Let's Do the Math at the Cuyahoga Falls Library

Falls library official accused of stealing thousands one nickel at a time. (Akron Beacon-Journal, 6/27/2013)

First of all, that 7 million nickels.

How do you not implement some checks and balances after 2008?

Here is what's set forth in the article.

• Theresa Karm, 54, is accused of embezzling nearly $350,000 from the Cuyahoga Falls Library.
• She was hired by the library in 1996 as financial secretary, at a annual salary of around $18,000.
• She was fired as the library's "deputy fiscal officer" about three months ago, at which time her salary was $41.711.
• The library collected $36,778 in fines in 2005, at which point it plummeted to $11.257 in 2011.
• The thefts go back at least to 2007.

So that got me to wondering.

$350,000 divided by 6 (years) equals $58,333

Apparently, Karm had her fingers in more than one till, so to speak, as she is accused of theft in office for stealing money from the library for such things as overdue books or printer costs paid by patrons.

Hmm....maybe the Friends of the Library want to audit their books.

City of Cuyahoga Falls Police Department news release on Facebook.

Hope the library doesn't have to pass a levy anytime soon.

A Rainy Saturday Morning Ramble: Today's Spotify Personal Suggestion to Me

Because I'm an aging Baby Boomer?

I like both Martha Reeves & and Vandellas -- this song in particular (even if it's something of a remake of "Heat Wave")...

...and Joni Mitchell.....



...but in this case, I think a "girl group" recommendation would be in order, particularly a compilation that features the lesser-knowns of the genre.

Such as this song from 1963 that I discovered yesterday.  "My Block" spent 5 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1963, peaking at #67.  It received no airplay on Buffalo's WKBW, the station I listened to almost exclusively then.   The Four Pennies sound like a blend of the Shirelles and the Chiffons.  The Chifferelles?



Oh, and about the saxophone you hear on "Quicksand".

"The History of Top 40 Saxophone Solos".  Mike Terry was born in 1940 in Hempstead, Texas. He moved to Detroit in 1948 and started playing sax at age thirteen. Soon after graduating from CASS Tech in 1959, he was introduced to Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, by playing on a session contracted by Kasuka Mafia. He stayed at Motown until late 1966 and played on hundreds of sessions including:

• the Miracles’ “Shop Around,” 
• Marvin Gaye’s 
• “Hitch Hike,” 
• “How Sweet It Is,” and 
• “Pride And Joy,” 
• The Four Tops’s 
• “I Can’t Help Myself” and 
• “Something About You,” 
• The Supremes’ 
• “Baby Love,” 
• “Where Did Our Love Go,” 
• “I Hear A Symphony,” 
• Martha & The Vandellas’ 
• “Dancin’ In The Street,” 
• “Quicksand,” 
• Jr. Walker’s 
• “Shotgun,” 
• “I’m A Road Runner,” and 
• The Temptations’ 
• “My Girl.” 

Mike also performed on The Contours’ album which included “Do You Love Me,” Stevie Wonder’s “Castles In The Sand,” and Shorty Long’s “Function At The Junction.”

And one more postscript.  (Not forgotten by me.)

Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna Foresees a "More Progressive Skew"

Newsmakers Q&A: Hanna sees moving pieces in downtown Appleton. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 6/27/2013)

Face palm.

But apparently, her fans are opening their wallets to buy multiple copies of her books

Diabetes Drug Maker Suspends Deal With Deen. (The New York Times,. 6/27/2013)

Currently, Deen's books are #s 1, 2, and 19 on Amazon's list of best sellers.

Paula, of course, became fodder for late-night TV comics.

Is This Really Such a Surprise?

USA Today, 6/27/2013

Based on this 2010 mapping of Tea Party groups.  

Remember, the Tea Party didn't exists prior to February 2009.

This excerpt from "What is the tea party?  A primer" (Washington Post, 9/15/2010)  is prescient while also raising a red flag.

In January, tea party activists helped Republican Scott Brown win a special election for the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in traditionally blue Massachusetts. Tea Party Express spent about $350,000 in Massachusetts to help Brown win. (He has since angered some tea party activists by supporting President Obama's financial reform.) 

On February 4, 2010, 600 tea party activists gathered in Nashville for the first Tea Party Convention, organized by the Web site Tea Party Nation. Palin was the keynote speaker. 

