Shocking budget move by Franklin Common Council

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 19, 2011

It’s a good bet the overwhelming majority of city of Franklin taxpayers have no idea what transpired at the Franklin Common Council meeting last Tuesday because if they did, they’d be stunned and outraged.

Franklin, your city leaders voted to cut $100,000 from the Police Department.

Franklin, your city leaders voted to cut $100,000 from the Fire Department.

The action came as the Common Council voted 3-2 to approve the city budget. Aldermen Steve Olson and Kristen Wilhelm voted no (Alderman Ken Skowronski, a stickler for attendance, wasn’t at the most important meeting of the year because he was elsewhere presenting an award).

As usual, it was up to Alderman Olson to put the budget issue in the proper perspective.

“We’re in tough times. As the management of this city, we need to make decisions taxpayers hired us to make.

“I don’t know how any of the seven of us can justify taking $100,000 from the police department and $100,000 from the fire department and still maintain a full planning staff, a relatively full inspection department, a full health department, a full library, and we’re cutting police and fire. It makes no sense to me.”

Alderman Wilhelm also expressed dismay that the city was not giving the support the police and fire departments need.

Slashing public safety by $200,000 is absolutely senseless. It’s the kind of move that could spell political suicide for an elected official.

There will also be an increase in the property tax levy of over 2%. How embarrassing. Consider that even the fiscally irresponsible Franklin School Board found a way to cut their levy. The tax rate is meaningless, a fact that’s oblivious to the mayor and most of the council.

But the shocker is, as Olson put it, “whacking” police and fire. Think about that the next time a Franklin alderman pontificates about citizen protection.

Recommended Reading (11/20/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 20, 2011

Recommended Reading

Here are, in my view, interesting, noteworthy columns and articles from the past week that I highly recommend (You will note that on occasion, I do not endorse the opinions of the author and may point that out. Despite my disagreements, I still feel the piece is worth a read).


Will Republicans blow it?

"This economy has been sputtering along through most of the Obama administration, with the unemployment rate hovering around 9 percent. But none of that means that Barack Obama is going to lose the 2012 election."


Don't be a Paterno: When a child is abused, here's what to do

"I don't want to hear any more 'benefit of hindsight' excuses. So let's be clear about what you should do if you learn that a child is being sexually abused. Print this out, post it on your bulletin board, and make sure everyone in your family, company, or organization knows how to respond to child sexual abuse."


Seven reasons life is hard for everyone

"I’ve met rich people, famous people, successful people, extraordinarily beautiful people — and guess what? They have just as many problems as everyone else. It’s just a different set of problems."


Politicians otherwise occupied

”The suddenly inconvenient fact, you see, is that the Occupy movement was a creation of freaks, socialists, and assorted nincompoops. Some of us recognized this fact from the beginning. We’d seen it reflected in the anti-republican rhetoric of ‘occupation’ and the anti-libertarian tactics employed by those who sought not simply to argue their point of view but to shut up those who disagree”


Real monsters didn't disappear after Halloween

"... as winter sets in, America faces real monsters: government regulations that stifle energy production, increase energy prices, kill jobs, squeeze family and business incomes, and threaten living standards and productivity.

Read more

Photos of the Week (11/20/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 20, 2011

Photos of the Week

1) Mark Pinczkowski of Milwaukee gathers petitions Saturday in Madison. The petition drive must amass 540,208 signatures by Jan. 17 to force a recall election for Gov. Scott Walker. Journal Sentinel photo: Rick Wood


2) A New York City police officer scuffles with Occupy Wall Street protesters after they were evicted from Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15. Photo: Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images


3) An Occupy Wall Street protester yells out at police after being ordered to leave Zuccotti Park, early Tuesday, Nov. 15. Photo: Mary Altaffer / AP


4) Sanitation workers use a power washer after the New York City police department cleared Zuccotti Park of the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City on Nov. 15. The small tent city was coming up on its two month anniversary but cities around the United States have been cracking down on the Occupy Wall Street protests in recent weeks. Photo: Justin Lane / EPA


5) New York City Police officers prevent protestors from entering Wall Street from the east on Thursday, Nov. 17. Photo: Richard Drew / AP


6) A police officer shines a light on a member of the Interfaith Coalition at Occupy Oakland during the eviction of the camp on November 14, 2011, in Oakland, California. In the wake of violent confrontations with police, vandalism and the recent shooting near the encampment, Oakland mayor Jean Quan and city administrators issued eviction notices to protesters at the Occupy Oakland encampment. (Photo by Mathew Sumner/Getty Images)


7) Francisco Gonzalez, who works as a municipal trash collector, removes pieces of broken glass from his back as he demonstrates against proposed lay-offs in Asuncion, Paraguay, Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. Asuncion's municipal government is proposing cuts in employment to reduce the cost of municipal workers to 60% of the city budget. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)


8) Teams from Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) collect unexploded weapons buried underground by the Gaddafi regime at a military base in Tajura, about 30 km (19 miles) east of Tripoli on November 16.  More.  Photos: Mohammed Salem / Reuters


9) Greek Reuters photographer Yannis Behrakis runs to avoid an exploding stun granade thrown by riot police during violent clashes following an anti austerity protest in Thessaloniki Sept. 10. Photo: Ken Cedeno / Reuters


