Rand Paul Wants to Have It Both Ways on Voter ID....and Does a Sloppy Tap Dance in the Process

At least according to a New York Times headline writer.

Photo credit:  U.S. Congress

Paul Diverges From His Party Over Voter ID. (The New York Times, 5/9/2014)

It's time to dust off the adage, "Actions speak louder than words."  The senator has had his own struggles with civil rights issues, hedging at times on his support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And, notably, he did not on Friday denounce voter ID laws as bad policy or take back previous statements in which he had said it was not unreasonable for voters to be required to show identification at the polls. He says these laws should be left to the states. (Kentucky does not have a restrictive voter identification statute.)

Next thing we know, Paul will be expropriating Bill Clinton's "I feel your pain."


Related posts:
I can see how one of these facts might inform the discussion for voter ID proponents.  (5/6/2014)
When it comes to diversity, all they want to do is talk.  (5/4/2014)
We're still awaiting a statement from Governor Walker.  (4/29/2014)
Voter suppression: Rep. Tom Larson uses the City of Milwaukee as the bogeyman.  (3/31/2014)
Sen. Mary Lazich shows her true colors.  (3/18/2014)
Wisconsin headline? No, the Ohio legislature also approved model voter suppression legislation from ALEC.  (3/14/2014) 
And the hypocrisy just keeps on coming: Republicans can't even give lip service to their "principles".  (2/14/2014)
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald sez "no" to 40 of his Assembly colleagues.  (12/30/2013)
Your Wisconsin Republican Assembly hard at work promoting Governor Walker's jobs agenda (and GOP principles).  (11/15/2013)
Mary Lazich: Caught in the act of undermining confidence in the voting process.  (11/4/2013) 
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement asks a question about voter ID laws.  (11/28/2012)
Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) still drinking the Kool-Aid.  (11/12/2012)
Tennessee Supreme Court gives Memphis Public Library cards a thumbs up for voter ID.  (11/4/2012)
Tennessee Court of Appeals ruling pisses off Republicans.  (10/27/2012)
Early voting begins today (Monday, October 22) in Wisconsin.  (10/22/2012)
Judge finds at least one aspect of Tennessee voter ID law "nonsensical".  (8/1/2012)
Judge to weigh in on library cards in Memphis voter ID skirmish.  (7/30/2012)
Library card/voter ID fray in Memphis.  (7/10/2012)
I'd be careful making any long-term Voter ID assessments based on the February 21 primary election turnout.  (2/26/2012)
Hope you signed at least one recall petition, Ruthelle.  (12/5/2011)
True, but why not share a couple of examples with us, Deborah.  (11/11/2011)
Hoping that other state newspapers have similar local news to share.  (10/29/2011)
Walker sez "We're broke" but GAB could spend $600,000 on voter ID public education plan.  (10/12/2011)
ACLU of Wisconsin denounces photo ID policy reversal.  (10/7/2011)
Voter ID:  "A solution without a problem".  (9/25/2011)
Wisconsin State Bar's Civil Rights Section requests AG Holder to monitor Voter ID Bill.  (9/1/2011)

League of Wisconsin Voters challenge voter ID laws as unconstitutional.  (8/22/2011)

What's the matter with Wisconsin?  (7/27/2011)
Wisconsin Legislative Council information memorandum.  (7/15/2011)
Appleton Alderman Wants Pushback on State Voter ID Bill.  (2/7/2011)

Voter ID in Wisconsin:  A bill and a constitution amendment.  (1/13/2011)

Related reading:
New G.O.P. Bid to Limit Voting in Swing States. (The New York Times, 3/29/2014)
ALEC Exposed:  Democracy, Voter Rights, and Federal Power.  (Center for Media and Democracy, 9/28/2012)
Right-Wing Operatives Take Up ALEC's Voter Suppression Agenda.  (Center for Media and Democracy's PR Watch, 4/19/2012)
Voter Suppression 101.  (Center for American Progress. 4/4/2012)

Poverty Growing Faster in Suburbs Than in Central Cities

Sources:  2000 and 2008, 2011

Hardship Makes a New Home in the Suburbs. (The New York Times, 5/9/2014)

Poverty moves to the suburbs.   Five decades after President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty, the nation’s poor are more likely to be found in suburbs like this one than in cities or rural areas, and poverty in suburbs is rising faster than in any other setting in the country. By 2011, there were three million more people living in poverty in suburbs than in inner cities, according to a study released last year by the Brookings Institution. As a result, suburbs are grappling with problems that once seemed alien, issues compounded by a shortage of institutions helping the poor and distances that make it difficult for people to get to jobs and social services even if they can find them.