Republican leaders began trying to use the party to rally opposition to health-care legislation and generate support for Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) in particular has embraced the tea party. But some Republicans remain wary, worried that tea party candidates could prove hard to manage if they are elected.  [Emphasis added]

What Does $96.39 Buy?

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

John Klenke, Member, Joint Committee on Finance
Dean Knudson, Member, Joint Committee on Finance
Bill Kramer, Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore
John Nygren, Co-Chair, Joint Committee on Finance
Robin Vos, Assembly Speaker

Hawaii Public Libraries Threatened with 20% Budget Cut

Looking at a $5,700,000 reduction in funding.



Public library service in Hawaii is administered by the Department of Education.  All 51 "stationary outlets", as they are referred in the Institute of Museum and Library Services's Public Library Service in the United States annual report, are members of a single administrative unit, of which the State Board of Education is the governing body.

Source:  Hawaii State Public Library System

Acoustic Guitar Serenade at the Cambridge Public Library

No information about the architect of the original building?

An excellent example of Richardsonian Romanesque revival architecture.

Photo credit:  Wikipedia Commons

Many other examples

Thank You, Dale Schultz; You're a True Republican

LINK

Mapping the USA with the Names of SUVs and Pick-up Trucks

Chrysler Aspen



Dodge Dakota


Dodge Durango





GMC Sonoma

In this case, "others" is a CNN employee acting as a shill

CNN to Revive ‘Crossfire,’ Home for Political Clamor.  (The New York Times, 6/26/2013)

Excerpt:   Others have praised “Crossfire” for pioneering a form of televised debate and for presenting multiple points of views about thorny issues. For CNN, the restoration may be intended as a statement that the channel is a home for all sides, in contrast to Fox News, which is associated with the right, and MSNBC, which is associated with the left.

Interactive Map: Wisconsin Unemployment Trends

Wisconsin State Journal,

Better information than what's found in these recycled news releases.

I Wonder Who's Giving Orders

Wauau Daily Herald headline, 6/26/2013

A Children's Library Card of Little Use to Parents

Whose own cards have exceeded the fines threshold.

Except for being a Columbus Metropolitan Library production, the video has nothing to do with the library card article, but I found it very much worth sharing here nonetheless.



Columbus library to issue cards for kids that won’t rack up late fees. (Columbus Dispatch, 6/26/2013)

It's a pilot project that will take place in 2 school district at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.  The school districts have yet to be selected.

How the program works

• Available to students 17 and under.
• No parental permission
• Limit of 3 teen or juvenile books at a time
• No overdue fines
• Goal:  to get a library book in every child's hand

I'll Take My Pepsi and Kit-Kat Bar "Straight Up", Please

Fad-Loving Japan May Derail Sony Smartphone. (The New York Times, 6/26/2013)

Excerpt: The fast-paced cycle is commonplace in Japanese marketing. Manufacturers deliver short runs of seasonal products to create buzz, analysts say. Pepsi Japan, for example, brings out limited-edition drinks each year: Salty Watermelon Pepsi or Pepsi Ice Cucumber. Nestle’s KitKat candy bar has cycled through an eye-popping array of limited editions in Japan: green tea, pumpkin, strawberry cheesecake, wasabi and soybean to name only a few.



Kit Kat homepage

Kit Kat tidbits

• The Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp candy bar was introduced in 1937.
• The "Gimme a Break" jingle has been in use in the U.S. since 1986.

NHL Final Game of the Season: That Was Then (April 18, 1963), This Is Now (June 24, 2013)

Look, Ma, no helmets!

1962-63 regular-season final standings

Post-season

2012-13 regular season final standings

Playoffs

Cozy (No Mystery)

Governor Walker in Pleasant Prairie (3/11/2011)
 

Gov. Walker to sign state budget on Sunday. (WKOW, 6/26/2013)

At Catalyst Exhibits in Pleasant Prairie.

As I always like to do in these situations, let's take a look at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Follow the Money website.