10) A Ugandan trader tries to catch fresh air through a hole in a door after police fired teargas into her locked shop during a demonstration by traders and workers against power blackouts in the capital Kampala, Uganda Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011. The riot police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators who were protesting over what they said was an inability to do their work and business due to prolonged power outages in the East African nation. (AP Photo/Stephen Wandera)


11) A journalist walks through a drug tunnel during a presentation to the media in Tijuana on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. A soldier opens the access door to a tunnel as others stand guard near packages containing marijuana during a presentation to the media in Tijuana on Wednesday. Photos: Reuters


12) Madeleine Perry, left, and her mother Karen Reuter comfort each other as they look over the remains of Karen's mother's burned home in Reno, Nev., Nov. 19. Nevada's governor declared a state of emergency on Friday over a wildfire raging at the edge of a hilly Reno suburb that has damaged 32 structures, forced nearly 10,000 people from their homes, burned 2,000 acres and was blamed for an elderly man's death. Photo: Max Whittaker / Reuters


13) The town of Minamisanriku is seen eight months after it was destroyed by the March 11 tsunami, in northeast Japan on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. Photo: Greg Baker, AP


14) Claire Tienor, 11, of Kiel falls into her grandmothers, Gladys, arms as she sees her father, Staff Sgt. Patrick Tienor, walk off the bus at the West Bend Armory on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 in West Bend, Wis. Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 135th General Aviation Support Battalion returned home from Iraq. After 51 weeks, the last Wisconsin National Guard Unit returned home. (AP Photo/West Bend Daily News, John Ehlke)


15) Barack Obama addresses the troops as Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard looks on. President Obama praised Australian troops as among the toughest in the world as a rapturous send-off from Darwin capped off his whirlwind Australian visit. Photo: Scott Barbour / EPA


16) Members of the public walk past a new Benetton advertising poster campaign displayed on a wall on Nov. 16, 2011 in Milan, Italy. The posters, part of a new campaign by the United Colors of Benetton entitled 'UNHATE,' created by the newly formed UNHATE Foundation, was given a worldwide launch in Paris on Nov. 16, presented by Alessandro Benetton, Executive Deputy Chairman of Benetton Group SpA. The Vatican objected to the use of the pope's image. Benetton quickly withdrew the image of Pope Benedict XVI kissing an Egyptian imam. Photo: Pier Marco Tacca / Getty Images Contributor


17) A man maneuvers his boat inside flooded Don Muang airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 15. Photo: Nicolas Asfouri / AFP - Getty Images


18) Workers set in place a sculpture depicting a Rhode Island cottage, created by South Korean artist Do Ho Suh, at the top of Jacob's Hall at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla, California, on November 15. Named "Fallen Star", the fully furnished Rhode Island cottage and garden resting atop the seven-story building is expected to be completed in early 2012. Photo: Mike Blake / Reuters


19) Mike and Nancy Rogers pose for wedding photographer Nicholas Augustus as White Point Beach Resort's main lodge burns in the background on Saturday Nov. 12, 2011. The couple were set to be married in the lodge but moved the ceremony to another building at the resort. The Firefighters from several detachments in Nova Scotia spent about six hours battling a roaring blaze at a resort on the province's south coast Saturday. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nicholas Augustus


20) Andrea Jorgensen (left) reacts to the surprise reunion with her husband U.S. Army Capt. Joe Jorgensen, who had been deployed to Iraq, on the field prior to the Carolina Panthers - Tenneessee Titans game at Bank of America Stadium on November 13, 2011. Tennessee won, 30-3. Photos: David T. Foster III-Charlotte Observer


21) In this photo taken Nov. 9, 2011, a Red-tailed hawk flies away with an unlucky squirrel, his catch of the day after nabbing it near a hedge, in front of a home on a street bordering Webb Park Golf Course, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/The Advocate, Travis Spradling)


22) Jackass penguins, wearing red and green garments,take a walk at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)


23) A nine-month old sea lion named 'Luciano', left, and a two-year one named 'Ralph', play at the headquarters of Peru's Organization for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals, ORCA, in San Bartolo, Peru, Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. Both sea lions, that were rehabilitated by ORCA after arriving at two different beaches on the Peruvian coast, will be released back to the ocean Saturday. Photo: Martin Mejia / AP


24) Dan Anderson of Prior Lake, Minn. prepares to drag out a 9-point white-tailed deer he shot while hunting in the Washburn County Forest near Minong on the opening day of the 2011 Wisconsin gun deer season. Photo: Paul Smith


25) Kenosha Bradford head coach Jed Kennedy comes forward to accept the WIAA Division I football championship trophy with his players after a 7-0 victory over Wisconsin Rapids. Journal sentinel photo: Mark Hoffman


26) Montee Ball jumps over the Illinois defense for a touchdown Saturday as Wisconsin rallied for a 28-17 victory on the road. AP photo.


