Last month your favorite Peasant took part in a protest in downtown
Milwaukee; it was the first protest which I had attended in too many
years, so I thought that it would be good to get back into the game.
On this occasion I had gone to protest the launching of the Milwaukee
streetcar, the "Trommey" as we who are opposed to this boondoggle
call it, as it is the pet taxpayer money-wasting project of Milwaukee
Mayor Tom Barrett. The white elephant on tracks was situated by
Cathedral Square, where the mayor, several of his chums on the city's
Common Council, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, and some other municipal
officials along with some wealthy liberals all in support of the thing
(never mind that they will never ride in it, as they will stick to their
Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Mercedes Benzes; they back Barrett to the
hilt on anything that is obscenely expensive, not at all necessary,
a burden to the taxpayers, and makes them and Barrett feel oh so
visionary, so intelligent, so intellectual, so much smarter, better than,
and superior to the local peasantry whom they hold in such disdain
and contempt, for they see these Great Unwashed as being simply
too stupid to see what is truly best for Milwaukee --- a trolley which
precious few will ride, as opposed to an improved bus system and
safer neighborhoods through hiring, training, and sending more police
to make them so. All plebeian concerns, not at all worthy of the city's
elites' time and efforts, you understand.
I was invited by Thomas Brian, the founder of G.R.A.S.P.
(Group Resistance Against Streetcar Policy), whom I had mentioned
in an earlier post on this topic, to join him and some other members
of our organization for a protest there at the launch party. I happily
accepted, and what I saw there made me so glad that I moved to
the suburbs! Hizzoner and his aforementioned chums and cronies
were gathered there, with Barrett and the municipal officials giving
self-congratulatory speeches, and doing more than a wee bit of
mutual backside-kissing. To witness it was as nauseating as watching
the Oscars for all this stomach-turning behavior! It made me again
ask a question that has been rattling inside my head since the last city
elections: Why did the people of Milwaukee re-elect the clueless
elitist Mayor Barrett, and by a huge margin? They complain about
the soaring crime in the city, the potholes in the streets begging to be
filled in, and other things that Barrett and Co. can't seem to be
bothered with, but they vote overwhelmingly to keep him on?
Talk about voting against your interests, to steal a favorite phrase of
left-wingers when they criticize people for not voting for their
candidates and causes.
Thomas handed me some placards to hand out, listing the Top 10
Reasons to oppose the Streetcar, and I immediately got busy. After
a while, a nicely dressed middle-aged woman who, as it turned out,
was one of the Barrett people putting on the party, politely but firmly
informed me that I couldn't hand out our material on the park grounds
while the bash was proceeding. I found it very odd and most discom-
fiting, but I played along just to see where this would lead, reasoning
if there was to be a scene, I would not be the one to start it. Thomas and
I were there just to make our side of the issue known, to ensure that we
would have our half of the inning. She guided me to a spot on a corner
across the street from the square, saying I would be free to distribute
my lit there. I still went along with this, and if she was hoping to quash
distribution of the literature, she miscalculated greatly. I gave out half
of the sheaf that Thomas gave me, and then I decided to head back to
the square.
I caught up with Thomas and told him what happened, then we went to
look for this woman. Upon finding her, Thomas demanded to know
why we weren't allowed to give out our information to the attendees,
to which the woman gave a bunch of reasons which didn't make much
sense or none at all. She even said that she was concerned that our lit
would end up on the ground (!) after the event. Thomas said that as
head of the group he'd take full responsibility for the literature, but
she was unpersuaded. Thomas said that we had every right to be
there with our materials, the First Amendment and all that, as she
walked away. Then it was time for Mayor Barrett to address the
gathering, followed by the aforementioned big shots joining him.
Thomas had something else up his sleeve; signs to hold up, one
saying "Boo!" (to hold aloft when cheering and clapping interrupted
the speeches), and another saying "Say No to the Trolley!". He had
other signs, but the others who said they'd show up didn't, including
some friends of mine whom I had called to ask them along. And we
gave out more of our "Top 10" placards, in defiance of the Barrett
stooge. By the by, City Hall never complained about the signs, lit,
and other items strewn on the ground by left-of-center protesters
at their gatherings at Cathedral Square and elsewhere around
Milwaukee. I've seen the terrible state in which they left the city's
public squares and other gathering places and can attest to their
making pigs look like The Odd Couple's Felix Unger to their
Oscar Madison. And not a peep from the city's bigwigs!
We chatted with attendees who were opposed to the streetcar but
came out of morbid curiosity to see how big a turnout there would
be, what the streetcar looked like, would there be any others there
in opposition to the "Trommey". I had my picture taken by a couple
of these folks with my big sign. Although we didn't have much of
a turnout for our protest, we did encounter people there who shared
our opposition to the thing, all for the same reasons. And we learned
that dissent in Milwaukee, when aimed at the powers that be, is
NOT patriotic, and is to be frowned upon and discouraged. Such as
it is when dealing with liberals in positions of power. And a reminder
of what we as a nation are facing across the political divide in the
war for the heart and soul of our country. Fighting the flight of fancy
of a left-wing mayor is but a skirmish in this nationwide war. We
have many bigger clashes ahead. This all is far from over, my grand
readers, so count on our being in it for the long haul --- and it
shall be very long.