Is Campaign Contribution to Walker Payback for Corporate Welfare? (PR Watch, 6/2/2012)

Excerpt:   Getting Catalyst Exhibits to come to Wisconsin was not cheap. Walker's administration lured them in with a half-million-dollar state grant and a $1.2 million low-interest loan from the Kenosha Area Business Association. A "relocation tax credit" bill sponsored by Racine Senator Van Wanggaard gave Catalyst Exhibits and its owners two years of tax-free living in Wisconsin by forgiving corporate and individual income taxes. 

At the time, some called the incentives "corporate welfare," and pointed out that the state was spending $500,000 plus two years of unpaid taxes to attract just over 100 jobs.

Other 2013-15 budget posts:
Following the money in the 2013-15 state budget: Builders and contractors editions.  (6/26/2013)
The "Un-Principled" Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature.  (6/25/2013) 
Get Your Links on the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Government Relations Roundtable.  (6/24/2013) 
Veto of Budget Bill Language Relating to Outdoor Advertising Signs Not Likely to Happen. (6/23/2013)
Scott Walker vs. The Wisconsin Budget Project: Who Are You Going to Believe?  (6/22/2013)
And not to be left out, a little trinket for construction industry donors.  (6/18/2013)
I Suppose the Realtors Should Get Something for Their $1,381,713.96.  (6/18/2013)
Whose Fingerprints are on Item #20 of the Draft Assembly Republican Budget Amendment?  (6/19/2013)
Last call to stuff policy items into the budget.  (6/18/2013)
This passes for editorial insight at the Racine Journal-Times.  (6/18/2013)
Two things we know about Stephen Nass: Voting "no" on budget, trusting in God.  (6/17/2013)
Scott Walker on tax cut rates: "Mostly False", "False," or "Pants on Fire": You make the call.  (6/12/2013)

Hurry, hurry!  Step right up!!  Get your tax cut rate!!!  (6/12/2013)
 Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Non-Fiscal Policy Items Contained Within 2013 AB 40.  (6/12/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) Points to $505,000,000 Structural Deficit in FY2015-17 b/w Robin Vos's Alternate Reality. (6/12/20133)

State Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) Tells Joy Cardin What's On His Mind: "I think things have gotten too extreme and out of hand.".  (6/7/2013)
What'd I Say?  (6/6/2013)
Why Item #36 in the Omnibus Education Motion #538 Could Be Called the Hudson Option. (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 2: Allowing Private Bail Bonds.  (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 1: Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.  (6/6/2013)
The Most Fortunate of Wisconsin's Residents: Heading in the Right Direction and Leaving the Rest of Us Behind.  (6/5/2013)
$490,000,000: The Partial Cost of Republican Ideology to Wisconsin Taxpayers.  (6/5/2013)
2013-15 Budget Bill / Library Funding Update.  (5/30/2013)
Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee in Micromanaging Mode.  (5/30/2013)
Selling State Properties? It's in the ALEC Playbook.  (5/22/2013)
Scott Walker: "We take our responsibility of good stewardship very seriously".  (5/16/2013)
Scott Walker: Disingenuous, or Can't Tell Time (or Count).  (5/10/2013)
13 Assembly Republicans Endorse More Funding for K-12 Education (and None of Them Lives Close to Robin Vos).  (5/9/2013)
Whatever Robin Wants, Robin Gets.  (5/1/2013)
What's John Nygren Drinking Through that Green-and-Gold Straw?  (4/29/2013)
If Wishes Were Horses: When are the Democrats planning on coming out with their own alternative state budget for people to consider?  (4/27/2013)
Good Advice from the La Crosse Tribune Editorial Board.  (4/26/2013)
The 4th and Final Joint Finance Committee Public Hearing on 2013-15 Budget, at Baldwin.  (4/19/2013)

Following the Money in the 2013-15 State Budget: Builders and Contractors Editions

Source:  Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Follow the Money

Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, Inc.

Lawmaker: WI budget item banning some firms from contract bids is anti-free market. (Wisconsin Reporter, 6/25/2013)

The lawmaker questioning this budget item:  Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah), who received $250 apiece from AGC and ABC.

Excerpt: Gov. Scott Walker (AGC - $1,000;' ABC - $16,000) still could veto the measure, but that seems unlikely. His administration requested the changes through the state Department of Administration.

Source:  Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Follow the Money

ABCPAC-Wisconsin homepage.

