Thursday Burnt Toast and Coffee Time
2009 July 9
I know I seem to go on and on about the weather but it was 52° when I got up. IT’S JULY 9th, NOT SEPTEMBER 9th, PEOPLE. Who is going to pay me back those hot summer days we’re not having? WHO? If the weather went back to normal right now we would have 8 weeks, count’em EIGHT WEEKS until September and the cold and wet and cloudy/dreary/rainy/sodden/cloudy/wet/cloudy 7-Day forecast which defines Wisconsin until it GETS WORSE. Then you pay your property tax bill.
- Property taxes which face an astronomical increase thanks to Jim Doyle and the Democrats who slash state support to Waukesha schools by $6,000,000.00 in their new budget. This helpful Journal chart shows that whomever came up with this school funding formula was once described by his school district as being “educable”. They were wrong.
- But at least 6th Graders will now be in middle school , rather than elementary school which should solve everything. Like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
- I think (not “It think” as I originally typed and left here for you all to read for two hours – My kingdom for grammar checker as well as a spell checker – do witches have spell checkers?) the current businesses on the “other” end of Sunset, whatever direction that is, will be hurt by the Fox River Shoppes, not helped. However, when the economy recovers, it could mean a major rebuilding effort on that end of Sunset. I’m old enough to remember when there was nothing south of Sunset but farm fields.
- Patrick Cudahy burns down, Oscar Mayer dies and then there’s this from the Lodi Agricultural Fair which opens today:
Taking into consideration USDA/APHIS recommendations regarding the H1N1 virus,
the Lodi Ag Fairboard has made the decision to make the Swine Show a TERMINAL show this year.
All swine will need to go to market directly from the show.
- “Terminal show” – we all know what that means, right Mr. Piggy? Coinkydink? I think not.
- The Freeman finally catches up to the Chronicle with an article on the Putney Building remodeling.
- Darryl says that the Clarke Hotel paid its delinquent tax bill, that the Social Club is closed for “remodeling” and that Mexican restaurant downtown may also have some previously unreported problems.
- Lose a Sentry store, gain some porno shops. It doesn’t sound like an even trade for Oconomowoc residents.
- Pete Kennedy digs into the issue of natural burial at Prairie Home Cemetery.
- James Wigderson takes a decidedly liberal position on voting privileges for convicted felons. It doesn’t bother me in the least that some convicted felons can’t vote in Wisconsin.
- Thursday Sound Off.
You are old enough to remember nothing across from Kmart on Sunset, but you probably never went there.The stuff by Sunset Bowl has been there since I was a “youngin’”, but I remember the other stuff being built. We used to go past on the way to Aunt Pauline & Uncle Richie’s house, Or to Uncle Booberry’s.
Thank city hall and Democrat teacher on leave of absence Larry Nelson for your increase in school taxes.
Your reassessment this year had an increase in land value and was assessed at supposed fair market value. (Another assessor in another city thought this approach to shore up property values was tackey.) By doing this when other communities are lowering assessments, we appear to be a “wealthy” community. I know we appear that way because we have physical assets no other district in the state has, i.e. a state of the art planetarium, pools in every high school including the largest in the state, in addition to the most generous union contract in the state (thanks again in part to our Mayor complete with “unintended consequences” a quote from Roger Danielsen before the Wisconsin Senate Education Committee, rapid lane change salary increases).
Because the equalization formula is based in part on property values, we get money taken away and it goes to the communities with lower property values like Milwaukee.
Be glad the 2005 referendum was voted down because we would get even less state aid.
Once again, the school board carps about revenue and never addresses expenditures like $19,000 health insurance policies and to many Master Degree faculty.
We have a Democrat Mayor, Assembly, Senate, Governor, and President.
Somehow, I expect former school board member and outspoken Democrat Roger D. to blame Bush.
I expect much of that stuff was in place long before Obama became president.
O.K., you’re blaming Bush?
You want me to blame Reagan? OK. Clinton had a balanced budget.
I’m of the Right opinion that Clinton started this financial mess.
As commander and chief of our armed forces he was to busy enjoying cigars with Monica to pay attention to what the CIA and NSA were telling him about Osama Bin Laden. Blame Clinton for 911, the war that followed, and the debt we have. That’s reverse trickle down logic. Bush merely delt with Clinton’s mess and now Obama has to deal with the financial mess because of Clinton’s ignorance.
