What Franklin's Steve Taylor didn't discuss in his latest e-newsletter

A message from Tommy Thompson

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 21, 2011

Friends,

The stumblin' bumblin' not very nonpartisan GAB strikes again

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 21, 2011

GAB’s Refusal to Create Recall Database a Choice, Not Based on State Law

State Legal Counsel: GAB Not Prohibited from Creating Online Database of Recall Petition Signatories

MacIver News Service | December 20, 2011

Yet another example why we need FEWER voters

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 21, 2011

I’m in the minority and I really don’t care.

Liberal newspaper editorial boards all across Wisconsin (and all other states for that matter) beg, plead, and hope for large voter turnouts on Election Day.

Not me.

I prefer a smaller, more educated electorate and have blogged extensively that some people are just too stupid to vote.

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - When a Congresswoman is shot...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I WILL BE POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

Franklin voters, before you go to the polls in April 2012...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2011

Please read this carefully: Board isn’t listening to the public.

Then vote YES on both of the following advisory referendum questions that will be on the April 2012 ballot:

Do you support compensating the position of Milwaukee County Supervisor at a level that reflects the position being considered part-time in nature?

Shall the size of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors be reduced from the current number of eighteen (18) Supervisors to nine (9) Supervisors?

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #10

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

TODAY WE BEGIN A SPECIAL SERIES COUNTING DOWN THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011.

After being approved in late 2010, tornado warning sirens were put in place in Franklin in early 2011.

I’ve written extensively about Franklin’s ill-advised decision to spend too much money on outdated tornado warning sirens.

Sorry, but I wasn’t convinced by the less than insightful arguments for sirens:

1) Well, gee, everybody else has them.

2) Yeh, but if we can save just one life…

Ironically, one commenter, fellow blogger dad29 wrote about sirens:

“Boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome to follow.”

Bottom line: Franklin officials that supported sirens did so out of pure emotion, not because of scientific research or cold, hard facts.

Enter veteran television meteorologist James Spann. Spann gets it.

From the air: Apartments in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that were completely flattened by the ferocious winds

Alabama tornado picture: aftermath of a tornado that hit Birmingham, making Alabama news headlines

After devastating tornadoes struck Alabama on April 27, Spann blogged about the problems with current warnings and alarms:

“I ask the NWS to consider stopping the use of tornado warnings when trying to catch small spin-ups within a squall line (or QLCS). These tornadoes rarely last more than a few minutes, and are next to impossible to detect in advance. And, in most cases, the greatest damage from a QLCS is from widespread damaging straight line winds, not tornadoes.

These kind of warnings force us to go on the air for 40-45 minutes, often after tornado signature has vanished from the radar. Sirens sound, the NOAA Weather Alarm goes off, severe weather apps on smart phones alert users. Getting these kind of warnings over and over and over again totally create an ocean of people that won’t be paying attention when a real tornado emergency is in progress.

I heard it over and over as people described their April 27 experience. ‘I hear those sirens all the time, and nothing ever happens’. The cry wolf syndrome is very real, and very dangerous.

Too many people believe they should hear a siren before a tornado strikes.

I think the time has come to take them down. Sirens are not efficient, reach a limited number of people, and can’t be heard in most homes, schools, and businesses. And, in most counties, the sirens don’t sound only in the warned polygon, they sound county wide. In some cases, this means you are hearing a siren when the actual tornado threat is over 40 miles away.

Sirens were born during the Cold War with the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s… their time has come and gone. If the sirens are taken down, then you KNOW you won’t hear one next time there is a tornado threat.

Most southerners still have the ‘siren mentality’, and that no doubt killed people April 27.

*NOAA Weather Radio must be upgraded to the polygon warning system soon, or it will become obsolete.

Sure, it is the best thing we have now, and I still promote it heavily. But, why hasn’t NOAA upgraded their system so the receiver manufacturers can produce models with GPS included so they sound only when the receiver is a in a warning polygon? If something doesn’t change soon, the private sector will be the ones that push the warning process into the new technological era.

The best model I see now for the future warning device is the WeatherRadio app from the iMap weather guys. If you are in a polygon, you get the notification on your smart phone. If you are not, nothing happens. it works beautifully.”

Read Spann’s entire blog here.

And more here.

THE TOP 10 FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

1) ?
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
5) ?
6) ?
7) ?
8) ?
9) ?
10)TORNADO WARNING SIRENS INSTALLED IN FRANKLIN

InterCHANGE goes on a brief hiatus

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2011

interCHANGE

For those of you who watch MPTV’s InterCHANGE, we will be off this week, next week, and the following week and return on January 13, 2012.

That should hopefully give our host and inspirational leader Dan Jones enough time to recover from knee surgery he had today.

Get well fast, Dan!

E-mails, I get e-mails: A great halftime show

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2011

From this past college football season, the University of West Virginia marching band saluting our troops.

A great gift idea

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2011

For many people this Christmas time, it’s not all that Andy Williams (“The Most Wondeful Time of the Year”).

It’s more like Elvis (“Blue Christmas”).

No matter the amount of Christmas spirit and joy, many people are hurting.

That's conservative columnist Cal Thomas who writes:

"As the ads and emails suggest last-minute gift ideas, here's a suggested gift that will last longer in your heart than any purchase you make for yourself or your family: Find someone who has lost a loved one to war and take them a present. It doesn't have to be expensive. Tell them, 'I wanted to bring you a gift in recognition of the gift your loved one gave our country.' If you don't know anyone, search online for organizations that assist families whose loved ones paid the ultimate price for our country. If you do that, I suspect this Christmas will be unforgettable for the person on the receiving end of your compassion."

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - What's wrong with this combo? NOTHING!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I WILL BE POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

What healthy red-blooded American male would object to a healthy mix of women, football, and underwear?

A wussy columnist in Green Bay, that’s who.

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #9

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

Politics can all too often become petty and personal and that can mar the entire process. It’s like thumb tacks tossed on the road.

My #9 story wasn’t the most important, obviously, but it shows how, let’s tell it like it is, childish our Franklin Common Council can be. That attitude impairs the overall ability to be an effective body.

It began in August at a regular meeting of the Council. Some aldermen were in an absolute snit because their colleague, Steve Olson forgot to get a note from home explaining why he couldn’t attend.

I’ve covered or been involved in politics for over 33 years, attended countless meetings, and I have never witnessed what happened at that Franklin Common Council meeting. At first blush, it may not sound like a big deal, but there’s a larger issue at play. If you listen to the audio of the very beginning of the meeting found on the city’s website, you’ll hear the following:

City Clerk Sandi Wesolowski takes the roll call and gets to Alderman Steve Olson.

Wesolowski: “Alderman Olson has sent an e-mail requesting to be excused.”

Wesolowski then calls on Alderman Tim Solomon when Alderman Ken Skowronski interrupts.

Skowronski: “Why?”

An unknown individual is clearly heard snickering.

Mayor Tom Taylor: “I told the clerk I think it’s probably proper that Council excuse its own members.”

Alderman Kristen Wilhelm: “He’s excused as far I’m concerned.”

Skowronski: “I asked a question. Why?”

Wesolowski: “He’s unable to make the meeting.”

Skowronski: “That ain’t an answer.”

Alderman Steve Taylor: “When are we going to bring a policy, something forward…”

Skowronski: “May I ask a question. Does the council excuse or does the mayor?”

Wilhelm: “Let’s just take the roll and move on. We’re starting off on a bad foot.”

Amen, Kristen, and congrats for exhibiting common sense, not once, but twice in those opening exchanges.

Again, if you listen to the audio, it’s apparent from Alderman Skowronski’s tone that his heart wasn’t melting with genuine concern for Alderman Olson’s well-being. I’ve never seen this at a public meeting, ever.

For 15 years I worked in the Wisconsin state Senate. Here’s the procedure. Senator X informs his/her leader that he/she can’t attend a floor session of the Senate. On the floor when the roll is being taken, the leader politely requests a leave of absence for that senator. The Senate President then asks the body if there’s any objection. There never is and the session continues. A policy debate or personal squabble would never break out or be allowed to.

After listening to the Franklin Common Council audio, I requested pertinent e-mails on the matter from City Hall. Here’s the first that got this ball rolling:

From: Steve Olson [mailto:steve-olson@wi.rr.com]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 10:03 PM
To: Sandi Wesolowski
Subject: Council Meeting, 8/16/11

Sandi:

I will be out of town and unable to participate in the Council meeting of 8/16.