Other 2013-15 budget posts:
The "Un-Principled" Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature.  (6/25/2013) 
Get Your Links on the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Government Relations Roundtable.  (6/24/2013) 
Veto of Budget Bill Language Relating to Outdoor Advertising Signs Not Likely to Happen. (6/23/2013)
Scott Walker vs. The Wisconsin Budget Project: Who Are You Going to Believe?  (6/22/2013)
And not to be left out, a little trinket for construction industry donors.  (6/18/2013)
I Suppose the Realtors Should Get Something for Their $1,381,713.96.  (6/18/2013)
Whose Fingerprints are on Item #20 of the Draft Assembly Republican Budget Amendment?  (6/19/2013)
Last call to stuff policy items into the budget.  (6/18/2013)
This passes for editorial insight at the Racine Journal-Times.  (6/18/2013)
Two things we know about Stephen Nass: Voting "no" on budget, trusting in God.  (6/17/2013)
Scott Walker on tax cut rates: "Mostly False", "False," or "Pants on Fire": You make the call.  (6/12/2013)

Hurry, hurry!  Step right up!!  Get your tax cut rate!!!  (6/12/2013)
 Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Non-Fiscal Policy Items Contained Within 2013 AB 40.  (6/12/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) Points to $505,000,000 Structural Deficit in FY2015-17 b/w Robin Vos's Alternate Reality. (6/12/20133)

State Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) Tells Joy Cardin What's On His Mind: "I think things have gotten too extreme and out of hand.".  (6/7/2013)
What'd I Say?  (6/6/2013)
Why Item #36 in the Omnibus Education Motion #538 Could Be Called the Hudson Option. (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 2: Allowing Private Bail Bonds.  (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 1: Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.  (6/6/2013)
The Most Fortunate of Wisconsin's Residents: Heading in the Right Direction and Leaving the Rest of Us Behind.  (6/5/2013)
$490,000,000: The Partial Cost of Republican Ideology to Wisconsin Taxpayers.  (6/5/2013)
2013-15 Budget Bill / Library Funding Update.  (5/30/2013)
Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee in Micromanaging Mode.  (5/30/2013)
Selling State Properties? It's in the ALEC Playbook.  (5/22/2013)
Scott Walker: "We take our responsibility of good stewardship very seriously".  (5/16/2013)
Scott Walker: Disingenuous, or Can't Tell Time (or Count).  (5/10/2013)
13 Assembly Republicans Endorse More Funding for K-12 Education (and None of Them Lives Close to Robin Vos).  (5/9/2013)
Whatever Robin Wants, Robin Gets.  (5/1/2013)
What's John Nygren Drinking Through that Green-and-Gold Straw?  (4/29/2013)
If Wishes Were Horses: When are the Democrats planning on coming out with their own alternative state budget for people to consider?  (4/27/2013)
Good Advice from the La Crosse Tribune Editorial Board.  (4/26/2013)
The 4th and Final Joint Finance Committee Public Hearing on 2013-15 Budget, at Baldwin.  (4/19/2013)

Tube to Work Day at the Boulder Public Library

Boulder Public Library

As I See It: Up a Lazy River in Carol Stream?

Or, alternately, does this pass the smell test?

Photo credit:  Wikipedia

Carol Stream library board hires attorney to review contract. (The Daily Herald, 6/20/2013)

The contract in question is with a nursing home company that wants to build a facility on library-owned land.

At its May 6th special meeting, the library board approved a motion to direct Susan Westgate, Library Director, to contact "local Commercial Real Estate attorneys" as the first step in this review process.

Minutes

The article goes on to report that the current board directed Library Director Susan Westgate to contact up to three law firms; she says she sent letter to McNees and attorneys in Wheaton and Winfield.

But wait a minute.  Here's how a portion of the amended motions reads:

...that the Board of Library Trustees approve interviewing up to three local Commercial Real Estate Attorneys to review the Purchase Agreement to the Kuhn Road Property...

In my dictionary or choice, "interview" and "contact" are two different words.   Not synonyms.

So....it there a miscommunication here or just sloppy reporting?

Whatever the case, I'm still a little troubled by the outcome.

Here are the connections of Robert McNees (website redesign, please), the attorney hired to do the evaluation, to the Carol Stream Public Library (website redesign, please) and to Library Board President Jim Bailey.

