There is no voter fraud - Part Six

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 10, 2011

“It is not because of voter ‘fraud.’ There isn't any of note and proponents can't cite any.”
Common Cause of Wisconsin

Nope. No voter fraud whatsoever.

So we don’t need no stinkin’ photo ID law.

“Republican legislators, who have signed onto Gov. Scott Walker's unpopular agenda, think that by making it harder for young people, the poor, the elderly and the disabled to vote, they can preserve their electoral viability…they would indeed make voting more difficult for citizens.”
The Capital Times

“This bill impacts the very people for whom it is most difficult to take the time off work and get transportation to the DMV to obtain an ID – the elderly, young people, people of color, rural voters and low income individuals.”
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin

“We're accustomed to showing ID for all sorts of things; why shouldn't we have to prove our identity at the polls? That's intuitive provided that you are one of the majority of people whose lives are stable enough to allow for an ID. For the very young and very old, for the transient, the homeless, the poor, the picture looks significantly different. It's a failure of empathy to assume that everyone in the state has easy access to an ID just because you do.”
The Wausau Daily Herald

“I think it is a pretty low threshold to have someone show a photo ID to vote."
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau)

"I still worry about the disabled, the poor and the homeless…”
Luis Fuentes-Rohwer, Indiana University law professor and voting rights expert

The poor.

The young.

The elderly.

The disabled.

Minorities.

The homeless.

Too tough to get a photo ID...

June 26, 2010

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

James Causey's column:

"I went homeless for 72 hours to experience a world few of us can imagine.

I slept on a park bench. I slept on church steps. I slept in my car and at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. I ate at free meal sites. I panhandled for nearly three hours, collecting just enough change to buy a flatbread sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts...

My most eye-opening experience was my stay at the Rescue Mission's men's shelter.

You need a state ID to get a bed."


There is no voter fraud - Part Five

There is no voter fraud - Part Four

There is no voter fraud - Part Three

There is no voter fraud - Part Two

There is no voter fraud - Part One

There is no voter fraud - Part Seven

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 11, 2011

Critics of photo ID claim voter fraud is almost non-existent.

Oh really?

The Special Investigations Unit of the Milwaukee Police Department would probably disagree. It found all kinds of voter discrepancies in the 2004 City of Milwaukee elections, enough to fill a 67-page report.

On page 26 of the report, the unit offers its recommendations:

“It is the opinion of the Task Force investigators that more than any other recommendation we could make, our investigation has concluded that the one thing that could eliminate a large percentage of fraud or the appearance of fraudulent voting in any given Election is the elimination of the ON-Suite or Same Day voter registration system.

It is the opinion of the Task Force investigators that given the inability of Election Inspectors to check the eligibility of voters (e.g. felons) or in other cases the reluctance of Election Inspectors to check the eligibility of a voter (e.g. verification of information on cards), on the day of any election, there is no other way to ensure that only eligible voters are voting on Election Day.”

Wonderful!

Many conservatives, myself included, have long berated the system that says, “Come to the polls on Election Day armed with nothing more than a utility bill and vote, vote, vote!”

You’re just begging for mischief.

I held this opinion for some time and was frankly frustrated this legislative session that there seemed to be no movement by the Republican-controlled state Senate and Assembly to do away with same-day registration.

Then one morning a few weeks ago, I caught a bit of my friend and colleague’s morning show on Newstalk 1130 WISN, Jay Weber. Jay made the argument that doing away with same-day registration was not so terrific.

I asked Jay since he had done some research on the issue to write a piece to contribute to this blog. Here are his thoughts:


Many conservatives in Wisconsin would love to do away with same-day registration for voting, but it turns out it is a bad idea for several reasons, not the least of which, is that it would require our state to then follow federal Motor-Voter laws that were passed by congress years ago as part of the National Voter Registration act and require that any state that wasn’t grandfathered into their same-day registration laws would have to abide by them. Wisconsin was one of those states that already had same-day registration in place, and therefore managed to avoid implementing Motor-Voter laws.  

