Republicans Demand Their COVID-mas Tree

Wisconsin Republicans have been having a conniption fit over the Holiday Tree for over a decade.  Before Scott Walker was elected, it was inclusively called a Holiday Tree.  When Walker was elected, he made a big deal of making sure people knew that he was changing the name to "Christmas Tree." When the current governor, Tony Evers, was elected, it went back to Holiday Tree. This, of course, sent Republicans into a frenzy.

This year, their faux outrage hit new levels when Evers announced that since the Capitol Building was closed to the public due to the COVID 19 pandemic, there would be no tree by any name this year.  The move makes sense.  Why go through the hassle and expense of finding the best tree, chop it down, move it to the Capitol Building, get it inside and erected and decorated if no one was going to be able to see it?

It makes sense, that is, unless you're a Republican.  State Rep. Paul Tittl and Shae Sortwell bought a cheap artificial tree and erected it on the ground floor of the Capitol.  It was promptly removed by statehouse operations workers because they did not have a permit for the display.

So Tittl bought another cheap artificial tree, which met the same fate as the first one.

Now Tittl has scheduled an event for this week to put up a third tree, decorate it and sing Christmas carols. All lawmakers, legislative aides and other statehouse workers are invited. Tittl claims to have applied for a permit this time, but the committee that would approve such permits and which is led by one of his Republican colleagues, won't be meeting again this year.

This would be hilarious in its pettiness if it wasn't so outrageous on two counts.

The first offensive thing about this scheduled event is that these same Republicans banned people from coming to the building in 2013 to participate in a Solidarity Singalong.  At the singalongs, people would sing union protest songs regarding ACT 10 and other anti-worker laws.

Republicans were so outraged by the singalongs, they ordered the Capitol police to arrest the participants.  The police were arrest everyone and anyone, including disabled vets and little old ladies.

This practice was later ruled in court as being unconstitutional.

The even more outrageous part of this whole debacle is that the Republicans have not met for over eight months to take any action on the COVID 19 pandemic. Nearly 4,500 people have died from the virus. The total number of confirmed cases is more than ten times that number.  But the Republicans did not deem it a problem worthy of their attention much less taking any action.

But not to have a Christmas tree that no one will even see?! That simply will not do! I'm surprised that they haven't contacted Trump to ask him to send in soldiers to protect their cheap tree.  They'll probably decorate the damn thing with ornaments that look like little COVID viruses.

It's good to know that we Wisconsinites are less important than a fake tree that started out as a pagan symbol and was taken when the Romans usurped Samhain as a holiday.

Biggest Paper In State Fails To Report On Biggest Slumlord

Last fall, 17 people were poisoned by carbon monoxide in Mantiwoc, Wisconsin. The three buildings in which the people were poisoned are owned by Republican State Representative Paul Tittl:

The incident took place Oct. 31, 2016, and affected Susie Kay’s Café at 1110 Washington St., the Republican Headquarters office at 1112 Washington St. and the five apartments at 1112 Washington St., all owned by Tittl.

Ten people from the apartments and seven from Susie Kay’s Café were taken to the hospital to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. Four of those people were taken to Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee to be treated with a hyperbaric chamber. Another one was in serious condition and had to be flown to Milwaukee by helicopter.

Susie Kay’s Café was reopened and the families returned to their apartments after Nov. 8, 2016.

During the police investigation into the incident, a detailed examination of the boiler servicing the apartments and the café was performed. According to the police report, a couple pipes coming from the boiler had been blocked with various materials, including insulation, which could have affected the combustion in the boiler. Another possible cause for the carbon monoxide buildup was a cracked heat exchanger or having no water in the boiler tank.

When the boiler was checked for carbon monoxide after everyone had been evacuated from the buildings, it was giving off 700-800 ppm (parts per million) when it should have been giving off zero ppm.

The boiler was later confiscated by Manitowoc police as evidence.

Not reported is that at least one person suffered severe brain damage and is still in a nursing home.