1. He backed Board President Jim Bailey's "Support the Library" slate candidates in the April 2013 library board elections  
2. His name appeared on a list of endorsements list used as "Support the Library" campaign literature.
3. He supported a series of failed referenda to build a new library.
4. Bailey admitted McNees is 
1. a friend, 
2. his personal attorney and 
3. attends the same church.

I repeat.  Does this really pass the smell test, Susan?

Other Carol Stream Public Library posts/articles:
The first regular meeting of the Carol Stream Public Library board of trustees.  (5/21/2013)
Voters 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)

What! No Everyday China in These Households?

Or just a way to avoid arguments over who does the dishes?

The Influential Bobby (Blue) Bland

Bobby (Blue) Bland, Soul and Blues Balladeer, Dies at 83. (The New York Times, 6/25/2013)

Photo credit:  Masahiro Sumori via Wikipedia

Between March 1957 and December 1974, Bobby Bland's singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100.a total of 37 times.  Only 1 of them ("Ain't Nothing You Can Do", a 1964 release) reached the top 20 . 

"Turn On Your Love Light" reached #28 in late January 1962.

Quite the cover version!

From the group best known for "Nobody But Me" (1968).

  Who is Don Malone?

An instrumental version.

Jammin'  Stretched out to 30+ minutes.

The Allmans clock in at an economical 10:24.

Even Jerry Lee Lewis covered it . (From 1972)

It Pays to Read Beyond the Headlines

Social Security Kept Paying Benefits to 1,546 Deceased. (Wall Street Journal, 6/24/2013)

The first question that comes to mind is......

How many people currently receive Social Security benefits.

You need to stick with the article until the 7th paragraph to find the answer.

Social Security pays benefits to more than 55 million people, so the alleged improper payments went to just a small fraction of that universe.

A number that's easy to find.

Source:  Social Security Administration

In other words, deceased Social Security beneficiaries are a minuscule percentage of the total number.

The article, however, goes on to note, But it could still cause public relations headaches for the agency.

Well, yeah, if the media approach it with their usual transcription, selective emphasis, lack of research, and absence of fact-checking, eager to make everything out to be a 

And really, isn't this the bigger story?

The IG report didn’t say who collected the money once the beneficiary passed away or if the government will seek to recoup the funds.

The "Un-Principled" Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature

Letter to Gov. Walker requesting a policy item veto, from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Health First Wisconsin, Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative, and Wisconsin Council  on Children and Families..

As quoted in WisPolitics Budget Blog, 6/20/2013

(Photo credit:  Wisconsin State Legislature)

Me too!

GOP Principles

Let's see. And what would those governments closest to the people be?

Just Wondering If This Request is Really Necessary?

....on recent storms and flooding.

(Compare St. Croix's damages to Crawford and Grant counties)

From the 2013 St. Croix County recommended budget.

The 2013 recommendations for the "Highway" budget line (an increase of $785,882 over the previous year) and "Reserve for Contingencies (cut by 40%) are the same as what's in the approved budget.

So......no wiggle room in a $68 million budget for $125,000 (minus the 30%; see below) for highway maintenance/reserve for contingency expenses?

The Wisconsin Disaster Fund paperwork.

Considering that the application requires a "Statement Identifying Other Funds Sought for these Damages", not to mention a commitment to provide 30% of the funds requested, I can't help but think that St. Croix County is jumping the gun in its damage estimate process.

Urbana Free Library Holds Special Board Meeting on June 19th

Urbana Free Library

Edtiorial:  Forthright library board is a must. (The News-Gazette, 6/24/2013)

What we learn here:

Some who testified at the special board meeting were "agitated and emotional".  Not at all surprisingly for those of us following this development.

Apparently, board members did not directly address the concerns expressed by the assembled group, in either an opening or closing statement offered, for example, by the board president.

At the conclusion of the public testimony, board members pledged to issue public statements addressing the issue later.  Public statements?   I certainly hope that the first one is delivered with a unified voice.

Anne Phillips, the Director of Adult Services, is leaving after a job-related dispute with her superior, library Director Deb Lissak.  (Further roiling of already churning waters.)

Lissak received mixed reviews from staff.  Several employees spoke favorably of the library director and her dedication to her work. Others suggested there are leadership issues that ought to be addressed.

