Not an April's Fool joke
Headline: NPR, 4/1/2022
"America is at a tipping point. As I've watched the far left destroy the country, I knew I had to step up and join the fight," Palin said in a statement announcing her candidacy.
Saturday, April 2, 2022
GET ME REWRITE: Sarah Palin Clown Show back in business
Friday, April 1, 2022
Rick Scott. Acting like U.S. Grant or U.S. Ghoul. You make the call.
Rick Scott: Yet another gag gift from Florida.
Headline from AP, 4/1/2022
The 69-year-old former businessman likens his situation to that of Grant during the battle of Vicksburg, when the general ordered multiple bloody assaults on the Southern stronghold before delivering a victory that helped turn the war in the Union’s favor.
“I think of myself more like Grant taking Vicksburg, and I think as a result of that, I’m always going to be perceived as an outsider,” Scott said in an interview. “I’m going to keep doing what I believe in whether everybody agrees with me or not.”
For now, what Scott believes is directly at odds with the wishes of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.Keep on chooglin', Rick!
Original 3/9/2022 post, "Ghoulish Rick Scott and the creepy Republican Party don't give a shit about you", starts here.
Washington Post, 3/8/2022
Then late last month came what might have been the worst policy gaffe in recent political history: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) rolled out a plan to raise taxes on 100 million Americans and to let Social Security and Medicare expire in five years. Furthermore, he apparently aims to ban abortion nationwide and dictate what every school teaches students about race. (Why else put these items in an 11-point plan for the Senate?) He managed to combine the worst Republican economic ideas with the most abusive designs for government overreach. [emphasis added]
Rick Scott is one of the reasons why Carl Hiaasen doesn't have to make stuff up in his fiction. The crazy is all right there on full display in the Sunshine State every single day.
Facebook (Miami Herald subscription required to read article)
So what did Florida voters do next? They elected Scott to the U.S. Senate!
Foxconn: It's the worst thing that happened to Wisconsin when Scott Walker was governor
And the competition for 'worst' is fierce!
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/31/2022
Foxconn issued a statement Wednesday that said the company met with Oshkosh Corp. on several occasions “to build a working relationship.”
But Foxconn indicated it wants to keep control over its Racine County buildings.
"As it pertains to our Advanced Manufacturing Facility, the building remains a key strategic asset to the company in order to respond to market demand for Foxconn related activities or activities that involve joint venture partnerships,” the statement says.
And exactly what is it that Foxconn wants to do?
It remains unclear what the company is doing in Racine County.
Original 3/29/2022 post, "The dream and the reality", starts here.
Wisconsin Examiner, 3/28/2022
Hoping to build a political legacy, President Donald J. Trump mused in 2018 that the expansive Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Mount Pleasant would be the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”
Area 1 of the project — while still a substantive investment for the area — is slightly more than one-third of the projected valuation of the property for what Foxconn initially proposed in 2017.
With the Village of Mount Pleasant financing more than $700 million in infrastructure and land acquisition costs, Foxconn agreed that the tax revenue from the company’s portion of that building project would pay for those investments. This rested on the village’s ability to collect property taxes on $1.4 billion in property valuation to pay for the bond it took out.
Instead, the multinational corporation remains the only corporation that has built on the site.
2022
In an exercise in futility, former Foxconn exec blames Tony Evers for Scott Walker's barefaced political opportunism. (3/19/2022)
In an exercise in futility, former Foxconn exec blames Tony Evers for Scott Walker's barefaced political opportunism. (3/19/2022)
2021
Foxconn goes to Lordstown. (11/14/2021)
Foxconn goes to Lordstown. (11/14/2021)
Four years in, Foxconn still hopes to hit a bullseye. (10/1/2021)
GET ME REWRITE: Yes, Foxconn's $100 milion pledge to UW-Madison was nothing more than a cynical election ploy by Scott Walker. (8/11/2021)
The mysteries of Foxconn (season 2). (5/12/2021)
The collapse of Donald Trump's '8th Wonder of the World'. (4/20/2021)
2020
Apparently, that's not what Scott Walker heard. (12/19/2020)
Just wondering what else in this Foxconn op-ed is off the mark. (11/17/2020)
GET ME REWRITE: Two gullible guys from Racine County still believe anything Foxconn tells them. (10/23/2020)
Just wondering what else in this Foxconn op-ed is off the mark. (11/17/2020)
GET ME REWRITE: Two gullible guys from Racine County still believe anything Foxconn tells them. (10/23/2020)
Keeping tabs on Foxconn Place in
Eau ClaireGreen Bay
Madison
Milwaukee
Racine
GET ME REWRITE: GOP divide upends plans for taking back majority in fall
Along the divide: Kevin McCarthy v. Madison Cawthorne
Boston Globe, 3/31/2022
It's not going to well for them.