MEM
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Thursday, December 6, 2018
George H. W. Bush, R.I.P.
After a long and full life, one filled with accomplishment,
adventure, excitement, breathtaking peaks and deep, dark
valleys, George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United
States, passed away after several years of declining health
at the grand age of 91.
Born to a prominent political family in Milton, Massachusetts,
his father being U.S. Sen. Prescott Bush, George Bush lived a
life of service. The future president postponed his university
academics to enlist in the U.S. Navy on his eighteenth birth-
day and became one of the youngest aviators in the navy during
WWII, having flown 58 missions. Having been shot down over
the Pacific Ocean, George cheated death by evading sharks, an
island populated by cannibals, and more Japanese airmen. He was
rescued by the crew of a U.S. Navy submarine and was awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross for his meritorious service.
After returning to his studies, upon graduation Bush went to the
Texas oil fields to forge a business career, in which he became
wealthy in his own right, becoming a millionaire in 1964 at the
age of 40. The young New England Republican next entered
politics, running unsuccessfully as a candidate for the U.S. Senate
that year (he would again run for the Senate with the same result),
but would taste victory running for the House of Representatives
twice consecutively. President Richard Nixon was so impressed
with the young dynamo that he appointed Bush to be Ambassador
to the United Nations, followed by stints as Chairman of the
Republican National Committee, Chief of the Liasion Office
in China, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA).
The patrician Bush would make his first try for the biggest prize
in U.S. politics, the presidency in 1980, vying for the Republican
Party nomination, but couldn't withstand the Reagan juggernaut.
But in seeking party unity, California Gov. Ronald Reagan would
offer Bush the Vice Presidential spot on the GOP ticket, which
he accepted. They were elected in a landslide over incumbent
President Jimmy Carter and his Vice President Walter Mondale,
and would be re-elected in a bigger landslide four years later on
the strength of a strong, improved economy spurred by tax rate
reductions along with a strengthened military and accompanying
resolve in the face of our principal Cold War enemy, the Soviet
Union, finally bringing the decades-long standoff to a victorious
conclusion over a favorable arms control treaty with Moscow,
with the Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed "Star Wars" by
Reagan's detractors) as the ace in the hole. Bush would run to
succeed Reagan as president in 1988, handily defeating Democrat
Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. After waging a short and
victorious war in the Middle East and garnering lofty approval
numbers in polls, Bush punctured the balloon by agreeing to a
budget deal with Congressional Democrats who proposed that
Bush go back on his promise not to raise taxes in exchange for
spending reductions, only to be burned by the dishonest, welshing
Dems resulting in the economy spinning into a recession which
sent Bush's ratings plummeting and his presidency crashing, losing
his re-election bid in 1992 to Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.
Throughout his life, Bush remained true to his personal creed of
a life of service; he even teamed with the man who defeated him
for the presidency for charitable causes, including a golf
tournament which they played in together. Bush could easily have
immersed himself in his monumentally successful business interests
and his considerable money, but he remained a man of service to
his church, his community, his state, and his country.
A model husband and father, Bush's sons George W. and Jeb
involved themselves in politics as the elder Bush had, with "W"
winning the governorship of Texas followed by election to the
presidency, thereby making George H. W. and George W.
Bush just the second father and son presidential pair in U.S.
history after John Adams and son John Quincy Adams. Warm
and avuncular, a contrast to the typical stern and stuffy patrician
image of prominent New Englanders, Bush left a legacy
of love to his family, friendship to his friends and political rivals,
and consistent service to community and country. He now is
enjoying our Lord's hospitality, along with the company of his
wife of over 70 years Barbara Pierce Bush and their daughter
Robin, who unlike her parents was denied a long life by cancer
at the tender age of three. Rest well, Mr. President.
MEM
adventure, excitement, breathtaking peaks and deep, dark
valleys, George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United
States, passed away after several years of declining health
at the grand age of 91.
Born to a prominent political family in Milton, Massachusetts,
his father being U.S. Sen. Prescott Bush, George Bush lived a
life of service. The future president postponed his university
academics to enlist in the U.S. Navy on his eighteenth birth-
day and became one of the youngest aviators in the navy during
WWII, having flown 58 missions. Having been shot down over
the Pacific Ocean, George cheated death by evading sharks, an
island populated by cannibals, and more Japanese airmen. He was
rescued by the crew of a U.S. Navy submarine and was awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross for his meritorious service.
After returning to his studies, upon graduation Bush went to the
Texas oil fields to forge a business career, in which he became
wealthy in his own right, becoming a millionaire in 1964 at the
age of 40. The young New England Republican next entered
politics, running unsuccessfully as a candidate for the U.S. Senate
that year (he would again run for the Senate with the same result),
but would taste victory running for the House of Representatives
twice consecutively. President Richard Nixon was so impressed
with the young dynamo that he appointed Bush to be Ambassador
to the United Nations, followed by stints as Chairman of the
Republican National Committee, Chief of the Liasion Office
in China, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA).
The patrician Bush would make his first try for the biggest prize
in U.S. politics, the presidency in 1980, vying for the Republican
Party nomination, but couldn't withstand the Reagan juggernaut.
