Retiring Guy's Digest: 2020-06-21

Saturday, June 27, 2020

GET ME REWRITE: The New York Times provides example of breathlessly lame, lazy coronavirus reporting

The New York Times, 6/25/2020

But the rise in cases is not limited to that area. Nationwide, health authorities registered 630 new infections on Thursday — hundreds more than the daily total just 10 days ago. The Robert Koch Institute, a federal government agency responsible for disease control, said the number of new cases increased by more than a quarter in much of the country over the past week, spreading rapidly in states that had experienced an outbreak.

Where's the perspective, Melissa?

Worldometer (arrows added below)

6/25/2020 NBC News edition starts here

NBC News, 6/21/2020

OK, here we go.

Here's a United States graph provided by Worldometer

Brazil.

Based on what you see in the above two graphs, why the hell would you lump Germany together with the U.S. and Brazil? There is no excuse for such a blunder. All of this info is easily accessible.

And then there's this stat.

Friday, June 26, 2020

GET ME REWRITE. Mike Pence: Dumb, dumber, and dumbest. All wrapped up in a single package.

Reported in Pence defends the administration’s response as the virus surges. (The New York Times, 6/26/2020)

This is good news??!!

No. This is good news.

6/17/2020 update, "Mike Pence continues to proclaim victory over the virus in inane national tour", starts here.

Reported in Vice President Mike Pence touts 'great American comeback' as coronavirus lingers. (Des Moines Register, 6/16/2020)

Just another stop in the White House campaign to wish away the virus.

CNN, 6/17/2020

Here's the latest from South Carolina

New cases week by week:

June 10-16: 4,762 (up 70% from previous week)
June 3-9: 2,813 (up 40% from previous week)
May 27-Jun 2: 1,999 (up 47% from previous week)
May 20-26: 1,360 (up 20% from previous week)
May 13-19: 1,129 (up 14% from previous week)
May 6-12 : 989
Apr 29-May 5: 1,323
April 22-28: 1,174
April 15-21: 886
April 8-14: 1,136
April 1-7: 1,334
March 25-31: 785

Up, up and away!

The COVID Tracking Project

Original 5/20/2020 post, "You cannot overestimate the dimwittedness of the vice president of the United States", starts here.

Quote from 5/26/2020 MSNBC article

The coronations may never go away, even with a vaccine

(Washington Post, 5/27/2020)

GET ME REWRITE: Trump's great American comeback gets underway in the 1250th day of his presidency

Apparently, our clueless VP has no idea how stupid he sounds.

Mike Pence courts evangelicals in conservative Milwaukee suburb. (Madison.com, 6/24/2020)

“Wisconsin, I need you to bring it,” Pence told the “Faith in America” crowd of about 200. “The silent majority can be silent no more.”

The crowd huddled close together after the event to get close to Pence, who posed for pictures and mingled with attendees for several minutes. The nation’s top health experts have urged people to wear masks and maintain a 6-foot distance from others to avoid spreading the virus, but there is no requirement to wear a mask in public in Wisconsin.

200 attendees? Pathetic!

Meet the hero of the original Silent Majority.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

"Party on, Wayne!" "Party on, Garth".

In Wisconsin, nearly 40% of 18-to-29 year olds, a blend of Generation Z (under 22) and Millennials (23-38), "haven't heard enough" about Tammy Baldwin. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998 and won her second term in the U.S. Senate in 2018.

And what's worse, those who have an opinion are more likely to fall in the 'unfavorable' category.

But like any generational cohorts, its members are not all of one mind.

Marquette Law School poll (June 14-18, 2020)

RoJo fares even worse.

Related reading:
Generation vote: Participation trend uncertain for Wisconsin youth in political process. (Milwaukee Independent, 4/2/2019)

For Riazi, NextGen Wisconsin definitely played a role in getting him to vote — a tough job since young people like Riazi show up less than any other age group, especially during midterms. The stakes are high: By 2020, millennials and Generation Zers together are projected to make up 36 percent of the electorate — more than Baby Boomers at 28 percent, according to Pew Research.

Connie Flanagan, associate dean of the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology and an expert on youth and politics, said people tend to start caring more about politics after finishing their education, getting a job and starting a family — milestones that millennials and Gen Zers are hitting at later ages than previous generations.

GET ME REWRITE: Scott Walker appointee voids Racine's COVID-19 ordinance,quashes local control

Working to preserve Walker's shameful legacy

Photo credit: Facebook

Headline: Madison,com

Related reading:
Fredrickson sworn in as Racine County judge. (Racine Journal Times, 12/13/2018)

Fredrickson, who was appointed in September by Gov. Scott Walker to serve as judge of Branch 7, called his investiture the “pinnacle” of his career. His first day on the bench was Oct. 15, and Frederickson said he began hearing cases on Oct. 29.

Original 1/12/2019 post, "Scott Walker's toxic legacy: "Power to the people" hypocrisy" (Taking away local control)", starts here.

Once upon a time, the Republican Party of Wisconsin developed a series of core principles, "commonsense conservative beliefs are the glue that bonds Republicans nationwide."

Unfortunately, for Scott Walker and his GOP grifters in the state legislature, "government closest to the people" is defined as state government. Power to the people at the county and municipal level? Fuggedaboudit!!

