AD66 Race

I found this information posted by Mr. Zamba's campaign.

"I'm Larry Zamba, the Democratic candidate in 2008 for Wisconsin's 66th Assembly District. If you want health care for everyone, green collar jobs, an environmentalist, a greater emphasis on alternative energy, and just bringing back the government to the people, you can find out more about my campaign at ..."
Apparently Mr. Zamba doesn't have a clue what the concerns of the residents of the 66th District are. He's just a crazy progressive-liberal-democrat that doesn't represent the majority of the citizens of the district. His only concern is to advance his own pet causes and not the concerns of the residents of the district.

Nowhere do I see anything about smaller government, reduced taxes, health care reform, lower gas prices, increasing employment or a better business environment in Wisconsin to promote job growth.

AD 66- should be an interesting race

Now, I am not a political expert. Sure, I probably know a smidgen more than your average person does, because being a political junkie does have a few benefits.

I get a kick out of studying the new candidates that will be running in this fall’s election.

Doing a little research on some of these new candidates can get quite entertaining sometimes.

One in particular has me a little curious.

Larry Zamba is running as a Democrat against Rep. Samantha Kerkman is western Kenosha County.

I guess what I find as a little startling is in doing a little research, based on his website, Mr. Zamba is a strong supporter of PETA and is anti-death penalty.

These are not normally issues that the folks in western Kenosha County embrace, but who knows.

It should be an interesting race between Mr. Zamba and Rep. Samantha Kerkman.

For years, Samantha Kerkman has been aptly representing Kenosha County. The western part of the district loves her.

Perhaps they love her so much because she is just one of them.

Samantha has lived her entire life in the western part of Kenosha County.

The residents have watched her grow up and graduate from their local high school, Wilmot. She stayed relatively close to home by attending college at UW-Whitewater. After graduation she then began working for very popular state Representative Cloyd Porter.

Samantha first ran for state Representative in 2000 and won a pretty comfortable victory with 58% of the vote. Since then, that is about as close of an election she would see. Her margin of victory has grown larger over the years. In 2006, she captured 75% of the vote.

The residents in western Kenosha have been very supportive of Samantha. They have watched her get married and begin her family.

Samantha has been their champion for almost 8 years in western Kenosha and she grows more popular each year. She have fought for them and stood by the residents for a long time.

I suppose I do not see any way possible that anyone can represent western Kenosha County better than Samantha Kerkman.

To the residents of western Kenosha County, Samantha Kerkman is one of them, she is family.

As I said, it should be an interesting race. I guess we will have to wait and see if Larry Zamba and his PETA family can turn Samantha Kerkman’s family against her.

Dream ticket???

It is not like we have not heard this argument before-

If Democrats are going to win the White House in November, they need a shotgun wedding in June. This is not something that either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton wants to hear, nor is it anything party leaders have been willing to say — at least not publicly. But without both Clinton and Obama on the same ticket, Democrats stand a good chance of suffering a humiliating defeat in the general election.

The big question that no one seems to want to answer is "Who's on top?"

Who leads this ticket- Clinton or Obama?

20 years

That is all I have to say to the Obama defenders commenting in this post on Rev. Wright. Over 1300+ posts so far with many folks attempting to defend Obama

For 20 years Obama sat in the pews listening to this garbage. The man performed the marriage ceremony and baptized his children.

Yes, Obama can do everything in his power to distance himself from this character, but the damage is done. Americans know that Obama considered Rev. Wright to be a mentor. Obama even wrote a book titled after one of the Pastor's sermons.

After what the media stated was one of the greatest speeches of all times, Obama actually dug himself into the hole even further because he refused to distance himself from the pastor. Any attempt to distance himself now would just look like a pure political ploy.

Rev. Wright may have handed the presidency to John McCain.

Obama's numbers are plummeting

Wow, what a difference a few days make.

A few days ago, Obama held a lead of 10 plus points over Clinton on national polls.

His average is at +5.8%

It is probably easy to tell why that is happening. Rev. Wright is back with a vengeance and he may take Obama with him.

Rev. Wright is even suggesting that secretly Obama agrees with him in the inflammatory issues and the only reason Obama is trying to distance himself now, after 20 years, is purely political.

Wright suggested that Obama was insincere in distancing himself from his pastor. "He didn't distance himself," Wright announced. "He had to distance himself, because he's a politician, from what the media was saying I had said, which was anti-American."

Explaining further, Wright said friends had written to him and said, "We both know that if Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected." The minister continued: "Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls.

