The Wisconsin Governor is a partner in usurping democratic principles.

Charter Street Power Plant

Before the rights and profits of any Wisconsin power plant are sold by the state, the areas receiving the electricity should have the opportunity to run a referendum and bond to manage their own plants and workers.  It would save the taxpayers money if the plants were run at cost. 

That is just to begin with.

More Pieces in the Wisconsin Power Plant Puzzle (click here)

...The catch is that privately owned plants do not operate under the job classification standards set forth by OSHA and can therefore create any job title they choose. Catch number two for those attempting to link the job listing to Scott Walker corporate cronyism is that the Charter Street plant has been trying to fill its “Plant Manager” position, according to a separate job listing on Wisc.Jobs, since November when Scott Walker took office. That job listing had a deadline of January 13th, but has yet to be filled, according to sources....

This article by Koch in The Wall Street Journal is a prime example of 'corrupt speech' which seeks to deceive the reader by evading the 'real reason' for the current deficits faced around the country.

Most of the 'corrupt speech' of the Right Wing is based in removing 'dynamics' from facts that relate to 'blame.'  They live conveniently in the 'hear and now' as if the only reason the deficits exist is because Democrats were in majorities.  Thank God, Democrats were in majority, otherwise, the nation and states would be the proud guardians of vast numbers of poor, homeless and jobless.

"Corrupt Speech" such as guaranteed to Koch under the USA Constitution exists and is used chronically to justify corrupt practices and power plays.

It is MORE than interesting that the Murdoch rag, The Wall Street Journal encourage it.  Koch and Murdoch together in propaganda.  No surprise here.

By CHARLES G. KOCH  (click title to entry - thank you)

Years of tremendous overspending by federal, state and local governments have brought us face-to-face with an economic crisis. Federal spending will total at least $3.8 trillion this year—double what it was 10 years ago. And unlike in 2001, when there was a small federal surplus, this year's projected budget deficit is more than $1.6 trillion....

Here is something that will never appear in the Wall Street Journal.  The actual reasons for the deficits.


Former State Budget Directors Say Causes of Shortfall Debatable (click here)
By LaToya Dennis
March 1, 2011 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI

...To get a perspective of how Wisconsin got into financial trouble, WUWM’s LaToya Dennis called two people who’ve held the position of state budget director. David Riemer served for a short period under Democrat Jim Doyle, while Mark Bugher held the job under Republican Tommy Thompson. Bugher says structural deficits can begin accumulating, based on what the public demands at a particular time.

Why buy power plansts if they can't be run 'on the cheap.'  Cities and Counties should be 'faciliated' by the State to move into management and ownership of their own utilities.

Labor Fight Contains a Power Plant Grab in Wisconsin  (click here)

...This might explain why Koch Industries is so interested.
"The bill would empower the secretary of the state Department of Administration to sell the plants, which primarily serve University of Wisconsin campuses, including those in Madison and Milwaukee, as well as state prisons and other facilities.
"In a change from a similar proposal that Republican lawmakers sought six years ago, the bill stripped a requirement that the Public Service Commission review whether the sale is in the public interest.
"The provision primarily affects small coal-fired plants that generate steam or chilled water for heating and cooling buildings. It's hard to get an accurate assessment of their worth because they're so intertwined with the buildings they serve, said Darin Renner, an analyst with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
"The Fiscal Bureau analyzed the facilities in 2005, the last time the proposal was before the Legislature, and estimated the total value of all the plants at $235.9 million, offset by $83.9 million in debt," it stated.
The paper reported that Koch Industries denied interest in the power plants. However, it hasn't ruled out bidding on them. Koch Industries is a fossil fuel conglomerate and the two brothers are supporters of Walker. Even so, if Koch Industries didn't bid on them, someone would, and it could amount to a windfall for the lucky company....

I am a little bit surprised the supporters of workers rights can't seem to understand it just ain't that easy to pull off.

