Saturday, March 24, 2018

A bought-and-paid-for Wisconsin stench



Koch Brothers, WMC Behind Bill Gutting Local Control. (Wisconsin Democracy Campaign,  3/23/2018)

Related reading:
Scott Walker, Republican lawmakers call for swift changes to special election law.   (Wisconsin State Journal, 3/25/2018)
He called the Fifth Judicial District a “laughing stock” in the state and said he would talk with Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Pat Roggensack about the situation. 
“All of those comments about the governor were just way out of bounds,” Fitzgerald said. “I would hope that Justice Roggensack would police that.”

Related post:
Christmas arrives early for Wisconsin Democrats.  (3/24/2018)

5 of 37 seats contested on Dane County Board of Supervisors



(*vacant seats:  Clark, 1; Outagamie, 2; Rock, 1)

Women comprise 50.3% of Wisconsin's population compared to 21.2% of this running tally of county board members.

Related board of supervisors 2018 spring election posts:
Bayfield County.  3 of 13 seats contested.  (2/6/2018)
Brown County.  8 of 28 seats.  (2/9/2018)
Buffalo County.  2 of 14 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Burnett County.  1 of 21.  (3/24/2018)
Calumet County.  1 of 21 seats.  (
Clark County.  1 of 29 seats.  (2/12/2018)
Dodge County.  1 of 33 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Douglas County:  2 of 21 seats.  (1/7/2018)
Jefferson County.  4 of 30 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Kenosha County:  8 of 23 seats.  (1/11/2018)
La Crosse County.  5 of 29 seats.  (1/19/2018)
Marquette County.  2 of 17 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Oneida County:  5 of 21.  (1/12/2018)
Outagamie County.  9 of 36 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Ozaukee County.  6 of 26 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Rock County.  5 of 29.  (1/16/2018)
Sauk County.  1 of 21.  (3/23/2018)
Sawyer County.  1 of 15.  (1/14/2018)
Waukesha County.  4 of 25.  (1/14/2018)
Winnebago County.  2 of 36.  (1/16/2018)
Wood County:  8 of 19 seats.  (1/12/2018)

Contested seat tally:  87 of 542 = 16.1%

1 of 21 seats contested on Burnett County Board of Supervisors



(*vacant seats:  Clark, 1; Outagamie, 2; Rock, 1)

Women comprise 50.3% of Wisconsin's population compared to 20.0% of this running tally of county board members.

Related board of supervisors 2018 spring election posts:
Bayfield County.  3 of 13 seats contested.  (2/6/2018)
Brown County.  8 of 28 seats.  (2/9/2018)
Buffalo County.  2 of 14 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Calumet County.  1 of 21 seats.  (
Clark County.  1 of 29 seats.  (2/12/2018)
Dodge County.  1 of 33 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Douglas County:  2 of 21 seats.  (1/7/2018)
Jefferson County.  4 of 30 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Kenosha County:  8 of 23 seats.  (1/11/2018)
La Crosse County.  5 of 29 seats.  (1/19/2018)
Marquette County.  2 of 17 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Oneida County:  5 of 21.  (1/12/2018)
Outagamie County.  9 of 36 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Ozaukee County.  6 of 26 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Rock County.  5 of 29.  (1/16/2018)
Sauk County.  1 of 21.  (3/23/2018)
Sawyer County.  1 of 15.  (1/14/2018)
Waukesha County.  4 of 25.  (1/14/2018)
Winnebago County.  2 of 36.  (1/16/2018)
Wood County:  8 of 19 seats.  (1/12/2018)

Contested seat tally:  82 of 505 = 16.2%

Greetings from Trump's America: Wayne County, West Virginia, where an opioid epidemic rages


Report: Boone County leads US in per-capita opioid-related costs.  (Charleston Gazette-Mail, 3/21/2018)
According to the study, six of the top 10 counties in the U.S. shouldering the highest per-capita economic cost are located in West Virginia: Boone (No. 1), Cabell (No. 3), Wayne (No. 5), Mingo (No. 7), Summers (No. 8) and Berkeley (No. 9). Those counties also have some of the highest drug overdose death rates in the state.

Source:  Wikipedia




Source: Wikipedia

Ross Perot received 13.6% of the vote in 1992 and 10.6% of the vote in 1996.