President elect Obama has no rabbits left in the hat other than adopting Reganomics and cutting wasteful government programs to make-up for his failed stimulas policies.
In Waukesha, the school district has very little chance of survival because of it’s inability to pay current, and future, benefits and salaries negotiated with it’s various unions. We are a GM. Other than an across-the-board pay and benefits cut agreed to by the all the public employee unions representing public education in the Waukesha School District, we may need to look at bankruptcy.
I’ve asked Assemblyman Kramer’s office to look into that possibility today and they are doing just that.
Just so you know, GM is getting out of bankrupcy early, and cutting 35% of executive staff. Obama did not create your school board problems.
BTW Reagan’s “Trickle down” theory did not work. The money all went into the pockets of the big companies who used all their tax breaks etc to buy up other companies and gut them, taking the money & closing the companies they got and left the workers unemployed.
Isn’t it amazing how fast the Judicial Branch of the Obama Administration worked to get a communist / socialist company up and running.
He may have something here.
Sorry sister, I don’t believe in a communist / socialist company and won’t buy from Obama motor works.
You’re getting a new car, Steve? What kind are you going to buy?
During the 1980’s recession I bought a new Toyota SR 5 Long Bed pick-up truck. Great vechical but the box rusted out. It was made in California. Sure, I caught heck from my co-workers. Finally I responded with the conversation stopper, “If it weren’t for people like me who had the balls to buy a Toyota, GM would still be producing the crap they did in the 70’s.” I tend to be an independent thinker.
Years later, I thought GM got it right and I bought a new Saturn in 1996. Wrong. Worst car I ever owned.
I’m not in the market for a new car. But when I am, Obama Motor Works is not an option.
How about you sister?
I am sadly, without funds to by a new car. I have a 2002 Intrepid, and although it is a beautiful, comfortable car, it is expensive to fix. Still, my auto shop takes time payments without a credit card (They trust me.) and fixing is cheaper and shorter than car payments. I had a 1994 Camaro when they came out, and absolutely loved it. Much cooler than a pickup truck, yet I could haul a couch in it. I also own a 2000 Dodge Ram van, but the previous owner put in a remote start which messed up the wiring, so it is next in line to the auto shop. IF i had a bunch of money to buy a new car, I would trade in the van. It qualifies for the rebate @ 13 MPG.
Sorry to hear about your car. I went back to Toyota, a new 2002 Camry. Went through a tranny at 98k but I purchased the 100k warranty. No questions asked, fixed in 2 days. It now has 168k. Recent converter cost me a grand, but other than tires, oil changes, iand a battery, it’s been very reliable as our family vehicle. I expect reliable for a $20k+ for a new vehicle. GM didn’t deliver for me and now that it’s a communist modeled company, I have even more reason to look elsewhere.
I listened to PRESIDENT Obama’s radio address to the nation today. He’s got to be PO’ed with our Governor for spending the stimulas money for education a year earlier than the funds were intended just to reduce our state funded portion. As Huck pointed out, no new jobs were created. It merely proped up debt for another year and made the teachers union happy. We’re so screwed.
Our tax Queen in Waukesha tell me she expects her very modest house in the Town of Waukesha property taxes to increase 400 to 500 this year alone. The City of Waukesha will be much worse. And next year I expect discussion on public education and bankruptcy will take center stage.
Well, You could move to Illinois, where the replacement governor doesn’t have a budget passed, and is cutting funding for the National guard, which means the school in my town that rehabilitates at risk kids (dropouts etc) with a graduation rate of 75% run by the national guard might close. The services for meds for the elderly might be cut so that senior citizens and disabled people on the program won’t be able to buy their meds. One lady they interviewed has diabetes and asthma, and said she won’t last very long if she can’t buy her medication. The downtown branch of The Boys & Girls Club in one of the larger cities has closed because of funding cuts. Daycare centers are taking a hit. Too bad if you you are a kid or elderly in Illinois.
It’s a shame nobody wants to control illegal immigration. Think about much health care we could provide for US citizens, decrease class sizes, and put people back to work.