Landmark Hamilton Manufacturing Building in Two Rivers, Wisconsin,Being Reduced to Rubble

J. Edward Hamilton founded the Hamilton Holly Wood Type Company in 1880 to serve a booming newspaper and print shop industry.  The company soon expanded its product line to include cabinets for type and other press room furnishings as well as items for other types of businesses:  medical and dental office furniture, drafting tables, and the first gas-powered dryer.

Employing more than 1000 at its peak, the facility was shuttered in 2012.

There will soon be an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan from downtown Two Rivers.

Two Rivers, Wisconsin: Change for a $20 after paying for 2 Old-Fashioneds and 2 bottles of Fat Tire

The lake perch plate at the Knights of Columbus is highly recommended.  Served in 3 portions -- regular, 1 1/2, double -- from 4:30 to 9:00 p.m. every Friday.

Wondering if this is an editorial statement

Impressed that there are no spelling errors.

Recent Evidence That Folks Still Bowl

Badger Bowl, Madison WI, on early Wednesday evening in February.  It was my first time after a 10-, maybe 15-year hiatus.  Rolled a 461 three-game series.

Today's bowling requires no math skills -- and allows no warm-up rolls.

Plus you don't go home smelling like an ashtray full of crushed cigarette butts.

Chew on this dialogue balloon

For those of you who haven't visited the National Brewery Museum in Potosi, you're in for a treat, especially if you can get the mayor to conduct the tour.

 

Guess the year and make of car by the headlight?

Hint:  When this impressively finned car was introduced to the public, my teacher's name was Miss Short.

'On the Road Again' as mapped by colored dots

My fascination with maps goes back 55 years, when, free-ranging child that I was, I'd bike from gas station to gas station throughout Warren Pennsylvania and help myself to the free road maps.

More on this particular creation in a later post.

'Consistency' and 'authenticity' aren't the first 2 words that come to mind when I consider Scott Walker

Let's try these 2 on for size:  

*Malleable.  

*Opportunistic.

Gov. Scott Walker set to make his first trip of the 2016 cycle to New Hampshire.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 3/13/2015)

Photo credit:  Live Free or Die Alliance

Text source:  Wisconsin State Journal

*Scott Walker's Shifting Positions Move Him Further Right.  (NBC News, 3/11/2015)

Where his core group of supporters reside.

Apparently, being the Chief Financial Officer of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is not much of a resume-builder

WEDC under fire again for not tracking loans, losing top executives.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/13/2015)

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, issued a letter Thursday urging the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to hire an acting chief financial officer after previous CFO Stephanie Walker left in January. She was the organization’s fourth CFO since its creation less than four years ago. 

Barca said the hire is critical because WEDC has had problems tracking state loans and grants. A May 2013 audit found the quasi-public agency was not following state law in how it was keeping tabs on millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, and earlier this week the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the agency continues to have difficulties despite assurances that the problem had been addressed.

Related posts:
WEDC's revolving door.  (9/12/2014)
Here's how the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is "Reinventing Economic Development".  (8/24/2014) 
Company looks to expand its business geographic focus?  (8/14/2014)
Scott Walker and the horrible, terrible, no good, very transparent day.  (7/28/2014)
Kestrel Aircraft: All these incentives, but no construction, no jobs.  (7/13/2014)
The Eaton Corporation/WEDC timeline of shame.  (7/10/2014)
Wisconsin featured in report on privatized state economic development agencies.  (10/25/2013)
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation pledge: Following the money.  (7/23/2013)
Incompetence rewarded.  (5/9/2013)
And while we're at it, let's take a look at WEDC 's core values. (5/9/2013)
WEDC Public Information Officer Resigns After 1 Month on the Job.  (5/9/2013)
Plenty of time for messaging but none for fixing what ails WEDC.  (5/9/2013)
Previous WEDC audits?  What previous audits?  (5/8/2013)
Are you seeing a trend yet?  (5/8/2013)
Echoes.  (5/7/2013)
Get me rewrite.  (5/4/2013)
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)

The Library Board Member from Hell is Looking for a Return Engagement

Text source and photo credit:  Gail Borden library candidates disagree on remodeling.  (Daily Herald, 3/11/2015)

Related articles:
He's baaack!!!  (1/8/2015)
Randy Hopp is no longer a Gail Borden library trustee.  (5/27/2013)
Elgin Library trustee Randy Hopp not yet fit to stand trial .  (5/23/2013)
Sign this guy up for anger management classes.  (1/19/2012)
Library board member from hell is here to stay. ( 6/19/2011)
Add Elgin Community College to the list of places where Randy Hopp is banned.  (5/2/2011)
Gail Borden's 'board member from hell' is back in the news again.  (3/26/2011)
Crossing t's and dotting i's aren't enough for this library board member. (1/15/2011)
The strange saga of Randy Hopp, library trustee.  (5/23/2010)

No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Mark Meadows, North Carolina's 11th Congressional District

Photo source:  U.S. Congress

Text source:   Right Wing Watch

'Tea Party aligned' Meadows was re-elected to a 2nd term in 2014 with 63% of the vote.

Recommended reading for Meadows and constituents in his western Carolina district.

Climate Change in the Great Smoky National Park.  (Macalester College Environmental Studies Department)

No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.