Ald. Olson

That was followed by:

From: Sandi Wesolowski
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 9:57 AM
To: Tom Taylor
Subject: FW: Council Meeting, 8/16/11

From: Sandi Wesolowski
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 9:26 AM
To: 'Steve Olson'
Subject: RE: Council Meeting, 8/16/11

I will inform the Mayor.

Track Santa

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2011

On Norad.

Read more.

3rd UPDATE: Culinary no-no #95

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2011

Culinary no-no's

Previously on This Just In…

Culinary no-no #95 revolves around a Peyton Place-like scandal: a topless coffee shop that drew the ire of residents was burned to the ground by an arsonist. The suspect had a relationship with a waitress, and reportedly lit the fire out of jealousy.

Here’s the update.

Memo to the folks who tax us silly

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2011

"Kindness Boomerang"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2011

"One Day" music by Matisyahu.

Merry Christmas from the kids at St. Jude's

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2011

Goodnight everyone, and have a boogie woogie Christmas weekend!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 23, 2011

“Oh why can't every day be like Christmas
Why can't that feeling go on endlessly
For if everyday could be just like Christmas
What a wonderful world this would be”
Elvis Presley

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 work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight, our last Goodnight segment before Christmas. Normally, we're soft, smooth, mellow. This evening, we really cut loose.

Decades ago, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters did a swingin' version of Jingle Bells. Decades later, Barry Manilow and Expose did a great remake. Here's a perfect way to get us rollin'.

The best cartoons of the week

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 24, 2011

Political Cartoons by Nate Beeler

Political Cartoons by Steve Breen

The Barking Lot (12/24/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 24, 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: Sunny. High of 36. "C"

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. High of 37. "C"

Here’s my lovely wife, Jennifer with this week’s main blog:

I will admit, I am a wimp. I can’t completely read an article about an abused animal. It literally makes me sick to my stomach. When the SPCA commercials come on I have to leave the room or turn off the television. It’s the same with the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital commercials. All I do is cry and thank God that Kyla is healthy and then I turn away.

Week-ends (12/24/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 24, 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

Santa

Cody Jackson

Kateri Tekakwitha

Donna Kelly

Lauren Weinberg

New Berlin union workers

Bayshore Mall

Pete Solla

Brad Luddeke

VILLAINS OF THE WEEK

Grand Chute woman

Wisconsin's Medical Examining Board

Those who wage war on Christmas

Jerome Isaac

Erica Hobdy

Eder Rojas

Simone Paolercio

Gregg Doyel

NYC Sanitation Department

Paul Daniel Kunzler

The TSA

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“There’s a blueprint now to beat the Packers.”
ESPN analyst Doug Stewart after the Green Bay Packers’ first loss of the season last Sunday against Kansas City.

“I thought they (the Packers) were getting dangerously cocky, especially the quarterback.”
ESPN analyst Skip Bayless

“Hey, guys, you made it.”
Rodolfo Ruiz, U.S. sergeant, to the men in his vehicle shortly after crossing the border into Kuwait; they were among the last troops to exit Iraq.

“Look, I’ll tell you what. If he wants to test the heat, I’ll meet him anywhere in Iowa next week one on one, 90 minutes, no moderator. Let’s test this kitchen. I’m happy. I’ll go in the kitchen. Go back and ask Gov. Romney, would he like to play in the kitchen? I don’t think so. I don’t think he wants to do anything but hide over here and pretend it’s not his fault that he is flooding the people of Iowa with falsehoods. That’s his money and his staff and it’s his responsibility.”
Newt Gingrich

“They talk about income inequality. I’m for income inequality. I think some people should make more than other people, because some people work harder and have better ideas and take more risk, and they should be rewarded for it. I have no problem with income inequality.”
Rick Santorum

“A Washington Post opinion piece cites a survey that found “African Americans, who are 12.6 percent of the U.S. population, make up only 1.6 percent of Occupy Wall Street.” And blacks are 25 percent of New York City’s population. Occupy Wall Street was a home game for them. By contrast, 6 percent of tea party supporters, according to an April 2010 Gallup poll, are black. That’s almost four times the number of blacks who make up Occupy Wall Street.”
Larry Elder

“What I have done and what I will do as governor—that’s how I will campaign. The more government gets out of the way, the more we can get more businesses to come here and create jobs, and reach our goal of 250,000 new jobs in Wisconsin in five years.”
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in an interview with HUMAN EVENTS.

“This is a race that, since it will be held after Republicans have settled on their nominee against Barack Obama will be a dress rehearsal for the fall campaign for the White House. I suggest national reporters buy their plane tickets and make hotel reservations now."
Wisconsin veteran GOP consultant Scott Becher

"She (Mrs.Obama) lectures us on eating right while she has a large posterior herself.”
WI Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner

And finally, an exchange from ABC's This Week:

ROBERT REICH: I’m just saying that for conservatives to say that we cannot tax the wealthy, when all of the nation’s wealth and income, virtually speaking, is at the top, to invest in people and education and training and everything else we need to invest, it’s absurd on its face.

GEORGE WILL: You are a pyromaniac in a field of strawmen. No one is arguing against government investing in education. That’s not –

CONGRESSMAN BARNEY FRANK (D-MASSACHUSETTS): Wrong. You guys are.

CONGRESSMAN PAUL RYAN (R-WISCONSIN): No, we’re not.

WILL: No, we’re not.

FRANK: I’ll make the point.

WILL: Look, I’m not attacking the elderly. I am elderly.

OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK

The cost to taxpayers of Obama family vacation

Wastebook 2011

MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK

TIME magazine and Sarah Mason

MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK

Obama goes shopping.

STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK

She forgot her violin.

A Japanese Christmas tradition...

Not your typical Nativity scene.

That's it for this week. Merry Christmas!

We close with the latest from NewsBusted:

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #8

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 24, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

Last summer I posed the question: Do Franklin residents really care?

When it comes to politics and being civic-minded, how involved and dedicated are Franklin residents?

A) A really, really, really lot

B) Depends

C) Are you kidding? Not at all

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The correct answer is:

B) Depends

A) A really, really, really lot? Not even close.

C) Are you kidding? Not at all. That’s a bit closer, but not entirely true.

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being totally engaged and immersed in interest, Franklin residents register about a 2, maybe a 3 at best.

It’s just a stark reality, folks.

But again, it depends.

It depends on what you’re talking about.

In 2010, I wrote a series of blogs on what’s great about Franklin. Here are some excerpts:

“Franklin really loves Franklin. I’ve seen it at parades, fundraisers, and athletic events.”

“Multiply that by football, girls and boys basketball, soccer, etc., and throw in Little League. Franklin cares.”

“Franklin cares deeply about families and neighborhoods. There’s tremendous civic pride. Franklin is decent, humble, hard-working, a values-oriented community.”

What do Franklin residents care about the most? Children.

When it appeared Franklin would be the home to a sex predator house with as many as two dozen released offenders, Franklinites came out by the hundreds to object at a legislative public hearing at State Fair Park.

They voiced heavy opposition to a proposal offered by legislative Democrats to kill Franklin’s strong sex offender ordinances.

On a different front, my 2009 series of blogs about Franklin Little League and a flawed system for selecting All-Stars went viral, picked up by WTMJ’s Charlie Sykes.

Want to get Franklin citizens riled up? It’s issues about kids.

Residents in the 53132 zip code are passive by nature. Pick up my garbage. Plow my street. As long as my neighbors don’t blast their stereos and maintain their properties, I’m cool. I just want to go about my business and you can go about yours.

Politically, Franklin is overwhelmingly conservative. Voters in big numbers support the likes of Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, Mary Lazich, and Jeff Stone. Unfortunately, the makeup of our aldermen and school board members is predominantly liberal and doesn’t coincide with the beliefs of the majority.

Historically, Franklin folks are not politically aggressive, with the exception of children’s issues.

Consider the red meat fiscal issues of taxing and spending. Franklin residents are completely reactive. When their property tax bill arrives in mid-December, their alarm clock goes off. Problem is, it’s too late. The time to talk, e-mail, phone, show up at meetings was months ago. They were nowhere to be found or heard.

