I'm still pinching myself!  After eight long, long years of watching my beloved country go backwards or at best stand still, I'm watching progress!  The President Elect has taken charge and shown the leadership qualities I had confidence he possessed.  There may not be two presidents right now, but certainly the official president seems absent in his leadership of the economic crisis.

But Barack Obama has chosen a truly brilliant economic team to lead us out of this mess.  Here is a little something of what the New York Times says about Timothy Geithner:  "Though not an economist, Mr. Geithner has a deep understanding of monetary and fiscal policy and broad experience in international trade issues. Before the current crisis, he was involved in the bailouts of Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Brazil and Thailand. Although he served in the Clinton administration, he is not viewed as partisan and enjoys good relations with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress."

The new president has shown, through his choices, that intelligence is the prime factor in working with this new government.  He continues to pick the best and brightest the US has to offer to fill his top government positions.  This transition is amazing to watch.  Please pinch me!

Another election cycle is over and we can go back to leading the rest of our lives!  Many of us have a lot of catching up to do.  But let's never forget to keep informed of the issues and keep active in this local party.  Please tell all your friends to listen to progressive radio and watch TV stations that are really balanced until we get a station that is all progressive. WCPT radio in Chicago has expanded to 3 FM stations too.  The AM station only broadcasts during daylight hours, and that's getting pretty short.  They are at 820 AM.  You can now hear them on 92.7 FM from 5 am to 9 pm.  Most of Air America Radio broadcasting is found on WCPT.  I highly recommend Stephanie Miller on the morning drive! (8 am to 11 am)  WCPT AM can be heard from Portage, WI to Springfield, IL on a car radio.  Ed Schultz can also be found on WRJN, 1400 FM at 2:00 pm.  His show runs until 5:00.  The original time slot for his show is 11:00 am ...continue reading

Here's a letter from William J. Connell, top aide to Hubert Humphrey for twenty plus years , to his daughter, a dear friend of mine.   I have been a bit obsessed about this election, shall we say?  But with good reason.   I believe it much the most important election since 1932 when the Democrats came in at the very bottom of the Great Depression, to sweep away the old economic and political order and make fundamental changes in the way we govern and specifically the way we treat our downtrodden, our young, our sick and our old, and, indeed, our entire working class, to re-set the nation's priorities, and to resume the great quest for equal justice and opportunity for all and not just for the tiny moneyed class.    We have nearly come full circle since I was a small boy who looked down from the second story of a Balboa Park building in San Diego and watched the great FDR sitting jauntily in the back ...continue reading

Just to show how out of touch John McSame is this week, the new campaign theme for John and Sarah is that the Democrats are Socialists.  I guess they think they can scare the people of this nation into a post-World War II frenzy of anti-Communism like Joe McCarthy did.  In fact they sound just like old Joe. So they really believe that all the young voters who have newly registered, or all the older voters who grew up in the 70's, 80's, or 90's have even the remotest fear of Socialism.  In fact those of us who grew up in the 50's don't even have that fear.  I don't think any of us even have the word in our vocabulary! Wake up John McSame!  This is the 21st century.  The American dream is a lot closer.  We believe that everyone should have a chance.  We believe that Progressive Income Tax IS  an American ideal.  We believe that every a 5yr. old boy or girl can dream of being President one day, regardless of his or her color or ...continue reading

One of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs is "Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost."  In that song he says "These are the things that terrify me the most.  No Aliens, Psychopaths, or MTV Hosts, scare me like Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost." What scares you? I am personally afraid of three things...down escalators, roller coasters, and Abuse of Power! Were it not for Abuse of Power, even Hitler wouldn't have been such a bad guy. Sarah Palin has not only been found guilty of Abuse of Power, she is lying all over the TV news shows saying it did not even happen!  She (and John McSame) say she was found innocent.  What planet do they live on??? I don't believe the U.S. should be torturing prisoners under any circumstances. I don't believe the President has the constitutional right to issue "Signing Statements." I don't believe the U.S. should be at war in Iraq.  I don't believe John McSame will live 8 more years. I don't believe Sarah (or Todd) Palin ...continue reading

