Happy Thanksgiving!!

Obama pardons turkey. . . .

All 2,012 of them!

Each turkey will also receive legal representation from

Cass Sunstein,

President Obama's Regulatory Czar.

Kill the Bill

Saturday evening, the Senate voted to allow the debate and ammending process to begin on the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." The vote was 60-39 in favor, with all Democrats and Independents (including Joe Lieberman) supporting and all Republicans opposing the vote for cloture. It is now up to us to stop this bill from passing! Rasmussen reports that just 38% of Americans support the Health Care Plan proposed by President Obama and Congressional Democrats, the lowest level of support to date.

The 2074 page Health Care Reform Bill:
http://democrats.senate.gov/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act.pdf


Contact WI Senators:
Senator Herb Kohl
(202) 224-5653
http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm


Senator Russ Feingold
(202) 224-5323
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html


Contact all the Senators you can, especially those on the fence:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Lindsey Graham questions Eric Holder

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is a Senator I disagree with often. However, this time he is right on target. Lindsey Graham's background includes being a member of the United States Air Force, where he served as Judge Advocate during the Gulf War. His job was to debrief pilots on the laws of war. Lindsey Graham thoroughly understands the topic. The questions he put to Attorney General Eric Holder are alarming, but of very real possibility! By trying accused terrorists in criminal court rather than military tribunals would they require a reading of miranda rights? If said rights were not given, would they go free on a technicality? Do they have the right to remain silent, where members of our military cannot interrogate them for vital information? If they choose to represent themselves, will all the secret information and evidence be available for the suspected terrorists to review? What happens if they are found innocent by a jury (as in the case of OJ Simpson) or there is a procedural error (as in the case of Bill Ayers)? President Barack Obama has already accused the US military of torture, will this be used in their own defense? There are so many questions, and so many fears, but very few answers offered by Eric Holder or the Obama Administration. My main question is, why are accused terrorists being considered to receive Constitutional rights and civil liberties while Patriotic American Citizens are being asked to give up theirs? Furthermore, just how does this make Americans safer?

Sarah Palin: "Wisconsin has gone Rogue"

Sarah Palin's much anticipated book, "Going Rogue: An American Life," just launched today and is already a best-seller. I had the honor to see and hear Sarah Palin in person earlier this month. She spoke at a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Right to Life and drew close to 5,000 people by some estimates, in the largest pro-life event in Wisconsin's history. I feel I must mention that because of the nature of the event, that being a fundraiser, the Wisconsin Right to Life chose to close her speech to the press; it was not a request made by Sarah herself as was widely reported. Leading up to the main attraction, there was a lot of anticipation in the air and when Sarah entered the room it was electric and exciting! Sarah herself was down to earth and personable, but her message was weighty and forthright. She began her speech by referencing the new dollar coins where "In God We Trust" is written along the outside of the coin rather than on the face of it, a metaphor for how traditional American values are being pushed out to the fringe. Of this she asked, "Who makes these decisions for us anyway?" Sarah is unapologetically and positively pro-life. She declared being pro-life is "intellectually honest and philosophically pure." With respect to her baby Trig being born with Downs Syndrome and her own daughter going through a teenage pregnancy, she believes "God has asked me to walk-the-walk and not just talk-the-talk." I was amazed at her ability to turn two very trying events into a positive learning experience and opportunity to set example. In regards to Wisconsin specifically, Sarah stated, "There is something special going on in Wisconsin," due to growing support for the sanctity of life and the decline in the number of abortions year after year in this state. She added that according to a recent Gallup Poll, "The majority of all Americans now identify themselves as pro-life as well. . . Thank God!" Sarah ensured us that our "efforts are paying off" and that it is "amazing that all the pro-life legislation passed in Wisconsin have never been overturned by a Court of Laws." Finally, she exclaimed that "Wisconsin has gone rogue!" and identified the Wisconsin Right to Life as one of the models that should be used for "grassroots reaction to a Supreme Court decision." She finished by coming back to that idea of the new dollar coin and told us not to allow ourselves to be "pushed out to the edge." Instead she encourages us to push back, become involved, and make our voices heard. That is exactly what I intend to do. Won't you join me?