The article focuses on Mary Carmen Acosta and Sebastian Plancarte, a married couple who live in Mareno Valley, California, located 60 miles east of Los Angeles.   Like many other Moreno Valley residents, Mary and Sebastian were lured here by lower housing costs.

The City of Moreno Valley was incorporated on December 3, 1984.

The Moreno Valley Public Library first opened for business on July 1, 1998.

Wisconsin Public Library Revenue by Source: Federal, State, County, Municipal (2007-2012)

A follow-up to this post based on data published by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Why We Absolutely Need To Care More About Library Funding.  (Huffington Post, 5/8/2014)

It would seem, then, that our challenge is to make libraries more visible to the powerful, to our communities' "influentials".  The bottom line is libraries and the institutions associated with them are predictable and convenient targets for anyone taking an axe to a government budget. While the services they provide are vital, they're relatively invisible to the powerful.

Total revenue declined by 1% from 2011 to 2012.

Source: Wisconsin Public Library Service Data

Public Library Revenue: Federal, State, and Local (2007-2011)

Why We Absolutely Need To Care More About Library Funding.  (Huffington Post, 5/8/2014)

During the Great Recession of 2007-2009, libraries took hit after hit when local and state politicians revised government budgets--even as library use reached an all-time high. In 2011, California completely eliminated state funding for libraries, which depended on that money for literacy programs, inter-library loan delivery, and, in some cases, even books. In 2012, Louisiana followed suit. Since 2008, New York City public libraries have suffered almost $65 million in budget cuts. The Dallas Public Library's budget has been slashed 50% in the past four years. Even in Massachusetts, a state with a tradition of comparatively generous support for libraries, they've suffered a severe hit. Celeste Bruno of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners told me state funding for libraries is at 1994 levels.

Source for table and graphs: Institute of Museum and Library Services, "Public Libraries in the United States Survey" annual report for 2007-2011.

California Mansion Owner Not Getting the Message

Source:  Santa Cruz (CA) Water Department

In California, Spigots Start Draining Pockets.  (The New York Times, 5/8/2014)

Mr. Irritable is living in a fantasy world where water supplies...are there 100 percent of the time, with 100 percent of reliability.  The message irritates some people, particularly those with mansions surrounded by lush lawns and ornamental plantings. One person from a district just south of here was playing golf with Mr. Quinn at a Monterey country club recently. When he learned that his golf partner worked in water services, the man complained bitterly about his $5,000 monthly bill. Mr. Quinn replied, “I think your water agency is trying to tell you something.”

Related posts:
California drought takes its toll on Mammoth dog teams.  (4/7/2014)
It's a Looney Tunes kind of world in the home of tomorrow. (1/20/2014)
California dry.  (1/19/2014)

Republicans Hope Most Americans Aren't Paying Attention as They Pump Their Base for "Benghazi Watchdog" Donations

Huffington Post

KGW

This one looks "made up" to me.

ColoradoPols

Warren PA's Home Street School Fiasco: "I'm an idiot, but I still want my money back."

That's not an actual quote. I'm just putting words into someone's mouth for effect

Home Street Elementary School opened in 1928 and closed in 2005 once the school board voted to consolidate its early-grades operation (now K-5) at the Warren Area Elementary Center.  The school was razed in 2011, but not until after it was used for firefighter training.

The school board hoped to sell the schools it closed for the purposes of reuse or redevelopment.

Now has this plan worked out?

Jefferson Elementary School, which I attended from 1957 to 1962 and sits behind the house where I grew up, has sat empty for the past 9 years and is increasingly falling into disrepair, as these photos taken in 2008 (!) indicate.

As for the Home Street site, developer Ruzhdi Bakalli had a grand plan.

"I tried very hard to build homes," he tells the commissioners of the Warren Redevelopment Authority.  "I went to many builders, but people are looking for cheaper houses."

