Sky Is Falling

I was channel surfing this morning when I came upon MSNBC. They were asking whether the US economy was collapsing. Intrigued, I continued watching, wondering what it was that might be bringing down the strongest economy the world has ever known. And the apocalyptic news was the loss of 4,000 jobs.

Now that is not good news, of course, but it follows four consecutive years of job growth. The US economy has added millions of jobs in recent years. Furthermore, unemployment is at 4.6%, very near historical lows. So the answer is no, the US economy is not collapsing.

Now this is not intended as an econ thread but instead a media bias thread. So I wonder, if the loss of 4,000 jobs prompts MSNBC to ask whether the economy is collapsing, what did they ask when the US economy was generating millions of jobs? Or when tax revenue skyrocketed after the Bush tax cuts? Or when poverty decreases last year?

Water Politics

I didn't realize that one makes a political statement by drinking bottled water. Then I heard about a proposed tax on bottled water in Chicago. And this weekend I listened to two different authors tout their books on C-Span. One thought that bottled water demonstrated the superiority of the private sector, while the other author felt that bottled water was proof of consumerism run amuck and the cause of needless environmental damage. What do you think?

Just Wondering

John Edwards has called for manditory medical procedures as part of his universal health care plan. Anything manditory, by definition, precludes choice. How would Edwards square his plan for manditory medical procedures with a woman's right to choose an abortion?

Indoctrination 101

McKinley Middle School students are learning the art of leftist political activism. They are out on the streets appealing to taxpayers to build a waterpark. Playing the victim and appealing to fadish causes is part of the playbook. "There's not enough stuff for kids to do" sniffed one student while also noting that "sustainabilty is using green space wisely and not polluting the land." What's more, a dip into a cool, clean pool will help us deal with the effects of global warming caused by greedy corporate Republican polluters. OK, I made that last one up. The students will forgo any efforts to convince the private sector to build a water park, and will instead be "contacing local officials and organizations to gather support for their vision." The effort is being led by public school teacher Larry Jozwik.

Stand By Your Man

RAMAC has offered their help in finding a new school superintendent, one just like Dr. Hicks. "We really want to make sure Dr. Hicks' educational initiatives continue" said RAMAC educational director Carol Barkow.

Yikes! I like Carol Barkow, but Hicks was here for six years and RUSD is no better than when he arrived. I think we should start with a clean slate and some new chalk.

Prediction Comes True

I was cleaning out my closet yesterday, discarding skeletons and such, when I found a copy of a commentary I had written for the JT three years ago or so. One paragraph in particular bears repeating. Here it is:

"And the big question in Racine is, will Superintendent Hicks' education plan work? And the answer is, no. This is not to say that Dr. Hicks doesn't have great ideas, he may. The problem is that Hicks ideas are being implemented within a system, a monopoloy, that always underperforms. Dr. Hicks will eventually be replaced by a new educational guru, who will bring new, equally unattainable promises. And when this happens, we should not blame Dr. Hicks, we should blame ourselves for perpetuating a doomed education delivery system."

Do we really want to make this mistake again, or do we rally around Robin Vos for school vouchers?

Your Turn

Twenty percent of US students can't identify the US on a world map. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Random Thoughts on Dr. Hicks Departure

1. I don't feel like celebrating.
2. Financial shenanigans aside, Hick's should have been removed primarily for the districts academic failings.
3. There is not a person alive today that can turn around RUSD. It will take a village. Oops, that won't work either.
4. Will local voucher opponents now stop citing the Milwaukee voucher school principal with the dozen Mercedes? RUSD is obviously no better, and is conceivably far worse, at managing public money.
5. Will Racine's elites apologize for their misguided support of Dr. Hicks? In case you don't know who you are, you are the Racine Journal Times, The Johnson Companies representatives, and RAMAC, to name a few.
6. Will we try something different this time, like, say, openly and honestly addressing the multitude of issues that preclude the possibility of meaningful internal reforms at RUSD? Among those are disruptive students who get shuffled around to different schools, teachers that can't teach and can't be fired, and excellent teachers who can't be given the raises that they deserve.
7. If the same nonsense that happens routinely at Unified were to happen at private schools, parents would pull their children out and send them to a better school. Those children would be better off. Unified students won't be so lucky. Is it for the children or isn't it?
8. Will the next superintendent please speak plain English? I am tired of the purposefully confusing and meaningless eduspeak that comes out of the central office.
9. If we can't make Unified better, can we at least make it smaller?
10. There is little point in bashing Dr. Hicks now. Instead we should bash ourselves and resolve not to make the same mistakes again. Do we even know what those mistakes were?

Car Bombers of Collectivism

The Journal Times editorial board today advocates for the Democrats Healthy Wisconsin plan. No surprise there. But in the process, they lament the partisanship and the "ideolgues that are out in force again."

And the Journal Times presented their usual moderate, cautious, and balanced (sarcasm) look at the opposition. You know, the folks, like me, who are just a wee bit concerned about the doubling of our taxes, not to mention some concerns about the likely effectiveness of the universal health care coverage that they are advocating. We are described derisively as the "mujahideen of free market capitalism."

Well I hate to stoop to the level of the JT... oh who am I kidding... it will be fun to stoop to the level of the JT just this once. They are the car bombers of collectivism, the storm troopers of socialism, the Molotov tossing Marxists, the Taliban of tyranny....

Teaching Leftism, er Peace

MPS teacher and MJS community columnist Thomas Biel "feels good to be part of a peace movement." The brightest MPS students, those enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, will be subject to a curriculum that attempts to "develop students who will help create a more peaceful world." Sounds great.

This is not "some kind of left wing political agenda" Biel assures us. "The concept is not anti-military or so niave to think that we can somehow make war disappear." Great!

Biel continues in a fashion that would make Micheal Moore blush. "It is sad to think now of the many American soldiers... who are told they are liberators when they are pawns of the profitable business of war." And "It is sad to think of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have died while our government insists they are being liberated." And "But under the Bush administration and due to the consequences of its war in Iraq, we have reached the point where the integrity of freedom and democracy has been put into jeapordy and risks becoming meaningless." And "Will we teach peace or continue to foster allegiance to an ideology that divides the world into the crusaders for freedom vs. the evildoers as justification for the continuation of military domination?"

OK then, we know where Mr. Biel stands. But don't worry. Certainly the students will be offered additional perspectives on peacekeeping. No doubt Mr. Biel understands that endless rounds of negotiating and appeasing Hitler, for example, resulted in the needless death of millions. And I am sure he appreciates the US Military for bringing that war to a successful conclusion. Certainly the students will be taught to identify evil, despite their immersion in a multicultural education, in order the muster the conviction to confront the bad guys of the world. I am sure that the concept of peace through strength will be thoroughly explored. The students are in good hands, right Mr. Biel?

Environmental Education?

I just finished reading one of my son's summer reading books, Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse.

There is an accident at a nuclear power plant in a northeastern town. A boy, age 15, has been exposed to high levels of radiation and is quite sick. His father, the plant manager, died shortly after the accident. The boy and his mother, called evacuees, are offered a place to stay at a farm fairly near to the accident scene. The boy, at his death bed, is comforted by the youngish girl at the farmhouse. She reads to him mostly and he gradually recovers from the radiation poisoning. The girl is instrumental in his recovery and the two of them form a close bond. The boys recovery is fleeting, however. He gets sick again and dies shortly thereafter. But before he does, he tells the story of the fights that he had with his dad. "I told my father, if anything ever went wrong, if there ever was an accident, it would be his fault. For accepting nuclear money, for accepting nuclear risk. It would be his fault." And the girl had the following conversation with her grandma after the boys death: "You really believe that something will be done. (about nuclear disasters presumably)" said the girl. "Ayuh," Gran said. "But maybe you have to be the one to do it."

This was a nice, moving story. But my question is this: Is my son being groomed to be an environmental activists, or is dad hypersensitive about imaginary political agendas?

Eugene Kane Gets It!

It is not often that I am in substantial agreement with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane, but I am today. Kane's column today addressed the issue of the disproportionate numbers of blacks in our prisons. I was prepared for the usual pronouncements of racism, profiling, poverty, joblessness etc... as the primary cause, and he offered a bit of that, but mostly he touched on some unfortunate and often overlooked truths.

For example, he noted his visit to the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility, where one of the inmates talked about a younger brother "who actually considered it a badge of honor to have an older sibling in prison."

Kane also noted that "a little time behind bars serves as a strong dose of truth serum for inmates", many of whom declined to offer excuses, knowing full well why they find themselves in jail. In other words, they are in jail because they are guilty of committing criminal acts, not because of profiling, poverty, racism, etc...

There is a serious problem when a sizeable subculture glorifies criminality while looking up to prisoners. It should be no surprise that criminal behavior and prison terms would flow from such a warped world view.

Thankfully, a prominent black columnist in Eugene Kane seems to understand this problem. And that is the critical first step in addressing the problem.

Ethical Dilemma

My business is in need of two new employees, and I placed a notice to that effect inside our store. As it happens, two of the best applicants so far work at a nearby small business. I know and like the owners of said nearby business and I am certain that losing two employees would present a hardship for them. On the other hand, it would be unfair to deny two individuals an opportunity to change jobs, and, presumably, improve their lives, for the benefit of their employer. What to do?

Dear Diane

What would I do with the extra money not taken by government if our tax burden were lower?

That question was posed to me by Blueracine.blogspot.com blogger Diane in a recent post on that blog. Diane had implied that I was after power, control or perhaps a mansion devoid of loving occupants. To the best of my knowledge I have never met Diane, but she sure seems to have some pretty strong opinions about who I am. Anyway, here goes Diane.

