Saturday, May 4, 2013

Get Me Rewrite: This Audit Covers WEDC's Operations Through December 2012

And reflects an obliviousness on the part of the Chair of his own mismanagement.

Audit finds Scott Walker’s job creation agency repeatedly broke law. (Salon, 5/2/2013)


Related posts:
Legislative Audit Bureau Report on Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation: The "Cliff Notes" Version.  (5/3/2013_
"Tales of woe never end at WEDC."  (4/25/2013)
Enterprise Florida and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation share a lack of transparency.  (2/28/2013)
Work to do, words yet to live by.  (12/27/2012)

Sorry, Grayce, I Still Haven't Read Any Doris Lessing


After all these years.

March 27, 1976
I've been reading more Doris Lessing. I'm pretty impressed by her & will be sorry to run out of her soon -- only 2 more books to go.

May 5, 1976
Have your read anything really exciting lately? (Fiction) I have enough philosophy non-fiction to keep me busy. Doris Lessing is still on the top of the charts as far as I'm concerned. I just finished her Golden Notebook. I'm running out of her & I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't go on these binges, but I just can't wait.

May 13, 1976
Actually, I'm not bored by your letters because I'm very interested in you & what you are doing. I don't suppose we'll ever know each other so completely that we'll be bored...(because I believe that every single person is so complex as never to be fully known by another.) It's probably much better that way - -I'm not sure that delving into another person's depths is such a good idea -- especially since I'll never get to the bottom of my own. (Doris Lessing seems to have done this -- or so it seems in her Children of Violence series where the main character, Martha Quest, is herself.) While I'm on the subject of Doris Lessing -- does she interest you at all? I've recommended her to a friend of mine, an actress, & she says that she's gotten a lot from her. I would like to have a masculine viewpoint. We have been exposed to so few GOOD women writers, you know? & Lessing is one of the most insightful (maybe the most insightful) that I've come across. I'd just like to know if I like her because she's good & insightful, or because I identify with that she puts forth. Would you mind very much if I asked you to read some of her? The Children of Violence is a 5-book series -- maybe you don't want to start with that? The Golden Notebook is not her best in terms of style, but is very interesting & gives an idea of what she thinks.

June 24, 1976
P.S. If you do read any Lessing, read The Four-Gated City instead of Golden Notebook because it is more explicit about her ideas, I think. (It's the fifth book of a 5-book series, but it can be read without the others, I guess.

At which point Grayce throws in the towel.

 

Photo at left:  Grayce and Bev, with Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh PA in the background, circa March 1974.  Five months later, the three of us graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences (GSLIS), since renamed.  (Spent a lot of time here.)

Photo at right:  Grayce's framing results in an "off-with-his head" pose.  Behind me, near the intersection of Forbes and South Bellefield, is the administrative headquarters of the Pittsburgh School District.  The Cathedral of Learning is looming to my left.

Scott Walker for Governor has a new tagline: "We don't want to go backwards":

But it's clear that's the direction in which we're heading.


Guess Walker's team missed the latest rankings from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Heading back to 43.
(Arrows added)

 The U.S. Chamber shows us how to make a pretzel.


Amid 1,000 layoffs in Wisconsin, Scott Walker gets no love from U.S. Chamber. (Capital Times, 5/3/2013)

Excerpt: Its annual scorecard on state economies ranked Wisconsin 44th for overall economic performance and 50th — as in dead last — for short-term job growth as measured between September 2010 and November 2012. It also has Wisconsin 39th in “business climate” — on par with the state’s ranking under Gov. Jim Doyle. 

(Arrow added)

Friday, May 3, 2013

"Cheaper by the dozen," Mitt Romney advises the graduates of Southern Virginia University

Mitt Romney's Advice to College Grads: Start Having Babies As Soon As Possible.  (Mother Jones, 5/2/2013)

Southern Virginia University is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Church of the Latter Days Saints.   His message is likely one that resonated here.


This, by the way, is a quiver, a carrying case for arrows.


The quiver shown here is sold by Cabela,  According to the product description, it can hold up to 12 arrows.


For further reading:
A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ
Quiverfull

Bringing Hulk to the Northlake Public Library District: Is Everything in Order?



Northlake library hopes online Hulk campaign will bring in the green. (Franklin Park Herald-Journal, 5/2/2013)

The Northlake (Illinois) Public Library District hopes to raise $30,000 to purchase, among other items, a 9-foot statue of Hulk, the Marvel Comics superhero.

