Greetings, it’s that time of the year. Time for cutting down and decorating Christmas trees, building snowmen, drinking eggnog, snowshoeing (if it would snow), and nomination papers for local elections. I’ve got two sets going here for candidates and I thought if I’m going to be doing this, I better start becoming more aware of what the issues are going to be out there. I admit, I’m much more in tune with what is happening at the state level then the local level. So, having a bit of time at the computer today, I started looking at what was out there for some of the declared City Council candidates.
My first stop was Kent Monte’s blog (http://monteforcouncil.blogspot.com/). I was attracted to the thread on Union Contracts that was started last week Monday (12/4/06). The gist of the discussion is that personnel costs are the largest portion of the City budget and how the City Council has little influence on the negotiation of those contracts. One of the big parts of the labor costs is for health insurance. What a surprise! In reading the 94 postings (as of tonight) that responded to Mr. Monte’s posting, it was obvious that the majority of those participating in that Blog would be in favor of pulling health insurance or at least reducing the benefits of the City employees. After all, “I don’t get dat kind of benefit from my employer. We gotta pay a lot for our health insurance, so should dose city employees”. Oh ya, and the City Council should also get the State Med/Arb. Laws changed, because that’s the biggest road block in being able to screw over the City Employees. These folks actually believe that all of the problems that the City of Oshkosh faces would be solved by reducing the benefits of the City employees. Oh and the service we would get would be fine after that. Exactly what kind of employee are you going to have willing to work for the peanuts these folks are willing to offer. Here is a thought from one Labor Chick to those bloggers.
GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BUTT!
Health insurance and the skyrocketing cost of this benefit to employers is probably the biggest challenge facing every employer in this country. Look at the problems being faced by Ford and GM….it’s about benefits that the companies can no longer afford to pay for. What was one of the reasons that Federal Signal moved the Leach plant out of Oshkosh---cheaper health insurance in Canada. There is example after example that I can come up with that shows that health insurance is the biggest issue facing the middle class of this country. Unfortunately, instead of facing up to the issue and trying to work to find a solution, many folks look at their neighbor with the attitude, you have something I don’t have, if I can’t have it, you shouldn’t either. “I work for Bemis and I have to pay more for my health insurance, if you work for the City, so should you.” Instead of this selfish point of view being exhibited by the posters on Mr. Monte’s blog, I’d suggest that we work together to find a solution to the Health Insurance crisis. In the State of Wisconsin, several groups, including yes, the AFL-CIO have developed proposals to start looking at a solution. Mr. Monte and his followers might do a little research on that as a solution to the problem. Just go to the Wisconsin AFL-CIO website (http://www.wisaflcio.org/) and click on the box about the Wisconsin Health Care Partnership Plan. This will tell you more about this idea. This is not Universal Health Care (aka Hillary Clinton). This bill would be a start by making health insurance available to those who cannot get their own health insurance (either because of economics or pre-existing conditions). One of the options would give individuals the opportunity to buy into the same health insurance pool that State Employees participate in. There are also discussions to offer local governments this opportunity. Last December, the Winnebago County Board voted to support the AFL-CIO plan, knowing that it would save money with their employees. Perhaps the City Council could also add their support to this plan.
Instead of embracing these ideas, many middle class workers listen to the big business endorsed concept of Health Savings Accounts. All these do is switch more of the cost to the worker, and give those who make more money a better opportunity to get better health care. It doesn’t do anything about the juggernaut that the Health Insurance industry has created. This is why the Health Insurance industry supports the candidates who are against reforming Health Insurance and push the HSA’s. These are not the answer folks.
Bottom line, it’s time for middle class workers to stop being selfish and work together to change the system. Whether you are working in a union represented position or not, you can support the concept of Health Insurance reform. Wisconsin could be the first state to accomplish this with all of our support. We were a front runner on the issue of Worker’s Compensation, let’s show the country that we can be innovative and fresh.
----LC2
Monday, December 11, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Hogwash and Nerds
It's Sunday night and life is slowly going back to normal. No more 9:30 strategy meetings at headquarters, no more lit drops, no more phone calls (I'm sure everyone is happy about that).
LC1 pretty much summed up the experience of working on Gordon Hintz's campaign, but, I thought it was time to add my thoughts---especially since a union bud in Madison begged us to post (are you happy now Mitchell?).
I'm still amazed that we started campaigning with Gordon over two years ago, taking on what seemed like a Goliath candidate. A guy who had been in office for 17 years that everyone seemed to like (or so it seemed). I personally didn't think he was that awful (hey he wasn't John Gard, OK). He was a little out of touch with his constituents and an entrenched, wrong thinking, Republican. That is until the day he kicked us out of his office because we didn't agree with his view on TABOR and we didn't thank him for all the wonderful things he had done for state employees. Representing his constituents was his job for crying out loud, I sure don't get thanked everytime I do something at work. That was a declaration of war to the Labor Chicks!
Anyhow, two years ago, Gordon Hintz ran a campaign that spent way less than $50,000 and we were proud of the showing he made in that race against the entrenched encumbent (EE) and two other candidates (Green Party and Independent). He did well enough to show the "EE" that he may not be as secure as he wanted to be. We still wonder if that entered into EE's decision not to run (HMMMMM.....).
Well, two years later, money in this Assembly campaign was ridiculous! I never imagined that we would be involved in a race where the candidates spent at least a quarter of a million dollars----on an Assembly campaign. That of course includes all the input from WMC and "All Children Matter". I give Gordon credit for not accepting special interest money this time around. That's despite the special interest money flowing to help the Pung-Leschke campaign. What that means is that the money he raised to run against WMC and all the other nasty groups came from donations from many community members, along with supporters and friends from around the state and country. The chair of the Winnebago County Republicans, Michelle Litjens, had a problem with a fundraiser Gordon had in Milwaukee, complaining about "out of district money". Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black Michelle? "Your girl" (your words, not mine), Julie, had money coming from Michigan based groups. To you Michelle, I give you a big dose of your own HOGWASH!!!!
The other thing that was so inspiring was the number of community members who volunteered to help Gordon's campaign in one way or another. The folks coming for the lit drop the last weekend before the election was awesome! There were folks from all types of backgrounds and ages, kids and retired folks. You'd see folks all over the city that weekend dropping lit house to house, and it was Gordon's stuff! The only sign of the challenger's campaign that weekend was two guys in a red Toyota pickup. Hey, you gotta walk up to the houses, not just drop off the lit in newspaper boxes and behind mailbox flags. Didn't you see it all piled up, no one was looking at it.
