Supervisor Haas' Comments On Usurpation Bill

The press release from Milwaukee County Supervisor Jason Haas, Chair of the Intergovernmental Committee regarding the plutocrats' hostile takeover of Milwaukee County:

This law was created without substantial input from the citizens of Milwaukee County who most rely upon county services or use county amenities. Instead, this bill was designed to do the bidding of a very small number of people whose means are far beyond that of most people in Milwaukee County. This legislation removes the necessary oversight of democratically-elected representatives that are vital to a healthy democracy. The law’s authors and supporters have long dreamed of having monarchical rule over public assets. Much of that will be achieved with the signing today.

The list of things that can be done in secret and without any oversight may include putting cell phone towers on the lakefront, selling off county park lands, and privatizing the airport.

Yet the people of Milwaukee County will never be allowed to vote on arguably the most dangerous part of this law that gives the county executive unbridled fiscal powers. Anyone who claims it to be ‘local control’ or ‘reform’ is playing cynical, vindictive politics. This law was written for powerful, unaccountable corporate interests by lobbyists who worked behind closed doors in Madison. In no way should it be considered the will of the people, for the people will not be allowed to vote on 99 percent of what is in the bill.

If the County Executive and the Greater Milwaukee Committee had spent as much money on paid lobbyists to help find a funding solution for transit, we might be in a better place right now. Instead they are more interested in destroying checks and balances and selling off public assets as quickly and cheaply as possible. With the passage of this legislation, there’s no one to put any water on their fire sale of Milwaukee County’s (previously) public assets.

This bill is irresponsible governance at its worst.

There's not one false or exaggerated word in there, either.

Abele's Trolls Attack!

I saw this on the Facebook page of Milwaukee County Supervisor Jason Haas and I wanted to share it with you:

A comment was posted on my blog a little while ago from an anonymous person who claimed to be a constituent. This person also claimed that I am unresponsive to constituents.

Curiously, this comment, which was anonymous, came from a server at the lobbying group Mueller Communications. That company is a hired gun in the "nuke the board" fight.

The IP address that the comment came from appears to have a physical location in Waukesha. As a Milwaukee County Supervisor, I do not have any constituents who live in Waukesha County.

If this person is indeed a constituent who has not gotten a response from me, I asked that they call my office, and their needs will be met, by me, immediately. The phone number is 278-4252.

In any case, we are still waiting to hear from this constituent who works at the lobbying firm and posted from the Waukesha IP address.

For full disclosure, I met two weeks ago with a person from Mueller, albeit on a different issue. So it's facetious to claim I don't respond. Even to lobbyists.

Troll attacks are nothing new. Neither is the fact that the trolls are habitually sloppy in their attacks. That's why they're called trolls.

But it is significant that Chris Abele and his fellow plutocrats at GMC are resorting to having their hired supporters resort to such tacky lines of attacks. It appears that all of Abele's appearances on talk radio is doing nothing to turn the rising tide of negativity coming from their power grab.

Hmmm. Americans are against tyranny. Who'd have thunk it?

Solidarity Fish Fry, Week 12: Good Cod, Y'all!

Last Friday was the twelfth week of the Solidarity Fish Fry and it was another fabulous week.

When I arrived, I noted that Randy Bryce, the Count of Cod, was there with his beautiful wife, Fay, and his handsome son.

Fortunately, they know we're coming now and so they made up extra food for the rest of us.

I had the distinct pleasure of dining with Annie Wacker and John Kaye, our newest author, Shane, and my good friends, Milwaukee County Supervisor Jason Haas, his wife, Stacie, and their dashing son, Ellison.

Stock photo of Sup. Haas

The Progressive Democrats made for a strong showing as well:

But the surprise solidarity eater was none other than Representative JoCasta Zamarripa and her companion, Delila:

The waitresses and other staff again expressed their appreciation of our support.

I have also learned that the negotiations appear to be heading towards an end, but it is not known whether it is for good or bad.  We will keep you informed.

But until there is word otherwise, we will continue to hoist our forks in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at Serb Hall.

We'll see you there this Friday for lucky Week Thirteen as we ring in the New Year with another Solidarity Fish Fry.

