Thursday, February 14, 2008
Huckabee's problem is the GOP's problem
Mike Huckabee would be a great president. He has great charm and charisma. He is generally a likeable guy. I would vote for him any day of the week.
With that said, I cannot vote for him on Tuesday.
I just got back from his campaign rally and am very unimpressed. He discussed his fair tax plan, hammered on abortion, and talked about the economy in the scope of the loss of manufacturing jobs and jobs in general.
Mike Huckabee's problem is that he is still focusing on the wrong issues. The big elephant in the room is the Iraqi war and the war on Islamic fundamentalism. The slightly smaller elephant is the economy. Both points he takes a swing and a miss. This is why John Mc Cain will be the candidate of the Republican Party and this is also why Mitt Romney was the runner up.
It almost seems too simplistic really. McCain's strength is the security and war; Romney's strength is the economy; and Huckabee's is values and right to life. Each of these issues are what made the Reagan Coalition strong. Each group seemed to have co-equal power within the party. Each had their place and each felt good about their positions.
Today, it seems, that that coalition is on its way of breaking up. On talk radio, you hear the pundits taking preference to one of the viewpoints of what a conservative is. On TV, the pundits are discussion the dissatisfaction of the pool of candidates that we are presented with. And finally, friends and family are passionately taking sides in the primary vowing "never to vote for X, Y, or Z candidate."
This is absurd. Yes, we can choose our preferences. Yes, we can campaign hard and be passitonate. But at the end of the day, we have to unite and make our party and our ideas stronger. We have to remember the old saying, "united we stand, divided we fall." Going into convention, we need a united party, with a united platform, with a united message.
While I admire Huckabee's drive and determination, I don't think it is time for more campaigning. You've made your point...just like Romney, Guilliani, F. Thompson, T. Thompson, Brownback, Hunter, Tancredo, Keyes...and yes Ron Paul...and now it is time to take these ideas, these positions and defeat liberalism in November.
Labels: Election 2008, Strategery
Monday, August 20, 2007
Are we turning into a bunch of wimps?
I used to think that everyone wanted to become successful and win. I used to believe that somewhere there was a competitive streak in all of us. But I don't think that is the case anymore, as there are two distinctive groups of people today--winners and runner-ups.
Consider this: I have recently taken a new job where we are paid out on comission and our pay checks directly reflect our effort. Now, being as competitive as I am, I use not just my numbers, but my co-workers as well to gauge how well I am doing.
It seems like not everyone is cool with that principle.
What I've seen is that there are some people that just are not competitive. They don't want to win. They just want to get by. They want to keep on in life on the status quo. Winning doesn't matter to them, just as long as they meet their goals.
Now, I relate this simple observation from the workplace into society at-large and I see similar results. Outside of professional sports, do Americans really want to win? Does America want to be the best anymore? Do we have the guts to be the best?
All you have to do is take a look at the cut-and-run movement with our War on Terrorism. Americans have no desire to win the war. They want to retreat despite the major catastrophe that would ensue if we were to leave.
We have the best healthcare system in the world right now. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But for some reason, the goofy politicians think we need universal healthcare just like every other Western civilization. By implementing a universal healthcare system, we are conceding that we want to have the best.
And take a look at the value of the American dollar. It used to be the best currency out there. The American dollar was a sound investment...well, not anymore.
Are we doomed? I sure hope not.
Labels: Strategery
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Real Immigration reform needed now, at the national level not local level
The City of Green Bay is stepping up its effort to rid everything it finds digusting including child sex offenders. Now, the city council is stepping up its efforts to rid the area of another problem--illegal aliens.
It is a sad day when you have to go down to the lowest level of government to help fix the problem. First, let's make it really clear, I oppose illegal aliens entering the country. They should be hunted down and sent back to their home country. Secondly, I oppose businesses hiring these aliens. They are here illegally. Paying them cash or other form of wage is illegal as well. These employers should be sent to prision and pay a fine so heavy they won't do it again. We need to militarize our border to protect our nation from, I don' t know, maybe terrorists crossing the open border just like the Mexicans and other Hispanics do.
With that said, the proprosed Green Bay immigration reform is just plain stupid. In short, it basically requires any business that requires a permit from the city to conform to immigration laws and disallow them to hire workers without documentation.