Alabama Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives.   (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one world:  coal.  Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13.  The state's peak year of production:  1990)  

• 1st District.  Bradley Byrne (R).  Proposed an amendment that would have cut all FY 2015 funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 
• 2nd District.  Martha Roby (R).   Voted YES on opening Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling and barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. Signed the No Climate Tax Pledge by Americans for Prosperity.
• 3rd District.  Mike Rogers (R).   League of Conservation scorecard: 2013: 0%.  Lifetime (2003-): 9%. 
• 4th District.  Robert Aderholt (R).  Without bothering to fact-check, he uses a discredited petition rejecting climate change to make a point. 
• 5th District.  Mo Brooke (R).  Climate Experts Testify that Climate Change Projections are Unreliable and Misleading.
• 6th District.  Stephen Baucus (R).   League of Conservation scorecard: 2013: 0% Lifetime (1993- ): 8%

Alaska Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• At-large District.  Don Young (R).   Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.” 

 Arizona Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 4th District.  Paul Gosar (R).   Takes his environmental cues from cattle and sheep producers.
• 5th District.  Matt Salmon (R).   This quote sums up his view:  “I found the source of global warming is coming from the hot air coming out of Washington.”  Signed Koch Brothers "No Climate Tax" pledge. 
• 6th District.  David Schweikert (R).  Known to throw a hissy over "the Al Gores of the world".  Chairs House Subcommittee on Environment. 
• 8th District.  Trent Franks (R).   League of Conservation scorecard:2013: 11%.  Lifetime (since 2003): 5%. 

Arkansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Rick Crawford (R).   Vow to his constituents:  "As long as the Obama EPA continues its assault on farmers, I will continue to fight senseless regulations that only serve to cripple American agriculture." 
• 2nd District.  Tim Griffin (R).  Perhaps one of the few scientists in the Republican House caucus.  As far as global warming is concerned, he claims "that there are a lot of shenanigans going on with the data."   
• 3rd District.  Steve Womack (R).   Loves his fossil fuels.
• 4th District.  Tom Cotton (R).  Claims the earth's temperature hasn't warmed in 16 years, a climate denier meme.  The reality:  9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurred since 1998.

California Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Doug LaMalfa (R).  Ask him about air conditioners, packing plants, or praying for rain.
• 4th District.  Tom McClintock (R).  Still smarting that he never received a Nobel Prize in the 3rd grade. 
• 8th District.  Paul Cook (R).   ALEC shill for the Keystone pipeline. 
• 10th District.  Jeff Denham (R).  Appears to think that climate skeptics are on "the right side of the issue."  
• 21st District.  David Valadao (R).  Represents a portion of California's Central Valley, a hotbed of climate skepticism, as the representative's League of Conservation Voters scorecard indicates. 
• 22nd District.  Devin Nunes (R).   Throws hissy fit, a Republican specialty, over what he calls Obama's extremist climate agenda.
• 23rd District.  Kevin McCarthy (R).   Bemoans those dang "harmful regulations".
• 25th District.  Buck McKeon (R).  7% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard after 24 years in House.
• 31st District.  Gary Miller (R).   3% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard after 14 years in House.
• 39th District.  Ed Royce (R).  A liberal among the California Republican caucus:  a 13% lifetime score on the League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard. 
• 42nd District.  Ken Calvert (R).  Although comfortably ensconced in the Republican environmental mainstream, he's not above making an heretical remark or two.
• 45th District.  John Campbell (R).  Signer of Americans for Prosperity "No Climate Tax Pledge"; 9% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters, 
• 48th District.  Dana Rohrabacher (R).  Mouths the same climate denier meme as the newly elected U.S. Senator from Arkansas.
• 49th District.  Darrell Issa (R).  The richest member of Congress, he recently won the League of Conservation Voters "Climate Denier Award". 
• 50th District.  Duncan Hunter (R).  Can you top this?  "Thousands of people die every year of cold, so if we had global warming it would save lives." 

Colorado Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 3rd District.  Scott Tipton (R).  Tree rings tell us all we need to know.
• 4th District.  Cory Gardner (R).  Another beneficiary of the 2010 Tea Party wave.  And he adjusted his views accordingly.
• 5th District.  Doug Lamborn (R).  Works tirelessly to assure that climate change remains "an extremely controversial topic".   (Is also a big fan of impeaching Obama.)  
• 6th District.  Mike Coffman (R).   Solidly parks his butt in the the-science-is-not-quite-settled camp. 

