Arresti i politici!

This is pretty hilarious, and might provide good additional incentive to the idea proposed in yesterday's post:

MADISON – Democrats in Madison say the only way to get a state budget passed is to arrest state lawmakers and force them to negotiate. They are calling the plan the Budget Deadline Enforcement Act. Wisconsin is the only state in the country that has not yet passed a budget. It is 13 weeks late. The plan would force the budget committee to meet after the Senate and Assembly pass budget plans. For the first week, they would meet eight hours, five days a week. If the budget isn’t passed, they would have to meet for nine hours, five days a week. If the budget still isn’t passed, they would have to meet for ten hours, six days a week. Also, police could arrest anyone who didn’t attend a meeting and force them to attend. The committee has met 16 times this year. If the plan were in place, they would have met 72 times. Democrats feel this is better than a government shutdown because a government shutdown hurts innocent people while not forcing lawmakers to meet. Twenty-three other states have government shutdowns when there is no budget.

Indeed! Cuff 'em, throw 'em in a room and don't let 'em leave until the damn thing is worked out. This goes for Republicans and Democrats alike.

And then there's the rumblings in the press about a Republican last-ditch effort to win all the marbles by using ye olde nuclear option, something that I think ought to be avoided at all costs. It smacks of being a childish tactic to get their way.

According to TCT:

Earlier this week, state Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus wrote Republican lawmakers that in the wake of the drubbing the party took at the polls last year, "our Party needed to draw distinct lines between what we stand for as Republicans and what the Democrats stand for, and then hold true to our principles. Thanks to all of you and the Democrats' $18 billion tax hike (for a universal health care program), we have successfully drawn that line in the sand. By being true to our ideals of less government and fewer taxes, we brought our Party together and we can once again be proud to call ourselves Republicans."

Mr. Priebus, did it ever occur to you that the reason your party took such a hit in the elections last year was because people are fed up with the insane policies of the Republicans both in state and at a national level (it was a trend, after all)? Not because you need to get more stubborn and unreasonable about your policies and absolute refusal to spend money on your constituent's well-being.

Look, there is middle-ground to be reached. Taxing the crap out of everyone obviously isn't the answer, but refusing to raise any money for necessary services (and yes, universal health care is a most necessary service) also isn't the answer. The problem may lie in the fact that so many (but not all) politicians seem terribly averse to taxing an appropriate amount from our high-income residents and businesses.

The problem may also lie in the fact that so many politicians, especially Republicans, don't seem to realize that the state needs to raise money if it's to do its job of providing things like good schools, good health care, safer streets and, y'know, the ability to put out fires in a timely manner. In fact, there's a fire at the capitol they should really consider putting out sometime soon, before it spreads and consumes the entire state.

Make 'em pay!

It's Day 95 here in Wisconsin without a new budget, and the good folks of this state are a little beyond ticked off. There's some talk, from both sides of the aisle, of passing legislation that would impose penalties on lawmakers if the budget isn't passed within a certain time line. One idea is to dock their pay until a budget is passed, but as tempting as that sounds, our trusty ol' state constitution says that "...the compensation of a public officer may not be increased or diminished during the term of office." That means we'd be in for a lengthy process if we wanted to change the rules.

However, there are a few other ideas that (as laid out in a WSJ article), in my opinion, strike the right chord:

• Banning state elected officials from accepting campaign donations during the budget process.
• Stopping all work and hearings on other legislation until the budget is passed.
• Ensuring that all nonfiscal policy items be removed from the budget.
  

The first one is definitely my favorite. What would motivate our lawmakers more than anything else that doesn't require a constitutional amendment than taking away their ability to fund raise for their campaigns? I can't think of much. Accepting the fact that we're in desperate need of serious campaign finance reform in general (say, public funding for everyone?), we should for now focus on using it as perfectly legal bait to keep our representatives in line.