One more thing that LC1 forgot to say....to Stew Rieckman of the Northwestern...
You must have taken your happy pills before writing todays column, how things have changed since you called Gordon a nerd a few weeks ago. All I can say to that is, don't ever forget, in the movie "Revenge of the Nerds", the nerds won and so did we!
In the meantime, it was great to do whatever I wanted this weekend and not feel guilty about what I should be doing on the campaign (Craig, you brainwashed us). After January 3, I'm looking forward to walking into Gordon's office and putting my feet on his desk (just once). Oh ya, and being able to visit offices on lobby day that have Donkeys instead of stupid Elephants. My dream come true.
Almost Monday.... back to the real world.
LC2
LC1 pretty much summed up the experience of working on Gordon Hintz's campaign, but, I thought it was time to add my thoughts---especially since a union bud in Madison begged us to post (are you happy now Mitchell?).
I'm still amazed that we started campaigning with Gordon over two years ago, taking on what seemed like a Goliath candidate. A guy who had been in office for 17 years that everyone seemed to like (or so it seemed). I personally didn't think he was that awful (hey he wasn't John Gard, OK). He was a little out of touch with his constituents and an entrenched, wrong thinking, Republican. That is until the day he kicked us out of his office because we didn't agree with his view on TABOR and we didn't thank him for all the wonderful things he had done for state employees. Representing his constituents was his job for crying out loud, I sure don't get thanked everytime I do something at work. That was a declaration of war to the Labor Chicks!
Anyhow, two years ago, Gordon Hintz ran a campaign that spent way less than $50,000 and we were proud of the showing he made in that race against the entrenched encumbent (EE) and two other candidates (Green Party and Independent). He did well enough to show the "EE" that he may not be as secure as he wanted to be. We still wonder if that entered into EE's decision not to run (HMMMMM.....).
Well, two years later, money in this Assembly campaign was ridiculous! I never imagined that we would be involved in a race where the candidates spent at least a quarter of a million dollars----on an Assembly campaign. That of course includes all the input from WMC and "All Children Matter". I give Gordon credit for not accepting special interest money this time around. That's despite the special interest money flowing to help the Pung-Leschke campaign. What that means is that the money he raised to run against WMC and all the other nasty groups came from donations from many community members, along with supporters and friends from around the state and country. The chair of the Winnebago County Republicans, Michelle Litjens, had a problem with a fundraiser Gordon had in Milwaukee, complaining about "out of district money". Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black Michelle? "Your girl" (your words, not mine), Julie, had money coming from Michigan based groups. To you Michelle, I give you a big dose of your own HOGWASH!!!!
The other thing that was so inspiring was the number of community members who volunteered to help Gordon's campaign in one way or another. The folks coming for the lit drop the last weekend before the election was awesome! There were folks from all types of backgrounds and ages, kids and retired folks. You'd see folks all over the city that weekend dropping lit house to house, and it was Gordon's stuff! The only sign of the challenger's campaign that weekend was two guys in a red Toyota pickup. Hey, you gotta walk up to the houses, not just drop off the lit in newspaper boxes and behind mailbox flags. Didn't you see it all piled up, no one was looking at it.
One more thing that LC1 forgot to say....to Stew Rieckman of the Northwestern...
You must have taken your happy pills before writing todays column, how things have changed since you called Gordon a nerd a few weeks ago. All I can say to that is, don't ever forget, in the movie "Revenge of the Nerds", the nerds won and so did we!
In the meantime, it was great to do whatever I wanted this weekend and not feel guilty about what I should be doing on the campaign (Craig, you brainwashed us). After January 3, I'm looking forward to walking into Gordon's office and putting my feet on his desk (just once). Oh ya, and being able to visit offices on lobby day that have Donkeys instead of stupid Elephants. My dream come true.
Almost Monday.... back to the real world.
LC2
Friday, November 10, 2006
Buh bye
Oh, and a big post-election buh bye to John Gard. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. We won't miss you.
Maybe Daddy can get you a job on the farm, since you are just a Lena farm boy. Bet you'll miss that extra $88 per day in per diems.
--LC1
Maybe Daddy can get you a job on the farm, since you are just a Lena farm boy. Bet you'll miss that extra $88 per day in per diems.
--LC1
We're tired but happy
The Labor Chicks are really tired. After 2 1/2 years of helping Gordon Hintz with his campaign to be our representative for the 54th Assembly District in the legislature, we can proudly say we helped him win--with 62% of the vote! He won in every single ward in the city. The Labor Chicks had a lot of adventures in the 2 weeks they were off work to help with GOTV on his campaign.
We now know where all the network television stations in Green Bay are located after our trip up there a couple of weeks ago to bring ads to them (and write really big checks) to put on Green Bay network TV for Gordon. Keep in mind, not everyone has cable (the candidate and now Representative-elect does not have cable).
I have gained a new respect for pollworkers, as both the Labor Chicks had to wait around for vote totals at a ward on election night and report them to Madison. We were there until 10PM. The pollworkers were nowhere near ready to leave when we left. They were all grandpa and grandma age and we salute their dedication to keeping our democracy running. Let me just say, I will never vote absentee again after seeing the trouble it causes. My advice--go to your City Hall and vote early.
We also had the experience earlier on election night of being called to the UW Oshkosh campus voting ward to help with registration of new voters. Nearly 1800 people voted on campus. It was really inspiring to see all those new voters waiting in line to cast their first ever ballot.
I should charge Gordon's campaign for new shoes for all the literature I dropped at people's doors. I felt he might win when the Labor Chicks were making member-to-member phone calls to find out how AFL-CIO folks might vote and for the most part, union people from all different kinds of unions were saying they were voting for Gordon. I didn't want to jinx it by even thinking or saying he might win out loud, so I kind of kept it to myself.
At about a week out from election day, the opponent's treasurer called it quits on her campaign. It was after that happened, combined with the negative ads and literature being put out by special interest groups such as All Children Matter and WMC, that we heard reports of people removing their Julie Pung Leschke signs from their yards and some of them put up Gordon Hintz signs. My personal feeling is that WMC and all the special interest ads created a backlash effect and helped her demise as a candidate along.