Related posts:
University of Illinois GSLIS faculty member advocates for televised library board meetings. / (6/24/2013)
Wondering about the "weeding" "misstep" at the Urbana Free Library.  (6/18/2013)

University of Illinois GSLIS Faculty Member Advocates for Televised Library Board Meetings

Kate McDowell, Assistant Professor

Graduate School of Library and Information Science

University of Illinois

Letter to the editor: Library meetings must be televised. (The News-Gazette, 6/23/2013)

Not televised.  (With arrow pointing to item of most interest to community members.)

Urbana Free Library strategic plan.

If the City of Middleton Common Council can publish its minutes with a week, so can the Urbana Free Library, with the following disclaimer.

These minutes were prepared by Becky Brown, Recording Secretary, are based on the notes of the recorder, and are subject to change at a subsequent meeting.

Considering the situation the library has currently found itself in, I'd also suggest more detail in the minutes when summarizing the discussions that take place at board meetings.

Related post:
Wondering about the "weeding" "misstep" at the Urbana Free Library.  (6/18/2013)

Get Your Links on the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Government Relations Roundtable

And these are some intimate relations, folks

WMC lobbyists 'very excited' about GOP budget.  (The Capital Times, 6/24/2013)

As the article points out.......

All four of the lobbyists in the video indeed once worked as aides to Republican legislators.

• Scott Manley (Cathy Stepp)
• Jason Culotta (Roger Roth. John Gard)
• Chris Reader (Rich Zipperer, Mark Honadel)
• Eric Bott (Scott Fitzgerald, Jeff Fitzgerald)

Other 2013-15 budget posts:
Veto of Budget Bill Language Relating to Outdoor Advertising Signs Not Likely to Happen. (6/23/2013)
Scott Walker vs. The Wisconsin Budget Project: Who Are You Going to Believe?  (6/22/2013)
And not to be left out, a little trinket for construction industry donors.  (6/18/2013)
I Suppose the Realtors Should Get Something for Their $1,381,713.96.  (6/18/2013)
Whose Fingerprints are on Item #20 of the Draft Assembly Republican Budget Amendment?  (6/19/2013)
Last call to stuff policy items into the budget.  (6/18/2013)
This passes for editorial insight at the Racine Journal-Times.  (6/18/2013)
Two things we know about Stephen Nass: Voting "no" on budget, trusting in God.  (6/17/2013)
Scott Walker on tax cut rates: "Mostly False", "False," or "Pants on Fire": You make the call.  (6/12/2013)

Hurry, hurry!  Step right up!!  Get your tax cut rate!!!  (6/12/2013)
 Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Non-Fiscal Policy Items Contained Within 2013 AB 40.  (6/12/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) Points to $505,000,000 Structural Deficit in FY2015-17 b/w Robin Vos's Alternate Reality. (6/12/20133)

State Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) Tells Joy Cardin What's On His Mind: "I think things have gotten too extreme and out of hand.".  (6/7/2013)
What'd I Say?  (6/6/2013)
Why Item #36 in the Omnibus Education Motion #538 Could Be Called the Hudson Option. (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 2: Allowing Private Bail Bonds.  (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 1: Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.  (6/6/2013)
The Most Fortunate of Wisconsin's Residents: Heading in the Right Direction and Leaving the Rest of Us Behind.  (6/5/2013)
$490,000,000: The Partial Cost of Republican Ideology to Wisconsin Taxpayers.  (6/5/2013)
2013-15 Budget Bill / Library Funding Update.  (5/30/2013)
Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee in Micromanaging Mode.  (5/30/2013)
Selling State Properties? It's in the ALEC Playbook.  (5/22/2013)
Scott Walker: "We take our responsibility of good stewardship very seriously".  (5/16/2013)
Scott Walker: Disingenuous, or Can't Tell Time (or Count).  (5/10/2013)
13 Assembly Republicans Endorse More Funding for K-12 Education (and None of Them Lives Close to Robin Vos).  (5/9/2013)
Whatever Robin Wants, Robin Gets.  (5/1/2013)
What's John Nygren Drinking Through that Green-and-Gold Straw?  (4/29/2013)
If Wishes Were Horses: When are the Democrats planning on coming out with their own alternative state budget for people to consider?  (4/27/2013)
Good Advice from the La Crosse Tribune Editorial Board.  (4/26/2013)
The 4th and Final Joint Finance Committee Public Hearing on 2013-15 Budget, at Baldwin.  (4/19/2013)

Phrase of the Day: "Assortative Mating"

Merriam-Webster

RIP, American Dream? Why It's So Hard for the Poor to Get Ahead Today. (The Atlantic, 6/18/2013)

Christine Schwartz at University of Wisconsin-Madison

How Square is your Wallet?

