That title sounds like it should be sung to the tune from “All Along the Watchtower” . . . but yes, there are other things going on around town . . .
WORTH READING
Here’s another take on why the city has a budget problem. Tho a few of us tried to address this a few times, it is something the council never seriously considers. Sanborn was the only one hammering on the Capital Budget this year, but if others had tried to cut roads, especially ones in his district, he would have voted for them.
Barry Orton, on Soglin’s blog, does a good job summarizing where we are at with the Cable Competition Act . . . more broken promises. This is what led to the the defunding of WYOU (donate now!) and an average 21% rise in cable rates in two years.
Check out the drop in our air quality! Full Dane County Environmental Health Card Report Card here.
I appreciated this call to have the County Board members to stand up to the sheriff’s department . . . and the understanding that it could have political implications if they were to do so.
ART GALLERY OPENING
The Jackie Macaulay Gallery is hosting an artist reception for Desereé Nehrkorn
Friday, December 4, 2009 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.
Wine and hor’devours to be served.
Located in the Social Justice Center,
1202 Williamson Street, Madison, WI
WISCONSIN ONCE AGAIN SHOWING IT IS PROGRESSIVE
From the Democracy campaign:
Impartial Justice bill signed into law
The Impartial Justice bill is officially the Impartial Justice law. Governor Jim Doyle signed the bill this morning. The governor’s signing statement is here.With today’s action, Wisconsin becomes the first and only state to enact public financing legislation this year and joins North Carolina and New Mexico as the only states to ever create public financing systems for judicial elections.
The Democracy Campaign thanks Governor Doyle and all the legislators who acted to make this long-sought reform a reality. WDC also thanks the many other groups that worked for the bill’s passage, most especially Common Cause in Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. And we owe a great debt of gratitude to the countless citizens who took the time to contact their representatives and the governor to urge them to take this important step toward cleaning up state Supreme Court elections.
This historic breakthrough for campaign finance reform was a decade in the making, as the Impartial Justice bill was first proposed in 1999. It is the most significant campaign reform in Wisconsin since 1977.
WATER RATES GOING UP!!!
According to the letter from the PSC,
Our proposed charge for public fire protection provides an increase of approximately 27 percent compared to a 21 percent increase in general service rates.
There is a public hearing next Tuesday. You can comment here.
DID YOU KNOW . . .
County board elections are coming up? People can start filing for that and school board starting yesterday. Seems really, really, really quiet this year . . . so far, Melissa Sargeant is running for a seat being vacated by Dorothy Wheeler and there’s some action on campus . . . but I haven’t heard a whole lot more, but I haven’t been paying a whole lot of attention either and there is a virtual media blackout at the county and school board levels, making it hard to find news . . . but, at the county level, if you don’t like what happened to human services this year, or are concerned about the sheriff’s office and the immigration issues, or are passionate about land use (yes, there are some of you out there!) or [insert issue here], you should consider running! It’s not as much work as the city council and there are important issues that need to be addressed! School Board info here. County Board info here. Of course, if you are interested, you might want to talk to some folks . . . feel free to call or email me or find someone who you respect or agree with! Candidates needed!
SMALL BUSINESS BUS PASS PROGRAM
Sometimes those crazy Progressive Dane ideas can even be supported by Jenifer Alexander of the Chamber of Commerce . . . for more info to get involved in the program, see here.
STALLED HOTEL
Hmmm, not returning phone calls . . . hard to buy the initial excuses about product not being available given the news of liens being filed against the property.
AIDS QUILT IN MADISON TODAY AND TOMORROW”
Overture Center Main Lobby
201 State Street, Madison, WisconsinWednesday, December 2, 2009
11:00 am – 10:00 pmThursday, December 3, 2009
10:00 am – 10:00 pmThe AIDS Memorial Quilt is an expanding memorial to the lives of people lost to HIV/AIDS, created by those who loved them. It is the largest community art project in the world, totaling more than 45,500 individual panels that commemorate more than 91,000 people.
View 21 12’x12′ blocks of the captivating quilt in person, brought to Madison in recognition of World AIDS Day (December 1) by the UW Health HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Care Program, with financial support from Becker Law Office, the Wisconsin AIDS/HIV Program and our many generous allies and friends.
JUST A FEW DAYS LEFT . . .
Do some shopping, help the community, get a good deal!
Help Promote Sustainability Statewide and these Community Causes: Dane County TimeBank, WYOU Community Access TV, Community Groundworks at Troy Gardens
PEACE RALLY TODAY
Wednesday, December 2 – March of the Dead & Placing Demands on Sen. Kohls Office Door & Rep. Baldwin’s Office Door.
11:00 AM – Gather at Lisa Link Peace Park, State St., Mad., WI and march to Veterans Park at corner of State St. and the Capitol Square.
We will have a somber March of the Dead to the Capitol Square where we will remember and mourn the dead by reading their stories. Will arrive at the Square at NOON. We will deliver our demands to Senator Kohl’s office at approximately 12:30 to 12:45 and to Congresswoman Baldwin’s office at 1:30 or 1:45 PM, calling on our legislators to refuse to fund the escalation for the wars.
MADISON LOBBIES
Check out what the City of Madison is paying money to lobby on. The question that always bothered me is . . . who decides what we lobby on? In the last few years there has been a minimal effort to involve the council in the decisions, but it mostly is just a report on what has already happened and a request to give input once a year.
YOUR ALDER SAID WHAT?
As a side note to the above issue, check this out, the audio of the meeting is available. It’s the last link at the bottom of the links here. It would be sooooooo totally cool if that was made available for every committee meeting. Tho, that would probably scare the bejesus out most elected officials . . . but it also might make them think a little more about what they say. I wonder why this audio is available and if they plan to continue doing it?
CASEY JONES, YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR SPEED
Ticketing for speeding is once again a priority, kinda. There used to be two traffic enforcement teams called TEST teams. I forget when and how it went away, but I remember council members being concerned at the time and we were told to mind our own business . . . I remember thinking that the cops at the time just didn’t want to give tickets, they wanted to work on “real crime” because it was more exciting. Glad to see that preventative safety is back on their minds . . . but I’m also bracing myself for that ticket and when I get it, I won’t have any good excuses besides I just have a lead foot! But then again, the enforcement is still probably so light, I might never even notice.
WTF?
This is an account of a beating on Halloween weekend, which I don’t think we ever heard about:
Because of his injuries, which medical records show also include bulging discs, Miller was unable to complete the fall semester at UW-Parkside, and it is uncertain if he will be able to start a theater job in New York City scheduled to begin in January, he said.
Miller said he told a paramedic, whom he thought was a police officer, that he had just been beaten and could not get up. He said the paramedic told him to get up or he would be taken to detox then pulled him up and took him back to the house of the friend with whom he had been arguing.
Miller said the paramedic asked if he needed an ambulance, and he replied that he had no health insurance. The paramedic then questioned whether he was refusing medical treatment, but Miller did not reply, Miller said.
Amesqua said the paramedic, Gary Schreiber, denied that Miller told him he had been beaten. Miller also had no apparent injuries, she said.
Schreiber told a police detective that Miller refused medical treatment, Amesqua said.
A Fire Department report indicates paramedics responded to “a man sleeping in a alley. We were able to get him up and inside his house.”
I’m freaking speechless.