Of course, she was no help to her campaign. (This is the "meow" portion of this post) Not to denigrate mothers, but perhaps she should have not concentrated so much on telling people she's a mom to four boys and actually done a little research into the issues. It never came up as an issue in the campaign per se, but she continually kept saying how much she loves the University in Oshkosh--yet she sent 3 of her 4 boys (one is still in high school) out of state to private universities. Apparently her love isn't that genuine.
Now, I'm sure she is a perfectly nice woman. She just shouldn't have been running as a candidate. Perhaps she should concentrate on community service work or her music.
The Labor Chicks made a lot of new friends while we were helping Gordon. We want to say "hi" to Craig, Glenn, Nathan, Ian, Erin, Marcia, Erika, Elias, Dan, Jef and everyone else who helped on his campaign. You guys helped keep me personally going. I love you guys! I'm sure we'll be seeing you all at Gordon's swearing in on January 3, 2007. I wouldn't miss it for the world. A special thanks to Craig, Glenn and Nathan for taking off of work from their jobs at the Capitol to come and help us here. We could not have won without you. Thanks for teaching us more about running a political campaign. The Labor Chicks attended Camp Wellstone, but learning and doing, as we all know, are two different things.
Well, soon it will be time for candidates to take out nomination papers for Oshkosh Common Council positions (like, December 1). I hope I am rested by then--because we start all over to help a friend get re-elected to City Council!
One more thing--thank you to Gordon, from the bottom of my heart for putting yourself out there and running to represent us. It's been a long campaign and we're all tired. I am sad that we're sending you away to Madison where we won't see you all that often, but happy that you will be representing our interests. We're glad to have become personal friends with you and we hope you won't forget us while you're there.
--LC1
We now know where all the network television stations in Green Bay are located after our trip up there a couple of weeks ago to bring ads to them (and write really big checks) to put on Green Bay network TV for Gordon. Keep in mind, not everyone has cable (the candidate and now Representative-elect does not have cable).
I have gained a new respect for pollworkers, as both the Labor Chicks had to wait around for vote totals at a ward on election night and report them to Madison. We were there until 10PM. The pollworkers were nowhere near ready to leave when we left. They were all grandpa and grandma age and we salute their dedication to keeping our democracy running. Let me just say, I will never vote absentee again after seeing the trouble it causes. My advice--go to your City Hall and vote early.
We also had the experience earlier on election night of being called to the UW Oshkosh campus voting ward to help with registration of new voters. Nearly 1800 people voted on campus. It was really inspiring to see all those new voters waiting in line to cast their first ever ballot.
I should charge Gordon's campaign for new shoes for all the literature I dropped at people's doors. I felt he might win when the Labor Chicks were making member-to-member phone calls to find out how AFL-CIO folks might vote and for the most part, union people from all different kinds of unions were saying they were voting for Gordon. I didn't want to jinx it by even thinking or saying he might win out loud, so I kind of kept it to myself.
At about a week out from election day, the opponent's treasurer called it quits on her campaign. It was after that happened, combined with the negative ads and literature being put out by special interest groups such as All Children Matter and WMC, that we heard reports of people removing their Julie Pung Leschke signs from their yards and some of them put up Gordon Hintz signs. My personal feeling is that WMC and all the special interest ads created a backlash effect and helped her demise as a candidate along.
Of course, she was no help to her campaign. (This is the "meow" portion of this post) Not to denigrate mothers, but perhaps she should have not concentrated so much on telling people she's a mom to four boys and actually done a little research into the issues. It never came up as an issue in the campaign per se, but she continually kept saying how much she loves the University in Oshkosh--yet she sent 3 of her 4 boys (one is still in high school) out of state to private universities. Apparently her love isn't that genuine.
Now, I'm sure she is a perfectly nice woman. She just shouldn't have been running as a candidate. Perhaps she should concentrate on community service work or her music.
The Labor Chicks made a lot of new friends while we were helping Gordon. We want to say "hi" to Craig, Glenn, Nathan, Ian, Erin, Marcia, Erika, Elias, Dan, Jef and everyone else who helped on his campaign. You guys helped keep me personally going. I love you guys! I'm sure we'll be seeing you all at Gordon's swearing in on January 3, 2007. I wouldn't miss it for the world. A special thanks to Craig, Glenn and Nathan for taking off of work from their jobs at the Capitol to come and help us here. We could not have won without you. Thanks for teaching us more about running a political campaign. The Labor Chicks attended Camp Wellstone, but learning and doing, as we all know, are two different things.
Well, soon it will be time for candidates to take out nomination papers for Oshkosh Common Council positions (like, December 1). I hope I am rested by then--because we start all over to help a friend get re-elected to City Council!
One more thing--thank you to Gordon, from the bottom of my heart for putting yourself out there and running to represent us. It's been a long campaign and we're all tired. I am sad that we're sending you away to Madison where we won't see you all that often, but happy that you will be representing our interests. We're glad to have become personal friends with you and we hope you won't forget us while you're there.
--LC1
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Why political involvement matters to union people
I've been reading stuff on other blogs, comments on stories lately about why unions involve themselves in elections. There have been plenty of other rude comments about unions on them as well, but I won't get into that now. Perhaps another time.
Anyhow, for some of us who belong to unions, especially public employees, whomever is in political office often has a direct effect on what happens at our workplaces. For example, the Republicans in the state legislature (and beyond also) seem to think TABOR/TPA is the neatest thing since sliced bread. This sort of legislation directly threatens the way we do our jobs and provide services to the people of the state of Wisconsin. If there is less money or if there are less people to operate with, folks will be faced with longer lines at DMV offices (aren't they long enough already?), less books and research materials for students who attend school at our University system (while the students pay more and more for school), less people, money and equipment to maintain roads--well, you kind of get the picture. This kind of legislation hurts John and Jane Q. Public in many hidden ways that they may never see or think much about. Hence, the political involvement, at least on my part, to try and get people into office who will at least give a little thought to what effects passing legislation will have not only on the welfare of the general public but also it's effects on the employees who have to serve those people directly.
I'm not asking that our legislators to pander to unions, but keep in mind what benefits unions have fought and won for workers over the years that people take for granted. A few examples are: the 40 hour work week, 8 hour days, and child labor laws. People died for many of these rights. It's up to us to make sure that people who respect working people get elected to public office. We all have choices in our lives--some of us can't just sit on the sidelines any more and hope that good people get into elected office. We choose to continue the fight that our union brothers and sisters began as early as 1791 when Philadelphia carpenters went on strike to try and get a 10 hour working day.