There are several reasons that I would argue we want to avoid Motor-Voter laws. First, and most importantly, they just provide new ways to cheat. Motor-Voter rules were originally proposed by the far-left as a way to boost the voter rolls with welfare recipients, illegals, anyone who could be issued a driver’s license and might help out the Democrat party come election time.  They urge people to sign up  to vote at the same time they get  their driver’s license, and it is set up to be so quick and easy that virtually everyone does it, even though many of them then never vote, or only rarely vote.  So, Motor-Voter fills a database with real names and addresses of a bunch of people who can be verified as real people, and yet don’t vote.  The states using Motor-Voter have come to realize that they have bloated, inaccurate voter rolls that are difficult to purge of names, people who have moved, dead voters, etc.

States end up with a big, unmanageable, inaccurate, bloated, leviathan of a voter database. Think of how easy it would then be for the groups that are determined to cheat to check the voter rolls, see which of those people vote only seldom, or never, and then use those names to vote under.  A photo I-D requirement limits some potential to cheat that way, but why would we willingly create such an easy database to skim names and addresses off of?

Other problems with Motor-Voter include:

* The legislation passed by congress prohibits states from asking about citizenship when adding names to the voter lists.

*It is a new unfunded mandate for the states and costs millions of dollars every year to maintain and operate.

*It makes it very difficult for states to try to clean up their voter rolls by purging old names, old addresses, the names of the deceased, etc.  This becomes a very costly and time consuming process. Motor-Voter states (like Indiana) have found tens of thousands of  names appearing on the voter lists more than once, hundreds of dead people registered, dozens of convicted killers, child molesters and felons registered, all sorts of problems.  In 1998, Alaska had 502,968 registered voters, and only 437,000 people living in the entire state!

* Also, and this is huge, in my opinion:  Motor-Voter laws strip away the fundamental right of our state to set our own election process and turn the decisions over to congress, and liberals in congress have, over the years suggested changes to it such as forcing the states to automatically dump the name and address of anyone who gets a drivers license onto the voter rolls, giving ex-felons the right to vote, and even requiring same day registration!  Consider it, we could eliminate same-day registration here, which would force us to abide by Motor-Voter laws, only to, at some point down the road, have Congress force same-day registration back onto us!  Consider that just a year ago, with Congress being controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, with Obama in the White House, what sort of changes they could have forced on every single Motor-Voter state, and against our will or our better judgment.

So, rather than end same-day registration and just open up  new ways for people to cheat in our state elections, Republican leaders in Madison have decided to amend same-day registration a few ways to make cheating difficult, while keeping it.

I believe it’s the right move.
---Jay Weber, Newstalk 1130 WISN


Thanks so very much, Jay!

By the way, Jay might talk about this very issue that has not been addressed at all by the media during his program today, 6-10 a.m. Please tune in, or catch the podcast later on the Newstalk 1130 WISN web site.

I tip my hat to Jay for providing food for thought. Given that getting rid of same-day registration has its downside, let’s go back to the Milwaukee Police Department’s report, specifically page 26 and its recommendations. We left off with the suggestion that same-day registration be eliminated. If not abolishing same day-registration, then what?

“As an alternative, if On-Site registration is to continue in its present form, then the presentation of a government issued identification card that includes the voter’s name, address (including city) and date of birth should be presented before that person is allowed to register and vote. The inclusion of identification alternatives such as a credit card bill, library card, lease, etc., where no photo is provided does not ensure that the person presenting these types of documents is in fact the person they are asserting to be.”


There is no voter fraud - Part Six

There is no voter fraud - Part Five

There is no voter fraud - Part Four

There is no voter fraud - Part Three

There is no voter fraud - Part Two

There is no voter fraud - Part One

Dear Suzanna Gratia-Hupp, please...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 11, 2011

Please come to Wisconsin Thursday to testify about conceal carry.

 

Read more

There is no voter fraud - Part Eight

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 11, 2011

I stumbled upon a blog post written by a very passionate individual that supports photo ID. The author writes:

Dispelling Voter ID Disenfranchisement Myth!

Some of my liberal friends would have you to believe that requiring Photo ID’s for voting would disenfranchise millions upon millions of voters and take away our right to vote. I disagree! Requiring Photo ID’s is a simple way to help ensure less fraud in elections. As we witnessed in 2004 and 2008 with the presidential elections, and even now with JoAnne Kloppenburg, voter fraud is a problem. Photo ID is at least one positive attempt to make sure the state of Wisconsin is actively working towards error free elections and fraud at the polls.