No House Republicans hail from Connecticut and Delaware. 
Florida Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Jeff Miller (R).  "Flintstones, meet the Flintstones.  They're the modern Stone Age fam-a-lee."
• 2nd District.  Steve Southerland (R).  Spouts the company line.
• 3rd District.  Ted Yoho (R).  "I'm not smart enough for that."
• 4th District.  Ander Crenshaw (R).  All talk, no action.
• 6th District.  Ron DeSantis (R).  As reported by ThinkProgress, a majority of Congressional Republicans are climate deniers.  At this point in the exercise, we appear to have unanimity.
• 7th District.  John Mica (R).   7% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters after 22 years in the House.
• 8th District.  Bill Posey (R). Sez climate change has been with us since the Earth was formed.  (Pick your date.)
• 10th District.  Daniel Webster (R).  9% score from League of Conservation Voters during his 2 terms in office.
• 11th District.  Richard Nugent (R).   6% score from League of Conservation Voters during his 2 terms in office.
• 12th District.  Gus Bilirakis (R).  Big fan of fossil fuels. 
• 13th District.  David Jolly (R).  Happy to drift along with the fossil-fuel flow. 
• 15th District.  Dennis Ross (R)  It's all about personal responsibility. 
• 16th District.  Vern Buchanan (R).  Proud to represent his rich waterfront property owners. 
• 17th District.  Tom Rooney (R).   One of 48 Republican House members with a 0% score from the National League of Conservation Voters in 2013.
• 19th District.  Curt Clawson (R).  Suggests that climate change "may not exist".
• 25th District.  Mario Diaz-Balart (R).  Not ready to jump on the global warming bandwagon. 
• 27th District.  Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R).  Chicken Little, apparently, is one of her favorite folk tales.

Georgia Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Jack Kingston (R).  Ask him about climate change, and he'll give you his troglodyte views on evolution.
• 3rd District.  Lynn Westmoreland (R).  One of the Republicans who threw a hissy fit when the Defense Department announced its climate change initiative. 
• 6th District, Tom Price (R).  During 2009 floor debate on a climate-change bill, he asked colleagues for a moment of silence for lost jobs. 
• 7th District.  Rob Woodall (R).  Like his colleague Lynn Westmoreland, Rob believes that climate change discussions should be, at best, marginalized, not expanded. 
• 8th District.  Austin Scott (R).   "Absolutely" skeptical when it comes to climate change.
• 9th District.  Doug Collins (R).   Ranked by National Journal as the most conservative member of the state's House delegation (90.2% rating, 16th overall).  
• 10th District.  Paul Broun (R).  Believes that climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated by the scientific community.  Got his butt kicked in the 2014 Georgia Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
• 11th District.  Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R).  Surgical masks for every cow.
• 14th District.  Tom Graves (R).  Has a facility for stringing cliches together. 

 Idaho Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Raul Labrador (R).    According to this list, one of the scariest.
• 2nd District.  Mike Simpson (R).  Tries to come across as reasonable, but his words are contradicted by his 7% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters. (Lifetime = 9 terms, 18 years.)    

 Illinois Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 6th District.  Peter Roskam (R).  Once referred to climate change as "junk science". 
• 13th District.  Rodney Davis (R).   Content to spout the company line.
• 14th District.  Randy Hultgren (R).  Asserted in 2009 that "we're headed in to a bit of a colder time." 
• 15th District.  John Shimkus (R).   "The B-I-B-L-E/yes, that's the book for me/I stand alone on the word of God/the B-I-B-L-E!!"
• 16th District.  Adam Kinzinger (R).  Gives  new meaning to "all-inclusive".  
• 18th District.  Aaron Schock (R).  When it comes to support of environmental issues, he's all talk and no action.

 Indiana Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Jackie Walorski (R).   “That’s My Congress” notes Rep. Walorski has followed a conservative course when voting on environmental legislation -- and everything else, for that matter.   Earned a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters after her first year in the House.
• 3rd District.  Martin Stutzman (R).  Signed Americans for Prosperity’s “No Climate Tax Pledge” a month before being sworn in as a member of Congress in 2010. 
• 4th District.  Todd Rokita (R).  This climate change denier respects "God's green earth".  Anyone who thinks otherwise is arrogant.
• 5th District.  Susan Brooks (R).  The Walorski summary fits Brooks to a T. 
• 6th District.  Luke Messer (R).   Considers climate change a social issue.
• 8th District.  Larry Bucshon M.D. (R).  Climatologists are only in it for the money.   
• 9th District.  Todd Young (R).   Describes himself as a climate agnostic.

 Iowa Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 3rd District.  Tom Latham (R).    Earned a 8% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters in his 20 years of Congressional service.
• 4th District.  Steve King (R).   Rep. King explains it all for you.

Kansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Tim Huelskamp (R).     A fossil fuel kinda guy,  More development and utilization = jobs jobs jobs.
• 2nd District.  Lynn Jenkins (R).   Knows how to tap dance her way through a town hall forum.
• 3rd District.  Kevin Yoder (R).http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_9.html  More of the same. 
• 4th District.  Mike Pompeo (R).   Uses social media to trumpet his climate skepticism. 

Kentucky Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Ed Whitfield (R).    In the pocket of coal industry.
• 2nd District.  Brett Guthrie (R).  Another Corncracker Soldier fighting against the  "War on Coal". 
• 4th District.  Thomas Massie (R).  Not your garden-variety Republican.
• 5th District.  Harold Rogers (R).   Serves as the Supreme Commander in the fight against the War on Coal.
• 6th District.  Andy Barr (R).   A foot soldier fighting against the War on Coal.

Louisiana Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Steve Scalise (R).   The empty-headedness of GOP talking points.  You can't make this stuff up.
• 3rd District.  Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R).  From coal to oil.  "All politics is local". 
• 4th District.  John Fleming (R).   Like him on Facebook.  
• 5th District.  Ralph Abraham (R).  Sez Keystone Pipeline will create 40,000 construction jobs.
• 6th District.  Garret Graves (R).   Possible renegade?