When we fight--we win!
In solidarity,
LC1
Anyhow, for some of us who belong to unions, especially public employees, whomever is in political office often has a direct effect on what happens at our workplaces. For example, the Republicans in the state legislature (and beyond also) seem to think TABOR/TPA is the neatest thing since sliced bread. This sort of legislation directly threatens the way we do our jobs and provide services to the people of the state of Wisconsin. If there is less money or if there are less people to operate with, folks will be faced with longer lines at DMV offices (aren't they long enough already?), less books and research materials for students who attend school at our University system (while the students pay more and more for school), less people, money and equipment to maintain roads--well, you kind of get the picture. This kind of legislation hurts John and Jane Q. Public in many hidden ways that they may never see or think much about. Hence, the political involvement, at least on my part, to try and get people into office who will at least give a little thought to what effects passing legislation will have not only on the welfare of the general public but also it's effects on the employees who have to serve those people directly.
I'm not asking that our legislators to pander to unions, but keep in mind what benefits unions have fought and won for workers over the years that people take for granted. A few examples are: the 40 hour work week, 8 hour days, and child labor laws. People died for many of these rights. It's up to us to make sure that people who respect working people get elected to public office. We all have choices in our lives--some of us can't just sit on the sidelines any more and hope that good people get into elected office. We choose to continue the fight that our union brothers and sisters began as early as 1791 when Philadelphia carpenters went on strike to try and get a 10 hour working day.
When we fight--we win!
In solidarity,
LC1
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Hey Oshkosh Northwestern, there are still local people involved in some 54th AD campaigns!
Like the Labor Chicks, for example. We have been involved with Gordon Hintz's campaign since 2004. We think he's a good guy and he should represent us in Madison. That's not just us as in organized labor talking, we mean it as citizens of Oshkosh also. We resent it when folks try to say that Madison is totally calling the shots, because they are not completely. Our opinion is if you don't want the impression that Madison is controlling the campaigns, get involved and be down there talking to the Madison folks (and the candidate himself) so that you as a local citizen have input into their thought process. Don't be lazy like so many folks and an armchair quarterback, as Stew Rieckman of the Oshkosh Northwestern, calls himself. We admit, that's fun, but not terribly productive. The only way we can change what's going on down in our state capital is to get involved and make your whining count!
In Craig Trost's (Gordon's campaign manager) defense--we like him. He's a sensible young man who actually does listen to local input and tries, we believe, to fit that input into what the campaign is doing. He went to school here and does know what's going on in our city, believe it or not.
Now get up off of that sofa and get your butt down to our headquarters (683 North Main Street) and volunteer to help--there are only 3 weeks left and we need you to help us counter what's going on down in our state legislature!
--LC1
In Craig Trost's (Gordon's campaign manager) defense--we like him. He's a sensible young man who actually does listen to local input and tries, we believe, to fit that input into what the campaign is doing. He went to school here and does know what's going on in our city, believe it or not.
Now get up off of that sofa and get your butt down to our headquarters (683 North Main Street) and volunteer to help--there are only 3 weeks left and we need you to help us counter what's going on down in our state legislature!
--LC1
We support labor candidates
The Labor Chicks went on a little road trip last evening to attend the 55th Assembly District Candidate Forum in Menasha at UW Fox Valley. The folks under the microscope for the evening were current 55th AD Representative Dean Kaufert (R) and his challenger, Fox Valley Labor Council President Mark Westphal (D). Yeah, it's out of our district, but our local does have members who are in that district and therefore we have more than a passing interest in what happens in this race.
We got there a little late, so we missed any opening salvos that may have been fired during the intro section of the forum. We did get a couple of our questions answered during the forum, which made us happy. Not that we didn't know what the answers would probably be from the candidates, but sometimes it's fun to see what they're going to say--this is live and you never know what's gonna happen.
Well, on to the issues:
On health care--
Dean Kaufert (DK from now on): he took credit for creating Family Care. This Labor Chick did check on this and he actually was an author of that bill.
Mark Westphal (MW): everyone deserves affordable health care and we should have some form of universal health care.
On raising the minimum wage--
MW: Thinks raising the minimum wage is OK, but believes more work should be done to make wages more family supporting.
DK: has voted for increases in the minimum wage and says that he believes people should be paid more and treated fairly.
Should there be a mandatory 15 minute break for every 2 hours of work?
DK: Doesn't think that businesses should be forced to provide breaks after 2 hours of work.
MW: Workers are losing rights at an amazing rate. Worker protections have been rolled back and workers have been abused.
Indian gaming and video gambling macines--
MW: Doesn't think that video gaming is a problem. Doesn't think that there should be a big expansion of Indian gaming.
DK: Thinks we have enough gambling and casinos in Wisconsin.
Who should control the UW System-- the Board of Regents or the state legislature? (a Labor Chick question)--
MW: Make sure the Board of Regents keeps control of the UW System.
DK: Says we don't need to change the way we do things now and keep the Board of Regents in control of the UW System.
Should state spending be tied to the rate of personal income growth (formerly known as TABOR/TPA--also a Labor Chicks question)--
DK: Likes TABOR/TPA and tieing state budget growth to the rate of personal income growth. Doesn't believe that putting limits on state and local spending would cause cuts in services.
MW: Does not support TABOR in any form. Says it makes problems for local and county governments. Would like to see legislature create plan to stimulate growth.
Concealed weapons--pro or con?
MW: Opposes.
DK: Supports.
Campaign finance and ethics reform--
DK: Supports SB 1 (and says he voted for it!) and elimination of partisan caucuses.
MW: Claims DK voted against SB1 (he's right, DK did vote against it!). Says DK does one thing but says another on ethics and campaign finance reform. MW says he supports ethics and campaign finance reform.
Death penalty and civil unions bills--
MW: against both bills.
DK: for both bills.
Harley Davidson expanding out of state and union vote on contract at Harley Davidson--
DK: Labor and management need to work together. Blames DNR for driving Menards warehouse and distribution centers expansion out of Wisconsin (near Eau Claire).
MW: Companies are being driven away by rising costs of providing health care to employees. Believes disagreement between Menards and DNR could have been worked out.
Nelson Knowles Stewardship Program--
MW: We need to preserve wetlands and natural areas.
DK: Says initiative was to cap fund. Thinks there should be a limit to how much land we set aside as natural areas.
Winnebago County Sales Tax--
DK: Against. Says county should prioritize spending and that the sales tax initiative is not well thought out.