No budget? No fundraising. Simple enough. Our reps are so distracted by the need to get re-elected that they often forget why people put them into office in the first place: to serve the best interests of their constituents and not their pocketbooks. Seems straight-forward enough, but it's something that I suspect many politicians have either forgotten or never really taken to heart.

And until we make it clear that we're going to hold them responsible for things like this budget impasse and enforce strict consequences if they don't, they will continue to posture and drag their feet until they drive our state into the ground.

More than just fairly Fair Trade

Local roasters Just Coffee have been popping onto my radar a lot lately, which is funny because I'm not a coffee drinker. But between their Adopt-A-Box program, use of a tricycle to make deliveries and now their first annual Deep Fair Trade Month, it's hard not to take notice.

What is Deep Fair Trade Month?

It is time to once again ask more of "consumers". Instead of just looking for a label, we should look at the company behind the label. If the coffee roaster you are buying from is not a 100% FT company, ask them "why not?". If they talk about sustainability, but have invented their own system with no transparency to back up their claims, ask them for proof (and please don't let them tell you that "the proof is in the cup"). Go beyond coffee and look for other fair trade items like sugar, tea, wine, clothing, etc. Fair trade also means supporting local businesses and farmers. Buy food at your farmers market. Go to your corner store instead of the big box store. Switch to a local credit union and away from the international banks. It is possible to take back your local economy and keep more of your community's wealth in your own town.

There are a number of businesses around Madison and Wisconsin who follow a pretty strict Fair Trade model. JC is just one of the many, and for caffeine heads, it's a great place to start and to learn more about why Fair Trade is so awesome. Not only is the "proof in the cup," it's in their whole system.

Me? I'll be going to the screening of "Black Gold" at the Barrymore Theatre on Oct. 24. I may not drink coffee, but it's certainly worth learning about something that so many people do enjoy and that so many big businesses have been built on.

And just FYI, other Madison-area businesses with a Fair Trade ethos are:

• Willy St. Co-ops List of Fair Trade Businesses
• Terra Experience's List
  

Mode of transportation

I almost forgot a sight too good not to pass along from last Friday. I only wish I'd had a camera with me at the time.

Picture this: I'm driving down S. Bassett toward the lake. The cars in front of me are desperately trying to get around something in the road. When it's my turn to pull around it, I see what was causing the trouble. One young woman is riding her bicycle (no helmet, my inner curmudgeon notes) and she's got a long, loopy cable lock in one hand while trying to steer with the other. At the opposite end of said cable lock is another young woman, only she's riding on a longboard, her feet planted on the back half and a box of beer perched on the front half. She's being towed along the street, rather awkwardly, by the girl on the bike.

There were so many things wrong with that picture, I don't even know where to begin. I imagine it seemed like a good idea when they first conceived of it, but a whole crap load of alarm bells should have been going off in their heads the moment they got situated.

I don't wish death and/or dismemberment on anyone, really, but I can't think of a better example of Natural Selection in action in my recent memory.

Driftless

I traveled a short distance north over the weekend to stay at a cabin in the middle of nowhere and basically relax. Aside from sitting in front of a wood stove, cooking pancakes and reading Neil Gaiman, I also ventured out into the countryside to explore a small section of the Driftless Region of Wisconsin (so-called because the glaciers never quite made it there and left the landscape as it was before the Ice Age).

Just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the cabin was the small town of Wilton, a way point along the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail and home of Gina's Pies 'R' Square, a delicious cafe just blocks from the trail head. I had the veggie burger, which proved to be extremely good, and a slice of quite respectable pecan pie for dessert. I say "quite respectable" because I lived in Oklahoma (where I actually did a little bit of pecan harvesting) for a couple of years and they make some of the best pecan pie down there. Most anything else tends to pail in comparison.

The waitstaff was very friendly and even encouraged me to consider buying the restaurant (which is for sale for a mere $195,000), something I'd love to do but doubt my bank account could handle.

The place was bustling when I went on Saturday afternoon, most of the patrons appearing to be coming in from the nearby bike trail. There was a sea of bikes parked alongside the brick building and everyone from rambunctious children to cheery adults and silver-haired adventurers were bellying up to the tables inside. Feel free to take a look at the few pictures I took in the area.