But we already do that--or at least employers are supposed to. There's a little thing called an I-9 form that all employees must fill out to be considered eligible for employment. On that form, it lists what kind of documentation is needed for employment. The potential employee must have all of these documents to prove their are a U.S. citizen or legal alien.
Celestine Jeffreys, a Green Bay Alderwoman, is a vocal oppoent of the measure. She appeared on the O'Reilly Factor Friday night and received the typical Bill O'Reilly treatment--little time to make a solid argument or even a coherent thought. But her arguements all along have been justified. In the April 29 edition of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Jeffreys had this to say:
Alderwoman Celestine Jeffreys, the only one on the council so far to voice opposition to Fradette's plan, agrees that illegal immigration is a problem.
"There's no question in my mind that the federal government needs to do more to stop illegal immigration," she said. "But for me, the issue is one of jurisdiction, resources and priorities."
The federal government is doing what it can do to combat the problem, but if each municipality in the country were to choose some kind of initiative to "help," it would lead to a hodgepodge of confusing and difficult-to-enforce laws and ordinances, she said.
Given that the council has a host of responsibilities of its own — acting as stewards of
the taxpayers' money, for example — Jeffreys said, why would it want to take on an issue that is better handled by the federal government and more reasonably worried about by the nation's border states?"I'm not sure what the impetus is," she said. "When my neighbors, my constituents talk to me, they are concerned about national scale problems, sure, but when they call me, they call about junky houses and streets not being repaired. Those are the issues I love to work on, the issues I know we have the talent and resources to work on."
She's dead on right. The real solution to the problem is to get tough on employers and illegal aliens. Jim Sensenbrenner's proposal last session, HR 4437, proposed tough changes to immigration policies. It would essentially eliminate the need for a municipal intervention.
But the U.S. Senate wanted nothing to do with it. President Bush wanted nothing to do with it. These guys wanted open borders and give amnesty to those who have broken the law. They were criminals by entering our country and now they want to "forgive and forget" because we need the workers. That is BS.
We have an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent as of the April report. That means there are approximately 6.8 million people that needs a job. And that report doesn't include people who's welfare has run out. With approximately 10 million illegals doing "jobs American's won't do," we could get these people off of living on the government. What exactly are these jobs you say? They are jobs Americans used to do--like mopping floors, picking vegetables in the fields, and a whole slew of "low-end" jobs. Somehow Americans became too good for these jobs.
Or maybe Americans just got lazy. Take your pick.
Why the immigration backlash now? No intergration.
This is the question that needed to be answered decades ago when we saw the mass migration of Hispanics into our country. Let's face it, everything is in two languages now. You call a company, you have to dial 1 for English and dial dos for Spanish. Everything is written in both English and Spanish. There are companies exploiting the explosion in the Hispanic population and needing workers that speak Spanish to they can speak to this new market.
Joe American is sick of having to press "1," having to ask for documents in English, and sick of seeing a group of people refuse to intergrate into American society.
That is the crux of the problem. Sure, when the Irish came to America, they weren't met with open arms. Neither were the Italians. Neither was anyone. But they intergrated and made a contribution to our American culture. Take a good look what all of these different ethinic groups contributed to an Anglo-Saxon society. All you have to do is spend a summer in Milwaukee and look at all of the different "Fests" that go on. The European immigrant tried its best to intergrate into American society. They didn't ask for special documents, need to speak to different telephone operator at the switchboard, and they didn't want special favors. Sure, the first generation had a rough go of it, but their kids adapt and succeed because they speak English, get educated at school, and contribute their cultural experiences in the larger melting pot.
A prime example of this today is the Hmong population. These people were removed from a different continent, and put into whole new world. The first generation have struggled. But the second and third generation are succeeding. They speak English, they want to get an education, and they want to succeed. All you have to do is take a good hard look at a class at UW-Green Bay. In the Fall 2006 session, there were 108 students identified as Southeast Asian. Five years ago there were 72. And 10 years ago, there were 58. That is 86 percent growth in decade.
Now take a look at the Hispanic population at UWGB. For the same time period, there were 71 Hispanic students in 2006, 36 in 2001, and 43 in 1996--a 65 percent increase.
Something in those ethnic communities is different. The Hispanic community isn't speaking English. When I worked in retail, I would see it daily. The Hispanic children are at a severe disadvantage--they speak Spanish first, English second. That isn't how my immigrant family was raised. My grandmother spoke English first as kid, and Polish on occaision--even though her parents didn't speak English well.