Folks, the Democrats has already nominated Obama. I know officially Clinton is still in it, but the numbers do not add up. If this nomination is taken from Obama, their will be a war in the streets with Democrat on Democrat.

If someone had said a year ago that McCain would have come back to life and actually has a shot at winning the White House, no one would have believed.

Today, the Dems have nominated a man with little political experience, who has asked America to support him because of his outstanding judgment. Or they can take the nomination from him and give the nomination to a woman with imaginary bullets whizzing past her head.

The Actual Cost of "Healthy Wisconsin"

While I was looking for some information last night on taxes, I found some interesting information about Wisconsin and its uninsured. (Look out math ahead.)

According to a report by the Taxpayer's Alliance (2006 data) 90.6% of Wisconsin residents have health insurance.

100% - 90.6% = 9.4% do not have insurance. (This report does not state how many are in between insurances, don't want insurance, etc.)

State population: 5,609,705 people

5,609,705 x 9.4% = 527,312 people do not have insurance (no breakdown of the number of children. Children would be covered under Badger Care if without insurance.)

$15,400,000,000 Cost of "Healthy Wisconsin"

$15,400,000,000 / 527,312 = $29,204.72

$29,204.72 That is what we, as taxpayers, are going to pay per uninsured person to have health care coverage through "Healthy Wisconsin."

Go Jo!

This is awesome!

Blogger, activist, conservative and all around great person, Jo Egelhoff is running for the 57th Assembly seat.

I could not be more thrilled.

Congrats, Jo!

Silent Auction and Dinner in Kenosha to benefit American Legion Baseball team

Hat tip- Peter DiGaudio from Texas Hold 'Em Blogger

Come on folks, it is only $5 and the proceeds will benefit the American legion Baseball Team in Kenosha.

Sunday, April 27, at the VFW Hall, 6618 39th Avenue from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $ 5.00 each and are available at the door.

You can also contact Peter for tickets @ texasholdemblogger@gmail.com

See you there.

The President's power

Even the Democrats are being forced to admit that for a lame duck President, Bush is still getting what he wants when he wants it.

The President wants a war funding bill.

The Democrats are smart enough to realize that they will lose this battle in the public eye if they vote against funding the troops during this election year.

So, instead the Democrats are attempting to pile additional items into the war funding bill so they have an explaination to their constituents as to why they are funding a war they say they vehemently oppose.

The Dems are looking for political cover and Bush will not give it to them.

Yahoo!

But the hard line from the White House has Democrats scaling back plans to use the must-pass bill as an engine to carry everything from a summer jobs programs to a Senate proposal for $10 billion for infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and new schools.

Republicans are eager for a battle with Democrats over add-ons to the war funding bill. Despite record low approval ratings and his status as a lame duck, Bush has to be rated as a clear favorite in any veto battle.

"If the president stands his ground on this he'll win," House GOP Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said. "And I believe he's prepared to stand his ground and we'll stand with him."

Not too bad for a lame duck President.

Okay Republicans, stop laughing

My fellow Republicans, I know that it is really hard to stop laughing, but the Democrats are upset.

Was it just me, or did you the rest of you guys have trouble controlling the giggles as you watched the liberal pundits and liberal media goofs spitting and spinning on TV last night?

One woman in particular was near hysterics on MSNBC when talking with Pat Buchanan. I cannot stand Pat Buchanan most of the time, but he was pushing some buttons last night with some of the liberal media pundits.

Buchanan continued to ask the question ask the same question I have been asking- After being christened as the front runner, the new hope, the great messiah and all that jazz- Why is it Barack Obama is losing a big state like Pennsylvania to Hillary Clinton this late in the nominating process.

Barack Obama did not just lose in Pennsylvania; Hillary Clinton slaughtered him.

Now before you liberals go blathering about how much ground Obama made up against Hillary, please remember that he only won 5 of 67 counties in PA.

5!

Worse yet, Obama tried to win this state- he outspent her 2 to 1 in this state.

Check out these categories he lost in:

Obama has lost the woman
Obama has lost the white vote (both men and women)
Obama has lost the blue collar vote
Obama lost the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish votes
Obama lost the Union vote
Obama lost the Suburban vote (he was to win big on this one)
Obama lost the vote of those identifying themselves as Democrats
Obama lost the vote of those making less than 50K a year



After last night, the latte lapping liberals will have to once again shamefully admit that the bitter, gun toting, bible reading, and church going middle class America defeated them.

Still, finding a latte lapping liberal who will admit that this could be a problem in the general election is difficult. Even with this latest Obama trounce, the media is in full throat denial of a problem.