But in seeking party unity, California Gov. Ronald Reagan would
offer Bush the Vice Presidential spot on the GOP ticket, which
he accepted. They were elected in a landslide over incumbent
President Jimmy Carter and his Vice President Walter Mondale,
and would be re-elected in a bigger landslide four years later on
the strength of a strong, improved economy spurred by tax rate
reductions along with a strengthened military and accompanying
resolve in the face of our principal Cold War enemy, the Soviet
Union, finally bringing the decades-long standoff to a victorious
conclusion over a favorable arms control treaty with Moscow,
with the Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed "Star Wars" by
Reagan's detractors) as the ace in the hole. Bush would run to
succeed Reagan as president in 1988, handily defeating Democrat
Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. After waging a short and
victorious war in the Middle East and garnering lofty approval
numbers in polls, Bush punctured the balloon by agreeing to a
budget deal with Congressional Democrats who proposed that
Bush go back on his promise not to raise taxes in exchange for
spending reductions, only to be burned by the dishonest, welshing
Dems resulting in the economy spinning into a recession which
sent Bush's ratings plummeting and his presidency crashing, losing
his re-election bid in 1992 to Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.
Throughout his life, Bush remained true to his personal creed of
a life of service; he even teamed with the man who defeated him
for the presidency for charitable causes, including a golf
tournament which they played in together. Bush could easily have
immersed himself in his monumentally successful business interests
and his considerable money, but he remained a man of service to
his church, his community, his state, and his country.
A model husband and father, Bush's sons George W. and Jeb
involved themselves in politics as the elder Bush had, with "W"
winning the governorship of Texas followed by election to the
presidency, thereby making George H. W. and George W.
Bush just the second father and son presidential pair in U.S.
history after John Adams and son John Quincy Adams. Warm
and avuncular, a contrast to the typical stern and stuffy patrician
image of prominent New Englanders, Bush left a legacy
of love to his family, friendship to his friends and political rivals,
and consistent service to community and country. He now is
enjoying our Lord's hospitality, along with the company of his
wife of over 70 years Barbara Pierce Bush and their daughter
Robin, who unlike her parents was denied a long life by cancer
at the tender age of three. Rest well, Mr. President.
MEM
Thursday, November 29, 2018
An Election With Something for Everyone
The Democrats jubilantly predicted that there would be a mighty
"Blue Wave" which would sweep them into power, driving out
scads of Republican members of Congress in both chambers,
as well as change the political landscape of many states with
new governors and new legislators. The Republicans confidently
asserted that they would stop any "Blue Wave" with a red one of
their own. After the dust settled, neither color wave prevailed
but each side made gains, some of which were surprising in
scope and some in even happening at all.
The Democrats captured control of the House, while the Republicans
added a couple of seats to their slim majority in the Senate.
I have yet to see the tallies for the governors and state legislatures,
but with great sorrow I must report the defeats of my state's
courageous and principled governor, Scott Walker, who lost by a
razor-thin margin to an over-glorified bureaucrat, Superintendent
of Public Instruction Tony Evers (he oversees the public education
system of Wisconsin), a very left-wing ally of the teacher's union.
Your observant Peasant listened to the election returns on
WISN1130 AM Milwaukee, and just around 11:00 PM one of the
co-hosts for the broadcast announced "Breaking news! Breaking
News!", then said that some bags containing cast ballots suddenly
appeared in Milwaukee County. With Governor Scott Walker
starting to pull ahead in the statewide vote tally against Democrat
challenger Tony Evers, this discovery could certainly have great
bearing on the electoral outcome. Well, it certainly proved to do
that; after the counting and adding of all of the votes, Evers finished
ahead of Walker by 1.2%, just enough over the 1% threshold in which,
by a law signed by Gov. Walker, put the results just out of reach
for an automatic recount as mandated by the state and paid for by
same. Attorney general Brad Schimel lost his contest by a similar
percentage to Democrat challenger Josh Kaul. Interestingly,
the Republicans held onto their majorities in the Assembly and
the Senate, even adding a few seats in the process. Lots of
ticket-splitting here, to be sure. But why would our state's voters
cast out Walker and Schimel, as well as elect Democrats to the rest
of the state's Constitutional offices (Treasurer, etc.), but keep the
GOP in control of both chambers of the state legislature? Most
curious.
Now, Walker could still have requested a recount, but would have had
to pay for it himself, that is, his campaign team and/or the Wisconsin
Republican Party would have had to foot the bill. Or, Walker could
have asked for an investigation by the state's Election Commission to
investigate the matter to see if there was any shenanigans.
Your inquiring Peasant asks this question: How was it that these
ballots, most of which happened to have been cast for the Democrats'
candidates for Governor as well as for Attorney General Josh Kaul
(who likewise edged incumbent Republican Brad Schimel), were
--- lo and behold! --- found so late in the count, and right at the time
when both Walker and Schimel were starting to take the lead in
their respective races? How very convenient for the Democrats!
And now we Wisconsinites are out two excellent public servants who
had greatly improved the quality of life in the Badger State.