Truth is most Franklin residents despise what their elected representatives are doing to their pocketbooks. But instead of taking the bull by the horn, they’re out working, taking kids to youth athletics, mowing the lawn, etc., etc.

Think about that. If the prospect of their taxes going up doesn’t light their fire, why would they even be the least interested in most of what goes on at Franklin City Hall or the Franklin School Board.

Consider the “hot” debate at City Hall last spring and summer. Long after the recession hit, the folks who run our fair city finally woke up one day and decided something had to be done about the business climate and job creation. Brilliant.

Their answer? Let’s form a committee. We don’t know what kind of committee or who should be on it or who the committee should answer to or what the committee should do. Let’s just do it.

Generally in politics, the masses don’t care at all about process. They do care about results. The discussion that’s been going on the last several months at Franklin City Hall about improving our economy has been tiresome leading to this reaction from the public:

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Franklin residents are not pitchfork, lantern carrying rebel rousers. That works to their detriment.

They do not phone or e-mail their elected officials or show up at meetings. That doesn’t mean at all that they don’t care. But short-sighted pols assume that’s the case.

I’m sorry. After a hard day’s work, I’m not all that thrilled about showing up at City Hall only to be scoffed at by folks who feel they’re better and more intelligent. Spending time with my family will win out every time. I do have a telephone and computer and make my feelings known respectfully. I’m not convinced enough of my fellow Franklinites do the same.

So, in a nutshell, Franklin residents do care. They just don’t care nearly as much as they should.

He is Born

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 25, 2011

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

This image is a larger version of the Madonna of the Candelabra by Raphael (Forever) product.

My Most Popular Blogs (12/25/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 25, 2011

Photos of the Week (12/25/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 25, 2011

Photos of the Week

1) Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division rejoice in the convoy staging area before departing Camp Adder, now known as Imam Ali Base, Dec. 17, near Nasiriyah, Iraq. Photo: Mario Tama / Pool via EPA

2) Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division hug while preparing to depart in the last convoy from Iraq at Camp Adder, now known as Imam Ali Base, near Nasiriyah, Iraq, Dec. 17. The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending their withdrawal after nearly nine years of war and military intervention that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives. Photo: Pool via Reuters

3) Army Spc. Hunter LeVine, a 2007 graduate from College Park High School who lost both eyes and suffered major facial injuries from an EFP that hit his Humvee in Iraq, arrives to applause as he approaches his new home in The Woodlands, Texas, Monday, Dec. 19, 2011. LeVine is a new homeowner with the help of HelpingaHero.org. He received the keys to his new home from baseball great Roger Clemens and U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady. Photo: Eric Kayne / Houston Chronicle via AP

4) Four-year-old Aden Kahl of Glen Ridge, New Jersey, touches names on the wall as he visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial December 19, 2011 in Washington, DC. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) honored veterans and active-duty military personnel during its annual Christmas tree ceremony by placing the tree, decorated with homemade holiday greeting cards and ornaments sent by Americans, near the wall of the memorial. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

5) Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, left, kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2011 after Gaeta's ship returned from 80 days at sea. It ís a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings - one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one. On Wednesday, for the first time, the happily reunited couple was gay. Photo: Brian J. Clark / Virginian Pilot via AP

6) A tearful announcer dressed in black announces the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong il on North Korean State Television on Dec. 19, 2011. North Korean leader Kim Jong il died on a train trip, state television reported on Monday, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear program. The announcer said the 69-year old had died on Saturday of physical and mental over-work on his way to give "field guidance". Photo: KRT / Reuters

7) A man reacts to a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as he reads the reports of his death on the newspaper company's display board in Seoul December 19, 2011. (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon)

8) Unidentified typhoon victims, inside coffins and body bags, lie near a road awaiting identification by their relatives near Iligan city on Dec. 20, 2011. Photo: Erik De Castro / Reuters

9) A boy shovels mud as he cleans his house swamped with mud from flash floods in Iligan city, southern Philippines Dec. 21. Residents of two southern Philippine cities battered by a storm that left over 1,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands started the hard work of reclaiming their lives as authorities buried dozens of bodies in concrete vaults on Wednesday. Photo: Erik De Castro / Reuters

10) A surveillance photo provided by the New York Police Department shows a man charged with homicide and arson, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. A woman burned to death in the elevator of her Brooklyn apartment building Saturday afternoon after Jerome Isaac, of Brooklyn, ambushed her, sprayed her with liquid and set her afire with a Molotov cocktail, police said. Photo: NYPD via AP

11) People try to help the victim of a fatal shooting at the Capital Area Transportation Authority facility in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. Police say it's not clear what sparked the shooting. A suspect was being sought.(AP Photo/Lansing State Journal, Rod Sanford)

12) A combo of still images taken from handout CCTV footage from Barnsley railway station released by the British Transport Police on Dec. 22, 2011 shows a woman stumbling backwards as she alights from a train, reaching out to support herself on the side of the carriage and falling into the gap between the train and the platform. The woman, who had been drinking, fell right under the train and was recovered from the tracks and taken to a hospital suffering from cuts and bruises. Photos: British Transport Police via AFP - Getty Images

13) Shelby Police talk to a witness after Police say a juvenile backed a car up a utility pole support wire Tuesday evening in Shelby, N.C., on Dec. 13. Photo: Ben Earp / The Star via AP

14) Officers with Norfolk Police Division look over the scene where an SUV crashed into the boyhood home of Johnny Carson in Norfolk, Neb., Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. Photo: Jake Wragge / AP

15) Personnel from the Health Department check the condition of ice cream that spilled on Interstate 69, Dec. 23, 2011, in Fort Wayne, Ind. Police said 40,000 pounds of ice cream spilled from a semitrailer closing two lanes of I-69 at the start of the holiday weekend. Photo:Michelle Davies / The Journal-Gazette via AP

16) Hungarian sculptor Erno Toth unveils his statue of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs during a ceremony in a private business park in Budapest, Dec. 21. Photo: Laszlo Balogh / Reuters

17) Indian villagers chase a wild elephant through Dhimalbasty village area, some 40 kms from Siliguri on December 21. A wild elephant created panic as it destroyed homes after it wandered into the village. Asian elephants are listed as endangered - as the human population increases, the elephants' natural habitat is destroyed and they are forced to live in the farming areas where they cause damage to crops. Photo: Diptendu Dutta / AFP - Getty Images

18) A taxidermist removes the horn off of stuffed rhinoceros at the Natural History Museum of Berne(NMBE) on December 20. Upset by the growing theft in the European museums, the Natural History Museum of Berne has decided to remove the horns of their six stuffed rhinoceros and replace them with wooden dummy horns. Photo: Lisa Schaeublin / Natural History Museum of Berne via AFP-Getty Images

19) Shikhei Goh of Indonesia is the winner of the 2011 National Geographic Photography Contest. "This photo was taken when I was taking photos of other insects, as I normally did during macro photo hunting. I wasn't actually aware of this dragonfly since I was occupied with other objects. When I was about to take a picture of it, it suddenly rained, but the lighting was just superb. I decided to take the shot regardless of the rain. The result caused me to be overjoyed, and I hope it pleases viewers.Location: Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia." Photo and caption by Shikhei Goh

20) Triston Katic, 12, of Houston, spends some time with a kitten in its cage during the SPCA's winter 'Critter Camp', Monday, Dec. 19, 2011, in Houston. The camp gives kids hands-on time with shelter dogs, cats and farm animals. Kids get a chance to learn fun and new facts about the animals and do animal-themed crafts, activities and games. Photo: Nick De La Torre / Houston Chronicle via AP

21) Mei Xiang, the female giant panda at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, eats breakfast Monday, Dec. 19, 2011. The zoo announced a $4.5 million gift Monday to fund its giant panda reproduction program for five more years. Donator and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, who is also co-founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group, said in a news conference, "There are probably 10 million species on the face of the earth, and I doubt that any one of those species is more popular and more beloved than the giant panda." "Hopefully this will result in more pandas being born here," he said. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

22) In this photo taken Dec. 8. 2011, the polar bear cub Siku is seen at Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Djursland, Denmark. A Danish zoo says a month-old polar bear cub has been taken into care since its mother failed to produce enough milk to feed him. Scandinavian Wildlife Park manager Frank Vigh-Larsen says Siku, now weighing 112 ounces (3,200 grams)_ against 49 ounces (1,800 grams) at birth _ was doing "really fine." (AP Photo/POLFOTO, Skandinavisk Dyrepark). One more picture. Photo: Skandinavisk Dyrepark / AP

23) A seal plays with a new toy it found amongst treats left around a make shift snowman, center back, during festive celebrations at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

24) AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado, right, defends himself against an attacker who rushed from the stands during a cup match against Ajax in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Dec. 21, 2011. Photo: Stanley Gontha / AP. Here, Alvarado kicks the man. Photo: Olaf Kraak / EPA. Referee Bas Nijhuis gave a red card to Alvarado. The match was abandoned when the AZ players walked off the pitch.