Mr. Obama seems to get it. He proved as much when he responded to the Jeremiah
Wright controversy last month with an intelligent, soul-searching and deeply
personal speech that immediately reminded millions of Americans why they liked
him in the first place. It was a preview of what he’ll have going for him in
September and October, when the caricaturists really get to work.

Clearly, Obama getting his tail clobbered yesterday means nothing to these latte liberals.

As I said earlier, I could not help but laugh as Pat Buchanan attempted to get a straight answer from the liberal pundits last night and I thought one woman’s(I do not know her name) head was going to start spinning around and she would start spitting green soup.

It was very funny.

Not only an embarrassment...

This is not only an embarrassment, but it is also very dangerous.

Wisconsinites drive under the influence of alcohol - or, at least, admit to it - at a higher rate than the residents of any other state, a newly released federal study shows.

Most of you know where I stand on drinking and driving. I lost a very dear friend to a drunk driver.

This is not something Wisconsin should be proud of.

Drinking and driving is unacceptable!

No worries

No worries, Obamabots. Obama is already preparing to spin a loss in Pennsylvania as a victory.

An Obama aide said that even if Clinton wins by 15 or 20 percentage points, she can’t change the race’s underlying dynamic.

Sorry folks- if the clear front runner in the Democratic nomination process cannot win a big state like Pennsylvania this late in the nomination game, then he most certainly is in for real problems in November.

An Obama loss today is pathetic. Of course the media will not see it that way, but common sense folks will.

Votin’ in PA.

Well, the bitter, angry people in Pennsylvania are currently voting.

I wonder if they will be clinging to their guns and God as they walk into the polls?

Of course there are those that may be voting today that believe that Obama is god and they don’t need guns, ‘cause he will protect them.

There is no crying in Politics (unless your last name is Clinton or Pelosi)

There is no crying in politics. However, sarcasm is a perfectly expectable reaction to Senator Chuck Hagel’s (RINO- Nebraska) stunning announcement this past weekend.

In fact, sarcasm is a perfectly acceptable reaction to anything Hagel does or says at any time!

Remember Chuck Hagel? He was, and actually still is, a U.S. senator from Nebraska. Last year he announced that he planned to decide whether America was worthy of having him as president. America was nervous. Would it make the grade?

In the end, it did not. Six months later, Chuck Hagel declared that not only wouldn't
he run for the president, but he wouldn't even defend his Senate seat.

America begged him to reconsider. It promised it would change. But it was too little, too late for Chuck Hagel. Now, Chuck Hagel says he may not even grace America with an endorsement in this year's presidential race:

I love those guys at the Wall Street Journal. Who says the number’s geeks do not have a sense of humor?

Obama to lose Pennsylvania

Barack Obama is already trying to soften Hillary Clinton's probable victory in Pennsylvania-

SCRANTON, Pa. - Barack Obama predicted Monday that Democratic presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton would get the critical victory she needs in Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, but said his goal is to keep it close.

I find it simply amazing that this late in the nomination process, there are plenty of Democrats still not voting for Obama.

If Obama is truly the messiah, as his followers believe, why is he getting ready to lose another very large state to Hillary Clinton???

We have been told for months that this nomination belongs to Obama. In fact, not so long ago, Democrats were demanding Hillary drop out.

Still, either Obama is that bad of a candidate and folks do not really believe he can win, or Hillary is that good of a candidate and has held him off for over four months.

Build a bridge

For years, I have been involved in partisan politics and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, that is not going to change now.

However, I have learned something over the last several months.

People are not as partisan as we like to think they are. Just running for local office has taught me that.

Common sense would tell you that a Republican couldn’t win an election in the heart of Kenosha.

Common sense would tell you that living in a Democratic stronghold in Kenosha, the chair of the Republican Party in Kenosha County, stood no chance of winning.

Common sense would tell you that a woman, much less a conservative woman, stood no chance of winning amongst the old school Democrats that vote religiously.

Yet, it happened. A known female Republican Party board member won in a Democratic controlled area of Kenosha.

It is not like folks did not know that I was the chair of the Republican Party of Kenosha County, because they did. The Kenosha News rarely mentioned my name without mentioning the Republican Party stuff.

Why now?

I think the answer is a lot simpler than many of us in Wisconsin are ready to admit.

Wisconsinites, even here in Kenosha, are a lot less partisan than we believe they are.

People care about themselves and their families a lot more deeply than they care about the Democrat Party or the Republican Party.