"Many of us recall the pledge made by candidate Barack Obama in on November 3, 2007 when he declared: 'Understand this. If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain, when I'm in the White House, I'll put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself. I'll walk on that picket line with you ...'" – Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United

I am sure something is in the works, but, it would be easier from him to show up in Illinois at 'the hideout' than actually march in protests in Madison.  Then there is the Middle East which is not condusive to to 'time away.'  Maybe the Vice President could be a good stand in for now.

Justice Clarence Thomas admits he is an activist judge.

...he and his tea party activist wife Virginia “believe in the same things”...

It is nice his marriage vows worked out, but, to state he is bringing personal preferences to his practice as a judge is not about constitutional law.

At all.

A Wisconsin county official, Tom Ament resigned before his recall ballot was successful. (click title to entry - thank you)

...The group gave the commission no advance warning before they arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse with seven boxes of petitions.

Sheriff's deputies stood by as the recall group sealed the boxes and received a receipt for turning them in. The deputies then took the boxes across the street to the graphics department where workers will make copies and begin validating the signatures.

WISN 12 News was told that Ament's attorneys will examine the first 4,000 signatures and then decide whether to continue with the rest....

100,000 Wisconsin Protesters can't be wrong !

Tom Ament Announces Retirement (click here)

Ament: I Realized I Can't Lead County Government Effectively

POSTED: 9:32 am CST February 21, 2002
UPDATED: 7:09 pm CST February 21, 2002

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee County Executive Tom Ament announced his retirement Thursday morning at the Milwaukee County Board meeting.

"I have sadly come to the conclusion that I cannot lead this government at this time. Therefore I'm announcing my retirement effective at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002," Ament said.

He said that he accepts responsibility for the lump-sum pension payout controversy.

Ament, 64, said that he asked his staff and department heads to remain.

He ended his speech by saying "God bless all the people of this community."...

I guess enough time went by and he thought he'd try again.

Ament Considers Running for County Executive  (click here)

By The Journal Sentinel

Story Created: Nov 12, 2010
Story Updated: Nov 12, 2010

MILWAUKEE - There are a few things Tom Ament wants you to know.
He never took or even wanted a "backdrop" pension payment. He's still stung by the chain of events that led to his resignation in disgrace nearly nine years ago.
And he's got an itch to run again for county executive....

The next Van Jones. Meet Vail Nasr, the target of Right Wing Hatred rather than admired for his qualifications.

All the Right Wing knows is hate.  In an interview John Bolton stated the United Nations is an illegitimate organization.  Let me see, there was a global concensus that such an organization is beneficial, but, since Bolton states it is illegitimate it must be.  When is the Right Wing going to DO SOMETHING that is LEGITMATE in any opposition. 

Jerks.

Does every statement from the Right Wing have to be a commercial for the NRA?

...For example, (click title to entry - thank you) the Tehran-born Dr. Vali Nasr was appointed to co-direct Obama foreign policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Former Saudi Arabian supplicant Charles Freeman was appointed by Obama to chair the Administration's National Intelligence Council, but withdrew his name when it was revealed he issued a 2-page screed in which he postulated a conspiracy theory claiming he had been 'victimized' by American supporters of Israel.  In addition, John Limbert was appointed to direct U.S. policy toward the Islamist regime in Iran.  Limbert, who was taken hostage during the Iranian upheaval of the late 70s-early 80s, is an Iranian sympathizer who advocates negotiation with one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world....


February 12, 2011 2:12 PM

John Bolton: Egyptian Democracy May be Bad News  (click here)

...It is the "responsibility of our government to protect our interests and our values and our friends and our allies," Bolton said. Referencing former President Theodore Roosevelt, he added  that "first and foremost we must make the world safe for ourselves."...