According to Bakalli, the builders with whom he talked said they couldn't be bothered with houses that sold for less than $300,000

For regular readers of this blog, you'll remember that Warren PA has lost more than 1/3 of the "15,000 friendly people" who lived here at its population peak in the early 1950s,   Population loss was primarily the result of a shrinking, almost gone manufacturing base -- the loss of good-paying jobs with benefits that awaited high school graduates. It was also one of the compelling reasons to consolidate the elementary schools.  The youngest of the 3 Nelson brothers graduated from Warren Area High School in 1975 with a class of 525, the baby-boomer peak.  The high school now graduates less than 200.

Bakalli goes on to say.

"This was my mistake.  I did not do enough research.  The market isn't there.  I just want to recoup the demolition coasts.  I'm ready to return the property to you."

He's asking for $63,000.

A decision has not yet been made.

Other Warren PA posts:
Warren Pennsylvania Notables and the Homes Where They Lived (The Logan-Wallace House). (1/14/2014)
Zooming in on "Overtown" in Warren PA 16365 (October 1979).  (1/13/2014)
Eddy-Frycklund House.  (1/8/2014)
Siggins-Smith House.  (1/4/2014)
Mansion House.  (1/3/2014)
The Morck-Morrison house.  (1/1/2014)
Six degrees of Reverend Nelson.  (12/31/2013)
Jarvis Cleaners Accepts Cash and Checks Only.  (12/30/2013)

The Physicians' Building.  (12/30/2013)

C. W. Stone.  (12/28/2013)

Computerized Nutritional Analysis with a Side of Honey,  (12/14/2013)
A Dark Ceiling Tile at the Busy Bee Restaurant in Warren PA 16365.  (12/24/2013)
Just When You Thought He Was Going, Going, Gone, Eugene Bounces Back.  (11/21/2013)
Happy 100th Birthday, Mallomars!   (11/14/2013)
Then and Now: Intersection of Second Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue West, Warren PA.  (10/7/2013)
The Blue and White (Published by the Students of the Warren High School).  (9/28/2013)
Then and Now: Market Street, Warren PA 16365.  (9/18/2013)
Then and Now: Hickory Street and West Third Avenue, Warren PA.  (9/17/2013)
Then and Now: Liberty & Pennsylvania Avenue West, Warren PA 16365.  (9/17/2013)
Then and Now: Liberty Street Looking from Pennsylvania Avenue West, Warren Pennsylvania 16365.  (9/16/2013)
Then and Now:  Warren National Bank Building.  (9/11/2013)
Apparently, Gaughn's is no longer "a real drug store".  (9/10/2013)
Hickory Street Bridge in Warren PA 16365 (Then and Now).  (9/10/2013)
Then and  Now:  Post Office.  (9/9/2013)
Then and Now:  Cornplanter Bridge, Kinzua Dam Reservoir, near Warren PA 16365.  (9/9/2013)
The Geography of Hate:  Warren PA 16365.  (5/14/2013)
They Say People Have Gotten Smarter Where I Grew Up.  (8/27/2012)
WNAE in Warren, Pennsylvania: When Local Radio was 'Hyperlocal'.  (8/28/2011)

Sunny-Day Flooding in Miami Beach: The Everyday Reality and the Political Denial

Miami Beach at Fifth and Alton Road.



Miami Finds Itself Ankle-Deep in Climate Change Debate. (The New York Times, 5/7/2014)

The everyday reality. The sunny-day flooding was happening again. During high tide one recent afternoon, Eliseo Toussaint looked out the window of his Alton Road laundromat and watched bottle-green saltwater seep from the gutters, fill the street and block the entrance to his front door.

“This never used to happen,” Mr. Toussaint said. “I’ve owned this place eight years, and now it’s all the time.”

Mouthing the words from the Republican playbook.   (Bold type added.)  But three prominent Florida Republicans — Senator Marco Rubio, former Gov. Jeb Bush and the current governor, Rick Scott — declined repeated requests to be interviewed on the subject. Mr. Rubio and Mr. Bush are viewed as potential presidential candidates. Political analysts say the reluctance of the three men to speak publicly on the issue reflects an increasingly difficult political reality for Republicans grappling with the issue of climate change, particularly for the party’s lawmakers from Florida. In acknowledging the problem, politicians must endorse a solution, but the only major policy solutions to climate change — taxing or regulating the oil, gas and coal industries — are anathema to the base of the Republican Party. Thus, many Republicans, especially in Florida, appear to be dealing with the issue by keeping silent.