On January 24th, 2008- I learned a very valuable lesson. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich was visiting in Wisconsin and I had been invited by RPW chair Reince Priebus to attend. It was at that moment that my campaign came together.

Speaker Gingrich stated that if you wanted to win elections in Wisconsin, it was time to embrace the issues that folks on both sides of the aisle care about.

For example- taxes, spending, and public safety are issues that both sides of the aisle share.

So I embraced some of these ideas when I was running for office.

I noticed in my area that even voting Democrats are as frustrated with high taxes and out of control spending, as Republicans have been.

In fact the Democrats on the state level and on the national level are already running their campaigns with the idea to raise taxes. I am almost surprised by this.

Recently the Democrats in this state proposed yet more tax increases instead of spending cuts in order to fix the millions of dollars worth of shortages they have created in our budget.

The idea that millions of Democrats in this state are thrilled about this proposal is dead wrong. They are not. Yes, there are a few liberal political pundits that actually will try and sell the idea that these tax increases are only for the businesses and not on middle class Wisconsinites. Common sense tells us that if you increase taxes on businesses, you increase taxes on the working folks of Wisconsin.

I love the idea that Democrats will run on tax increases. Let us see how far that will get them in November.

Republicans on the other hand, need to stop pretending that the rising cost of health care in Wisconsin is not a big issue. It is a big issue. People care about this issue and it is time for Republicans to talk about it and bring their own ideas to the table.

In order to win in November, Republicans will have to talk about health care and their plans to fix this issue. In my opinion, the very first thing we need to do is get the free market involved in our health care. It is time for a little competition.

Another issue that will have to address in our elections is Voter ID. It is only a matter of time before folks finally explode on this issue.

I am completely convinced that both Democrats and Republicans want to know that elections are fair and free in Wisconsin. So, the day will come when both sides have to face this issue head on.

People will embrace good ideas and policies, if we just give them a chance.

Over the next several months, the media will try to once again align people behind the Democrat flag or the Republican flag, but in truth, folk care about themselves and their families.

This November’s election will come down to some very basic principles- whichever candidate on the state and national level that does a better job preaching the ideas that are important to both sides of the aisle, will be the candidate that wins.

It is time for Republicans to once again build a bridge like President Reagan showed us how to do. Reagan did not win a single election by jumping up and down screaming about illegal immigrants and daring people to defy him. Reagan stood no chance of getting his tax cuts passed unless the Democrats were willing to step across the aisle and work with him.

Tommy Thompson did not win in Wisconsin by turning a deaf ear to so called “democrat” issues- he embraced them. Badger Care is one of those very ideas that both Democrats and Republicans embraced under Governor Tommy Thompson.

Newt Gingrich was right- if we want to start winning elections in Wisconsin, it is time to start embracing some of the issues that we all share and see as a problem.

Earthquake!

Wow- has it ever been a strange year.

From a tornado is January, to my first earthquake.

I did not really feel it, but my cats freaked out.

I had just gotten up and sat down next to my computer. I knew something had happened because both cats came running out of the bedroom at the same time. One jumped into my lap. (Whenever he gets scared he normally comes running to me. He hates thunderstorms.) The other cat ran into the kitchen and flipped open the cabinet and dove in. (She does this whenever she gets scared.) Yes, I have a cat that can open just about any cabinet or drawer. I have to refrigerate all of the cat treats. She has not been able to open the refrigerator yet, although she is working on it.

So did anyone feel the earthquake?

Obama pummeled and pummeled

I woke up this morning in anticipation of reading about last night's debate-

The general consensus- Obama got creamed:

Clinton Fuels Storm Over Obama

No Whining About the Media

No way Obama could have fared worse

Obama kept on defensive during debate

there are more

It's back

From Hot Air

Obama's flag pin is back. Surely it is not because of his small town America gaffes this week, huh?

It's official

It is official.

Tonight I was sworn in as an Alderman for the City of Kenosha.

They cannot take it back now.

To all of my friends that stepped up so big and carried me through this process- Thank you.

I have to admit, I got a smidgen emotional when I raised my right hand and swore an oath to the uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin.

I also swore an oath to carry out my duties to the best of my ability to the people in Kenosha and especially to Kenosha's 5th district.

Pictures to follow. I had several friends in the crowd that will forward pictures as they get them.

Okey doke Obama

Obama is busy trying to prove to America that he is not as elitist as his recent comments may appear.

It is just more of the same double talk from Obama.

I thought I would post a video that was out back in March about "Obama's Doubletalk Express-The Great Pretender".