Governor of Wisconsin Salary without including benefit costs $137,092 (click title to entry - thank you)

"I don't want to be paid," Schwarzenegger said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, adding that "the people have my full devotion."  (click here)


Wisconsin - Governor's Mansion (click here)
Associated Press ... direct feed | November 27, 2002
Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 12:15:25 PM by NYer
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) _ State Sen. Robert Wirch is asking Governor-elect Jim Doyle to sell the governor's mansion as a way to address the state's projected $2.6 billion budget deficit.
Wirch said selling the $1.3 million mansion would be more of a symbolic gesture than a way to save a significant amount of money. ``Considering the budget deficit and talk about borrowing money against the pension fund, we need to cut all extravagances, and the governor's mansion is more an extravagance than a necessity,'' said Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie. Doyle spokesman Thad Nation said he would not comment until he had seen Wirch's letter.
The governor's mansion sits on the shores of Lake Mendota and is worth about $1.3 million, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. But Wirch said that the value of the land the mansion sits on and the costs of running the house amount to around $4 million.
Wirch said he got the idea from other candidates in the governor's race and that he would have suggested it regardless of who won the office. In his letter to Doyle, Wirch notes that at least six states have either sold their executive residences or have never offered an executive residence. Wirch also mentioned that Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura refused to live in the governor's mansion in St. Paul.



“I’ve said all along the protesters have every right to be there,..." Scott Walke stated on February 21, 2011 (click here)

"Morning Papers" - Its Origin

w

The Rooster
"Okeydoke"

Tonight are the awards for exemplary films. "Gasland" is a profoundly important film without any awards. Enjoy this evening.

Come 2012 the RNC plans to make the action Republicans are taking against unions a directive of the "Race to the Top."

It was noted that there was legislation in Florida that was vetoed by Former Governor Crist to break unions.  That same bill is being introduced into the state legislature with hopes of passing this year.

...Several school districts (click here) around the country have experimented in recent years with tying teacher pay to student academic growth. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have also used federal grants to promote the idea – raising concerns that too many good teachers are driven out of the profession because they aren’t rewarded for the great strides their students make. But they’ve been careful to emphasize that performance pay systems are complex, and need to be developed in cooperation with teachers, not imposed on them.
Research shows that “involving key stakeholders in any pay-for-performance effort is vital to future success,” says Susan Freeman Burns, program manager at the National Center on Performance Incentives in Nashville, Tenn....

Florida was a winner in "Race to the Top" without destroying unions or their current compensation.  Crist was correct, there was no need for the legislation and ultimately it would hurt the children of Florida.

The link at the title to this entry arrives at the Wisconsin state government website that recruits teachers to work in Wisconsin.  The pay rates are listed there; the average Wisconsin school teachers earns $47,602 while starting with $31,753.  The administrators are far fewer in number and earn much more, but, those salaries are more than reasonable through collective bargaining.  Pubic employees compensation packages cannot be compared to the private sector to 'bring them into line.'  If that is going to occur, then their salaries have to be adjusted up rather than receiving delayed compensation at retirement or through their health care dollars.  Health Care Dollars to TEACHERS that come in contact with children need to be in place and should never be a burden or short changed for the benefit of the general health of the children, their familes and the well being of the teacher.  The attack on eduction unions and public employees is grossly unwarranted.

Republican House Representative Peter King, new title by the RNC strategist for 2012 "Religious Bigot and Zealot Czar."

Everyone knows there is nothing but political strategist Karl Rove and the Murdoch media mess behind the 'concerns' of Mr. King.

This is a waste of taxpayers dollars AGAIN for the purpose of setting a stage for 2012.  I hope this permanently damages the 'career politician' and most likely least damaged at the center of hatred toward "The Ground Zero Mosque" in New York City.

This "King Circus" goes to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Republicans are PUPPETS for Murdoch's 'power play media.' 


The Republicans are running out of strategies for 2012.  They have turned viciously on the Middle Class and they are now trying to 'drum up' more hate and fear at the very time when the Middle East is celebrating huge steps toward democracy.

Does King actually think he is going to get away with this? 

I don't think so.

Republicans are corrupt to the core and this is more and more and more proof. 

