Retiring Guy's Digest

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

UPDATE. In a see-saw way, NBC/Wall Street polls find an expanding approval/disproval ratings gap for Trump

Source: Real Clear Politics

12/25/2017 update, "CNN charts a growing gap in Trump approval/disapproval ratings since September", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

12/22/2017 update, "According to a year's worth of Economist/YouGov polls, Trump's disapproval rating spiked during 1st weeks of his presidency", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

12/22/2017 update, " Nearly a year's worth of Reuters/Ipsos polls show a steady deterioration of Trump's approval rating", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

From a +1 approval rating in February to a -28 approval rating in December.

12/20/2017 update, "A year's worth of Quinnipiac polls shows Trump treading water since late July", starts here.

And his approval rating remains essentially unchanged.

Source: Real Clear Politics

12/19/2017 update, ". Public Policy Polling finds Trump's disapproval rating at highest level to date in presidency", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

12/18/2017 update, "CBS News approval/disappoval polls find Trump treading water since June", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

Real Clear Politics daily average

12/17/2017 update, " Latest Monmouth poll finds Trump's approval/disapproval gap seriously expanding", starts here.

From May through September, Monmouth found continuing evidence of a shrinking gap, going against the grain of Trump's average poll numbers.

Source: Real Clear Politics

12/13/2017 update, "Donald Trump hits new low in approval polls", starts here.

No wonder Roy Moore is struggling in Alabama.

Source: Real Clear Politics

8/30/2017 update, "Poll: Fox News finds it increasingly difficult to prop up Trump", starts here.

Donald Trump Better Not See This Brand New Fox News Poll. (The New Civil Rights Movement, 8/30/2017)

Drilling down:

% of respondents who approve strongly of the job Trump is doing as president has dropped 7 percentage points: 35% to 28%
% of respondenets who are satisfied with the way things are going in the country today has dropped 10 percentage points since April: 45% to 35%
Joe Biden scores highest (56%) on on favorability of 9 individuals and items
Mike Pence's favorability rating has droiipped 5 percentage points since October: 51% to 46%
Mitch McConnell has never been anybody's favorite

8/18/2017 update starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

Trump Temperamental Consequences. (Monmouth University, 8/15/2017)
The one-quarter of the public who solidly support the president are more likely than the full population to be

age 55 and older (46% versus 35% of all American adults)
less likely to be under 35 years old (22% versus 31% of all American adults)
more likely to be non-Hispanic whites (79% versus 65% of all American adults).
somewhat less likely to hold a college degree (21% versus 29% of all American adults)
evenly split on gender (52% male and 48% female) similar to the population at large (48% male and 52% female)
income profile is also similar to the full population.

8/15/2017 update, " Recent CBS News polls contribute to Trump's gaping maw", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

CBS NEWS POLL. President Trump’s Approval Steady While Views of Economy Rise.

Also of note:

Trump is seriously underwater with Independents: 32% approve/59% disapprove
On the issues (approve/disapprove)

Economy (46% / 45%)
Health care (32% / 59%)
Immigration (37% / 57%)

8/12/2017 update, "Another day, another increasing disapproval rating for Trump", starts here.

Note that the states Trump flipped -- Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa -- give him an average approval rating of 40-44%.

Source: Reuters-Ipsos

8/2/2017 update, "Quinnipiac has some very bad news for Trump", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

Trump drops to new low, close to 2-1 disapproval, Quinnipiac University poll finds; 71 percent say President is not levelheaded. (Quinnipiac University poll, 8/2/2017)

Embarrased by Trump as President: 54% yes, 26% no
Abuses powers of office: 57% yes, 40% no
Thinks he's above the law: 60% yes, 36% no
Should stop tweeting from his personal Twitter account: 67% yes, 29% no
Approve strongly or somewhat strongly of the way Trump is handling his job

76% Republicans (delusional)
34% Independents
2% Democrats

7/20/2017 update, "The more the guy bellyaches, the wider the gap between approval (black line) and disapproval (red line)", starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

7/22/2017 update starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

People Like The Senate Health Bill More Than They Realize — IBD/TIPP Poll. (Investor's Business Daily ,7/5/2017)

The IBD editorial board has made a specialty of flogging Obamacare. (Here in 2013, here in 2016, here in 2017.) In the survey, the options "cut Medicaid and give states more options" and "scale back Medicaid after 2020" are offered with describing the consequences.

7/21/2017 post starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

Some of the specifics from latest Economist/YouGov poll:

Mood of country: 66% say everyone's in it for themselves
64% are somewhat or very pessimistic that Republicans and Democrats in Congress can work together
United Kingdom gets the best "friend or enemy rating" with 53% choosing 'ally' as answer

7/20.2017 post starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

Fox News polls: July 19, 2017

Disapproval of Trump's handling of Russie jumped from 52% in April to 56% in July
37% think Trump's disruption of Washington is a good thing
25% support, 55% oppose Senate version of health care bill
60% agree with statement 'We should keep [Obamacare] and make it better

7/19/2017 post starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

From the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey:

Of the 1,530 survey sample, 658 identify as Democrats (13% approval rate), 554 as Republicans (79%), 171 as Independents (37%)
12% say 'morality' is bigeset problem facing the U.S. today

7/18/2017 post starts here.