Maine Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Bruce Poliquin (R).  One of the newest members of the House Republicans Climate Skeptics caucus.

Maryland Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Andy Harris, M.D. (R).  Fighting to insure clear-channel outlet for Republican climate skepticism propaganda.

No House Republicans in Massachusetts delegation.
Michigan Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Dan Benishek, M.D. (R).  Well now, here's a Republican who claims to be a scientist!
• 2nd District.  Bill Huizegna (R).   Makes no bones about where he stands on global warming, climate change.
• 3rd District.  Justin Amash.  Meet Mr. Contrarian. 
• 4th District.  John Moolenaar.   For this newly elected representative, the photo at his energy issues webpage tells us all we need to know for the time being.
• 6th District.  Fred Upton (R).  Baby, it's cold outside! 
• 7th District.  Tim Walberg (R).  Another Tea Party hypocrite.   
• 8th District.  Mike Bishop (R).  New guy spouts the company line. 
• 10th District.  Candace Miller (R).   "Just ask the dinosaurs."
• 11th District.  Dave Trott (R).  The Wolf of Oakland County.

Minnesota Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  John Klein (R).   Likes his energy dirty.
• 3rd District.  Erik Paulsen (R).   Lotsa talk on the environment, but his voting record tells the story.
• 6th District.  Tom Emmet (R).  Creator of the phrase, "Al Gore's climate porn".   (All you need to know:  He now serves the district Michele Bachmann represented.)

Mississippi Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Alan Nunnelee (R).  Apparently, when it comes to America's energy sources, the dirtier the better.
• 3rd District.  Gregg Harper (R).   Not a believer.
• 4th District.  Steven Palazzo (R).   Looking out for the interests of oil, natural gas, and coal

Missouri Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives 

• 2nd District.  Ann Wagner (R).   Puts climate science in diapers.
• 3rd District.  Blaine Luetkemeyer (R).  God forbid we should take a global approach to climate change.
• 4th District.  Vicky Hartzler (R).  Sings a duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside!" with her Michigan colleague Fred Upton.
• 6th District.  Sam Graves (R).   Speaking of out-of-touch.
• 7th District.  Billy Long (R).   He's a coal man.
• 8th District.  Jason Smith (R).  Another coal man, holdin' on to yesterday.

Montana Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• At-Large.  Ryan Zinke (R).   His views on the environment undergo a transformation once he runs for Congress.

Nebraska Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Jeff Fortenberry (R).    After receiving a pat on the back from ConservAmerica, his rating from the League of Conservation Voters take a big tumble.
• 3rd District.  Adrian Smith (R).  A denier from his first day in the House.  

Nevada Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Mark Amodai (R).  A 3% lifetime score from the League of National Conservation Voters.  His actions belie his words.
• 3rd District.  Joe Heck (R).  In the climate-change-has-always-been-with-us camp.
• 4th District.  Cresent Hardy (R).  Revels in his far-right conservatism.   

New Hampshire Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Frank Guinta (R).  Content to spout the company line.

 New Jersey Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Frank LoBiondo (R).  Received an endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund in October 2014 even though his 2013 score of 25% was well below his lifetime score of 63%.
• 3rd District.  Tom MacArthur (R).  In office just over a month, MacArthur is content to vote the party line.
• 4th District.  Chris Smith (R).  An exception to the rule.   On the other hand, his score from the League of Conservation Voters took a nosedive in 2013.
• 5th District.   Scott Garrett (R).  A proud member of the 'Anti-Science Climate Denier Caucus'.
• 7th District.  Leonard Lance (R).  A poster boy for Republican moderation thrown out the window. 
• 11th District.  Rodney Frelinghuysen (R).  Pushing the envelope, Republican-style. 

New Mexico Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Steve Pearce (R).  Call the science of climate change "crap".

New York Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Lee Zeldin (R).  Take the "what me worry/Alfred E. Neuman" approach to climate change.
• 2nd District.  Pete King (R).   Basically, a "drill, baby, drill" energy position.
• 19th District.  Chris Gibson (R).  An independent Republican voice when  it comes to climate change 
• 21st District.  Elise Stefanik (R).   A possible RINO alert.
• 22nd District.  Richard Hanna (R).  Claims to believe that climate change is occurring but his 11% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters doesn't exactly back him up.
• 23rd District.  Tom Reed. (R).  Co-chair of the House Natural Gas Caucus.  Big fan of fracking.
• 24th District.  John Katko (R).  It certainly seems like a wishy-washy statement.
• 27th  District.  Chris Collins (R).  After his 1st year in Congress, Collins was awarded a 3% score from the League of Conservation Voters.

 North Carolina Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Renee Ellmers (R).  5% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters.
• 3rd District.  Walter Jones (R).  You'll be forgiven if you think you've heard this before.
• 5th District.  Virginia Foxx (R).  She makes climate change sound like God's fault.
• 6th District.  Mark Walker (R).  When it comes to climate change, Walker has gibberish at the ready,
• 7th District.  David Rouzer (R).  Well, you know.....
• 8th District.  Richard  Hudson (R). Imagine the views from the Outer Banks.
• 9th District.  Robert Pittenger (R).   Throw up his hands in despair in 2006.
• 10th District.  Patrick McHenry (R).  10 years in Congress, 3% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters. 
• 11th District.  Mark Meadows (R).  As Moe would say, "You numbskull!' 