MW: The reason Winnebago County feels this is necessary is because of the levy freeze put on local municipalities by the state legislature. The county is trying to preserve the services they provide to the citizens of the county.
Anti bullying legislation (as it relates to schools)--
MW: in favor of legislation to help teachers.
DK: would support some form of legislation. Won't deal with Frank Lasee's arming teachers proposal.
How do you control taxes and balance the budget?
DK: The legislature won't raise your taxes. They should prioritize spending.
MW: Increase tax revenue by shifting the tax burden around so that average citizens are not footing the tax bill and make businesses shoulder their fair share of the tax burden.
What can be done to eliminate the highly partisan atmostphere in the legislature and Wisconsin?
MW: Campaign finance reform and ethics reform could help here. We need to clean up state government and restore our image. We need to elect people who will do what's right for the citizens of the district even if it goes against the party line.
DK: Treat others with respect. Stay away from negative campaigning. Campaign finance reform and ethics reform could help clean up the problem.
We would like to thank the League of Women Voters for putting on this forum. You've read what the candidates said on these issues. Now get out there and help whoever you can and VOTE on November 7! We know who we're supporting and sadly, we cannot vote in this race. But our members can.
Our next report will be after the 54th Assembly District candidate forum in Oshkosh, which occurs at 7PM Thursday, October 19, at Oshkosh's City Hall, 4th floor. Be there with your questions!
--LC1
We got there a little late, so we missed any opening salvos that may have been fired during the intro section of the forum. We did get a couple of our questions answered during the forum, which made us happy. Not that we didn't know what the answers would probably be from the candidates, but sometimes it's fun to see what they're going to say--this is live and you never know what's gonna happen.
Well, on to the issues:
On health care--
Dean Kaufert (DK from now on): he took credit for creating Family Care. This Labor Chick did check on this and he actually was an author of that bill.
Mark Westphal (MW): everyone deserves affordable health care and we should have some form of universal health care.
On raising the minimum wage--
MW: Thinks raising the minimum wage is OK, but believes more work should be done to make wages more family supporting.
DK: has voted for increases in the minimum wage and says that he believes people should be paid more and treated fairly.
Should there be a mandatory 15 minute break for every 2 hours of work?
DK: Doesn't think that businesses should be forced to provide breaks after 2 hours of work.
MW: Workers are losing rights at an amazing rate. Worker protections have been rolled back and workers have been abused.
Indian gaming and video gambling macines--
MW: Doesn't think that video gaming is a problem. Doesn't think that there should be a big expansion of Indian gaming.
DK: Thinks we have enough gambling and casinos in Wisconsin.
Who should control the UW System-- the Board of Regents or the state legislature? (a Labor Chick question)--
MW: Make sure the Board of Regents keeps control of the UW System.
DK: Says we don't need to change the way we do things now and keep the Board of Regents in control of the UW System.
Should state spending be tied to the rate of personal income growth (formerly known as TABOR/TPA--also a Labor Chicks question)--
DK: Likes TABOR/TPA and tieing state budget growth to the rate of personal income growth. Doesn't believe that putting limits on state and local spending would cause cuts in services.
MW: Does not support TABOR in any form. Says it makes problems for local and county governments. Would like to see legislature create plan to stimulate growth.
Concealed weapons--pro or con?
MW: Opposes.
DK: Supports.
Campaign finance and ethics reform--
DK: Supports SB 1 (and says he voted for it!) and elimination of partisan caucuses.
MW: Claims DK voted against SB1 (he's right, DK did vote against it!). Says DK does one thing but says another on ethics and campaign finance reform. MW says he supports ethics and campaign finance reform.
Death penalty and civil unions bills--
MW: against both bills.
DK: for both bills.
Harley Davidson expanding out of state and union vote on contract at Harley Davidson--
DK: Labor and management need to work together. Blames DNR for driving Menards warehouse and distribution centers expansion out of Wisconsin (near Eau Claire).
MW: Companies are being driven away by rising costs of providing health care to employees. Believes disagreement between Menards and DNR could have been worked out.
Nelson Knowles Stewardship Program--
MW: We need to preserve wetlands and natural areas.
DK: Says initiative was to cap fund. Thinks there should be a limit to how much land we set aside as natural areas.
Winnebago County Sales Tax--
DK: Against. Says county should prioritize spending and that the sales tax initiative is not well thought out.
MW: The reason Winnebago County feels this is necessary is because of the levy freeze put on local municipalities by the state legislature. The county is trying to preserve the services they provide to the citizens of the county.
Anti bullying legislation (as it relates to schools)--
MW: in favor of legislation to help teachers.
DK: would support some form of legislation. Won't deal with Frank Lasee's arming teachers proposal.
How do you control taxes and balance the budget?
DK: The legislature won't raise your taxes. They should prioritize spending.
MW: Increase tax revenue by shifting the tax burden around so that average citizens are not footing the tax bill and make businesses shoulder their fair share of the tax burden.
What can be done to eliminate the highly partisan atmostphere in the legislature and Wisconsin?
MW: Campaign finance reform and ethics reform could help here. We need to clean up state government and restore our image. We need to elect people who will do what's right for the citizens of the district even if it goes against the party line.
DK: Treat others with respect. Stay away from negative campaigning. Campaign finance reform and ethics reform could help clean up the problem.
We would like to thank the League of Women Voters for putting on this forum. You've read what the candidates said on these issues. Now get out there and help whoever you can and VOTE on November 7! We know who we're supporting and sadly, we cannot vote in this race. But our members can.
Our next report will be after the 54th Assembly District candidate forum in Oshkosh, which occurs at 7PM Thursday, October 19, at Oshkosh's City Hall, 4th floor. Be there with your questions!
--LC1
Friday, September 08, 2006
It's primary time!
Soon we'll all know who the contenders are for the upcoming November elections. We like the following candidates:
Gordon Hintz running in the 54th Assembly District
Peg Lautenschlager for Wisconsin Attorney General
Jim Doyle for Governor (even though we have misgivings about him, we still support him)
Mark Westphal running in the 55th Assembly District
Susan Garcia Franz in the 56th Assembly District
Richard Spanbauer in the 53rd Assembly District (we know, he's a Republican--but he's better than the incumbent)
Joe Manske for Winnebago County District Attorney
and even though it's not in our Congressional District, we like Steve Kagen for Congress.
Let the games begin!