27) Green Bay Packers' John Kuhn celebrates with fans after catching a touchdown pass during the second half of their game against the Minnesota Vikings Monday night in Green Bay, Wis. Packers 45, Vikings 7. Photo: Morry Gash / AP


28) Hripsime Khurshudyan from Armenia dislocates her left elbow as she competes in the snatch of the Women's +75kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships, in Paris, Sunday Nov. 13.  Photo: Francois Mori / AP


29) TIME.com reports, "... guns are still primarily perceived as a male purview. The photographer Lindsay McCrum plays on this preconception in her recently published collection Chicks with Guns, a playful yet perturbing visual essay on the statistic that some 20 million women in America own guns. The subjects of the book, published by The Vendome Press, range from girls to women of a certain age, from hunters to police officers to biathletes to the wheelchair-bound; they are dressed in fatigues, ballgowns, fur, frills, jeans and t-shirts, wielding everything from an antique dueling pistol to Beretta hunting rifles to Glocks to an AR-15 semi-automatic." Here's one of her photos showing Jenevieve of San Antonio, Texas, with an antique single-shot percussion dueling pistol.


30) Dutch curator Erik Kessels has created a gallery installation made up of over a million photo prints. Kessels printed out all the images that were publically posted on Flickr during a 24-hour period and dumped them on the floor of the Foam museum in Amsterdam. Visitors, like the one seen in the upcoming photo, are being encouraged to interact with the mountains of photographs. Photo: Gijs Van Den Berg / Foam


31) Artist Liu Bolin demonstrates an art installation by blending in with vegetables displayed on the shelves at a supermarket in Beijing, China, on November 10. Liu, also known as the 'Vanishing Artist', started practising being "invisible" by means of optical illusions more than six years ago.  Photo: China Daily via Reuters


32) A human art installation is displayed at the 2011 MOCA Gala, An Artist's Life Manifesto, Directed by Marina Abramovic at MOCA Grand Avenue on November 12, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for MOCA)


33) Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Kelsi Reich smiles on the sideline during the second half of the Cowboys' NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. Reich's boyfriend, Bills' David Nelson, presented her with a football after he scored a touchdown during the first half of the game. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)


34) The Sun-Drop Diamond of South Africa, a giant pear-shaped yellow gem weighing 110.3 carats, has sold for more than $10.9 million at auction Tuesday, beating previous records for a jewel of its type. Photo: Anja Niedringhaus / AP.  In this Nov. 9, 2011 photo a model displays the 110.03 carats Sun-Drop Diamond described as fancy vivid yellow, the highest color grading, by gemstone experts, at a Sotheby's preview show in Geneva, Switzerland.  (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)


35) An Eiffel Tower heel adorns one of the mannequins on the catwalk in the Punk Cancan exhibit room at the the U.S. premiere of The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. The first exhibition devoted to the French fashion couturier is being held at the Dallas Museum of Art through February 12, 2012. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox)


36) Santa Claus makes an appearance at the end of the Christmas parade Saturday in downtown Milwaukee. Journal Sentinel photo: Mike De Sisti

Franklin alderman flip-flops, backstabs Franklin property taxpayers

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 20, 2011

It is the worst possible move an elected official can make: Breaking his/her word to the voters.

Put that in Franklin Alderman Steve Taylor's resume.

During the November 15, 2011 Franklin Common Council where the council approved the 2012 city of Franklin budget, a majority of Franklin aldermen abandoned whatever principles they possessed. They voted against an earlier promise to return the benefit of the business park TIF directly to the taxpayers. Instead, they put it into spending.

Voting against the betrayal of taxpayers were Alderman Steve Olson and Alderman Kristen Wilhelm (who by the way is consistently moving up on my approval-o-meter).

There are a few villains in this news item with Alderman Steve Taylor the biggest. Here’s the background, taken from the official minutes of the March 1, 2011 meeting of the Franklin Common Council, Read carefully:

Alderman Taylor moved to adopt Resolution No. 2011-6696, A RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE INTENT OF THE COMMON COUNCIL TO APPROPRIATE 100% OF THE TAX INCREMENTAL DISTRICT NO. 2 TAX REVENUES UPON THE ANTICIPATED TERMINATION OF THE DISTRICT IN LATE 2011 TO TAX LEVY REDUCTION, as amended. Seconded by Alderman Olson. At 9:14 p.m. Mayor Taylor passed the gavel to Council President Taylor, who then chaired the meeting. At 9:18 p.m. the gavel was returned to Mayor Taylor, who returned to chairing the meeting. At 9:22 p.m. Mayor Taylor passed the gavel to Council President Taylor, who then chaired the meeting. At 9:25 p.m. the gavel was returned to Mayor Taylor, who returned to chairing the meeting. Alderman Taylor moved to call the question. Seconded by Alderman Olson. All voted Aye; motion carried.  On roll call for the main motion, all voted Aye; motion carried.

Let’s recap. Back in March, STEVE TAYLOR made the motion that 100% OF THE TAX INCREMENTAL DISTRICT NO. 2 TAX REVENUES UPON THE ANTICIPATED TERMINATION OF THE DISTRICT IN LATE 2011 be targeted TO TAX LEVY REDUCTION.

Yet on November 15, 2011, as the next city budget was being decided,  Alderman Taylor, in his own words that are on the audio recording of the Common Council meeting says only $600,000 of the $1,043,000 will be given back to taxpayers in the form of property tax relief while $443,000 will be spent on additional spending. That is not the 100% return to you, the hard-working taxpayers, Taylor requested back in March. He’s hoping you don’t notice. Don’t let this shyster get away with it.