Headline News: Gain in Americans' Net Worth is Lifting the Boats of the Affluent

Wall Street Journal, 3/12/2015

The value of stocks and mutual funds owned by households jumped $742 billion during the quarter, when the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index gained 4.4%. For the year, the index gained 11.4%..  Much of the nation’s stock-market gains goes to the wealthy, who tend to save the proceeds.   [Emphasis added.]

Wall Street Journal, 3/6/2014

 

Related reading:

Wealth levels, wealth inequality, and the Great Recession.  (Russell Sage Foundation)

Declines in net worth from 2007 to 2009 were large, and the decline continued through 2013.  These wealth losses, however, were not distributed equally.  While large absolute amounts of wealth were destroyed at the top of the wealth distribution, households at the bottom of the wealth distribution lost the largest share of their total wealth.  As a result, wealth inequality increased significantly from 2003 to 2013.     

Related posts:
The very rich are not spending their money on job creation, suckers.  (3/5/2014) 
Wealth inequality in America: Far from what people think, so far from their ideal.  (3/13/2013)

Chris Christie Settles for Pennies on the Dollar with ExxonMobil

Chunk of New Jersey’s Money From Exxon Settlement Is to Go to Legal Fees.  (The New York Times, 3/9/2015)

Even less than a small fraction.

But if the deal is approved, the state will not even get that much: New Jersey’s recovery will most likely total about $180 million or so, after legal fees and costs are deducted, records show.

The rest of the story.

Chris Christie sells out New Jersey taxpayers.  (Washington Post, 3/5/2015)

Not the least bit unwarranted.

Most of the coverage of the peculiarly low settlement has emphasized Exxon Mobil’s generous donations to the Republican Governors Association. The company gave hundreds of thousands of dollars last year, while Christie was its chair and the case was in trial; suspicions about a tacit tit-for-tat don’t seem unwarranted.

Organize your household projects with post-it notes and a homemade floor plan

Photo by Retiring Guy

Now having second thoughts after the committee approved this agenda item

Dane County, Wisconsin

Photos by Retiring Guy

1st floor, City-County Building, Madison, WI

Philip Ittel (1917-2015) Warren High School Class of 1935: "Successful, Bright, Mannerly"

Warren Times Observer

1935 Dragon yearbook

A Mr. Consistency well into the 1980s, 'Philip' experienced his best year in 1941.

Source: Social Security Administration Popular Baby Names

Cole Porter's "You're the Top" was one of the biggest songs of 1935.

Other members of the class of '35:

Julia Juliano Decker.  (1/24/2015)

Unlike Richard Nixon, Scott Walker is likely to wear out his pedometer running to the right

Scott Walker reversals piling up as presidential bid looms.  (Chippewa Herald, 3/12/2015)

Larry Sabato, Director, Center for Politics at the University of Virginia

“Nothing much has changed since Richard Nixon formulated the basic strategy for a GOP presidential candidate back in the 1960s: ‘Run to the right to get the nomination, and back to the center for the general election.'  The one shift is that the GOP’s center of gravity is much further to the right today than in Nixon’s time."

Related post:
Go big, go bold, go base:  Is Scott Walker our next Richard Nixon?  (2/5/2015)

Gallup Polling: Since 1990, only a minority of Americans want laws covering the sale of firearms to be less strict

Nonetheless, you can see what a troubling impact the National Rifle Association's multi-million dollar lobbying efforts have had over the years.

Source:  Gallup

Particularly with elected officials.

Meet the 38 Wisconsin Republican state legislators who have the interests of the 14% foremost in mind.

2015 Senate Bill 35

Bill to end 48-hour wait for gun purchases gets hearing.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/11/2015)

Under a bill by Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), handgun purchasers could take possession of them as soon as they cleared the background checks — nearly instantaneously in some cases, and often within a matter of hours.

Signing SB35 into law will be Walker's way of returning a big-money favor to the NRA.

 
Related post:
Van Wanggaard toes the ALEC line.  (2/7/2015)

Thanks to palcohol, the load will be much lighter for these backpackers

Photo credit:  U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Powdered Alcohol Federally Approved, facing Concerns.  (WBAY, 3/11/2015)

It’s called ‘palcohol’, and the idea was created by a man who no longer wanted to carry heavy alcohol bottles with him on a hike. One pouch of powder, when mixed with water, becomes one drink of vodka or rum. But it doesn’t come without controversy.

Meet Mark Phillips, the guy who just can't leave the booze at home.

The Guy Behind the Powdered Alcohol That the FDA Approved and Then Unapproved.  (Vocative, 4/23/2014)

And then approved again.

Related post:
The incredible lightness of palcohol.  (1/19/2015)

No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Patrick McHenry, North Carolina's 10th Congressional District

Photo source:  U.S. Congress

Text source:   League of Conservation Voters

McHenry was re-elected to a 6th term in 2014 with 61% of the vote.

Recommended viewing for Rep. McHenry and constituents in his Asheville to Charlotte district.

No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.