--LC1
Gordon Hintz running in the 54th Assembly District
Peg Lautenschlager for Wisconsin Attorney General
Jim Doyle for Governor (even though we have misgivings about him, we still support him)
Mark Westphal running in the 55th Assembly District
Susan Garcia Franz in the 56th Assembly District
Richard Spanbauer in the 53rd Assembly District (we know, he's a Republican--but he's better than the incumbent)
Joe Manske for Winnebago County District Attorney
and even though it's not in our Congressional District, we like Steve Kagen for Congress.
Let the games begin!
--LC1
Wal Mart is still evil
Well, it is. Here's an article about Wal Mart and their ties to financing conservative organizations:
"Conservatives help Wal-Mart and Vice-Versa", from the New York Times
You can't make this stuff up.
--LC1
"Conservatives help Wal-Mart and Vice-Versa", from the New York Times
You can't make this stuff up.
--LC1
Thursday, August 24, 2006
WCLC/AFSCME Locals 579 and 48 Candidate Forum is on the air!
The Winnebago County Labor Council and AFSCME Locals 579 and 48 hosted a Candidates Forum on July 25, 2006 in Oshkosh. Invited were candidates for the 53rd, 54th, 55th and 56th Assembly Districts in Wisconsin. The forum was taped by the Labor Council secretary and the 53rd and 54th AD forum is currently playing on Oshkosh Cable Access channel 2. Air times for the rest of the week are:
8/26: 1:30 and 7:00PM
8/27: 9:00PM
In addition, there are other interviews, etc. of candidates also running on cable access. The Labor Chicks encourage everyone to become an informed voter--it's your civic duty!
--LC1
8/26: 1:30 and 7:00PM
8/27: 9:00PM
In addition, there are other interviews, etc. of candidates also running on cable access. The Labor Chicks encourage everyone to become an informed voter--it's your civic duty!
--LC1
Rep. Steve Nass-ty has a new target
State Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) has found a new enemy--Workers Independent News, a radio and print news service which highlights issues important to working families and union members. What is this guy's problem? He just doesn't seem to think that issues like academic freedom and exposure to other's ideas is a good thing. What a boring world it would be if we all thought the same thoughts. What would we have to talk about?
Read more about it here:
http://www.madison.com/toolbox/index.php?action=printme2&ref=tct&storyURL=%2Ftct%2Fopinion%2Feditorial%2Findex.php%3Fntid%3D95785
You will notice the Labor Chicks have added a link to Workers Independent News on their site. Heh heh, Rep. Nass, come and get us!
--LC1
Read more about it here:
http://www.madison.com/toolbox/index.php?action=printme2&ref=tct&storyURL=%2Ftct%2Fopinion%2Feditorial%2Findex.php%3Fntid%3D95785
You will notice the Labor Chicks have added a link to Workers Independent News on their site. Heh heh, Rep. Nass, come and get us!
--LC1
Monday, July 24, 2006
We're not dead-we're baaaack!
The Labor Chicks have been extremely busy since May, so they have not had time to breathe, let alone post on their blog. We will be posting more stuff soon. We just returned from the AFSCME Council 24 state convention. Perhaps we'll post some stuff about it.
Have to run now,
LC1
Have to run now,
LC1
Friday, April 28, 2006
The sleep of the damned
After a marathon legislative session last night in which the Wisconsin State Assembly narrowly passed a much watered down version of TABOR, our assembly representatives are surely sleeping the sleep of the damned. I'm sure that when a lot of citizens of Wisconsin awoke this morning to hear the news that the assembly had spent another vampire session in the dark of night passing bad legislation, a lot of folks yelled out, "Damn those legislators!" all over the state. I personally yelled so loud that I scared one of my cats.
It will be the State Senate's turn next week. Oshkosh's State Senator, Carol Roessler is still on the fence on TABOR. C'mon Carol, make up your mind. In the words of George W Bush, "You're either with us or against us". If you want to help Carol make up her mind, call her at 888-736-8720.
This Labor Chick's opinion is that if legislators such as Frank Lasee, who believes that TABOR is necessary because state legislators can't control themselves personally to not spend taxpayer's money, (therefore we need to have controls permanently put in place in the state constitution to in essence, let us do their job for them) should let us help them along in their quest to not spend our money and let us kick them out of office in the voting booth. Why is it that those folks don't want to do the job we hired them to do? Is it perhaps because they would rather be up to other mischief, such as attempting to write discrimination into the state constitution, forcing women into unwanted pregnancies by attempting to curtail their access to birth control, and letting people carry weapons into places of worship and libraries? What the hell is wrong with these people? Are these really the folks who represent the prevailing opinions of the residents of the state of Wisconsin? If it is, maybe I better find a new state to live in, because that's just scary.
Rant over, for only the moment.......
--LC1
It will be the State Senate's turn next week. Oshkosh's State Senator, Carol Roessler is still on the fence on TABOR. C'mon Carol, make up your mind. In the words of George W Bush, "You're either with us or against us". If you want to help Carol make up her mind, call her at 888-736-8720.
This Labor Chick's opinion is that if legislators such as Frank Lasee, who believes that TABOR is necessary because state legislators can't control themselves personally to not spend taxpayer's money, (therefore we need to have controls permanently put in place in the state constitution to in essence, let us do their job for them) should let us help them along in their quest to not spend our money and let us kick them out of office in the voting booth. Why is it that those folks don't want to do the job we hired them to do? Is it perhaps because they would rather be up to other mischief, such as attempting to write discrimination into the state constitution, forcing women into unwanted pregnancies by attempting to curtail their access to birth control, and letting people carry weapons into places of worship and libraries? What the hell is wrong with these people? Are these really the folks who represent the prevailing opinions of the residents of the state of Wisconsin? If it is, maybe I better find a new state to live in, because that's just scary.
Rant over, for only the moment.......
--LC1
Friday, April 21, 2006
To TABOR or not to TABOR, that is the question...and other rants
It's kind of fun watching the Republicans in the Wisconsin State Legislature fight over who has the better TABOR/TPA proposal these days. The really unfortunate part is that if they're not careful, someone is going to get hurt, most likely public employees, the whipping boy of the State Legislature. We are encouraged that two of them, state Sens. Sheila Harsdorf and Ron Brown have sort of come to their senses and said, whoa, maybe we shouldn't put this bad legislation into the state constitution. That being said, it's still bad legislation no matter what way it's put into effect--but at least it's easier to get rid of if it's not in the state constitution.