More bad news from here: my longtime Assemblywoman and State
Senator Leah Vukmir lost her race for the U.S. Senate to incumbent
Democrat Tammy Baldwin. I'm still trying to figure out how that
happened! One key factor: Baldwin and the Dems raises three times
as much money for Baldwin's campaign as had Vukmir. And your
favorite Peasant has a sneaking suspicion that some conservative PACs
and similar groups which had funded Leah's GOP primary
opponent Kevin Nicholson may have petulantly given little or
mo money to her campaign after her primary victory. I shall of course
investigate this matter to see what happened and shall report what
I discover here for you, my tremendous readers, to read and mull over.
There were similar happenings in the gubernatorial races in Georgia
and Florida, and the U.S. Senate race in the latter, but happily the
Republican candidates fared better in these three contests.
U.S. Representative Ron DeSantis overcame a mudslinging campaign
by Florida Democrats and their candidate, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew
Gillum (an avowed socialist, by the by; gee, the Dems are nominating
more and more of such candidates in state-wide and national races!).
Gillum and chums tried to paint DeSantis to be a racist, but not many
Florida voters were buying it. Outgoing Gov. Rick Scott also won a
whisker-close race against incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Bill
Nelson, after nearly two weeks of a contentious recount took place
showing Scott winning by 10,033 votes, after Scott had been at first
declared the winner with over five times that many votes. Nelson
wisely conceded the race after a manual recount was done, showing
the narrower margin of victory for the Scott.
In Arizona, very far left-wing Democrat Kyrsten Simena, who has
stated in an interview just before the election that she had "no
problem" with any American going off to join Al-Qaeda or any other
terrorist group in the Middle East and repeated a reprehensible joke
uttered on The Daily Show calling Arizona "the meth lab of
Democracy" won a nail-biter for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by
retiring Republican Senator Jeff Flake, defeating GOP opponent
Martha McSally amid some questions regarding voting irregularities
there. Could this be an electoral pattern with the Dems?
The Democrats captured the House of Representatives, gaining a slim
majority, while the Republicans added two seats to their very slim
majority in the Senate. I have yet to see all of the gubernatorial and
state legislative race results, so I don't know which party has what
in terms of either. But I will say this: At least as far as my state goes,
there were two factors which made for much closer races for governor
and attorney general than there should have been.
Here in Wisconsin both the Republicans and the Democrats superbly
turned out their voters. The polls, especially in Milwaukee and Dane
Counties (Madison, our capital city, is in Dane County), were absolutely
slammed by the voters coming to cast their votes. However, the Dems
did an even better job of this, as their voters were motivated by their
long-standing hatred for Gov. Walker, fueled by his signing his massive
reform package featuring Act 10 (which clipped the public sector
workers' unions' wings as far as their hold on their rank-and-filers
as well as tremendous influence on state budgets) as its centerpiece,
then fanned by the winds of failure to do anything about it all until
this election. What put them over the top in the gubernatorial and
attorney general contests was the discovery (!) of 45,000 uncounted
absentee ballots after 11:00 PM, three hours after the polls closed.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the city waited to count
those ballots until after they counted the ballots. Okay, fair enough
so far. But Brian Reisinger, a spokesman for the Walker campaign,
stated "Thousands of ballots were damaged and had to be recreated,"
what supposedly happened is some of the ballots were damaged by
a machine that opens the envelopes in which they were sealed before
being brought to the election officials' tables for counting. "Until
there is a comparison of the original ballots to the recreated ones
(replacing the damaged ones), there is no way to judge their validity."
Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said that Evers
received double the votes cast in Milwaukee County as did Walker,
the breakdown being 263,199 votes for Evers against 124,880 votes
for Walker. Although Walker has long had a contentous relationship
with Milwaukee's municipal and county governments, he was quite
popular with much of the electorate when he restored order and
integrity to the county government and its budget in the wake of
the Tom Ament pension shenanigans after Walker defeated Ament
in a recall election to become the County Executive. Milwaukee
County is, and perhaps always will remain, a very blue (Democrat)
county, but Walker attracted more votes in his races there, including
the 2018 gubernatorial contest, than many other possible GOP
candidates would have. Your dependable Peasant, who takes nothing
for granted, asks another question; if there were damaged ballots,
and plenty of them (and maybe there were), was there any switching
of some votes for Walker and Schimel, thus given to Evers and
Kaul? What an opportunity for such mischief with there being
damaged ballots, or even merely the claim of there being damaged
ballots! Again, all the more reason why Walker and Schimel could
have, and should have, called for an investigation.
Finally, your quizzical and sorrowful Peasant has to ask: How many
voters who had elected Scott Walker governor in the first place, and
had voted to keep him through the controversial recall attempt and
his campaign for another full term after that. turned around and gave
Walker the boot? What was your reasoning? What did he say or do
that suddenly put you off, what legislation did he sign or veto which
angered you? Perhaps some of you turned him out because you thought
it was "time for a change", that someone from the other party should
have a turn as governor like a child having a turn at riding a shiny new
bike bought for his brother so said brother wouldn't "hog" the bike?