Alabama Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives.   (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one world:  coal.  Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13.  The state's peak year of production:  1990)  

• 1st District.  Bradley Byrne (R).  Proposed an amendment that would have cut all FY 2015 funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 
• 2nd District.  Martha Roby (R).   Voted YES on opening Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling and barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. Signed the No Climate Tax Pledge by Americans for Prosperity.
• 3rd District.  Mike Rogers (R).   League of Conservation scorecard: 2013: 0%.  Lifetime (2003-): 9%. 
• 4th District.  Robert Aderholt (R).  Without bothering to fact-check, he uses a discredited petition rejecting climate change to make a point. 
• 5th District.  Mo Brooke (R).  Climate Experts Testify that Climate Change Projections are Unreliable and Misleading.
• 6th District.  Stephen Baucus (R).   League of Conservation scorecard: 2013: 0% Lifetime (1993- ): 8%

Alaska Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• At-large District.  Don Young (R).   Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.” 

 Arizona Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 4th District.  Paul Gosar (R).   Takes his environmental cues from cattle and sheep producers.
• 5th District.  Matt Salmon (R).   This quote sums up his view:  “I found the source of global warming is coming from the hot air coming out of Washington.”  Signed Koch Brothers "No Climate Tax" pledge. 
• 6th District.  David Schweikert (R).  Known to throw a hissy over "the Al Gores of the world".  Chairs House Subcommittee on Environment. 
• 8th District.  Trent Franks (R).   League of Conservation scorecard:2013: 11%.  Lifetime (since 2003): 5%. 

Arkansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Rick Crawford (R).   Vow to his constituents:  "As long as the Obama EPA continues its assault on farmers, I will continue to fight senseless regulations that only serve to cripple American agriculture." 
• 2nd District.  Tim Griffin (R).  Perhaps one of the few scientists in the Republican House caucus.  As far as global warming is concerned, he claims "that there are a lot of shenanigans going on with the data."   
• 3rd District.  Steve Womack (R).   Loves his fossil fuels.
• 4th District.  Tom Cotton (R).  Claims the earth's temperature hasn't warmed in 16 years, a climate denier meme.  The reality:  9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurred since 1998.

California Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Doug LaMalfa (R).  Ask him about air conditioners, packing plants, or praying for rain.
• 4th District.  Tom McClintock (R).  Still smarting that he never received a Nobel Prize in the 3rd grade. 
• 8th District.  Paul Cook (R).   ALEC shill for the Keystone pipeline. 
• 10th District.  Jeff Denham (R).  Appears to think that climate skeptics are on "the right side of the issue."  
• 21st District.  David Valadao (R).  Represents a portion of California's Central Valley, a hotbed of climate skepticism, as the representative's League of Conservation Voters scorecard indicates. 
• 22nd District.  Devin Nunes (R).   Throws hissy fit, a Republican specialty, over what he calls Obama's extremist climate agenda.
• 23rd District.  Kevin McCarthy (R).   Bemoans those dang "harmful regulations".
• 25th District.  Buck McKeon (R).  7% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard after 24 years in House.
• 31st District.  Gary Miller (R).   3% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard after 14 years in House.
• 39th District.  Ed Royce (R).  A liberal among the California Republican caucus:  a 13% lifetime score on the League of Conservation Voters' National Environment Scorecard. 
• 42nd District.  Ken Calvert (R).  Although comfortably ensconced in the Republican environmental mainstream, he's not above making an heretical remark or two.
• 45th District.  John Campbell (R).  Signer of Americans for Prosperity "No Climate Tax Pledge"; 9% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters, 
• 48th District.  Dana Rohrabacher (R).  Mouths the same climate denier meme as the newly elected U.S. Senator from Arkansas.
• 49th District.  Darrell Issa (R).  The richest member of Congress, he recently won the League of Conservation Voters "Climate Denier Award". 
• 50th District.  Duncan Hunter (R).  Can you top this?  "Thousands of people die every year of cold, so if we had global warming it would save lives." 

Colorado Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 3rd District.  Scott Tipton (R).  Tree rings tell us all we need to know.
• 4th District.  Cory Gardner (R).  Another beneficiary of the 2010 Tea Party wave.  And he adjusted his views accordingly.
• 5th District.  Doug Lamborn (R).  Works tirelessly to assure that climate change remains "an extremely controversial topic".   (Is also a big fan of impeaching Obama.)  
• 6th District.  Mike Coffman (R).   Solidly parks his butt in the the-science-is-not-quite-settled camp. 

No House Republicans hail from Connecticut and Delaware. 
Florida Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Jeff Miller (R).  "Flintstones, meet the Flintstones.  They're the modern Stone Age fam-a-lee."
• 2nd District.  Steve Southerland (R).  Spouts the company line.
• 3rd District.  Ted Yoho (R).  "I'm not smart enough for that."
• 4th District.  Ander Crenshaw (R).  All talk, no action.
• 6th District.  Ron DeSantis (R).  As reported by ThinkProgress, a majority of Congressional Republicans are climate deniers.  At this point in the exercise, we appear to have unanimity.
• 7th District.  John Mica (R).   7% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters after 22 years in the House.
• 8th District.  Bill Posey (R). Sez climate change has been with us since the Earth was formed.  (Pick your date.)
• 10th District.  Daniel Webster (R).  9% score from League of Conservation Voters during his 2 terms in office.
• 11th District.  Richard Nugent (R).   6% score from League of Conservation Voters during his 2 terms in office.
• 12th District.  Gus Bilirakis (R).  Big fan of fossil fuels. 
• 13th District.  David Jolly (R).  Happy to drift along with the fossil-fuel flow. 
• 15th District.  Dennis Ross (R)  It's all about personal responsibility. 
• 16th District.  Vern Buchanan (R).  Proud to represent his rich waterfront property owners. 
• 17th District.  Tom Rooney (R).   One of 48 Republican House members with a 0% score from the National League of Conservation Voters in 2013.
• 19th District.  Curt Clawson (R).  Suggests that climate change "may not exist".
• 25th District.  Mario Diaz-Balart (R).  Not ready to jump on the global warming bandwagon. 
• 27th District.  Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R).  Chicken Little, apparently, is one of her favorite folk tales.