Education: High school graduate or higher, % 25 and older
  • 79.4% - Wayne County
  • 85.3% - West Virginia
  • 87.0% - U.S.

Education: Bachelor's degree or higher, % 25 and older
  • 12.9% - Wayne County
  • 19.6% - West Virginia
  • 30.3% - U.S.

Persons living in poverty
  • 20.9% - Wayne County
  • 17.9% - West Virginia
  • 12.7% - U.S.

Related reading:
Coalfield Development Corp. working to end coal country’s cycle of poverty.  (WV News, 1/15/2018)
In 2010, Brandon Dennison was a 24-year-old with a big dream. 
Today, he’s the CEO of the Coalfield Development Corp., a multi-million-dollar operation dedicated to creating jobs and providing vital job training for southern West Virginia, where thousands of miners have lost their jobs in the state’s troubled coal industry. Coalfield Development’s various projects provide career opportunities in construction, solar installation, sustainable agriculture, artisanship and other fields,

Other Trump's America posts:
Alabama
Autauga County.  (6/29/2017)
Bibb County.  (11/10/2017)
Covington County. (11/11/2017)
Dale County.  (12/12/2017)
Geneva County.  (11/11/2017)
Marion County.  (11/11/2017)

Arkansas
Faulkner County.  (3/20/2018)
Mississippi County.  (3/19/2018)

California
Mesa County.  (7/20/2017)
Shasta County.  (7/4/2017

Colorado
Morgan County.  (4/25/2017)

Florida
Citrus County.  (3/5/2017)
DeSoto County,.  (9/9/2017)

Idaho
Kootenai County.  (9/25/2017)

Illinois
Effingham County.  (2/15/2018)
Franklin County.  (2/27/2017)
McHenry County.  (2/5/2017)
Perry County.  (5/8/2017)
16th Congressional District.  (3/26/2017)

Indiana
Granger.  (3/26/2017)
Hendricks County.  (10/1/2017)
Huntington County.  (4/27/2017)
Jefferson County.  (3/10/2018)
Posey County.  (10/21/2017)
Scott County,.  (10/21/2017)

Iowa
Boone County.  (1/15/2017)
Clinton County.   (10/15/2017)
Franklin County, (8/14/2017)
Marion County.  (5/23/2017)
Monticello.  (1/13/2017)
Poweshiek and Webster counties.  (2/7/2017)
Sioux County.  (2/22/2018)
Union County.  (9/10/2017)
Winnebago County. (12/17/2017)
Wright County.  (8/8/2017)

Kansas
Clark County.  (3/21/2017)
Mitchell County.  (1/29/2017)
Sumner County.  (10/1/2017)

Kentucky
Hancock County,.  (10/21/2017)
Jackson County.  (12/9/2017)
Knox and Whitley counties.  (2/17/2017)
Lee County.  (12/9/2017)
Letcher County.  (6/29/2017)
Martin County.  (3/22/2018)
Perry County.  (10/10/2017)

Louisiana
Calcasieu Parish,.  (5/22/2017)
St. Martin Parish.  (4/26/2017)

Maine
Piscataquis County.  (7/3/2017)

Michigan
Macomb County.  (11/29/2017)
St. Joseph County.  (6/5/2017)

Minnesota
Lac qui Parle County.  (7/2/2017)
Nobles County.  (1/26/2018)

Mississippi
Pontotoc County.  (7/19/2017)

New Jersey
7th Congressional District.  (4/14/2017)

New York
UPDATE:  Essex County.  (11/29/2017)
Putnam County.  (2/27/2018)
19th Congressional District.  (3/26/2017)

North Carolina
Robeson County.  (12/1/2017)
Union County.  (3/9/2017)

North Dakota
Sargent County.  (10/22/2017)

Ohio
Adams County.  (12/9/2017)
Columbiana County,  (12/11/2017)
Defiance County.  (3/21/2017)
Highland County.   (3/19/2017)
Huron County.  (6/19/2017)
Jackson County.  (6/6/2017)
Lawrence County.  (2/25/2018)
Morgan County.  (10/10/2017)
Shelby County.  (3/2/2018)
Trumbull County.  (4/3/2017)
Van Wert County.  (4/12/2017)
Williams County.  (3/21/2017)

Oklahoma
Bryan County.  (5/5/2017)