I personally do not know anyone who voted for Evers against Walker
for this vapid reason but anyone here in Wisconsin who did so as
far as I'm concerned can take a long walk off a short pier wearing
cement swim trunks! People who vote for such nonsensical reasons,
who don't care about the stands of the candidates on the burning issues
of the moment, who don't give any thought to the direction of their
communities, their state, the country itself should simply stay home,
or at least do anything other than vote! For they have neither the good
sense nor the maturity to inform themselves about the candidates and
the issues in order to make a rational, logical, and informed decision
about our governance and are therefore derelict in their duty as
citizens. These people are not fit to govern themselves, nor to
have a hand in deciding who should govern us.
So, as far as the battle for the direction of our states and our country
goes, this election was a push, a draw, a wash. But it can certainly
be said that in the election results there was something for everyone.
MEM
"Blue Wave" which would sweep them into power, driving out
scads of Republican members of Congress in both chambers,
as well as change the political landscape of many states with
new governors and new legislators. The Republicans confidently
asserted that they would stop any "Blue Wave" with a red one of
their own. After the dust settled, neither color wave prevailed
but each side made gains, some of which were surprising in
scope and some in even happening at all.
The Democrats captured control of the House, while the Republicans
added a couple of seats to their slim majority in the Senate.
I have yet to see the tallies for the governors and state legislatures,
but with great sorrow I must report the defeats of my state's
courageous and principled governor, Scott Walker, who lost by a
razor-thin margin to an over-glorified bureaucrat, Superintendent
of Public Instruction Tony Evers (he oversees the public education
system of Wisconsin), a very left-wing ally of the teacher's union.
Your observant Peasant listened to the election returns on
WISN1130 AM Milwaukee, and just around 11:00 PM one of the
co-hosts for the broadcast announced "Breaking news! Breaking
News!", then said that some bags containing cast ballots suddenly
appeared in Milwaukee County. With Governor Scott Walker
starting to pull ahead in the statewide vote tally against Democrat
challenger Tony Evers, this discovery could certainly have great
bearing on the electoral outcome. Well, it certainly proved to do
that; after the counting and adding of all of the votes, Evers finished
ahead of Walker by 1.2%, just enough over the 1% threshold in which,
by a law signed by Gov. Walker, put the results just out of reach
for an automatic recount as mandated by the state and paid for by
same. Attorney general Brad Schimel lost his contest by a similar
percentage to Democrat challenger Josh Kaul. Interestingly,
the Republicans held onto their majorities in the Assembly and
the Senate, even adding a few seats in the process. Lots of
ticket-splitting here, to be sure. But why would our state's voters
cast out Walker and Schimel, as well as elect Democrats to the rest
of the state's Constitutional offices (Treasurer, etc.), but keep the
GOP in control of both chambers of the state legislature? Most
curious.
Now, Walker could still have requested a recount, but would have had
to pay for it himself, that is, his campaign team and/or the Wisconsin
Republican Party would have had to foot the bill. Or, Walker could
have asked for an investigation by the state's Election Commission to
investigate the matter to see if there was any shenanigans.
Your inquiring Peasant asks this question: How was it that these
ballots, most of which happened to have been cast for the Democrats'
candidates for Governor as well as for Attorney General Josh Kaul
(who likewise edged incumbent Republican Brad Schimel), were
--- lo and behold! --- found so late in the count, and right at the time
when both Walker and Schimel were starting to take the lead in
their respective races? How very convenient for the Democrats!
And now we Wisconsinites are out two excellent public servants who
had greatly improved the quality of life in the Badger State.
More bad news from here: my longtime Assemblywoman and State
Senator Leah Vukmir lost her race for the U.S. Senate to incumbent
Democrat Tammy Baldwin. I'm still trying to figure out how that
happened! One key factor: Baldwin and the Dems raises three times
as much money for Baldwin's campaign as had Vukmir. And your
favorite Peasant has a sneaking suspicion that some conservative PACs
and similar groups which had funded Leah's GOP primary
opponent Kevin Nicholson may have petulantly given little or
mo money to her campaign after her primary victory. I shall of course
investigate this matter to see what happened and shall report what
I discover here for you, my tremendous readers, to read and mull over.
There were similar happenings in the gubernatorial races in Georgia
and Florida, and the U.S. Senate race in the latter, but happily the
Republican candidates fared better in these three contests.
U.S. Representative Ron DeSantis overcame a mudslinging campaign
by Florida Democrats and their candidate, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew
Gillum (an avowed socialist, by the by; gee, the Dems are nominating
more and more of such candidates in state-wide and national races!).
Gillum and chums tried to paint DeSantis to be a racist, but not many
Florida voters were buying it. Outgoing Gov. Rick Scott also won a
whisker-close race against incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Bill
Nelson, after nearly two weeks of a contentious recount took place
showing Scott winning by 10,033 votes, after Scott had been at first
declared the winner with over five times that many votes. Nelson
wisely conceded the race after a manual recount was done, showing
the narrower margin of victory for the Scott.
In Arizona, very far left-wing Democrat Kyrsten Simena, who has
stated in an interview just before the election that she had "no
problem" with any American going off to join Al-Qaeda or any other
terrorist group in the Middle East and repeated a reprehensible joke
uttered on The Daily Show calling Arizona "the meth lab of
Democracy" won a nail-biter for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by
retiring Republican Senator Jeff Flake, defeating GOP opponent
Martha McSally amid some questions regarding voting irregularities
there. Could this be an electoral pattern with the Dems?