Happier Spending. (The New York Times, 6/22/2013)

Excerpt:   It’s a payment system that encourages instant gratification. Interestingly, however, research suggests that we derive greater happiness from goods we pay for immediately, but don’t use for some time, than we do from goods we use now but pay for later.

Not if you link the app to your debit card.

Source:  Nerd Wallet

In the News: Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission

Well, sort of.

League of Wisconsin Municipalities state budget veto requests

Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission

The Commissioner of the 3-member Tax Appeals Commission is Roger LeGrand, who was appointed by Gov. Doyle is 2008.

Wisconsin Department of Revenue.  How to Appeal to the Tax Appeals Commission.

Veto of Budget Bill Language Relating to Outdoor Advertising Signs Not Likely to Happen

The outdoor advertising industry doesn't hedge its bets like it used to do.

League of Municipalities state budget bill veto requests

Other 2013-15 budget posts:
Scott Walker vs. The Wisconsin Budget Project: Who Are You Going to Believe?  (6/22/2013)
And not to be left out, a little trinket for construction industry donors.  (6/18/2013)
I Suppose the Realtors Should Get Something for Their $1,381,713.96.  (6/18/2013)
Whose Fingerprints are on Item #20 of the Draft Assembly Republican Budget Amendment?  (6/19/2013)
Last call to stuff policy items into the budget.  (6/18/2013)
This passes for editorial insight at the Racine Journal-Times.  (6/18/2013)
Two things we know about Stephen Nass: Voting "no" on budget, trusting in God.  (6/17/2013)
Scott Walker on tax cut rates: "Mostly False", "False," or "Pants on Fire": You make the call.  (6/12/2013)

Hurry, hurry!  Step right up!!  Get your tax cut rate!!!  (6/12/2013)
 Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Non-Fiscal Policy Items Contained Within 2013 AB 40.  (6/12/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) Points to $505,000,000 Structural Deficit in FY2015-17 b/w Robin Vos's Alternate Reality. (6/12/20133)

State Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) Tells Joy Cardin What's On His Mind: "I think things have gotten too extreme and out of hand.".  (6/7/2013)
What'd I Say?  (6/6/2013)
Why Item #36 in the Omnibus Education Motion #538 Could Be Called the Hudson Option. (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 2: Allowing Private Bail Bonds.  (6/6/2013)
Republicans' 2013-15 State Budget PolicyFest, Part 1: Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.  (6/6/2013)
The Most Fortunate of Wisconsin's Residents: Heading in the Right Direction and Leaving the Rest of Us Behind.  (6/5/2013)
$490,000,000: The Partial Cost of Republican Ideology to Wisconsin Taxpayers.  (6/5/2013)
2013-15 Budget Bill / Library Funding Update.  (5/30/2013)
Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee in Micromanaging Mode.  (5/30/2013)
Selling State Properties? It's in the ALEC Playbook.  (5/22/2013)
Scott Walker: "We take our responsibility of good stewardship very seriously".  (5/16/2013)
Scott Walker: Disingenuous, or Can't Tell Time (or Count).  (5/10/2013)
13 Assembly Republicans Endorse More Funding for K-12 Education (and None of Them Lives Close to Robin Vos).  (5/9/2013)
Whatever Robin Wants, Robin Gets.  (5/1/2013)
What's John Nygren Drinking Through that Green-and-Gold Straw?  (4/29/2013)
If Wishes Were Horses: When are the Democrats planning on coming out with their own alternative state budget for people to consider?  (4/27/2013)
Good Advice from the La Crosse Tribune Editorial Board.  (4/26/2013)
The 4th and Final Joint Finance Committee Public Hearing on 2013-15 Budget, at Baldwin.  (4/19/2013)