Bragging Rights

Milwaukee County Supervisor Jason Haas and I - we got some!

Walker Clone Dropped Like A Rock

In case you somehow missed it, Milwaukee County voters rejected Scott Walker a second time by kicking his clone, Jeff Stone, out the door and elected Chris Abele in a 61-39 margin, very close to the 62-38 margin Tom Barrett had won Milwaukee by in the November gubernatorial race this past November.

Obviously, Milwaukeeans are more than ready and able to start the healing caused under eight years of Walker's negligence and abuse.

But adding the cherry to the top of this local race was the typical display of cluelessness that his campaign had shown throughout the race when his campaign manager had called current county executive Marvin Pratt and asked if she could come in and measure the office windows for new curtains before the voting polls were close to shutting down.

Congratulations are also due to the two newest supervisors, Eyon Biddle and my personal friend, Jason Haas. Both men won their races handedly and will make fine additions to the County Board.

The Ways and Whys I'll Be Voting on Tuesday

Tuesday is Election Day, as the gentle reader is surely aware.  I don't like doing predictions or endorsements much, mostly because they have a great ability to turn around and bite you, usually at the least opportune moment.  But I can tell you how I'm going to vote on Tuesday, and why I am voting that way.

Supreme Court

I will be voting for JoAnne Kloppenburg to be the new Supreme Court Justice.  She has proven herself to be a dedicated servant to the people and to the law.  She follows the law and the most her detractors can come up with against her is that they don't like the laws that she was hired to enforce as a prosecutor.

Her opponent, on the other hand, has proven himself to be unworthy of a law license, much less a seat on the highest bench in the state.  David Prosser is a career politician who isn't afraid to lean on the big, bad Koch Brothers for their help, even if it means selling out the entire state for it.  Furthermore, he has more than amply shown his lack of temperance and good judgment when he acted completely and utterly unprofessionally to his colleagues, most noticeably the Chief Justice herself.  As egregious of the other things mentioned, Prosser has made it clear he would be a rubber stamp for anything Walker or his cronies would send to the Supreme Court, which is alarming considering that even the current hot topic of the budget repair bill is against federal law.

Milwaukee County Executive

To be honest, I'm not thrilled to death with either of the candidates for this job, Chris Abele or Jeff Stone. I would have preferred someone who was more eager to being proactive in restoring the county after eight years of Scott Walker's abuse and neglect.  That said, the choice for this race is also very clear.

Stone is Walker's heir apparent, and the two of them can't get enough of singing each other's praises.  Stone thinks that Walker was just a grand county executive and is an even greater governor.  He has also said that the would continue where Walker left off.  What that tells me is to expect more sexual assaults at the mental health complex, more buildings falling on people and an ever increasing debt even while furthering the deferred maintenance and lack of repairs that have been plaguing the county.  Stone has also shown questionable judgment by regularly working with ex- and future-cons.  And he has the Walker hypocrisy displayed by calling Abele an amateur while failing to file a campaign finance report which was both accurate and on time.

While I have some concerns about Abele's plans, such as for the transit system, the parks and other important assets, I don't believe that he would willingly cause the chaos or the harm that Stone would if elected.  Abele said that he is willing to listen to all sides and work with anyone if they have a good idea.  I certainly hope he keeps that promise.

County Supervisor District 10

I don't live in this district and thus can't vote for it, but as I pointed out during the primary, Eyon Biddle is the guy to go with.

County Supervisor District 14

As with District 10, I don't live in District 14, so won't be voting in this race.  But I can tell you hands down that I would be voting for my good friend, Jason Haas.  Not only is Jason well-versed in county issues, he has some outside of the box ideas on how to get things moving in a positive direction.

His opponent, Steve Kraeger, leaves a lot to be desired.  For starters, Kraeger knows nothing about what is a county issue versus any other level of government.  But to make things even worse, there is some considerable hanky-panky going on with his campaign finances.  We already have a supervisor, Paul Cesarz, with those kind of issues. We don't need a second one.

Milwaukee Circuit Court Branch 18

This is a race between Pedro Colon and Christopher Lipscomb. Both men are currently sitting as judges, with Lipscomb presiding as a municipal judge challenging Colon.  As in the primary, I am going with Lipscomb.  Lipscomb is a straight forward judge who would show a strong dedication to the law.