My first inclination is to tell you that what I would do with my money is none of your business. But I am a good sport, so I will tell you a bit about myself. I ride a bike that I bought twenty years ago from a friend. I play tennis with second hand rackets. I have no toys beyond those. I could afford the toys if I wanted them, I just have little interest in stuff. If I had more money, my life would change very little I suspect. I might by the $15 bottle of wine instead of the $8 bottle. I would probably try to change careers and start a small local newspaper. I would not aspire to control anyone or gain power over others, as I am more interested in empowering others.

But alas Diane, my interest in a lower tax burden is not just about me, it is about everyone. People typically do one of two things with the money that is available after taxes. They spend it or save it. And unless they are stuffing it in shoeboxes, that money is being circulated into the economy, where it creates jobs, results in improved products and services etc... and more wealth and well being than if it were handed over to the government. The reason is that, on average, individuals will make better choices with their own hard earned money than strangers will with other people's money. This is not intended as a screed against government but rather as an acknowledgement of human nature. People will typically take better care of what is theirs, in this case money, than they will take of someone else's money. This natural human tendency is summed up beautifully in a quote I have read somewhere; " nobody has ever washed a rental car."

Diane, I suspect it might be difficult to shake your stereotypical and false impression of me and other fiscal conservatives. It is far easier to demonize others than it is to try to understand them. In my view, it is neither good for you or the larger society to behave in this manner.

On Appeasing Boycotters

From time to time I get threatened with the dreaded B word. B stands for boycott. And so it is again. First time blogger "Lisa" has declared that she will no longer patronize my business. I am highly suspicious of this "Lisa" and would not be the least bit surprised to discover that "she" is someone not enamored with my political persuasion, and is using the boycott threat in an effort to muzzle me. It won't work.

At any rate, "Lisa" apparently believes that I am not sufficiently concerned about poverty. I can understand "her" conclusion to a point, as I have written that I do not think about the plight of the workers who produce the products that I buy. I went on to explain that to do so would be impossible. How many workers from how many countries, for example, do you think contribute to the production and distribution my box of Roundy's Pancake and Waffle Mix? Where do they get Aluminum Sulfate from? Are the Aluminum Sulfite workers properly compensated? Are the folks who produce Thiamine Mononitrate earning a living wage? Do Niacin producers have a decent health care plan?

Thankfully I am not burdened by these questions every time I purchase something. The reason is not that I don't care, but that I believe, after much consideration, that people are generally better off if they are able to sell their legitimate products and services freely than they would be if their production and distribution were overseen by "Lisa" or other elites that think they are smarter or more compassionate than you. Thus I am reasonably assured that Niacin producers, though they may not have an adequate health care plan, are marginally better off if I buy their product than if I don't. Thus purchases off all types are not guilt inducing experiences for me.

But alas, this is not the main point of this blog. I wonder what "Lisa" expects of me. Does "she" wish that I would substitute my judgement and thoughts for hers in order to make money? Must my thoughts and beliefs be calculated purely for profit maximization? What would I do if two customers held fervently opposite viewpoints on an important issue? Do I side with the one who spends more money at my business? What would I become if my every thought and action were calculated to please the maximum number of customers?

The very thought of whoring my mind and soul to the highest bidder just sickens me. It is not going to happen "Lisa".

Killer Taxes

I frequently visit BlueRacine.blogspot.com, a fringe left web site run by a Kay from Burlington. Recently she was lamenting the loss of life caused by Republican attitudes towards taxes that leave people to die due to lack of medical care. So I posed the question as to whether high taxes might also be fatal to some. She seemed never to have contemplated the question.

To her credit, she asked me to elaborate, which I did, in the following manner. High levels of taxation leave us with less money in our pockets, all other things being equal. As such, we may well end up purchasing used tires instead of new, we might forgo an alarm system in our home, we might drive instead of fly. Each of these decisions that we might make because of higher taxes will leave us marginally less safe. Multiply these increased risks by millions of people and certainly some will die as a result of higher taxes. Also, I explained, high taxes decrease the incentive to take financial risks. Why risk millions to develop a life saving medicine if the government will take most of your profits. There is a reason why life saving innovations come from mostly free countries like ours and not Cuba and North Korea. Freedom, including economic freedom, are needed in order to have the mind boggling array of products and services that most of us take for granted. And high taxes rob us of our freedoms as well as the great things that free people can produce. Yes, high taxes are deadly.

PC Photography

Racine County Supervisor Diane Lange complained yesterday, in a commentary concerning rental of excess jail space, about a photo in the JT of several black inmates playing cards. In her own words:

"The accompanying photo in the same issue with the smiling, card playing inmates contributes further to the racial bias and stereotyping that so frequently already fills up local blog sites. It may encourage the community to see crime as a code word for race in our political discussion sphere. This is not helpful for thoughtful discourse."

Now I am confused. I recently went to Governor Doyle's task force concerning the problem of overrepresentation of minorities in our prison system. Diane Lange was in attendance. So we want to bring attention to the problem, just not with photographs? Should the photographer have rounded up a few whites and Hispanics for the photo, or just add them later?

The truth is that there are too many black people in our prisons. To pretend otherwise would be dishonest and would not be "helpful for thoughtful discourse."

Thought of the Day

Can one prefer non-judgementalism without making a judgement?

JT Health Care Newsentary

Yes, I have coined a new term, the newsentary. It is commentary inserted into news articles. The JT does it all the time. Take David Steinkrauses story today entitled "The price of health." Interestingly, the story did not actually mention the price of the proposed universal health coverage for all Wisconsinites. The initial cost is estimated to be $15 billion per year, an amount that would more than double our state budget.

But this health care plan will generate savings, according to Steinkraus. Apparently, numerous counties are projecting savings because health care expenses for county employees and such would be shifted to business owners and workers through a huge payroll tax hike. "And because the Senate bill requires 50% of the savings be returned to taxpayers, it looks as though everyone would gain." writes Steinkraus.

Hmmm. State taxes will more than double. Counties would be relieved of health care costs but would only be required to return half of the savings. Everyone gains. Wow. And that was in a news story, not a commentary.

Costs of Non Incarceration

Racine County Board Supervisor Diane Lange has a commentary in today's JT. Her main point was to suggest that renting out our excess jail space should not be done without careful consideration. Fine. But along the way she throws in some gems like the following paragraph.

"Our community needs to better understand the massive and sometimes invisible ways that incarceration in a jail or a prison affects the families, children, parents, and wider community. Inmates and their families are finacially, emotionally and socially punished."

Liberals always seem to show great concern for the costs associated with incarceration. No doubt she is correct that imprisonment has harmful effects on families etc... but does she ever bother to consider the cost of NOT imprisoning criminals? Should a civilized society ignore the substantial cost imposed by criminals? Should we let bad check writers, burglars, drunk drivers, murderers, thieves etc... do their thing without considering the costs imposed upon their victims?

Suppose we did things Lange's way and only considered the costs of incarceration. Naturally we would want to lessen those costs by not imprisoning criminals. How would criminals respond to this kind of community decision? Would they commit fewer crimes knowing that they would likely avoid incarceration? Hardly. They would simply commit more crimes knowing the punishment would be minimal.

The number of crimes would go up and the cost of the increasing number of crimes would be paid by increasing numbers of innocent victims. I would rather our criminals spend some time in jail in the hopes that they may consider an alternative to criminal activity.

Bottoms Up

I saw a clip of Barrack Obama yesterday touting the bottom up political movement that will result in his presidency. Now I don't mean to pick on Obama. I am sure that all the candidates are saying similar things, after all, they need us (the bottom) to get elected. But Obama seemed generally favorable towards bottom up solutions rather than top down ones. And I would agree with him on that score.

However, the irony is that this bottom up political movement would invariably result in more top down policies. If Obama is elected (or any other Democrat), would we see a preference towards bottom up solutions in health care, or would we see a push for top down universal health care coverage? Would we see a move towards a bottom up solution to our education woes, such as school vouchers, or would we see more federal intrusions like the No Child Left Behind legislation? Would we see a bottom up economy, where individuals keep more of their own money to solve their own problems, or would we see more taxes and thus a more top down economy?

Governor's PC Task Force

I see that Governor Doyle has created another task force, this time to see what can be done about global warming. I had recently attended a public hearing on the task force created to address the problem of overrepresentation among some minorities in our prison system. I concluded at the time that this was a political dog and pony show designed to create the impression that Democrats are on the side of minorities, rather than a serious effort to examine the factors (namely criminal behavior) leading to incarceration.

Anyway, his latest task force has even dropped the pretense of objectivity. "What it won't do is debate the science of whether global warming is real" reports David Steinkraus of the Journal Times. Well there you have it. We will have a task force where citizens are free to discuss their opinions and policy preferences, so long as they are in agreement with the governor.

Can you imagine the uproar if a Republican governor created a task force on studying the importance of faith, so long as the existence of God is not questioned?

Thought of the Day

The surest way to avoid being a hypocrite is to eliminate any standards for yourself.

On Dogs and Liberals

Normally when a black person is accused of or convicted of a crime, many liberals will attempt to minimize the severity of the crime, lament the racism in the justice system, dispute the evidence, and otherwise enable the criminal in any way possible. Not so with Michael Vick, the black professional football player accused of involvement with a dog fighting business and the gruesome torture and deaths of numerous dogs. Vick has essentially been tried and convicted in the media already with nary a whisper of support from the usual suspects. I suspect he would have had far more support had he been accused of rape and murder.

What Would Michael Webber Do?

