Another reason to vote no to the RUSD Referendum.

This is a page from the lie filled piece of propaganda sent to my home by the Racine Unified School District. In it they tout how low the tax rate is in Racine as compared to other districts.

Now, here is the issue and it is kind of second grade math.

Tax rate (A) X Assessed Value (B) = Tax Levy (C).

What we have here is a community that has increased B so much that they could decrease A, but C always goes up. C is the important number but the only thing they want to talk about is the number they artificially lowered.

While the district is telling us our rate has gone down spending has gone up almost 50% in the last five years.

And then there is the whole passage of this referendum will not increase your taxes? Funny if this thing goes down taxes here will be $6.45 million lower. how is that not an increase?

This chart, while factually true is a massive misrepresentation of spending and tax burden in this community.

While I used to get reassessed every two years, I already got an 8% increase in my assessed value this year over the reassessment I got last year. So in reality the community stepping up its increases.

This kind of double speak rhetoric is designed to confuse and mislead the public. Do not let them get away with this misconception.

VOTE NO JUNE 6.

Report: Ozone Hole May Disappear by 2050

This can not be good news for Al Gore this week...

TOKYO - The ozone hole over the Antarctic is likely to begin contracting in the future and may disappear by 2050 because of a reduction in the release of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting gases, according to a team of Japanese scientists.

The findings are based on a series of numerical simulations carried out by Eiji Akiyoshi of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, near Tokyo, using projected emissions of chlorofluorocarbons and other gases blamed for the ozone hole.

According to a report posted Friday on the institute's Web site, the hole is at its largest now but is likely to gradually start contracting around 2020 and disappear by around 2050.
The team's findings are in line with research by other scientists.

Some, however, have suggested the hole won't heal until much later because old refrigerators and air-conditioning systems — many in the United States and Canada — are still releasing ozone-killing chemicals. Both countries curbed those chemicals in newer products.
Satellites and ground stations have been monitoring the ozone hole over the South Pole since its discovery in the 1980s.

Chlorofluorocarbon levels in the earth's atmosphere have been declining since the mid-1990s due to international efforts to reduce emissions.

New Orleans Mayoral Election.

So today the little city that could will elect a new Mayor.

Their choice...

The old guy, Mayor Ray Nagin. Spin all you want but the Mayor blew the evacuation plan and helped New Orleans become the problem it was & is. (Stop screaming FEMA there is shared local, state and federal responsiblity)

or.

Lieutenant Governor Landrieu. This begs a question, why go from Lt Guv to Mayor? Ego. This guy wants control of the Federal dollars his Sister is flooding the area with. (Pun intended)

The loser of this election.

New Orleans.

Seriously is this Progressive enough?

Mr I disagree with everything has been touting how unfair our current tax policy is of late, that old the rich get all the breaks line.

I thought we should highlight something as I seriously doubt most know this.

• The top 5% of wage earners pay 54.36% of the income tax burden.
• The top 10% of wage earners pay 65.84% of the income tax burden.
• The top 50% of wage earners pay 96.54% of the income tax burden.

These are 2003 numbers (most recent available)

Would you like to see all the statistical data for yourself? Click me.

So let us talk tax policy for a moment. Remember kids, tax policy and spending policy are related.

This whole tax breaks for the rich crap is just that, crap. The rich pay the vast majority of the tax burden as such any significantly change in the tax tax code will have the greatest effect on the "rich".

When you free money from those who make the most it flows back compounding across the economic spectrum fueling growth and tax revenue across the board. Lower taxes, increase tax revenue it works every time it is tried.

However, if you can not control spending at the same time as you are increasing revenue the positive effect of the additional revenue is worthless. The current administration and both parties in office are spending money like crazy. You obviously have to fault the right much more as they hold the power, they did the right thing on the tax basis, but the wrong thing on spending.

All this money laying around for the Milwaukee Connecter for example. This is one project in one town, how many more projects in how many more towns? Truly when you think about the because we want to spending projects it boggles the mind.