You can always count on the media to give advantage to the plutocracy when it comes to exploiting Americans.

When US Representative Gabriellle Giffords was shot with an attempted assassination Murdoch's media went into over drive to push the idea that the gunman was somehow insane and that was 'the flaw in the law.'  In competition with Murdoch, CNN's Crowley spent an entire hour with psychiatrists on how it could have happened and now mental health is an issue when it comes to violence in the USA. 


It was all 'buzz,' rhetoric and manipulation.  Not until Christiane Amanpour on ABC did we actually get the truth as if it sincerely mattered. 


Now, since Libya is imploding and its dictator needs to be removed there are hugh pushes for 'the idea' by CNN and Murdoch, once again; that oil is far more scarce than anyone can predict.


Surprise, once again and still it is all nonsense to benefit the bottom line of the petroleum industry ESPECIALLY since dead deformed carcasses of infant dolphins are showing up on the USA Gulf Coast.


Here is the truth, from all places, Saudi Arabia.


Oil jumping in price is simply that and not based for any other valid reason except exploitation on the 'opportunity.'  Read the article below carefully, because the assumption is that since Qaddafi no longer controls eastern Libya the oil exports are going to hell in a hand basket.  Eastern Libya is NOT where the unrest and the disposed despot are in danger.  So.  Like.  What does Wall Street want, Eastern Libya to go back under the rule of the despot.  I think that is how we got in this mess in the first place, is it not.  While the Libyan people are conducting their daily lives seeking to displace their dictator through protests one can hardly say they are disrupting their own way of life in East Libya.  Wall Street is bizarre and it is nothing but specutlation that is the problem.

Oil jumps 7.5% to $119.79 a barrel (click here)

...Eastern areas holding much of Libya's oil have slipped from the control of Muammar Qaddafi.Goldman Sachs said the spread of unrest to another producing country could create severe oil shortages and require demand rationing. "The market cannot accommodate another disruption, in our view, with the problems in Libya potentially absorbing half of OPEC's spare capacity," analyst Jeffrey Currie said in a research note....

Goldman is screaming 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling.'

Goldman fears 'severe oil market shortages' (click here)

...“The market cannot accommodate another disruption, in our view, with the problems in Libya potentially absorbing half of OPEC’s spare capacity,” Jeffrey Currie said in a research note....

Wow, really?  I suppose it would be better to continue with the despot in power so the price of gas in Europe and the USA doesn't spike, huh?

Iranian oil.  I'll be darn.

Iran sells more oil as Libyan exports dwindle (click here)

TEHRAN/LONDON: Iran is taking advantage of Libya’s turmoil and dwindling exports to sell more crude that it has found difficult to offload due to economic sanctions.

Unrest in Libya has slashed a big chunk of its crude oil output of 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), with estimates of capacity shut down ranging from 500,000 to 1.2 million bpd.
Ahmad Ghalebani, Iranian deputy oil minister, said on Friday Iran had already seen an increase in demand following political upheaval in the Arab world.
“Demand for Iran’s oil has increased,” Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Ghalebani as saying.
Italian oil refiner Saras SpA, traditionally a big buyer of Libyan crude oil, said in a Reuters interview on Friday that it was looking at replacing oil shipments from Libya and had already slightly increased sour crude supplies from Iran....

Not that I want to increase Iran's revenue, but, it doesn't seem as though purchasers in Italy find it a bad idea.  Give a little, take a little and it all works out.

Editorial: What oil crisis? (click title to entry - thank you)

Those talking up the market in the hope of making a killing will burn their fingers

When a supposedly reputable organization such as Nomura Securities suggests that the price of oil could hit $200 a barrel because of current unrest in the Middle East, questions have to be asked about its intentions.
The Nomura projection is based on both Libyan and Algerian oil production being stopped. Yet there is no indication that Algerian production is about to cease — certainly not at the same time as Libya’s. Moreover, Nomura’s figures do not take into account increasing production elsewhere, such as in Brazil and Russia. In any event, Saudi Arabia has sufficient spare capacity to meet not only a 1.7-million barrel-a-day Libyan shortfall but a 1.4 million b/d Algerian one as well. It has made it abundantly clear in the past few days that it can — and will — pump the extra oil if required. That is a guarantee.

