Top Of My Head

According to an article on JSOnline article, Congressman Petri actually “promoted high-speed rail”.   Yesterday, he stood with Congressmen Ryan and Sensenbrenner to sponsor a bill which will allow Governor-elect Scott Walker to kill the project.  While some people are claiming flip flop, according to the article, Petri stated: “It’s the state’s call. They’re the ones that have to pay the $750,000 a year or $7.5 million a year ongoing (varying estimates for annual costs to the state). On the other hand, they’d have to forgo the $800 billion. Is that a sensible tradeoff or not? I worked to do my best to be part of giving them the option of making that decision.”

It sounds to me as if Congressman Petri isn’t flip-flopping as much as giving Scott Walker the rope with which he can hang himself.  How could $800 billion into the state be a bad thing?

Thanks, Scott!

So, Ron Johnson is the Republican nominee for Senator. He is running again Russ Feingold. I wonder if now he will accept the invitation to the six debates Feingold has all ready said he will attend. It will be interesting to hear Johnson have to speak from the top of his head. I am endorsing Russ Feingold. He is the most independent of all our Senators. He voted against the recent Financial Regulation bill and, for that, I respect him. Johnson is a rich businessman who knows nothing about the working families of Wisconsin. He doesn’t believe in equality for all. He doesn’t believe in the separation of church and state. He’s too far to the right and knows nothing about the compromise that is needed to keep this country on track.

Scott Walker is the Republican candidate for Governor. I was rooting for Mark Neumann – I figured that Tom Barrett would beat Neumann easily. A Walker – Barrett race will not only be closer, but it will be more interesting. Both the city and county of Milwaukee are not in great shape. These are the two men who have been running both. It will come as no surprise that I am endorsing and supporting Tom Barrett for Governor. I’ve never liked Scott Walker – and I will admit that is a gut feeling. He rubbed me the wrong way when he first ran for County Executive.

This will be an interesting election.

On July 5th, 2010, Wisconsin became the 26th state to ban smoking in public places. As I have mentioned before, Mark Neumann – if elected our state’s governor – wants to roll back the ban. According to an editorial in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Scott Walker has joined the battle cry.  He, too, if elected will roll back the ban.

Have these two gentlemen heard that 64% of Wisconsin residents support the ban.  I don’t support mob rule and I think that laws and amendments should be decided by what is the right thing to do and not the most popular.  But, I have to wonder,  is it smart to pander to the 34% who didn’t support the ban?  I’m one of the 34% who didn’t support the ban, but since I have never liked Scott Walker and I don’t trust Mark Neumann’s promise to cut taxes by 24% in this state, neither man has a chance to gain my vote.

The smoking ban isn’t the toughest decision facing our state.  The lack of jobs – that’s facing every state – and the rising cost of everything are two of the big ones.  I haven’t researched Scott Walker’s stance on these subjects, but I did look at Neumann’s site.  At a quick glance – and just an opinion from the Top Of My Head – he’s all wet.  I saw that he wants to support concealed carry, another issue we don’t have the time to discuss in these hard economic times, and he supports the 10th Amendment.  But, I noticed that he doesn’t mention the First Amendment that guarantees everyone the right to free speech.  He doesn’t mention the 14th Amendment, which states “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States”.  Why doesn’t he place that one on his website?

Never mind.  He only puts out the ones about which the right-wing “base” cares.  That’s I want my guns and states have rights.

But, I’m getting off track.

I just don’t think that Neumann and Walker have thought this through.