Badger Pride: On Wisconsion (The Hip-Hop remix)

(old found draft post) Fixing Milwaukee Notes – Notes from 9/7 Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Sep 11, 2008 @ 16:08
My “Fixing Milwaukee” post are on hiatus. The problem is real big, I am a bit discouraged at the moment. I am not sure of the next steps.
–
Reference Definition: Institutions
Definitions Matter. For future reference, I will use the definition for “Institutions”
“Institutions are the humanly devised constraints that structure human interaction. They [...]

Thoughts on the upcoming Green Bay Packers Season

I usually don’t watch any pre-season games, but I will be watching tonight’s Packer games.
This is going to be a challenging season for the packers.
IMHO, there are three big issues for the packers:
1) Defense: How will the defense adjust to using primarily a 3-4? There is a lot of “fingertip feel” that the defense is [...]

Les Paul, RIP

Goodbye to the Wizard from Waukesha:

From Guitar-Tech on Flickr

“Milwaukee County headed for huge deficits, study says” (Fixing Milwaukee series)

As reported in JSOnline.com:

Despite repeated warnings, Milwaukee County has failed to fix deep-rooted budget problems that could blow up in a few years, says a study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Forum released Tuesday.
The county’s long-term solvency may require state or other intervention unless Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and the County Board cooperate on [...]

“Nearly one-fifth of local streets – 193 miles – are now beyond their intended life spans, some by as many as 60 years.” (Fixing Milwaukee

An interesting Milwaukee Journal report documented that Milwaukee CityGov can’t even manage the basic of street repair:
But decaying roads can be found throughout the city’s 1,025-mile network – from the inner city to more affluent neighborhoods.
The analysis also shows:
• More than half of city streets have gone four decades or more without repaving. About 97 miles [...]

Wisconsin’s New Brand Logo is…”Live Like You Mean It”

Jeez.

They might as well has chosen:
- “Beyond Cheese”
- “The taxes are not quite as high as you think. Really.”
- “More Lakes then Minnesota and without the funny accents”
- “We suck less then Michigan”
- “The Clean-Air Suburb of Chicago”

“Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, told Press Wednesday that the Fairness Doctrine is needed not to remove any conservative voices, but to ensure that there are a few liberal shows on the air.”

When I hear stuff like this, I wonder why is NPR (the dominate FM talk radio network that is Liberal/Leftist mostly – and on the public dole) ignored? How about Wisconsin Public Radio? It is liberal to leftist and I presume the other state Public Radios are as well.
I presume since NPR and the others [...]

More Wasted Taxpayers Money and a Culture of Corruption (Fixing Milwaukee)

Sigh:

When the County Board set up the Task Force on Work Reform for Men more than a year ago, it was pitched as a low-cost effort to find jobs for out-of-work African-Americans and Hispanics.
Who can argue with that?
But the biggest job the task force has created so far is a $248,000 consulting gig for a [...]

Creative Destruction Example in Milwaukee

The local Schwartz’s bookseller chain just died (it couldn’t compete with B&N in the fleshspace, or Amazon.com in cyberspace), but its 800-CEO-READ:

At a time when independent, bricks-and-mortar general bookstores all over are closing, 800-CEO-READ is an independent that’s thriving. With just 15 employees and 3,000 square feet in a renovated office building in the Third [...]

“For the past five months, Amanda’s Medicaid payments have been delayed because of problems at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services”

It is being blamed on the computer system:
Officials within the state agency acknowledge they’ve had trouble with a new $64.2 million computer system that handles Medicaid services. Glitches with the automated system caused a backlog of claims, preventing the state from processing some prior authorizations for therapies and medical equipment.
The agency has been unable to [...]

“County Executive Scott Walker and other county officials hope to reap significant savings by issuing the pension debt at about 6% and investing the earnings at 8%” (Fixing Milwaukee)

What idiocy!
So who will get fucked on the most on this?
1) The taxpayers who stick around  and will have to pony up in increased taxes and reduced services to cover this action which is sure to fail?
…or…
2) The larger pool of creditors, retirees, and taxpayers when the county declares bankruptcy in 10 [...]