Now ask yourself this question: What if the Hispanic population spoke English and intergrated into society like past waves of immigrants did? Would we be having this discussion?
I doubt it. This Hispanic community brought this on by themselves, by their actions, and I'm not sure if there is a fix other than closing the borders and forcing their hand.
Update: WLUK Fox 11 proves my point
I just watched the 9 p.m. news replay and they interviewd a Hispanic guy about the proposed policy change and he spoke Spanish, not English. He needed an interpreter. They don't have video of it online, unfortunately.
Labels: Brown County, Strategery
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Coming back from the state College Republican convention
It's about 1 p.m. on Sunday morning and I just woke up. It must have been convention weekend. Two days of non-stop activity, meeting great people, and campaigning for the elected positions. (More on that in a day or two when I figure out how I feel about that.)
While I won't go over the specifics of the election, (they can be found from the folks over at GOP3.com), Ryan Wrasse was elected the state chair. I am sure Ryan will do a fine job in the next year as our leader statewide. Oh yeah, I was chosen as the 8th Congressional District Coordinator, which should be an awesome position going into the heated 2008 8th CD election.
Overall, it was a great time. I never knew Stevens Point had a major trivia contest. I also didn't know that you could have a 1-foot tall ice cream cone (which I tried), and I didn't know that the Stevens Point Brewery had less than 30 employees and they can pump out a load of beer. AJ Zahn, the CR chair at UW-Stevens Point, did an awesome job this weekend putting it all together.
Can't wait til next year.
Labels: Strategery
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
If you want to go, the door is wide open
Seems like everyone in the Wisconsin blogosphere thinks that Rep. Dean Kaufert is on his way out of the state Legislature. I say good riddance. The Spice Boys had this to say in Sunday's paper:
Ex-Gov. Tommy Thompson may not have invented the strategy, but he sure perfected it, and now his longtime rival, Gov. Jim Doyle, is tearing a page from the Tommy playbook.
The Democratic governor, you see, is looking for a Republican or two to hire in hopes of giving his party control of the Assembly.
Doyle is taking a look at Rep. Dean Kaufert, who is smarting because his fellow Republicans rejected his bid to become Assembly speaker and bounced him out of leadership.
An early exit by Kaufert, a lawmaker for 16 years, would give GOP leaders heartburn since he represents a swing district in the Fox River Valley. In January, Republicans will control the Assembly by a 52-47 margin. The Dems will control the Senate 18-15.
Would Kaufert jump ship? Read his comments and decide for yourself.
"John Kerry won my district," Kaufert said of the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate. "But you've got to look beyond that. I've got to look out for my future too. . . . You've got to look out for the team, the Republican team. But after the events recently, I've got to look out for myself, too."
Translation: Kaufert's references are available on request.
And they are actually dead-on. While many in the GOP are still licking in its wounds over November's landslide, it is time for Republicans to get their act in order in time for a special election. This seat is not as "Democratic" as some may say. Sure, John Kerry won it in 2004, but George W Bush won the entire 8th Congressional District and look at what happened.
The special election would give the GOP an opportunity to get back to its roots--promising lower taxes, less government and fiscal responsibility--something that Wisconsin Republicans haven't delivered on. It gives the opportunity for the GOP to get some young, energetic blood flowing in the Assembly chamber. And with the right candidate, you could have a superstar in state politics.
If Kaufert wants to leave, it could be the best thing for the GOP in the long-term. That of course, if RPW doesn't squander the opportunity.
Labels: Strategery
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
This is why the CR's are worthless
A who's who among the ranks of the Wisconsin College Republicans are arguing how and why and what they did for Mark Green's abysmal campaign. This is silly at best--completely pathetic at worst. This goes to show you how ineffective the CR's are and just how much self-interest is actually involved in the organization and organizations.
You want to know why Mark Green lost? He lost because he isn't an exciting guy. Neither is baldy Jim Doyle, but Wisconsin knew what they were getting. The College Republicans had nothing to do with it. Why there was a Students for Green to being with baffled me. Students don't vote. CR's just like to pat themselves on their backs.