I admit I was back and forth on this issue until I went through a 30 day experimental trial of seeing exactly how many times I used my photo ID in any of my life dealings. Actually I was surprised at the times when I didn’t need it and then there were some times while shopping that I was upset it was not asked for. (I think when you spend over a certain amount the seller should ask to see your photo ID and should not settle for a swipe and even giving cash back all without asking to verify your identity, but that is for another day). Continuing on, I had to use ID at the bank obviously, for ALL government business, for my rental space contract renewal, for my car, the library, the doctor’s office, hospital visits-even the ER demands photo ID!! Seriously? Anyway, I also had to use my photo ID for WIC (Woman, Infants and Children program), registering for classes, for purchasing certain items at the gas station, and for a whole host of things that I thought were a bit silly, like a stop at local eatery (the bill was about $5 and I’ve spent more there in the past and was never asked for ID, so I guess it depends on who’s taking the debit card). None the less, there I was pulling out my ID over and over again. I even had to scan my ID and email and fax it to a couple of places for internet shopping or again with government business. It is a rather new ID but it looks worn already. I don’t consider myself some crazed shopper or an “on the go” type of person so I have to say in this society we are very dependent on photo ID’s. That being said why is it such an injustice to ask everyone to show up with a photo ID to vote?

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A great WI law that a lot of people don't know about

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 12, 2011

When it comes to spending, the state of Wisconsin is pretty wasteful. Just lock me in a room for a few hours and I will assuredly find you all kinds of examples.

They’re lurking inside the dozens of informational papers written by the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau on all of Wisconsin’s programs. It’s God-awful, atrocious, the absolute worst writing. But I’ve read those papers, and buried inside are various nuggets of spending that would send readers running into the dark of night screaming, “What are we doing?”

If I could, I would cut some of the waste and insert as an alternative a media marketing campaign to create awareness about one of our best laws that nobody knows about. That would be our Safe Haven law.

From a blog I wrote in July of 2008:


Two women.

Two young mothers.

Each had a decision to make.

One made the right choice; the other made a deadly one.

Here are their stories.

Last August, 19 year-old Indra Book of La Crosse gave birth to a baby girl at her home. She began breastfeeding, but then stopped just two days later. Book did so knowing that without breastfeeding, the baby girl would perish.

When the baby died, Book took the tiny child and placed it in a cooler. Sometime this past spring, Book took the cooler and tossed it in the garbage.

Book was arrested last week on preliminary charges of first-degree intentional homicide. The baby’s remains have yet to be found. Authorities still don’t know where the baby’s body and the cooler were kept between August and this spring.

Also arrested last week was 21-year-old Adam O’Connor of La Crosse, described as a friend of Book’s. He’s accused of helping to hide the body.

Mother #1. A dead baby.

Next story. Chicago, 2 a.m. Monday morning of this week. A 16-year-old gives birth. Later the same day, the mother walks into a firehouse on S. Burley Avenue, carrying her baby in a blanket. She turned the baby over to workers at the firehouse, and then left freely. The baby was taken to a local hospital and is in good condition.

Mother #2. A live, healthy baby that will be put up for adoption.

Nothing happened to Mother #2 because she merely followed a law that is in place in Illinois, Wisconsin and 27 other states. Often referred to as the “Safe Havens Law,” the Illinois law allows the parent of an unharmed baby up to seven days to turn the baby over to a staff member at a police station, fire station, hospital or other designated safe haven. The parent is then free from prosecution.

Mother #2 made the right choice and as a result, her baby is alive today, hopefully with a bright future. For whatever reason, she didn’t want the baby and took it to a place where the infant could be properly taken care of immediately.

The Chicago Tribune reports that since the Illinois law took effect in 2001, 43 babies have been safely handed over at Illinois safe havens, and 49 were illegally abandoned. Twenty-four of the 49 died.

Wisconsin also has a similar safe havens law. If it had been followed, Indra Book’s little baby girl would be alive today. Book made a conscious and horrible decision to starve her baby and then dispose of it like yesterday’s trash. All she and her “friend” had to do was hop in a car and drive to the nearest police station, drop the baby off and go home, no questions asked.

More than 30 babies have been saved because of Wisconsin’s safe havens law since 2001.

And yet, there’s an atrocious trend happening all across the country. Even though most states have safe havens laws, many babies are still being abandoned illegally instead of being dropped off at safe places.