Being familiar with the strict requirements of many communities' sign ordinances, I wonder if everyone in Northlake, their friendliness notwithstanding, has indeed signed off on this project.

For example, staff considering such an idea at the Middleton (Wisconsin) Public Library would be first advised to take a look at the local ordinances.   (And in Northlake's case, being a district library doesn't exempt it from the laws and regulations of the municipality in which the physical library is located.)

The City of Middleton sign ordinance, which runs to 35 pages, includes nearly 5 pages of definitions, including one for any "Attention-Attracting Object", statuary included.

The sign code applies to all of these various types of signs.


Forms must be filled out and fees paid.


Step 1.  Obtain permit from Director of Planning and Zoning.  That would be Eileen Kelley for a City of Middleton proposal.

Step 2.  Fill out the form.  Information provided must include (but is not limited to)
  • The configuration of the proposed sign listing the 
    • height, 
    • width, 
    • total square footage, 
    • proposed copy, 
    • method of construction and attachment, 
    • method of illumination and description of all electrical equipment, 
    • sign materials and colors, and 
    • at least one image showing the location of the proposed sign and its relationship to either the building to which it is to be mounted or the surrounding lot if it is a ground sign.
Step 3.  Application process and review by Planning and Zoning Director

Step 4.  Plan Commission review and approval.

This isn't just a Middleton thing.

Based on the report presented during Wednesday's LIS 712 Public Library class by the Fitchburg Public Library field project group. local officials there would go into apoplexy over such a project proposal.  Directional signs are hard enough to come by.  (Fitchburg's sign ordinance.)

Northlake's sign code defines an "attention getting device".

And sets forth its sign regulations in a series of 10 chapters.

Questions may be referred to the Northlake City Clerk.

Related post:

Legislative Audit Bureau Report on Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation: The "Cliff Notes" Version

There's a lot to make you see red in this audit.


Report highlights  (or lowlights, as it appears)
  • WEDC did not have sufficient policies to administer its grant, loan, and tax credit programs effectively, including some statutorily required policies. 
  • Some awards were made to ineligible recipients, for ineligible projects, and for amounts that exceeded specified limits. 
  • In FY 2011-12, WEDC did not monitor expenditures incurred by each of its programs. 
  • Additional efforts are needed to help ensure that WEDC administers its taxpayer-funded economic development programs effectively.

Highlights from "Introduction"
  • Economic development includes programs that provide financial and other assistance to businesses, local governments, and other organizations
  • WEDC is governed by a 15-member unpaid board.  (Governor serves as chairperson.)
  • A number of concerns have been raised about WEDC.  (Accompanied by 4 bullet-point explanations.)
  • WEDC had filled 86.0 FTE positions as of July 1, 2012.
  • In FY 2011-12, WEDC administered 30 economic development programs, including 14 required by statutes.

    Highlights from "Financial Assistance Programs"
    • In FY 2011-12, WEDC 
      • administered 19 economic development programs that provided financial assistance.
      • authorized $346.4 million in economic development bonds.
      • awarded 166 economic development grants totaling $41.3 million. 
      • awarded 33 economic development loans totaling $20.5 million
    • WEDC did not have sufficient policies to administer its grant and loan programs effectively.
    • WEDC did not always perform the analysis necessary to determine if an applicant’s proposed project was eligible for a grant or loan.
    • Information provided by WEDC indicated that grant and loan recipients did not submit 12 of 14 statutorily required verified financial statements.
    • Additional efforts are needed to help ensure that WEDC administers its taxpayer-funded grant and loan programs effectively.

    Highlights from "Tax Credit Programs"
    • In FY 2011-12, WEDC 
      • administered eight economic development programs that provided tax credits. 
      • allocated $62.9 million in tax credits through two development zone programs.
      • allocated $36.7 million in tax credits through two other tax credit programs. 
    • In 2011, investors were awarded $11.2 million in tax credits through two investment tax credit programs. 
    • WEDC did not establish all statutorily required policies for its tax credit programs.
    • WEDC did not always perform the analysis necessary to determine if an applicant’s proposed project was eligible for tax credits. 
    • WEDC allocated some tax credits in ways that did not comply with statutes or its program policies.
    • WEDC sometimes allocated tax credits for projects that had occurred before the contracts were executed.
    • Additional efforts are needed to help ensure that WEDC administers its taxpayer-funded tax credit programs effectively.