Keep in mind as you watch this since the making of this video, one of Obama's campaign advisers is stating that 60 to 80 thousand troops would stay in Iraq until 2010.

Candidate of Hope?

Apparently, Barack Obama has changed his candidacy from being about "Hope" to the Candidate of "Anger".

Sigh. I guess all hope is lost with Obama in charge.

King Barack Obama!

According the Barack Obama-

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years. ... And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

He stood in front of a bunch of elitist Democrats in San Fransisco when he said this.

Just to drive his point home as he is attempting to defend his elitism, he repeated it on Friday in Indiana-

"People don't vote on economic issues because they don't expect anybody is going to help them," Obama told a crowd at a Terre Haute, Ind., high school Friday evening. "So people end up voting on issues like guns and are they going to have the right to bear arms. They vote on issues like gay marriage. They take refuge in their faith and their community, and their family, and the things they can count on. But they don't believe they can count on Washington."

Oh, I see- people vote their values because they do not have jobs.

This is interesting- people take refuge in their religion and God, because they do not have jobs.

Seriously, this man is the candidate of hope.

So Senator Obama, should we put our faith in you instead of God, because you will get us jobs?

Or maybe we should stop relying on our families, so we can rely on you, Senator?

That is a great campaign slogan- "Give up your family, guns and religion and I, the Great Barack Obama, will give you a job!" or "Sacrifice all and Vote for King Obama and he will take care of his loyal subjects".

Hey Senator, you are not running for almighty King and all powerful ruler- you are running for President.

What a complete jerk this guy is.

The cloudy stench of unethical politics is damaging Kenosha

One right after the next, Kenosha’s elite citizens are pleading guilty to unlawful activities surrounding the Kenosha Casino.

The latest, Former Kenosha County Executive Allan Kehl will be pleading guilty to federal charges.

Because Allan Kehl was an elected official at the time that he received the illegal finances, I am more than a little curious whether he will receive prison time. My guess is that he will. The federal government does not take lighting the idea of money exchanging hands.

Allan Kehl was the fourth person to plead guilty in this casino deal.

Still, the rumor mill is running rampant as to who is next. I am fully confident that more of Kenosha’s finest will go down for this.

Even as the rumor mill abounds, this whole mess is heart wrenching for your average Kenosha resident.

Even though Kenosha is now a city with almost 100,000 residents, we still have the small hometown feeling.

These are people we all know.

We see them at church festivals, we see them at little league baseball games, we see them at the grocery store, and we see them at charity fundraisers.

The people wrapped up in this casino mess are the most elite and longstanding names in Kenosha’s history.

These same people have run Kenosha for many years.

For those who do not know, an inner circle has run Kenosha for a number of years. You needed to have the right connections to the inner circle in order to advance in Kenosha. This is not 100% true, but having the right connections was the easiest way to move forward in Kenosha.

Have you ever noticed that even though Kenosha leadership does change every once in a while, the names never seem to change?

For example, State Senator Bob Wirch was a former state representative. County Executive Allan Kehl was our former Kenosha county sheriff. Retiring Mayor John Antaramian, was a former state assemblyman. Current state representative Jim Kreuser is running for Kenosha County Executive, and he looks likely to win.

Therefore, the job titles change, but rarely do the last names change.

This, of course, does not mean that every person deciding to make a change and run for a different office is necessarily doing anything wrong. It just means that if you make it into the inner circle, you most definitely have a leg up on your competition.

This is why last week’s election is so stunning.

Last week a whole gaggle of new names ran for office, especially for those running for alderman. Many of the names that folks have seen on the ballot for 10-20+ years either left or were voted out. Eight new faces start next week; this is almost half of the city council. In addition, we have a new mayor after 16 years.

Interestingly enough, even with all of this going on, some in Kenosha are still living in a state of denial. They tell themselves and us that everything is fine.

Kenosha News-

Casino spokesman Evan Zeppos noted that officials of the Bureau of Indian Affairs have stated the legal matters would not weigh into their continuing review of the proposal, as long as the individuals implicated were no longer involved with the casino.

The problem is- we do not know if all those involved with the casino’s underhanded dealings are still involved with the casino project!

How many more Kenosha politicians were “rewarded” for their support of the casino deal?

Tuesday's plea agreement notes that the payments from Troha to Kehl were intended, at least in part, to reward Kehl for his performance as county executive, as it related to Troha's efforts to develop a tribal casino in Kenosha.