So is the Nomura suggestion a case of straightforward ignorance by researchers out of sync with reality? Or is Nomura deliberating talking up the price?...

...This grossly irresponsible speculation becomes even more absurd in suggestions that unrest could “spread” to the Kingdom and affect Saudi production. Bloomberg, for example, did just that a couple of days ago, on the basis that “unrest in Bahrain, which is linked to Saudi Arabia by a 26- kilometer causeway, has in the past spread across the border.”
Bloomberg evidently knows nothing about what makes the Kingdom tick. The situation is very different to that in North Africa or Bahrain. Saudi Arabia is no more likely the next location of protests than Switzerland or Singapore. The idea would be laughable was it not for the fact that such ill-informed speculation is doing great damage. It is the real cause for the oil price going up....
The 'idea' that oil is becoming more and more scarce due to 'lack of production' is just about as hideous as worrying about The USA Fifth Fleet anchored in Bahrain and unarmed protesters.

Ah, yes and then there is 'The Volt.'

...GM said the 2012 Chevrolet Volt (click here) and the Equinox would come equipped with a new system dubbed "Chevy MyLink" anchored by an 18cm colour touch-screen display in the dashboard....

Everyone carrying out this huge deception that is costing consumers dearly at a time of economic stress should be far more than ashamed.  The Right Wing Media is TOXIC.

Cancer and Birth Defects Possible Outcome of Exposure To BP Oil-William ...

I can't help but wonder if the dispersants are very teratological. Those chemicals have to come out of that water.

The tragedy of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster is far from over. Every dead dolphin extends the endangered status of the species.

Infants that can't survive outside the uterus and stillborns that were unable to survive in it.  Why does that sound like extinction to me?

Intern Rhiannon Blake, (click title to entry - thank you)  left, and volunteer David Spence of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies photograph one of four dead dolphin calves being recovered from Horn Island before taking tissue samples on Tuesday, February 22 2011.

 Unless we understand and minimize (click here) the consequences of these factors, bottlenose dolphins may not be around for future generations to admire and appreciate.

"I will rule you or I will kill you !"

He is removing the bodies of dead unarmed demonstrators in Tripoli from the streets so they cannot be found.

How many will die before he is stopped?

Feb 25 (Reuters) - The United States (click title to entry - thank you) is not taking any options off the table with regard to its response to the violence in Libya, including potential U.S. military action, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Friday.

A Libyan gunman flashes a V sign as he stands on a military truck loaded with launcher rockets at Al-Katiba military base after it fell to anti-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi protesters few days ago. (AP)

...Qaddafi, (click here) who just two days ago vowed in a televised address to crush the revolt and fight to the last, showed none of the fist-thumping rage of that speech. This time, he spoke to state television by telephone without appearing in person, and his tone seemed more conciliatory.
"Their ages are 17. They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe," Qaddafi said.
A Tripoli resident said: "It seems like he realized that his speech yesterday with the strong language had no effect on the people. He's realizing it's going to be a matter of time before the final chapter: the battle of Tripoli."...

Mourners in Libya carry coffins containing the bodies of protesters killed in Benghazi on Friday.

Image Credit: Reuters

...A defiant Gaddafi (click here) Friday challenged the rebels, saying those who do not like him do not deserve to live. Addressing his supporters in Tripoli’s Green Square amid tight security, Gaddafi said he would not give up the leadership of the country under any circumstances.
Earlier, militias loyal to Gaddafi opened fire on protesters streaming out of mosques and marching across Tripoli, killing several people, reports said. In rebellious cities in the east, tens of thousands held rallies in support of the first Tripoli protests in days.
With the regime offering no prospect for an acceptable solution to the crisis, Libyans have opted to go ahead with their revolution no matter its toll in lives, Salim Al Okali, member of the revolutionary committee in Derna, told Gulf News....