Our opinion is that TABOR/TPA in the form of a constitutional amendment is a cop-out by the elected officials in the State Legislature. They were put there to do a job and part of that job is to reconcile the state budget every couple of years. If they don't wanna do it any more, they can be replaced by new people who want to.
If you out there in blog-land want to help fight this, call your state Senator and Assembly person ASAP and register your opinion on TABOR/TPA. It's going to be coming up for a vote in the next week or so. Oshkosh's state Sen. Carol Roessler has been an apparent fence-sitter for a couple of years on TABOR. Either that or she just doesn't want to share her opinion with her constituents. It's time to push her off that fence so that at least we know which way she's going to vote. I think she owes us that much. I mean, how long does it take to read this stuff and understand what a mistake it would be to lead us down the potholed road Colorado is now on?
One more rant--if the legislators of Wisconsin are so concerned about how much tax money is being spent every year, why don't they vote to stop the per diems they can claim just for going to work every day? I don't get the chance at $44 or $88 extra dollars every day just for showing up at work. It wouldn't be much money that would be restored to the state budget if they gave them up, but sometimes it's the symbolism that's important. That and rewrite the legislation restoring tax fairness to the state of Wisconsin so that the tax burden is not increasingly put upon individual/family taxpayers. Corporations should pay their fair share and not be able to get around it with all the loopholes in the tax laws that are out there.
You can find your state legislator's email/phone numbers here:
www.legis.state.wi.us/
--LC1
Our opinion is that TABOR/TPA in the form of a constitutional amendment is a cop-out by the elected officials in the State Legislature. They were put there to do a job and part of that job is to reconcile the state budget every couple of years. If they don't wanna do it any more, they can be replaced by new people who want to.
If you out there in blog-land want to help fight this, call your state Senator and Assembly person ASAP and register your opinion on TABOR/TPA. It's going to be coming up for a vote in the next week or so. Oshkosh's state Sen. Carol Roessler has been an apparent fence-sitter for a couple of years on TABOR. Either that or she just doesn't want to share her opinion with her constituents. It's time to push her off that fence so that at least we know which way she's going to vote. I think she owes us that much. I mean, how long does it take to read this stuff and understand what a mistake it would be to lead us down the potholed road Colorado is now on?
One more rant--if the legislators of Wisconsin are so concerned about how much tax money is being spent every year, why don't they vote to stop the per diems they can claim just for going to work every day? I don't get the chance at $44 or $88 extra dollars every day just for showing up at work. It wouldn't be much money that would be restored to the state budget if they gave them up, but sometimes it's the symbolism that's important. That and rewrite the legislation restoring tax fairness to the state of Wisconsin so that the tax burden is not increasingly put upon individual/family taxpayers. Corporations should pay their fair share and not be able to get around it with all the loopholes in the tax laws that are out there.
You can find your state legislator's email/phone numbers here:
www.legis.state.wi.us/
--LC1
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
"Godfather" of the 2nd Assembly District
The Labor Chicks took some of their personal vacation time to attend the previously mentioned TABOR forum at UW Fox Valley on April 11. One of the featured speakers was the "godfather" of TABOR in Wisconsin, 2nd Assembly District Representative Frank Lasee. It was apparent to this Labor Chick that the "godfather" seems intent on putting out a hit on employees who work for state, counties and municipalities all across Wisconsin. Mr. Lasee is a real piece of work and I believe he showed everyone in the room how much he would like to lord the power the voters of the 2nd Assembly district have granted him by putting him into office over all of the rest of the good people of the state. I have to give him this much, he surely knows how to offend a wide range of people all at once just by opening his mouth. I tried pointing out to him after the forum, before he could get away, that the people who will be hurt by this ill-conceived legislation, are ordinary working people who genuinely care about their jobs and the people they serve. Can't blame a girl for trying, but I believe what I said to him won't matter much in the long run. His mind is made up and there's no getting any new ideas in there.
--LC1
--LC1
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
....one more thing on Library Workers
"I really didn't realize the librarians were, you know, such a dangerous group. ... You think they're just sitting at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them." Michael Moore
National Library Workers Day
Today, April 4th, is National Library Workers Day - a day to celebrate the fact that "Libraries Work Because We Do".
I can remember over a decade ago, a small group of library support staff (those without their Masters degree) from around the country were discussing the fact that there was a day for Nurse's and "Administrative Professionals" other professions, but, nothing for Library Workers. This group of "Support Staff" activists along with the now out of print "Library Mosaics" magazine did something about it and held the first Library Workers Day. Today, the American Library Association recognizes the Tuesday of National Library Week as Library Workers Day and celebrates all of those who work in libraries and make information available to all, no matter how rich or poor you are.
Just another example of how a small group of people can make a change!
What does this have to do with Unions you might ask. Well, AFSCME International is the first union to have a committee for Library Workers and as a result of that Committee's work, is one of the major sponsors of Library Workers Day. Here are a couple of links to the AFSCME website and the ALA website about Library Workers Day.
In the meantime, go to your library and thank your favorite worker there and help Celebrate National Library Week!
http://afscme.org/press/pr060404.htm
http://www.afscme.org/press/libraries.pdf
http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd.html
UW Oshkosh Polk Library will be holding it's 2nd Used Book Sale on Wednesday April 5 in conjunction with National Library Week. Stop by and see what kind of interesting items are available for sale, as low as 50 cents a piece! For more information, go to http://www.uwosh.edu/library/news/#booksale
LC2....
I can remember over a decade ago, a small group of library support staff (those without their Masters degree) from around the country were discussing the fact that there was a day for Nurse's and "Administrative Professionals" other professions, but, nothing for Library Workers. This group of "Support Staff" activists along with the now out of print "Library Mosaics" magazine did something about it and held the first Library Workers Day. Today, the American Library Association recognizes the Tuesday of National Library Week as Library Workers Day and celebrates all of those who work in libraries and make information available to all, no matter how rich or poor you are.
Just another example of how a small group of people can make a change!
What does this have to do with Unions you might ask. Well, AFSCME International is the first union to have a committee for Library Workers and as a result of that Committee's work, is one of the major sponsors of Library Workers Day. Here are a couple of links to the AFSCME website and the ALA website about Library Workers Day.