Georgia Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Jack Kingston (R).  Ask him about climate change, and he'll give you his troglodyte views on evolution.
• 3rd District.  Lynn Westmoreland (R).  One of the Republicans who threw a hissy fit when the Defense Department announced its climate change initiative. 
• 6th District, Tom Price (R).  During 2009 floor debate on a climate-change bill, he asked colleagues for a moment of silence for lost jobs. 
• 7th District.  Rob Woodall (R).  Like his colleague Lynn Westmoreland, Rob believes that climate change discussions should be, at best, marginalized, not expanded. 
• 8th District.  Austin Scott (R).   "Absolutely" skeptical when it comes to climate change.
• 9th District.  Doug Collins (R).   Ranked by National Journal as the most conservative member of the state's House delegation (90.2% rating, 16th overall).  
• 10th District.  Paul Broun (R).  Believes that climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated by the scientific community.  Got his butt kicked in the 2014 Georgia Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
• 11th District.  Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R).  Surgical masks for every cow.
• 14th District.  Tom Graves (R).  Has a facility for stringing cliches together. 

 Idaho Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Raul Labrador (R).    According to this list, one of the scariest.
• 2nd District.  Mike Simpson (R).  Tries to come across as reasonable, but his words are contradicted by his 7% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters. (Lifetime = 9 terms, 18 years.)    

 Illinois Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 6th District.  Peter Roskam (R).  Once referred to climate change as "junk science". 
• 13th District.  Rodney Davis (R).   Content to spout the company line.
• 14th District.  Randy Hultgren (R).  Asserted in 2009 that "we're headed in to a bit of a colder time." 
• 15th District.  John Shimkus (R).   "The B-I-B-L-E/yes, that's the book for me/I stand alone on the word of God/the B-I-B-L-E!!"
• 16th District.  Adam Kinzinger (R).  Gives  new meaning to "all-inclusive".  
• 18th District.  Aaron Schock (R).  When it comes to support of environmental issues, he's all talk and no action.

 Indiana Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Jackie Walorski (R).   “That’s My Congress” notes Rep. Walorski has followed a conservative course when voting on environmental legislation -- and everything else, for that matter.   Earned a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters after her first year in the House.
• 3rd District.  Martin Stutzman (R).  Signed Americans for Prosperity’s “No Climate Tax Pledge” a month before being sworn in as a member of Congress in 2010. 
• 4th District.  Todd Rokita (R).  This climate change denier respects "God's green earth".  Anyone who thinks otherwise is arrogant.
• 5th District.  Susan Brooks (R).  The Walorski summary fits Brooks to a T. 
• 6th District.  Luke Messer (R).   Considers climate change a social issue.
• 8th District.  Larry Bucshon M.D. (R).  Climatologists are only in it for the money.   
• 9th District.  Todd Young (R).   Describes himself as a climate agnostic.

 Iowa Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 3rd District.  Tom Latham (R).    Earned a 8% lifetime score from the League of Conservative Voters in his 20 years of Congressional service.
• 4th District.  Steve King (R).   Rep. King explains it all for you.

Kansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Tim Huelskamp (R).     A fossil fuel kinda guy,  More development and utilization = jobs jobs jobs.
• 2nd District.  Lynn Jenkins (R).   Knows how to tap dance her way through a town hall forum.
• 3rd District.  Kevin Yoder (R).http://paulsnewsline.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-friend-to-environment-republican_9.html  More of the same. 
• 4th District.  Mike Pompeo (R).   Uses social media to trumpet his climate skepticism. 

Kentucky Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Ed Whitfield (R).    In the pocket of coal industry.
• 2nd District.  Brett Guthrie (R).  Another Corncracker Soldier fighting against the  "War on Coal". 
• 4th District.  Thomas Massie (R).  Not your garden-variety Republican.
• 5th District.  Harold Rogers (R).   Serves as the Supreme Commander in the fight against the War on Coal.
• 6th District.  Andy Barr (R).   A foot soldier fighting against the War on Coal.

Louisiana Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Steve Scalise (R).   The empty-headedness of GOP talking points.  You can't make this stuff up.
• 3rd District.  Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R).  From coal to oil.  "All politics is local". 
• 4th District.  John Fleming (R).   Like him on Facebook.  
• 5th District.  Ralph Abraham (R).  Sez Keystone Pipeline will create 40,000 construction jobs.
• 6th District.  Garret Graves (R).   Possible renegade?