We have been here before in New Zealand and what did I say then? I know I am nobody, but, what did I say then?

What I stated was that Christchurch was a coastal area with a lot of stress being applied to it from the mountains.  Isn't that what I stated?  Did anyone take is seriously?  It would not seem to be the case.

Does everyone understand why the city of Christchurch survived the first time, but, not the second time?  It would seem as though New Zealand needs some input from some decent seismologists that can actually understand the stresses and dynamics of their land.  New Zealand can be a very delicate place with glaciers, water dynamics, beautiful mountains and gorgeous coastal areas, but, when one puts all that together there are 'stress points' within the land that need to be identified. 

Liquefaction to the soil is a dynamic when earthquakes occur.  The high dynamics of high magnitude quakes 'shakes everything' loose.  You know how earthworms are good for gardens as they aerate the soil?  That is what earthquakes do only in huge dynamics.  Are people paying attention or considering themselves lucky that the luck will translate into immunity from it happening again?  Because the words 'christ' and 'church' are in the name therefore everyone is immune from Earth's physics.  Yes?  "W"rong.

Christchurch earthquake: Levels of liquefaction 300 - 500 pc worse (click title to entry - thank you)

By Hayden Donnell and Paul Harper

6:13 PM Friday Feb 25, 2011
The level of liquefaction after Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude aftershock dwarfs the amount caused by the original earthquake that hit Christchurch in September, Mayor Bob Parker says.
He says the amount of damage is particularly high in the city's eastern suburbs.
"The scale of this is huge.
"Possibly 300 to 500 per cent the level of liquefaction we had in September."

Liquefaction happens when soil is subjected to severe shaking, causing it to lose strength or stiffness.

It is most likely to occur in soils with poor drainage....

Poor drainage in this instance is not because of drought ridden land, it is because it has a high level of water in the soil because it is a coastal area.  The ground is saturated at some 'depth' and is unstable in its components, especially after the first earthquake.  Add the stress of 'weight' of the mountains and their own dynamics and what exists? 

There is an equation of mountain dynamics to 'plains' or 'coastal areas' that states, the longer the land is from the base of the mountain the more stable it is.  It is true.  Mountains are very heavy.  There has to be enough surrounding land to 'hold them' in place and/or 'a mountain base' that is anchored to something like the USA craton. 

The reason there are mud slides and quakes along the California coast is because there is virtually nothing holding the mountains in place as they come down toward the Pacific Ocean.  The homes built along the coast at the base of mountains might be beautiful, but, they are basically some of the most dangerous dynamics in the world when it comes to peaceful enjoyment of one's home.

The government of Libya is all but dissolved. There are many private citizens of mulitple ports of call in the Med

There are huge container ships in the area of the Mediterranean as well.  I cannot help but believe they can attempt resuces of people from the North African Coast where passenger boats may be stranded and trying to leave areas such as Libya.

There is no real war being conducted.  This is all civil actions that are seeking to remove dictators and oppressive regimes.  The potential for rescuing people to safe ports of call on the European side of the Mediterranean may be an option.

Maersk teams with Hapag to enhance U.S, Mediterranean services  (click here)

By gCaptain Staff

Mearsk has announceed that it will enter into a slot swap agreement with Hapag Lloyd between their Mediterranean Gulf Express (MGX) service and Maersk’s own WestMed service.
This swap will offer new direct service from Barcelona, Spain and Valencia, Spain to the US East Coast and the US Gulf, along with new direct service from the US Gulf to Italy and Spain.  The agreement also adds new US ports including New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston, Texas and Port Everglades, Florida.  New Mediterranean ports include Valencia, Spain; Barcelona, Spain and Cagliari, Italy.
The new services will commence on 1 March 2011 subject to final Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) approval.

