This Just In ...
Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
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
All of our veterans.
This is a weekend we remember and say “thank you” to the men and women who fought for our country. No one says thank you quite like Bert Brady.
ABC News reports that just about every morning for over a year, Brady has been getting up, having a cup of coffee and heading over to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. But this ritual has nothing to do with travel. He's at the terminal to welcome home American troops as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan. I blogged about Brady in April, but this weekend, his story is worth another look.
VILLAINS OF THE WEEK
These people.
Just fill up your tanks, be quiet, and don’t take it out on the gas station employees.
Freshmen Democratic Senators John Lehman (Racine), Pat Kreitlow (Chippewa Falls), Jim Sullivan (Wauwatosa) and Kathleen Vinehout (Alma).
They announced this week that they are introducing legislation to eliminate legislators’ ability to accumulate unused sick leave balances.
Say what???
Senate Democrats had a golden opportunity back in April to kill sick leave, but refused.
Senate Democrats on several occasions have rejected bringing a bill to kill sick leave to the Senate floor for debate and a vote. Now four of their members are posing for holy pictures, hoping to grab headlines and votes?
State Representative Jeff Wood (R-Chippewa Falls) said he was surprised at the Democrats' proposal considering all four Democratic senators voted against suspending the rules May 9 to withdraw a similar proposal from committee and take it up for a vote.
"This hypocrisy is why people hate legislators," said Wood, who supported the previous proposal approved by the Assembly, which would have barred legislators, Supreme Court justices, court of appeals or circuit court judges and other state elected officials from receiving sick leave while in office.
State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) also was correct in calling out the Democrats. Darling wrote in a press release:
“After months of stonewalling, dodging debate and specifically voting against ending their sick leave perks, Senate Democrats made a transparent attempt to save face today. Four months ago, Republicans introduced Assembly Bill 31, which eliminates the accumulated sick leave credit program for state elected officials.
Senate Democrats announced today they plan to introduce a watered-down sick leave bill of their own soon. After Democrats ran away from debating the sick leave issue on the Senate floor twice before, they officially voted against eliminating their sick leave perks on May 9. Apparently embarrassed that they publicly chose their perks over the best interest of taxpayers, Senate Democrats are trying to convince middle-class Wisconsinites that eliminating their sick leave benefits is actually a priority for them.”
Not only are the 4 freshmen Democrats who are now saying they’ll kill sick leave an embarrassment, the entire Senate Democrat caucus deserves criticism for their unanimous effort to prevent earlier votes on this issue.
And finally, Kimberly Prude
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"It's been said that the only people that won't like my budget are oil executives who smoke three packs a day.”
Governor Doyle at an appearance in Manitowoc.
"I think consumers will pay it."
Jeff Schoepke, director of tax and corporate policy for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce about Governor Doyle's proposed new tax on oil companies that would amount to a 7-cent increase in the gas tax. The conventional wisdom is that the tax would be passed on to consumers.
"The way I see it is, I'm doing all the work of providing the labor, the wages, the electricity, the lighting, the maintenance of the pumps, the repairs and the insurance, which is quite substantial. I'm doing all the work, and somebody else is getting fat on me."
Jeff Curro, who stopped selling gas this week at his station at 124th and Burleigh.
"I finally had to just pull the plug on it and say, 'I can't afford to do it anymore.' Then you listen to the public, and they say we're gouging them. Who needs to listen to that? I'd need to have my head examined."
Casey O’Gorman, who no longer sells gas at his station at 84th and Greenfield.
”What did McBride do that was so awful? She pretended to interview liberal Journal Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane by asking him a number of questions he’d have trouble answering. She played the sound of a chicken clucking when it came time for the absent Kane to speak. One of the "questions" dealt with the murder of a little girl in a drive-by shooting. The playing of the "clucking" sound was the horrid "offense" that got McBride sacked. Give me a break. The bit wasn’t very funny but it’s hardly offensive. McBride was making fun of the refusal of urban liberals to acknowledge the severity of the crime problem. She wasn’t mocking the little girl. WTMJ knows that.”
WISN’s Mark Belling, on WTMJ’s firing of Jessica McBride.
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK
You think I’m going to mention gas prices, don’t you? I might have because motorists are so angry. But apparently they’re not that upset.
So I offer another driving-related story that raised the temperature this week.
MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK
As you read this story, think about what the media coverage would be if the story involved the chairman of the REPUBLICAN party……think there wouldn’t be negative coverage each and every day?
MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK
Yes, gas prices are bad. I don’t need a TV camera in the face of someone every night telling me they’re bad.
And American Idol is done for the season. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a national crisis.
STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK
Apparently crime has been wiped out in Port Washington because the Port Washington cops have nothing better to do.
Also….it seems the Click it or Ticket press release never got to the White House.
You’ve got to hand it to the President. He can “handle” just about anything that’s ”dumped” on him.
And finally this week…………He’s 60, she’s 29. Democrat Dennis Kucinich’s British bride is quite…..AHEM…….interesting. She says this about her President wannabe husband:
“Can you imagine what it would be like to have real love in the White House and a true union between the masculine and the feminine?”
Oh, there’s more.
REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.
WHO HAS THE BEST PIZZA? VOTE IN OUR BEST DINING IN THE FRANKLIN-AREA SURVEY
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