The Democrats captured the House of Representatives, gaining a slim
majority, while the Republicans added two seats to their very slim
majority in the Senate. I have yet to see all of the gubernatorial and
state legislative race results, so I don't know which party has what
in terms of either. But I will say this: At least as far as my state goes,
there were two factors which made for much closer races for governor
and attorney general than there should have been.
Here in Wisconsin both the Republicans and the Democrats superbly
turned out their voters. The polls, especially in Milwaukee and Dane
Counties (Madison, our capital city, is in Dane County), were absolutely
slammed by the voters coming to cast their votes. However, the Dems
did an even better job of this, as their voters were motivated by their
long-standing hatred for Gov. Walker, fueled by his signing his massive
reform package featuring Act 10 (which clipped the public sector
workers' unions' wings as far as their hold on their rank-and-filers
as well as tremendous influence on state budgets) as its centerpiece,
then fanned by the winds of failure to do anything about it all until
this election. What put them over the top in the gubernatorial and
attorney general contests was the discovery (!) of 45,000 uncounted
absentee ballots after 11:00 PM, three hours after the polls closed.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the city waited to count
those ballots until after they counted the ballots. Okay, fair enough
so far. But Brian Reisinger, a spokesman for the Walker campaign,
stated "Thousands of ballots were damaged and had to be recreated,"
what supposedly happened is some of the ballots were damaged by
a machine that opens the envelopes in which they were sealed before
being brought to the election officials' tables for counting. "Until
there is a comparison of the original ballots to the recreated ones
(replacing the damaged ones), there is no way to judge their validity."
Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said that Evers
received double the votes cast in Milwaukee County as did Walker,
the breakdown being 263,199 votes for Evers against 124,880 votes
for Walker. Although Walker has long had a contentous relationship
with Milwaukee's municipal and county governments, he was quite
popular with much of the electorate when he restored order and
integrity to the county government and its budget in the wake of
the Tom Ament pension shenanigans after Walker defeated Ament
in a recall election to become the County Executive. Milwaukee
County is, and perhaps always will remain, a very blue (Democrat)
county, but Walker attracted more votes in his races there, including
the 2018 gubernatorial contest, than many other possible GOP
candidates would have. Your dependable Peasant, who takes nothing
for granted, asks another question; if there were damaged ballots,
and plenty of them (and maybe there were), was there any switching
of some votes for Walker and Schimel, thus given to Evers and
Kaul? What an opportunity for such mischief with there being
damaged ballots, or even merely the claim of there being damaged
ballots! Again, all the more reason why Walker and Schimel could
have, and should have, called for an investigation.
Finally, your quizzical and sorrowful Peasant has to ask: How many
voters who had elected Scott Walker governor in the first place, and
had voted to keep him through the controversial recall attempt and
his campaign for another full term after that. turned around and gave
Walker the boot? What was your reasoning? What did he say or do
that suddenly put you off, what legislation did he sign or veto which
angered you? Perhaps some of you turned him out because you thought
it was "time for a change", that someone from the other party should
have a turn as governor like a child having a turn at riding a shiny new
bike bought for his brother so said brother wouldn't "hog" the bike?
I personally do not know anyone who voted for Evers against Walker
for this vapid reason but anyone here in Wisconsin who did so as
far as I'm concerned can take a long walk off a short pier wearing
cement swim trunks! People who vote for such nonsensical reasons,
who don't care about the stands of the candidates on the burning issues
of the moment, who don't give any thought to the direction of their
communities, their state, the country itself should simply stay home,
or at least do anything other than vote! For they have neither the good
sense nor the maturity to inform themselves about the candidates and
the issues in order to make a rational, logical, and informed decision
about our governance and are therefore derelict in their duty as
citizens. These people are not fit to govern themselves, nor to
have a hand in deciding who should govern us.
So, as far as the battle for the direction of our states and our country
goes, this election was a push, a draw, a wash. But it can certainly
be said that in the election results there was something for everyone.
MEM
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
My magnificent readers, your faithful Peasant wishes you all
a Happy Thanksgiving, and also wants to tell you that I am
taking some extra time to prepare a post regarding our very
recent election. I am gathering my thoughts and impressions,
as well as pertinent information to weave into the piece along
with some careful analysis and a few predictions, as I want to
give this subject matter the treatment it richly deserves.
Meanwhile please accept my utmost gratitude for your under-
standing. And enjoy the holiday which honors and celebrates it!
MEM
a Happy Thanksgiving, and also wants to tell you that I am
taking some extra time to prepare a post regarding our very
recent election. I am gathering my thoughts and impressions,
as well as pertinent information to weave into the piece along
with some careful analysis and a few predictions, as I want to
give this subject matter the treatment it richly deserves.
Meanwhile please accept my utmost gratitude for your under-
standing. And enjoy the holiday which honors and celebrates it!
MEM
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Veterans Day Gratitude
Today, November 11, is Veterans Day, the day we Americans
give thanks to all our veterans, past and present, those among
the living and those who made the Ultimate Sacrifice so that
we can have a country with a way of life filled with abundance,
a cornucopia of freedom, comfort, safety and security. Although
one should give thanks every day for these gifts that our brave
and selfless veterans made possible for us, and in fact many of
us do, it is good to have a nationally established and recognized
day to focus our attention on all this, especially with our workaday
lives and their relentless schedules of duties and recreation too
easily fill our time and our heads to the point that we tend to take
what we have as citizens of a free and strong country for granted.