I submit the reason more babies aren’t being tenderly taken to safe havens is because many people, especially mixed up babies having babies don’t know these laws exist. There needs to be one of those “awareness” campaigns, a public education effort we always hear about. Amidst all the talk in public schools about safe sex and condoms, could we spend a few minutes on safe havens?

Innocent newborns don’t belong in the garbage. I’d much rather have unwanted babies dropped off at places where they’ll receive all the attention they truly deserve rather than having to place a call to the undertaker.


Fast forward to May 2011, Kimberly, Wisconsin.

The evening after Mother’s Day, a woman standing in her driveway hears a man screaming that someone needed to call 9-1-1.

The man had found a bloody baby on the ground between a dumpster and the wall of a former shopping mall, now a church.

Why wasn’t the baby inside the dumpster? It was locked. There is speculation the intent was to abandon the baby in the garbage, but since the dumpster was locked, the baby was simply left on the ground.

The negligent act was so unecessary because of our Safe Haven law. Then again, one must be aware of the law in order to abide. A lock probably saved that baby’s life.

Authorities are still searching for the person who left the baby to die. Again, it was oh-so unnecessary.

No need to spend state money promoting our lottery (which I thought was not allowed) or on any number of other wasteful programs.

How about $100,000, $50,000, $25,000 on one of our best laws that nobody knows about. I’ll provide the narration on any ads for free.

You don’t want your baby? Get the baby to the proper authorities, no questions asked. Let someone love and care for that baby you carried. Let it live. Please, don’t just toss the baby in the trash.

InterCHANGE is back!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 12, 2011

After weeks off for Easter and the Channel 10 Auction, InterCHANGE returns Friday night. Here are the topics the panel discusses on Milwaukee Public Television Friday night at 6:30 with a repeat Sunday morning at 11:00:

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TODAY'S NEWS THAT SENT SHOCK WAVES THROUGH FRANKLIN!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 12, 2011

BEEP BEEP!


BUH BEEP BEEP!


DATELINE!


DATELINE!


MADISON, WISCONSIN!


USA!


The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the news:

“In the tightest limits yet seen in Wisconsin, property taxes would be essentially frozen for two years and then placed under tight permanent caps, under a budget proposal advanced by GOP lawmakers Thursday.

On a 12-4 party-line vote, the Joint Finance Committee largely stuck with Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal and approved freezing property taxes for counties and municipalities for two years with growth in the levy limited to the value of new construction. In the following years, taxes would be limited to either 1.5% a year or the value of new construction, whichever is higher.”

RUMBLE




The news shook across Franklin like a powerful earthquake.

At tax and spend happy City Hall and Franklin Public School System HQ, the reaction was the same:





NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

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Kyla's Korner - Musings of a Mother (05/13/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 13, 2011

Kyla's Korner

By Jennifer Fischer
Mother of little angel, Kyla Audrey Fischer

Admittedly I have not contributed many Kyla’s Korner blogs recently. However, May is a special month for mommies. This past Mother’s Day, I had a couple of thoughts on my mind:

#1, I can’t wait until Kyla is old enough to serve me a breakfast in bed of burnt toast, with a bouquet of fresh-picked dandelion flowers in a vase.

#2, I will never want anything for Mother’s Day other than something similar to #1.

I know Mother’s Day is meant to recognize your mom and other special women who have played a role in your life, particularly your formative years. I do certainly think of all the amazing women who have touched & enriched MY life, and try to acknowledge them appropriately. Yet when it comes to acknowledging myself as a mom, I realize that without precious Kyla, I couldn’t celebrate as I do.

It’s difficult to put in to words but I am sure many other moms would agree with me. It’s not about being praised for all we do, it’s about celebrating our spectacular role that we just couldn’t have if not for our children. It’s the pride of bringing special lives into this world, nurturing a tiny little seed into an incredible person. We don’t become moms for celebrity status, economic gain, or achievement awards. (Good thing since we don’t ever get any of those!) We become moms for so much more… And while it’s nice to have a nationally recognized day set aside for us, it is largely unnecessary.

I remember long ago, a dear friend & I had a conversation about her never wanting children. (She has not changed her mind to this day and is, ironically, a step mom.) She is not an unloving person, nor was she afraid of stretch marks. An eternal pessimist, her reasoning was why bring one more child into this crummy, rotten world. My answer as the eternal optimist was it is one more chance to bring a positive change to this (agreed) crummy, rotten world. Back then, I couldn’t imagine my life without children, and I certainly can’t imagine my life without Kyla now. She is truly my most treasured and greatest accomplishment, even at the tender age of two.