    Highlights from "Program Results and Accountability"
    • Statutes require WEDC’s governing board to establish clear and measurable goals for each economic development program.
    • WEDC’s governing board did not establish expected results for 10 of 30 economic development programs in FY 2011-12. 
    • Recipients of 59 awards submitted 45.0 percent of the contractually required progress reports from July 2011 through December 2012.
    • WEDC did not comply with statutes by independently verifying the performance information reported by recipients of a sample of grants and loans. 
    • WEDC’s governing board is statutorily required to report annually on each of its economic development programs. 
    • Program results presented in the economic development program report sometimes differed from program results in other WEDC information. 
    • WEDC’s information indicates that its awards resulted in the creation of 3,383 actual jobs and the retention of 2,006 actual jobs in FY 2011-12.
    • It is difficult to assess the accuracy and completeness of the number of jobs that WEDC reported having been created or retained. 
    • Additional efforts are needed to help ensure compliance with statutory requirements.

    Highlights from "Financial Management"
    • In FY 2011-12, WEDC’s expenditures totaled an estimated $80.1 million.
    • In FY 2011-12, WEDC did not monitor the amounts spent on \each of its economic development programs. 
    • To help with its financial management, WEDC contracted with four firms.   (Perhaps this has something to do with the job retention mentioned above.)
    • To more effectively manage taxpayer funds appropriated to it, WEDC should improve its financial management practices.

      Highlights from "Vendor Selection"
      • WEDC has considerable flexibility when procuring goods and services. 
      • WEDC did not have policies for staff to use to purchase goods and services. 
      • WEDC contracted for management services without conducting open and competitive procurement processes. 
      • Developing procurement policies could help prevent inefficient and ineffective use of taxpayer funds. (More and more, I'm seeing this faux outrage over the UW System reserves as a smokescreen to obscure the damning assessment of this audit.)
      • WEDC did not have sufficient policies governing staff use of purchasing cards. 
      • In FY 2011-12, WEDC’s purchasing card transactions totaled $348,400.
      • WEDC cardholders did not indicate the purpose for 79 transactions totaling $46,100, or 56.0 percent of the 141 purchasing card transactions we reviewed.
      • We question whether several purchasing card transactions we reviewed are allowable. 
      • Additional efforts are needed to improve WEDC’s management of its purchasing cards. 

        Highlights from "Personnel Management"

        • WEDC did not have its own personnel policies until December 2011. 
        • WEDC established salary ranges for each of its staff positions.
        • In December 2012, 17 WEDC staff received merit awards totaling $59,500. (Head in hands.)
        • As of October 2012, WEDC had compensated four staff for relocation expenses in moving to Wisconsin.
        • WEDC reimbursed staff for their purchase and use of personally owned iPhones.
        • To help ensure that taxpayer funds are spent effectively, the governing board needs additional information about WEDC’s personnel policies. 

                  Highlights from "Governance"

                  • WEDC’s chief executive officer and all governing board members filed the statutorily required statement of economic interests for 2011. 
                  • Statutes authorize WEDC’s governing board to accept gifts, grants, loans, and contributions from private or public sources.
                  • WEDC had no policies for tracking and handling gifts received by its staff.
                  • WEDC and its governing board have not filed all statutorily required reports on time, and some reports did not contain all required information.  (Funny, with all this accumulated evidence, how muted the Republicans response  has been.  Some might ask, "Where the outrage?")
                  • In March 2013, WEDC’s governing board passed a resolution authorizing WEDC to create nonprofit foundation to solicit donations to promote economic development. 


                          Related posts:
                          "Tales of woe never end at WEDC."  (4/25/2013)
                          Enterprise Florida and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation share a lack of transparency.  (2/28/2013)
                          Work to do, words yet to live by.  (12/27/2012)

                          Bought and Paid For

                          School choice group's spending on Rick Gudex's Senate campaign pays off. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/2/2013)

                          Daniel Bice opens his "No Quarter" column with this unequivocal statement:  Rarely has the political payoff for a special interest group been as quick or blatant.



                          The Wisconsin Page

                          It bears repeating.   Spending more than $325,000 in the race, the American Federation for Children and the AFC Action Fund made the race such a point of emphasis in order to bolster an already strong coalition of elected officials who are supportive of educational choice 

                          Perhaps just enough money to make the difference in Gudex's razor-thin margin of victory.