It is my firm belief that EVERY governmental budget could easily be cut by a minimum of 20%. How much duplication is there? How many things are we doing that we have no reason to be doing? (is running golf courses really what we want our Government to be doing?)

So let's have some serious debate on tax policy. Are taxes too high, too low, just about right? What business is government in that it should not be?

The DaVinci Parallel.

Let us just suppose some conservatives from Hollywierd pooled all their money and financed a movie (rumor has it there are three or four of them there).

This movie is based on a book debunking the Prophet Mohammed as a crackpot and a fraud and the Qur'an being wrong on several key items to the Muslim faith.

Meanwhile, a secret behind the scenes Islamic organization has been keeping the fraud a secret for years on end.

The author of said book proclaims his book is fiction that he believes to be fact.

Oh, and the author sold 40 million copies of that book making him rich beyond the hopes of many oil barrons.

Is there a spider hole hidden enough to keep the author safe from the radical islamists who would want his head on a platter (literally).

Would that author not be attacked from the left for his wealth by getting rich for insulting and inflaming Islam?

Would Islamics be rioting world wide and calling for the destruction of the entire home country of the author as well as everyone in the movie?

Would liberals be proclaiming Conservative insensitivity for backing the film?

Would the same liberals be dismissive of the whole thing as fiction?

Here is the big point folks, it has become fashionable to attack Christianity and Christians are getting sick and tired of it. Do not dismiss my examples here, think about them and ask if the roles were reversed what would the honest reaction be? Then turn around and apply the DaVinci Parallel.

An Inconvenient lack of marketing.

Al Gore's scare the crap out of everyone with 100% accurate science on global warming movie/documentary An 'Inconvenient Truth' opens next Friday. The tag line for this is, "By far the most terrifying film you will ever see" (I wonder what Jason & Freddie Krueger have to say about that)

I went to Yahoo Movies to see the trailer...

No trailer.

I went to the website to see the trailer, no trailer there (a really cool graphic showing smokestack emissions forming a Hurricane looking cloud though). There is a trailer hosted by Google.

They are taking pledges for people to see this on the first weekend (shy of 80K right now), then I looked to see where I could see this pillar of truth without spin in my commuity, I can not. It is only showing in two theaters in the state, The Oriental & Westgate in Madison. (not showing at all in Wyoming, I bet Cheney is responsible for that)

Frankly I can not justify the greenhouse gasses by driving so far to see this film.

Another Racine Murder

From Jsonline Daywatch. (ahead of the Racine Journal Times as usual)

A 25-year-old man was shot multiple times and died inside a south side Racine bar early this morning, police said.The man, who was not identified pending notification of family, was shot at 2 a.m. inside the Two Six Two Lounge in the 1800 block of Mead St., said Sgt. Steven Madsen. He was found in the bathroom and died at the scene. Madsen did not say where the victim was hit.Madsen said police have determined it was not a gang shooting but said it iappeared to be a conflict between acquaintances. Police are looking for a suspect.Madsen said he wasn't aware of any other problems at the bar, which has been open two weeks.It was the city's third homicide this year, he said.

This community is a racially charged powder-keg right now. It is about ready to blow. Look at some of the comments here on race in Racine. There is a huge amount of contempt and a complete lack of personal responsibility going on here. At some point, blame whitie has to cease being a valid excuse.

King Russ.

I think we should let Russ Feingold be the arbiter of all that is good and right in our society. In an earlier post we mentioned he did not think gay marriage deserved to be debated on the floor of the Senate. As usual Scott (who complains about everything of late) defended him in his usual defacto fashion. Yo Jay where are you, we are talking Feingold over here.

I have come to a decision, we should abolish all other branches of government world-wide and make Russ Feingold King of the World.

He knows better than us on apparently every issue. In fact he knows so much he does not even need to stick around until the discussion is over and does not see the need to expand debate! He is so wise, oh and generous too to tell us how we should think. We are so lucky to have him from our state, it would be selfish not to share his brilliance and moral center with the rest of the galaxy.