There was a ton of support from Kenosha politicians for the casino project. The casino project even garnered support from our state representative Jim Kreuser and state senator Bob Wirch- both of which have received major campaign donations from Dennis Troha and others involved with the casino, including the management from the Dairyland Greyhound Park. (For those who do not know, it is the Dairyland Greyhound site that the new casino was to be built)

Listed as top contributors to Senator Bob Wirch as of 2004, when the casino referendum was on the ballot, was the Troha Family, John Erickson and 4 other Dairlyland Greyhound Park employees.

Here is the link

Also listed as the top contributors to State Representative Jim Kreuser as of 2004 was a couple more Dairyland Greyhound Park employees.

Here is the link

This is not to suggest that any of these guys have done anything wrong. They are just campaign donations and clearly they were recorded like they should have been.

Clearly, there is a pattern here. A pattern that many in Kenosha are just now discovering.

How deep into Kenosha’s elected officials does this criminal activity run?

Kenosha residents are angry and frustrated with these convictions. We are being called “Little Chicago” and we do not like it.

Our reputation as decent hardworking people has been severely damaged by the indictments and convictions of our most prominent citizens and now elected officials.

Worse yet, we have been lead to believe that there are more indictments to come.

We are in a position right now of not knowing whom to trust.

This casino project has dictated the direction Kenosha is taking for many years.

When do we begin to clear out all of the politicians that have so badly damaged our reputation?

Yes, Kenosha has made it very clear, in two separate referendums, that they want a casino. However, we want a casino deal done legally and ethically.

The federal government needs to step it up and do what they are going to do.

It is time for Kenosha to get out from under this cloudy stench of unethical politics.

We have to be able to clean house and start all over again and do this the right way. We cannot do that while the threat of more indictments is hanging over our heads.

Americans do not like universal healthcare

This may come a shock to the Healthy Wisconsin folks, but in a real survey not paid for by the Democrats such as Senator Erpenbach and Senator Robson, Americans are not exactly in favor of their health care been controlled by the Government-

Rasmussen

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of American adults favor a national health insurance program overseen by the Federal Government. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 39% oppose such a government-led initiative while 31% are not sure.

The survey also found that 46% believe the quality of care would decrease under a national health insurance program while 16% believe that quality would increase. Twenty percent (20%) say the quality of care would remain about the same while 18% are not sure.

Just a little curious...

Can a state senator veto a bill passed by the assembly and the senate?

No, of course not.

I am more than a little curious about the title of this press release-

Rep. Jeskewitz: Response to Grothman veto

Rep. Jeskewitz seems to understand that it was the governor that vetoed this bill and not State Senator Grothman- so why lash out at Grothman?

Even more strange is that the bill passed the Senate with or without Grothman's support and landed on the governor's desk, where it was vetoed. Once again- why lash out at Grothman?

Should we feel sorry for this guy?

He molested 22 children in a 30 year period.

He served 5 years in prison.

He was institutionalized for a period of time and then deemed "at low risk for re-offending".

Now, there are no neighborhoods that want him living near their children.

Do you blame them?

With Darcy Powell facing eviction and homelessness, Kenosha Circuit Judge S. Michael Wilk adopted the Department of Health and Family Services' only alternative: send Powell to jail until a new home can be found

The Kenosha News had this to say:

Powell, 55, formerly of Silver Lake, has done nothing wrong in the more than two years he has been on supervision, according to reports. He also is monitored electronically and through a global positioning system (GPS), and is escorted to and from work each day.

So are we to feel sorry for this guy?

Society does not trust this guy. It does not matter that he has been declared a low risk to re-offend.

Would you risk your children near him?

Perhaps if this guy had truly paid his debt to society by serving the entire 43 year sentence he received, folks may be more accepting of bringing him back into society.

This is a difficult situation from all angles.

I talked to a couple of people today about this and I have yet to find anyone who feels sorry for this guy's situation. He molested 22 children, why has he been released back into society?
That is the main question being asked today.

Congrats Anthony Nudo!

Last week, Anthony Nudo won the Alderman District #11 seat from a long standing incumbent by a mere 6 votes.

Today, the recount was conducted. It's official.

Congratulations to Anthony Nudo, the new alderman for Kenosha's District #11

Sexual Predator residency restriction ordinance passes in Kenosha

I was severely critical of our city council's move to table the sexual predator residency restriction ordinance in Kenosha. I felt it was important to take a stand one way or another on this issue.

In last night's meeting, the city council passed the residency restriction ordinance for sexual predators.