Wisconsin State Journal, 5/20/2016

“From restricting county shoreland zoning ordinances passed by county boards, to banning municipal governments from passing container ordinances that make sense for the well-being of their community, legislative Republicans repeatedly used their majority in a blatant government overreach,” said Shankland.

So when Scott Walker tweets his latest " Send Power to the People" meme, remember his 8 years of power-mongering as governor.

Other local control posts:

2018

In 2014, deep-red Richfield voters chose Walker by an 80-20 margin and this is the thanks they get. (8/14/2018)
Clusterfuck Caucus UPDATE. The unintended consequences of intertwining GOP principles and hypocrisy. (3/20/2018)
Wisconsin GOP continues to treat its cherished conservative principle like a pinata. (2/23/2018)
Wisconsin GOP continues to tarnish its #1, most cherished governing principle. (1/13/2018)

2017
UPDATE. By now, you know that the GOP's favorite pastime is overruling its pesky principles. (11/28/2017)
UPDATE: Wondering why Duey Stroebel is a champion of property tax relief? Take a look at where he lives. (4/15/2017)
Wisconsin GOP: What they say and what they do are 2 different things. (2/9/2017)
Wisconsin legislature back in session and GOP hypocrisy is already in full flower. (1/27/2017)

2016
UPDATE: Scott Walker and the abandoned GOP principle. (12/21/2016)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo highlights GOP cartoon conservative principle. (5/20/2016)
Suburban Milwaukee GOP state legislators freak out over locally issued ID card.  (3/23/2016)
Business as usual: Wisconsin GOP legislators vote for special interests, against local control and tenants' rights. (3/9/2016)
The Wisconsin GOP Cartoon Conservative Principles Fest continues. (2/10/2016)
Cartoon conservative principles in nonstop action: Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo lists more than 100 state provisions that restrict local control. (2/10/2016)

2015
The Christmas edition: Rep. Kremer accuses fire officials of 'relieving themselves'.  (12/23/2015)
Cartoon conservative principles on full display this week at the Wisconsin State Capitol. (12/18/2015)
Once again, Wisconsin Republicans assert their cartoon conservative principle (2015 Assembly Bill 568). (12/16/2015)
Out of (local) control: When it comes to anything resembling a train, Republicans just can't help themselves. (12/1/2015)
Scott Walker pays lip service to local control as he continues to sign bills to limit it.  (10/26/2015)

Cartoon conservative principles in action: Taking away local control from school boards. (10/25/2015)

UPDATE: Let's follow the Shea money from Wingra Stone to Scott Walker. (10/20/2015)
UPDATE. Sorry, Tim Geoghegan, a total of $11,750 in donations is not a "bunch of bull". (10/20/2015)
Once again, Wisconsin Republicans violate their most precious principle. (7/4/2015)
Cartoon conservative principles. (5/6/2015)
The Usual Hypocrisy: What Scott Walker sez on his campaign website and what he does in the Governor's office are two different things. (5/2/2015)
The "hits" to local control just keep on coming. (2/28/2015)

2014
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board calls out Republican hypocrisy. (2/17/2014)
And the hypocrisy just kee ps on coming: Republicans can't even give lip service to their "Principles". (2/14/2014)
Yet another lesson in Republican hypocrisy. (2/13/2014)

2013
Your Wisconsin Republican Assembly hard at work promoting Governor Walker's jobs agenda (and GOP principles). (11/15/2013)

Other legacy posts:
The first 3 chapters: environment, transportation, corrections.
Chapter 4: Wisconsin families can't afford basic necessities edition. (12/12/2018)
Chapter 5. Scott Walker's shameful legacy: The black-white high-school graduation gap edition. (12/12/2018)
Chapter 6. Scott Walker's shameful legacy (the higher education edition). (12/13/2018)
Taking credit where no credit is due. (1/7/2019)
Not telling the whole story. (1/7/2019)
Gliding over the disparities. (1/7/2019)
Voter suppression. (1/7/2019)
Teacher bashing compounded by cuts to education. (1/8/2019)
Just fine and dandy with treading water over high school graduation rates. (1/8/2019)
And then, to make matters worse, he apparently hacks his son's Twitter account. (1/9/2019)
Dear Scott Walker, You forgot to mention this part of "OUR LEGACY". Best, Retiring Guy. (1/12/2019)

GET ME REWRITE: 40 states, including Wisconsin, receive failing grades for response to COVID-19 in prisons, jails

The highest grade: D-

Not just Wisconsin, Journal Sentinel.

Not just Wisconsin, State Journal.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

GET ME REWRITE: AAA forecasters need to get out of their office cubicles more

USA Today, 6/25/2020

However, AAA forecasts people will hit the road this summer in numbers very close to recent years. AAA projects 683 million road trips from July to September. That's only a 3% decline from last summer and a 0.4% decline from summer 2018.

Well, based on yesterday's visit to this rest stop on the Indiana Toll Road, Retiring Guy thinks one of the forecasters is named Pollyanna.

Photos by Retiring Guy

GET ME REWRITE: Tom Tiffany puts GOP hypocrisy on peacock full display

Reported in Rep. Tom Tiffany says Gov. Tony Evers should resign over Madison violence. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/24/2020)

First of all, Tony Evers is not a City of Madison official.

And secondly, where was the outrage while this Walker administration scandal took place in Tiffany's state senate district?

Original 6/21/2019 post, "Scott Walker's legacy UPDATE: The Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake youth prison scandal", starts here.