Afterwards, I went over to Wildcat Mountain State Park and tooled around for a little bit. The fall colors were just starting to pop--lots of yellows and golds and a few bright reds here and there, too. Unfortunately, the skies were a bit overcast the day I was out, so it was not ideal for photography. Still, I found a great spot that overlooked the entire valley, with the church spire and housetops of Ontario off to the right and a shimmering bend in the Kickapoo River emerging from the colorful trees just to the left.

Along the quiet back roads, I passed a lot of folks on horseback and innumerable cars with canoes and kayaks perched on top. I think I'll have to add all of those activities to my list of things to do the next time I'm in the area.

Overall, it was a lovely weekend--just too short and a bit more cloudy than I would have preferred. Still, I'm always amazed that, just a short distance to the west and north of Madison's mostly flat terrain, there's this completely different landscape full of bluffs, rivers, valleys and beautiful forests.

Promising, but still not sold

The newly renovated and freshly hyped Majestic Theatre had its grand opening this weekend, with headliners Mandy Moore and Ben Lee taking the stage in front of adoring fans, ironic hipsters and friends of the theatre's owners. According to the write-up given over at dane101, there are a number of promising signs and developments in the space, but also a few minor kinks yet to work out. I still have to make it over to check it out for myself, but I am glad that it sounds like they've done a good job of making a great old theatre classy again.

Still, I'd like to see some greater variety in their line-up. Mandy Moore's all well and good, but a slate full of equally "innocuous and pleasant" acts doesn't do much to inspire decent turn-outs at their shows. If they want to draw in good sized crowds, they'll have to look beyond American Idol finalists and former teen movie stars. But I wish them well, and I applaud their efforts so far to make the space more welcoming (even to the city's under-21 population!) and interesting.

In other news, word has "leaked" that another Zombie Lurch is in the offing:

The Coalition Of the Living Dead (COLD) will gather on Saturday October 20th at 2:00 pm at the state capitol in Madison Wisconsin and lurch for our rights as zombies. COLD encourages zombies and zombie supporters to come equipped with signs and slogans to make our point. We will raise our voices and we will not be ignored. We will lurch from the capitol down State Street to the Memorial Union.

And thank goodness, because the political and social climate for zombies in Madison has been growing more and more oppressive as of late. They're being given a bad name by a few, renegade zombies up at the capitol who, after 3 months, still can't agree on a state budget. Most Joe-Sixpack zombies on the street know when it's time to drop the demands for fresh, UW scientist brains delivered to their door and to instead reach a compromise that will make the living and the dead happy. God forbid the budget impasse will still be an issue come October 20, but regardless, the Lurch should shed much needed light on zombie rights.


(photo credit: Madolan)

Senator Jim Schmoron

Oh Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, you so crazy. Apparently all it takes to be a state politician is some cash and a fifth-grade level of maturity.

According to the State Journal, Huebsch released a sample press release to his fellow Republicans with the strong suggestion that they contact media and lambast Doyle for not wanting to pass the budget in bits and pieces. In that sample press release, he refers to a figurative Democratic Senator by the name of "Jim Schmoron." Huebsch has since conceded that it was "inappropriate" for him to do so, which is very big of him.

So Wisconsin's still without a state budget. The Republicans are against proper health coverage for their constituents, don't seem to understand that you can't provide public services without a degree of taxation, and absolutely abhor the thought of taxing oil companies ("estimated to raise $275 million in the next two years")...but they don't mind throwing childish names around at one another. Brilliant.

In the meantime, we the waiting public are left to endure behind-closed-door negotiations between leaders from both parties, completely left in the dark as to what on earth they're talking about and what deals are being made. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't good government based on a fair degree of transparency? Still, I suppose you can't blame them too much for simply following the example of our Dear Leader in DC.

Way to rise above, state politicians!


(photo credit: curiousparents.com)