A guaranteed ample supply of fuel paid for my relief efforts may be all they need.  The pirate issues are primarily in the Indian Ocean because they are unable to access the Mediterranean to date through the Suez and it is a long time around the Cape of Good Hope.  Besides the chance they would be discovered even before they reached the Strait of Gilbralter will deter them as they can be boarded themselves and arrested for international crimes.

Thank you, Ian. You are a sincere hero.

...Murphy (click title to entry - thank you) simply called Walker's office, saying he was Koch, and was ultimately connected with Walker's chief of staff, Keith Gilkes. "The most ridiciulous thing to me is when I get on line with the chief of staff and he wanted to take my number down, and I said I couldn't give it to him because my maid, Maria, had thrown my phone into the washing machine," Murphy says....

What I would expect from any Governor of any party if they were to take a call from a billionaire donor is, "David who?"

Walker's ego is unbelievable.  Talk about a demigod.  To actually believe he could literally belly up to the bar with David Koch is far more than hubris.  He was looking for plenty of money to spill into his re-election campaign after the conversation.  And the people of Wisconsin are his 'toys' in his political game.  Well, isn't the GOP wonderful?  Huh?

I expect plenty of concessions from the Wisconsin Republican Senators realizing that public employees is how the work force is supposed to be paid and compensated.  They should set an example for the Plutocracy and take workers away from private industry.  I sincerely believe public employees should be the BEST compensated, in whatever form that takes, in the country and give private industry a real run for their money.

,,,An Indiana Deputy Attorney General (click here)  "is no longer employed" by the Attorney General's Office, after he tweeted for "live ammunition" to be used on protesters in Wisconsin, the office announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The deputy AG, Jeff Cox, wrote his comments in response to tweets from a Mother Jones editor named Adam Weinstein....

Former Indian Deputy Attorney General Jeff Cox

Pitch your tent somewhere else. Muammar. The people of Libya aren't frightened of you anymore.

Muammar has 'a thing' about planes no one appreciates.  He needs to stand trial for Lockerbie.

I believe with the added aggression against the people of Libya and his knowledge of his own guilt, the United Nations Security Council needs to convene and issue a resolution against Libya's leader to prevent mass refugees into already unstable civilian venues in surrounding countries.  The Libyan people are scared when they need to stand their ground.  The Libyan military needs to find generals sympathetic to the people's movement to organize an effort of 'relief' for the people and 'limiting' the Colonel from acting against the people any further.  The Libyan generals can do this.  They need to take control and seek relief for the people under their own Marshall Law.  The military leadership needs mentoring to have a favorable resolve for their people.  They are unfamiliar with theses dynamics.  They can take control long before any UN Resolution takes effect.  Time matters.  But, the UN needs to react to the violence ordered by the Colonel, there can be no more loyalty toward him if he is killing his own people and using advance weapons to achieve that goal.

Mass Libya evacuations as Qaddafi digs in (click here)

The United States has sent a ferry and planes to Libya's capital, and Turkey has already rescued 5,000 nationals – making it the biggest evacuation in Turkish history.

By Drew Hinshaw, Correspondent

February 23, 2011

Libya s mass expatriate exodus has begun, amid escalating violence as embattled leader Muammar Qaddafi employs mercenaries to prolong his spectacular, 41-year-show of autocracy and eccentricity....

Establish an alternative voice of authority and the people will follow.  It is tricky in that they should not be lead into deceptive situations to find themselves facing death or prison.  The best approach is Marshall Law and people remaining 'safely' within their own homes while the Libyan military establish relief efforts and organize its distribution.  The Generals of the military have to sequester the Colonel and his supports and order them to stop their fighting otherwise their will be consequences.  Muammar is not stupid, he'll know his time is finished.  Some kind of alternative radio and possibly television, but, the message has to reach the people and radio is probably the best way.  It has to be an authority they recognize and trust to consolidate their understanding of their safety.

