2012

Listening Session with Senator Russ Feingold...

I arrived at Racine's Park High School an hour before the event was scheduled to start. surprisingly I was among the first people in the auditorium.

I am here to record the reaction from the crowd make notes and shoot some video.

7:57 Eavesdropping the crowd, small groups are forming up, most conversations that I have heard are geared towards health care with a couple of mentions of KRM.

8:00 I have not seen any of the local press yet, dead tree or new media. Scratch that, a photog from Fox 6 just arrived and I just had a brief chat with a nice young man from the Racine Journal Times. He wanted to interview me as to my reasons for coming today. I declined and we chatted about tech toys for a couple of minutes.

8:17 People are still slowly streaming in, on a quick count there are about a hundred people in the room right now. More media types.

8:27 Two very leftwing women a couple of rows back complaining about military spending, my friend Lou just told them that military spending is at its lowest percentage of GDP since WWII. They said, "I don't care, it is still too much." How typical, present them with facts they respond with feelings. Oh well, way to fight the fight Lou.

Senator Feingold just admitted that the health care issue has been the most divisive issue since he has taken office. At least he is admitting that a large part of Wisconsin is opposed to the current bill.

Feingold just thanked Mayor Dickert for meeting him about Racine's major issues.

First question from Denis Navratil - about the differences in using 6 years of benefit and 10 years of revenues in CBO scoring. Denis points out that if he tried that accounting in his business he would be put into jail.

Senator Feingold just said he will not respond to people shouting out from the crowd, people though he did not answer Denis' question.

Why should we believe the govt should be able to manage hc any better?

Why are we going to pay for illegals and abortions in this bill?

When I hear people talk about selling insurance across state lines I get scared.

Concerned about people who are upset about the deficits, when soldiers are over seas, etc...

Health care, will you consider using reconciliation and will the public option be included?

Portability - and tort reform.

Reconciliation - Democrats have said it was used by Republicans, yes it was but for a tax cut, not an increase. You allowed bribery in the Senate, Nebraska, etc., now a brother of someone on the fence gets a judgeship, cash for clunkers was so bad how can you run health care if you can't run a rebate plan?

Senate is confused your job is not to rule, your job is to represent, how can you justify trying to pass health care with a 51 vote majority, given the public opinion against health care as presented how can you justify?

The senate is overwhelmed by emotion on issues, is there something the senate can do to make decisions based on logic. I'm concerned about our grandkids and the mess we are leaving.

Most people support the idea of health care reform but there have been so many backroom deals...

You say you are fiscally responsible, how can you support this bill that forces people to buy health care? What is wrong with working with Paul Ryan on a market based solution (Huge applause)

If the President says you can keep your plan why is Medicare advantage being taken away from people who want to keep it, unless of course they live in Florida where a special deal has been made? (I asked this)

We will be subsidizing other state on HC, cap and trade will bankrupt this state, how can you in good conscience vote for either of those bills.

Does the hc bill exempt congress from Obamacare, why can't I have the same insurance you do?

Feingold Listening Session Questions 2

If this health care bill is so gigantic, throw it out and start over.

VA, we get good hc, thanks and I'm tired of bickering.

I'm very much against Obamacare, how do the unions and govt workers get exempted on Cadillac benefits, this will lead us to socialized medicine.

In July of 2007 you said I am disappointed we are seeing reconciliation, please state publicly that if the final vote you will not vote for it if reconciliation or that gets rid of sweeteners.

Immigration reform, how will you push a fair and humane immigration that gives people a pathway to citizenship.

Suggestion, what do you think of situation where government employee nurses are making 73K and private nurses are making 63K? Where are we going with capitalism?

There are 10 to 12 million undocumented "victims" that are here by US trade policy like NAFTA, they are trying to survive and are not taking US Jobs. Will you talk to the Obama administration on a moratorium on deportation.

Not all of your constituents are against healtcare reform. Fillibuster reform pro or con?

Would you be willing to introduce legislation that puts term limits into place?

The Constitution is an eighth of an inch think, the health care bill is 2,700 pages, why is it so complex we can't understand it? Why cant we start over?

Feingold listening session.

I attended the Racine listening session of Senator Russ Feingold today.