Ask yourself honestly...do you think Sarah Palin was chosen because she is the MOST qualified person to lead the free world should McCain pass, or because she was politically the most useful person in the land? McCain has only a one in three chance to survive the next eight years, according to the tables that insurance companies use to determine risk.  So the nation's risk would be Sarah has a 66% chance of being president, if elected to VP. Ask yourself honestly...which party seems the more honest?  For four years my friends in Illinois have been telling me that Barack Obama and Russ Feingold are the only politicians they think of as being honest.  Do you really believe McCain is ready to toss the pirates and bums out of Washington?  Is that even one of your top issues in this election at all?  Do you think if McSame and Palin anger all the Republicans in Washington by "cleaning house," they'll be able to get any of their policies adopted?  Certainly ...continue reading

I am so outraged by the selection of Sarah Palin I am almost beside myself!.  How dare John McCain think Hillary Clinton supporters will flock to his camp because Sarah has the same parts as Hillary? I have been an Obama supporter since I saw him introduce Russ Feingold at a rally in 2004.  But I admire Hillary for her intelligence, experiences, and many accomplishments.  How dare John McCain pander to women is such fashion?  What a catch...a hunter and NRA MEMBER, a governor (look how successful GW has been), an outsider (from D.C. and her house), someone married to an Alaskan Native American, a Christian-pro-life-pro-war-pro-gun-pro-homeschooling-pro-drilling beauty queen!  A trophy VP!  Caribou Barbie! I could go on for hours about her radical religious beliefs that would harm women.  Is there a chance the Supreme Court could outlaw BIRTH CONTROL all together?  Certainly outlawing abortion will end ...continue reading

Money.   It’s what all campaigns are asking for right now, and of course, there is a finite supply of it.   It is critical to political parties, campaigns, and our personal lives.   Some campaigns seem to have endless supplies of it, while others always seem to be asking for more.   It rules our political system and creates many fights in people’s homes. Our governments collect their money through a variety of means, and must make decisions on how to spend it.   As a Democrat, I believe that the priorities should be in making access to our basic rights as Americans equal to everyone, whether it is education or health care.   It appears, however, that after the recent fiasco of more money for the failed war policies in Iraq and the president’s veto of children’s health care (and of course Paul Ryan’s support of our president’s veto) that our priorities are going in the wrong direction. As veteran’s day recently passed, ...continue reading

Democrats won't miss Gonzales The founding fathers of our vast country took great care in planning against the largest possible coupe to overthrow our government. For example, the electoral college and having three separate powers of government, executive, legislative, and judicial. However, cut throat politics have devoured their vision of liberty and justice for all as the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confirmed. The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) mission states that they are “…to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.” Is this why the DOJ is under investigation, by our legislative branch none the less, for firing 8 Democratic attorneys and replacing them with Republican attorneys? Is this also why they are under investigation for using DOJ employees to publicly smear Democratic political candidates? Politics aside, what right does the DOJ have smearing any individual? This surely affects the ability for an American to pursue ...continue reading

A message to those represented by and in leadership of Labor: Soon it will be Labor Day, and we'll be celebrating a holiday that came about thanks to the labor movement in the late 1800's.  It was first started in 1882 in New York by the Central Labor Union, and by 1885 was celebrated in most industrial centers of the country.  By 1894, 31 states and the United States Congress, acting on behalf of the District of Columbia and the territories, established Labor Day the first Monday in September as a legal holiday via legislation. Unfortunately, we see fewer workers being represented by a union, and at the same time, it's getting harder to form a union.  There is a piece of legislation working its way through Congress called the "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA). This bill would: Certify a union on the basis of majority sign-up Facilitate first-contract mediation and arbitration Enforce stronger penalties for employers who block attempts to form a ...continue reading