Libyan opposition reportedly seizes city of Misurata  (click here)

Opponents of Moammar Kadafi's regime reportedly take control of Misurata, which would be the first city to fall in Libya's western half, where Kadafi traditionally has maintained strong tribal support.

By Bob Drogin
Los Angeles Times

February 23, 2011, 8:51 a.m.

Reporting from Cairo —

Anti-government protesters claimed control of their first major city in Libya's far west Wednesday, a significant expansion of their popular uprising a day after embattled strongman Moammar Kadafi vowed to defend his regime "to the last drop of blood."

Gunfire echoed intermittently in the capital, Tripoli, and residents said police in some neighborhoods had abandoned their posts. Pro-government militias were roaming through residential streets and shooting from Land Cruisers, they said."We don't know who is in charge," Najah Kablan, a teacher, said by telephone. "It is very frightening."...

It would not hurt at all for a European and/or American voice was the best alternative to be sure their is an understanding to the authority to trust.

It's a mess.

When did the attack on the Middle Class begin?

Christine Lagarde, (click title to entry - thank you) the French finance minister, warned her US counterpart Hank Paulson that he had to bail out US investment bank Lehman Brothers or face global financial collapse, but her advice went unheeded....

The economic collapse of 2008 was the beginning of the maneuvering of public opinion against itself.

The 'belief' that cutting taxes would stimulate jobs was the beginning of the attack on the conscience of America.  There needed to be taxes placed on the wealthy as soon as the First Quarter of 2009.

The banks took their money and ran.  When it was evident the USA's economy was being abandoned as a house of cards, taxes on those that benefited from the bailouts in unreasonable ways should have been taxed.  The bailout was supposed to stop the economic decline of the Middle Class, maintain workers in their jobs and stabilize fedreal and state treasuries, was also suppose to prevent retirement losses and home foreclosures due to job losses.  All that was suppose to be buoyed by the bailout.  Why would anything change if the banks were provided with the equity they lost because of bad investments when AIG was pushed over the edge?

When President Obama and the Democrats were faced with initiating the Recovery and Reinvestment Act a Windfall Profits Tax should have accompanied the bill along with tax increases on the wealthiest Americans whom were also benefitting from the bailout. 

The problem was for any initiative that would maintain federal and state budgets through tax increases was so strongly opposed by the people as a means to further economic deterioration it became impossible to even discuss it.  It was a political issue that has lead to the election of Republicans that state they can 'leap the worst' deficit in a single bound.  Not possible.  Not without raising taxes.

So, with extremists in the Governorships of the States, they cut taxes further and in doing so plummeted their treasuries into the 'negative' range.  It was a 'designer' way of breaking the unions and destroying pensions.

The public employees have to have unions.  It is the individual against a government entity with nothing but rules and regs and elections to confront, it is impossible to find fairness.  If a public employee has a grievance their chance of being able to have it resolved without ample legal bills is impossible.  The unions provide a lot of support for the individual public employee so they can receive fair treatment while maintaining their income and assets.  It just has to be and to remove their bargaining power is to victimize the individual employee.

The 'packages' of pay, benefits and pensions is just that, a package which is the compensation for their work hours.  Pensions accumulate large amounts of cash and equity.  Those pensions have a fiduciary relationship with the public employee.  It is part of their compensation package.  That can't be taken lightly, nor should it be.  Those pensions provide economic stability for employees and their families no different than Social Security and provides stability to the USA economy.  The attack on pensions and employees is a hideous concept and one that needs to end.

No citizen in the USA or otherwise ever expected to fund a compensation package for Goldman Sachs, but, we did and now our country's budgets are stressed and a target for further exploitation by the wealthy, cronies of Republicans.

It has to stop and people need to be able to live good lives in the USA.  Enough of the attack on the Middle Class.  We have all had enough.  The Republicans should never have been elected in November and many of us stated same, but, the country wasn't ready to hear it.

Good night.