                          Drawing a line in the sand.

                          Thursday, May 2, 2013

                          Education vs. Indoctrination


                          Voucher schools:  It's not the future of education.

                          Wisconsin voucher students lag in latest state test. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/23/2013)

                          Related posts:
                          School choice field trip?  (4/26/2013)
                          Spending by school choice backers: Sort of like Christmas for some folks.  (4/15/2013)
                          Study analysis likely to be pooh-poohed by majority of the Wisconsin State Legislature, who prefer ideology over evidence.  (4/4/2013)
                          The New York Times provides an overview of school choice without mentioning the American Legislative Exchange Council's orchestration.  (3/26/2013)
                          Conjuring up a metaphorical firestorm.  (2/25/2013)
                          Wisconsin's school voucher program provides $6,400 in public money per private school student.  (12/2/2012)
                          Reporter Writes About "Flood" of School Voucher Legislation without Mentioning ALEC.  (8/2/2011)

                          Mike Wade Now Free to Give His Full Attention to Chicago West Patriots

                          If this meeting takes place, Wade won't be chairing it.

                          Attorney says newly elected Carol Stream officials had right to take oath early. (Daily Herald, 5/2/2013)

                          And here Mike thought he was looking like a (lame) duck, quacking like a (lame) duck, and walking like a (lame) duck, i.e., one more opportunity to do damage to the library.

                          Excerpt: Outgoing board President Mike Wade had scheduled a special meeting for May 8 to vote on a contract to sell a vacant 7.5-acre site at 2N540 Kuhn Road, which was purchased by the library in 2003 with intentions of constructing a new library there. 

                          In an attempt to prevent such a sale from taking place, the five newly elected board members were sworn in Wednesday night — two weeks earlier than planned.

                          Other Carol Stream Public Library posts/articles:
                          Carol Stream Residents Take Their Library Back from the Tea Party.  (4/17/2013)
                          Library board race grows increasingly bitter.  (Daily Herald, 4/3/2013)
                          Board punts on library building project.  (11/20/2012)
                          Quick turnaround time.  (8/2/2012)
                          Good luck with that!  (8/1/2012)
                          Library Director has no doubts her firing was personal. (7/25/2012)
                          Do-over:  Library board votes again to fire library director officially, legally.  (7/26/2012)
                          Philosophical realignment of the Carol Stream Public Library Board of Trustees.  (7/19/2012)

                          You Can Fool Some of the People All of the Time

                          Pressing the stupidity pedal to the metal.

                          Satire, i.e, fiction, published today from

                          On the same day, Snopes tells people how gullible they are after the above is taken as gospel truth and shared widely on social media.


                          California's Shifting Immigration Trends

                          New Suburban Dream Born of Asia and Southern California. (The New York Times, 4/28/2013)


                          Men, Accessorizing

                          Fashion Fit for Executives, as Well as for Gatsby. (The New York Times, 4/26/2013)


                          Brooks Brothers:  Ready to fuel a Gatsby-inspired fashion frenzy.

                          Page 3 ad.  New York Times.  April 29, 2013

                          • The clip
                          • Pocket squares
                          • Shades
                          • Belts  (Wow, I accessorize.  But I suppose it doesn't count if you wear the same belt all the time.)
                          • Wallets
                          • Cuff links.  (I have two pairs.  Never wear them.)
                          • Wrist watch
                          • Bandana  (My home was once in Montana -- 1952-1957, 1974-75 -- but, no, I never wore one.)

                          A Side of Fashion: The Men’s Guide to Accessorizing. (Webster Style Magazine, 8/1/2011)

                          The Man's Guide to Accessorizing.  (Reality Chic, 9/22/2011)

                          The Business Climate Rankings Industry: Apparently, It's All a Crock

                          Photo credit:  Ancient Agora Museum (Athens) via Wikipedia Commons

                          Grading Places:  What Do the Business Climate Rankings Really Tell Us?  Second Edition.  A report by Good Jobs First.

                          From the executive summary.