This Cow Photo at Reason is Freaky.

Here is where I saw it.
Even as a Wisconsinite, it is a bit freaky to me. Also, a bit sexy.

Fixing Milwaukee Note: Buh Bye Milwaukee School Board Idiotarian Hardinh

She corrupt. She’s an Idiot. And now soon she’ll be gone.
The lack of nine valid signatures appeared Thursday to have brought an end to Charlene Hardin’s controversial, 12-year career on the Milwaukee School Board.
“This letter is to formally notify you that your nomination papers did not include 400 valid signatures required to have your name [...]

Green Bay Packer Mason’s Crosby’s 69 Yard Free Kick try from 12/28

It was still pretty nifty!

Kohl’s caught screwing with its customers…

…here.
It only takes little actions like this that become widely known to destroy consumer confidence in a store chain, in a brand. Consumer can and will vote with there and take there money elsewhere.
If this is an isolated issue, Kohl’s should very publicly fire the management of that store.
If it is not isolated, that is, [...]

“…the Milwaukee Police Department will get the new uniform style it wants, but it could come at a significant price…a 33% premium” (Fixing Milwaukee)

The Milwaukee Police are rightfully switching to modern uniforms:

Graphic from JSOnlinehttp://media.jsonline.com/images/199*359/uniforms_122608.jpg
Nothing is done simply by Milwaukee’s inept municipal bureaucrats though:
The only supplier that made City Hall’s first cut, Goldfish Uniforms, submitted the highest-cost bid by $340,000, a 33% premium compared with one of its main competitors, city records show.
Goldfish, for example, would charge the city [...]

Winter F*cking Wonderland

Its is icky outside today in the Milwaukee area.
Lots of snow. Lots. Frack the snow.
I didn’t bring my camera for this blizzard, so no photos.
It took me 40 minutes to go the four blocks from my apartment to a main road. I got stopped by a car that was spinning its wheels and couldn’t go [...]

“The city’s Department of Public Works has been asked to patrol the lot to keep out illegal parkers, said Cecilia Gilbert, a spokeswoman for the city agency.” (Fixing Milwaukee Series)

Some special event visitors had a negative experience with downtown Milwaukee parking:
Jim Kirk was searching for a place to park around 7 p.m. Sunday near the Bradley Center when three men braving the evening wind and rain ushered him into a gravel lot at 324 W. Juneau Ave.
One man collected the cash – $10 – [...]

The “I am too Lazy/Busy to post” Open Thread & Linkspasm

I have been both too busy at work to post or read much and also too tired/lazy in the evenings to post, so here are a bunch of issues that might interesting. I will make updates in the comments.
I will engage in comments here and elsewhere, but I most likely won’t post much if anything [...]

YouTube Science Fiction: “This is my Milwaukee”

I found this on Althouse:

I really don’t recognize it. I don’t think it was filmed in Milwaukee.

Fixing Milwaukee: “A team of Journal Sentinel reporters spent a year examining the drinking culture in Wisconsin”

The series is called Wasted in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Journal did a good job.

I voted around 4:30pm…

…and the line was pretty short.

Future Milwaukee entrepaunerial activity seeds: “MSOE to open biomolecular engineering program”

This sounds cool!

The Milwaukee School of Engineering next fall will launch a degree program in biomolecular engineering – the first bachelor’s program of its kind in Wisconsin – thanks to a $6 million gift from philanthropists Robert and Patricia Kern and their daughters.
“We’re very excited about the program,” MSOE President Hermann Viets said. “Our aim [...]

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan – Fake Conservative

So first  Ryan compromised his “principles” and supported the Bailout.
Now, according to JS Online, he is coming out against free trade (I support free trade):
So forgive the people of the state’s 1st Congressional District if they are a little confused by Ryan’s latest ad.
“People are hurting because American companies benefit by shipping jobs overseas,” the [...]