This is a great move on behalf of the city of Kenosha. This is one of the issues I spent a lot of time discussing with the citizens in my district during the election. Citizens were upset over the tabling of this issue by our city council.

I knew this was on last night's agenda, and I wanted desperately to be at last night's meeting to encourage the passage of this ordinance. However, I thought it would be tacky, rude and disrespectful to my opponent in last week's election to be there last night. My opponent has given 14 years of his life to the city of Kenosha and he did not deserve that from me. As it turns out, Alderman Sinclair was not at last night's meeting.

So I watch the proceedings from afar. Did you know that on Kenosha cable channel 25, you can watch the entire city council meeting live? Check it out sometime.

I appreciated both amendments added to the ordinance. One amendment pushed the start date for this ordinance for 90 days-giving the new city council a chance to address it. The second amendment by Alderman Ruffalo changed the wording to include not only schools, but "school property".

Yes, I have heard all of the arguments about "where do you put these guys?" and it does nothing to drive down recidivism rates.

I think it is the responsibility of the city leaders to protect the citizens and the children of our communities first, not necessarily worry about driving down recidivism rates and finding a place for sexual predators to live. These are lovely things and it would be great to find some magical fix to recidivism, but the first duty is to protect the citizens

Wonderful day

It was a wonderful day today.

Today was the first in a long while where I did not have to worry about campaigning, a GOP function, or work.

With the exception of my commitment to the Lord(which is everyday), the day was my own.

So, I went to the Brewers game.

This was the only time I ever had the pleasure of watching the team on Opening weekend.

What a great game!

Ben Sheets was lights out! I have never seen him pitch this well, ever. The first inning, one, two, three- he struck out the side. He almost did it again in the fifth or sixth inning also- he got one and two, number three had two strikes on him and ended up hitting an infield dribbler to be thrown out.

Who the heck is Gabe Kapler and where did he come from? I love that guy! He homered both yesterday and today.

I did a little digging and it turns out he was in retirement after a devastating injury with the Red Sox. He was managing a 1A team for the Red Sox last year.

He is obviously making a case to stay with the team even after Cameron is back.

Don't you just love Jason Kendall?

What a no nonsense fellow. If you need a fly ball to get a runner home from third, he walks right up and hits a fly ball. If you need a baserunner to start some scoring, he is your guy.

Braun had a great day- 3 RBIs and a homer.

Then a tailgate after the game.

It was a relaxing and fun day. Just what I needed.

New poster

If you have not already picked up on it, Stepping Right Up has a new poster.

Please welcome GOP Gal to the roster of poster.

I will be adding one more to our little group, hopefully in the next few days.

As you can probably figure, my schedule has gotten a smidgen more tight these days.

Give him a chance

There have been several letters and postings printed in the Kenosha News since the election regarding Keith Bosman. These letters haven't been very kind to the mayor-elect. It is my opinion that everyone needs to give Mr. Bosman a chance. Mr. Bosman wants to see Kenosha grow and prosper, just like every Kenosha resident. Before anyone begins bashing him, let's see how he does. The man these writers voted for may have not won, but we have someone new in office. Let's start this new administration of with a "good luck". (And that goes for everyone new in office, aldermen included.) Good luck Keith, Kathy, Dave, Anthony K, Anthony N and everyone else!

Tax time

If you have not filed your tax returns yet, now would be a good time to start thinking about it. You only have 10 days left!

April 15th!

New Blogger in Town

I have forgotten to add my friend Jed Swartz to my blogroll for a while. His comment on this post reminded me again.

Check out Kenosha blogger Jed Swartz at "May the Swartz be with you".

Jed is thought provoking, intelligent, and dedicated to our Kenosha community.

Thanks for hanging in with me, Jed.

Obama vs. King

Interesting article from Juan Williams today comparing Obama to King in the Wall Street Journal-

But when Barack Obama, arguably the best of this generation of black or white leaders, finds it easy to sit in Rev. Wright's pews and nod along with wacky and bitterly divisive racial rhetoric, it does call his judgment into question. And it reveals a continuing crisis in racial leadership.

What would Jesus do? There is no question he would have left that church.

read the entire article

It is an embarrassment

What a complete and utter embarrassment this entire Troha/Casino deal has turned our local government into.

The people of Kenosha did not deserve this mess. But a mess is exactly what our county government has become.

Last night Kenosha county residents were treated to another embarrassment by it's local government.

Kenosha News

Molinaro's criticism centered around Rose's announcement of Wisnefski's appointment, which Molinaro said should have been run by the County Board before it came out in the press. Molinaro also accused Rose of knowingly using a faulty rationale for reassigning Kehl's former office manager, a civil servant.