The opinion of others matters not, he is the only one to vote against major legislation and that makes him somehow a defacto hero.

Russ knows all.

I think this is good, after all George W. Bush has been wrong on every thing he has ever done. You know that tie he wore on Monday night was all wrong. Russ would of picked the right one. Actually with Russ in charge there would of been no need for that little talk as he would of retroactively solved immigration through the creation of the all Russ world-wide governing body.

Perhaps we should abolish freedom of religion and all worship Russ?

We need no representative Government, we only need Feingold.

Viva la Feingold.

Our flag? Puleaaase. Just a big 'ole banner of his boyish smile.

Wow so much pressure off of me now that I need not think for myself or develop an opinion without running it by Feingold first.

I feel so much better now.

Why Mini McGee is out of his mind.

Like Father, like Son.

He comes by it honestly folks. Patrick has the audio and commentary.

Russ walks.

Russ threw a snit in committee today.

Sen Spectre has the right attitude about this. He does not support the ammendment personally but is willing to allow the entire Senate to debate it. Now no one is honestly ticking me off more lately than the short-memoried Bush saved my butt Spectre, but that is legislating. Why not have debate?

Feingold is acting like a child.

The AP report...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage Thursday, after a shouting match that ended when Democratic Senator Russ Feingold strode out and the Republican chairman bid him "good riddance."
"I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shouted after Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment, his affinity for the Constitution and his intention to leave the meeting."If you want to leave, good riddance," Specter finished."I've enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman," replied Feingold, D-Wis., who is considering a run for president in 2008. "See ya."

Kinda' sounds like a couple of 5 year olds doesn't it?

Hey Xoff....

Did Rove get indicted yet?

The crap these libs are allowed to get away with.

I break stories and criticized for not naming my source, libs break rumors they would like to be true and get a complete pass.

Welcome Home to Kenosha's Fallen Hero

Today at 4:30 pm, Kenosha will be welcoming home one of her fallen heros.

From the Kenosha News:Kenoshans asked to honor soldier

Kenoshans are being asked to line Washington Road (Highway S, also know as HWY 142) from I-94 to 39th Avenue as the body of Army Sp E-4 Eric Clark returns to Kenosha today.The procession is expected to leave O’Hare shortly after 3 p.m. and should arrive at Piasecki-Althaus Funeral Home about 4:30 p.m.

Clark was killed last week by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Services for the Pleasant Prairie man are Saturday.

An e-mail is circulating in the Kenosha business community asking residents to line the procession route from 39th Avenue at Washington Road west to honor the soldier.

Please bring your American flags and join Kenosha in welcoming home one of America's bravest.

H/T Stepping Right Up.

Big Racine Drug Bust

RPD arrested 18 people and are looking for 5 more in a 2&1/2 month drug investigation.

It is very interesting reading at the JT Forums watching the excuse makers come out and say the only way we have to make a living is selling cocaine, race cards are flying around all over the place.

Check it out.

How does this guy keep his job?

Seriously I have no idea why people continue to support Michael McGee Jr.

Now he is accused of threatening to kill his seed bearer?

Someone please tell me why Michael McGee Jr holds any support, it boggles the mind.

Frankly I think the man needs mental health, I do not say that lightly and I am serious when I say it. The man seems unglued.

My take on the Da Vinci Code

This post is in response to the debate below...I found myself making a rather lengthy comment and decided just to make a post out of it.

I have been eagerly awaiting The Da Vinci Code movie. I thought the book was fascinating - to me, it's like any other murder mystery. And, contrary to what many would assume...I found the book to actually strengthen my beliefs in God and the Bible...because it caused me to question my beliefs. I thought it helped me to really examine what I have learned and believed since I was a li'l baby.