Colon is first and foremost a politician.  As evidenced by a growing ado about the fact that Colon and Prosser have endorsed each other in their respective races, Colon is going to do whatever he thinks is going to be the most politically expedient, even if it means doing a mutual love with what most people consider to be an unfit judge.

 I don't want a judge that wants what is helpful to his or her career. I want a judge who will follow the law. In this race, the person is Lipscomb.

Primary Primer: Another Way To Make Scott Walker, WISGOP Hear Your Voice

With all of the hullabaloo that Scott Walker has caused with his egregious and malicious power-grabbing and union-busting proposal is the fact that Tuesday is Primary Election Day.  This is also a powerful way to send a message to Madison by electing people that will work to stop and even reverse the damage that Walker and his cronies have caused and want to cause.

Supreme Court


There are four contenders for this seat.  The incumbent is David Prosser, who has been bought and paid for by the same people that gave us Michael Gableman and Scott Walker.  Due to his obligation to these special interests, he's turned a blind eye to Gableman's unethical lying.  And if that isn't enough to not vote for Prosser, it turns out that he likes to go soft on child molesting priests as well.

That leaves Joel Winnig, Marla Stephens and Joanne Kloppenburg.  Winnig won me over when I read how he took it to the vile Gableman.  However, after giving it some thought, I believe the best choice would be Joanne Kloppenburg.  Not only is she independent and willing to be thoughtful to the law, she is also willing to hold culprits like Gableman accountable.

Another reason is that it is safe to assume that WMC has, through talk radio and puppet groups like Wisconsin Club For Growth, enough people will be duped into voting for Prosser.  I believe that Kloppenburg is the best choice to overcome the smear job that will start on Wednesday.

 Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 18


There are three contenders for this spot,  Roy Korte, Christopher Lipscomb and Pedro Colon.  A lot of people that I respect are backing Colon, either out of name loyalty or some other reason.

This is where I am going to buck the trend and recommend Christopher Lipscomb.  I believe that Colon will have too much mud on him for that he might get bogged down in the general election.

Lipscomb also has the experience that would make him worthy and qualified to take it to the bench in Branch 18.

County Supervisor District 10


There are two very respectable candidates in this race of many, Eyon Biddle and Cavalier "Chevy" Johnson.  I believe that the constituents of District 10, as well as all of Milwaukee County, would be well served by either of these gentleman.  However, if I were a voter in that district, I'd have to give the edge to Eyon Biddle.  As I said, they are both good men, but Biddle appears to be a little more experienced in the body politic and would have a better shot at hitting the ground running.

County Supervisor District 14

As with District 10, I am not a voter in that district.  However, I would give the hands down vote to my good friend Jason Haas.  I've known Jason for a few years and I am quite impressed with his devotion to making Milwaukee County the best it can be, especially in these trying times.  Jason is already showing a willingness to look outside the normal routine of things to find new revenue streams, such as increasing tourism, both with County residents and visitors with his "SuperPass" plan.

Milwaukee County Executive

There are currently five people vying for the unenviable position of having to start cleaning up Scott Walker's mess in the county while simultaneously dealing with the mess he will be throwing at us from Madison.  It will take someone with a clear vision of where they would like to take the county and a willingness to take the county to that place.

The five people who think they are that person is Ieshuh Griffin, County Board Chairman Lee Holloway, State Representative Jeff Stone, philanthropist Chris Abele and former State Senator Jim Sullivan.  I will start out by saying that not one of these candidates have completely won me over.

Ieshuh Griffin, once one can get past her unfortunate decision to label herself with the slogan "Not the whiteman's bitch," does appear to have a good grasp of county issues and some ideas on how to solve them.  Unfortunately, she will present a good idea and then say something totally whacked, like that the Court System is out to get black people.

Lee Holloway obviously has the knowledge of the county ways and needs and how to meet those needs.  However, it's pretty clear that Holloway is unelectable.  First, he has the albatross of the pension scandal around his neck.  Secondly, he's made some questionable decisions, such as the hiring of Renee Booker as Director of the Department of Administration or for becoming too chummy with Walker while he was county executive.  Holloway's problems only increase when one takes into consideration the problems with his rental properties.