Please take time, all who are reading this post today, to thank our
vets for these fruits of their hard and dangerous work on our behalf.
At the very least, say a prayer to them, to ask God's blessings on them
and their families, and to take heavenly good care of those who have
gone to glory, including of course by way of a battlefield. We owe
these courageous men and women a debt so great that we can never
even begin to repay, but that does not excuse us from trying.
I realize that Memorial Day is the day to honor our passed veterans
and that Veterans Day is the day to honor our living vets, but your
grateful Peasant's gratitude for our all our veterans knows no bounds,
so I always have an overflow! Please don't be put off by this, as I
mean only the utmost gratitude and respect. And I am thus grateful
each and every day of the year!
The Peasant salutes you, all who have served, suffered, sacrificed,
and toiled to make and keep our country great and free. God bless.
MEM
give thanks to all our veterans, past and present, those among
the living and those who made the Ultimate Sacrifice so that
we can have a country with a way of life filled with abundance,
a cornucopia of freedom, comfort, safety and security. Although
one should give thanks every day for these gifts that our brave
and selfless veterans made possible for us, and in fact many of
us do, it is good to have a nationally established and recognized
day to focus our attention on all this, especially with our workaday
lives and their relentless schedules of duties and recreation too
easily fill our time and our heads to the point that we tend to take
what we have as citizens of a free and strong country for granted.
Please take time, all who are reading this post today, to thank our
vets for these fruits of their hard and dangerous work on our behalf.
At the very least, say a prayer to them, to ask God's blessings on them
and their families, and to take heavenly good care of those who have
gone to glory, including of course by way of a battlefield. We owe
these courageous men and women a debt so great that we can never
even begin to repay, but that does not excuse us from trying.
I realize that Memorial Day is the day to honor our passed veterans
and that Veterans Day is the day to honor our living vets, but your
grateful Peasant's gratitude for our all our veterans knows no bounds,
so I always have an overflow! Please don't be put off by this, as I
mean only the utmost gratitude and respect. And I am thus grateful
each and every day of the year!
The Peasant salutes you, all who have served, suffered, sacrificed,
and toiled to make and keep our country great and free. God bless.
MEM
Monday, November 5, 2018
Three More Brief Endorsements
Your hurried and harried Peasant wants to get these endorsements
out before the big day, which is of course tomorrow.
My fellow Wisconsinites, let us return Attorney General Brad Schimel
to office for another term! In his first term as our state's top lawyer,
he has taken a tougher stand on crime and criminals than has his
predecessor, and has been in the forefront of handling the opioid crisis
which has been troubling our nation and now has come to Wisconsin.
Brad Schimel has combined an emphasis on more and better treatment
programs for opioid addicts along with tougher measures in dealing
with the dealers of these powerful drugs. Schimel is also pro-life and
will continue to fight for the right to life for the unborn. His Democrat
opponent has never prosecuted a criminal case, and his campaign has
been propped up by much out of state money from big-moneyed
left-wing interests who hope to have a minion in one of our state's
high offices.
Travis Hartwig, the Republican candidate for Treasurer, is another
endorsee of the Peasant. His private sector experience, which includes
having been Mutual Funds Administrator for U.S. Bank Fund Services
in Downtown Milwaukee where he worked with auditors during highly
complex audits. Hartwig was a double major in Finance and Economics
in college while minoring in Accounting, making him very knowledge-
able in regards to money matters on a large scale. While in college
he was also active in the College Republicans, and in 2011 Hartwig
went to Madison to protest the protesters who railed against
Governor Scott Walker and Act 10, exposing himself to danger
amid the wild and menacing throng of radicals. This shows you
the man's committment to conservatism, the rule of law, and the
will of the people! Exactly the kind of candidates we should strive
to elect to all offices! Furthermore, I have had the pleasure of meeting
and discussing the issues with Travis, and I can attest that he is
articulate, whip-smart, and quick on his feet with answers to
questions regarding the issues the next state treasurer will contend
with!
Finally, for those in Leah Vukmir's state senate district which includes
Wauwatosa, Brookfield, Elm Grove, and a few other suburban
communities near Milwaukee, do come out and vote for Assemblyman
Dale Kooyenga as he is running to succeed Leah as that district's
state senator. Dale is also very well-schooled and knowledgeable in
monetary matters, as he is a CPA and has been instrumental in
crafting Act 10, Gov.Walker's sweeping fiscal reform legislation.
I have known Dale for several years, and have much regard for
him and his fiscal and political acumen. He will be as fine a state
senator as he has been an assemblyman.
And as for the rest of the ballot, VOTE RED VOTE RED VOTE RED!
Don't give any quarter to the Democrats, and don't be fooled by any
of their candidates who may have uttered some conservative or
moderate sounds on the campaign trail. They are just trying to con
you to reel you in, and if they get enough of your votes to get into
office they will then revert to their true political selves and vote
uncompromisingly left on everything, having successfully worked
their "Gotcha!" ruse. Accept no substitutes! Let us elect as many
conservatives as we can! Even a moderate Republican will be better
than a hard lefty Democrat, for at least the moderate GOP candidate
will vote our way some of the time as opposed to the Democrat
who will not vote our way at all. Wherever you live in our great and
wonderful country, please please please VOTE!