Thursday, March 31, 2022
GET ME REWRITE: Retiring Guy suggests that all members of Congress, Republicans in particular, pass a civics test
Pences' "Freedom Agenda", released Thursday, combines traditional Republican goals like increasing American energy production, cutting taxes and rolling back regulations with priorities pursued by former President Donald Trump on issues like trade and immigration. Pence also offers plenty of culture war red meat for the GOP base, pledging, for instance, to save women's sports by “ensuring that sports competitions are between those who share their God-given gender" and calling for all high school students to pass a civics test.
GET ME REWRITE: Tommy Thompson is off to Mar-a-Lago to grovel at the feet of Donald Trump
Headline: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/31/2022
Three people familiar with Thompson's plans said he was meeting with the former president at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.
Sources said also attending the meeting are Reince Priebus, the Kenosha native who served as Trump's first chief of staff, and Diane Hendricks, the longtime Republican donor and billionaire chairwoman of Beloit-based ABC Supply Co.
GET ME REWRITE: Myopic, frozen-in-time Henry Olsen stakes his claim on Pike County, Pennsylvania
3rd-party candidates received 23.1% of vote in 1992, 14.8% of vote in 1996, 3.7% in 2016;
(Segregationist George Wallace received 7.8% of the vote in 1968)
Trump received 3,157 more votes than he did in 2016, a 20% increase, in a county where the 2020 population of 58,535 increased 2% since 2010.
Biden received 3,763 more votes than Clinton did in 2016, an increase of 41%.
Trump's share of the vote decreased by 2 percentage points. Biden increased Clinton's share of the vote by 4.7 percentage points.
Washington Post, 3/30/2022
New York City’s major suburban counties — Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Bergen — lost only around 7,000 residents out of a population of more than 4 million people, while its exurb counties, such as Pike County, Penn., continued to gain
% of population 25 and older with bachelor's degree:
- 27.1% - Pike County
- 32.1% - Pennsylvania
- 32.1% - U.S.
% of population 65 and older:
- 23.5% - Pike County
- 18.7% - Pennsylvania
- 16.5% - U.S.
% of population living in poverty:
- 9.3% - Pike County
- 10.9% - Pennsylvania
- 11.4% - U.S.
\
Headline news: Fill in the blank
And unfortunately, it seems as though we can't get beyond the hand-wringing stage.
Wisconsin Public Radio, 3/29/2022
A new report from the national progressive nonprofit Center for Popular Democracy and the Wisconsin-based youth advocacy group Leaders Igniting Transformation found today, suspension disparities are even higher — 32 percent higher than the share of Black students — and expulsion disparities have dropped only slightly, to a 22 percent difference. White students, meanwhile, are 10 percent of the student body, 3 percent of suspensions and 5 percent of expulsions.
"This all has been going on for quite a while, so I don’t know if it’s surprising, but the term I would use is 'shocking,'" said study co-author Marc Rodrigues, with the Center for Popular Democracy. "There’s just a shocking amount of consistency and continuity in what’s going on at MPS — you would think that by now, more would have been done to address that."
Sources:
On the occasion of CBS' hiring of former Freedom Caucus Crazy Mick Mulvaney, let's take a look at some of his greatest hits
Retiring Guy's Digest, 3/29/2019
Washington Post, 3/30/202
ALL ABOARD the GOIP hellbound train!
CBS News’s decision to hire former Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney as a paid on-air contributor is drawing backlash within the company because of his history of bashing the press and promoting the former president’s fact-free claims.
But a top network executive seemed to lay the groundwork for the decision in a staff meeting earlier this month, when he said the network needed to hire more Republicans to prepare for a “likely” Democratic midterm wipeout.