25) The Stadium lights go out in the second quarter during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on Monday night. Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images

26) Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is tackled by a group of Kansas City Chiefs defenders during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 19-14, handing the Packers their first loss of the season. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

27) Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) is hit by New England Patriots free safety Matthew Slater (18) on his way to a touchdown in the first quarter of their game, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez). New England won, 41-23.

28) Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson (89) flips over Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington (58) for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game, Dec. 24, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Photos: Darron Cummings / AP

29) Germantown's Zak Showalter hangs from the rim after dunking in front of Menomonee Falls' CJ Malone during the first half at Homestead High School. Photo: Peter Zuzga

30) A Chinese man diving into the Jingpo lake from a frozen waterfall on Mudanjiang, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province. The winter swimming is especially popular amongst the elderly and retired as it's believed to improve circulation and benefit health. Photo: AFP - Getty Images

31) Christmas miracle? Aizee Tumanda, a five day old infant, was born on the roof of a health clinic that was submerged by floodwaters, in Cagayan de Oro, southern Mindanao, Philippines, on Dec. 22, 2011. Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan / EPA

32) Newborn Kendall Paciorek gets special attention from her sister Madison and her mom Michelle Wakley on her first full day home from the hospital in Fishers, Indiana. Kendall was born three months prematurely when her mother contracted listeria after eating contaminated cantaloupe. With help from Madison, Dave Paciorek feeds his daughter Kendall via a gastrointestinal tube with help from his 4-year-old daughter Madison. Photos: Jonathan Adams for msnbc.com

33) Harris County inmate Brandi Vela cries as she hugs her daughter, Jazmine Vela, 10, after arriving for Christmas event for 15 female inmates in the Harris County Sheriff's Office Reentry Services Program to spend time with their children, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, in Houston. The inmates had presents donated by Navidad en el Barrio to give their children. The women are minimum risk inmates who have had good relationships with their children. The female inmates are also working with Reentry Services in setting goals for a successful transition back into the community in efforts to reduce recidivism. Children accompanied by adults can visit inmates during routine visitation days but without physical contact. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Melissa Phillip)

34) Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew, second from right, is assisted by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, second from left, and Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, right, as they light the National Hanukkah Menorah during a ceremony on The Ellipse in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 marking the first night of Hanukkah. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

35) Laser beams that create the image of a large Hanukkah menorah are projected on the Hiriya landfill, a former waste disposal site, now called the Ariel Sharon Park, near Tel Aviv, Israel, on the second eve of Hanukkah, Dec. 21, 2011. The Jewish festival of light, an eight-day commemoration of the Jewish uprising in the second century B.C. against the Greek-Syrian kingdom, which had tried to put statues of Greek gods in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, started Tuesday. Photo: Ariel Schalit / AP

36) The facade of St Mary's Cathedral is lit up during the Lights of Christmas celebration on December 18, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Mark Kolbe - Getty Images

37) In this photo made using a long exposure and zooming the lens, hundreds of lights illuminate the home of Norm and Michele Rados in Olmsted Township, Ohio on Dec. 23. Rados said it takes four to five weekends of work to finish his annual holiday display leading up to the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Photo:Mark Duncan / AP

38) Leo Park, 6, watches as a man dressed as Santa Claus is lifted by crane towards the world's first Santa-friendly chimney in Somerford Keynes, southern England, on Monday, Dec. 19. The development of the chimney, which is undergoing practical tests, was inspired by Leo Park after he told his mother, Jade, that the chimney in the house they were having built was too small to accommodate Santa Claus. Photo: Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

39) Participants to the 73rd edition of the annual Christmas swimming prepare to jump into the lake of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. More than one thousand men and women swam the 125-meters at the traditional Christmas swimming in Geneva where the water temperature was about 5.2 degrees C (41.36 degrees F). (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

40) A police officer takes a picture of his partner as snow covers Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Dec. 23. Snow and sub zero temperatures are a rarity in this area. Photo:Jesus Alcazar / AFP - Getty Images

41) A monkey pod tree in Hilo, Hawaii, frames a snow capped Mauna Kea mountain, like a Christmas wreath on Saturday Dec. 24, 2011, bringing a white Christmas to the Big Island. After a dusting of snow overnight, officials at the University of Hawaii's Mauna Kea Weather Center reported areas of patchy snow on the upper elevations of Mauna Kea. Photo: Tim Wright / AP

AND FINALLY,

From The Looking Spoon.

WHEREVER YOU GO TODAY...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 25, 2011

SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #7

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 25, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

Two weeks ago, December 8 to be exact, a friend of mine from Menomonee Falls excitedly asked me the following:

“Kevin, do you think my property taxes went up, stayed the same, or went down?”

Not knowing what his locals did, I guessed that because of his school board, his taxes went up slightly. Nope.

“They went down dramatically!” he proclaimed. “What about yours?”

My tax news took about another ten days to arrive in my mailbox but the news was good. Mine went down slightly. Imagine if the Franklin Common Council hadn’t increased spending by 24%.

Thank you, Scott Walker. If not for his state budget action that essentially imposed a property tax freeze, my taxes probably would have gone up 3-4% or more. So again, thank you, Governor. Franklin is still a tax hell, but not as hellish as the past, and that’s no thanks to the people with taxing authority in our city.

Yes, we’re a tax hell. Some folks don’t like hearing or reading that, but it’s true. The data is simply overwhelming and this messenger emphatically made that point in 2011.

Toward the end of 2009 when I posted more evidence of how ridiculous our taxes are, Mayor Tom Taylor, instead of making a public admission and promise to do something about it, commissioned his staff to prepare a report in rebuttal that compared Franklin’s city tax rate to tax rates in surrounding communities.

Mayor Taylor distributed this report to Common Council members who, at one of their subsequent meetings, nodded like brainwashed sheep and laughed and snickered at and insulted anyone (like me) that would dare question our obscene taxes. The hope was that the general public wouldn’t see the major flaw in the staff report, that the tax rate is meaningless. It’s the tax LEVY that’s important.

Earlier this year, I asked the Research Director for the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX), Dale Knapp for the latest property tax information for the city of Franklin. From the WISTAX web site:

“Celebrating its 78th year, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) is the state's oldest and most respected private government research organization. Since 1932, it has been promoting better government and an informed citizenry through its publications, public outreach and extensive school programs.”

Knapp responded to my request:

“The latest numbers for the city of Franklin are for 2009/10 (billed in 2009, payable in 2010). We won't have this year's numbers until later this spring.”

There are important tables reported by WISTAX.

1) The municipal tax is the total amount levied by the municipality for municipal purposes.

2) The net levy includes all property taxes levied in the municipality. This includes the levy for the local school district(s), technical colleges, county, municipality, special districts, and the state.

3) Per capita, or tax paid by each person.

Let’s look at how the city of Franklin fares among all 599 cities and villages ranked by WISTAX.

The municipal tax: Franklin ranked #308

The net levy: Franklin ranked #157.

Doesn’t seem all that terrible, does it?

But now you look at the per capita rankings.

For the municipal tax, Franklin ranked # 67. For the net levy, Franklin ranked # 42.

In October I reported more information, this time from the non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. The WTA listed the 2010-11 Municipal and Net Levies by Cities and Villages. At that time in October, those were the current levies. Municipalities were working on the 2011-12 levies.

There are 594 cities and villages in Wisconsin that were part of this compilation by the WTA with #1 being the best in their rankings, #594 the worst.

The city of Franklin’s Municipal Levy (just under $21 million) ranked at #291. That puts Franklin in the top 49%. The city’s per capita of $618 (based on the municipal levy) ranked us at #66, or in the top 11% of tax and spenders among cities and villages statewide.

OK. The above is what Franklin City Hall can actually control. Now you add in all the other taxes ON TOP of what the city imposes. Schools. Sewer. County. And you get the Net Levy. Franklin’s 2010-11 Net Levy of $87.1 million ranked #124. Remember, Franklinites still have to pay all that regardless of the taxing authority. That ranked us at #124, or in the top 21% statewide.

Now, the per capita based on the Net Levy is $2,571. That, to me, is a laugher. I’d give an appendage to receive an annual tax bill like that. That ranks us at #46, or in the top 8% statewide.

This year we got a huge break because Scott Walker’s budget, approved by legislative Republicans, basically mandates real honest to goodness property tax relief. Your locals had nothing to do with it. If they dare to grab credit, shame on them.

Despite the lower taxes, we in Franklin still pay too much because we spend too much. I’ll continue to point that out even though the tax and spenders, heads in sand will reply that critics:

1) Are too negative

2) Aren’t as smart as they are

3) Don’t know what they’re talking about

4) Are mean and nasty

5) Don’t have a degree in accounting

6) Just want people to read their blog

With no disrespect, anytime the mayor or aldermen would like to trade tax bills with me, I’m wide open to that.

THE TOP 10 FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

1) ?

2) ?

3) ?

4) ?

5) ?

6) ?

7) GOV. WALKER TURNS THE HEAT DOWN IN TAX HELL

8) APATHY AILS FRANKLIN

9) NO EXCUSE FOR THEIR BEHAVIOR

10) TORNADO WARNING SIRENS INSTALLED IN FRANKLIN

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - "God is the explanation"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I WILL BE POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

It was one of my must-reads of 2011.

JibJab's Year in Review

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

Here is...FINAL JEOPARDY!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

ELVIS

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, yes it's that time.....time once again for another This Just In edition of:

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Are you ready?

Well then, let’s play!

Today’s Final Jeopardy category is:

ELVIS

Now, you know how this works.

In a moment, I’ll give you the Final Jeopardy clue.

You will have 30 seconds (if you play fair, that will be when the music runs out) to come up with an answer and remember, players……… your answer must be in the form of a question.

Ready.

Here’s your clue.

SHE GAVE ELVIS HIS FIRST ON-SCREEN KISS.

Good luck.

Alright players, time's up.

Again, today’s Final Jeopardy category is:

ELVIS

The Final Jeopardy answer was:

SHE GAVE ELVIS HIS FIRST ON-SCREEN KISS.

The correct question is:

The Governor's Journal names Scott Walker...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

Governor of the Year.

In case you missed them over the Christmas weekend...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

The best cartoons of the week

The Barking Lot (12/24/11)

Week-ends (12/24/11)

Recommended Reading (12/25/11)

Photos of the Week (12/25/11)

The latest pro-life news

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

From Wisconsin Right To Life:

The buzz within the MPD

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

Not every city of Milwaukee police officer is enamored with Chief Ed Flynn. I’m told the rank officers that are not members of the chief's fan club are hoping Mitt Romney wins the presidential election this year and that Romney appoints Flynn to a position so he gets the hell out of here.

From Flynn’s bio on the city website:

“Flynn served as Secretary of Public Safety under Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney from January 2003 until taking command in Springfield (in 2006)."

TT: Mark Neumann back to his old ways

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

Dear Team Tommy Members,

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #6

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 26, 2011

To get THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #6 rolling, please watch the following brief video:

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - This is why I asked her to take my place

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 27, 2011

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - Did you know the city of Franklin has an official theme song?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 27, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I WILL BE POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

Oh yes it does.

Uh one.

Uh two.

UH THREE!

The biggest property tax stick up artists of 2011

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 27, 2011

Here’s how each taxing entity took a bite out of my property tax bill:

State tax 0.70 %

I'm on WISN

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 27, 2011

I fill in for Mark Belling this Friday on Newstalk 1130 WISN from 3-6 pm.

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #5

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 27, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

Hey, Franklin property taxpayer. Did your property taxes go down?

What’s that? You’re stunned to say they did, even a bit? You say you’re happy with that?

What if I was to tell you that the city of Franklin budget that was adopted increased spending by 24% and could you imagine what your tax savings could have been if the city had acted in a fiscally responsible manner and held spending to say, the cost of inflation?

That’s the major problem with Franklin’s City Hall. They simply spend way, way, way too much. And if to dare question it, you are met with stunned disbelief as if you’re the total idiot.

“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.”
A quote attributed to US Senator Everett Dirksen (R-Illinois) during the 1960’s.

An exchange that took place at the Franklin Common Council meeting on September 6 was anything but controversial. But it was quite revealing, demonstrating the mindset that permeates the vast majority of the Franklin Common Council and yes, I’ll toss in Mayor Tom Taylor.

They just can’t say no to any spending item.

At issue was this item on the agenda:

Resolution awarding contract to D.C. Burbach, Inc. in the amount of $11,981.70 for the installation of concrete sidewalk in easement from W. Forest Hill Avenue to a Franklin High School drive.

Translation: This was a request to pave a pathway from the property of a Franklin resident to Franklin school district property near the high school that is often used as a walkway by Franklin students.

Again, the price tag: $11,981.

Here are some of the highlights I noted after listening to the audio of the meeting on the city of Franklin website.

Alderman Steve Olson set the tone:

“We’re being nice, folks, and we’re fixing a problem and it’s costing us more money because we’re fixing the problem.”

Mayor Tom Taylor interjected:

“The school district is willing to share 40% of the cost.”

Let’s stop right there.

The mayor’s comment is irrelevant and silly to say the least.

HELLO! It doesn’t matter if the Franklin school district is picking up 40% of the cost.

IT’S STILL MONEY CHARGED TO ALL FRANKLIN PROPERTY TAXPAYERS!

That was lost, not surprisingly, on the universally clueless Alderman Doug Schmidt:

“It seems like a pretty small expenditure.”

SEE ABOVE DIRKSEN QUOTE.

Of course, if there’s increased spending on the line, it wouldn’t be a Franklin Common Council meeting if we didn’t hear from goodie two shoes, if we can save just one life, Alderman Kristen Wilhelm who raised the issue of impact fees, a strictly money-grubbing policy adopted by the city decades ago to rip off new property owners. Wilhelm’s subsequent comment is breathtaking in its sheer ultra-liberalism:

“You have to buy your way into Franklin…you can’t even get a walkway to your school?”

That’s right, Kristen. You’ll need to dry your tears but the overwhelming majority of taxpaying families DO NOT have a tailor-made paved walkway to their children’s school. Wilhelm’s next remark was not a stunner:

“This is something we can afford to do.” (BTW, Alderman Wilhelm's voting and philosophy improved as the year went on).

Of course there’s a larger issue here. In order to discern it, you must possess the ability to comprehend beyond your nose and what’s directly in front of you. That would eliminate 5 of the 6 aldermen on the Franklin Common Council. Alderman Steve Olson, admitting he knew and liked the property owner involved provided this gem as opposed to the typical tunnel vision employed by the rest of his colleagues:

“What I’m trying to get people to understand is you budget for a purpose. And if every time somebody comes by with a project and we find a way to fund it, that means we’re not budgeting properly. You get projects all the time, we don’t need to make them more expensive. We like to spend money here.”

Obvious. Fiscally responsible. Sound, common sense. That means it went over the other heads in the room. Alderman Schmidt:

“The school district is prepared to share the cost.”

Time to rewind this blog by a few paragraphs.

HELLO! It doesn’t matter if the Franklin school district is picking up 40% of the cost.

IT’S STILL MONEY CHARGED TO ALL FRANKLIN PROPERTY TAXPAYERS!

Mayor Taylor then asked the city clerk to read the motion. Trouble is, no motion had been made. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

Then came Alderman Steve Taylor who just couldn’t resist stepping in it. He began by stating what a great job the city had done budgeting in the past, a claim that is highly questionable. And then:

“Alderman Olson, I have no shock that there will be a no vote coming from you on this year’s budget. I’d put money on that because that’s always been the case. If this was $70,000 it’d be a whole different story. I’ll put cash down on his vote.”

Interesting. A city budget hadn’t even been crafted yet, but Alderman Taylor assumes a NO vote from Alderman Olson. And one could assume from the rhetoric that Alderman Taylor, even without seeing a budget, is ready to vote YES and criticize anyone who would vote NO.

Hmmm. That sounds a lot like…

Back to the Franklin Common Council meeting.