As for all the people who think the premise of the book is absurd or whatever else you may think -- this is what I have to say -- IT'S FICTION PEOPLE. IT'S NOT A HISTORY BOOK, NOR DOES IT PRETEND TO BE. Where can you find a copy of The Da Vinci Code at the library or bookstore? In the fiction section. And, incase you forget, fiction is fake - not real - make believe.

If the book was published as a non-fiction work, then I would be able to better understand the uproar about it.

When The Lord of the Rings was first published, did people question the premise of the trilogy? No. Why? Because it's fiction. Did people question or protest the books (and movies, for that matter) because they were about orcs and hobbits and other mystical beings? No. Again, I ask -- WHY? Because it's FICTION. Fiction doesn't have to be based on a single shred of fact.

And, for the record, I already have a ticket to see the movie on Saturday. My best friend/roomie and I have been planning to see it on Saturday since January.

CP @ LB

I am so ticked off... Or WELCOME NRA!

40 to 50 thousand people coming into this area to spend cash and lots of it.

I speak of course of the NRA convention. And how do we welcome our visitiors with cash in their pockets?

• A well timed editorial in the Journal Times, Awash with guns.
• A smarmy piece from the Brady Campaign reminding the NRA we do not have concealed carry. (Somehow I bet they already know that)
• Governor Doyle issuing a statement saying, "We are deeply concerned about the NRA's zealous support of legislation that would allow loaded, hidden guns at playgrounds, shopping malls, and school zones." Yep, lots of Soccer Moms putting a cap in the ass of the coach who will not play their kid!
• Mayor Barrett wanting to discuss illegal guns with them. (hint Mr. Mayor: this is the legal gun & gun safety crowd)

This is just ridiculous. Do you all remember all the concern articles and statements in advance of the NAACP coming here? Oh yeah, that's right; there weren't any.

Look, I don't own a gun, never have and I likely never will. This is not about guns.

This is about being a good host. When 50,000 people want to come to your town and spend money you welcome them with open arms, you do not put out smarmy articles in the more than willing local liberal press with their own anti-gun agenda.

Did it ever occur to these liberal idiots that if the area was friendlier it may bring more conventions which would bring more people paying more sales tax and room tax and car rental tax and every tax you can think of driving more money into the local coffers to take care of all of those wonderful liberal ideas?

Of course not.

This is embarrassing.

This is ridiculous.

Unfortunately, this is par for the course in Wisconsin where liberalism is far more important than being a good host.

Tell me something; the convention capitol of the world is Las Vegas. Did they get that way by insulting their conventioneers?

The DaVinci Bomb.

The most hotly-awaited movie of the year "The Da Vinci Code" failed to crack an audience of movie critics here at a sneak preview ahead of Wednesday's opening of the Cannes Film Festival.

Several whistles instead of applause were all that greeted the end of Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar film, and worse than that, the 2,000-strong audience even burst out laughing at the movie's key moment.

"I didn't like it very much. I thought it was almost as bad as the book. Tom Hanks was a zombie, thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music and it was much too grandiose," said Peter Brunette, critic for the US daily The Boston Globe.

The film version of Dan Brown's mega-best selling book premieres in Cannes on Wednesday before going on worldwide release on Friday. It stars Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon, called in after the curator of the Louvre is found murdered, his body splayed out covered in symbols.

The rest...

I shall NOT be wasting my $7 on this hunk 'o junk.

Perverted Justice

So Scott Jensen got 15 months in prison...

Based on the soft sentences handed out in all the other corruption cases, how is this justice?

The only thing these people had in common was their job (politician).

Jensen was sentenced to jail for doing politics on government time, this is something he was selectively prosecuted for. The Dems were doing the same thing at the same time, the prosecutor knew about it and ignored it. And that activity was being led by Rich Judge who until recently worked for Jim Doyle. All of those people got a complete pass.

Chvala was convicted for selling legislation, pay to play folks. Seriously now, tell me which is worse.