Dear Michael J. Weber,

I just finished reading your commentary in today's Milwaukee Journal. Your compassion for the world's poor comes shining through. I wonder if you might be willing to offer me some advice.

I own a retail store in Racine. Most of the products that we sell are made in poor countries. I try to buy the best products that I can at the lowest possible price. What's more, I rarely consider the plight of the artisans who are making the products that I buy and sell.

I never really thought that I was contributing to world poverty. In fact, I thought the opposite. I figured that buying products from the poor would help the poor while not buying from them would increase their unemployment and poverty problems. What will happen to the poor if we stop buying from them?

You suggest that we "watch what we buy, learn where it's made and by whom." That sounds good but I am afraid that it is impossible. Even though I am one of the buyers for my store, I can tell you the country of origin of the product and that is about it. With hundreds of different product lines and millions more to choose from, how could I possibly detirmine the working conditions, salaries, environmental records etc... of the workers and companies that I buy from? Which products from which companies are contributing to the problem and which products from which companies are contributing to the solution?

What should I do Michael? Should I close down my store? Should I switch from imports to products made in the USA?

I try my best to be a conscientious person and businessman. I try to do the right thing. What would you advise me to do? Thank you for taking the time to consider my dilemma.

Sincerely,
Denis Navratil

Discipline Dangers

Perhaps you have heard the story of the local man who caught his stepkids stealing. He then made them stand on the street corner with sandwich boards announcing their misdeeds for all to see. This admittedly unique method of discipline prompted three calls to the police, wondering whether the man was abusing his children or otherwise breaking the law. He wasn't.

But the incident left me wondering. Has anyone ever called the police to complain that a parent wasn't disciplining their child? I think the children who aren't punished for stealing will cause our society far more problems than those who are punished.

Response From Mr. Stanford From Journal Sentinel

The following is a response to my recent blog, Letter From a Caveman, that I sent to Journal Sentinel columnist Gregory Stanford.



Mr. Navratil:

Thanks for your message. Your thesis, though intriguing, has glaring flaws. The one I shall mention is that it just does not pan out in practice. States with higher rates of taxation than Wisconsin – among them Minnesota, California and Massachusetts – are among the nation’s leaders in economic activity. And you completely ignore the economic-development impact of public spending – OK, I’m mentioning a second flaw. Try to go to market without roads or hire a good workforce without schools. Oh, and I thought I was being gentle with Speaker Huebsch.

Gregory Stanford
Editorial Writer/Columnist
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Budget Compromise?

The Democratic State Senate and the Republican State Assembly have passed dramatically different budget proposals. The Dems plan calls for universal health care and other tax hikes that would double our level of taxation, while the Repubs plan holds the line on taxes. So now both sides get together to hash out their differences and try to cobble together a budget to send to Governor Doyle. They should compromise, right? Meet halfway. In the middle there is truth etc...

Not necessarily. A split the differences budget agreement would still entail a massive tax increase.

Compromise can be a wonderful thing, but it must be used wisely. My son will often lobby my wife and I regarding his bed time. Suppose we adopted the compromise technique. We might propose to hold the line on his bedtime while he would ask for a half hour extension. So he gets fifteen minutes. Then he gets smart. He proposes a renegotiation. We seek to hold the line, he proposes a two hour extension. We settle on an hour. If one is always willing to compromise, one will always lose ground to an aggressor. Sometimes you have to draw a line in the sand.

And so it is with our budget impass. Do the Dems really want to double our taxes, or is it just a means to increase them substantially after a Republican compromise? Do Republicans actually believe in holding the line on taxes or lowering them, or are they willing to abandon that notion in the spirit of compromise?

If compromise is seen as the end all be all, how long before you are fully compromised?

Letter From A Caveman

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Gregory Stanford compares State Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, unfavorably, to a caveman. Huebsch's mistake, in Stanford's view, is to fail to account for the modest spending by the state of Wisconsin, instead focusing solely on the high taxes. The following is my response to Mr. Stanford:

Dear Mr. Stanford;

Please allow this caveman to take a crack at the economic issues you brought forward in your commentary today. I think you have made several mistakes.

"Wisconsin- which taxes on the high end in comparison to other states- spends in the middle. The widespread assumption has been that Wisconsin, a big time taxer, must be a big-time spender", you write. Yet this caveman is not the least bit surprised by this news. High rates of taxation result in less economic activity. Less economic activity means the government has less money to confiscate from the private sector. Even with high rates of taxation, total government revenue can decrease because of the reduced economic activity. With less revenue, there must be reduced spending or more borrowing. Of course this phenomenon is well known among my cave-mates. There is nothing more discouraging than when we return home triumphantly with a juicy whooly mammoth only to have government take all but the scraps. Sometimes I don't even want to get off my rock in the morning.

"Yet that bogus assumption (that we are big spenders) guides policians to lower Wisconsin's high tax ranking by driving down spending" you write. Unfortunately, nobody in elected office is trying to drive down spending. At best they are trying to limit the increases in spending. In either case, the way to lower our tax ranking is not by reducing spending but by reducing taxes. Reducing spending without lowering taxes will simply result in a government surplus, not that that is all bad.

Another mistake that you make is to compare high taxes, or the high rate of taxation, with spending, in dollars. This is like comparing a sabre tooth tiger to one of your domesticated canines, or as the more evolved might say, comparing apples and oranges. Wisconsin's modest spending is the result of our high tax rate, and the corresponding decrease in economic activity and ultimately government revenue, certainly not frugality on the part of your elected officials. I think you will find that your government officials will spend all the money that they get from the private sector, and then some, regardless of the tax rate. As such, spending rankings are irrelevant. The key to economic growth is for your citizens to prevent the charlatans from taking too much of your money in the first place, thereby spurring more economic activity. You may borrow my club.

And finally, my cavemates and I no longer use ad hominem or ad bipedinem attacks when arguing, recognizing it as the weakest form of argument. Perhaps you could have been more charitable towards Speaker Mike Huebsch.

I suggest you rethink your whole argument. But what do I know?

Olde Madrid

I went to the new Spanish restaurant, Olde Madrid on 6th Street, last night fully expecting lousy service. Has anyone else noticed the lingering bitterness among the Spanish over the pummelling we gave them in the Spanish-American War? Get over it already!

But seriously, I was expecting lousy service because new restaurants in Racine often get huge crowds when they are just opening and before they have worked out the kinks.

There were some service issues, none of which really bothered me. We were asked to move to a smaller table after having already been seated, and bar service was slow. But the staff was working hard and they were very pleasant under the difficult circumstances.

And the food was good. They gave us complimentary hummus that we both liked and we had the traditional pealla (sp?) dish which was excellent.

Ambiance was also nice. Give it a try.

On Race and Retail

I know my recent postings have been, well, lacking in diversity, as my topics have centered primarily on racial issues. But I have another that I hope will be of interest.

We recently received a complaint from a black woman at our store. As an aside, I would like to point out that the vast majority of our interections with customers are positive, however, most of those are not particularly noteworthy, or blogworthy. Anyway, the woman called us the day after she had visited our store. She stated that she was not greeted when coming into our store, while some white people were greeted. Additionally, she could have used some help, but none was offered. She stated that she left the store without making a purchase, and she felt as though her race was a factor in her treatment.

FYI, I was not present in the store on the day in question. Neither of my employees remember the woman having been in the store. Our unwritten practice is to greet people when they enter the store. Sometimes this is awkward, if, for example, some customers are between us and any new customers. In that instance, we would not typically shout past customers to greet someone. Sometimes we are busy with customers and don't have an opportunity to greet new arrivals. Of course, none of us know if these factors were involved, as none of us remember the woman.

But let us assume that the woman's version of events is accurate and I have no reason to doubt her. Is it fair for her to assume that her poor treatment was the result of her color and imagined hostility, on our part, towards black people?

Interestingly, we have noticed an increase in black customers. I welcome this development, obviously, as we, like everyone else in business, want to increase the number of customers that we serve.

My own conclusion is that the woman's reaction was mistaken and unfair to us.

My question to FreeRacine readers is this: When you have an unsatisfactory interaction in a business, do you typically assign a sinister motive to the business person or business owner? If so, or not, why?

Single Minded Diversity

I have seen numerous articles about UW Parkside's efforts to achieve racial and ethnic diversity. There was another such article in today's Journal Times.

I have yet to see an article about any efforts to improve the quality of instruction, or to improve the curriculum, or to improve the quality of research, or to attract a more academically qualified student body.

The efforts to improve UW Parkside seem anything but diverse.

For Your Amusement

I am selling my wares this weekend at a festival in Milwaukee. When I arrived at my booth, a lady was setting up her wares in my assigned location. I asked for the management of the event to resolve the problem, and they did so, in my favor. At which point, the woman became completely unglued. She claimed the decision was made in my favor because management was power hungry and sexist. She swore like a drunken sailor, in two languages nonetheless, and was ultimately removed from the event. It was quite an ugly display.

Her bumper sticker read "Loving Kindness Is My Religion".

On Gender Disparities in the Justice System

Well it seems that some don't like my suggestion that racial disparites in the jail population may be caused by increased criminal activity among black people. So I will apply their thinking to the problem of gender disparities in the criminal justice system.

Of course it is common knowledge that our jails are mostly filled with males. Why are there so many men in jail relative to women? It must be sexism right? Or institutional gender bias? Or is it those all female juries? Or is it gender profiling? Why do our mostly male police officers prefer to arrest other men? Could it be that they are acting out their homoerotic fantasies by wrestling other men to the ground and handcuffing them?