God love Kristen Wilhelm, but if you listen to the tape, she suddenly is speaking 100 mph and can’t wait to have the roll call to spend some more money:

“Let’s just get on with this. I’d like to call the question.”

The measure passed unanimously. I question Alderman Olson’s YES vote that went against his arguments on the floor, but he knew the resident involved and said he was going to vote YES. But his comments should be adhered to. Unfortunately, knowing the "can’t wait to spend" mentality currently permeating City Hall, this fell on deaf ears:

“What I’m trying to get people to understand is you budget for a purpose. And if every time somebody comes by with a project and we find a way to fund it, that means we’re not budgeting properly. You get projects all the time, we don’t need to make them more expensive. We like to spend money here.”

They don't get it. They just don't get it.

Spend, spend, spend. That's why we live in a tax hell.

THE TOP 10 FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

1) ?

2) ?

3) ?

4) ?

5) FRANKLIN'S MOTTO: SPEND, SPEND, SPEND

6) CAN’T WE JUST ALL GET ALONG?

7) GOV. WALKER TURNS THE HEAT DOWN IN TAX HELL

8) APATHY AILS FRANKLIN

9) NO EXCUSE FOR THEIR BEHAVIOR

10) TORNADO WARNING SIRENS INSTALLED IN FRANKLIN

You don't mess with Derek Mothershead

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 28, 2011

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - I'm married to That Girl

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 28, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I WILL BE POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

On New Year's Day, ME TV will present a...

UPDATE: Ladies, a gun is your friend

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 28, 2011

Previously on This Just In...

The update:

E-mails, I get e-mails: Union Political Contributions by Party

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 28, 2011

I knew the spread was great but...

Stop calling it "co-sleeping"

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 28, 2011

Call it what it really is.

“It’s negligence or it’s murder, involuntary or manslaughter.”

That’s what James T. Harris said today while filling in for Charlie Sykes on WTMJ Radio. Harris was discussing the latest fatality, a 10-day old baby that died while sleeping with other family members in the same bed.

State Representative Joe Knilans (R- Janesville) foolishly called in and told Harris that parents of brand new infants need to be educated before they leave the hospital. Using the word “legislation,” Knilans made the goofy statement that a parent or parents need to see a DVD showing the “perils of what can happen” if they sleep with their babies. The video, said Knilans, could be similar to how parents are instructed to bathe a baby.

Harris rightly was incredulous.

“You’re kidding me, right, you’re messing with me,” he said to Knilans.

No he wasn’t.

Harris then asserted that using videos paid for by taxpayers to teach common sense won’t solve the problem that’s caused by a breakdown of the family. You need to prosecute and punish.

Claiming to agree, Knilans said he didn’t think prosecutors would take such action, so he took his other foot and put that in his mouth by calling for investigation of the issue including the collection of data. I thought Harris was going to pull his hair out.

Good grief. A Republican who sounded just like a liberal Democrat on the biggest radio station in the state.

In the meantime, let’s have government programs with DVDs and free cribs. All because some mother high on cocaine or some unmarried woman's live-in boyfriend high on cocaine is too stupid to know you don’t go to bed with an infant.

God help us.

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #4

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 28, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

In Franklin it’s 2007 all over again. Plans are already firmly in place by the Franklin Public School administration to tap into your wallets big time via referendum. They’ve been plotting strategy since the end of 2009, trying to devise a scheme whereby you part with your hard-earned tax dollars in the name of new or upgraded facilities. The strategy includes partnering with what is regarded to be the most expensive architect in the state to produce and then sell an unnecessary proposal during what is the worst of economic times. Will Franklin voters vote to give themselves a huge property tax increase? Let’s examine some of the issues surrounding the school administration’s plot.

SOB STORIES

To get into your purse strings, they’ll have to tug at your heartstrings. In other words, they hope to play on your emotions by claiming a recent rash of surveys mandates you help finance new construction. Prepare for the crying towels followed by innumerable mentions of, “It’s for the children.”

This website, FranklinNOW already began serving as a drum-beating cheerleader for the cause. Reporter Rick Romano blazed the trail in an article that somehow failed to contain any quote from anyone who might remotely have an opposing view. That would be too much like journalism. Some of what Romano writes is ludicrously funny.

You could just sense Romano walking alongside Franklin High School Principal Mike Cady like a lapdog, soaking up every unchallenged quote like this one:

“This has been a district that has been well-managed financially.”

If by “well-managed financially” Cady means taxed to the max and then some each and every year, that would be true.

Superintendent Steve Patz told Romano, “We do know that our needs are mostly from the middle school level through the high school."

Scary. Why? I don’t trust most school officials to know the difference between “needs” and “wants.”

Architect Bob Vaigrt is also quoted, saying, “The way we see it is that interest rates are really low, there may be favorable government financing programs available and a lot of companies in the construction industry are looking for work. With all of those factors, this may not necessarily be a bad time to do these projects."

Translation/spin: Do it now, Franklin, and do it fast before the costs go up.

Of course, if you disagree, you are anti-child, anti-education, anti-Franklin, anti- America, anti-God.

It’s bad enough FranklinNOW published an incredibly one-sided puff piece. It then tried to reinforce the issue with pictures.

Check out this photo with the caption used by FranklinNOW:

Records Show Few People Actually Complained About Waukesha School Board Member's Participation in Political Ad

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 29, 2011

MacIver News Service | December 29, 2011

E-mails, I get e-mails: A Handy Translator

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 29, 2011

Translations of Common Euphemisms

Read more

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - This one was special

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 29, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I AM POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

Why was it special?

Because this blog was designed specifically for my liberal friends.

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #3

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 29, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

Hey, Franklin taxpayer, did you notice anything different on your property tax bill this year?

There it is, in that little box. Garbage fee. $104.

Wait a minute! Don’t I already pay property taxes for my garbage collection? What’s this fee business? And where the hell did that come from?

The masterminds at Franklin City Hall took garbage pick-up off the property tax rolls and instituted the new fee (tax) as part of the approved city of Franklin budget.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Here is an excerpt from Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor’s proposed 2012 City of Franklin budget written by Finance Director Cal Patterson:

“The City of Franklin has for many years included solid waste charges as part of the services funded by the property tax levy. The Mayor is proposing starting in 2012 that these charges be funded by those citizens that receive the benefit of garbage collection, recycling collection, leaf and brush collection and residential drop off services at the DPW yard. This funding will be in the form of a special charge that will be added annually to the property tax bill.

The amount of the gross charge is calculated to be $140 per year for each single family home. The amount of the actual charge will be about $104.”

Got that?

I’m not sure how an actual charge has to be described by the word about.

And I like how he calls this new tax a special charge. Makes me goose-pimply all over.

We’ll come back, but first, some important background is in order.

During 2010, and especially around budget time, I wrote several blogs about Franklin being a tax hell and backed them up with factual, numerical data. In December of 2010, following passage of our city budget and about the time property tax bills were to be mailed, Steve Walters wrote a column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel comparing property taxes in Wisconsin from 2002-2010, or Governor Jim Doyle’s tenure in office.

From one of my blogs:

Here is one of Steve Walters’ findings:

"+19.1%: The Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates that the December 2002 net property tax bill on that mythical median-valued Wisconsin home was $2,517, and the bills that will soon be arriving in that homeowner's mailbox will be for $3,000 - a $19.1% increase."

Walters’ column got me wondering how the city of Franklin’s tax numbers changed during the same 8-year period.

The property tax levy is the most important tax piece. In 2002, Franklin’s property tax levy was $15,606,851. The recently-adopted Franklin budget has a property tax levy of $ $20,426,000. That’s an increase of 30.8 %.

Rather than focus on the levy, Franklin City Hall leaders have been concentrating on the tax rate. They submit that Franklin’s taxes when comparing our tax rate to the rates in other communities aren’t all that bad.

OK, so let’s look at the tax rate. In 2002, Franklin’s tax rate was $8.17. The recently-adopted city budget has a tax rate of $24.76. That’s an increase of 203%.

Even if you just look at the past four years going back to 2006, Franklin’s property tax levy increased 10.4%. The tax rate increased 15.3%. The current recession began in late 2007.

Is Franklin a tax hell? You be the judge.
This Just In…December 13, 2010.

One week before that blog, and again, after the budget tax levy increase had been approved, I blogged the following:

Last month, the Franklin Common Council on a vote of 5-1 with support from Mayor Tom Taylor adopted a 2.6 percent property tax levy increase during a recession when taxpayers are facing salary and benefit cuts, job losses, and foreclosures. We who pay the bills were lectured that this tax and spending increase was “responsible.” In other words, keep your mouth shut, accept it, and pay your bill on time.

Just a few weeks later, could it be that a case of the guilts has descended upon City Hall?

At the request of Mayor Taylor, an informational report has been compiled for Tuesday’s Franklin Common Council meeting entitled: “Comparison of Municipal Property Tax Rates and Other Municipal Charges.” The intent is crystal clear. The report, prepared November 30, is to be used as ammunition in defense of the recession property tax levy hike.

The Mayor, the report states, asked for the analysis “to address whether or not Franklin has high taxes compared to other communities.” It further claims, “Franklin has very low municipal property taxes when compared to other Milwaukee County communities, and when other municipal special charges are considered, Franklin fairs (sic) even better.”

I’m sure that comes as great comfort to Franklin taxpayers who will be brimming with exuberance when they get their annual Christmas present from the city in the mailbox later this month.

City staff analyzed the assessed property tax rates for all 19 Milwaukee County communities and then applied the 2009 Aggregate ratio of Assessment to those rates to determine an equalized property tax rate for each community. The Franklin report states, “Franklin has the third lowest rate with 13 of the communities exceeding Franklin’s rate by more than fifty cents per thousand dollars of equalized value and nine of those communities exceeding Franklin’s rate by more than $1.00 per thousand dollars of equalized value..”

The report then makes this bold claim:

“From this perspective, Franklin clearly has very low municipal property taxes when compared to other Milwaukee County communities.”

Another key point of the report is that other communities impose “special charges” for services. Franklin does not assess a special charge for garbage collection, recycling, or storm water utility.

Finally, the report asserts, “Franklin’s equalized municipal property tax rate is one of the lowest in the County. (The special charges in other communities) clearly solidifies Franklin’s position as a comparatively low taxed and charged community.”

Really?

This analysis is not convincing and, quite frankly, flawed.

The report emphasizes tax rates, a common ploy of the tax and spenders. The tax rate is meaningless. It’s the property tax levy that’s important.
This Just In…December 6, 2010

Let’s recap:

1) During 2010, yours truly, and some other bloggers complained about Franklin taxes, a sentiment I submit is shared by thousands of Franklin taxpayers.

2) The criticism fell on deaf ears. The School Board and the Common Council both approved budgets with property tax levy increases beyond the rate of inflation.

3) After the budgets were approved, bloggers continued their review.

4) Mayor Taylor authorized Finance Director Patterson to compile a report on the tax rates and fees charged in other Milwaukee County municipalities and used the report as defense that Franklin is not a tax hell (More on this shortly).

5) Mayor Taylor proposed a garbage collection fee in his 2012 city budget arguing that:

A) Each citizen will pay the same rate
B) Citizens not receiving the service will not have to pay
C) Our tax levy will be more comparable to surrounding communities

The mayor acknowledged “the property tax levy will decline but a special charge will go up by a corresponding amount,” and “there will be some income tax impact of reducing the deductible property tax charge and replacing it with a non deductible special charge.”

Most elected officials with taxing authority in Franklin have a tax and spend mentality. The garbage collection fee is yet another symptom of that mentality.

This could set a precedent, opening Pandora’s Box. What future fees or “special charges” could be next?

During the 1980 city of Milwaukee mayoral race between Henry Maier and Dennis Conta, the challenger, Conta called for a tax on suburbanites who worked in the city of Milwaukee. Maier correctly countered that you do not lower taxes by increasing other taxes.

Former Milwaukee County Supervisor Gerald Engel used to keep a small sign on his desk that read: “A tax is a tax is a tax.” A fee or a “charge” as Mayor Taylor puts it is just another word for tax. Rest assured the garbage collection fee is a tax.

The imposition of the new garbage tax doesn’t result in substantial savings and has the aforementioned income tax impact. The city’s action did no favors for Franklin property taxpayers.

SO WHY’D THEY DO IT?

The rationale of the mayor and aldermen is purely inside baseball and so much government-ese but it does answer the question.

One of the state of Wisconsin’s myriad of programs is the little-known Expenditure Restraint Program. Targeted, general aid is provided to towns, villages, and cities that qualify for a payment by meeting certain eligibility criteria.

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Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - Why is Colton Burpo so popular?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 30, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I AM POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

Again, why is Colton Burpo so popular?

Find out here.

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #2

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 30, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

The antics and absurdity surrounding the deliberations over the city of Franklin budget had me shaking my head in total disbelief for two reasons. I’ve been closely following budgets at the local, state, and federal levels since 1977 and quite frankly I was stunned to see what was being discussed and supported in Franklin because I’ve never seen anything like it…ever.

In municipal politics, there’s an unwritten rule when it comes to budgeting. Consider slashing police and fire at your own risk. It amounts to political suicide. Yet that’s what some Franklin aldermen wanted to do.

Here’s what I blogged on November 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.

Mayor Tom Taylor correctly stepped in. On November 21, 2011, I blogged, in part:

Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor has vetoed the budget adopted last Tuesday by the Franklin Common Council that contained a property tax levy increase above what he proposed and huge cuts to the Police and Fire departments. The budget also reneged on an approved resolution to return all TIF District 2 revenues back to taxpayers in the form of tax relief. Here is the mayor's budget veto message submitted to the City Clerk, members of the Common Council, and department heads:

Dear City Clerk Wesolowski,

This letter and the electronic message I sent you today is to inform you that after considerable thought and consultation from the City of Franklin's Finance Director, I am vetoing the motion found below from the City of Franklin's Common Council.

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 and could cause funding problems in next year's budget as that budget relates to expenditure restraint eligibility.

I am vetoing the actions found below of the Common Council because it is my contention that the tax rate and tax levy increases of the Common Council that significantly exceed my recommended tax rate and tax levy reductions are unnecessary and will be viewed by many of the people of Franklin negatively, especially in this time of economic uncertainty.

I am also vetoing the action of the Common Council because I believe the people of Franklin were not fully informed of the tax increases recommended by the City's Finance Committee to the Council because of little to no press coverage regarding the 2012 Budget. I state the above because I received only four calls on the budget I submitted and zero calls regarding the Finance Committee's recommended budget which signals to me that the general public is not fully aware that the Common Council's budget contains tax rate and tax levy increases above those contained in my recommended budget. I also believe that the general public is not aware that the actions of the Common Council reduce funding for essential services like police and fire while restoring funding to a non-essential position like a Planner.

Therefore as the mayor of the city I am using my position to allow the people of Franklin to contact their elected officials regarding the tax rate and tax levy increases that go beyond the budget I recommended to the City's Finance Committee early in the year and that reduce funding to our police and fire departments.
Sincerely,

Thomas M. Taylor
Mayor, City of Franklin

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It's Working Wisconsin bumper stickers!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 30, 2011

It's Working Wisconsin bumper stickers are here!

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Tommy Thompson's New Year's Resolutions

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 30, 2011

Dear Friends,

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Goodnight everyone, and have a Happy New Year weekend!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 30, 2011

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."
Benjamin Franklin

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 work week and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight, our final Goodnight segment of the year and while we celebrate, we do it with air of sophistication.

We open with a standard that has stood the test of time. Originated in 1947 by Margaret Whiting, it has also been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, the O’Jays, the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Here, Diana Krall asks the musical question.

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The best cartoons of the week

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 31, 2011

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Organ Donation: Crossing the Line

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 31, 2011

Topics talked about on WISN

The right to die movement has been linked with the quest to save as many lives as possible through organ donation.

The result is a disturbing manipulation of the deaths of some people to obtain organs for others.

Registered nurse Nancy Valko has written a highly-researched and documented piece about euthanasia being used to harvest organs.

Here's the article I talked about on Newstalk 1130 WISN Friday while filling in for Mark Belling.

The Barking Lot (12/31/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 31, 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: Partly cloudy, windy. High of 42. "C"

SUNDAY: Flurries, windy. High of 32. "D"

Instead of Jennifer’s weekly blog, we present the top dog stories of 2011. Two stood out for recognition.

1) The dog that got Bin Laden.

2) And from The Barking Lot (08/27/11), scroll down to the closing video for the story of Hawkeye.

Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.

Woman used service dog to try to shoplift.

Is this dog lover a vigilante?

Housing troubles separate 88-year old man from dog.

Family vows costly fight to save death row dog.

Now her only worry is her dog.

The heartbreak of holiday pets.

Chicken jerky treats sicken hundreds of dogs.

Lost last month, blind dog gets home for Christmas.

Bruno is reunited with life-saving donor.

Therapy dogs help Minnesota girl walk again.

Teddy is a Christmas miracle.

Way to go, Kirby!

BARKING LOT update: Snickers is coming home.

Pet peeves of dog experts.

Montana business offers aromatherapy for wounded dogs.

Does First Dog Bo have a double?

Columnist: Stop spoiling your pooches.

THAT’S IT FOR DOGS IN THE NEWS.

TIME NOW FOR OUR DOG PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

Gale Martiny feeds Maggie, a 12-year-old yellow lab, at her home in Oshkosh, WI on Sunday, December 25, 2011. Since having a cancerous jaw removed over six years ago, Maggie requires small, log-shaped pieces of food which Gale and her husband, Ron, make from a blend of high-protein dog food and various meats including chicken, pork, turkey and ham. Oshkosh Northwestern photo by Adam Jungwirth

And we close with our closing video.

What a rescue!

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Week-ends (12/31/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 31, 2011

Week-ends

Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...

This is a special Year-end edition of Week-ends.

HEROES OF THE YEAR

Our military that got Bin Laden, Ron Johnson, Paul Ryan, Scott Walker, any of the dozens we've mentioned throughout the year on Week-ends.

And how about Jenni Lake.

VILLAINS OF THE YEAR

The TSA.

QUOTES OF THE YEAR

NPR is a very elitist and in this case white institution that I think is struggling with the changing demographics of American society. And it struggles with the idea that there are capable thinkers and journalist and people who don’t fit into some box.
Juan Williams on NPR

Seriously, in 2008 we elected a community organizer, state senator, college instructor first term senator over a guy who spent five years in a Vietnamese prison. And now he’s lecturing us about how America’s gone “soft”? Really?
Jonah Goldberg

I have no use for “men’s rights,” any more than I have any use for “women’s rights,” but let us ask: Who was it that decided it was a good idea to politicize love, sex and marriage? Who spent the past four decades proclaiming that “the personal is political,” so that every office flirtation and every petty domestic quarrel is a federal civil rights violation? The damned feminists, that’s who.
Robert Stacy McCain

“Sexual harassment” is an amorphous word that can be manipulated to infer guilt onto anyone. At some point society has to say enough is enough, this is overkill. Most men are friendly in the workplace and when their friendliness rises to the level of flirting it is all too frequently welcomed and encouraged. The rare incidents where a clueless man does not realize his flirting is not welcome should not be punished by destroying his career. The punishment is overkill and does not fit the behavior. Feminists want to have it both ways which is impossible. They have made the workplace politically correct, imposing laws against sexual harassment, while at the same time permitting flirting in the workplace to continue, letting office romances flourish.
Rachel Alexander

[The Tea Party] has to be the first “Totalitarian” movement in the history of mankind that, if it gets everything it wants…will leave you the hell alone.
Ed Driscoll

(Obama) keeps making speeches about redistribution and maybe we ought to do something to businesses that don’t invest, their holding too much money. We haven’t heard that kind of talk except from pure socialists. Everybody’s afraid of the government and there’s no need soft peddling it, it’s the truth. It is the truth. And that’s true of Democratic businessman and Republican businessman, and I am a Democratic businessman and I support Harry Reid. I support Democrats and Republicans. And I’m telling you that the business community in this country is frightened to death of the weird political philosophy of the President of the United States. And until he’s gone, everybody’s going to be sitting on their thumbs.
Steve Wynn

It’s no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high.
Paul Ryan

I give the president credit for at least one thing. He’s proven that someone can deserve a Nobel prize less than Al Gore.
Tim Pawlenty

If we were real domestic terrorists, shoot, President Obama would be wanting to pal around with us, wouldn’t he?
Sarah Palin

All of which raises another question: If Obamacare is so great, why do so many people want to get out from under it?
Michael Barone

Within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.
Sarah Palin

If the tea party is so racist, how come when they have straw polls the black guy keeps winning?
Herman Cain

My next door neighbor’s two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than this administration.
Gary Johnson

(The mainstream media) are so vested in our first black president not being a failure that it’s going to be amazing to watch the lengths they go to to protect him. They, I believe, will spout this racist line if some of their colleagues up here aren’t doing it aggressively enough. There is going to be a real desperation.
Rep. Joe Walsh (R.-Ill.)

Let’s pass a bill to cover the moon with yogurt that will cost $5 trillion today. And then let’s pass a bill the next day to cancel that bill. We could save $5 trillion.
Paul Ryan

If you don’t have a job and you are not rich, blame yourself.
Herman Cain

Personally, I’m tired of hearing the whole have-you-no-decency routine from people who have made quite clear that they possess none themselves.
Glenn Reynolds

Those who can do. Those who can’t form a supercommittee.
Mark Steyn

Take those God-darn hoodies down, especially in the summer. Pull your pants up and buy a belt ‘cause no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt. If you walk into somebody’s office with your hair uncombed and a pick in the back, and your shoes untied, and your pants half down, tattoos up and down your arms and on your neck, and you wonder why somebody won’t hire you? They don’t hire you ‘cause you look like you’re crazy. You have damaged your own race.
Mayor Michael A. Nutter

All the Occupy movement starts with the premise that we owe them everything. They take over a public park they didn’t pay for, to go nearby to use bathrooms they didn’t pay for, to beg for food from places they don’t want to pay for, to obstruct those who are going to work to pay the taxes to sustain the bathrooms and to sustain the park, so they can self-righteously explain they are the paragons of virtue to which we owe everything. That is a pretty good symptom of how much the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country, and why you need to reassert something by saying to them, ‘Go get a job right after you take a bath.’
Newt Gingrich

For God and country — Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo. Geronimo. E.K.I.A. Enemy killed in action.
The radio transmission of the SEAL who shot Bin Laden.

OUTRAGE OF THE YEAR

A caller to my program Friday on Newstalk 1130 WISN made this excellent suggestion.

Our own Government Accountability Board says it will allow multiple signatures, even ones that are signed by Hitler and Mickey Mouse in the recall against Scott Walker.

State Senators bolting for Illinois.

Death threats against Republican Senators.

Ashes of the remains of our Armed Forces were dumped in a landfill during 2011.

But here's my choice.

And let's not forget this one.

MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE YEAR

The New Republic has an interesting list.

My choice: The angry mob that is Occupy Wall Street.

MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE YEAR

The press made Amy Winehouse sound like Ella Fitzgerald.

Lindsay Lohan got far more attention than she deserved.

My choice: Occupy Wall Street from an adoring MSM.

STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE YEAR

Anthony Weiner comes to mind.

Do you remember Rebecca Chandler?

NOTE: No Runny Eggs will post its annual year in review over the next several days and I'll be participating with my selections:

- Jackass of the Year on 1/1

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Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - You go, girl!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 31, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I AM POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

Lambeau Field.

Packers.

Tampa Bay.

Let's go to the tape.

Memorable This Just In blogs of 2011 - The greatest music video ever?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 31, 2011

DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF 2011 I AM POSTING SOME MEMORABLE BLOGS I PUBLISHED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANOTHER LOOK AT THESE PIECES.

How'd they do that?

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011: #1

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 31, 2011

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2011

2011 WIAA SUMMER BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
BUKOLT PARK
STEVENS POINT, WI

QUARTERFINALS

Franklin 14, Waukesha West 7 (8 innings)

Franklin's Evan Walton watches the ball leave the park after hitting a solo home run on the first pitch of the game against Waukesha West.

In that same 1st inning, Franklin's Jake Penegor is congratulated by coach Jim Hughes after hitting a two-run homer.

Another of Franklin's big plays. Franklin catcher Jesse Palok tags Waukesha West's Zack Hastings out at home.

This one hurt. Waukesha West's Alex Lawrence rounds first base after hitting a two-run homer to tie the Wolverines' game against Franklin in the seventh inning and send it into extra innings.

Then in the top of the 8th...

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Recommended Reading (01/01/12)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Jan. 1, 2012

Recommended Reading

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