To make the story even worse, Tittle barely got a slap on the wrist for endangering all these lives, having to face three minor citations.

One would think that the biggest newspaper in the state, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, would have covered the story.

One would be sorely mistaken. At the time of this writing, the paper has not even mentioned it once.

It would have undoubtedly been a different matter if Tittl had been a Democrat, African-American and/or a woman. If they had done what Tittl was done, they would have hounded the person until they resigned or were charged.

For example, let's look at what the paper breathlessly covered, getting the story out before they got all the facts straight.

Democratic State Representative Christine Sinicki got into a financial bind when she had to help her in-laws get and stay in an assisted living center, something that many people, including myself, can relate to from personal experience. I'm sorry, but I just don't see any shame in getting into a hole in taking care of one's family because the state wasn't willing to help. The reporter, Dan Bice, tried to make it seem that way.

Bice went after Sinicki another time because she got mileage reimbursement for driving from Milwaukee to Madison and back while her license was suspended. She didn't even know her license was suspended until it was brought to her attention and she paid her fine immediately and got the licensed reinstated.

The kicker to this attack was that Bice's source was Media Trackers, a right wing propagandist group with a horrible track record for hyping false narratives and getting their facts wrong. But that never slowed Bice down for a minute.

And the Journal Sentinel wonders why their circulation has dropped to a mere fraction of what it used to be.

Remind me again, how is the corporate media liberal? By only slamming Democrats, women and African Americans while letting Republicans get away with almost killing people?

Paul Tittl's Odorless, Colorless Deadly Gun

By Jeff Simpson

Recently, 17 people got seriously ill who were in a building owned by Paul Tittl(R-AFC) in the 25th Assembly district.

Mr. Tittl, seems to have decided to save himself $20 and not put detectors in his building.

That then led directly to this:

Does anyone know anything more about the carbon monoxide poisoning on Washington Street that happened last week? Like, were there any fatalities? Are there charges against the owner of the buildings? My friend lived in the apartment complex on Washington and has been in ICU in Milwaukee on a respirator for the past week. He is still unresponsive.

Of course he was fiend before for not having any detectors and having a faulty furnace!

When someone keeps up their buildings like this, what would you expect?

 I would say an unusable window would be a perfect parable, for the party of lawmakers(WISGOP) that refuse to follow the law, but then I came across this picture which actually says everything!

Nuff Said!

If you have not voted today, please do.   If you live in Manitowoc area please head to the polls and vote for Ron Kossik!  

To Paul Tittl Your Life Is Worth Less Than $20

 

By Jeff Simpson 

In Manitowoc, 17 people learned the hard lesson of trying to live under WISGOP rule.

MANITOWOC - Seventeen people suffering carbon monoxide poisoning in downtown Manitowoc were taken to local hospitals Monday morning, Manitowoc Fire Chief Todd Blaser said during a 2 p.m. news conference Monday.
Ten people — two families and two individuals — who resided on the upper level of the buildings on the block have been temporarily displaced. Seven people who were in Susie Kay's Café were also treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Four people were taken to Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee to be treated with a hyperbaric chamber. One was flown to Milwaukee by helicopter.

What does this story have to do with the WISGOP?  While it was never mentioned in the news story, Rep. Paul Tittle (R-American Federation for Children), is the owner of the building.   Rep. Tittl saved himself $20(being a fiscal conservative), and almost cost 17 people their lives!  

While government regulations and carbon monoxide detectors are not welcome, feel free to bring your gun(sign in Tittl's store front)!  




Apparently CCW does not protect you against slum lords who refuse to follow code and install simple carbon monoxide detectors.  Who Knew?

Luckily, for the people in the 25th Assembly District have someone running who values their life more than a green piece of paper with Andrew Jackson's picture on it - Ron Kossik!  

Here is Mr. Kossik's website, go "like" his facebook page and send him a few bucks and/or go knock on doors for him for a couple hours!   Those 17 people who almost died, and the rest of Wisconsin will thank you!