As a man, I think we should take a serious look at this problem. Perhaps Governor Doyle can commission a study on the subject. After all, the gender disparity in the criminal justice system is far greater than the racial disparity.

On Racial Disparities in the Justice System

I attended the Governor's Commision on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Wisconsin Justice System public hearing yesterday at Gateway.

After listening to two hours of testimony, I felt compelled to speak. This is because only one perspective was being offered. That perspective was that the racial disparity was caused by crooked cops, racial profiling, institutional bias, all white juries, and of course, the catch-all, racism.

Another possible explanation, I offered, was that perhaps blacks were committing more crimes, and that if so, we should explore the possible reasons. Perhaps it is the glorification of criminality in music and fashion that is so evident among young black men.

As I was concluding my comments, I indicated that I was willing, even eager, to engage with anyone who thought I was wrong or misinformed. I am still waiting.

Thank You, Robin Vos

State Representative Robin Vos has managed to include school vouchers in the State Assembly's state budget. With a Democratic governor, a Democratic State Senate, and most impotantly, strong opposition from WEAC, the state teachers union, the proposal has no chance of being included in the final budget. Even so, it is worth debating, and it will be worth noting who among our elected officials want to force poor children to stay in failing public schools. Thank you, Robin Vos.

On Fashion and Consequences

I watched the parade on the fourth of July and I could not help but notice the fashion on display by young black men and boys. Nearly all the black boys and young men wore t-shirts that extended nearly to their knees. A smaller percentage wore pants so loose that they had to use one hand to keep their pants from falling to their ankles.

Now I am no expert on fashion, but it is my understanding that this kind of dress has its origins in prison-wear. If so, then the vast majority of young black males in attendance at Racine's parade were identifying with and glorifying ( wittingly or otherwise) prison culture and criminality.

Of course I wonder whether these fashion decisions will have adverse consequences. I can't imagine that they wouldn't.

I own a small business and I have a few employees. Because of the nature of my business, I must place a high level of trust in my employees. As such, it would be foolish of me to hire anyone who chooses to glorify criminals and criminality. Why take the chance when I could choose someone from a culture that does not glorify crime?

The real victims are the young black boys and men who reject prison culture. They would face unfair obstacles because they come from a subculture that glorifies crime and criminality. An employer, lacking information on the potential employee, may well wonder whether the young black man identifies with criminals. My guess is that it would be illegal to ask a prospective employee whether he wears baggy pants and long T-shirts or whether he glorifies criminals, so the question will go unasked and the young black man will not get the job. The blame in this case rests not with a racist employer but with a subculture that glorifies criminality.

Blogging Blues

I have not been blogging too much lately. I have been busy with work, visitors, and I have been enjoying the most excellent stretch of weather that I can remember.

But there is more to my lack of blogging entries. I am becoming a bit bored with blogging. With no disrespect intended to my readers, I think the best, or most widely read blogs, tend to have multiple short entries rather than fewer in-depth offerings. I prefer to really dig in to fewer subjects rather than to gloss over many. And I sense a certain "preaching to the choir" aspect to blogging. It is not freedom loving, free market fiscal conservatives that I wish to engage. I want to engage the "government can solve my problems" crowd in the hopes of winning them over.

I don't intend to abandon this blog. However, I am increasingly interested in starting a monthly alternative newspaper. At this time, I am way too busy to undertake such a project. But my goal is to produce a trial issue sometime later this year. I welcome any ideas or suggestions.

All the news thats fit to omit

Randy Brandt is no longer the editor of the Journal Times. This bit of news came at the very end of an article announcing the appointment of Steve Lovejoy as the interim editor. Lovejoy "succeeds Randolph D. Brandt, who is no longer with the paper" announced the Journal Times.

Now I know the JT is not noted for in depth coverage of news events, but I would think that the departure of their long time editor would rate more than one line.

Utopia in Racine

If I had visited Racine for the first time last night, I would have concluded that Racinians are the happiest people on earth. I went to a concert on Monument Square. I was amazed by what I saw. The square was packed with people of all ages. The weather was perfect. The band, The Britins, played Beatles songs. Everyone was smiling. Those not dancing were swaying to the music. There was not a police officer or politician in sight. After the concert, I witnessed some scruffy looking teens pick up the garbage. I overheard one of them say something like "I don't have to get paid for everything I do." It was a special night in Racine.

Development Blues

According to the figures presented in a JT commentary today, the Point Blue project near downtown Racine will be worth $145 million upon completion. The cost of construction, though not mentioned in the commentary, is presumably projected to be somewhat lower than $145. The developers have already received free lakefront property valued at $1.25 million and an additional $1 million for cleaning up the contaminated soil. They are also likely to receive another $21.5 million in TIF money. TIF money is money borrowed by local governments and "repaid" by developers in the form of property taxes. Since taxes must be paid anyway by property owners, the $21.5 million in TIF money is actually a gift to the developer from Racine taxpayers, via our elected leadership.

All told, the Point Blue developers will be recieving $23.75 million from taxpayers. In actuality, the sum will likely be much larger because the $21.5 million borrowed by the city must be repaid with interest. At any rate, the $23.75 million gift from taxpayers represents, at the very least, about 16% of the projects costs. This figure assumes that the cost of the project is the same as the property valuation (an unlikely scenario) and 0% interest on the government bond (an impossible scenario).

Let us put this in perspective. I am presently engaged in a development project of my own. I project the cost of my project to be about $160,000. If you, generous taxpayer, would also provide me with 16% of my costs, I could cut my costs by $25,000. This would be most helpful to me.

So we have a situation were some politically savvy developers finagle huge sums of money for their developments, financed by you and I, while you and I pay the full price for our own developments, and then some, because we are also paying additional taxes to finance other people's projects.

There is a fairer way to encourage development. First, we could lessen the tax and regulatory burden on all development. We should realize that the tax burden is too high if a developer can not profitably develop lakefront property. Secondly, instead of the city borrowing upfront for development projects, they should instead offer any citizen the opportunity to develop their properties with an understanding that the increased property valuation will not be taxed for some specified number of years. By the way, I offered this idea to Mayor Becker a few months ago.

An arrangement like this would be fair for anyone wishing to improve their properties. Additionally, it would reduce the need for developers to cozy up to government for cash. And this will not be happening anytime soon because politicians derive their power and influence by granting favors and money in return for political support.

Film Follies

I recently read two separate articles in the JT. One of the articles described a proposal to require liquor license holders to pay for and operate a surveillance system at their establishments. The other article involved a proposal to fine liquor license holders for infractions that occur on their premises.

Well how do you like that? The defendant will be required to pay large sums of money to install a surveillance system which will provide evidence to be used against them in court by the prosecution. Now if we could only get the corner drug dealer to film his transactions...

Taxing Alternatives

The Journal Times yesterday challenged Republicans to offer an alternative to Governor Doyle's proposed Big Oil tax, noting that absent the tax, "the state will have a $160 million hole in its transportation budget."

Well, I am not a member of the GOP, but perhaps our top Democrat could return the $500 million he raided from the transportation fund during the most recent budget. Or should Big Oil pay for our education system as well as our roads?

Interracial Dialogue

I had an interesting conversation with a black man the other day. We were talking about the difficulties and challanges facing the black community in Racine and what could be done about things. It was an interesting conversation and I hope we will meet again.

I began to think about interracial dialogue. Most formal efforts to promote interracial dialogue tend to follow a script that goes something like this: The problems in the black community (income discrepencies, violence, unemployment, underperformance in school etc...) are caused primarily by white racism. The reason for the dialogue is to educate white people such that they understand their role in the problems facing black people. Successful dialogue will result in white people acknowledging their inner racist and resolving to overcome it so that racism and racist structures will be eliminated. At which time the problems in the black community will simply fade away.

I reject this analysis of the problems facing the black community. But by no means do I reject the importance of interracial dialogue. I would love to meet with any black people concerned about the issues facing the black community, so long as I am not required to follow the script.

Ethnic Insensitivity at the Journal Times

WARNING!! The following news may be distressing for those of Welsh heritage. The culturally insensitive editorial writers at the Journal Times have just insulted all people of Welsh ancestry in a most egregious manner. In describing the Washington County Board's efforts to renege (sounds racially insensitive but isn't) on a promise, they instead used the very hurtful word "welsh" instead. The "county board two weeks ago welshed on a promise it made to pay $4 million to Cabela's Inc..." wrote the insensitive folks over at the JT.

The Washington County Board broke their promise to a company. What that has to do with the proud and decent people from Wales, I will never know.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. This from etymology.com: Welch: 1857, racing slang, "to refuse or avoid payment of money laid as a bet," probably a disparaging use of the national name Welsh.

Now the only remaining question is what punishment should be meted out to the Journal Times. Should they be shut down? Should they meet with local Welsh people to apologize? Should they attend sensitivity classes? Should FreeRacine readers picket outside the JT, carrying signs that read "I AM WELSH AND I KEEP MY PROMISES!!!"

Beware of "Savings"

Many have asked the question. If the PBCG consultants have saved $20 million, why do we need a referendum? Mystery solved.

Today's article in the JT inadvertantly provides the answer. The savings from changing health insurance providers went directly into teacher salaries. Thus, "savings" are not savings at all, at least not in the way ordinary people understand the word. "Savings" are merely transfers. The only difference is that now transfers cost taxpayers an additional 20%.

So, Unified could eliminate spending on textbooks, transfer the "savings" into an upgraded teachers lounge, and charge the taxpayers an additional 20%.

Thus, if the alleged "savings" of $20 million identified by PBCG is in fact merely a transfer of funds with a 20% surcharge, then the cost of the "savings" to taxpayers is $4 million.