Jeff Stone is Scott Walker's heir apparent.  He is also a rather drab, boring man.  He hopes to gain his office by appealing to the extremists and those who just weren't paying attention for the last eight years and thought Walker was a good leader.  He also has the advantage of having talk radio practically begging voters to support him, even though they can only do it in a half-hearted sort of way.  But besides being a Walker crony, Stone paints himself in a worse light by saying that he would follow Walker's footsteps.  I'm sorry, but I for one have had more than enough buildings falling down, female patients at the mental health complex being raped and enough of people kicking the fiscal can down the road.

I've had the opportunity to meet Chris briefly a few weeks ago.  He is an affable young man and is easy to like.  He has a wonderful skill of putting people at ease and making it seem like he is really listening.  And therein lies one of the rubs against him.

I would rather have someone that actually listens to the people and not to just himself or to his group of wealthy friends.  When it comes to ideas, he comes up very short on specifics or even ideas that will actually do much to save the county.   For transit, his idea is to shuffle some routes around and move some times.  However, it's already been shown that our transit system is already at near maximum efficiency.  His other plans may sound populist, but also have very little meaning.

Even more disturbing was the news that came out today that the Greater Milwaukee Committee, of which Abele is a leading member, introduced a new plan for Milwaukee County.  Their plan, which I will parse at a later date, is basically raising our taxes, cutting our services, taking away our representation and, like Scott Walker, take away some of our basic rights.

I tried to like Chris Abele. I really did. Many of the people whom I hold in the highest of regards are in support of him.  But I, for the life of me, cannot see what his appeal is.  Yes, he has lots and lots of money, and he is, more likely than not, able to buy his way past the primary.  But when it comes to ideas, he seems to be overly vague about what they are, and the ones that you can discern aren't very promising.

That brings us to Jim Sullivan, who I will be voting for in the primary.

I have not always agreed with Sullivan, such as his pushing for the desecration of the county grounds.  However, I had a chance to speak with him for a short time.  He impressed me with a clear cut, defined vision of what he saw for Milwaukee County and how to get from where we are to where he would like us to be.  Sullivan is realistic enough to know that we aren't going to survive just by cutting things.  He told me that is what Walker did due to his blind ideology and that is why the county is in such bad shape.  It's hard to disagree.

He wants to join with the County Board to push for a sales tax just for the transit system.  He said that the problems with the last one is that they were trying for too much at once, which spooked off many law makers. He also pointed out that that the Board and Walker were giving mixed messages to law makers, allowing them to mess things up as they wanted to.

As for mental health services, he wants to increase community-based services, much as was recommended by the Public Policy Forum report.  He also recognized the need for a facility to house the people that couldn't be safely moved into the community.

He also would like to start fixing the parks system which has been neglected for so long, but he said that will have to wait until we can get the economy moving back in a positive direction.

In my opinion, Sullivan beats the rest hands down.  He might not be able to flood the TV and radio airwaves like Abele, but he does have a clear and defined vision, which is worth much more to someone like me, who wants the best for their community.

Put Steve Kraeger In The Also-Ran Bin

You know, it's bad enough that you send out a press release to local bloggers which is so filled with errors that one of them has a field day shredding the thing to pieces.

But then to send out the same press release two weeks later - without making a single correction - well, that should put you automatically into the also-ran bin.

If Kraeger doesn't know what the county does and doesn't do, and isn't willing to learn, much less learn how to run a campaign, why would anyone vote for him?

Besides, all the cool kids, and all the informed voters, are voting for Jason Haas.

Violating Rules #1 And #2 Of Running For A Milwaukee County Office

Came home tonight to find this in the old inbox:

Steven Kraeger has registered as candidate for Milwaukee County Supervisor in District #14. 

 Steve is focusing on the economy and has rallied around Gov. Scott Walker's "Wisconsin is open for Business" declaration by using the motto,  "Milwaukee County is open for Business".  

Steve, who prides himself as being a fiscal conservative, hopes to bring in new business and job growth for Milwaukee County and that he can attract business by keeping taxes and government expenses down through auditing the Milwaukee County budget.