http://www.wrtl.org/palin/ http://www.teamsarah.org/

http://www.sarahpac.com/ http://tiny.cc/amazonsarah

WISCONSIN: The "Big Ten"

This morning as I logged into my Yahoo homepage, I immediately noticed the headline, "The Ten Most Cash Strapped States." Without even clicking on the link, I knew Wisconsin had made the list. The "good" news I suppose is that we were at the very bottom of the list at #10! Ten out of fifty, I reminded myself, is not so good however. The really good news is that we will soon have a new Governor, and one can hope, a fiscally responsible Republican Governor!! According to the Pew Center findings, Wisconsin made the list because of its long history of budget shortfalls (currently 23.2%) and a pattern of borrowing to cover operating expenses, making the state poorly positioned to withstand the recent economic downturn. In addition, Wisconsin is heavily dependent on manufacturing. Yet various actions have been taken to actually make Wisconsin less business friendly. Wisconsin jobs and job creators have been exiting the state at an increasing rate. As the economy sputters, so does the manufacturing sector and with that, unemployment surges in the state. Also, Wisconsin's high taxes will make for a slow recovery. If you live in Wisconsin, I am sure none of this comes as a surprise to you. As the Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Reince Priebus states, “Wisconsin taxpayers aren’t shocked by this ranking because they’ve seen their taxes climb due to Doyle’s spending increases. Doyle has left our state with a fiscal disaster to clean up, but sadly the taxpayers will be the ones left on the hook for the reckless spending that got us into this mess.” Indeed. While other states were making cuts, lowering taxes, and balancing the budget, Governor Doyle increased state spending by 3.6%. Reince Priebus continued, adding, “Republicans know that to get Wisconsin out of this mess we’ve got to create good paying jobs that contribute to our state’s financial stability." Let's hope the rest of Wisconsinites know this too, and elect a Republican Governor in 2010 to get us headed in the right direction! http://tiny.cc/dailyfinance10 http://tiny.cc/yahooterrible10 http://tinyurl.com/WIGOP10

Thanks to all those who served in the Armed Forces. Thank You to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corp Veterans. The National Guard, Coast Guard, Reservists, and all uniform personnel whose job is to protect and serve this country and its people. God Bless.

"You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you." ~ Ronald Reagan, 6/6/84 http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/60684a.htm

Tiptoeing thru Terrorism

On Thursday, November 5, 2009, the United States Military Base of Fort Hood, Texas was attacked. The lone gunman was Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a self-professed anti-war Muslim. He opened fire on unarmed soldiers, leaving over 30 injured and 13 dead. The attack was ended when Fort Hood Civilian Police Officer, Kimberly Munley shot Hasan four times, despite being shot herself.

This attack was a frightening wake up call for many Americans. Most people immediately questioned the possible implications of a Muslim American Soldier attacking his own US Military Base. Was this homegrown terror? How could someone like this become a ranking member of the US military? Is there a terror network working on the inside? With so many questions, Americans tuned into the television, searching for answers, only to discover a timid and cautious news media concerned more with political correctness than straightforward reporting. The Internet was a much more reliable source of the information people sought. The news media seemed reluctant to even release the shooter's name, much less confirm his Muslim religion. Martha Radaatz of ABC news stated on air, "I wish his name was Smith" while CBS and NBC failed to note his Muslim religion altogether. Anchors, like Chris Matthews of MSNBC, cautioned the public not to "jump to conclusions" based on the man's ethnicity and religion. Even when it was reported that Hasan shouted, "Allahu Akbar" (or 'God is Great" in Arabic), the common cry of suicide bombers and terrorists, the media failed to point the blame fully at him or explore the possible implications of his battle cry. It didn't take long before the shooter himself actually became the victim through the eyes of the media. Hasan was stressed from his work as a military psychologist. He was depressed from listening to horrible stories of the troops returning home from war. He was teased and ridiculed by his fellow military for being Arabic and Muslim. Can you believe, the same soldiers who were attacked actually assumed blame!?! Never mind that Hasan had Internet postings sympathizing with suicide bombers, "To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause," nor that he was quoted as saying, "Muslims should stand up and fight their aggressor."