Please Unified, we can no longer afford your "savings".

Republican Regulators Return

Hardly a week goes by before another business is targeted for more regulations by Republicans among our city council. So far, money lenders (Payday Loans), traders (pawn shops), landlords, and especially alcohol related businesses have been targeted for increased regulation. This week its round two, or three, or four against liquor license holders. Alderman David Mack, playing catch-up with fellow Republican regulator Greg Helding, has proposed mandating a camera system for all establishments that sell alcohol.



Alderman QA Shakoor (not a Republican) said "I don't want to see this put a burden on our businesses. Then again, what is the price of being in business?"



Though perhaps intended as a rhetorical question, I will nonetheless attempt an answer. The price of being in business is high in Racine and getting higher. Historically speaking, we can safely blame liberal Democrats for the high taxes and heavy regulatory burdens that have driven away many of our businesses. But increasingly, we can point to our liberal Republicans who continually shackle our businesses with more regulations.



Just once I would like to see one of our Republicans, or Democrats, seek to reduce the burden on businesses in Racine. I won't hold my breath

Test Score Spin

The JT's headline that reads "Unified students show gains in math scores" is not a lie. But it hardly conveys the real story. Unified students continue to lag behind their peers in the state by a wide margin. Even more disturbing is that the test results indicate that the longer you stay in Unified, the less likely you are to be proficient or advanced in math or English. Maybe our truants are smarter than we think.

Business Lessons From 1954

Last summer I found a book at a garage sale entitled "Industries In Racine". It was written in 1954 by Alice Sankey, a public school teacher in Racine. The book was written for Racine's public school children.

One chapter, called Our Best Resources, focuses on manpower. The author cites a comparitive study of Racine's industrial output relative to other cities its size. The study concluded that "the quality of management shares with labor the credit for the high product-value rating (of Racine businesses), because the contribution of each is not seperable." Sankey continues "In other words, the skilled worker alone cannot make a success of an industry. Planners or leaders are needed to figure out the business end of the work, how to handle the money invested, spent, and taken in, and how to build up the business and make it grow and prosper."

The book provides a balanced look at the contributions of workers, management as well as lenders. This is important stuff for children to learn. I wonder what lessons are being taught about business today in our public schools. My guess is that their is a bias in favor of the worker and against management, owners and lenders.

Ethical Dilemma

A women made a purchase at my store the other day. As per usual, the items were put in a bag and dressed up with colored tissue and ribbon, and our customer was on her way. About an hour later, the woman calls to tell us that some of the items that she purchased were not in the bag. We were unable to find the items in our store. What to do?

Question to Ponder

Which would be worse, to be hated or hate-filled, or to rephrase the question, to be a hatee or a hater? I will provide my own answer, hopefully after some readers will offer their own thoughts on the subject.

Official Hate Speech

It looks like Kay of blueracine.blogspot.com is giving Micheal McGee a run for his money. Here is an excerpt of her latest, a comment on the death of evangelist Jerry Falwell: "All's well that ends Falwell." Normally it would be best to ignore the hate-filled rantings on the blogs, but in this case it is important to note that Kay apparantly holds a statewide position with the Democratic Party. If I have read here blog correctly, she is the secretary for the first congressional district. If the Dems had any sense, they would remove her from office.

Praising Democrats

I went to the city council meeting last night for the hell of it. The only issue that generated debate was a proposal to lower or eliminate the fees for the use of Horlick Field by a mostly adult baseball team.

Apparently, the actual cost of maintaining Horlick Field has been estimated, by the city parks department, to be $168 per game. During last years budget wrangling, it was decided that adult teams would pay $80 per game (lights extra) and that junior teams would play for free. The $80 was a steep increase from previous years.

The initial proposal to waive or reduce the fee for one team only was, thankfully, shot down, but only by a narrow majority. And three Democrats, Mayor Becker, QA Shakoor, and Alderman Shields offered the most coherent arguments in favor of keeping a standard fee for all adult teams.

In the end, I believe they reduced the fee across the board to $30 per team, so you, dear reader, have just agreed to subsidize baseball even more than you were before.

On a related note, I wish someone had asked why it costs $168 per game to line the fields and cut the grass. I suspect that jobs like those could be put out for bid and considerable savings could be had.

Problem Avoidance

If you want to beautify a facade, find a good artist. If the facade is falling off the building, the artist can wait. Find an engineer.

Mayor Becker's idea of luring artists to Racine, at taxpayer expense, perfectly illustrates our self imposed political problem, that is, our refusal to confront real problems.

Would Racine need to pay artists to take up residence in Racine, for example, if Racine had a crime rate of zero? No, of course not.

So Racine and its political leaders continue avoid the real problems. Real problems are difficult to solve. It is not easy, politically or otherwise, to address the rot behind the facade. But we must, if we care about Racine.

Plot Thickens

Many bloggers are hailing Mark Lucas as a hero for exposing the rot that is Racine Unified. Not so fast, I say. Today's article in the JT suggests the possibility of a not so noble motive for his recent actions. It seems that Mr. Lucas and his best friend Bill Levin were about to be downsized out of their jobs. Mr Lucas failed to mention this when he wrote "I have no motivation in doing this other than to protect the district and community from what I believe to be unethical practices on the part of PBCG..." Hmmm.

My point here is not to trash Mr. Lucas. Perhaps his caims are entirely accurate. Perhaps his motivation is pure. But his failure to mention that a byproduct of his recent activism just might be to save his own behind, well, does little to enhance his credibility in my mind.

But I now must issue a disclaimer. My skepticism of Mr. Lucas is based entirely on an article written in the JT. The JT is an agenda driven newspaper. Who knows in what manner they are trying to manipulate their readers. If I have made unfair or mistaken judgements about Mr Lucas, I will be sure to apologize for them in the future.

Funding KRM

KRM (Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee) train advocates will tell you that the projects initial investment and the projected annual operating losses are nonetheless worth it because Racine will be a more wonderful place to live and therefore property values will rise and we will all be richer and happier as a result. Perhaps there is a way to allow KRM supporters to bet on their assumptions.

Suppose we allowed KRM supporters to agree to fund the project with an initial increase in THEIR property taxes. Once the project is paid off with their taxes, they could recoup their investment with their increased property values. To sweeten the pot, their property could be taxed at their pre-KRM value until their initial tax investment is paid off. Heck, we could even allow them to profit even further, as it is they who would be taking the risk.

Meanwhile, those who opt out of the voluntary KRM tax would not get a free ride. They would pay the full amount of taxes on their increasing housing values. They would have to pay the full fair for KRM usage (as opposed to the self-subsidized price for KRM investors), and they would be denied the additional profits that might accrue through tax breaks on increasing property values.

What I am proposing, absent the details, is a quasi-privatized train system, or to use a favorite local term, a public-private partnership. I understand that the notion of allowing individuals the option of selecting or rejecting government programs is both unusual (if not unheard of) and potentially troublesome. Our local peaceniks would love the option of not paying for military protection, for example.

The idea is perhaps a bit nutty. But is it any nuttier than thinking that one small industry, car rental companies, can foot the bill for this enormously expensive undertaking?

Harassing Landlords 2

According to US census data from 1960 onward, Racine's population maxed out in 1970 at 95,000 residents and has been in decline ever since. By 1980 we were down to 85,000, by 1990 we were down to 84,000, and we lost another 3,000 by 2000. Estimated population for 2005 was 79,000, meaning we have lost 16,000 residents since 1970.

The decline in residents has resulted in a surplus of housing. This in turn puts downward pressure on housing values. So we now have abundant amounts of cheap housing relative to the surrounding area. But the lure of low cost housing is still not enough to stop our population decline.

So we continue to have more houses than we have homeowners willing to live in them. This in turn leads to one of four less desireable outcomes. Either the excess homes will be abandoned, or they will be purchased by hopeful landlords, or the government will get in the housing business, or they will be razed. Of the four options for the surlus housing, landlord ownership seems least objectionable.

As such, it is not a wise strategy to blame landlords (and make their lives difficult) for the housing surplus in Racine. If we chase away landlords, we will not magically increase the numbers of owner-occupied homes in Racine. There is already ample opportunity for people to choose to buy a home in Racine and live in it. But as we see from the census data, more people are preferring to leave Racine than relocate here. Landlords are not the cause of this phenomenon, they are merely a symptom of it.

Racine is ideally located on Lake Michigan between two major cities. People are nonetheless voting with their feet and residing elsewhere. Rather than address the real reasons for this phenomenon, our local politicians prefer to scapegoat landlords, all the while ignoring their policy choices that are pushing our residents out the door.

Harassing Landlords

Alderman Helding is floating an idea to require an occupancy permit each time a new tenant moves into a rental unit in the city of Racine. I think this is a bad idea.

Like many proposals for more government, Alderman Heldings idea is well intentioned I am sure. But good intentions are insufficient. Good results are what is needed. So let us predict the likely consequences of Heldings proposal.

First, let us acknowledge that the quality of some rental units are obviously subpar. As such, interior inspections will likely find numerous code violations from chipped paint, leaky roofs, faulty wiring, etc... in some of these units. Correcting these deficiences will cost money. In many cases, they will cost alot of money, depending on the condition of the unit and the degree of enforcement sought by the city. And it would be wonderful if all of our housing was terrific inside and out. But I refuse to live in a fantasy world.

In the real world, and in some parts of our city, it is unlikely that a substantial investment in property will pay off for the landlord. If a landlord is required to spend $30,000 upgrading a unit, but the rents max out at $400 per month, what do you think will happen? If owning property in certain parts of our city becomes a losing venture, you can be sure that these landords will simply walk away from these properties. This policy proposal will result in a decline in the quality of our housing.