Along with the economy, he wants to attack other issues like addressing the problem of the crumbling Hoan Bridge, MMSD dumping sewerage into Lake Michigan, transportation, political corruption, smaller government, and clean beaches and parks.  If elected, he plans of having listening sessions every 30 days. 

Steve is the owner of a trucking company and has invested in real estate development.  He has been a lifetime resident in the Milwaukee area and has lived in Milwaukee County District #14 for 28 years.

For more information on issues and Steve Kraeger visit his website at www.milwaukeesupervisor-stevenkraeger.com or, you can call Steve at [redacted].  Email:  [redacted]

Well, it appears that Mr. Kraeger, whoever he is, has violated the first two rules of running for a Milwaukee County office.


But first, let us parse this press release, shall we?

Steve is focusing on the economy and has rallied around Gov. Scott Walker's "Wisconsin is open for Business" declaration by using the motto,  "Milwaukee County is open for Business".  

Um, Steve, Walker isn't creating any jobs, his slogan is laughable and laughed at, and so is yours.

Steve, who prides himself as being a fiscal conservative, hopes to bring in new business and job growth for Milwaukee County and that he can attract business by keeping taxes and government expenses down through auditing the Milwaukee County budget.

See the previous point.  In addition, the county budget is audited a number of times each year to make sure it's on track.  But it's the next one that is the doozy:

Along with the economy, he wants to attack other issues like addressing the problem of the crumbling Hoan Bridge, MMSD dumping sewerage into Lake Michigan, transportation, political corruption, smaller government, and clean beaches and parks.  If elected, he plans of having listening sessions every 30 days. 

Hooey, where to start? 

• The Hoan Bridge, that's a state issue and the repairs and redecking have already been ordered, in case you haven't noticed.  
• MMSD is a city thing and not under county jurisdiction.  
• Political corruption? But you say you're with Walker? Which one is it? Walker's office was/is politically corrupt.  Either you're with Walker or you're against corruption, but you can't be both.
• Pushing smaller government is not congruent with a good transit system or clean beaches and parks.  In case you weren't paying attention, and it appear you haven't been, Walker has cut staff at transit and the parks, and both have suffered greatly for these cuts. 

You see, Mr. Kraeger, the first rule to running for an office in Milwaukee County is to know what the hell it is that you are talking about.  You obviously don't.  And what little information you do have apparently comes from talk radio, which is not a very good source of reliable information.

By not knowing even the most fundamental responsibilities of the job you are applying for eliminates you automatically.  After all, would you, as an owner of a trucking company, hire a driver that couldn't drive?  Of course not!  For that same reason, you do not deserve to have a position as county supervisor.

Oh, and the second rule which you violated...Don't ever let me get my hands on stuff like this.

BTW, if you had been with me earlier this evening, you could have met your next supervisor, Jason Haas.  Jason is a really smart guy who does know what he is talking about and does want to improve Milwaukee County.

Drinking Liberally This Wednesday

From our gracious DL host and proud papa, Jason Haas:

Hello! We are excited to report that Mike Tate, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, will be our guest host at next Wednesday’s Drinking Liberally! That’s on October 20, just under two weeks before the general election. I know we’re anxious about that, so come find out what Mike has to say about getting us through to the other side with victory by our candidates!

According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, “Tate served as the Deputy State Director of America Coming Together in 2004. He was hired as the State Director of Dean for America. He served as the Regional Political Director for AFSCME Council 40, and was the State Field Director for Falk for Governor. He was a Statewide Student Organizer for the 2000 Democratic Coordinated Campaign. Directly prior to assuming the role of chair of the state party, he served as the Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin and then the Executive Director of Advancing Wisconsin.”

Come with your questions for Mike, and find out how help win the November elections for us — lest Drinking Liberally become a sort of support group as it was during the dark days of the Bush II administration.

I just may decide to drag myself out for this one. Perhaps someone who owes me a beer or ten will be there.

Russian History Via Tetris

Well, Jason Haas should get a kick out of it anyway.