Molinaro said Rose announced Wisnefski's appointment to the press only after Rose learned of a plot by some supervisors to oust him from the board chairman's position.

As chairman, Rose had the legal responsibility to assume the county executive's office when Kehl's resignation took effect and to bring an interim executive appointee before the County Board.

Rose, who declined to respond to Molinaro's comments during the special meeting, acknowledged in an interview after Thursday's meeting that he was aware of a move to remove him from the chairmanship. He said he decided to come out with the Wisnefski announcement to let the board know of his intentions for the position.

Not satisfied with this embarrassment, a shouting match started again, after the meeting.

Tensions again flared briefly after Thursday's meeting, when Supervisor Jennifer Jackson shouted angrily about Molinaro's comments.

Will this nightmare ever end?

Apparently, not for a while. The investigation into Kenosha's local government and the shady dealing taking place over the casino, continues on.

The strong rumors taking place in Kenosha is that there are more local officials on the hook with this thing. Our problems may have just begun.

Worse yet, I do not think our local elected officials have yet to figure out that Kenosha is currently the butt of a lot of jokes. So these types of scenes may continue to happen.

It is an embarrassment.

Her first lit drop

I would like everyone to meet my new friend- Anna Joy



Anna was only 11 days old this past Saturday where she joined her proud parents and siblings on her first lit drop for Kathy Carpenter for Alderman Dist. 5.

As you can tell from this photo, Anna was terrible excited when she first received word of doing a lit drop for Kathy Carpenter.

Many of you may remember her proud daddy, Brian Hagedorn, former blogger with the website Anno Domini.

It is my hope that Brian will be joining me soon here at Stepping Right Up!. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, congratulations to Brian and Christine. You have a beautiful bundle of Anna Joy here.

Thank you Kenosha

I am exhausted.

I will have more later.

C Kenosha Alder. D5

11 Polls Reporting out of 11

1343 Total VotesWith 100% of the Vote Reported


Candidates Votes %

Kathy Carpenter 778 57.93

Kurt A. Sinclair 561 41.77

Write-in 30 4 .29


Thank you to Kenosha's 5th district voters and to every blogger and volunteer who got out and helped.

Kathy Wins!

Hi there, this is Fred Dooley from Real Debate Wisconsin...

Kathy called me and asked me to post something on her blog for readers as she is out celebrating.

In short, she won!!!!!!!!! 59% of the electorate said WE WANT KATHY!

(frankly I think it should have been higher).

She'll share her own thoughts a little later but wanted something up right away.

Congratulations Kathy.

Al Gore????

What fun this election is for Republicans, huh?

I spent it all

Well, I left nothing on the table.

I dropped all of the literature, put out all of the signs, paid for ads to run, put out yard signs and knock on a gazillion doors.

Better yet, all of the money that so many of you gave so generously has been spent.

I just got a call from my campaign treasurer.

I have $.19 left in my account.

I don't think I could have cut things much closer than that. Whew!

Vote Kathy Carpenter for Alderman District #5 Kenosha

Just in case you were wondering- I am a mess today.

I have gone in to work.

No sense in sitting and worrying at home.

Thousands of pieces of literature has been dropped.

Dozens and dozens of yard signs are out.

I knocked on over 1500 doors during this election cycle.

Not much more that I can do.

I know this- I completely outworked my opponent. He has not sent out any literature, no yard signs and he has been to no forums. He does not seem to be the least bit interested in doing this job.

Still- I could lose to him because he is a 14 year incumbent.

Get out and vote.

Vote for change.

Vote for someone who will listen to your concerns.

Vote for someone who will do the work in Kenosha’s 5th district.

Vote Kathy Carpenter.

Superdelegate votes for sale?

Barry and Hillary- looking for a superdelegate's support?

Donate to their campaign and your chances improve greatly.

In cases where superdelegates received money from Obama's Hope Fund but none from Clinton's PAC, Obama got the superdelegates' support 85 percent of the time. And in cases where superdelegates received money from Clinton's Hillpac but none from Obama's PAC, 75 percent backed Clinton.

Sound unseemly to you?

That is because it is.

"And while it would be unseemly for the candidates to hand out thousands of dollars to primary voters, or to the delegates pledged to represent the will of those voters, elected officials who are superdelegates have received at least $904,200 from Obama and Clinton in the form of campaign contributions over the last three years," the study said, adding that both Clinton and Obama "will be calling in favors."

This is the will of the people, huh?