After receiving a lecture on diversity and a scolding for profiling by the liberal media, it was refreshing to listen to Conservative talk radio and read the blogs the next day to find people calling the act exactly what it was, Terrorism. So there were people who reacted as I did after all! Laura Ingraham stated without hesitation, "This was the first terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11." Finally, the truth, or at least an open dialogue of that scary possibility. Senator Joe Lieberman, too, called the Fort Hood massacre, "a terrorist act" and Hasan himself, an "Islamic Extremist." Joe Lieberman (I) chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee and has pledged to initiate a formal investigation into the attack to find any warning signs the army should have recognized. I will be interested to see, just how much this investigation exposes, both about Hasan himself and the possibility of more like him, and just what the military has to endure in regards to political correctness, sensitivity, and diversity. As much as the liberal media wants to deny it, Islamic Extremism is real. There are people who hate us and want to kill us, solely for being American. We have a true enemy and our war efforts are warranted. However, one must first admit there is a problem before one can begin to solve the problem. Thankfully, Joe Lieberman, talk radio, and bloggers immediately identified the problem. The old media is, predictably, still in denial though, offering little hope they are about to change.

County Board Update - November 6, 2009 – by Deloras Vind

It's budget time at the county board. We have a $900,000 shortfall! This is due to a variety of factors:
-$200,000 Managed Care Organization expense
-$280,000 shortfall in Unified Board/Human Services
-12% increase in health insurance rates for employees, a $287,700 increase
-3% wage increase for county employees
-$65,000 decrease in sales tax income
-decrease in new construction
-decrease in state revenue sharing of 2% or $26,723
-decrease in the fund balance sheet
-decrease in revenues from fees etc. in various county department
-decrease in state aids
-The need to balance the budget at county level and keep a healthy general fund

Whew!

The Executive/Finance committee has been working to keep the tax levy to 1.44% increase which is the rate of new growth in the county. They see large budget shortfalls looming for several years in the future. They are recommending the board cut about eleven county employee positions. Human Services will absorb Senior Services and the Health Department to increase efficiency, not cut programs to Trempealeau County residents. This is a difficult and unpopular decision the Executive/Finance members have made. The County Board will vote November 10th.

It has to be mentioned that our Assembly Representative Chris Danou and State Senator Kathleen Vinehout voted to decrease state funding to the county by 2%, plus decrease funding to various departments such as Human Services. They stuck the county with their problems. Yet they voted to increase the over all state budget spending leaving a $2.3 billion deficit for the state. Plus they voted for a property tax increase of $1.5 billion. The county employee health insurance is through the state of Wisconsin , which raised the insurance rates for the county employee’s cadillac health insurance this year by 12% (last year it was an 8% increase) or $287,700 - this amount equals the maximum amount the county can raise the budget! By-the-way, one health insurance perk for county employees is they pay no deductibles. The 3% wage increase for county employees is due to a three year contract of 3% increase per year the county board approved with the union and employees in 2008 (mine was the lone NO vote).

I agree with the Finance/Executive committee recommendations. We need a smaller more efficient county government. The third largest employer in Trempealeau County is the County! It can be done, but as in all politics the tax payer must hold elected officials accountable.

The 2010 Budget hearing is November 10, 2009 at 10AM. Contact information for the County Board is at www.tremplocounty.com click on “ County Board ” on the left hand side of the screen.