There are more problems with this proposal. The JT article on the subject notes that there are between 12,000 and 14,000 rental units in the city with a 30 to 40% turnover each year. Inspecting and reinspecting these units will require several more city employees. City employees salaries, health insurance and lifetime pension obligations are already a serious threat to our area. Adding more employees would compound our fiscal problems.

And finally, this proposal would just be another nuisance for honest business people. I know it is fashionable to insult landlords. Indeed the term landlord is hardly used any more, replaced more often that not with the derogatory "slumlord" moniker. Landlords are providing a service to our community. In general and at least, they are responsible for the maintanance of buildings that in many cases would otherwise be totally abandoned.

Harrassing landlords may be a wise political strategy for Alderman Helding and others, but it will ultimately harm the quality of housing in Racine.

A Good Cause?

As a small business owner in downtown Racine, I am frequently asked to give donations for one cause or another. It is a delicate problem.

For starters, it is likely that the average person on the street has more cash than the average retailer in downtown. So I would go broke if I gave to even one fourth of those that request money or other donations.

Perhaps I am being a bit sensitive here, but the requests are often accompanied by promises to patronize the business. The implication to me is that a denied request could mean no patronization.

So I do my best to gently deny the requests when I must, and this is difficult. Often someone needs life saving surgery or a parent died and the child needs money for this or that. It can be heartbreaking.

Yesterday an employee of my business received a call from someone asking for money to fund a party for Racine Unified secretaries. Unlike most requests, my donation would not be tax deductable. So I didn't feel even the slightest twinge of guilt in denying the request. Truth be told, my employee took it upon herself to deny the request on my behalf. Anyway,why would anyone agree to pay for the RUSD secretaries to have a party?

Mob Rule at Unified

Democracy is a dangerous form of government. In a pure democracy, 51% of voters could agree to murder the remaining 49%. The democratic mob must be restrained.

One way to restrain the potentially harmful effects of democracy is to ensure that a minority has rights. The right to live, the right to own property, the right to vote, the right to free speech etc... are among the rights afforded to us whether we are in the majority or not.

Unfortunately, the majority of Racine Unified board members seek to do away with some fundamental rights that most of us take for granted.

The board is attemting to prevent dissenting board members from criticizing the school district, the superintendent (at the superintendents request) and other board members. They also seek to ensure that a majority of board members must agree before an item will be on the agenda for public discussion. The rights of free speech and the right to petition government are apparently a nuisance to the majority of our school board.

If there was truth in advertising, the slogan for the next referendum would be "Shut up and pay."

SAGE and the teachers unions

I must applaud the Journal Times' editorial today entitled "Democrats could use some SAGE advice". The JT points out that state Democrats, in a partisan vote, blocked a proposed audit of the SAGE program. SAGE is a program designed to reduce class sizes to 15 or fewer in order to improve student performance. The JT rightly asks what harm would there be in studying whether or not the program works.

I suggest that the JT dig a little deeper. Their editorial did not mention the teachers unions. Let us not pretend that the teachers unions are a disinterested party. A lower teacher to student ratio means more teachers. Is there any doubt that the teachers unions support the SAGE program? And is there any doubt that if the teachers unions wanted an independent evaluation of the programs effectiveness, that that is exactly what would be happening? And is there any doubt that Democrats usually, if not always, vote the way the teachers unions want them to?

It makes perfect sense to study the effectiveness of government programs. If they are working, fund them. If they aren't, direct resources elsewhere.

The only reason to avoid the audit is because some peoples interests are served whether the program works or not. Those people are the teachers union leaders and some teachers. If the program can be expanded, regardless of its effectiveness, it is a win for the teachers union. That it might be a loss for school children and taxpayers is unimportant to the teachers unions.

The JT started their editorial with the following quote; "All in favor of sticking our heads in the sand, say aye." Their point was to ridicule the Democratic vote that favored ignorance over knowledge regarding the effectiveness of the SAGE program. But I wonder when the JT will take their own heads out of the sand and begin to understand the insidious influence of the teachers union on education and the democratic process.

Importing Democrats

The free market has failed. Yes, you read that correctly. Forget everything I have ever said about the virtues of capitalism. It is time for some government intervention. The free market is simply not producing enough artists.

The notion that artists will somehow save Racine is gaining strength again. Never mind that it didn't work the first time. Remember, 6th Street is the "Heart of the Arts" district. Yes, there are a few galleries remaining and a theatre, but the big push for an arts district hasn't really panned out. Anyway, it seems that now Uptown will be the new arts district and that our local government will make it happen, again.

I must humbly question this strategy. I think the market is telling us something. Artists don't make much money typically. If there were a real shortage, they would be making more money.

But the thinking is that artists will bring more to the table than just art. They will change neighborhoods, make things interesting etc, etc... all of which will foster economic development. I don't know about all that, but this much I do know; artists, more often than not, lean left. Offering leftists financial incentives to come to Racine is a brilliant political strategy for Democrats. But is it good for Racine? I think not.

Reraping Duke Lacrosse Players

Dear Mr. Kane;

I have several concerns about your recent commentary, "Powerful bear blame in Duke case."

Of greatest concern are your factual errors. You wrote that the Duke rape case "fell apart because of the unreliable nature of the accuser." Wrong. The case fell apart because there is no evidence to support the rape allegation. No DNA, no witnesses, no consistent truthful statements to support a rape charge. Nothing. The accused are innocent. When you write that the case fell apart because the accuser was unreliable, it suggests that the rape may well have occured and that a more reliable victim might have helped secure a conviction. But we know that the rape did not occur.

Later you write "The Duke lacrosse players might be innocent of rape..." Correction: The Duke lacrosse players ARE innocent of the rape charge. When you write that they might be innocent, the obvious implication is that they might also be guilty. They are not guilty of rape. They are innocent.

But apparantly you are having difficulty accepting the innocence of the white lacrosse players. "Questions still remain" and your friend Mr. Farrell says "I still think something happened, but in the end it got so contaminated, it's hard to tell what the truth is." No, we now know what the truth is. The players are innocent.

You are now engaged in a very public smearing of innocent athletes. Despite the evidence, you continue to suggest that the players are guilty of something (aren't we all?), possibly even rape.

Given a choice between being called a "nappy headed ho" or being subjected to ongoing suggestions that I am a rapist, I would take the "ho." What you are doing to the Duke players is far worse than what Don Imus did to the Rutgers basketball players. Yet your job is safe I am sure.

City of Racine Violates English Language Rules

According to an article in today's Journal Times, the city of Racine's Unified Neighborhood Inspection Team (UNIT) is substituting $50 inspection fees for $80 citations for building code violations. I wonder if they ran that idea past the city attorney.

Angry at your neighbor? Call the UNIT, make up some bogus violation, and your neighbor will be socked with a $50 inspection fee. Now I strongly suspect that the fee will only apply to those inspections that find a violation. So inspections that do not involve a violation will be free, while inspections that involve code violations will cost $50. Thus the city simply is actually engaged in semantics, substituting the word fee for citation. It is a citation but it is called a fee.

Also problematic is the appeals process, wherin those who recieve an "inspection fee" will have the opportunity to appeal to the chief building inspector, Rick Heller. It would seem to me that the only way to dispute an inspection fee is to argue that the inspection did not occur. It will be easy enough to prove that the inspection did indeed occur because the inspectors will be photographing the properties in question. Thus there would be no point in appealing. Of course we must remember that this is really a citation and not a fee, so I suspect that reasonable appeals of the citation will stand a fighting chance will Rick Heller, whom I have found to be a reasonable fellow.

The city is using the term fee when in reality they will simply be issuing citations and calling them fees. To me this is an obvious abuse of the English language. There should be an English Language Inspection Team (ELIT) and a fee, of course, for violators.

Euphemism Propagator

Why stop at undocumented immigrants? How about unsanctioned executioner, intimacy entrepreneur, unregulated pharmaceutical distributor, freelance fireman, extra-consensual lover, non-transactional consumer, volunteer window inspector, non-traditional mover, oathtaking taleteller, non-contracted private investigator, and force prone political expressionist?

Can you identify these members of society? Care to add some of your own?

Using Joshua Glover

Yesterday I saw a depiction of the Joshua Glover story on an underpass in Milwaukee, and it got me thinking.

For those of you who don't know the Glover story, he was a runaway slave who was captured in Wisconsin and jailed in Milwaukee. Law at the time was that his owner could retrieve him. Anyway, a large contingent of people from Racine went to Milwaukee and freed Joshua Glover.

It is a great story, but why is it receiving so much attention lately? The reason, I surmise, is that it allows us to bask in a feeling of moral superiority. We, the people of Wisconsin, recognized the evil of slavery, and we did something about it. Aren't we grand?

They were, we aren't. The Racinians who freed Joshua Glover knew right from wrong, and they acted accordingly. Could we do the same today? I doubt it. Many of the evils of the world are excused away as cultual differences. We should be more tolerant and understanding. Who are we to judge?

Many of us have lost the ability to judge right from wrong. We are paralyzed as a result. We will not confront evil because of our fear and uncertainty.

But we wish it wasn't so, so we use Joshua Glover to mask our present day impotence.

Bad to the Bone?

I recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. where we celebrated my mothers birthday. I had occasion to speak with a high ranking (not so high that you would know him/her) State Department employee, who shall remain nameless, about our president and our foriegn policy. Let's just say that said employee is not fond of our president. I listened for some time about Bush's shortcomings when I decided to ask a simple question, "Has Bush done anything right?" The employee was unable to point to any decision, foriegn or domestic, that was good.