Other Mulvaney posts:
2018
When it comes to pay to play denials, Mick Mulvaney's pants are on fire. (6/6/2018)
Mick Mulvaney explains how pay to play -- and, by extension, his office -- works. (4/26/2018)
Mick Mulvaney UPDATE: Meet Mr. Opaque, who considers consumer protection transparency just plain piffle. (4/26/2018)
The federal deficit and the full flowering of GOP hypocrisy. (4/10/2018)
2017
UPDATE. Problem: White House doesn't like CBO message. Solution: Kill the messenger. (7/16/2017)
Meet the compassionate Mick Mulvaney: Trump's budger director. (5/2/2017)
Team Trump/Mulvaney's heartless federal budget proposal. (3/29/2017)
2016
South Carolina GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney to most of his House colleagues: 'Neener-neener-neener'. (9/21/2016)
2015
Freedom Caucus still not taking responsibility for the mess it's made. (10/19/2015)
GET ME REWRITE: Judge holds Robin Vos in contempt, as do so many others across the state of Wisconsin
Headline: Wisconsin State Journal, 3/30/2022
Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn’s ruling followed her previous order that Vos, R-Rochester, and the Assembly produce the records, which were requested last year by liberal watchdog group American Oversight. The requested documents include records created by contractors, including former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who is leading the review.
“Robin Vos had delegated the search for contractors’ records to an employee who did nothing more than send one vague email to one contractor,” Bailey-Rihn wrote. “Putting aside for the moment the impropriety of making a contractor responsible for a records request … Robin Vos did not tell that contractor which records to produce, did not ask any of the other contractors to produce records, and did not even review the records ultimately received. Still worse, the Assembly did nothing at all.” [emphasis added]And it's not as if Vos is hurting for help.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Retiring Guy inspects the condition of Elm Lane in Middleton WI
It didn't make the cut for the city Five-Year Street Improvement Plan.
From the minutes of the 3/22/2022 Middleton Plan Commission meeting:
The five-year plan is included in the agenda packet on pages 137-138.
Larry Donaldson (1947-2022) Warren Area High School class of 1966
1967 Warren City Directory
- Donaldson Marguerite J Mrs plant worker Warren Components r203 Cayuga Avenue
- Donaldson William (Marguerite J) machinist Loranger Plastics h203 Cayuga Avenue
1983 Warren City Directory
- Donaldson L D gas ctr Struthers Wells h599 Jackson Street (now Jackson Run Road) North Warren
- Donaldson William J maintenance Warren Medical Services
The popularity of Larry as a baby name is graphed here. Let's take a look at classmate Patsy.
It took Patsy a couple of decade to gain some traction, but once she did, she shot up nearly 400 places into the top 100 during the 1920s, where she spent 19 years (1930-1948), peaking at #52 in 1936- and 1941. Her decline accelerated during the 1960s, which was dramatically, but only briefly, interrupted by a 249-point bump in 1976.
Other members of the class of '66 (18):
2022
Allen Eugene Wenzel. (1/23/)
2021
Roger Jenkins. (1/20)
Loren Sederberg. (3/15)
2020
Harry Rosequist. (8/28)
Donna Dunkle Spahr. (8/17)
Victoria Hanson. (1/27)
Darrell Robinault. (1/4)
Harry Rosequist. (8/28)
Donna Dunkle Spahr. (8/17)
Victoria Hanson. (1/27)
Darrell Robinault. (1/4)
2019
Edward Houser. (10/22)
Michael Phillips. (6/12)
2018
Sue Ellen Strandbert Nazario. (11/25)
Frank Chiaravalloti. (9/21)
Howard Johnson. (8/3)
Albert Conklin. (4/11)
Betsy Colt Brinkley. (3/9)
2017
Deborah Snyder Sproveri. (8/8)
2015
Sally Johnson Horrocks. (4/3)
2014
Charlene Postlethwait Knowlton. (10/8)
Dennis Peterson. (8/31)
GET ME REWRITE: Perdue plug puts Trump in a pickle
Headline: Atlanta Journal Constitution
Poll results: Real Clear Politics (red box added)
The thrill is gone.