Drinking Liberally Tomorrow With Tim John

Ah, yes, it's that favorite time of the month, when progressives (and the occasional Libertarian) gather together in good cheer and discuss the current events of the day. And these days, it's what else, but the political races which are current.

Well, the races and the birth of the next generation of liberals (Hi, Ellison!)

From proud papa and gracious host of DL, Jason Haas:

Hi folks,

Ever have one of those days where you're hanging around in the hospital room with your wife and newborn son, when someone says to you, "Hey, uh, you know, you should probably post something about Drinking Liberally..."&@#$@!!! Yes! DL meets tomorrow!

And I'm excited to report to you that two exciting events are happening in DL-MKE land. First, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim John will be coming to Drinking Liberally tomorrow night! Please come out to see what Tim John has to say, and why he thinks you should vote for him.

No matter who you voted for, I will thank Tim for upholding the democratic principles that our country was founded on.

The second exciting event is Living Liberally co-founder Justin Krebs coming to Milwaukee on his book tour! Krebs has written "538 Ways to Live, Work, and Play Like a Liberal." It's Krebs's personal and practical guide to embracing your progressive values everyday life -- I'm looking at you, Nick -- as well as the big ideas of what it means to be a "liberal" in America today.

Come meet Justin Krebs at 7:00PM on Wednesday the 28th at Sugar Maple. His book will be available for purchase there, and you can meet one of the folks that helped make Drinking Liberally possible. Here we've started conversations while we shared a drink and engaged with our neighbors. We've helped good candidates win their races, and we're going to do even more of that this year. Thank you, Justin, for helping bring this rag-tag band of lefties and liberals together.

As always, Drinking Liberally-Milwaukee happens at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee, at 7 PM.

Oh, and that stuff I said about newborns at the top? Yeah. Ellison Henry Haas joined us this past Sunday the 18th! As I probably will be absent tomorrow, my good friend Zach "Dubya" Wisniewski will be your cordial host for the evening. Do a heckuva job, Zach!

So put your DL pins and come on out! I'll see if you I can.

best,
Jason & the Milwaukee DL crew

Holy cow! Two events in one month! Don't these people realize I have to make my mandatory contributions to Walker's campaign?!Anyway, come out and enjoy the good things in life, liberally.

Is Sensenbrenner Feeling Nervous?

Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-Police State) must be feeling a tad bit nervous. Or should I say, a "Todd" bit nervous?

Having been in Congress for 32 years, Sensenbrenner is an old campaign warhorse and knows all the tricks of the trade, obviously.

However, this year it seems that his Democratic opponent, Todd Kolosso, might have him more than a wee bit nervous.

Sensenbrenner has filed a challenge to the signatures that Kolosso has filed. That in itself is nothing out of the ordinary for a politician to do, regardless of the party.

Kolosso is so confident that he sent out a press release this morning pointing out Sensenbrenner's actions:

In a sign that a Congressional seat Republicans have held for 32 years may not be safe in the current anti-incumbency climate, the Wisconsin GOP mounted a nomination paper challenge against Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner’s opponent, Todd Kolosso, hoping to remove him from the ballot.

“Sensenbrenner’s camp can try using political shenanigans to knock me off the ballot, but it’s not going to work,” said Kolosso. “I have the signatures. I’m in this for long run, and I know I can win. Apparently the Congressman agrees.”

My good friend, and beaming new father, Jason Haas, points out that for Sensenbrenner's challenge to be successful, they would have to eliminate almost 200 signatures. Unless Kolosso's campaign is totally incompetent, that seems unlikely. Jason also points out that Sensenbrenner also has an opponent running as an Independent, but he has nothing towards this person's campaign, making it seem even more so that Sensenbrenner is nervous about Kolosso.

Driving this point home even further, is Kolosso's response to the GAB, as written by his attorney, Michael Maistelman, regarding this challenge. Sensenbrenner's challenge is based on things easily addressed, such as a missing date or a missing address. But the most intriguing complaint was that Sensenbrenner was arguing that signatures should be eliminated because they weren't written in perfectly legible cursive.

Really? Because he didn't like how someone signed their name? And he is supposed to be representing these people? Really?

Ah well, Sensenbrenner can look on the bright side. When he is unseated, it will give him lots of time to use up those frequent flier miles he's accrued over the years.