Oregon
Douglas County.  (5/17/2017)

Pennsylvania
Dauphin County. (4/22/2017)
Erie County.  (9/2/2017)
Greene County.  (5/3/2017)
UPDATE. Luzerne County.  (1/14/2017)
Northampton County.  (7/20/2017)
Wayne County.  (3/1/2018)
Williamsport.  (1/24/2017)

South Carolina
Spartanburg County.  (6/5/2017)

South Dakota
Lawrence County,.  (4/27/2017)

Tennessee
Campbell County.  (12/10/2017)
Marion County.  (4/1/2017)
Maury County.  (10/31/2017)
Union County.  (5/30/2017)

Texas
Gaines County.  (4/26/2017)
Shackelford County.  (2/26/2018)

Washington
Grays Harbor County.  (8/20/2017)

West Virginia
Boone County.  (3/23/2018)
Cabell County.  (8/4/2017)
Fayette County.  (1/24/2017)
Jackson County.  (6/18/2017)
Marshall County.  (2/7/2018)
Mason County.  (12/16/2017)
McDowell County.  (7/10/2017)

Wisconsin
6th congressional district.  (1/27/2018)
Adams County.  (2/6/2017)
Buffalo County.  (3/19/2017)
Burnett County.  (2/24/2018)
Clark County,.  (3/19/2017)
Fond du Lac County.  (3/7/2018)
Green Lake County.  (1/26/2018)
Jackson County.  (3/8/2018)
Johnson Creek.  (1/21/2017)
Juneau County.  (2/23/2017)
Manitowoc County.  (8/10/2017)
Monroe County.  (3/8/2018)
Oneida County.  (4/24/2017)
Pepin County.  (12/21/2017)
Price County.  (10/21/2017)
Richland County.  (11/10/2017)
Sawyer County.  (3/20/2017)
Taylor County.  (3/19/2017)
Waushara County.  (2/6/2017)
Winnebago County.  (11/27/2017)
Wood County.  (3/8/2018)

Friday, March 23, 2018

This week in the cereal aisle: Snap, Crackle and Pop shrug off competition from Fancy Friends Cereal Treats



Photos by Retiring Guy




Other weeks in the cereal aisle posts:
2018
Lucky Charms wants you to have a daily dose of yellow 5 and blue 1.  (3/9/2018)
The takeover of Mom.  (3/1/2018)
Hoopla over rainbow marshmallows added to Lucky Charms.  (2/22/2018)
Kellogg's Donut Shop in your choice of flavors.  (2/14/2018)
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the shredded wheat go down.  (2/6/2018)
General Mills offers yet another flavor of Cheerios -- chocolate and peanut butter.  (1/30/2018)
I suspect this special edition Cocoa Puffs isn't exactly flying off the shelves.  (1/16/2018)
What's really going on with this General Mills blend.  (1/10/2018)
Giant size bargains to kick off the new year.  (1/3/2018)

2017
Satisfy your craving for chocolate.  (12/22/2017)
Pumpkin Spice runs amok.  (11/7/2017)
Danger lurks.  (11/2/2017)
Dan G. wets himself over Special K Blueberry with Lemon Clusters.  (9/20/2017)
Limited Edition Mocha Crunch.  (7/16/2017)
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes with Marshmallows.  (2/1/2017)
A marriage between General Mills and Girls Scouts of America.  (1/19/2017)

2016
Alpha-Bits is getting squeezed out.  (11/23/2016)
Special K continues to branch out.  (10/23/2016)
Wedding bells chime.  (10/5/2016)
The price of convenience (22.54 cents per ounce).  (8/19/2016)
Make up your mind already!  (8/14/2016)
Remember Nabisco Shredded Wheat?  (7/13/2016)
Features Batman and Superman.  (7/7/2016)
Post wants you to have ice cream for breakfast.  (6/30/2016)
Tiny Toast.  (6/21/2016)

4 of 21 seats contested on Sauk County Board of Supervisors



(*vacant seats:  Clark, 1; Outagamie, 2; Rock, 1)

Women comprise 50.3% of Wisconsin's population compared to 20.7% of this running tally of county board members.