Source: Real Clear Politics

From PPP's latest survey:

Given the choice, respondents prefer Trump over Pence as President, 37% to 31%.
They prefer Hillary Clinton over Trump, 49% to 42%.
43% support, 40% oppose the Affordable Care Act.
20% support, 57% oppose health care bill currently being considered by Congress.
Putin's favorable/unfavorable ratings: 9%/71%.
36% think Russia story is fake news, 51% do not, 13% unsure.
In a series of questions, respondents trust the media (New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC) more than they trust Trump by an average of 17 percentage points
Mitch McConnell's (18%) and Paul Ryan's (24%) approval ratings are much worse than Trump's.

Monday, December 25, 2017

UPDATE. Rising to the level of her incompetence: Cathy Stepp takes her Scott Walker-approved, chamber-of-commerce natural resources management act to the federal level

Reported in Cathy Stepp takes charge of EPA office that is pressuring her DNR. (Madison.com, 12/24/2017)

Other Ms. Stepp posts:
UPDATE. Person with zero qualifications and haziest of background keeps moving up the EPA food chain. (12/20/2017)
Dear climate denier Cathy Stepp, Maybe your should crawl out of your shell.  (1/16/2017)
Scott Walker's dismantling of DNR gets some informed pushback.  (1/11/2017)
Cathy Stepp's holiday gift to Wisconsin: An end to climate change. (1/2/2017)
UPDATE. In so many words, Cathy Stepp sez these boots are made for walkin' all over you, Kewaunee County.  (12/16/2016)
UPDATE. New Year's resolution: Kewaunee County voters just don't get it.  (12/16/2016)
Ach du lieber! WI DNR head(case) Cathy Stepp compares environmental regulation to flippin' burgers. (6/22/2016)
Scott Walker abides -- in his own fashion.  (6/21/2016)
CYA time: Wisconsin DNR board members shocked! shocked! about state's lack of enforcement.  (6/15/2016)
The public trust betrayed: Scott Walker's chamber of commerce agenda for Wisconsin's environment. (6/11/2016)
Update: Dear Rob, This is what happens when you run government like a business. (6/5/2016)
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources takes an environmental violations holiday. (5/19/2016)

9/22/2016 update, "Wisconsin DNR secretary in so many words: Clean air and water? A healthy environment? Meh. Overrated!", starts here.

Reported in EPA to inspect DNR records in Madison. ( Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 92/1/2016)

What's been goin' on of late:

List of bodies of waters that do not meet state water quality standards, i.e., are impaired, cinreased by 200 in 2 years
Enforcement actions have fallen to lowest level since 1994.
Legislative Audit Bureau report found problems in state's pollution discharge program

Read the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources mission statement here. (You won't find the words 'property' and 'business' here.)

6/5/2016 update, "Dear Rob, This is what happens when you run government like a business", starts here.

Photo credit: Wisconsin State Legislature

As quoted in Audit: DNR doesn't follow own policy on enforcement. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/4/2016)

To his credit, Cowles was the only state senate Republicans to vote against 2015-17 budget bill.

Original 3/1/2016 post, "Misstep? Wisconsin DNR secretary takes the high road", starts here.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/us/politics/william-barr-robert-mueller-donald-trump.html As quoted in DNR chief Cathy Stepp ends use of 'do not respond' list. (Madison.com, 3/1/2016)

Here's an example of Stepp's responsiveness and transparency -- before she was appointed to the position in 2010.

Wisconsin State Journal, 12/30/2010'

And in a post on a conservative blog last year, Stepp said the people who work at the DNR tend to be “anti-development, anti-transportation, and pro-garter snakes, karner blue butterflies, etc.” In the same post, she called agency employees “unelected bureaucrats” who tend to “come up with some pretty outrageous stuff that those of us in the real world have to contend with.”

Yup, 'some pretty outrageous stuff', such as.,.,..

To protect and enhance natural resources
To provide a healthy, sustainable environment

Governor-elect Walker set the tone with this comment.

The 3/1/2016 Madison.com article explains why Kewaunee County resident Nancy Utesch was classified as a pest by DNR staff.

Utesch, an activist in Kewaunee County, said she was unable to prepare fully for a public hearing Thursday on a large dairy farm’s permit request because the DNR for months failed to respond to her request, first made last summer, for access to public records.

In other words, she was seeking information. Bad, bad woman!

Never mind that one-third of wells in Kewaunee County are unfit for drinking due to high levels of E. coli, nitrates, and other pollutants caused by the runoff of 16 concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Related posts:
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and well pollution are in the news again. (12/21/2015)
Dear Kewaunee County, You voted for him, now you're paying the consequences. (11/15/2015)
Kewaunee County's CAFO concentration. (10/23/2014)

Gateway Technical College cutting-edge Foxconn curriculum does not include workforce development, employee relations, and management concepts

At least there's no mention of them in this article.

Gateway Technical College to head Foxconn 'smart factory' training consortium. (Kenosha News, 12/212/2017)

Some of the courses include Introduction of Mechatronics, Introduction to Industrial Control Systems, Introduction to Industrial Robotics and Introduction to Industrial Internet of Things.