The polls will be open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. For those of you
who haven't voted early or absentee you should thus have ample time
to get to your polling places. Let's do this!
MEM
out before the big day, which is of course tomorrow.
My fellow Wisconsinites, let us return Attorney General Brad Schimel
to office for another term! In his first term as our state's top lawyer,
he has taken a tougher stand on crime and criminals than has his
predecessor, and has been in the forefront of handling the opioid crisis
which has been troubling our nation and now has come to Wisconsin.
Brad Schimel has combined an emphasis on more and better treatment
programs for opioid addicts along with tougher measures in dealing
with the dealers of these powerful drugs. Schimel is also pro-life and
will continue to fight for the right to life for the unborn. His Democrat
opponent has never prosecuted a criminal case, and his campaign has
been propped up by much out of state money from big-moneyed
left-wing interests who hope to have a minion in one of our state's
high offices.
Travis Hartwig, the Republican candidate for Treasurer, is another
endorsee of the Peasant. His private sector experience, which includes
having been Mutual Funds Administrator for U.S. Bank Fund Services
in Downtown Milwaukee where he worked with auditors during highly
complex audits. Hartwig was a double major in Finance and Economics
in college while minoring in Accounting, making him very knowledge-
able in regards to money matters on a large scale. While in college
he was also active in the College Republicans, and in 2011 Hartwig
went to Madison to protest the protesters who railed against
Governor Scott Walker and Act 10, exposing himself to danger
amid the wild and menacing throng of radicals. This shows you
the man's committment to conservatism, the rule of law, and the
will of the people! Exactly the kind of candidates we should strive
to elect to all offices! Furthermore, I have had the pleasure of meeting
and discussing the issues with Travis, and I can attest that he is
articulate, whip-smart, and quick on his feet with answers to
questions regarding the issues the next state treasurer will contend
with!
Finally, for those in Leah Vukmir's state senate district which includes
Wauwatosa, Brookfield, Elm Grove, and a few other suburban
communities near Milwaukee, do come out and vote for Assemblyman
Dale Kooyenga as he is running to succeed Leah as that district's
state senator. Dale is also very well-schooled and knowledgeable in
monetary matters, as he is a CPA and has been instrumental in
crafting Act 10, Gov.Walker's sweeping fiscal reform legislation.
I have known Dale for several years, and have much regard for
him and his fiscal and political acumen. He will be as fine a state
senator as he has been an assemblyman.
And as for the rest of the ballot, VOTE RED VOTE RED VOTE RED!
Don't give any quarter to the Democrats, and don't be fooled by any
of their candidates who may have uttered some conservative or
moderate sounds on the campaign trail. They are just trying to con
you to reel you in, and if they get enough of your votes to get into
office they will then revert to their true political selves and vote
uncompromisingly left on everything, having successfully worked
their "Gotcha!" ruse. Accept no substitutes! Let us elect as many
conservatives as we can! Even a moderate Republican will be better
than a hard lefty Democrat, for at least the moderate GOP candidate
will vote our way some of the time as opposed to the Democrat
who will not vote our way at all. Wherever you live in our great and
wonderful country, please please please VOTE!
The polls will be open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. For those of you
who haven't voted early or absentee you should thus have ample time
to get to your polling places. Let's do this!
MEM
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Two Brief Endorsements
A note to my fellow Wisconsinites:
Two endorsements from your faithful Peasant ---
Scott Walker for another term as Governor
and Leah Vukmir for the United States Senate!
Gov. Walker's record speaks for itself, with the
preponderance of jobs and people going back to
work, many after months or even years without
a job! And the improvement of our state's economy
to make that happen is but ONE accomplishment!
State Senator Leah Vukmir has been a big help to
Gov. Walker in this regard, as well as on other issues
of importance to we Badger Staters, and has much
respect and regard for our veterans, unlike the incumbent
whom she is running against. Besides, Leah has a son in
our army and she is a nurse by profession!
Now, Election Day is on November 6 --- just three short
days from now! Be sure to get to your polling precincts
if you have not voted early! And make a surging Red Wave!
RED RULES: BLUE DROOLS!
And God Bless America!
MEM
Two endorsements from your faithful Peasant ---
Scott Walker for another term as Governor
and Leah Vukmir for the United States Senate!
Gov. Walker's record speaks for itself, with the
preponderance of jobs and people going back to
work, many after months or even years without
a job! And the improvement of our state's economy
to make that happen is but ONE accomplishment!
State Senator Leah Vukmir has been a big help to
Gov. Walker in this regard, as well as on other issues
of importance to we Badger Staters, and has much
respect and regard for our veterans, unlike the incumbent
whom she is running against. Besides, Leah has a son in
our army and she is a nurse by profession!
Now, Election Day is on November 6 --- just three short
days from now! Be sure to get to your polling precincts
if you have not voted early! And make a surging Red Wave!
RED RULES: BLUE DROOLS!
And God Bless America!
MEM
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