Media

Yesterday I tried to speak to the common council about how a budget is allegedly a reflection of our values, and I had concerns that this budget is all about the Overture and Edgewater and not what struggling people in the community need. I asked if that really reflected our values, a luxury hotel and high end arts facility. I wasn't that articulate, I was tired and burned out and emotional about it after working too many hours listening to people's stories with so few answers. Fortunately, Heidi Wegleitner said it much, much better than I, so . . . um, what she said.

Sorry, see part one, technical issues . . . missed a bunch of amendment 11, but will pick it back up now.

If I don't live blog it, it won't happen, so this is what you are getting, a lazy live blog of sorts, sorry . . . my job sucks and is sucking it all out of me.

For what it is worth . . . here they are.

2011, you can have it all (but good luck! it's getting pretty late). 2012, TIF is reduced. Dear Mr. Dunn I read with...

From Chris Taylor . . . no surprises, Walker doesn't want the homeless using the Capitol basement.

Makin' it up at the last minute, staff deciding how the council will do things? How are people supposed to know this? Does the council get a say in their own process and shouldn't this have been worked out months ago when they passed the resolution on the budget process?

Do you have opinions on what is going on in our neighborhood? Concerned that a landlord/developer who is/was not even a paid member of the neighborhood association was elected the chairperson for the neighborhood group by 7 people? Will the neighborhood vote to support the Edgewater but make it harder for the homeless and the Occupy Madison people? Probably. Last time they spent a great deal of time complaining about the people who bike on Mifflin St. Unless you show up and express a different opinion, these folks represent our neighborhood.

All that comes out of the other end of my keyboard is venom. I can't stomach watching what the county board did last night and what the council will do the next two nights. And then think about the reality that I see every day at work and the people hurt by their inactions. It's unconscionable. Their priorities are so screwed up.

With Apologies to Bill Maher, I thought I would steal his famous segment. New Rule: You can't advocated...

Tonight, finally, The Mic 92.1 FM, is making a commitment to local programming again. I actually pretty much boycotted the station...

Stuart Levitan fired off a letter to George Austin last week, the staff sent out a damaging report and tonight Landmarks Commission and Urban Design are holding a joint meeting to discuss the Frautchi/Rowland Plan for State St. and the destruction of a couple Madison Landmarks.