In the meantime, go to your library and thank your favorite worker there and help Celebrate National Library Week!
http://afscme.org/press/pr060404.htm
http://www.afscme.org/press/libraries.pdf
http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd.html
UW Oshkosh Polk Library will be holding it's 2nd Used Book Sale on Wednesday April 5 in conjunction with National Library Week. Stop by and see what kind of interesting items are available for sale, as low as 50 cents a piece! For more information, go to http://www.uwosh.edu/library/news/#booksale
LC2....
Monday, April 03, 2006
TABOR FORUM-UW FOX VALLEY, April 11
TABOR Fight Enters Final Month
Source: John Keckhaver, Wisconsin Council on Children & Families
While the legislative session is winding down for the year, the new version of TABOR, dubbed the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, will likely still be voted on, either in a limited floor period in late April or early May, or in an extraordinary session. With legislators wanting to get home for the upcoming campaign season we believe the limited floor period is when the Taxpayer Protection Amendment will be brought to the floor of both houses for a vote.
That means we're entering the final month or so in this fight against one of the worst policy ideas to hit the state in a long time. A lot of people believe that a defeat this session could spell the end of TABOR in Wisconsin. They may well be right.
A number of legislators are holding information sessions or listening sessions in their districts over the next month. They need to hear about the ill-effects such a draconian constitutional amendment would have on Wisconsin, on critical social services that impact children and families around the state, on job-creation and workforce development efforts, and on our education and health care systems.
We will send out notices whenever we learn of new hearings or listening sessions in your area that you can attend and that you can spread the word about. Here is a couple we just learned of:
Upcoming Forum in Fox Valley on Newest TABOR Proposal
When: Tuesday, 11 April 2006 @ 12:10 pmWhere: UW-Fox Valley Student Union, 1478 Midway Road, Menasha, WIWith Whom: Rep. Frank Lasee and UW-Fox Valley Dean Jim Perry will present alternate views and there will be time for audience questions and participation. There will be a moderator.What you can do: Show up and ask the hard questions that have yet to be answered by TPA proponents such as: what do you think is going to happen to Medicaid access for the elderly and the poor, what is going to happen to the cost of a UW education, and so on.
As always, for a quick look at TABOR/TP talking points, the Council's testimony given at the first public hearing on TP, along with other information on the proposals, click here: http://www.wccf.org/projects/taborresources.htm
SEPAC Note: You can also read AFSCME's testimony and learn more about TABOR / TPA by visiting the SEPAC website at:
http://capwiz.com/wseu-sepac/utr/1/LVAUFRNHMW/CSHEFRNHPK/674701951
Source: John Keckhaver, Wisconsin Council on Children & Families
While the legislative session is winding down for the year, the new version of TABOR, dubbed the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, will likely still be voted on, either in a limited floor period in late April or early May, or in an extraordinary session. With legislators wanting to get home for the upcoming campaign season we believe the limited floor period is when the Taxpayer Protection Amendment will be brought to the floor of both houses for a vote.
That means we're entering the final month or so in this fight against one of the worst policy ideas to hit the state in a long time. A lot of people believe that a defeat this session could spell the end of TABOR in Wisconsin. They may well be right.
A number of legislators are holding information sessions or listening sessions in their districts over the next month. They need to hear about the ill-effects such a draconian constitutional amendment would have on Wisconsin, on critical social services that impact children and families around the state, on job-creation and workforce development efforts, and on our education and health care systems.
We will send out notices whenever we learn of new hearings or listening sessions in your area that you can attend and that you can spread the word about. Here is a couple we just learned of:
Upcoming Forum in Fox Valley on Newest TABOR Proposal
When: Tuesday, 11 April 2006 @ 12:10 pmWhere: UW-Fox Valley Student Union, 1478 Midway Road, Menasha, WIWith Whom: Rep. Frank Lasee and UW-Fox Valley Dean Jim Perry will present alternate views and there will be time for audience questions and participation. There will be a moderator.What you can do: Show up and ask the hard questions that have yet to be answered by TPA proponents such as: what do you think is going to happen to Medicaid access for the elderly and the poor, what is going to happen to the cost of a UW education, and so on.
As always, for a quick look at TABOR/TP talking points, the Council's testimony given at the first public hearing on TP, along with other information on the proposals, click here: http://www.wccf.org/projects/taborresources.htm
SEPAC Note: You can also read AFSCME's testimony and learn more about TABOR / TPA by visiting the SEPAC website at:
http://capwiz.com/wseu-sepac/utr/1/LVAUFRNHMW/CSHEFRNHPK/674701951
Friday, March 31, 2006
First Amendment RIghts
It's been an interesting week in very many ways, and not a very good Friday I might add. Hopefully the weekend will make things a bit better. Anyhow....
The good people of the City of Oshkosh are getting some interesting Civics lessons lately. How else will our First Amendment Rights be tested and debated? First there are the religious issues with the "Christmas Box Angel" in Menominee Park. Now we've got freedom of speech being tested in the blogging issue. It will be interesting to watch this roll out......
Lots of other things to talk about, maybe more this weekend
....LC2
The good people of the City of Oshkosh are getting some interesting Civics lessons lately. How else will our First Amendment Rights be tested and debated? First there are the religious issues with the "Christmas Box Angel" in Menominee Park. Now we've got freedom of speech being tested in the blogging issue. It will be interesting to watch this roll out......
Lots of other things to talk about, maybe more this weekend
....LC2
Freedom of speech on blogs
The Oshkosh blog scene is all atwitter today about a lawsuit filed in Winnebago County (and now transferred to Fond du Lac) concerning naughty things a poster put on someone's blog. As a staunch supporter of first amendment rights, this is worrying to me. Would it not have been better to simply ask for the offending posts to be removed? Certainly the person named in the posts has a right to be upset--what woman wouldn't be? However, censorship is not the answer. My goodness, if we took the approach that every time something uncomplimentary or usavory is published in the paper and the offended party filed a lawsuit to have the paper shut down, we wouldn't have any newspapers in the country publishing any more. Particularly in the case of our Dear Leader, Bush, who would have them all toe the line and only print cheery articles that only give good news and ignore what's really going on in the world. But I digress.
Certainly the posts are libelous to the woman named in them, but, I hardly think that shutting down one blogger's site is going to cure the problem. Someone else will undoubtedly take up the shut down blogger's cause and well, there you go.
--LC1
Certainly the posts are libelous to the woman named in them, but, I hardly think that shutting down one blogger's site is going to cure the problem. Someone else will undoubtedly take up the shut down blogger's cause and well, there you go.
--LC1
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