Milwaukee - YOU'RE FIRED!

Greetings,

Imagine what it would be like to fire an entire city at once, sounds breathtaking doesn't it? Downright frightening too no doubt:

Milwaukee Population: 628, 088

Well guess how many jobs the Obama economy lost this week?

According to a recent news story:

"The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment compensation rose to a seasonally adjusted 640,000, up from a revised 613,000 the previous week. That was slightly above analysts' expectations of 635,000. "

That is like the whole city of Milwaukee + Oconomowoc roughly.

More stories about it:

US jobless claims up to 640,000,bit above forecast

Jobless Claims Rise in Latest Week

Jobless claims bounce higher

It's like the bumper sticker says,

TTFN,

Jim

The Janet Border Horror Show

(With apologies to Rocky Horror)

I really loved the...
skillful way
You released that report
just the other day

The river was deep but
I swam it. (Janet)
The future is ours so
let's plan it. (Janet)
So please, don't tell
me to can it. (Janet)
I've one thing to say
and that's Dammit, Janet
I love you.

The road was long but
I ran it. (Janet)
The report was bad but
you ran it. (Janet)
If there's one fool for
you then I am it. (Janet)
I've one thing to say and
that's Dammit, Janet
I love you.

TTFN,

Jim

Religious Liberty Update

Greetings,

As I understand this bill from my sources, mere participation in the aforementioned 'volunteer' program would then prohibit a young person from participating in a lot of other outside programs including Church.

I must apologize, I am way behind the curve on this one. The bill became law just today, it is called the 'Serve America Act' now, previously called Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education. It is an expansion of the Americorps ( www.americorps.gov ) program where college money from the government is exchanged for government service. The person who alerted me to all this was a bit johnny-come-lately on this and so I am too. The Senate version (S 277) already passed and today Obama signed it into law. Section 132A of the new law forbids funds going to any entity that is:

Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of proselytization, consistent with section 132.

So the above paragraph is already law and I bet many or all of us did not know until today.

A companion bill (not yet passed into law) HR 1444 would make this 'volunteer' service mandatory. So the bill is law and we are too late to stop that but we can attempt to stop HR 1444 and whatever it's Senate version maybe:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1444

Remember, when government expands, liberty contracts.

Jim

Church Attendance, Confirmation, Sunday School - Against The Law

Greetings,

I couldn't believe this until I checked it out for myself. I found the bill on Govtrack, the House passed it, the Senate has yet to vote.

HR 1388: Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (AKA The Obama Youth Brigade Bill)

Click on this link:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1388

then scroll down to sec 1310 in the yelow and click on it, it reads,

‘SEC. 132A. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.

‘(a) Prohibited Activities- An approved national service position under this subtitle may not be used for the following activities:

‘(1) Attempting to influence legislation.

‘(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.

‘(3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing.

‘(4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements.

‘(5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to Federal office or the outcome of an election to a State or local public office.

‘(6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials.

‘(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of proselytization, consistent with section 132.

‘(8) Consistent with section 132, providing a direct benefit to any--

‘(A) business organized for profit;

‘(B) labor union;

‘(C) partisan political organization;

‘(D) nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, except that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and

‘(E) organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph (7), unless the position is not used to support those religious activities.

‘(9) Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services.

‘(10) Conducting a voter registration drive or using Corporation funds to conduct a voter registration drive.

‘(11) Carrying out such other activities as the Corporation may prohibit.

‘(b) Ineligibility- No assistance provided under this subtitle may be provided to any organization that has violated a Federal criminal statute.

‘(c) Nondisplacement of Employed Workers or Other Volunteers- A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle may not be directed to perform any services or duties, or to engage in any activities, prohibited under the nonduplication, nondisplacement, or nonsupplantation requirements relating to employees and volunteers in section 177.’.

------------

Time to burn up the phone lines and PASS THIS ON to everyone you can think of!

Herb Kohl
http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Russ Feingold
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact_opinion.html

Outside of Wisconsin:
http://senate.gov/

You can search for your Senator by state in the upper right hand corner of the page.

In Christ,

Jim

The Wausau Tea Party

Greetings,

Overall it was an excellent event. In downtown Wausau they have a park which is a large square of grass - very old-fashioned, small-town America. I have not received the official headcount yet but I have heard estimates of 1500 to 3000 people. Not bad considering all the other Tea Parties around the state. Normally these things always happen in Milwaukee and Madison but not the Tea Party, there were Eight (essentially 1 per congressional district), 2 of which were in my own congressional district.

Official Wausau Tea Party Website

Channel 7 Coverage

Channel 9 Coverage

Wausau Daily Herald Story

Wausau Tea Party Photos on Flickr

Some People I know at the Tea Party

If people who went to the Wausau party took away nothing else, it is clear that congressman Dave Obey must go. Obey is the sponsor of the stimu'less' (also called porkulus) bill. He has been in office since the 1970s and he must go. One of his top contributors is one of Nancy Pelosi's top givers. He recently got caught steering pork to a relative (his son) as well. How are those for 3 good reasons to vote Dave Obey out?

Need a 4th reason? Obey said the bill wasn't big enough. Need another reason? Nobody read the bill that Dave Obey and Barney Frank (YES! Barney Frank too!) stuffed like a thanksgiving Day Turkey full of pet projects.

Something tells me that after years of smooth sailing to reelection it won't be so easy for Dave Obey this time.