Related board of supervisors 2018 spring election posts:
Bayfield County.  3 of 13 seats contested.  (2/6/2018)
Brown County.  8 of 28 seats.  (2/9/2018)
Buffalo County.  2 of 14 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Calumet County.  1 of 21 seats.  (
Clark County.  1 of 29 seats.  (2/12/2018)
Dodge County.  1 of 33 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Douglas County:  2 of 21 seats.  (1/7/2018)
Jefferson County.  4 of 30 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Kenosha County:  8 of 23 seats.  (1/11/2018)
La Crosse County.  5 of 29 seats.  (1/19/2018)
Marquette County.  2 of 17 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Oneida County:  5 of 21.  (1/12/2018)
Outagamie County.  9 of 36 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Ozaukee County.  6 of 26 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Rock County.  5 of 29.  (1/16/2018)
Sawyer County.  1 of 15.  (1/14/2018)
Waukesha County.  4 of 25.  (1/14/2018)
Winnebago County.  2 of 36.  (1/16/2018)
Wood County:  8 of 19 seats.  (1/12/2018)

Contested seat tally:  81 of 484 = 16.7%

Fortunately, Tim Meister is not running for re-election to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors



Reported in Sauk County Board postpones action on ATV route expansions.  (Madison.com, 3/22/2018)


Quite the dysfunctional governmental body of late:
Supervisor David Moore, gun fetishist, wants to put a lid on public comment at Sauk County board meetings.  (2/16/2018)
Lie or misrepresentation: Newspaper gives Sauk County Board chair benefit of the doubt.  (1/11/2018)
Sauk County Board sideshow: Dennis Polivka makes his constituents proud.  (4/6/2017)
UPDATE. The fussin', feudin', and finger-pointin' continues in Sauk County.  (1/20/2017)
Sauk County administrative coordinator under scrutiny.  (11/3/2016)
Discussion of Sauk County administrator's removal delayed.  (11/10/2016)
County board approves special meeting on administrative calendar.  (11/15/2016)
New Sauk County jail health contractor subject of controversy.  (11/17/2016)
County supervisors ordered to preserve documents, data.  (11/20/2016)
Sauk County Board approves separation agreement with top administrator.  (11/22/2016)
Sauk County's last two top administrators dismissed under similar circumstances.  (11/29/2016)
Letter to the editor:  Sauk County must fix high turnover in top positions.  (12/1/2016)
Sauk County won't release complaints against administrator.  (12/1/2016)

Can we soon expect Scott Walker to request tax breaks for SC Johnson?

Contribution source:  Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Reported in SC Johnson to cut jobs in Racine area, globally.  (Madison.com, 3/22/2018)

Herbert Fisk Johnson net worth.  $3,500,000,000.

Record-low unemployment UPDATE. Economist offers a clear-eyed, big-picture perspective



Reported in Wisconsin's unemployment rate reaches an all-time record low of 2.9 percent.  (Madison.com, 3/22/2018)

Wisconsin labor force participation rate:
  • October 1997 - 74.8%
  • March 2018 - 68.6%  


Related reading:
AP FACT CHECK: Walker touts unemployment over other measures.  (The Gazette, 3/22/2018)

 
Original 3/22/2018 post, "Dear Scott Walker, Record low unemployment?  It's a happening thing!  Best, RG", starts here.

iPhone screenshot


Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee. Texas.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Around Town: Hear that lonesome whistle blow


More like a crawl.


Once upon a time:  The Polar Express (R) train ride.

Other Around Town posts:
Explosion on Elmwood Avenue.  (3/20/2018)
Googling 'Henry Hubbard'.  (3/18/2018) 
A not-so-faded Flo strikes a new pose.  (3/12/2018)

17% of 18 to 29 year olds strongly approve Donald Trump's performance as president


HeadlineAxios, 3/22/2018

Source:  Morning Consult

Messner building to make way to Valor housing for veterans' families


Photo by Retiring Guy

Dane County Board approves veteran-focused, mixed-income housing for former-Messner property.  (Madison.com, 3/16/2018)
All but 10 of the 64 apartment units in the development at 1326 E. Washington Ave. would go to veterans’ families making less than 30, 50 or 60 percent of the county medium income. The other units would be leased at a market rate. If no veterans who meet the requirements apply for housing, a family without a veteran could be selected for the units.

Source:  Dane County

Paying the price (Up In Smoke edition)


Sources:  Toasted, price

Reported in Fire causes $250K in damage to Far East Side Madison house.  (Madison.com, 3/21/2018)

Of course, I'm just assuming a lighted cigarette is the cause of the fire.