                          The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council’s U.S. Business Policy Index   (Wisconsin ranks 27th)

                          Includes 46 factors
                          • health care regulation (6)
                          • taxes (22)
                          • government services (7)
                          • miscellany
                            • crime 
                            • paid leave 
                            • renewable energy portfolio standards
                            • electricity rates
                            • eminent domain 
                            • tort liability. 
                          • Good Jobs First assessment
                            • 12 factors have anything to do with progressive tax rates
                            • 34 are "statistical background noise". 
                            • Compared to measures of state economic dynamism tracked by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the USBPI does not correlate; that is, it does not apparently measure things that contribute to higher rates of innovation and entrepreneurship.

                          The Beacon Hill Institute’s State Competitiveness Report (Wisconsin ranks 18th)

                          45 variables:
                          • fiscal policy (6)
                          • human resources (8)
                          • technology (7)
                          • business incubation (8)
                          • What GJF considers "dubious" choices
                            • weekly unemployment benefits
                            • cell phones per 1,000 residents
                            • infant mortality rate
                            • percent of residents born abroad 
                          • Summary.  The study confuses cause and effect, including various measures that are the result of growth, such as labor participation rates, firm births, initial public offerings, exports, and public-budget surpluses. But even if Beacon Hill’s data smorgasbord added up to anything meaningful, the Institute completely undermines its report by making up 21 percent of the component numbers! For two states, two-thirds of their scores are made from whole cloth.

                          The Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index (Wisconsin ranks 43rd)

                          35 variables, all focusing on taxes.
                          • corporate income tax (11)
                          • personal income tax (7)
                          • sales taxes (4) 
                          • property taxes (10) 
                          • GJF assessment:  The ratings consistently favor regressivity

                          The American Legislative Exchange Council’s Rich States, Poor States: The ALEC-Laffer Economic Competitiveness Index  (Wisconsin ranks 32nd)

                          Not easy to reformat this summary into bullet points.

                          ....despite its aggressive claims, fails to predict job creation, GDP growth, state and local revenue growth, or rising personal incomes. Empirical evidence does not support its claims that estate taxes or graduated personal income taxes cause rich people to move and thereby retard economic development. No state is anywhere near “Laffer Curve” rates of taxation; the only certain outcome of a tax cut is lower revenues. And the only clear impact of “right to work” laws is lower wages.

                          More Evidence of the Widening Inequality in Wages

                          The higher the percentile, the higher the income.

                          Note from series of graphs that I used to create the above column graph. Figures are for workers 25 and older. Figures are adjusted for inflation using the consumer price index. Figures for high school dropouts, as well as those who attended college but did not graduate, are not shown.

                          Wage Disparity Continues to Grow.  (print headline)
                          Median Pay in U.S. Is Stagnant, but Low-Paid Workers Lose.  (website headline)
                          (The New York Times, 4/26/2013)

                          Excerpt: The median pay of American workers has stagnated in recent years, but that is not true for all workers. When adjusted for inflation, the wages of low-paid workers have declined. But the wages for better-paid workers have grown significantly more rapidly than inflation.

                          Wisconsin's Day of Shame: November 2, 2010 (NoRoJo 2016, Chapter 11)

                          Ron Johnson, Tammy Baldwin offer vastly different responses to constituent's concerns.  (The Capital Times, 5/1/2013)

                           Photo credit:  Gage Skidmore via Wikipedia Commons



                          Photo credit:  United States Congress via Wikipedia

                          Related posts:
                          Chapter 1.  (1/2/2013)
                          Chapter 2.  (1/10/2013)
                          Chapter 3.  (2/12/2013)
                          Chapter 4.  (2/13/2013)
                          Chapter 5   (3/11/2013)
                          Chapter 6.  (3/25/2013)
                          Chapter 7.  (4/8/2013)
                          Chapter 8.  (4/9/2013)
                          Chapter 9.  (4/12/2013)
                          Chapter 10. (4/14/2013)

                          Wednesday, May 1, 2013

                          Please Send Residual Checks to Brian Auger



                          The New Look of Public Relations. (The New York Times, 4/28/2013)

                          "Truth Well Told", McCann Erickson Worldwide.  (Sorry, Brian's already done that.)

                          "Truth and Design", MediaVest.

                          "The Power of True", FleishmanHillard

                          It's 2013 and There's Still a White Prom at Wilcox County High School

                          Georgia on my mind.

                          The good news is that the county is holding its first integrated prom....150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.