The Wisconsin Senate Democrats are talking about it.   Our Governor is talking about it.   Michael Moore is talking about it in a big way ($11.5 million at this point – Sicko earning through July 8, 2007). Our health care system is in crisis.   There is no question that this is the case.   How bad is it?   If you look at simple poll numbers, almost 40% of Americans believe it is the number 1 priority for the 2008 presidential candidates.   What do Americans want to be done?   According to polls, regardless what issue you put as number 1 for presidential candidates, 67% of us want universal coverage. Governor Jim Doyle came up with BadgerCare Plus, and intends to implement this plan.   State Senator Bob Wirch and the Senate Democrats have come up with an interesting approach to our health care crisis.   No matter how we want our legislators to fix the problem, at least it's finally up for debate. As noted above, 67% of ...continue reading

Chair column as published in the Kenosha News, May 2007 The mainstream media has a strong foundation in American society.   Our current system of radio, television, and newspapers are a result of massive consolidations along with market winners and losers.   The question is, however, of the media outlets that remain, are they liberal or conservative?   Do they help Democrats, and as a result exist to hurt Republicans?   Or is the opposite the case?   Is it impossible to tell?   The answers to these questions lie in a complex web of reporter, editor, and owner bias.   I only hear that the media is liberal when it is perceived as “not conservative enough”.   Clearly, Fox News is not liberal media.   This network was created to strictly embolden the neo-conservatives.   In fact, a recent 15 minute watch of the channel while working out at the Y revealed a segment blasting Democrats for calling out ...continue reading

Chair column for April, published in the Kenosha News Two major things happened this week that got politicos going, the Virginia Tech shooting and the 2007 tax filing deadline, and I’m going to talk to both.   It’s interesting, however, because although guns and taxes are typically Republican talking points, I’m making them Democratic points this month.   Guns: I would like to express my deepest sympathy to those around this country who are dealing with the tragedy that occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech this past Monday.   It’s unconscionable to think that our gun-culture-rich society would even be surprised that something like this could happen.   There are going to be people who are going to come out and speak from their soapbox on one of two angles: 1. If kids and teachers on campus were allowed to carry weapons, the shooter would have been killed right away. 2. This is further proof that we need more gun ...continue reading

Chair column for March, published in the Kenosha News The elected GOP representatives in this state and country are working against us by providing tax cuts to the energy companies, the same companies that have gouged us at the pump and polluted the air we breathe.   In 2000, we paid less than $1.50 per gallon of gas, whereas today’s price is over $2.50 per gallon.   What do we, as citizens, get in return?   A GOP attorney general that backs out of an EPA lawsuit seeking better pollution controls on coal-fired power plants.   Why would J.B. Van Hollen do this?   Well, he received a lot of money for his campaign from utility companies, that’s why.   Paul Ryan (our GOP representative) is working on convincing us that we pay too much at the pump because of so-called “boutique blends” in gasoline.   Paul Ryan is only saying this because he is pushing bills being presented to him by the same people that backed ...continue reading

Chair column for February, published in the Kenosha News For the past few years, it has bothered me that so many people are working to divide the people in this country by fear and hate while special interest groups come out as the only “winners”.   In a discussion with my partner, David, he defines modern politics (mainly driven by the far-right) as collision politics. Looking at a few issues, we can see how collision politics work in dividing us based on emotion. Abortion – Thanks to collision politics, you can only be pro-life or pro-choice.   There is no middle ground anymore, even though many of us have feelings that align with both sides of the argument.   Most of us would agree that third trimester birth is preferable to third trimester abortion.   In addition, most of us favor the option of abortion in cases of rape, abuse, medical issues, or incest; but not Republicans.   Where we differ the most is in the first ...continue reading

Chair column for January, published in the Kenosha News Just a couple decades ago, "Made in America" meant we shopped at Wal-mart.  They imported an estimated $25.2 billion of their 2006 inventory from China.  This new way of "doing business" helped to put the United States' trade deficit at $68.9 billion in December 2006 alone.  Especially in a time of war, manufacturing locale is a matter of national security. Most companies in China are partially owned by their government, have government supplied healthcare, and have workers that are willing to earn a lesser wage due to their currency-imposed lower cost of living.  Their currency policy does not help us.  If the United States government could simply lift the burden of healthcare off of our employers by providing a universal health care system, we may have kept the manufacture of IBM computers in America. Although some of our corporations helped to create trade, safety, and intellectual protections here ...continue reading