Banding Together For Julie

Four months ago, Julie Christensen, a corrections officer in the Marathon County Jail was brutally assaulted by an inmate. In the assault, Julie took a severe blow to the head which put her in intensive care for weeks.

The assault was the result of austerity measures being taken by Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger.  The jail was overcrowded, understaffed and had faulty equipment.  It was a recipe for disaster.  Sadly, Correction Officer Christensen took the brunt of Karger's willful negligence.

The good news is that Julie is out of the hospital and back at home.  The bad news is she has a long road of recovery and it is not know how fully she will be able to recover.

To help her with her extensive bills and loss of income, her fellow officers and friends are organizing a fundraiser for her, which they are calling "Banding Together for Julie."

You can also get more information from the Wisconsin Professional Police Association's website for the event:

Julie Christensen Walk/Run/Bike Benefit – August 3, 2013

Officer Injured in Line of Duty

Walk/Run/Bike
5k Start/5k Return/Total 10k

(Participant may choose whichever they prefer)
on the Mountain Bay Trail, Weston, Wisconsin

• Saturday, August 3, 2013
• Registration 9:00am at:
  Dale’s Weston Lanes
  5902 Schofield Ave, Schofield WI 54476
  (MAP)
  Phone: 715-359-8488
  Web: http://www.westonlanes.com

• Hamburger and Hot Dog meals will be sold at reduced cost for all participants with a wrist band.
• $25.00 Per Person

Questions please email: juliecause@gmail.com

Get PDF of event and Release of Liability if you want to participate.

If you are unable to make it to the event, there has been a trust fund established in her name at Integrity First Bank, 101 Grand Avenue, Wausau, WI 54403. Their phone number is (715) 845-0900.

Your Tax Dollars Not At Work - The Good Furlough Friday Edition

Today was Day 4 of the 22 furlough days that Scott Walker dictated I have to contribute to his gubernatorial campaign.

As I have repeatedly pointed out, every day I miss work due to these furlough days, it is another $600 in lost revenue for Milwaukee County. Just on me alone, Walker has now squandered $2,400.

Wow, that's real fiscal responsibility! He creates his own deficit, and then makes it even bigger in a bogus campaign stunt.

And as Walker's campaign logistics coordinator (is that a fancy name for chauffeur?) pointed out in the comments of last night's post, Walker is dipping into my check to help pay for his campaign. So far this year, I am out about $500, which really hurts considering my wife's severe underemployment, caused by Walker's inability to lead the County out of the fiscal crisis it's been in for years.

But don't worry friends, starting next week, I will be joining other county workers and hopping on the OT train. With Walker laying off people, and prompting scores of other workers to pull the trigger and take their retirement, most areas of the county is severely understaffed. This situation is, of course, only made worse by the furloughs.

But there are state and federal guidelines to meet. Since there are not enough workers and Walker refuses to hire more workers to bring staffing up to the bare minimum, the only other choice is to pay the existing workers overtime.

Presuming I survive the layoffs* that are coming, I should make all the lost money back in short order. Unfortunately for the tax payers, that might mean nothing, or worse than nothing, since he is still cutting revenue streaming while increasing this spending.

But at least I made good use of my time off today. I actually slept for a full seven hours. It was the first time I slept more than five in I don't remember how long. True bliss comes from a full night's sleep.

I then got a pair of new glasses that broke on me yesterday. Kudos to LensCrafters for their excellent customer service and standing behind their products and service. And I do so enjoy the first day or two of having new glasses, when everything is sharp and bright. It makes the whole world look new and fresh.

I also donated an unit of blood. They say one unit of blood can save three lives, which means I did more for Milwaukee County residents in one hour than Walker has done in the last eight years.

I also took care of some Milwaukee County First business, which was a good feeling when it was done, since it ended with favorable results.

To end the day was a thoroughly enjoyable fish fry with family and friends.

These furlough days are a lot easier to take when I know that some extra money is coming my way. It's almost like having another vacation day.