Thursday, August 11, 2011

Milwaukee Streetcar idea is OFF TRACK

Milwaukee is bound and determined to ram a streetcar system down the throats of the taxpayers.

Unfortunately this streetcar "idea" has taken on a life of its own: fancy website pages, fabulous artist's renderings, nifty quotes from "green" groups and other lefty philanthropists, colorful brochures, hundreds of hours of meetings, political speeches, and political capital expenditures. The largest contributors to the fantasy are the vociferous and romanticizing train pundits themselves. 

This “snowball” concept of colorful tracked-metal conveyances started small and (with a well-intentioned, but ill-advised shove) is rolling downhill under its own weight; gobbling up all sanity as it seemingly cannot either be stopped nor reconsidered. It is a “one-track” solution to bringing some life and glitzy eye-candy to our downtown area. I agree (having spent time in other larger metropolitan areas) that Milwaukee lacks a certain “vibe” and “access” to its downtown that other cities have somehow achieved; however building a streetcar LINE is too costly (to taxpayers) and too disruptive (to businesses and the general public) to balance out any theoretical gains. 


If Milwaukee truly wants a mass transit system to service (and promote) its downtown; there are multiple ways to reach that goal without the planned infrastructure of train tracks embedded in its streets. Consider the Orlando, FL system of LYNX. (www.golynx.com) It is not “track-based” technology, but rather 4-wheeled and mobile. Routes can be tailored to ridership and don’t require the loss of hundreds of choice parking spots. Talk about environmentally friendly; by definition public transportation is logically environmentally friendly. Just one full LYNX bus operating on new Biodiesel fuel is equivalent to 43 less cars on the roadway. The units themselves are designed and uniquely colored in an edgy way to promote ridership. LYNX operates a fleet of 290 buses on 65 routes, called Links, and has service every day of the year. These buses are usually random solid colors including red, purple, blue, pink, etc. and the rest are wrapped in advertising. The successful system has been in existence since 2004. 

In short: If the City of Milwaukee is hell-bent to take and spend Federal taxpayer funds for a mass-transit system – create one that makes sense and would likely be embraced by a majority of the surrounding community on BOTH sides of the political (and ideological) aisle.

Friday, August 5, 2011

ON WISCONSIN! - Keep it up Governor Walker

Thank you Governor Walker and the State Legislature for doing the job WE elected you to do!

If you'd like to see all the money Wisconsin municipalities are now saving themselves as a result of the Governor's budget (courtesy of the Wisconsin legislature, thank you VERY much) look HERE

Biennial budget bill – filling the 3-billion dollar Jim Doyle hole.
  • Includes: Paying back Minnesota- a step in reinstating the popular, but recently terminated Minnesota-Wisconsin tax reciprocity program by paying back the roughly $60 million in overdue bills that was owed to Minnesota.
  • Includes: 200 million dollar medical malpractice fund restored - The patients’ compensation fund was raided under a bipartisan deal reached in 2007 with then-Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature.
  1. Extension of unemployment benefits for 13 more weeks.
  2. Governor-Appointment:  Veterans Affairs Secretary.
  3. Development Opportunity Zone created in Beloit, WI.
  4. Earned Release - repeals sentencing modifications that allowed criminals out early.
  5. Concealed Carry for Wisconsin – 49th state to do so.
  6. Greater School Choice(s) – expansion.
  7. Deer hunting expansion - DNR overreach curtailment of “earn a buck.”
  8. Presidential Primary - would move the date of Wisconsin’s primary elections to the first Tuesday in April during years in which the president and vice-president are elected, was introduced on May 27.
IMPORTANT: If you are in one of the following RECALL districts, please vote to STAY THE COURSE by defeating any DEMOCRAT with your vote!



August 9 Recall Elections
Six incumbent Republican Senators will face recall elections on August 9:
  • SD-2: Sen. Robert Cowles (R) v. Nancy Nusbaum (D)
  • SD-8: Sen. Alberta Darling (R) v. Rep. Sandra Pasch (D)
  • SD-10: Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R) v. Shelly Moore (D)
  • SD-14: Sen. Luther Olsen (R) v. Rep. Fred Clark (D)
  • SD-18: Sen. Randy Hopper (R) v. Jessica King (D)
  • SD-32: Sen. Dan Kapanke (R) v. Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D)
August 16 Recall Elections
Two incumbent Democratic Senators will face recall elections on August 16:
  • SD-12: Sen. Jim Holperin (D) v. Kim Simac (R)
  • SD-22: Sen. Robert Wirch (D) v. Jonathan Steitz (R)




Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Who's Zoomin' Who? - The Sandy Pasch Charade

Take your pick of articles below, however it's fairly clear from the allegations that Democratic challenger Sandy Pasch is no more her "own woman" than the woman on the moon.  It's just the same-old, same-old that gets conservative blood like mine boiling...fraud, corruption, and never-ending irregularities surrounding the Democrat party.

It's your choice voters: Stay the course with Alberta Darling and keep in place all of the Governor Walker backed changes for Wisconsin, or go backward, bend over and get ready for 3 billion dollars in debt once more.  Vote August 9th!




  1. Sandy Pasch Busted Again for Deceiving Voters
  2. Election officials probe voter 'block parties'
  3. Sandy Pasch must come clean on coordination
  4. Campaign Controversy: Complaint filed against group connecting food and voting
  5. Claims of Election Fraud, Illegal Collusion Arise in Wisconsin Recall 
  6. Rep. Sandy Pasch should step down as a board member of a third-party group that is campaigning against Sen. Alberta Darling, Pasch's opponent in next week's recall election.
  7. Pasch/Darling race: Where's the money coming from?