This shows how useless a statewide "federation" really is. At UW-Green Bay, we just did our own thing with no support from anyone but the Gard Team. Sure, we stuff mail boxes on campus for Gard, Green and Judy Krawczyk. We put up "Vote Yes" posters for the amendment. But beyond that, we worked on the groundwork for the Gard Campaign. Putting up signs, dropping lit, stamping mail, etc. If there was a coordinated effort statewide for Green, you could have fooled me. If there was a local effort for Green with the involvement of the UWGB CR's, you could have fooled me.
The sad truth is that we can all point fingers at each other, but the CR's are worthless when it comes to crunch time. They focus on getting the students vote instead of focusing on getting votes in the real world. That is why I spent the last five days in Waupaca County instead of at UWGB, because I knew that it was worthless and pointless to be at UWGB. Even though John Gard lost, I feel like my efforts paid off getting Kevin Petersen elected in the 40th Assembly District. Our GOTV push probably put him over the top.
Hopefully in the next year the Wisconsin CR's can get rid of the dead weight in the organization (the do-nothings, the people that like to hold meetings, stand on corners and hold signs, and go to fundraisers). If we can, 2008 will be much brighter year.
Labels: Strategery
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The kids aren't alright
Being in a freshman level Intro. to Public Administration class is relatively entertaining. Some of the youth and the things they say are amusing at best and eerily scary at the worst.
We have been discussing the No Child Left Behind Act. Honestly, I could care less about it as my kids will never go to a public school. However, the hatred for President Bush and his intitiatives seems to be apparent. And I think much of it comes from what whiny WEAC teachers teach in schools.
These freshmen can't make a good policy alternative. I ask what do you propose. The answer is always more money. Too bad more money isn't always the answer.
The sad truth is that these kids accepted what their public school teachers have taught them. They don't think for themselves or think about their values. One could argue that they haven't developed any values--except that Big Oil, Tobacco and the Military Industrial Complex is evil.
Forget about morals. Seems to me that morals were thrown out of the school at the same time as prayer. These kids want fair and equal instead of morals and status.
Life isn't fair and we aren't all equal. Our history books say that all men were created equal, but that is based on the premise that we treat each other with class and honor. We are all going to either rise, fall or level off in social status. We all can't be equals in that sense, but we can respect those above, below and those at the same level of us.
But that isn't taught in today's public schools. Instead, they teach it's wrong to want to make millions and be powerful and influential. And if you become successful, tax the hell out of them.
Is that what we want our kids to learn?
Labels: Strategery
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Too funny...
The Recess Supervisor has made me laugh pretty hard before, but this takes it. I guess our hard work is paying off.
Labels: Strategery
Pay your bills on time.
Labels: Strategery
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Capping tuition?
Note: For days, I've been mulling over how I feel about Wisconsin budget, the UW budget and the cost of tuition next fall. It's to a point where I'm torn -- between state-wide fiscal responsibility and my personal out-of-pocket expenses. The easy answer is simple: sell-out my personal beliefs and join the "spending more is the answer" crowd. But its not that easy, here is a take on what the right thing to do.
The solution: pass a state constitutional amendment to impose a taxpayers' bill of rights, along with a permanent three percent cap, or the cost of inflation, on all fees -- whether it's UW tuition, vehicle registration fees, hunting fees, etc.
Now of course the left, including RINOs (Republican In Name Only), would have you believe that a cap on taxes and fees would hurt the people of Wisconsin, its government entities (namely public education, the UW and other bureaucratic hogs) and more importantly their platform of higher taxes, higher fees and making Wisconsin No. 1 in the country in both income taxes and property taxes.
Let's face it, in Wisconsin -- especially in Madison -- we get spin, half-truths and talk without any action. We saw it this week in the state Senate. Everyone talks about spending less, making cuts and being fiscally responsible. We all know what the truth is, the evidence is what they did to AB 100, the 2005-07 state budget.
If the governor signs this bill, spending will increase, about 10 percent by recent estimates. Why 10 percent? Any more and I think common citizens would catch on when they have to renew their vehicle registrations and are slapped with a $200 renewal fee. $200 may sound extreme right now, but it could happen if spending isn't limited.
How does this affect the UW budget this time around? I think it's about time the UW re-examine its budget and how it goes about spending. Imposing a permanent cap on tuition is the solution for stability within the university, not to mention less whining from top UW officials.
If the UW did less whining and more work, just maybe, definitely maybe, the students wouldn't have to suffer for two more years. university system.
Labels: Strategery, UW System