I am working on a post but I took a bunch of video at the event. I am dividing the vids by question and uploading them one at a time. I missed a few but got better that 90% of them. Unfortunately uploading videos into Blogger takes FOREVER.

I hope to have that post ready at some point today.

Woops...

The CBO has a report out saying the Obama budget deficit estimates are $1.2 trillion short.

A trillion here a trillion there, pretty soon you are talking about real money.

Will US follow UK in microchipping trashcans?

Thank goodness we left behind British rule back in 1776 or we too might be linking our trash to our taxes.

Why does no one stand up against this absurdity in Britain? (Sandra, could you answer this?)

With our own Secretary of State saying at one point, "We(the United States) tax everything that moves and doesn't move," we'd better keep a close eye on our trash bins!

Notice anything about this crowd?

This picture is from JSonline on their story about a UW Milwaukee protest.

Students, angry about tuition increases, started throwing snowballs at campus police and many of them got arrested. Of course they are complaining that the cops were too aggressive and the ACLU is getting involved.

Apparently they think it is just fine to throw stuff at cops.

I am struck by how racist these students are. They must be, just look at this picture.

Doyle and Barrett

Epic Fail.

What killed the dinosaurs?

Global cooling.

Paul Ryan on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews

Paul Ryan tames Chris Matthews.

Bonfire TEA Party in Franksville, WI in Racine County

Excellent video from the Racine TEA party by my friend Matt Nelson... Great job Matt!

Massive Obama Land Grab?

More jobs to be destroyed?

White pride, black pride, pink pride, or whatever?

Is this a freedom of speech issue? What if the flyers had said "black pride" or "purple pride" (a gay color, I think)? Should the police even have been called (unless there is a law against putting leaflets on cars)?

The Mayor McPervert Sentence has come in.

Gary Becker gets 3 years (not enough) plus five years extended supervision.

Racine Post and the Journal Times did excellent live blogs of the events.

There were fireworks and new information in the hearing including a very interesting shopping trip to Boston Store's lingerie department 2 weeks ago which apparently got Becker off of a sentence of probation and sent him to prison, go read the live blogs for the details.

Fill in the blank

The nuclear option_______________________.

Rockford Files Intro

Some things should not be re-made.

This is one of those things....

Sadly this is a lesson NBC is not aware of.

http://tv.yahoo.com/dermot-mulroney/contributor/34755/news/tv-news.en.reuters.com/tv-news.en.reuters.com-20100301-us_rockford

Attention Racine.

Senator Russ Feingold will be holding a listening session this Saturday, March 6th.

8:30 am at Park High School, 1901 12th St.

This is your big chance to have Feingold not listen to your opinion.

WOO HOO!

Created by Auto Insurance

Tommy?

Will he or won't he?

Excuses

Excuses excuses, laying the ground work for additional failure.

Oh well at least team Oblame-A is not blaming Bush this time.

Common Sense on the health care summit.

From an unlikely source comes a very common sense non-partisan view of the health care summit.

A car salesman in Utah no less.

And he thought the star of the event was Congressman Paul Ryan.

He is correct.

Caption This.

Looks like Queen Nancy is being asked out to prom.

MRQ Making tin foil hats

MRQ

Just the amateurs. Elliot.

Steve Egg wins with nada. Wyatt

sniffing fellow passengers. Bussorah

over bloated. Ol Broad

pole dancing. Trog

Any shame? Steve

used with adoring fans. Hale-Bopp

have to do it now. Josh.

I agree with Speaker Pelosi. Trog.

Torches and Pitchforks Deekaman.

TRQ

being that exotic. CFR

nice skirt. Corey

Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell Bruce.

Making tin foil hats. Al Gore's Brain

holding my sweeper Jill

One tough nerd. Nick

Bare Naked Ladies. TheTeditorial

If Pelosi has one more facelift, she'll have a goatee Peter

/optimism Carrie

covered in honey. Sara

attempted to pick up a woman in a bar SamdHam

Comeuppance? Tom

bringing Vegas to its knees. TAB

Any time I see "pervert" I just assume... Scoff

tweet with a beer Jones.

looking for the caution remote. Egg