As I said, we become moms for "so much more." But the bottom line is we become moms because of one simple thing: Love. There are probably dozens of variations on this poem floating around but I think this says it all:

Mom’s Love

Love is putting peanut butter on anything as long as they'll eat it!

Love is knowing how to disguise vegetables 30 different ways.

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The best political cartoons of the week

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 14, 2011

Week-ends (05/14/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 14, 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


Michael Murphy


Julie Feingold


Naval Medical Center in San Diego and their patients


Jaydin Goldenstein


Tracy Delp


Evans Okoduwa


Theo


Keith Urban



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Lee Holloway and Renee Booker


The TSA...MORE


Massachusetts teacher


Nancy Pelosi


Connecticut headmaster


Chrystal Hinchliffe


"The destructive nature of teacher tenure"


Mary Lee Hargrove


The city of Dallas


The nanny state in Cuyahoga Falls


Joel Hardman



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


"The guy is dead. That is good.Osama's death is a great victory in the war on terror. He was held up as a leader. The intelligence services deserve a lot of credit. They built a mosaic of information, piece by piece. I met SEAL Team Six in Afghanistan. They are awesome, skilled, talented and brave. I said, 'I hope you have everything you need. One guy said, 'We need your permission to go into Pakistan and kick ass’.”
George W. Bush


“And finally, now that bin Laden’s dead, at least that airport security agent won’t have any reason left to plunge his arm down your pants up to his shoulder.  Just kidding.  When humanity is extinct and all that’s left of us is hieroglyphics, we will be represented by an Islamist blowing something up, and a transportation security agent diving headlong into a pair of underwear.”
Rachel Marsden, international political and communications strategist


“A lot of people out there say ‘I want to see the pictures’ but I've already seen them. That was him. He's gone. He's history. They're gruesome, of course, because it was taken right after the incident. It wasn't a very pretty picture. The bullet either went in the ear and out the eyeball or in the eyeball and out the ear.”
James Inhofe, a Republican who has become the first politician to see photos of Osama bin Laden's bloodied corpse said they were 'gruesome' - but left him with no doubt the terror leader is dead. Inhofe, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, described the images in graphic detail after he viewed the pictures in a secure room.


“I don’t think it was necessary, no. It absolutely was not necessary. I think respect for the rule of law and world law and international law. What if he’d been in a hotel in London? We wanted to keep it secret, so would we have sent the airplane, you know the helicopters into London, because they were afraid the information would get out?”
Ron Paul objecting to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Paul announced he’s running for president.


“We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement. Maybe they'll need a moat. Maybe they'll want alligators in the moat."
President Obama chiding Republicans on the issue of immigration and border patrol.


“Five years ago, legislation was passed to build a 700-mile double-layer border fence along the southwest border. This is a promise that has not been kept. Today, according to staff at the Department of Homeland Security, just 5 percent of the double-layer fencing is complete, only 36.3 miles. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s investigative arm, reported in early 2009 that only 32 miles of double-layer fencing had been built. That means under President Obama, only 4.3 miles of double layer fencing has been built. This is woefully inadequate.”
Jim DeMint


"You all are playing with black kids. You're playing. Knock it off. You all are full of (expletive)."
Democratic Rep. Jason Fields berated Republicans and members of his own party during debate of a GOP-backed measure that would eliminate an enrollment cap on the school voucher program. The program allows Milwaukee public school students to attend private and religious schools at taxpayers' expense.


“Dressing up in costumes and screaming down a bill for the Special Olympics on the Senate floor? That’s bizarre, even for Madison. At some point, enough is enough. If you disagree with something that’s happening in Madison, there are better ways to make your point than throwing a temper tantrum.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald after protesters briefly disrupted a state Senate floor session.


"I want to say this: Graceland is safe. And we would charge hell with a water pistol to keep it that way and I'd be willing to lead the charge.”
Bob Nations Jr., director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency. The Mississippi crept toward the highest level ever in the river city early in the week, flooding pockets of low-lying neighborhoods and forcing hundreds from their homes, though the water was not threatening the music heartland's most recognizable landmarks.