So we either have a president who has the uncanny ability to always make the wrong decision, or a State Department employee who has lost the ability to think objectively about our president. Which is it?

Righty Cramp

I have been too busy focussing on actual work to properly rant on the current state of Racine, so I apologize to disappointed readers. Feel free to weigh in with your election observations, Unified's annual money plea, etc...

Oh, I couldn't help noticing the spanking Alderman Helding put on his opponent. I wonder if he would consider a run for mayor. And if so, would he be to the right or the left of our current mayor?

Courage and Liberalism

Recently the Journal Times editorial board strongly urged State Representative Robin Vos to demonstrate courage by supporting commuter rail. I find this amusing.

If there was a Who's Who in Racine, virtually all of them would support commuter rail. The JT is a strong advocate. The Johnson companies support commuter rail and pay for the lobbying effort. RAMAC favors commuter rail. All of Racine's vocal lefties support commuter rail. Does it really take courage to go with the flow and support commuter rail?

I am reminded of my own path from moderate lefty to principled libertarian. The intellectual transition came first and was far easier. Questioning or challenging liberal orthodoxy takes courage. If you find yourself on a similar path, be prepared for strained or severed relationships.

Now there are some places where extolling the virtues of liberalism would indeed take courage. I think the Journal Times editorial staff should go on a field trip to Afganistan or Saudi Arabia. They should demand equal rights for women. They should demand that gays be permitted to marry. They should demand religious freedom in Iran.

Perhaps then they might learn the proper meaning of the word "courage."

Perspective

When I am delayed by road construction, I am usually mildly annoyed at my misfortune. If I think any more about it, I will probably conclude that the workers are getting paid at above market rates, and that taxpayers are getting fleeced.

I am just returning from a trip to washington D.C. My taxi driver, an Ethiopian immigrant, was thrilled to see road construction. "What a beautiful country" he said. I asked him what it was about road construction that pleased him so. His answer; in his country, government will tax you, but they will never fix the roads or provide any worthwhile service for taxpayers.

We have it pretty good over here. It is up to us to keep it that way.

Profit Sharing?

Tucked away on page three of the JT is an article about the huge Point Blue residential development. The article indicates that the developer will be sharing profits with the city, once his costs are covered. Details of the agreement were non-existant, but this much we know. The developer will be getting 16 acres of lakefront property from the city of Racine, for free! He will also be getting tax breaks for years. If this is what is meant by profit sharing, I am ready to share.

If I Were A School Board Candidate

The school board candidates were asked three questions at a recent forum. Their answers are in today's JT A+ section. The following are the questions, and how I would have answered them.

Q: What is your vision for Racine Unified?
A: Actually, political visions are the problem. When politicians enforce their visions, they are undermining the visions parents have for their children. I do not assume that my vision is superior to the vision that a parent has for his or her children. So what we need to do is return power to parents, so that their visions will be taken seriously. The best way to do that, that I know of, is to provide school vouchers to parents. That way, parents could send their children to the school that best meets their needs and their visions for their children. Beware of politicians with visions.

Q: Should the School Board reflect the community's racial diversity?
A: No, not necessarily. The function of a school board is to oversee the delivery of public education. As such, I can only hope that the best qualified individuals will be chosen by voters, regardless of their skin color. To vote for or against someone because of their skin color is a racist act. It is my hope that racists will not affect the school board race.

Q: What are your thoughts on a possible referendum?
A: I am opposed to another referendum for a number of reasons. Presently, RUSD is receiving over $12,000 per student. That is more than the tuition of each of our private schools, with the possible exception of Prairie School. So long as the public mistakenly believes in the propaganda that our public schools are underfunded, we will not be able to address the real problems, most of which stem from the nearly unchecked influence of the teachers union.

Raise the Price on Losers

Several decades ago, Racine was known for its businesses. People and capital flocked to Racine. The benefits of moving to Racine evidently outweighed the costs, and Racine's population increased.

Racine's population has been in decline now for many years. Many businesses have closed down or left for other areas. Evidently, for many people, the benefits of leaving Racine, or never coming here in the first place, have exceeded the costs.

Some costs are beyond our control as a community. Others are not. The one thing that we could control are the costs we impose on ourselves, our residents, our businesses, etc... through our collective decisions, ie government.

Somewhere along the way, Racine began to punish success and reward failure. We still do, and the results are in.

The people who have left Racine were the most productive. Simultaneously, Racine became a haven for the unproductive.

Few people in Racine, especially politicians, will tell it like it is. Racine now has a disproportionate number of losers. And these losers continue to impose costs on Racine in the form of crime, bad parenting, unproductivity, etc... while demanding more from the productive members of society.

We need to change the cost structure in Racine. We need to raise the price on losers and lower the price for productive members of society.

In so doing, our losers will either be compelled to change, or they will find other communities to destroy, hopefully the former. At the same time, a cost structure that does not punish success will have the effect of attracting winners to Racine.

Who's Bilking Who?

"They face the same enemy: unchecked corporate power and super profit taking."
"Profit, not weapons of mass destruction, was the motive for our incursion into Iraq."
"President Bush and his cronies have bilked the American people out of hundreds of billions of dollars that they funneled into private profit."
"The lust for corporate profit has driven the immigration tragedy..."
"...so-called free trade agreements...keep the third world enslaved by the first world and allow super-profit taking by first world-based transnational corporations."
"So Halliburton is making huge profits off the backs of the undocumented."

These are the words of Horlick High School teachers Al levie and Ryan Knudsen in a commentary in today's Journal Times. My turn.

"We face the same enemy: the unchecked political power of the teachers union."
"Profit, not education, is what motivates the teachers union."
"Al, Ryan, and their cronies have bilked the residents of the Racine area out of hundreds of millions of dollars that they have funneled into private profit and elaborate health benefits."
"The lust for referendum cash has driven our education tragedy."
"Our so-called school board, the teachers union and RUSD administration...keep our poor children trapped in failing public schools that allow for super-profit taking for RUSD employees." "Al and Ryan are making huge profits off the backs of the uneducated."

That was too easy. Is Unified hiring?

Numbers to Ponder #2

It took over a month but Unified finally provided me with the number of students from Racine and Caledonia. Caledonia has 3,063 RUSD students and Racine has 14,509 RUSD students. Caledonians pay $4,244 in local property taxes for every Caledonia student while Racinians pay only $1,585 in local property taxes per Racine student. Now if you consider that local taxes account for only about 27% of RUSD funding, while state and federal taxes account for the rest, Caledonians pay a whopping $15,702 per Caledonian student while Racinians pay just $5,864 per Racinian student.

Given the huge amount that Caledonians pay per Caledonian student ($15,702), it would seem possible that they could fund their own district. However, given Caledonia's wealth relative to Racine, it is a near certainty that they would get less money per student from the state than does RUSD. Secondly, if a Caledonia school district was able to offer a decent or at least safe education to children, you can be sure that more students would want to attend, thereby driving up the cost.

The question Caledonians should be asking of themselves and their representatives is whether they want to continue to pay large sums to subsidize the substandard education of Racine children while many of their own children opt out of the district. Furthermore, do they want to be a community with a school district that attracts families to the area, or one that scares them away?

I don't live in Caledonia, but if I did I would at the very least be interested in paying a small amount to get the facts, study the issue, and debate the pros and cons of having a seperate school district.

Meeting with Mayor Becker

I met with Racine mayor Gary Becker yesterday to discuss a few things.

Regarding my downtown rehab project, we would like to have windows installed on the north side of our building. No problem except that the owners of the neighboring vacant lot may some day wish to develop their property, and if they do, the windows would either need to be blocked in or fire-rated in order to meet code. Mayor Becker called in the city attorney, and it looks like we will be able to draw up an agreement wherin we will modify our property to meet code should our neighbors ever wish to develop the property.

I also hoped to gain some understanding of an impending water REC fee of up to six thousand dollars that I will have to pay in order to get a building permit. The REC fees are part of the recent water agreement wherin new development will pay for the expansion of the water treatment facility. The problem that I have about this is that the expansion was needed to accomodate suburban growth. The city is losing population. Thus my initial suspicions were verified. I am being taxed to pay for suburban sprawl. I don't like this one bit but there is nothing I can do about it now.

Lastly I hoped to convince Mayor Becker to consider a program that would encourage development in the city. My idea (it turns out others have already enacted the idea that I thought was original) is that new development would not have to pay taxes on their improvements for some fixed period of time. Mayor Becker had heard of similar programs. He indicated that they could try something like that when they target Uptown for improvement. Hopefully he will give the idea serious consideration.

All in all it was an interesting meeting and I am appreciative that Mayor Becker reacted quickly in resolving the code issue that we are facing.

Dear Mr. Stanford

Dear Mr. Stanford;

I just finished reading your column entitled "Reflections on reality of racism" and I would like to offer a few thoughts on the subject.

If I have absorbed the basic jist of your commentary, it is that there are racist structures in place in society that may not be the result of individual racial intent.

Perhaps so. If so, then the collective "we" are not evil racists, just bumbling idiots.

And indeed I think this is the case. I will offer a few examples.

Public schools are failing in urban areas, with black students harmed the most. One way to counter this problem is to increase the options available to black students, and others, through school vouchers. This common sense approach to education reform is vigorously opposed by the teachers unions throughout our country.