Complicit in this dereliction of integrity and raping of the taxpayers are Aldermen Steve Taylor, Tim Solomon, and Doug Schmidt who, without a sound or batting an eyelash, voted to approve this blatant deception.

They essentially lied to Franklin taxpayers. This could be the most egregious action ever taken by Franklin aldermen.

If you disapprove, time is of the essence. Contact Mayor Taylor immediately and respectfully ask him to veto this measure but also veto the incredibly irresponsible cut to public safety. Franklin has incomprehensibly cut police and fire while at the same time has increased overall spending.

Also, if you listen to the available audio of the November 15, 2011 Franklin Common Council meeting, listen as phony conservative Steve Taylor argues against proposed cuts in the property tax levy because they’re minimal. Umm, Steve, in this economy, let the taxpayers, the people who pay the bills make the decision as to whether cuts are good enough or not. Sorry, folks. Steve Taylor is about as conservative as George McGovern.

November 15, 2011 might truly have been the saddest day in city of Franklin government history. The majority of Franklin officials voted to stab Franklin taxpayers in the back and retreat on a promise made eight months ago, led primarily by our sleazy Franklin Common Council President who has turned his back at the 11^th hour on property taxpayers.

Finally, as always, comments are welcome here. Listen up. Generic and anonymous comments blasting me for being too negative and calling for Franklin to move forward will not be accepted. Comments pertaining to the specifics of this blog will be approved.

Hooray for Hollywood!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 21, 2011

Read more

The latest pro-life news

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 21, 2011

From Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right To Life:

View in web browser Read more I doubt Newt will get the nomination Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 21, 2011 But he sure blasted a home run here... Read more It's Working: Within Means Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 21, 2011 Report: Lena Taylor, Property Accessory To Voter Fraud Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 21, 2011 "Media Trackers discovered that over 20 individuals voted, some illegally, from one of Senator Lena Taylor’s (D-Milwaukee) properties during the April 5, 2011 spring election. According to a Media Trackers open records request with the City of Milwaukee Election Commission, the property at 1018 N 35th St. in Milwaukee currently has 36 active voter registrations and at least 23 individuals voted using the address." Read the entire report. UPDATE Remember, if you sign a recall petition ... Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 22, 2011 You want Wisconsin to be more like Illinois. Could that sign in Franklin be right? Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 22, 2011 No, not that one. The one at 76th and Rawson. It says McDonald's will be open 24 hours on Thanksgiving. Yep. It's true. That's just wrong. If you miss the NBA season... Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 22, 2011 Please raise your hand... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >     Read more I'm on WISN Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 22, 2011 I fill in for Jay Weber this Friday morning from 8-10 a.m. on Newstalk 1130 WISN. I have more appearances in December. More on that later. Still to come this week on This Just in... Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 22, 2011 Many of our regular weekend features and…. A special announcement that will be quite exciting. The minute I compliment Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor, what does he do? Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 22, 2011 I’m told that at an awards ceremony tonight (Tuesday), Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor specifically singled out Franklin Aldermen Steve Taylor and Ken Skowronski for being supporters of the police department. Really? Is my friend, and he is, our mayor, asleep at meetings? As I have blogged, the mayor has vetoed the budget approved by the Franklin Common Council recently. The mayor in his veto message wrote: “I have concluded that the motion or series of motions made by the City of Franklin's Common Council this last Tuesday may jeopardize public safety due to a reduction in funding for the City of Franklin's Police and Fire departments…” No kidding. He was right on there. The Common Council, led by Finance Committee Chairman Steve Taylor, voted to chop the Police Department by $100,000 and the Fire Department by $100,000. Support for public safety? And just a few days after the mayor issued his veto message about public safety, what does he do? He praises Steve Taylor, the very alderman (who by the way is strangely silent on local matters because it’s been announced he’s running for County Supervisor), who wants to chop public safety. I therefore retract my previous BRAVO for Mayor Taylor and instead voice a SHAME ON YOU!  You can't write one thing and say another. Please take one strong position and stick with it. Good God Almighty. Local Franklin government is incredibly screwed up. The latest from Rehorst Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 23, 2011           The Monthly Newsletter of Wisconsin's First & Finest Craft Distillery                         In This Issue Tours Custom Mini Bottles New Glassware Fun Holiday Facts Upcoming Events Pumpkin Old Fashioned Read more UPDATE: It's time to play...FINAL JEOPARDY! Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 23, 2011 Previously on This Just In... The update: Green Bay broke with tradition last Sunday at Lambeau Field as the Packers took on Tampa Bay. Read more UPDATE: Culinary no-no #254 Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 23, 2011 Culinary no-no's Previously on This Just In... The update: Takeout’s Attempted Takeover of Thanksgiving PERSONALLY, ONE OF MY COOLEST BLOGS EVER! Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 23, 2011 You remember that vicious TD run by Tampa Bay's LeGarrete Blount against Green Bay this past Sunday. Watch the video and pay attention to what happens after Blount scores. He attempts to throw the ball into the crowd but it's batted back towards him.  Here's another look.    Read more Thanksgiving in America Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 23, 2011     Read more Happy Thanksgiving 2011 Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 24, 2011   Read more Thanksgiving Day Recommended Reading Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 24, 2011 Recommended Reading Why PETA is meat’s best friend “…on the eve of the biggest dead-animal holiday of the year, the highest-profile animal rights organization in the country, PETA, has failed, yet again, to make anybody feel remotely bad about eating animals.” Giving thanks for gigantic TVs “Thanksgiving is the time of the year that true sports fans live for. A time when turkey roasts on every hearth; when most football teams still have a chance for glory; a time when even Mitt Romney and Ron Paul can think they still have a shot. And most true, red-blooded Americans know of only one thing that can make this special American holiday time of year even more special: a much larger TV.” A new guest blogger comes to This Just In... Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 24, 2011 I’m going on vacation so I have asked a fellow blogger to take care of This Just In while I’m gone next week. Donna Cole from neighboring Oak Creek will be guest blogging and I’m very excited she accepted my invitation. Donna writes with an edge. I like that. Here’s a recent example. “I have come to believe one of the key differences between liberals and Conservatives is how their minds work.Part of a child's growing/learning process is developing a conscience.A toddler is basically selfish,it's why they throw tantrums,yell,scream and act out.As many children grow older they begin to develop their conscience and the acting out ends.But all children do not fully develop this.These children grow into adult liberals. A good way to judge how many children miss this important part of childhood development is to compare it to the number of adult liberals.As this Gallop tracking poll shows,from 1992 to 2010 the number of American liberals has remained roughly 20%.One could infer then that roughly 20% of children have this developmental disability. A conscience brings with it empathy and respect for others.It also brings shame and guilt when one violates this empathy for and respect of others.These are all things a liberal does not possess.” Watch for these regular weekend features before Donna takes over next week: Goodnight (Friday night) The best cartoons of the week The Barking Lot Week-ends Photos of the Week Read more More tears from MJS about photo ID Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 25, 2011 Topics talked about on WISN Jim Stingl of the daily paper moans and whines how difficult it is to get a photo ID to get to the polls. I repeat… Oh, there's more, plenty more. Tommy Thompson - Repeal and Replace Obamacare Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 25, 2011 Ladies, a gun is your friend Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 25, 2011 Topics talked about on WISN   Read more Goodnight everyone, and have a holiday weekend to remember! Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 25, 2011 It's Friday night. Time to unwind with our regular Friday night feature on This Just In. The weekend has finally arrived. The sun has set. The evening sky has erupted.  Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of this shortened work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday. Tonight, sounds of the season. Hope your Thanksgiving was nice. And we now have 30 days until the biggest holiday of the year. Since it's beginning to look like Christmas, what are we waiting for! Call me corny but I like this medley by the entire Osmond Family.     Read more The best cartoons of the week Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 26, 2011       Read more The Barking Lot (11/26/11) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 26, 2011 The Barking Lot The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of this just in…Written by my lovely wife, Jennifer and me.  It opens with the weekend dog walking forecast followed by the main blog from dog lover, Jennifer. Then it’s DOGS IN THE NEWS and our close. Enjoy! THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.  TODAY:  A good chance of rain throughout the day. High of 51.  Chance of rain: 70%.  "D" SUNDAY:  Cloudy. High of only 36. "F" My lovely wife, Jennifer has the week off. At the Chicago Tribune, John Kass has the scoop about the worst Christmas toy of the year, and I’ve have to agree: “Chicago is the birthplace of some truly iconic toys, loved by children across the globe, toys like Operation and Mouse Trap and my personal childhood favorite, Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots. But I'm embarrassed to report that Chicago is also the birthplace of what may perhaps be the most ridiculous toy in the known universe. And with a suggested retail price of $29.99, this one makes my Most Stupid Toys in the World List for 2011. What is it?”   Read more Week-ends (11/26/11) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 26, 2011 Week-ends   A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In... HEROES OF THE WEEK NY firefighters Doug Bartels Operation Wedding Gown Catherine Lipke, Marsha Holler, and Allison Aschenbach Brave shopkeeper Gisele Bundchen VILLAINS OF THE WEEK Ndamakong Suh Tony Rezko Peter Dutro and Brad Spitzer US Airways Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson QUOTES OF THE WEEK "I was on top of a guy being pulled down and trying to get up off the ground, which is why you see me pushing his helmet down. As I'm getting up, I'm getting pushed so I'm getting myself unbalanced. ... With that a lot of people are going to interpret it as or create their own storylines, ... but I know what I did, and the man upstairs knows what I did." Lion defensive tackle Ndamakong Suh explaining his stomping of Green Bay Packer Evan Dietrick-Smith in Thursday’s game. “That's (expletive). He clearly had Evan by the face mask pinned to the ground. His explanation is crap. There's no room for that. It's a dumb penalty. He hurt his own team today." Packer T.J. Lang reacting to Suh. "He was lucky I wasn't on the field.  Lucky. I'm a New York guy. I don't go for that stuff. It was very unnecessary. I can understand you might get in a scuffle, but you never stomp on a guy. That's like hitting a guy when he's down. You don't do things like that. I was this close to running on the field." Packer Andrew Quarless "We're just football players out there playing football. Sometimes things happen. I don't know what drove him to do what he did. I can't say much else." Packer Dietrick-Smith "Suh's not dirty. He's filthy." Mike Pereira, analyst of officiating for Fox Sports. "Go get a job right after you take a bath." Newt Gingrich to OWS “Disgusting… Someone needs a bath, and I don’t think it’s the people from Occupy Wall Street. I’m sickened by that . . . It’s fair to say he’s in the 1%, correct? He’s telling the 99% to take a bath and get a job? Really? Really, I wonder how they do that right now. How, given the state of this country, how anyone’s going to just get a job and take a bath. Who is this man? Who does he think he is? And why is he surging in the polls? I don’t get it. I mean, to hear Newt Gingrich standing on literally his high horse, after taking advantage of the system, cashing in, being the biggest, literally the biggest hypocrite in the Republican field, probably in politics today. The biggest hypocrite. And then to cast aspersions and to speak down to these people as if–plghhh–they should be flipped away? It’s disgusting. It’s absolutely disgusting. It’s a very angry way to start the show. I’m extremely sorry. But it’s the first time I’d seen that. And it literally made my skin crawl. I can’t believe he resonates.” Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC “’Income inequality’ comes by way of free will. No one forced the students protesting to agree to student loans whose terms they could not meet; no one forced homeowners to agree to home loans they could not afford–the only lack of economic free will which has created any disparity is directly due to the economic policies of an administration whose strategy of shrinking the tax base while increasing the burden of revenue sans cutting entitlements is a no-win situation. But no one is ‘occupying’ the space in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.” Dana Boesch of Big Journalism “We don’t like paying millions of dollars for Mrs. Obama’s vacations. The NASCAR crowd doesn’t quite understand why when the husband and the wife are going to the same place, the first lady has to take her own Boeing 757 with family and kids and hangers-on four hours earlier than her husband, who will be on his 747. NASCAR people understand that’s a little bit of a waste. They understand it’s a little bit of uppity-ism.” Rush Limbaugh "New Company Policy: We are not hiring until Obama is gone." A west Georgia business owner, Bill Looman, put signs that read the above on his company's trucks to make a political point. He was deluged with calls and emails and had to disconnect his phones and temporarily shut down the company's website. “Those who can do. Those who can’t form a supercommittee.” Mark Steyn “Some days I've driven 600 miles and didn't even stop. I feel like a marshmallow because I don't get to exercise." Barb Waugh, one of an estimated 190,000 female truckers in the U.S. Beset by rising insurance costs, trucking companies and industry groups are working hard to persuade road warriors to change their habits. OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK Triple-dipping at Miwaukee's City Hall MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK Was the White House shooter an Occupier? MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK Black Friday STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK Fake Florida doctor gave women cement injunctions in their butts. That's it for this week. NewsBusted has the week off. Week-ends will be off next Saturday and will return on December 10. Photos of the Week (11/27/11) Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 27, 2011 Photos of the Week 1) Barbara Riccelli sits outside her tent knitting while camping out outside the Best Buy store waiting to be the first ones in line when the store opened at midnight for Black Friday in Mesquite, Texas, November 23, 2011. Riccelli had been camping out for four days, along with four other tents.  