Welcome to the World, Ellison Henry!

My dear friend and colleague at Milwaukee County First, Jason Haas and his beautiful wife, Stacie, are the proud parents of Ellison Henry Haas, who came into this world this afternoon.

It's a little disappointing that Jason backed off of the name "Helmut" at the last minute.

I would like to wish the Haas Family the warmest congratulations from mrs. capper and I.

Mazel Tov!

Meanwhile, At Milwaukee County First

My good friend, the outstanding Mr. Jason Rosenzweig (nee Haas) tells the County Board to vote against paving over paradise to put up a parking lot at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

I question the wisdom and the reason behind a resolution to censure Supervisor Lynne De Bruin about her blowing the whistle on the horrors occurring at the mental health complex.

Drinking Liberally?

Jason Haas, host of our local version of Drinking Liberally, has sent out the plug for the upcoming April 21 edition of DL, although it will not be quite as liberal as is the norm. From Jason:

Hi folks,

This is not an April Fool's joke. Republican (Tea Party) U.S. Senate candidate Dave Westlake is coming to the next round of Drinking Liberally Milwaukee. Westlake is one of the two declared Republican candidates who will be competing in the primary to run against U.S. Senator Russ Feingold.

As Dave will be our special guest, let's treat him with respect. Even if you disagree with him, treat him with respect. Show him what good hosts a liberal crowd can be.

Dave is not the first Republican candidate we've had at Drinking Liberally, by the way. That was Don Holt, the honest Republican (yes, I said...) who ran against the incumbent faux-Dem Sheriff Clarke in 2006.

I'll send out another note or two closer to the actual night. As usual, we meet on the third Wednesday of the month. This one will be on Wed. April 21, and as always, it starts at 7 PM.

I wonder if Drinking Right would ever have a Democrat at one of their events, and if they would be able to act civilly towards him or her.

Walker, Through Vetoes, Shows His Inability To Lead

Scott Walker issued his vetoes today, and they are absolutely mind-boggling in their ineptitude and utter foolishness.

First, Walker vetoed a resolution calling for a study into the viability of providing health care benefits to the domestic partners of eligible county employees. Supervisor Chris Larson decried this veto, claiming that it will treat some county employees as second class citizens. My friend and fellow board member at Milwaukee County First, Jason Haas, points out the potential cost, if benefits were to ever be granted, is minimal, especially when contrasted to the gain it would provide for Milwaukee County.

This move by Walker is just another example of Walker's bigotry and his pandering to his extremist right-wing base, disregarding such quaint notions such as equality and promoting the county back to leadership status.

But then Walker really shows how his ideology and political aspirations have caused him to lose all contact with reality and that he is nothing more than a hypocritical fraud when it comes to leadership.

Some of the vetoes that Walker did to the amended budget were completely predictable, even if wrong-headed, like his profiteering privatization schemes, expecting non-negotiated concessions from the unions and discriminating against the poor, the needy, the disabled and the elderly.

It has been shown that the privatization that he insists on pursuing doesn't save the tax payers one penny, but in fact actually ends up costing more than if the jobs had been kept in the public sector. That doesn't slow Walker down though, because union-bashing is one of his handful of campaign stump speeches. Besides, he can steer those contracts to his campaign donors.

But to eliminate things like the pools, the community centers, mental health services, park maintenance, and the Community Justice Resource Center shows that Walker no longer has a moral compass to guide him. These vetoes show that he is more than willing to step on anyone, but especially the most vulnerable of our citizens, in order to pursue his myopic and monomaniacal pursuit of the governor's chair.

Also inexcusable is Walker's veto of the preservation of the farm and fish hatchery. The farm and fish hatchery costs tax payers absolutely nothing, as even the pro-Walker local paper points out:

... Eliminate the county's Farm and Fish Hatchery in Franklin, which is run with inmate labor. No savings.

but provides invaluable services by allowing the Hunger Task Force to feed hundreds, if not thousands, of hungry Milwaukee County citizens.

So if it costs nothing, and yet provides such a valuable service, why would Walker veto this, and not embrace it like most politicians would? The answer is twofold. Walker believes this will play well with his base, which usually doesn't want to be bothered with trivia like the truth. But it also is just another perennial attempt by Walker to open up this land for development, and maybe score himself some big campaign donations.