Many suburban areas restrict residential development to large homes on large lots. These restrictions are often praised as environmentally responsible developments that preserve green space. Perhaps they do, but they also limit the property rights of individuals while also ensuring that no low income housing is developed in those areas. This keeps many blacks locked in the urban ghettoes.

If there is a sure fire way to impede the progress of blacks in this country, it is to herd them into ghettoes and force them into failing schools. The common thread of these public policies is that they are applauded by liberals. Whether these liberals are overtly racist or bumbling idiots matters not to the blacks, and others, harmed by their policies.

I will be posting my response to you on my blog, FreeRacine.blogspot.com. Feel free to respond to my e-mail, if you wish, on my site. Thank you.

Subsidizing Sprawl

As my regular readers may know, I am starting a rehab project in my downtown building. I will be converting a formerly vacant 2nd floor apartment/retail space into two apartments. Everything looks fine on the permit front and the city is not imposing any excessively burdensome requirements on us. However, it seems we will have to pay up to $3,000 per unit to the water department. Now I already have water going into the building and up to the second floor, and of course I will be paying my water bills like everyone else. But this tax/fee is imposed, I'm told, to recoup the cost of the expansion of the water treatment plant.

Until now, it was my understanding that the recent water agreement between Racine and the outlying communities was such that Racine would be getting enough money from the other communities, and then some, such that Racine residents and businesses would not be paying the bill. And this makes sense because Racine's population is decreasing and presumably Racine's demand for water would likewise be decreasing. Thus the expansion was not for Racine's benefit but for the outlying areas that would be demanding more water. Therefore, they should pay for the water if they want it. Racine residents and businesses should not.

Why are Racine residents and business owners subsidizing the water bills of our wealthier suburban neighbors?

Call to Hall

I placed a call to Ken Hall today, to offer him an opportunity to weigh in on the Kay/Denis spat. Ken did not know anything about it. Perhaps he has the good sense to be doing something else with his time. But if I might summarize his views on the subject, he essentially made no distinction between anonymous bloggers spreading lies and mistruths about him, and the handiwork of Kay from BlueRacine. In one sense, I think he has a point. People are going to say and write whatever they want, especially as they now have a format to do so anonymously on the various blogs. But on the other hand, Kay is openly (as in not anonymously) declaring here disdain for Mac and her support for Hall, while also offering an exceedingly crude jab at Christians. So while her support for Hall is not official, according to Hall, she nonetheless is a quite visible supporter of Hall.

Of course Ken Hall can campaign in any way that he pleases. But if I were in a serious campaign for the county's top job, I would quite publicly distance myself from people who make crude jokes about masterbating Christian Jihadists. But then, I finished third in my run for the CE job, so perhaps I am not the best to offer campaign advice.

The offer still stands for Ken Hall to weigh in on Kay's vitriolic comments. To me, silence amounts to a de facto endorsement.

Banking On Bankruptcy

"Employees would be paid before bankers if a business goes bankrupt under a bill introduced this week by Sen. John Lehmann, D-Racine."

Sounds great at first but let us think this one through. Lehmann's bill would make lending to businesses a more risky proposition. Banks tend to be conservative lenders, insisting on such things as collateral. If loaning to businesses becomes unacceptably risky for banks, they will invest elsewhere. In other words, Wisconsin businesses will not have the same access to capital relative to businesses in other states. This will put Wisconsin businesses at a competitive disadvantage. With less access to capital, more Wisconsin businesses will more likely go bankrupt.

Will this be a good thing for Wisconsin's workers?

Progressively More Hate Filled

"I've always wondered how many of these religious right wingers have one hand down their pants while they're typing out their own fantasies as things to issue Christian jihads on."

That lovely quote belongs to Racine Democratic Party activist Kay of BlueRacine.blogspot.com. Kay apparently is also campaigning for Ken Hall for county executive. I like Ken Hall, even though we may well differ substantially on political matters. Even so, I hope he has the good sense to distance himself from his progressively more hate filled supporters.

Betting on Corruption

I want to be in the gambling business. But alas, I am not a Native American, so I am barred from the profession. But all is not lost. I think I can help a Indian tribe throught the political process such that they can open up a lucrative casino right here in Wisconsin. No doubt a casino will net billions over time for the tribe. They need me to get the license. My role is worth millions to the tribe.

There is only one way to open a legal casino. There is no free market in the casino business. The path to opening a casino is entirely political. One must have tremendous influence with politicians in order to secure a casino license.

Like most people, politicians like nice people. But there are lots of nice people, and there are not lots of casino licenses. Being nice to politicians will not get you a casino license.

Politicians can be swayed by persuasive argument. But I suspect that numerous Indian tribes could make a solid case that they could run a reputable casino. Persuasive arguments will not get you a casino.

Politicians like to win elections. It takes money, in the form of campaign contributions, to win elections.

If you want to open a casino, be nice to politicians, offer persuasive arguments, and give them money. Give them more money than anyone else. Give money to friends and family and have them give the money to the politicians that can help you.

I don't gamble much, but I am willing to bet that every casino opening in this country will increase the level of government corruption. I am giving 1000 to one odds.

How About a MicroTIF?

Developers and politicians often scratch each others backs. One method in vogue is the TIF, or Tax Incremental Financing. The jist of it is that project developers get tax breaks thanks to their pals in government, and the pols get some wink wink nod nod campaign contributions. It is a win win for everybody, or so they claim, because the public gets the jobs from the development project and the additional tax revenue that will come later. In reality the taxpayer is simply taking on the risk while the developer gets the profits. It is a scam basically.

It is a scam unless all developers get tax breaks. Yes, even the person that wants to remodel his kitchen. If large developments benefit the public, then small developments will also benefit the public. There will be more work for carpenters, electricians, plumbers, architects, etc... just like with the large developments. With increased development, property values will rise, and after the tax grace period expires, property tax collections will rise.

Tax breaks should not only be available for the wealthy and politically connected. They should be available to all individuals who wish to develop their properties. Racine could use the development. We can call them MicroTIFs.

Legacy of Suicide

I was in City Hall yesterday to get a permit for street storage of a dumpster, as I will shortly begin a project in my downtown building.

Racine has a unique law concerning those dumpsters. The dumpsters must have a certain kind of reflective material on them. Additionally, permit holders like me must surround the dumpster with orange construction cones also adorned with reflective material.

A few years ago, two people died in separate incidents as their vehicles smashed into dumsters at very high speeds. The whispers around town were that these were suicides, but the political pressure to "do something" about the dumpsters was undoubtedly intense.

So now we have a mildly annoying law. But we can say that we have done something about the dangers of dark dumpsters. And we can remain comfortably in denial about the problem of suicide.

Good Government in Racine

I am not sure that there should even be a building department in Racine. But there is one and they have the power, not you. A few individuals have the power to seriously damage economic development in Racine, because a stringent interpretation of building codes could make virtually any project cost prohibitive.

But my experience has thus far been positive. The city building inspectors are demonstrating a sensible flexibility when it comes to my project. The specifics would likely bore you, so suffice it to say that they are working with me without compromising my safety or anyone elses.

As a regular government critic, I think I should give them credit when they deserve it.

Numbers To Ponder

Caledonia pays roughly $13 million in local property taxes towards Racine Unified. Local property taxes account for about 27% of Unified's revenue. So if you factor in state and federal taxes, Caledonia residents pay about $48 million for Unified. According to the 2000 census, Caledonia had 23,614 residents. Of those, 4530 were between the ages of 5 and 17. According to official estimates, Caledonia has had a population increase of about 5%. At present, about 4,750 Caledonia children are eligible to attend RUSD schools. If all of these students attended Unified, Caledonia will have paid about $2,736 per child in local property taxes, and $10,123 in total taxes per student. Now we know that all of Caledonia's RUSD eligible students do not attend Unified. By some credible estimates, only 40% of these students are attending RUSD schools. If that estimate is accurate, then Caledonia taxpayers are paying about $6,840 in local taxes, and $25,307 in total taxes (local, state, federal) per student attending Unified.

Now Racine. Racine pays roughly$23 million in local property taxes for RUSD and about $85 million in all taxes going towards Unified. According to the 2000 census, Racine had a population of 81,855, of which 15,618 were between the ages of 5 and 17. Estimates are that Racine's population has decreased by about 2%. At present, about 15,300 children are RUSD eligible. If all those students attend RUSD schools, the local property tax portion would be about $1,503 per student. Total taxes per student would be about $5,561. I don't have any estimates as to the percentages of Racine children who attend Unified. I am still waiting, two weeks and counting, for Unified to tell me how many children from Racine and Caledonia are enrolled in Unified schools. More to come.

Voter Free Choice Act

It is 2008, Hillary vs. Guliani for president. This election will be different because of the passage of the Voter Free Choice Act.

In October, you get a knock on the door from campaign workers for one of the candidates. They tell you why their candidate should get your vote. They ask you to vote right then and there, handing you a ballot for your signature. You indicate that you remain undecided and that you prefer to cast your ballot in secret. The campaigners laugh and tell you that secret ballots are a thing of the past, and then they explain the new law. Still, you don't really want to vote for this particular candidate, and you tell them so.

The campaign workers are getting impatient. They are paid to get votes. They offer you $50 to sign now. They get $100 cash per vote, so they have some cash to spare. Disgusted, you ask them to leave. Before leaving, they wonder aloud how much it would cost to replace your picture window. "More than $50, I'll bet" says one campaign worker. "We will be back next week. Be prepared to sign."

Today the House of Representatives votes on the Employee Free Choice Act which does away with secret ballots for union representation. The measure is expected to get a lot of support from Democrats and some from Republicans. Scary. Thankfully, George Bush will veto it if it comes to his desk.