In this CBS news video, we learn that Miami Beach, by spending more than $400,000,000, is hoping to pump its way to dryness.



Another solution:  Stronger codes to have buildings and homes built higher off the ground.

Other climate change posts:
The rising sea levels of Bangladesh.  (3/30/2014)
Cold enough for you?  (3/9/2014)
Meteors, glaciers, and climate change.  (1/14/2014)
Climate change spurs northward growth of mangroves.  (1/1/2014)
Dear Skeptics, Climate change is already driving informed business decisions.  (12/15/2013)
Florida's vulnerable coastline.  (11/12/2013)
Promoting the need for regionalism among nations along the Bay of Bengal coast.  (10/14/2013)
Climate change not taking a back seat everywhere in Wisconsin.  (9/27/2013)
Climate change deniers continue to jump on the Daily Mail crazy train (or Oops! they did it again).  (9/25/2013) 
Cal Thomas: This climate change bulletin just in from the Daily Mail.  (9/24/2013) 
Cal Thomas needs a research assistant.  (9/23/2013)
Climate change, as a matter of fact.  (8/31/2013)
Outagamie County residents will be better served with a more proactive approach.  (8/20/2013)
Here's what got Ron Johnson's undies in a bundle (NoRoJo in 2016, chapter 12).  (8/15/2013)
Georgia's anti-science climate denier caucus.  (7/31/2013)
Here's a comforting headline.  (3/8/2013)
Making Fox News-Inspired Jokes About Climate Change? Consider Australia.  (3/5/2013)
The New Normal: Living With Extreme Weather (Northeastern U.S. Edition).  (2/10/2013)
1975: "There's a new ice age coming, but I wouldn't want to predict when.".  (1/27/2013)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Embargoes Use of Phrase "Climate Change"?  (12/31/2012)
Can you say 'climate change'?  (11/28/2012)
As you already know, Fox News is shameless.  (9/29/2012)
Dear George, It will take more than denial to get over climate change in Greenland.  (9/27/2012)
Climate change results in Coast Guard's "unprecedented" deployment to North Shore of Alaska.  (7/23/2013)
Weather history is made in the Northeast.  (10/30/2011)
Climate change in the American mind.  (6/8/2011)
Stuff you won't see on Fox News.  (1/8/2010)

A Mix of Clear and Delphi Glass Blocks @ the Dane County Parking Ramp in Madison, Wisconsin

Photo credit:  Retiring Guy

This glass block arrangement caught my eye as I was ascending the stairs to the top level of the parking ramp. 

Delphi.

The Towering Isthmus: New Housing Rising

From the top level of the Overture Center parking ramp, looking west.

At the intersection of South Henry and West Main streets, from the top level of the Dane County parking ramp.

Next to the Madison Fire Department Station #1 on West Dayton Street, from the top of the Overture Center parking ramp.

Related post:
Cranes over Porta Bella.  (4/22/2014)

The Conservative STARs of the Supreme Court Seem to Have a Bit of a Problem with Liberal Speakers/Speeches

STAR = Scalia, Thomas, Alito, Roberts.

Let's take this table from the paper, "Do Justices Defend the Speech They Hate?" by Lee Epstein, Christopher M. Parker, & Jeffrey A. Segal, published on May 2, 2014.......

Table 1 explained.   Percentage support for the free expression claim based on the ideological grouping of the speaker, for Roberts Court Justices (ordered from most conservative to most liberal based on the Martin-Quinn Scores). Excludes Kagan and Sotomayor due to small Ns and a lack of variation in the speakers. An indicates a statistically signi cant di erence in support for the liberal versus conservative speaker at p .05.

....and visualize the liberal-conservative column differences for each Supreme Court Justice, tossing out the window, I imagine, accepted academic statistical practice.  What the hell!

When I look at the first four red columns, moving left to right, I immediately think of the term "judicial activism".

One of Her Favorite Things: Shopping at the Warren Mall

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Warren Mall took place on November 16, 1977. Construction lasted just under two years, the 275,000-square-foot mall officially opening for business on October 5, 1979. (By way of comparison, Madison's West Towne Mall sprawls over 915,307 square feet.) 

The original business mix included three anchor stores -- KMart, The Bon Ton, Penney's -- and about 60-some other shops and restaurants, including Radio Shack, General Nutrition, Waldenbooks, Kay Jewelers, Kay-Bee Toys, Ponderosa, and other national and regional chains.  The Bon Ton and KMart remain in business, but the rest of the mall now resembles a ghost town.

Even the main entrance, shown in this 2008 photograph, has a forlorn look to it.  (All photos in this post taken by Retiring Guy,)

If you focus on the mustard-colored seating area -- always wondered why that color was chosen -- the center court area still has a bit of a welcoming look to it.

Until you take in a bigger picture.

Although it might look that way, I didn't receive special permission to visit the mall.  It was open for business at the time I took these pictures in 2008.

According to an October 25, 2013, article in the Warren Times Observer, the Warren Mall now has 8 tenants.   Make that 7.  If you live in Warren and want to shop at Big Lots, you have to drive 20 miles north to Jamestown, New York.  What a sad commentary.

Warren is actually is beautiful place, nestled in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, with some great examples of 19th and early 20th century architecture.

Here's a shot of Liberty Street, Warren's once bustling business district that the Mall did no favors.

This post was inspired by a sentence in a recent obituary published in the Warren Times-Observer.

Her 6 year old daughter says, her mother enjoyed playing with her and her son, Bubba and enjoyed going to the Warren Mall to go shopping.  (Punctuation as is.)

Well, there is, The Bon Ton, and Kmart.

Maybe Bubba's mom is the one who wrote this fantasy.

And this column graph tells its own sad story.

Warren PA:  No longer "home of 15,000 friendly people".

Scott Walker: "...it really is about being pro-worker...."

An interview with Scott Walker.  (National Review, 11/20/2013)

Larry Kudlow lobs one softball after another, such as lazy offering: Are the union roles shrinking? Are people leaving the unions? 

To which Walker replies:

Less than a minute before this exchange, Kudlow uttered this bizarre, transitional patter. –payin’– bein’ tough pays off. Bein’ tough–.....-pays off.

Sorry, I always get into one of these snits whenever Walker releases one of his State Employee Recognition Day proclamations.

What Happens When What Crawls Out from Under a Rock Runs for Office and Wins

Gun Bans in Capitols But Not Bars Draw Cries of Hypocrisy. (Bloomberg News, 5/7/2014)

Photo credit:  South Dakota Legislature

Hickey, apparently, has more than guns on his mind.

Anal-Sex-Obsessed GOP Legislator Compares Gay Sex to “Taking a Dump in Your Bed”. (Slate, 5/7/2014)

Steve had too much to dream last night.  There are, of course, a number of puzzling components to this statement. For instance, why eight friends, rather than one, or six, or 10? Must you be in love with your friends to have anal sex with them? And does Rep. Hickey think that gay people only change their sheets once a year?

Related posts:
Republican hypocrisy: The "hits" to local control just keep on coming.  (2/28/2014)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board calls out Republican hypocrisy.  (2/17/2014)
And the hypocrisy just keeps on coming: Republicans can't even give lip service to their "Principles". (2/14/2014)
Yet another lesson in Republican hypocrisy.  (2/13/2014)
Another lesson in hypocrisy: Wisconsin Republicans disparage Mary Burke for her wealth.  (1/31/2014)
A lesson in hypocrisy, Waukesha County edition.  (1/29/2014)
Your Wisconsin Republican Assembly hard at work promoting Governor Walker's jobs agenda (and GOP principles).  (11/15/2013)

The World's Birth Rate is Steadily Declining

Except for those almost imperceptible bumps in 2007 and 2008.   Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008, nipping this uptick in the bud.

Fear of economic blow as births drop around world. (Oshkosh Northwestern, 5/7/2014)

From my calculation, the world is still welcoming about 358,000 babies a day.  The financial crisis that followed the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 did more than wipe out billions in wealth and millions of jobs. It also sent birth rates tumbling around the world as couples found themselves too short of money or too fearful about their finances to have children. Six years later, birth rates haven’t bounced back.

New York Public Library Scraps Controversial Renovation Plan for 42nd Street Library

Times Minute



New York Library Shelves Renovation Plan.  (The Wall Street Journal, 5/8/2014)

Blame it on the price tag.  The library on Wednesday said that an independent cost analysis it commissioned showed that the renovation of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building would have cost significantly more than the $300 million it originally projected.

Article includes a timeline in the "design drama".

From the Middleton Police Department Blotter: I Have No Sympathy for Anyone Who Wears a $10,000 Watch

Romain Jerome

From the March 2014 Middleton Police Department report, page 5

Don't Be Like Kansas (Add Missouri to the List)

Downgrade of Kansas Bond Rating Offers another Warning to Wisconsin.  (Wisconsin Budget Project, 5/7/2014)

Pay to Play Inc. There are many similarities between what has happened in Kansas and what has happened – and continues to happen – in Wisconsin. Like Kansas, Wisconsin has pushed through large tax cuts that helped the rich much more than most state residents. Both states recently raised taxes on low-income families working to climb into the middle class. And like in Kansas, tax cuts haven’t spurred job growth in Wisconsin.

Missouri follows suit.

Running in Place

In Tepid Wage Growth, a Potent Sign of a Still-Fragile Economy. (The New York Times, 5/4/2014)

Average hourly wages for American workers held steady at $24.31 last month. They have increased just 1.9 percent over the previous 12 months. But after adjusting for inflation, real wages have increased by something like 0.5 percent.

Increase in average hourly wage, 2006-2014:  21%.
Adjusted for inflation increase, 2006-2014:  3.5%.

Cable by Any Other Name is Still 'Cable'

At Cable Convention, an Industry Tries to Face Up to Its Tarnished Reputation. (The New York Times, 5/4/2014)

...joking.....only by half.

Related reading:
People Generally Just Really Hate Their Cable Companies.   (Mashable, 2/13/2014)

Taking NIMBY to the Next Level in Manitowoc, Wisconsin

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection

Manitowoc City Council rejects community garden. Union Park neighbors object to proposal. (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, 5/6/2014) 

Just like sidewalks and roundabouts and bike/pedestrian paths.  “I have learned in the past five years (serving on the council) that if there is a lot of resistance to a project, rarely is it successful,” Hennessey said after several residents living near municipal Union Park, bounded by Sixth, Seventh, State and Park streets, took advantage of public input to voice their opposition. 

Patrick, no one is sayin' that the entire 3.72-acre park is going to be a garden. Some of those speaking in opposition said Union Park should remain totally open to those using it for recreational purposes. “The garden would alienate and disenfranchise the very neighborhood it claims to support ... let’s keep Union Park open for play,” said Patrick Hanson, a Seventh Street resident. 


What you see below is just a small portion of Union Park.  My wife is from Manitowoc County, so I've had the opportunity to drive past and walk through this park on numerous occasions.  Let's just say I've never seen it overused.

Too bad Patrick couldn't tell us what's really on his mind.

Radio Shack: Boogeying Its Way to Doomsday

Radio Shack to close 1,100 stores on dismal fourth quarter earnings. (Birmingham Business Journal, 3/4/2014)

That's probably still too many.  These closures will leave the chain with over 4,000 stores and 900 franchises locations. 

Radio Shack reported this week a total of $935.4 million in earnings during the fourth quarter of 2013. That represents a 20.1 percent dip from 2012's $1.17 billion in earnings during the same three-month period.

Related posts: 
Radio Shack too far behind to eat Amazon's dust.  (3/4/2014)
It's possible that the Radio Shack slide continues.  (2/5/2014)

Reshoring: Where's the Cheap Labor Now?

More manufacturers looking to re-shore back to U.S., experts say. (Milwaukee Business Journal, 5/6/2014)

Reason(s) given in the article.

There's even a Reshoring Initiative.

Related article:
As Overseas Costs Rise, More U.S. Companies Are 'Reshoring'. (NPR, 1/27/2014)

Trending  (Source:  Advisor Perspectives)

Who Will Run for Office in Wisconsin's 11th Senate District Now that Neil Kedzie Has Announced His Retirement?

Note the clean border design, the compact squareness, which is the result of Republican redistricting.

Public libraries in the 11th Senate District:
Jefferson County

• Jefferson Public Library
• Powers Memorial Library, Palmyra

Kenosha County

• Burlington Public Library (service area)

Rock County

• Beloit Public Library (service area)
• Clinton Public Library
• Hedberg Public Library,  Janesville (service area)

Walworth County

• Aram Public Library, Delavan
• Barrett Memorial Library, Williams Bay
• Brigham Memorial Library, Sharon
• Darien Public Library
• Genoa City Public Library
• Lake Geneva Public Library
• Matheson Memorial Library, Elkhorn
• Walworth Memorial Library

Waukesha County

• Alice Baker Library, Eagle
• East Troy Lions Public Library
• Mukwanago Public Library

On Politics: Neal Kedzie becomes 7th state senator to announce retirement. (Wisconsin State Journal, 5/6/2014)

The following question was posed -- Democrat to Democrat -- on Facebook last night: Is this seat winnable?