Maine Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Bruce Poliquin (R).  One of the newest members of the House Republicans Climate Skeptics caucus.

Maryland Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Andy Harris, M.D. (R).  Fighting to insure clear-channel outlet for Republican climate skepticism propaganda.

No House Republicans in Massachusetts delegation.
Michigan Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Dan Benishek, M.D. (R).  Well now, here's a Republican who claims to be a scientist!
• 2nd District.  Bill Huizegna (R).   Makes no bones about where he stands on global warming, climate change.
• 3rd District.  Justin Amash.  Meet Mr. Contrarian. 
• 4th District.  John Moolenaar.   For this newly elected representative, the photo at his energy issues webpage tells us all we need to know for the time being.
• 6th District.  Fred Upton (R).  Baby, it's cold outside! 
• 7th District.  Tim Walberg (R).  Another Tea Party hypocrite.   
• 8th District.  Mike Bishop (R).  New guy spouts the company line. 
• 10th District.  Candace Miller (R).   "Just ask the dinosaurs."
• 11th District.  Dave Trott (R).  The Wolf of Oakland County.

Minnesota Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  John Klein (R).   Likes his energy dirty.
• 3rd District.  Erik Paulsen (R).   Lotsa talk on the environment, but his voting record tells the story.
• 6th District.  Tom Emmet (R).  Creator of the phrase, "Al Gore's climate porn".   (All you need to know:  He now serves the district Michele Bachmann represented.)

Mississippi Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Alan Nunnelee (R).  Apparently, when it comes to America's energy sources, the dirtier the better.
• 3rd District.  Gregg Harper (R).   Not a believer.
• 4th District.  Steven Palazzo (R).   Looking out for the interests of oil, natural gas, and coal

Missouri Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives 

• 2nd District.  Ann Wagner (R).   Puts climate science in diapers.
• 3rd District.  Blaine Luetkemeyer (R).  God forbid we should take a global approach to climate change.
• 4th District.  Vicky Hartzler (R).  Sings a duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside!" with her Michigan colleague Fred Upton.
• 6th District.  Sam Graves (R).   Speaking of out-of-touch.
• 7th District.  Billy Long (R).   He's a coal man.
• 8th District.  Jason Smith (R).  Another coal man, holdin' on to yesterday.

Montana Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• At-Large.  Ryan Zinke (R).   His views on the environment undergo a transformation once he runs for Congress.

Nebraska Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Jeff Fortenberry (R).    After receiving a pat on the back from ConservAmerica, his rating from the League of Conservation Voters take a big tumble.
• 3rd District.  Adrian Smith (R).  A denier from his first day in the House.  

Nevada Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Mark Amodai (R).  A 3% lifetime score from the League of National Conservation Voters.  His actions belie his words.
• 3rd District.  Joe Heck (R).  In the climate-change-has-always-been-with-us camp.
• 4th District.  Cresent Hardy (R).  Revels in his far-right conservatism.   

New Hampshire Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Frank Guinta (R).  Content to spout the company line.

 New Jersey Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Frank LoBiondo (R).  Received an endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund in October 2014 even though his 2013 score of 25% was well below his lifetime score of 63%.
• 3rd District.  Tom MacArthur (R).  In office just over a month, MacArthur is content to vote the party line.
• 4th District.  Chris Smith (R).  An exception to the rule.   On the other hand, his score from the League of Conservation Voters took a nosedive in 2013.
• 5th District.   Scott Garrett (R).  A proud member of the 'Anti-Science Climate Denier Caucus'.
• 7th District.  Leonard Lance (R).  A poster boy for Republican moderation thrown out the window. 
• 11th District.  Rodney Frelinghuysen (R).  Pushing the envelope, Republican-style. 

New Mexico Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Steve Pearce (R).  Call the science of climate change "crap".

New York Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 1st District.  Lee Zeldin (R).  Take the "what me worry/Alfred E. Neuman" approach to climate change.
• 2nd District.  Pete King (R).   Basically, a "drill, baby, drill" energy position.
• 19th District.  Chris Gibson (R).  An independent Republican voice when  it comes to climate change 
• 21st District.  Elise Stefanik (R).   A possible RINO alert.
• 22nd District.  Richard Hanna (R).  Claims to believe that climate change is occurring but his 11% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters doesn't exactly back him up.
• 23rd District.  Tom Reed. (R).  Co-chair of the House Natural Gas Caucus.  Big fan of fracking.
• 24th District.  John Katko (R).  It certainly seems like a wishy-washy statement.
• 27th  District.  Chris Collins (R).  After his 1st year in Congress, Collins was awarded a 3% score from the League of Conservation Voters.

 North Carolina Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives

• 2nd District.  Renee Ellmers (R).  5% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters.
• 3rd District.  Walter Jones (R).  You'll be forgiven if you think you've heard this before.
• 5th District.  Virginia Foxx (R).  She makes climate change sound like God's fault.
• 6th District.  Mark Walker (R).  When it comes to climate change, Walker has gibberish at the ready,
• 7th District.  David Rouzer (R).  Well, you know.....
• 8th District.  Richard  Hudson (R). Imagine the views from the Outer Banks.
• 9th District.  Robert Pittenger (R).   Throw up his hands in despair in 2006.
• 10th District.  Patrick McHenry (R).  10 years in Congress, 3% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters.