Sunday, December 31, 2017

UPDATE: Sassy Leah subscribes to Paul Ryan-endorsed plutocrat credo: Let the little people suffer



Leah Vukmir signals support for federal entitlement cuts championed by Paul Ryan.  (Madison.com, 12/22/2017)

12/12/2017 update, "Sassy Leah strategically aligns herself with truculent Trump and gladiatorial  hard-right GOP", starts here.


Quoted in Leah Vukmir slams Russia probe, FBI: 'Something is rotten'.  (Madison.com, 12/12/2017)


Original 10/23/2017 post, "Leah Vukmir gets sassy in new Wisconsin State Senate glamour photo", starts here.

Gauzy, too.  Seems an odd photo choice for someone running for the U.S. Senate, "one of the highest offices in the land".


Other Leah posts:
UPDATE. Sorry, Leah, you'll be fundraising from now until at least August 2018.  (10/18/2017)
GOP legislator dubious about Scott Walker budget proposal to cut Elections Commission staff.  (3/29/2017)
Dear Mark, You need one of these. Best, Retiring Guy.  (5/19/2016)
Giddy over voter ID, Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield) is also a big fan of redistricting.  (5/17/2016)
Meet Wisconsin's version of the Freedom Caucus crazies.  (3/17/2016)
While Wisconsin residents demand safe drinking water, Sen. Vukmir and Rep. Kooyenga propose Iran business sanctions.  (11/16/2015)
State Senator Leah Vukmir picks Scott Walker's former running mate as her choice for President.  (10/24/2015)
ALEC tools Leah Vukmir and Alberta Darling go off the deep end.  (9/22/2014)
Reality sandwiched between two slices of Leah Vukmir white bread.  (9/15/2014)
Let's connect the dots from Leah Vukmir to the American Legislative Exchange Council.  (7/21/2014)
Leah Vukmir's rally line falls flat.  (3/7/2014)
What planet was Leah on yesterday?  (3/7/2014)

More than 3 months after Scott Walker signs budget, WI DNR secretary Dan Meyer and staff still have yet to hand in homework


Walker signed the 2017-19 Wisconsin budget on September 21, 2017.


Camping, Parks Could Cost More; Hybrid Fees to Increase.  (U.S. News and World Report, 12/28/2017)

'Homework' appears on J. Geils' debut album, which spent 2 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart in early 1971.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Each year, on the first day of Wisconsin hunting season, it's dress-up day for Scott Walker



Patrick Durkin: GOP not leading Wisconsin hunters, anglers by example.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 12/30/2017)

Online returns not ready for prime time


A fantasy.  Published May 30, 2012.  7,335 views.  Comments disabled. 




Many Unhappy Returns? Online Holiday Shopping’s Big Hangover.  (The New York Times, 12/26/2017)
But while a handful of retailers receive nearly unanimous praise from shoppers for open-ended, friction-free returns of purchases made online (Amazon, Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, Madewell, among others), and many offer more generous policies during the holiday season, plenty still impose tight limitations and draconian requirements that seem designed to either discourage returns or drive traffic into their physical locations.

And with shoppers like Gina Mezzacappa, why would retailers want to loosen limits and requirements.


Reported in Christmas May Be Over, but Holiday Shopping Is Not. (The New York Times, 12/29/2017)

Like Johnny Mathis, retailers are singing Gina's praises.


'Gina' debuted at #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending September 22, 1962.  It spent 12 weeks on the chart, 5 of them in the top 10, peaking at #6.

Donald Trump buys into Fox & Friends fake news


At the same point in time in their 1st presidential terms, Barack Obama's approval rating is 11.8 percentage points higher than Donald Trump's.

At the same point in time in their 1st presidential terms, Donald Trump's disapproval rating is 11.1 percentage points higher than Barack Obama's.

Source:  Obama (Real Clear Politics), Trump (FiveThirtyEight)

Donald Trump's America First view of global warming


@realDonaldTrump

Must of the rest of the world is experiencing seasonably warmer temperature anomalies, i.e. departures from long-term averages.


Source:  Climate Reanalyzer 


Related reading:
A Response For People Using Record Cold U.S. Weather To Refute Climate Change.  (Forbes, 12/28/2017)

Too much of a big chicken to schedule a special election, Scott Walker plays his shitty hand (part 2)


After winning his 1st election by 13 votes, Ripp has won his subsequent 4 elections by an average of 15 percentage points.  Obviously not a large enough margin for a very skittish Wisconsin GOP.

Source:  Ballotpedia (2010, 2016), Wisconsin Elections Commission (2002, 2006)

Two GOP lawmakers resign to take jobs in Scott Walker administration.  (Madison.com, 12/30/2017)
A spokesman for Walker said special elections will not be held for the seats, meaning they’ll be vacant for more than a year and filled after the November 2018 election — at which time they already were set to be on the ballot.

Related post:
Frank Lasee.  (12/30/2017)

Get me rewrite UPDATE. 100% of Wisconsin's land area is within a county


Wisconsin has 1,259 towns.

Source:  Wisconsin Towns Association (Town Quick Facts)

A topic of discussion south of the border.

Related reading:
Too much local government:  Illinois' thousands of local governments.  (Illinois Policy Institute, Nov. 2013)
Let’s go to town on cutting wasteful township governments.  (Chicago Sun-Times, 7/5/2017)


Original 12/29/2017 post, "Get me rewrite:  I'll give you my local government when you pry it from my cold, dead, white, male hand", starts here.

Wisconsin Towns Association (arrow and underline added)

No lie:  A baker's dozen Trues from 2017.  (PolitiFact Wisconsin, 12/29/2017)

Waiting for someone to provide a breakdown of town board representation by race and ethnicity.  Wisconsin is 81.7% white, but if you exempt Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties, the precentage jumps to 93.1.

Friday, December 29, 2017

College football bowl season reality check: Lots of folks just don't give a fuck


Source:  Economist/YouGov

Once upon a time, a team had to earn its way to a bowl game.


Nowadays, a team doesn't need to have a winning record.


Robert Still (1925-2017) Warren High School class of 1944



1944 Dragon yearbook


Richard's high-school activities:

[none]

1967 Warren City Directory  
1983 Warren City Directory  

The popularity of Robert is graphed here.  Let's take a look at Gladys.


Gladys peaked during the 1st decade of the 20th century, reaching as high as #11 in 1901 and remaining in the top 50 through 1930.  She was the 43rd most popular baby name for girls during the 1890s.  As for the 21st century?  She stumbled out of view after 1999.

Other members of the class of '44:
Janet Cannon Templeton.  (11/17/2017)
Marjorie Eleda Larson Brenan.  (10/31/2017)
Charles Gray.  (8/6/2017)
Crissi Danos Verros.  (3/27/2017)
Barbara Chester.  (1/27/2017)
Raymond Elsholz.  (7/26/2016)
Barbara Berdine Graham.  (6/16/2016)
Grace Youug Strand.  (2/13/2016)
Mary Davis Christensen Spencer.  (9/27/2015)
Leonard Lucia.  (7/4/2015)
Mary Blackwell Bancroft.   (6/22/2015)
Kenneth Klenck.  (1/31/2015)
Dolores Nuhfer Anthony.  (9/21/2014)
Marjorie Christensen Anderson.  (10/6/2013)

Alabama special election certified; Roy Moore offers his bible to Doug Jones for swearing-in ceremony



Reported in Doug Jones certified as winner of Alabama U.S. Senate race.  (al.com, 12/28/2017)

Juxtaposed headlines tell doubly troubling story



Private prison investors set for giant windfall from Trump tax bill. (The Guardian, 12/28/2017)
Under the new GOP law, investments in so-called “real estate investment trusts” (reits) will see a 25% reduction in tax, from 39.6% down to 29.6%. 
Corecivic, formerly Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), and the Geo Group, which together own more than 80% of private prison beds in the US, both restructured as reits in 2013 after a private letter ruling by the Obama Administration IRS green-lit the change.
Why For-Profit Prisons House More Inmates Of Color.  (NPR, 3/13/2014)
In the nine states Petrella examined, private facilities housed higher percentages of people of color than public facilities did. Looking back at the contracts the private companies signed with the states, Petrella figured out the reason behind the racial disparity: private prisons deliberately exclude people with high medical care costs from their contracts. 
Younger, healthier inmates, he found — who've come into the system since the war on drugs went into effect — are disproportionately people of color. Older inmates, who generally come with a slew of health problems, skew more white.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Phyllis Miller Maze (1930-2017) Warren High School class of 1948



1948 Dragon yearbook

Also in the picture:  As a result of my friendship with Mardi (given name: Marie), Yolanda become my second mom starting in high school.  Oh, what I wouldn't give for a huge helping of her timpano right now!

Phyllis' high-school activities:
Girls' Club (3, 4); Stenographers' Club (4); Dramatic Club (2, 3, 4); Dragonette (2); Carnival (2, 3).

1967 Warren City Directory
  • [county section] Maze Clifford Sugar Grove
  • Stewarts Phyllis Mrs clk National Forge h120 Orchard
1983 Warren City Directory
  • [county section] Maze Clifford Rt 3 Sugar Grove
  • [county section] Maze Phyllis Rt 3 Sugar Grove

The popularity of Phyllis as a baby name is graphed here.   Let's take a look at Kenneth.


Clearly, among baby names for boys, Kenneth was one of the steadiest performers of the 20th century, spending the entire stretch in the top 100.  Although he never cracked the top 10, he spent 41 years (1924-1964) in the top 20, peaking at #13 in 1939.  Currently, the air is slowly seeping out of his tires.

Other class of '48 graduates:
Dorothy Anderson Turner.  (9/27/2017)
Margaret Mathyer Conroy.  (4/26/2017)
Ruth Figliuzzi.  (11/5/2016)
Donna Mack Schuler.  (3/19/2016)
Carol Jean Niver Hampson.  (10/22/2015)
Frank Marlett.  (9/13/2015)
John Giltinan.  (7/76/2015)
Lela Nichols Akeley.  (6/24/2015)
Ella Atwell Blum.  (12/24/2014)
Betty Carlson Johnson.  (10/26/2014)
H. Kent Peterson.  (10/1/2014)
Kenneth Lundahl.  (9/21/2014)
Carl Leave.  (12/26/2013)

UPDATE. Politically, you know you've hit rock bottom when you get kissed off by Steve Bannon


Actually, you'd think Nehlen would have earned at least a few gold stars from Bannon.


Reported in Ryan challenger Paul Nehlen is 'dead' to Steve Bannon, Breitbart.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/27/2017)

Related links:


11/14/2017 update, "Paul Ryan doesn't support Roy Moore and the fake news addicted Paul Nehlen is outraged", starts here.

P. Nehlen.  Piece.  Of.  Work.


11/11/2017 update, "This Roy Moore shout-out from a guy who received 16% of 2016 House primary vote against Paul Ryan", starts here.


Most Wisconsin Republicans say Roy Moore should get out of Senate race if claims are true.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/10/2017)
In another, he wrote, “Women falsely accused Trump of sexual harassment, too. Sickening anyone would try to smear Judge Roy Moore @MooreSenate.” In a statement to the Gateway Pundit website, Nehlen called the story on Moore and response to it a “desperate ploy by Mitch McConnell” from a Ryan playbook.
Even a cursory review of Nehlen's Twitter feed makes it clear that he feasts noisily and sloppily at fake news websites.


8/16/2017 update, "Paul Nehlen, the official clown candidate in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district", starts here.

If you recall, Nehlen won 15.9% of the vote the first time he challenged Ryan last year.  One of the crazies at Alex Jones' Infowars website thinks Nehlen will win this time.


Quoted in Wisconsin Republican seeking rematch with Paul Ryan says 'Pizzagate' is real.  (Chicago Tribune, 8/14/2017)


6/17/2017 update, "Breitbart contributor Paul Nehlen thinks second time is charm against Paul Ryan", starts here.

He collected 15.9% of the vote in last year's U.S. House Wisconsin 1 Republican primary.


Reported in Paul Nehlen to challenge Paul Ryan after losing by 68 points last year.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/16/2017)

3/15/2017 update, "The Breitbart bash continues:  The audio may be 'exclusive' but the news is 5 months old", starts here.

Breitbart remains relentless in its howling pursuit of Ryan.


House Speaker Paul Ryan told fellow Republican lawmakers Monday he will not defend Donald Trump and will focus only on maintaining GOP control of both houses of Congress. 
But the House speaker has not pulled his endorsement of Trump, a Ryan spokeswoman told NBC News.


2/15/2017 update, "Remember Paul Nehlen?  No?  Breitbart does and welcomes him to its Paul Ryan Team Bash", starts here.

Where you'll find the rest.  Exclusive—Nehlen: Paul Ryan’s Border Adjustment Tax As Bad As TPP.  (Breitbart News, 2/15/20217)

Nehlen got his butt kicked by Ryan.

Source:  Ballotpedia


Original 8/4/2016 post, "5 days before primary election, Paul Nehlen reveals himself to be total nutcase."

Not to mention desperate for attention.


Reported at  Madison.com, 8/4/2016


Related posts:
Dear Paul Nehlen, You've been dismissed.  (6/17/2016)
Like the Isley Brothers, Paul Nehlen is going to pop that thang.  (5/21/2016)
Wealthy businessman Paul Nehlen has had it with House Speaker Paul Ryan.  (3/31/2016)

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Climate change as a matter of fact: Maine shrimp season





It's Maine Shrimp Season, Without the Shrimp.  (The New York Times, 12/26/2017)
What makes this an unusual closing is that fishermen are not being blamed for the immediate problem. Cod was overfished. Sea urchins were overfished, as Maine shrimp were in the late 1960s and ‘70s, But the most widely accepted theory for the rapid decline of this species, which extends no farther south than the Gulf of Maine, is the same force being blamed for disruption of fisheries around the globe: climate change. Continue reading the main story. 
While summer swimmers may still gasp with shock on entering Maine’s chilly waters, the Gulf of Maine is warming, and becoming increasingly inhospitable to the shrimp. Average winter sea-surface temperatures have increased 4.5 degrees in Boothbay Harbor since 1906.

The Original Maine Shrimp Cookbook

Previous climate change as a matter of fact posts:
Beavers migrate to Arctic.  (12/24 /2017)
Rising seas + draining underground aquifers = Jakarta disaster.  (12/22/2017)
U.S. Department of Defense.  (12/16/2017)
Shrinking sea ice in the Arctic Ocean.  (12/14/2017)
Emaciated polar bear.  (12/9/2017)
California fires.  (12/8/2017)
Wisconsin.  (11/16/2017)
Hampton Roads, Virginia.  (11/4/2017)
U.S. military bases.  (9/22/2017)
Georgia peach orchards.  (9/18/2017)
Northeast U.S. pine forests.  (8/29/2017)
Tangier Island, Virginia.  (8/25/2017)
South of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. (8/25/2017)
New Orleans.  (8/12/2017)
Kenya.  (7/23/2017)
Portugal.  (6/19/2017)
The Netherlands.  (6/19/2017)
Brazil.  (6/8/2017)
Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.  (5/20/2017)
Madeline Island, Wisconsin.  (2/23/2017)
Mexico City.  (2/19/2017)
Kansas.  (1/29/2017)
Moose of Maine.  (1/21/2017)
Florida Keys.  (1/14/2017)
California wine country.  (1/11/2017)
Kaktovik, Alaska.  (12/20/2016)
Bolivia.  (7/11/2016)
Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park.  (7/7/2016)
Kiribati.  (7/6/2016)
Peru,  (5/21/2016)

UPDATE. Donald Trump and his easy-to-win trade war: Not so for Harley-Davidson



Reported in Amid Sales Drop, Harley-Davidson Wants to Teach More to Ride.  (U.S. News and World Report, 12/26/2017)
The sales decline continues. Harley sold 124,777 new motorcycles through nine months in 2017, down from 135,581 during the same period the previous year, according to the company's most recent earnings report.

Graph found at 12 Motorcycle Statistics That'll Floor You.  (Motley Fool, 3/5/2017)

Other tidbits:

  • California leads in sales with 13.7% of total
  • Women comprise 14% of motorcycle owners in 2014, up from 6% in 1990.
  • Median age is 47, up from 32 in 1990 and 40 in 2009
  • Median household income in 2014:  $62,200

Donald Trump on Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: "You just tell them and they believe you".


Source:  The White House


CHARTS: See How Much Of GOP Tax Cuts Will Go To The Middle Class.  (NPR, 12/19/2017)
The Republican tax bill, which Congress sent to President Trump on Wednesday, would give most Americans a tax cut next year, according to a new analysis. However, it would by far benefit the richest Americans the most. Meanwhile, many lower- and middle-class Americans would have higher taxes a decade from now ... unless a future Congress extends the cuts. [emphasis added]

Text boxes, arrows, and borders added

Related Tax Cuts and Jobs Act posts:
UPDATE: Orrin Hatch grateful for the "great Christmas honor" of being called out for his "utter lack of integrity".  (12/26/2017)
Presdient Trump:  Only in it for the money.  (12/8/2017)
Plutocracy gone wild at SwampFest: GOP expects Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will seal the deal for midterm elections.  (12/2/2017)
It's called hypocrisy, h-y-p-o-c-r-i-s-y.  (12/1/2017)
Please tell me again how thte cynically named Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helps the middle class.  (11/30/2017)
Racial and ethnic makeup of the 115th Congress.  (11/30/2017)
Plutocracy in action: Donald Trump's America First tax cuts line the pockets of foreign investors with $520,000,000,000.  (11/30/2017)
Donald Trump's pants on fire.  (9/29/2017)

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

3 auto tours of Nakoma neighborhood, Madison WI west side




Route designations
  • video 1, red arrows
  • video 2, purple arrows
  • video 3, green arrows


(text boxes, highlights, and arrows added)

Nakoma boundaries:
  • East:  UW Arboretum
  • North (southwest to northeast): Odana Road
  • West:   Midvale  Boulevard
  • South: Mohawk Drive




Timeline and description
  • 1914 and 1915.  Most of property purchased by Madison Realty Co.
  • 1916.  Contest to name streets. 
  • Description
    • picturesque suburb
    • winding roads
    • private water system
    • private bus system
    • parks, tennis courts, golf course
  • Housing styles (Colonial, Greek and Tudor revivals; French Provincial, Craftsman, Prairie)
  • 1917.  New grade school opens
  • 1920.  Nakoma District Welfare League, a women's group, formed
  • 1921.  Nakoma Golf Club, a private country club, opens.
  • 1927.  80 families live here.
  • 1928.  First addition to development created
  • 1931.  Restrictive covenant bans African-Americans from living in neighborhood
  • 1931.  Annexed by City of Madison
  • 1936.  Home construction resumes at a pace comparable with 1920s
  • 1945.  All 11 of pre-WWII portions of neighborhood occupied 
  • 2016.  Average home value:  $444,642

Sources:




Related posts:
Auto tour of Sunset Village neighborhood, Madison WI.  (12/20/2017)
Auto tour of Glen Oak Hills neighborhood.  (12/17/2017)
Auto tour of Crestwood neighborhood.  (12/8/2017)
Auto tour of Westmorland neighborhood.  (12/7/2017)
Approach and auto tour of Owen Parkway, Hoyt Park.  (12/6/2017)
Auto tour of Indian Hills subdivision,  (12/6/2017)
Auto tour of Pilgrim Village.  (12/5/2017)
Auto tour of Highlands.  (12/5/2017)
UPDATE.  Madison's "Levittown" at 66. (12/2/2017)

UPDATE: Orrin Hatch grateful for the "great Christmas honor" of being called out for his "utter lack of integrity"



Opined in Tribune Editorial: Why Orrin Hatch is Utahn of the Year.  (Salt Lake Tribune, 12/25/2017)

Apparently, Orrin, his family and did not read the editorial.

@orrinhatch

Original 12 /14/2017 post, "Dear Orrin Hatch, this is not what democracy looks like", starts here.

(emphasis added)

Republicans say they have a tax cut deal but Democrats can't see it.  (USA Today, 12/13/2017)

Related Tax Cuts and Jobs Act posts:
Presdient Trump:  Only in it for the money.  (12/8/2017)
Plutocracy gone wild at SwampFest: GOP expects Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will seal the deal for midterm elections.  (12/2/2017)
It's called hypocrisy, h-y-p-o-c-r-i-s-y.  (12/1/2017)
Please tell me again how thte cynically named Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helps the middle class.  (11/30/2017)
Racial and ethnic makeup of the 115th Congress.  (11/30/2017)
Plutocracy in action: Donald Trump's America First tax cuts line the pockets of foreign investors with $520,000,000,000.  (11/30/2017)
Donald Trump's pants on fire.  (9/29/2017)

Even in Texas, Trump has a problem with Republican women



Rebelling Republican Suburbs Offer Democrats Path to House Control.  (The New York, 12/18/2017)

Related reading:
UT/TT Poll: In Texas, vast majority of Republicans still support Trump.  (The Texas Tribune, 10/19/2017)
The president got better marks from men (52 percent favorable) than from women (39 percent); and from white voters (55 percent) than from black (14 percent) or Hispanic voters (34 percent).

Wisconsin Republicans offer up some good news for 2018


And what they plan to support is not a winner with taxpayers.  Republicans seem generally supportive of Walker's call to spend $6.8 million on the marketing campaign focused on trying to lure workers from Chicago, the Twin Cities and Detroit. Democrats see it as a waste of money, arguing that more fundamental policy changes are needed to make Wisconsin more attractive to millennials.


Historic giveaways: Most expensive taxpayer-funded jobs in history is Scott Walker's top accomplishment in 2017



Reported in Wisconsin & Foxconn: The Most Expensive Taxpayer-Funded Jobs Program In History.   (Real Clear Markets, 12/26/2017)

Upping the ante doesn't always work for Scott, such as during his disastrous presidential campaign.


Other Foxconn posts:
December 2017
Gateway Technical College cutting-edge Foxconn curriculum does not include workforce development, employee relations, and management concepts.  (12/25/2017)
Let's put this Foxconn deposit in perspective.  (12/23/2017)
UPDATE. Scott Walker Monday tweet storm attempts to distract us from his highway funding mess.  (12/19/2017) 
GOP legislative aide and letter writer Keith Best needs to brush up on his Foxconn analogies.  (12/16/2017)
UPDATE: The Wisconn Valley Way to Wisconsin's fiscal and moral bankruptcy.  (12/15/2017)
Scott Walker, meet Andrew Ng, who wants to help Foxconn bring intelligence displayed by machines to Racine County.  (12/14/2017)
Billions for Foxconn but a raw deal for Mount Pleasant residents John and Kim Mahoney.  (12/13/2017)
Some residents of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois will help to foot the bill for a $140,000,000 Foxconn campus electrical substation.  (12/12/2017)
A deafening silence: What role will robotics play at Foxconn's Mount Pleasant manufacturing plant?  (12/12/2017)
Inquiring minds want to know why driverless technology wasn't discussed during Foxconn contract negoatiations, Scott Walker.  (12/12/2017)
Donald Trump and Terry Gou: Scott Walker loves these two peas in a pod.  (12/9/2017)
Reggie White:Green Bay Packers:: Foxconn:Wisconsin (Scott Walker analogy reveals his crazed desperation).  (8/10/2017)