The only convincing argument you can make in Jensen went to trial the others entered a plea agreement. To that I say so freaking what. Trial or plea matters not here as the charges were completely different. Selling out for cash is much worse than what Walker was convicted for.

The fact that Jensen will do hard time, and Chvala is doing soft time is a travesty of justice.

Breaking News on RUSD's CEO

Last Thursday this was in the You Know Moore column in the Journal Times.

Which sets the Racine area up for another thrilling round of mutual distrust. Step right up and take your shot in the Referendum Game. Eric Marcus, this year’s apparent poster boy for the “no” vote, clearly hasn’t been swayed. He grilled Hicks about the union deal during the comment period, then walked out of Monday’s meeting in a huff after a one-on-one talk with the superintendent.

An enquiring mind might like to know what went on in that one on one conversation...

Marcus asked the CEO why he would not allow an independant legal review of the new teachers contract.

Hicks responded by calling Marcus an asshole and walking away.

That is why Marcus left in a huff.

As if it was not bad enough that Hicks was stooping to that level. I have confirmed that Hicks went and bragged to a school board member about calling Marcus an asshole after the fact.

So this is our RUSD leader, obviously concerned about the opinion of the citizen.

I do understand that Marcus has called for Hicks to be replaced, but that should not allow him to stoop to the potty mouth level.

PCP

Point Counter Point is late. That must mean Belle is hosting!

It should be up later today at Leaning Blue.

Thought of the week.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

CNN Up to something.

CNN cut to President Bush early when he was rehersing his immigration address.

See the video here.

So was CNN up to something, or was this an honest mistake?

The video.

Where did I put that Breaking News Thing?

Ah there it is...

Breaking News on RUSD a bit later folks.

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1919.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1919

H/T Kenosha Kid

Presidential Domestic Surveillance.

IN A BOLD AND CONTROVERSIAL DECISION, the president authorized a program for the surveillance of communications within the United States, seeking to prevent acts of domestic sabotage and espionage. In so doing, he ignored a statute that possibly forbade such activity, even though high-profile federal judges had affirmed the statute's validity. The president sought statutory amendments allowing this surveillance but, when no such legislation was forthcoming, he continued the program nonetheless. And when Congress demanded that he disclose details of the surveillance program, the attorney general said, in no uncertain terms, that it would get nothing of the sort.

This bit of Presidential cowboyness was brought to you by none other than Democratic Icon FDR.

Shall we bash him? Did his party bash him?

The Supreme Court had ruled against his tactic but what did FDR say? "I am convinced that the Supreme Court never intended any dictum in the particular case which it decided to apply to grave matters involving the defense of the nation." And he did it anyway.

Here we have a President at war doing his very best to defend his Country.

An Icon of the Democratic party doing EXACLTY the same thing the Democratic party is so exercised about President Bush for.

But this latest program is far less the what FDR did, in the first program all we know is they are listening to international conversations involving known terrorists. In the latest records of calls, with no names attached looking for patterns.

I wonder if the mad at Bush types will also trash the history provided here by a liberal Icon.

(hint for source material click the title of this post)

Plane Carrying Kennedy Hit by Lightning

BOSTON - A plane carrying U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy from western Massachusetts to his home on the coast was struck by lightning Saturday and had to be diverted to New Haven, Conn., his spokeswoman said.

The eight-seat Cessna Citation 550 plane lost all electrical power, including communications, and the pilot had to fly the plane manually, according to spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner. No one was hurt.

The Democrat had just delivered the commencement address at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams and was on his way to his Cape Cod home when the plane was struck around 4 p.m., she said.

The jet landed safely at New Haven at 4:11 p.m., said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Murray. A report was filed with the agency, which will look into the incident, she said.

Kennedy planned to stay in Connecticut overnight because he was scheduled to return to western Massachusetts on Sunday to deliver a commencement address at Springfield College, Wagoner said.

I am truly pleased the Senator is unharmed, but Ihave a serious question.

How many lives does this guy have?