TTFN,

Jim

Tea Parties in Wisconsin

City: Appleton
When: April 15, 5:30 pm - 7:00pm
Where: Fox Banquets, 111 E. Kimball
Contact: EMAIL
Phone: 920.427.2477
Other:
Facebook Group: CLICK HERE

————-

City: Eau Claire
When: April 15, 12:00 noon - 3:00pm
Where: Eau Claire City Hall
Contact: EMAIL
Phone:
Other:
Facebook Group: CLICK HERE

————-

City: Fort Atkinson
When: April 15, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Where: Municipal Building, Main Street
Contact: EMAIL
Phone: 920.397.7062
Other:
Facebook Group: Coming Soon!

————-

City: Fond Du Lac
When: April 15, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Where: Veterans Park across from City County Government Building
Contact: EMAIL
Phone: 920-238-5647
Other: WEBSITE
Facebook Group: Coming Soon!

————-

City: Lacrosse
When: April 15, TBA
Where: TBA
Contact: EMAIL
Phone:
Other:
Facebook Group: Coming Soon!

————-

City: Madison
When: April 15, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Where: State Capitol
Contact: EMAIL
Facebook Group: CLICK HERE

————-

City: Superior
When: April 15, Noon to 1 PM
Where: 14th St and Tower Ave
Contact: EMAIL

————-

City: Wausau (Wisconsin)
When: April 15, 2009 – 5:00-7:00pm
Where: City Square Downtown Wausau – 400 Block
Contact: wausauteaparty@charter.net
Website: http://seenetrun.com
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php#/group.php?gid=61587022671

Hope to see you at one!

Jim

The Full Faith And Credit Of The U.S. Government Backs Your Auto Warranty!

Thanks goes to Todd for showing me this one:



Woo-hoo! PLEASE take over my health care too!

TTFN,

Jim

Stop The World I Want To Get Off

Greetings,

After hearing some of the news today,



I remembered an old song:


STOP THE WORLD (I WANT TO GET OFF)

Well it's okay to murder babies
But we really ought to save the whales
We're putting criminals in office
Cause it's way too crowded in the jails
T.V. is our teacher now
The schools are overrun by thugs
And children skip their innocence
and graduate to sex and drugs

Right is wrong and wrong is right
White is black and black is white
I think I just lost my appetite
Stop the world I want to get off

Stop the world 
I want to get off
This is too weird for me
Stop the world
I want to get off
I get the definite impression
That this isn't how it's meant to be
     No, no

Fear is taking over 
Anxiety is on the rise
Well you can feel it in the air
You can see it in your neighbor's eyes
The working man is deperate
He can't support his family
And we could pull the nation
Out of debt for what
We spend on locks and keys

And even suburbia is under attack
They're all buying handguns 
Trying to fight back
There's a vigilante picnic
In the cul de sac
Stop the world I want to get off

Stop the world
I want to get off
This is too wierd for me
Stop the world
I want to get off
I've just got to find a planet
Where they're interested in sanity
     Hey yeah

I wish I had some spaceman gear
I swear I'd fly away from here
I cry to God this fervent prayer
"Oh, please, just take me anywhere
Don't leave me here"

We take our loftiest intentions
And engrave them all neatly in stone
And once they're safely up there
We'd prefer that they just leave us alone
Cause it's the law of the jungle
With distinctly carnivorous vibes
Yeah, we may dress up in tuxedos
But we function like germanic tribes

It's the age old sin in a modern day
From the club of Cain to the laser ray
But now we can blow everybody away
Stop the world I want to get off

Stop the world
I want to get off
This is too weird, a little too weird
Stop the world
I want to get off
I've just got to find a planet
Well I've just got to find a planet
Got to find a planet where
They're interested in sanity

yeah, yeah
Somebody stop the world
Ooh yeah
Somebody stop the world

Written By Randy Stonehill
© Copyright 1984 by Stonehillian Music &
Word Music (a division of Word, Inc.)
(ASCAP)

But hey, some say in 2012 elections won't matter!

TTFN,

Jim

April Fools - Made Me Laugh

Did you see this last night?



ROFLMAO!

Jim

Congress Has Finger In The Wind Again

Greetings folks,

Not too long ago Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa said this,

"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them, if they had followed the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, "I'm sorry," and then either do one of two things, resign or go commit suicide."

Now when I first heard this I said, "Yeah, right on!"

But then I got thinking, "Where was his outrage when the Democrats spent a TRILLION dollars?"

What is all the outrage REALLY about? Glenn Beck seems to get it:



It's a magician trick, "Look up here at the card in my hand (while I do the trick over here with my other hand)."

Watch the AIG guys get this bonus in the millions while Congress spends a TRILLION dollars. Now I must admit, the outrage over what the AIG guys got away with is completely legitimate. Bonuses should be given based upon positive results, achieved performance, etc. Bonuses given - 'just because' and especially at taxpayer expense is ridiculous, obscene and immoral. Period. That said, what Congress did today was an extra-constitutional grab of power. I don't care if someone has an 'R' or a 'D' after their name when they do that sort of thing. Two wrongs do not make a right. Our Constitution says you can't pass a law in the present to prosecute what happened in the past. That is akin to changing the rules in the middle of the game as sports people would say. It also sets a bad precedent for contract law. The AIG people should simply be shamed and shunned into giving back the bonuses as some already have. Not every problem requires a legislative or judicial solution.

I have not always been a fan of Jim Sensenbrenner, but he did the right thing today by not voting for the AIG bonus tax. All the other reps of both parties for my state blew it. Minnesota's GOP delegation had more backbone. Only Steve King [R] of Iowa voted no, Melissa Bean [Dem!] of Illinois voted no, ditto for Thad McCotter [R] of Michigan.

That's my gripe for the day, have a great weekend people - after all, it is the 1st day of Spring, thankfully government can't take that away, regulate it, tax it or otherwise fowl it up. The changing of the seasons is what it is - a gift from God.

TTFN,

Jim