                          A Racial Divide Closes as Students Step Up.  (The New York Times, 4/26/2013)



                          Emerald Aviation Website in "Maintenance Mode"


                          Man Angry Over Boston Bombings Breaks Jaw of 'F*cking Muslim' Iraq War Veteran. (Crooks and Liars, 5/1/2013)

                          Excerpt: The website for Dahlberg's company, Emerald Aviation, was offline for four days of "scheduled maintenance" as of Wednesday afternoon. A cached copy of the website listed him as the president and said he had "20 years experience in the field of business and commercial aviation" and was known for "transparent business transactions and always effectively representing the best interests of his clients." 

                          Salim is a naturalized U.S. citizen and is an Army Reserve sergeant who has worked in intelligence and as a linguist. He served in Iraq and at the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

                          Ed Dahlberg, looking a little under the weather, at LinkedIn.

                          Harlem Shake: Yesterday's News at the Muncie Public Library

                          Posted 4/30/2013.


                          Muncie Public Library Great Achievers

                          Muncie, Indiana -- a.k.a. Middletown.

                          Published in 1929
                          Photo credit:  Harry Ransom Center
                          The University of Texas at Austin

                          Table of contents
                          (from my personal copy of the book, 
                          a paperback I purchased in the mid-1970s)


                          Ball State University.  Photographing Middleton U.S.A.

                          LIFE magazine archives:  Margaret Bourke-White photographs Middletown.

                          What Muncie Read.  (The New York Times, 11/23/2011)


                          The Eye-Catching Il Pertini Public Library



                          From Lammhults Design Group website:    Cinisello Balsamo, a municipality in the province of Milan, wants to invest in culture and education to provide a future for the community. Therefore, a new cultural center, Il Pertini, has been designed and built serving as a meeting place and the heart of the community. The center is 5,000 m2 and comprises 100,000 books and documents, a 200-seat auditorium, laboratories, conference rooms and a cafeteria all covered by a wi-fi internet access.

                          Pew Internet & American Life Project: "Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading"

                          Summary of findings

                          Why are libraries important to parents?
                          • 97% - They offer programs and classes for children and teens
                          • 84% - They help to instill a love of reading and books
                          • 81% - They provide children with information and resources not available at home.
                          • 71% - They are a safe place for children.


                          No surprise here.


                          Scott Walker's Spring Tour Hits the Big Apple


                          What does a $1,000 lunch menu look like?  Well, the event is taking place at the 21 Club.  Check out the private dining luncheon menu.  (21 Club fun facts)

                          And how much time with Walker does $1,500 buy you?

                          Another fun fact.  Richard F. Cox is married to Tricia Nixon.

                          And then there's this tidbit from Matthew Mellon's biography:    Born in New York, Matthew was raised in Palm Beach, FL and Northeast Harbor, ME . He is a direct descendant of Judge Thomas Mellon, founder of the Mellon Bank.

                          Whatever Robin Wants, Robin Gets

                          After all, he's the big dog in the State Assembly.


                          (Highlight added)

                          State budget panel OKs harbor project in Robin Vos' home county. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/30/2013)

                          Excerpt:  Committee members initially rejected spending for the project near the district of Vos, a Republican from Rochester. But soon after, three Republicans appointed to the committee by Vos changed their votes on a similar proposal after Vos' chief of staff took up the issue with lawmakers.

                          "Took up the issues."

                          An ellipsis would probably tell us more.

                          ..... changed their votes on a similar proposal after Vos' chief of staff....................... . 

                          Create your own scenario.



                          The Doritos Caucus: Tackling the Big Issues at the Wisconsin State Capitol



                          Wisconsin Assembly panel approves junk food stamp bill. (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, 4/30/2013)

                          Excerpt:   Republican Rep. Dean Kaufert, of Neenah, amended his original bill to require people enrolled in the state nutrition assistance program, known as FoodShare or food stamps, to spend at least two-thirds of their monthly benefits on items such as milk, bread and vegetables. They could spend their remaining benefits on any authorized food.

                          Photo credit:  Wisconsin State Legislature

                          Particularly since Doritos are all the rage.



                          Related post:
                          22 Wisconsin legislators sponsor nanny state bill.  (4/9/2013)

                          The Best in Library Branding 2011: Worthington Public LIbrary (Ohio)

                          And still going strong in 2013.

                          The Best in Library Branding.  (American Libraries, 5/27/2011)


                          The Worthington Public Library was one of 5 winners of the John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award in 2011.   (Full story here.)

                          Hat tip to Erin Augspurger