What would you say?

Other 2014 election posts:
"Understanding" secessionist to run against Robin Vos in Republican Assembly primary.  (4/18/2014)
Jay Schroeder running again in 55th Assembly District.  (4/16/2014)
60th Assembly District.  (4/14/2014)
4th Assembly District.  (4/14/2014)
At this point, Penny Bernard Schaber is running unopposed in Wisconsin's 19th State Senate District. (4/11/2014)
22nd Assembly District (4/10/2014)
28th Assembly District.  (4/8/2014)
Who will run in the 55th Assembly District now that Dean Kaufert has been elected Mayor of Neenah?  (4/2/2014)
Not just a rumor anymore; Kestell announces his retirement.  (4/1/2014)
Apparently, he's not foolin': Al Ott running for re-election.  (4/1/2014)
Bill Kramer & the 97th Assembly District.  (3/24/2014)
26th Assembly District.  (3/24/2014)
37th Assembly District rematch.  (2/27/2014)
87th Assembly District.  (2/17/2014)
Todd Novak, Dodgeville Mayor, Running for 51st Assembly seat.  (2/17/2014)
88th Assembly District.  (2/17/2014)
58th Assembly District.  (2/10/2014)
81st Assembly District.  (2/7/2014)
17th Senate District.  (1/27/2014)
59th Assembly District.  (1/18/2014)
1st Assembly District.  (12/13/2013)
Candidate scorecard for the 2014 Wisconsin Attorney General's race.  (12/8/2013)
22nd Assembly District.  11/21/2013)
17 Senate District.  (11/7/2013)
19th Assembly District.  (11/7/2013)
9th State Senate District. (10/23/2013)
15th State Senate District.  (10/10/2013)
Wisconsin Attorney General in 2014: Waukesha County DA Brad Schimel.  (10/10/2013
25th State Senate District.  (10/9/2013)

"Scott Walker" Tied with "None" for 1st Choice in CNN/ORC Republican Presidential Preference Poll

CNN/ORC Poll.   Interviews with 1,008 adult Americans conducted by telephone by ORC International on May 2-4, 2014. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Walker can only beat Santorum among the picks for 2nd choice.  Ouch!

Related posts:
Another Presidential primary poll, another 5% showing for Scott Walker.  (5/1/2014)
I hope Scott Walker had a good Easter cuz Donald Trump is outpolling him in New Hampshire. (4/20/2014)
Fox News: Scott Walker polling neck-and-neck with Rick Santorum.  (4/17/2014)
Iowa Republican caucus voters not singing Scott Walker's song.  (4/10/2014)
Scott Walker still "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again".    (4/4/2014)
While Mary Burke campaigns for Governor, Scott Walker continues to run for President.  (3/28/2014)
The Washington Examiner offers a boost to Scott Walker Presidential campaign without a hint of irony.  (3/26/2014)
Let's do an ID update on this Townhall straw poll.  (3/25/2014)
Scott Walker for President 2016: Pundits like the idea but the public sez "meh".  (3/16/2014)
Scott Walker is in a bind.  (3/15/2014)
Christie/Walker meme, part 3.  (3/8/2014)
Christie/Walker meme, part 2.  (3/7/2014)
Christie/Walker meme, part 1.  (3/7/2014)
The chattering class falls hard for Scott Walker, but the voters are still scratching their heads.  (3/6/2014)
So he, too, can embarrass himself.  (12/30/2013)

The Rudolph Randa Resume, Abbreviated

Judge orders halt to 'John Doe' investigation. (Wisconsin State Journal, 5/6/2014)

Wasn't he in an episode of "Law & Order?" Randa ordered prosecutors to "cease all activities related to the investigation, return all property seized in the investigation from any individual or organization and permanently destroy all copies of information and other materials obtained through the investigation."

And then there's this Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Follow the Money roll call.

I have no idea if Melinda, Melissa, Richard, and Stuart are related to Rudolph, but then again, how many people with the surname Randa do you know?