Related reading:
Public education:  Smoking.  (National Fire Protection Association)
Smoking materials, including cigarettes, pipes, and cigars, started an estimated 17,200 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments in 2014.  [An average of 47 fires per day.]  These fires caused 570 deaths, 1,140 injuries and $426 million in direct property damage. Smoking materials caused 5% of reported home fires, 21% of home fire deaths, 10% of home fire injuries, and 6% of the direct property damage from home fires.*

In the news: Sleazy GOP operative Mark Block


Campaign contributions found at Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Wisconsin GOP operative Mark Block helped link Steve Bannon, Cambridge Analytica.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/22/2018)
Block, who has a history of campaign missteps, has been named as a key player in the international uproar over Cambridge Analytica, a London-based firm that mined data from 50 million Facebook users to try to influence the 2016 presidential race. 
Christopher Wylie, a whistleblower who brought the scandal to light, identified Block as the middleman between former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and Cambridge Analytica.

Taking a page from the Trump playbook: "You just tell them and they believe you!"



Reported in Gateway Technical College developing new degree programs for Foxconn jobs.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/21/2018)

Related reading:
Automation could kill 73 million U.S. jobs by 2030.  (USA Today, 11/28/2017)
Keep in mind the current administration would like to turn back the clock at least 50 years.  MAGA!  Yet maintaining full employment will require a huge overhaul of the economy and labor market that rivals or exceeds the nation’s massive shifts from agriculture- and manufacturing-dominated societies over the past 165 years, the report says. “I think it’s going to be a difficult transition,” Lund says.

Other Foxconn posts:
March 2018
The fantasy life of our sloganeering governor Scott Walker.  (3/21/2018)
Racine County air quality alert: Foxconn emissions of ozone precursors.  (3/16/2018)
Here's a proposal that's chock full of nuts.  (3/9/2018)
The toxic possibilities of Foxconn's wastewater discharge.  (3/8/2018)
Marquette Law School poll: Most folks aren't buying Scott Walker BS about statewide benefits of Foxconn deal.  (3/5/2018)
Wisconsin Department of Administration policy analyst: Walker pretty much shot his wad with Foxconn deal.  (3/5/2018)
UPDATE. John and Kim Mahoney take issue with that 'generous offers' happy talk.  (3/3/2018)
 
February 2018
Make way for robots.  (2/25/2018)
Foxconn now classified as public works project.  (2/21/2018)
Two peas in a pod: Scott Walker in top 10 of least popular governors, Terry Gou's Foxconn in top 10 of America's most hated tech companies.  (2/13/2018
Scott Walker pins his hopes on an old-fashioned manufacturing kind of guy.  (2/13/2018)
Con artists reap benefits of Scott Walker's Foxconn deal.  (2/10/2018)
Get me rewrite: Foxconn CEO Terry Gou interested in UW-Madison AI expertise to automate his factories.  (2/9/2018)
Foxconn puff piece: Will the real Naoki Hosoya please stand up.  (2/8/2018)
Wisconsin taxpayers carry the burden for job creators.  (2/6/2018)

January 2018
Not to mention Grantsburg, Hayward, Bayfield, Ashland, Hurley, Eagle River, Crandon, and Florence.  (1/26/2018)
Wisconsin cities with highest unemployment rates could use some of that Chicago millennials Foxconn love that Scott Walker is dishing out.  (1/27/2018)
GOP bastion in Racine County sez 'no' to Foxconn-related development.  (1/21/2018)
UPDATE. Here comes that specious Foxconn-Boeing comparison again.  (1/18/.2018)
The Foxconn ka-ching ka-ching ka-ching.  (1/17/2018)
FierceWireless's buzzkill on the Foxconn deal.  (`/16/2018)
Official press agency of People's Republic of China: 'Villagers' in Racine County rebel against Foxconn land grab.  (1/12/2018)
Owner of company that wins Foxconn road construction contract serves up heaping helping of hyperbole, as well campaign contributions to GOP incumbents.  (1/5/2018)

December 2017
Historic giveaways: Most expensive taxpayer-funded jobs in history is Scott Walker's top accomplishment in 2017.  (12/26/2017)
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)
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)