But the most baffling and most telling, but not most egregious, example of Walker's inability to be an effective or responsible leader is his restoration of the parking meters along the lakefront.

As I pointed out last week, while observing the County Board voting on the amendments, the parking meters makes no sense whatsoever:

Much to the joy of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and all lovers of the parks and the lakefront, the proposal to put parking meters up along the lakefront was roundly defeated. The clincher to its defeat was the fact that implementation of said plan was to raise $450,000, although it was pointed out that there was no explanation on how Walker’s staff came up with that number. In exchange, UWM informed the Board that it would cancel its lease for parking with the County, resulting in a loss of $94,000. UWM also would end its contract for U-Pass, the bus shuttle service, which is worth $2.3 million dollars.

There is no way under the sun that anyone can call foregoing $3.2 million dollars of guaranteed revenue for a hoped for $450, 000 as being fiscally responsible. The fact that Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Steve Schultze didn't call him out on this is another example that investigative reporting is indeed dead.

These vetoes by Scott Walker are not holding to his campaign pledge of fighting taxes. Nor are they politics as usual, as County Board Chairman Lee Holloway states.

They are just another showing of his cynical and hypocritical posturing in his perpetual chase of the governor's seat, and that he will go to any extreme, even doing unconscionable harm to the most vulnerable among us in this pursuit.

Please call your County Supervisor today, and tell them that Walker cannot be allowed to run his campaign off the backs of Milwaukee County anymore.

Congratulations, Kids

My dear friends, Jason Haas and Stacie Rosenzweig, have tied the knot today.

It is my understanding that they were inspired by the video that was the rage a few months ago, in which the bridal party danced their way down the aisle. So much so, that they did something similar, with their own little twist to it (heavily influenced by Jason). I did manage to get some video of it for your pleasure:



Again, congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Rosenzweig

Drinking Liberally - The Night Of The Petitions

From Jason Haas, Coordinator of Drinking Liberally, Secretary of Milwaukee County First, proud and lucky fiance of Stacie, and all around mensch:

Hello my friends,

The march of time is almost as steady as the march of the beer glasses at Sugar Maple, our drinking institution of choice. So, let us gather and discuss drinking! Or just have a beer and not talk about anything. It works either way.

As always, we meet on the third Wednesday of the month, which means we gather from 7PM to 9PM tomorrow, the 16th. We'll have a lot to talk about, including Milwaukee County First, and looking at what's happening in the health care debate.

Speaking of: Living Liberally has launched a petition with SEIU, calling for liquor companies to stop fighting health care reform. SEIU will donate $1 to Living Liberally for each signature they receive. Will you sign the petition (http://action.seiu.org/page/s/LivingLiberally)?

Thanks!

Jason & the Milwaukee DL Crew

I will be there as well, at least for a little while. Come on down, have some good beer and some good conversation, and sign the MCF petition while you're at it.

Drinking Liberally - No Haas In The House Edition

Received a note today from Jason Haas, host of Drinking Liberally:

Hi folks,

As your friendly host and organizer, it saddens me to report that I will not be able to host Drinking Liberally this coming Wednesday August 18. Unfortunately, events beyond my control have demanded my presence elsewhere.

This does not mean that you, my dear and only friends, cannot get together anyway. You could have a fine time without me! So go ahead, go to Sugar Maple (441 E. Lincoln Ave.) tomorrow around 7-9 PM. They'll take good care of you at Sugar Maple. And I will see you in Septemer!

Say, if you do get together tonight, please make a big Get Well Card for Mayor Barrett. He needs our support! Alternately, please send him a card or a letter of support of your own. Here's his office address:

Office of the Mayor
200 E. Wells Street
City Hall Rm. 201
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Thanks!

Jason
Your Friendly DL Host

I say, "Bah! Who needs him?"

I know I will already be at the Sugar Maple, as I believe Zachary from Blogging Blue and maybe some other folks from Milwaukee County First. So come on down and tell us your favorite Jason Haas joke. We promise not to repeat them, unless they're really funny.