“The only thing I was waiting for was for Elvis to rise out of center court. Even that, I don’t think it would have surprised me at this point.”
Shane Battier of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies after his team lost an exasperating triple overtime playoff game to Oklahoma City in Memphis.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


Government workers look on as boy drowns.


Rapper invited to White House.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Wisconsin's safe havens law.



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


Arnold and Maria Shriver are splitting up.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


He should have played volleyball.


Penthouse pancakes


Homeless man dies...but there's more.


At this very moment, there are bacteria and fungi living in a forgotten part of your body.


Thanks for checking in. We close with NewsBusted:

A "B" movie in real life (or death)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 14, 2011

Have any idea who this is?










Try this...







No idea?

We'll get back to her, promise.

But first...

When I was just a lad, still in my single digits, naturally my place on a late Saturday evening was my home.  Not so for my older teenage brother, Greg.

Greg was often working very late at some club, playing his guitar in a rock band.








Oh, that instrument was a thing of beauty, a candy apple red fender stratocaster guitar.

I never got to see my brother live except when he practiced in one of the band member's basement.I was too young to go to places called, "Ben's Den" where sexy girls in mini skirts and go-go girls danced in cages next to the band. Nope. I got to see it, and I did (plenty) on TV instead.

When my parents didn't go see Greg play, the Saturday night would go this way. We'd watch the TV news at 10:00. Dad would go to bed. Mom would switch the TV to Channel 18 and Shock Theater.

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My Most Popular Blogs (05/15/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 15, 2011

Most popular

As I post every Sunday, here are the five most read blog entries of mine from the previous week. NOTE: some entries may have been posted prior to the past week.

1) TODAYS NEWS THAT SENT SHOCK WAVES THROUGH FRANKLIN!

2) TIE

    Photos of the Week (05/08/11) 

    Conceal carry sell out?

3) TIE

    Suh-weet Milwaukee County deal

    Imagine: NO union due$


4) There is no voter fraud – Part Eight

5) TIE

    UPDATE: Conceal carry sell out?

    Week-ends (05/14/11)
   

There is no voter fraud - Part Nine

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 15, 2011

 
IL Tea Party Activists Expose Alleged Gift Cards-For-Votes School Scam


There is no voter fraud – Part Eight

There is no voter fraud - Part Seven

There is no voter fraud - Part Six

There is no voter fraud - Part Five

There is no voter fraud - Part Four

There is no voter fraud - Part Three

There is no voter fraud - Part Two

There is no voter fraud - Part One

School Choice Expansion Helps Middle Class

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 15, 2011

Back in the mid-90’s when I was working at WTMJ, I would produce a daily editorial for the morning drive radio news format. We called it a “radio column.”

That was back in the early days of school choice, the education innovation that evolved in Milwaukee. While I supported the idea, I commented on-air that it would create a backlash from hard-working middle- class (not affluent) parents who were struggling with multiple jobs so they could send their children to some of those same choice schools without any tuition breaks. It’s been a sticky point for years.

Along comes Governor Walker who wants to expand choice outside of Milwaukee. He also wants to do away with income limits. Here’s an enterprising piece you won’t see elsewhere in the mainstream media:

Middle Class Wins in School Choice Expansion

Press Release For Immediate Release

May 13, 2011, Milwaukee, WI -  How important is it to keep middle class families in Milwaukee? That question is at the heart of Governor Scott Walker's proposal that all families be eligible for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). Much of the media coverage has miscast Walker's idea as one that would let the "rich" or "millionaires" use taxpayer money to enroll their children in private schools. This misrepresents Walker's proposal by ignoring the reality of who actually lives in Milwaukee. It turns a blind eye to the steady exodus of middle class families from Milwaukee when their children approach school age. Finally, the coverage fails to explain that many wealthy families probably would be ineligible under Walker's plan. Looking at U.S. census data provides a context that has been overlooked in the media coverage of this issue. The following table shows the distribution of Milwaukee family households by income level. Read more Culinary no-no #221 Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 15, 2011 Culinary no-no's I always feel like Somebody's watchin' me And I have no privacy Oh, I always feel like  Somebody's watchin' me The pop group Rockwell, 1984 Let’s begin this week’s entry by hopping into…. Read more The Latest News You Can Use from WRTL Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 16, 2011 Read more The latest from Pro-Life Wisconsin Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 16, 2011 The Monday update for May 16, 2011. Say goodbye to law requiring racial data collection at traffic stops Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 16, 2011 Tuesday, the state Assembly will consider Assembly Bill 18 that would repeal one of the many awful provisions in Jim Doyle’s 2009-11 state budget. The budget created a new law that the Legislative Reference Bureau described in an analysis: “Law enforcement officers must collect, at each motor vehicle traffic stop made after December 31, 2010, all information specified by rule promulgated by the Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) in the Department of Administration (DOA). This information must then be submitted by the law enforcement agency to OJA. OJA must analyze this information to determine whether the number of motor vehicle stops and searches involving racial minorities is disproportionate compared to non-minorities.” The budget provision as approved by the then Democrat-controlled legislature and signed into law by Democrat Jim Doyle assumed that law enforcement is racist. In April of 2009, the Franklin Common Council unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the record-keeping requirement for law enforcement. The data collected by authorities has to go into a new software program that police departments must pay for. The provision was one of 80 in the budget designated by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau as non-fiscal. Therefore, it should have been debated as a separate piece of legislation outside the budget. The Franklin Common Council and Franklin Police Chief Rick Oliva argued that the provision could violate the constitutional rights of citizens and would be impractical. At the time, Oliva gave a memo to the Franklin Common Council informing that Franklin officers conducted more than 6,000 motor vehicle stops during 2008 and that the new law would require an additional 2,000 work hours a year for department personnel. Oliva wrote, “The governor's proposed legislation is unduly burdensome to law enforcement agencies, subjects citizens to longer detainment at traffic stops, creates the perception that racial profiling exists and amounts to an unfunded mandate by the state." Other departments around the state also expressed concern with the Racine County Sheriff going so far as to ignore it. Assembly Bill 18, to be considered Tuesday by the Assembly, would repeal the data collection requirement. The chief sponsor of the bill in the state Senate is Senator Mary Lazich. How low can Democrats go? Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 16, 2011 Pretty low. Humility a lost art in politics Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 16, 2011 In the world of politics, all too often, personal ego takes control. The speaker imagined a moment of brilliance. Instead, the speaker came off sounding pompous and arrogant. Take for example President Obama after bin Laden was killed. All I could think of listening to the president was that old saying that there is no “I” in team: “Tonight, I can report . . . And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta . . . I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden . . . I met repeatedly with my national security team . . . I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action. . . . Today, at my direction . . . I’ve made clear . . . Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear . . . Tonight, I called President Zardari . . . and my team has also spoken. . .These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief . . . Finally, let me say to the families . . . I know that it has, at times, frayed. . . .” I, I , I. Me, me, me. I, yi, yi. This happens at all levels of government, from the White House and Congress down to local alderman. Woe, they over-estimate their importance and knowledge. “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.” Albert Einsten To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” Charles de Montesquieu, French Politician and Philosopher “What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God." Monica Baldwin “Anything that keeps a politician humble is healthy for democracy.” Michael Kinsley Elections Board: 2011 will serve as test run for voter ID Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 17, 2011 The Assembly has already approved, and now it's the state Senate's turn to vote on photo ID. Wisconsin Reporter has more details. About those ballot bags in Waukesha... Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 17, 2011 Read more The quickest demise of a presidential campaign in American history Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 17, 2011 The Wall Street Journal: "The Republican Presidential campaign is off to a slow start, but judging by the last week not slow enough. First Mitt Romney defends his ObamaCare prototype in Massachusetts, and now Newt Gingrich has decided to run against House Republicans on Medicare. They must be loving this at the White House. Asked on NBC's "'Meet the Press' on Sunday about Paul Ryan's reform plan, Mr. Gingrich chose to throw his former allies in the GOP House not so much under the bus as off the Grand Canyon rim. Read more An Open Letter to the Wisconsin Secretary of State Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 17, 2011 From the MacIver Institute... The MacIver Institute has graciously granted This Just In permission to post any and all of their releases and videos. May 17, 2011 Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollette VIA EMAIL: statesec@sos.state.wi.us 30 W. Mifflin, 10th Floor Madison, WI 53703 Read more Yoo hoo, Franklin elected officials... Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 17, 2011 1) Are you paying attention? 2) Do you care?   FranklinNOW.com poll question Do you support the proposal to essentially freeze property taxes for two years? Yes. Taxes are out of control and this needs to be done: 65% No. It takes away control from local government: 26% I'm not sure. I need to hear more about the proposal: 9% Total Responses: 1078 Read more Did GOP shoot itself in the foot on photo ID? Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 17, 2011 Maybe. I sure hope not. As I write this blog, the state Senate is in the midst of debating 27 amendments to the photo ID bill. Don’t get me wrong. I’m an ardent supporter of photo ID. However, one provision shoved into the measure by Assembly Republicans makes no sense because it could hurt Republicans. Assembly Bill 7, the photo ID bill now before the state Senate as I write gets rid of straight party ticket voting. There is evidence that suggests straight party ticket voting helps Republicans. Tonight, Senate Democrats put forth an amendment to remove the provision that eliminates straight party ticket voting. The amendment was voted down. I understand that if the amendment was approved, the entire bill would have to be sent back to the Assembly for consideration and the intent is to get this bill to the governor’s desk. But the straight party ticket measure should never have been included in the first place. Bad move by Assembly Republicans, especially if it turns out to be true and Senate Democrats tried to help the GOP out. There is no voter fraud - Part Ten Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 18, 2011 I saved the best for now. Here is the ultimate argument against photo ID opponents. I have blogged about it in the past. I have discussed it on Newstalk 1130 WISN. The Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University released a study in 2008 clearly showing photo IDs do not prevent people from casting ballots and are not obstacles to voting. The study randomly sampled registered voters in Indiana (that has the toughest photo ID law in the country), Mississippi and Maryland. Here are some of the significant findings: Almost all registered voters have an acceptable form of photo ID available (e.g., driver’s license, passport, military ID or some combination of these documents). About 1.2 percent of registered voters do not have a photo ID, but half of those have documents proving citizenship, and most of the states have provisional or absentee ballots or other exceptions that could permit people to vote. Registered voters without photo IDs tended to be female, African-American, and Democrat. However, that number of registered voters in the survey was too small (24 of 2,000) to draw definitive conclusions about this group. A much larger problem among poor and minorities is not registered voters without IDs, but those who are not registered. More than 97 percent of all registered voters in the three states surveyed could produce proof of citizenship, either a birth certificate, a passport, or naturalization papers. Nearly one-fifth of registered voters saw or heard of fraud at their own polling place, and an even larger number, 64 percent of all respondents - reported hearing of fraud elsewhere. Nearly all, 96 percent of voters in this study said showing a photo ID would not make them less likely to vote. Read the full report, Voter IDs Are Not the Problem: A Survey of Three States. There is no voter fraud - Part Nine There is no voter fraud – Part Eight There is no voter fraud - Part Seven There is no voter fraud - Part Six There is no voter fraud - Part Five There is no voter fraud - Part Four There is no voter fraud - Part Three There is no voter fraud - Part Two There is no voter fraud - Part One Tim Carpenter said WHAT? Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 18, 2011 We know that Democrats in the state Legislature insult certain individuals by asserting they’re somehow uneducated, incapable of obtaining a photo ID to vote. They just can’t do it. Too hard. Too tough. Then during the ten-hour debate on the floor of the state Senate Tuesday, state Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) brought up a proposal to move Wisconsin’s September primary to August, meaning early ballots would have to be submitted sometime in July. According to Carpenter, yet another incredible hardship. Why? Because in July and August, there are ozone action days. Can’t leave the house. Can’t vote. Burdensome. An obstacle. Back to photo ID. Senator Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) even called the requirement “evil.” Let’s not forget “racist.” And the Democrats’ favorite word Tuesday? Say it with me everyone, over and over again: dis-en-fran-chise! An elderly Iraqi woman sitting in a wheelchair shows her inked finger as she leaves a polling station, with an Iraqi flag seen in background, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 7, 2010. Iraqis voted Sunday in an election testing the mettle of the country's still-fragile democracy as insurgents killed 25 people across Iraq, unleashing a barrage of mortars intent on disrupting the historic day. Writing on flag in Arabic reads "God is Great". (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) South African voters have their identity documents checked by an electoral commission officer before casting their ballots in local government elections in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa on May 18, 2011. Millions of voters head to the polls with the ruling party African National Congress (ANC) expected to loose ground on the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA). Photo: Nic Bothma/EPA A liberal ad so over the top that no one will buy it Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 18, 2011 When it rains, what happens? Watch Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 18, 2011