Trump’s rally, which drew a smaller and less enthusiastic crowd than other Georgia events, was primarily designed to damage Kemp, who Trump claims didn’t do enough to illegally overturn his election defeat. He pressured Kemp in 2020 to call a special legislative session to reverse his loss and pushed him to refuse to certify the results, both moves that would have violated Georgia law. [emphasis
Related post:
Ohio U.S. Senate GOP primary: Parade of Trump sycophants. (3/29/2022)
Ohio U.S. Senate GOP primary: Parade of Trump sycophants. (3/29/2022)
Eric Greitens confirms that he is 'only real' Trump candidate in Missouri GOP race for U.S. Senate. (3/22/2022)
Welcome to the Trump Endorsements Hall of Shame. (11/24/2021)
Still around: 20 Mule Team Borax gets endcap display at Woodman's grocery store
Photo by Retiring Guy
A radio, movie, and television actress from the late 1930s into the early 1960s, Rosemary DeCamp also served as spokesperson for 20 Mule Team Borax, sponsor of the TV Western "Death Valley Days".
The history of 20 Mule Team Borax begins in 1881.
GET ME REWRITE: According to Journal Sentinel headline, Milwaukee Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson lives up to his name
Dictionary entry: Merriam-Webster
Headline: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/29/2022
As Milwaukee contends with double the number of homicides compared to the same time last year, Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson said Tuesday he hasn't yet had time to implement the full public safety plan he proposed at the beginning of his tenure.
Johnson became acting mayor in late December when former Mayor Tom Barrett resigned mid-term to become U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. Within weeks, he rolled out a plan to combat crime through law enforcement, community healing and neighborhood-level investments.
GET ME REWRITE: Gapers flock to Oscar telecast after Will Smith slaps Chris Rock
Top: See "Gaper" article in Wikipedia for background
Bottom: New York Times, 3/29/2022
At 10:27 p.m., Mr. Smith attacked Mr. Rock after the comedian delivered a joke onstage about Mr. Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Nearly 17.4 million viewers were watching in the minutes after the slap, up from 16.8 million shortly before it, according to Nielsen data released by ABC.
Original 3/28/2022 post, "Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars incident escalates", starts here.
Next thing we know Chris Rock will be on life support.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
When a voter integrity scorecard is actually a voter suppression dossier
When it comes from the up-is-down-and-down-is-up conservative 'think tank' The Heritage Foundation.
Headline: Wisconsin Examiner, 4/6/2021
Hans von Spakovsky, masked up and ready to suppress the vote, is one of the clowns -- white guys ,who else? -- responsible for this nonsense. They actually have the gall to call it the Voter Integrity Scorecard. Just look at the states that are in the top 10!! (Wisconsin is ranked 8th.)
Never heard of the guy until I read his latest bout of pearl-clutching over Matthew Cawthorn.
GET ME REWRITE: Add Eau Claire Wisconsin to the Trump Hate and Violence Map
What a legacy!
Headline from Wisconsin Public Radio, 3/24/2022
Eau Claire Area School District Board President Tim Nordin told WPR he received an email from a sender calling themselves "Kill All Marxist Teachers."
He said the email included direct threats against Nordin and his family and that the sender said they would "shoot up" the next school board meeting "for promoting the horrific, radical transgender agenda."
Cracker shortage: Original Saltines and Ritz back on the shelves on Woodman's grocery stores
See for yourself.
Photos by Retiring Guy
Original 3/9/2022 post, "Saltines and Ritz in are short supply but you'll find Cheez-It in abundance', starts here.
Woodman's fills the empty shelves with Goldfish and offbrand Saltines.
Photos by Retiring Guy
Gone Trending, 2/9/2022
Now, people are flummoxed that the saltines appear to have gone. They ease nausea, satisfy snack cravings, and more. They’re simple but delicious in soups, they are strong enough to hold scoops of hummus, and they’re (usually) relatively inexpensive for what you get. Well, those days are temporarily (we hope) over, given that you don’t really want to know how much saltines are currently going for on Amazon. Heck, I looked for them at the grocery store again last night (after being unable to find them for a month), and two other people were also sadly staring at the same empty shelf.The problem with Ritz is its addiction to variety. You won't find the original cracker here.