Photo: Larry W. Smith / EPA 2) Shoppers line up at Target in Lisbon, Conn., for Black Friday bargains late on Thursday, Nov. 24. Black Friday began in earnest as Target and other stores opened their doors at midnight. Photo: Sean D. Elliot / The Day via AP 3) Bobby Snodderly, 77, of Jacksboro, Tenn., watches over his family's shopping bags at West Town Mall in Knoxville on Black Friday. Snodderly and his family began their Christmas shopping at midnight at the Wal-Mart in Jacksboro, Tenn., and then continued onto Knoxville. Photo: J. Miles Cary / The News Sentinel via AP 4) U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired Capt. Mark Kelly, meet both active and retired airmen after serving a Thanksgiving meal to troops at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., on Nov. 24. Photo: Matt York / AP 5) The official White House Christmas Tree arrives via horse-drawn carriage at the White House on Nov. 25. The tree, a 19-foot-tall balsam fir, was grown on Schroeder's Forevergreens farm near Neshkoro, Wisconsin. Photo: Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images 6) Sri Lankan opposition and government legislators exchange blows during a parliament session when president Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered the government's 2012 budget proposals in Colombo on Monday, Nov. 21. Photo: Ishara S.Kodikara / AFP - Getty Images 7) An Occupy Wall Street protester in New York holds a sign that rearranges a famous JFK quote. Photo: pjmedia.com. 8) Prison officials talk with two residents of the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation as they stand on a rooftop and threaten to hang themselves unless they can talk to a state official about their treatment at the psychiatric facility, Monday, Nov. 21, 2011, in Burkeville, Va. Several residents of the facility identified the two men as William Dewey and Victor Johnson. Photo: Steve Helber / AP 9) Police arrest a man after he drove his vehicle to the top of the steps of the Indiana War Memorial and then set a fire on the steps, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, in Indianapolis. The standoff lasted about an hour. Photo: Darron Cummings / AP 10) A landslide after last Sunday's heavy rainstorm collapsed a section of a coastal bluff road in San Pedro, seen Monday Nov. 21, 2011. There were no injuries or property damaged. A Los Angeles official says the stretch of road that collapsed is likely irreparable and a new route for the scenic roadway will have to be considered. Photo: Robert Casillas / The Daily Breeze via AP 11) The blood of slaughtered pilot whales turns the sea red near Torshavn on November 22. Photo: Andrija Ilic / Reuters 12) The moon's disk takes a bite out of the sun during Friday's partial solar eclipse, as seen from Invercargill in New Zealand. The last of 2011's four solar eclipses was visible only from an area in southern latitudes taking in New Zealand, Tasmania, South Africa and Antarctica. Photo: Jay Pasachoff / Williams College 13) Johnny Calvin Brewer stands in front of the Texas Theatre, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, in Dallas. Dallas Police Chief David Brown honored the man who led them to Lee Harvey Oswald's hiding place in the movie theater 48 years ago. Brewer was given a Citizen's Certificate of Merit. Police credit him with helping officers arrest Oswald after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. Photo: Jeffrey Mcwhorter / AP 14) People photograph an "x" on Elm street where John F. Kennedy was assassinated near the former Texas School Book Depository, now the Dallas County Administration Building on the 48th anniversary of JFK's assassination in Dealey Plaza on Nov. 22, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. The 48th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy as he rode in a Presidential motorcade in Dealey Plaza, will be marked on November 22.  Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images 15) A man sits next to a statue of former US President Ronald Reagan in downtown Tbilisi, Georgia, Nov. 23, 2011. The bronze statue, depicting Reagan sitting on a bench, was unveiled by the Georgian president in Rike Park earlier the same day, reports state. Reagan, the 40th President of the United States (1981-1989), is celebrated in former Soviet satellite states for having helped hasten the fall of the Iron Curtain. Photo: Zurab Kurtsikidze / EPA 16) Defensive end Ndamukong Suh #90 of the Detroit Lions argues with referee Terry McAulay #77 after Suh is ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers during the Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field on November 24, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. Photo: Getty Images. Two plays later... 17) Running back John Kuhn #30 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates his one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions during the Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field on November 24 in Detroit, Michigan. Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images 18) A dejected Lions fan hangs his head as the Packers win 27-15 to go 11-0 on the season. Photo: AP 19) A boy scout holds a U.S. flag before the start of an NFL football game between the St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman) 20) Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed, left, pets a live raven behind the end zone after a play in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011. Baltimore won 31-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) 21) Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Adam Jones (24) pulls on Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith's hair as Smith carries the ball in the first half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Gail Burton) 22) Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders wear military costumes as they perform during the second half of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy King) 23) Zack Lemann, visitor programs manager at the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans, and Stephanie Smith, an educator at the bug museum, prepare cranberry sauce with wax worms, cricket pumpkin pie, and turkey with cornbread and mealworm stuffing for visitors to sample Thanksgiving-inspired foods with insects. Photos:Gerald Herbert / AP 24) In this photo released by the San Francisco Zoo, two lemurs enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at the San Francisco Zoo, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011, in San Francisco. The feast consisted of green beans; a fruit salad of apples, bananas, and grapes; sweet potatoes; a turkey made out of monkey chow and apple juice with grapes in champagne flutes. (AP Photo/San Francisco Zoo, George Nikitin). A group of Ring Tailed Lemurs also get in on the feast. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 25) One of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's four 11-month-old grizzly bear cubs enjoys a pumpkin for a snack at the Zoo in Cleveland on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. Besides providing the animals with enrichment, the pumpkins are a preview to the treats many of the animals received on Thanksgiving Day.  (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta) 26) Polar bear cub Taiga shakes water off her head as she plays in a pool Friday, Nov. 25, 2011 at Aquarium Park in Quebec City, Canada. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jacques Boissinot) 27) Entomologist Dave Kavanaugh, rear, dressed as Santa Claus, poses for reporters as an unnamed female reindeer, foreground, and Miles, a male reindeer, are shown on the Living Roof at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. The female will be named through a naming contest. The reindeer will be a part of the Academy's holiday program that will be exhibited until January 16, 2012. The Living Roof Project is an ongoing citizen science program designed to give community members an opportunity to learn about the Academy’s unique roof ecosystem while contributing to important baseline data regarding the many plants, birds, and arthropods that inhabit and utilize the Living Roof’s 2.5 acres of green space. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 28) Jennifer Perricone, who drove from Fort Bragg and camped out to receive her free wedding gown, holds a sign she made supporting her husband reading 'I love you Spc. Michael Perricone. Thank you for risking your life for my dress' at Poffie Girls in Gastonia, N.C., Nov. 20. The bridal boutique donated 43 gowns on Sunday to brides in the military or brides marrying a member of the military, some of whom had a courthouse wedding and plan to have a formal ceremony with family at a later date when their loved ones come home from service overseas. Photo: Ben Goff / The Gaston Gazette via AP 29) A model displays a headpiece made of confectionery by Japanese patissier Koji Tsuchiya during the Tokyo Sweets Collection in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. Japan's 12 leading pastry chefs teamed up with dress designer Eri Matsui to demonstrate their sweet creations for Matsui's dresses. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) 30) Students embrace after dousing each other with foam at St. Andrews University in Scotland on Monday, Nov. 21. The tradition dates back to the early days of the university when new students would give senior students a pound of raisins out of gratitude for their help in adapting to university life, in exchange for a receipt written in Latin. Failure to do so could result in a dousing in the local fountain. Nowadays the raisins have been replaced with a bottle of wine and the dousing with foam. Photos: David Moir / Reuters AND FINALLY, They're calling it the "Thanksgiving Miracle." Firefighter Andrew Hartshorne carries a baby from the wreckage of Thursday's fire in Brooklyn. Firefighter Neil Malone (rt.) then gave the infant mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Photo: Joe Merino for the NY Daily News   Meet the Guest Blogger ! Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 27, 2011    By Guest Blogger Donna Cole Read more Werewolf Book Author Not Happy ! Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 27, 2011   By Guest Blogger Donna Cole Read more Mr. Liberal, Please save us from ourselves ! Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 27, 2011     By Guest Blogger Donna Cole. Read more Barry wants your vote....if.... Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 28, 2011 By Guest Blogger Donna Cole  Are you at least one or more of the following ?  A "well-educated socially liberal white", "who has gotten ahead on the basis of educational attainment", such as a "professor, artist, designer, editor, human resources manager, lawyer, librarian, social worker, teacher or therapist."   A minority of any income level.   Of any race in these categories, low income, a single female, under 30 and/or a college student.   A secularist.    If you answered yes to any of those questions, then Barry wants your vote.   If you don't fit into any of those, then Barry doesn't want your vote.   That is according to Tom Edsall writing in the NY Times' Campaign Stops blog. In his piece,"The Future of the Obama Coalition", Edsall discusses the Democrats' plan to send Barry and his cohorts back to Washington in 2012, so they can complete the destruction of the nation. I added the destruction part, but if Barry is re-elected in 2012, I see no other outcome.   Edsall points out that the Democrats' plan is to assemble a coalition of the aforementioned folks. This really is no shock, most of those folks vote Democrat anyway. What is important is who they are not counting on, Edsall writes;   "For decades, Democrats have suffered continuous and increasingly severe losses among white voters. But preparations by Democratic operatives for the 2012 election make it clear for the first time that the party will explicitly abandon the white working class. All pretense of trying to win a majority of the white working class has been effectively jettisoned in favor of cementing a center-left coalition."   Edsall then goes on to write very long, wonky, piece that only political nerds can enjoy, describing Barry's road to victory. A road I hope is filled with potholes. Edsall does point out what some of those potholes could be.   Let's leave Edsall's piece behind and discuss those of you who Barry and the Dems have jettisoned, you blue collar working class whites. Especially you union guys and gals.   For private sector unionized workers, this is for you minority workers too. The next time you listen to "Little Pig" Hoffa Jr. or "Fat Slob" Trumka telling you to vote for Democrats because they support the working man, and all their other nonsense, remember this: They are liars.   The Democrat party stands for the destruction of private business by excessive taxation and crushing regulation. The businesses that provide your job. A vote for a Democrat is a vote against your paycheck, against your family income and against the prosperity of your community.     I will leave out you SEIU members, they are putting LSD in the Koolaid you guys are drinking. You folks are a lost cause.    Now, for you public sector blue collar folks. Don't you feel like a clown ? You dopes were suckered to go out to Madison and protest for the teachers and the professors.  Where were the teachers when liberal county executive Chris Abele stuck it to you ? Where was the "Fat Slob" ? I didn't hear his disgusting big mouth howling anywhere around Milwaukee.   Everybody knows where Abele lives on Lake Drive, yet you dopes went and protested in front of Gov. Scott Walkers' home. If Walker and the Republicans wouldn't have passed their reforms a whole lot of you guys would be laid off right now. I cannot for the life of me understand why you guys don't get it.    You bus and snow plow drivers, you garbage men, you prison guards and all other blue collar public employees, they have never cared about you. You are just a tool they used, a sucker.   And guess what you suckers, they don't need you anymore. That is the proof that they never cared about you. You just don't fit in with that high minded liberal crowd, you get dirty at work. Euuuu.   We know that liberals do not believe in true equality. You know, that whole thing about judging a person by the content of his character not the color of his skin. The concept of self determination is a foreign one to liberals.     The Democrats' plan for 2012 is to tie the poor and minorities together with middle and upper income educated white liberals by telling them only these white elite liberals can take care of them. The unspoken implication being that Republican candidates and the working class whites who support them are racists.   This is the definition of class warfare. And Democrats have the audacity to accuse the right wing of engaging in class warfare. To be a liberal, one must be a hypocrite. It's time you blue collar union guys figured this out. It's a short flight from Athens to L.A. Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 29, 2011 By Guest Blogger Donna Cole  Back in the 1990's, when the European Union was being formed, I remember something my mother told me that I have never forgot. She said,"They are trying to build the Tower of Babel again." I admit, this analogy might not exactly fit. But I think it is safe to say, like the Biblical story of Babel, the construction project known as the EU and it's common currency,the Euro, is coming to an end. Read more You want a Conservative ? I got your Conservative. Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 30, 2011 By Guest Blogger Donna Cole. This is also posted on my blog MediaPolitical. 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