutely no idea what the hell you are talking about, and B--they will not care at all.  Just like the rest of us.

Giving Credit Where It Is Due

Just like Packers fans had to admit that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy know what they are doing in Green Bay, it's time for Brewers fans to give some credit to Doug Melvin and Ron Roenicke.  Melvin has especially been maligned the last few years for the Brewers inability to make the playoffs--or win in the playoffs.  There was the long-term, big-money contract for a washed up Jeff Suppan, the firing of Ned Yost with two weeks left in the 2008 season, the hiring of the sleepwalking Ken Macha as manager, the big-money contract for a washed up Eric Gagne--the list could go on for the next five minutes.

But this year, Melvin has turned into King Midas, as all of his moves are turning to gold.  Remember when Zach Greinke couldn't stop giving up home runs?  When Yuni Bettencourt kept popping out on the first pitch?  When everyone swore the Crew was going to trade Prince Fielder?  When Kam Loe couldn't get anyone out as the 8th inning set up man?  All forgotten now as the Brewers have won 13 of their last 14 and have stretched their lead to five games in the NL Central.

For the first time in my lifetime (39 years), the Brewers actually have one of the best pitching staffs in the league.  Greinke has straightened himself out.  Randy Wolf is actually getting past the 5th inning--and Yovani Galliardo is actually throwing strikes early in the count.  And the moves Melvin made to shore up the bullpen have drastically cut down on the gut-wrenching, winning streak killing blown games.  The trade for perenial meathead Francisco Rodriguez has been huge--as it has shored up the 8th inning problems and allows the Brewers to play a "7 inning game" knowing the other team will be shut down by K-Rod and the Ax Man the last two frames.

In past years, the loss of Ricky Weeks would have been devastating and started a downward spiral.  But thanks to more Melvin moves, the offense has rolled on.  Felipe Lopez has filled in at second admirably--and Jerry Hairston, Junior provides depth at several other positions as well.  Perhaps Melvin's biggest pick up has been Tony Plush--AKA Nyjer Morgan.  The flaky one is hitting well over .300, is creating havoc for the other team on the basepaths and seems to be keeping a team that has choked in the past much looser in the clubhouse this time around.

Ron Roenicke has been a welcome change from recent Brewer managers as well.  He actually allows starters to work out of their own jams--instead of overworking the bullpen all season.  He is mixing and matching lineups to work around injuries and slumps.  And he actually bunts with two runners on and nobody out--long one of my biggest pet peeves about Ned Yost and Ken Macha. 

As interleage play proved a couple of months ago, the Brewers likely have little chance of beating the Red Sox or the Yankees in the World Series--but you can honestly say the Crew is a serious threat to actually get there.  San Francisco and Philadelphia have slightly better starting pitching--but those two would have to face each other in the first round of the playoffs--so Milwaukee would have to worry about only one of those teams in the NLCS. 

We may be getting ahead of ourselves here--there is still six weeks left in the season--but thanks to Doug Melvin and Ron Roenicke Brewers fans can at least talk about such lofty goals--and not get laughed out of the room.

Well, THAT Was Worth It

Now that Recall Mania is over for those of us here in the Fox Valley, let's take a closer look at some of the numbers.

Tuesday's vote changes 1.5% of the power in Madison.  Two seats out of 132 in the Legislature went from Republicans to Democrats yesterday.  When you factor in the Legislature shares power equally with the Governor and the State Supreme Court, you could argue that just .5% of power changed hands yesterday.

As of the end of July, $35-million dollars had been spent by the recall candidates and all of the special interest groups.  I think when the final numbers come in, we'll be looking at more than $40-million being spent on these races--and that doesn't include what was spent on running the elections or paying the lawyers.  When you consider that there are about 175-thousand public sector employees in Wisconsin--we could have just sent $229 checks to all of those workers--which would have made up for some of what they now have to contribute to their pensions.

Here in the 18th State Senate District, we saw a 14-hundred vote swing from the results in 2008 that gave Randy Hopper a 200-vote win over Jessica King.  This will probably be about a $3.5 million dollar race--so the candidates and the special interest groups spent $2500 per swing voter to change the results this time around. 

I've already received dozens of email press releases from both parties, all kinds of candidates, the Governor, and all the special interest groups that spent so much money this summer.  According to those releases, yesterday's results send a "clear message" that Wisconsin voters reject the Republican agenda, fully endorse the Republican agenda, care about collective bargaining for public sector employees, care about keeping the budget balanced, weren't swayed by union special interest groups and weren't swayed by corporate special interest groups.  The message I take away from the race in the 18th State Senate District race: sexual indiscretions matter--if you're a Republican.

The most telling number is that of the people who stayed away from the polls yesterday.  Turnout in most races was in the 35-40% range--meaning 60% percent of people in Wisconsin don't care either way about collective bargaining, state spending or leaving for Illinois to delay votes.  That might be the most powerful message coming out of the recall elections of 2011.