It's time to stop wasteful government spending!

So- has anyone else had it with congressional overspending? Are you sick and tired of government earmarks? Yes? Well, I have seen more than enough.

It is time to expose the wasteful earmarks and stop government from overspending our tax dollars. On Thursday, Congress is expected to vote on HR. 4890, the "Line Item Veto Act of 2006". The Line Item Veto Act will go a long way in exposing and controlling wasteful government spending.

How can any of us forget about the $223 million "Bridge to Nowhere"? The "Bridge to Nowhere" was a $223 million bridge that was added to the Transportation Bill in 2005. This horribly expensive bridge was designed to connect a small island of 50 people to a small city of 8000 people in Alaska. The bill, with this earmark passed the House, Senate and the President signed it into law. Yikes!

This is the type of wasteful government spending that the Line Item Veto Act will end.

This is how the proposed Line Item Veto Act will work:

1. The President will be given the authority to pull out a piece of legislation from a spending bill and veto that particular line item.
2. This vetoed line item will then be sent back to the Congress for a simple majority vote to either accept or reject spending the money.
3. The Congress is required to vote up or down on the individual line item spending within a 14 day window.(if the Congress is not currently in session, the Congress is given a 90 day window to approve or disapprove the spending)

As many already know, President Clinton was given the power of a "line item veto" in the 1990's. President Clinton then proceeded to veto over $2 billion worth of wasteful spending during this time period. In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that the presidential "line item veto" was unconstitutional. The reason they ruled it unconstitutional is because in our constitution, the Congress is given the power of spending the taxpayer dollars, not the President.

The difference between today's line item veto and the one that was ruled unconstitutional is that the Congress will be given a chance to vote on the individual line item that the President vetoed. This will keep the spending in the hands of the Congress, where our constitution says it belongs.

The benefit to the "Line Item Veto Act of 2006" is that the wasteful spending will now be exposed to the American people. We, the American people, will get a chance to see who is proposing this wasteful spending and we will be able to demand that our members of Congress stop wasting our tax dollars.

The exposure alone, should stop the middle of the night, backroom deals that members of Congress strike with each other over these types of wasteful spending items. No more "if you vote for my bridge to nowhere, I will vote for yours" by our members of Congress.

The "Line Item Veto Act of 2006" was authored by Wisconsin's own Congressman Paul Ryan. Even though a republican congressman authored this bill, it was given by-partisan support by the House Budget Committee. The bill was passed out of committee by a bi-partisan 24-9 vote.

The "Line Item Veto Act of 2006" is NOT a Republican vs. Democrat issue. The "Line Item Veto Act of 2006" is a Taxpayer vs. Government issue. It is time for the taxpayers of America to win against wasteful government spending!

Call your Congressman today and tell them to support HR 4890- "The Line Item Veto Act of 2006"!

Even if you know that your congressman is going to vote yes on this issue- call them anyway- they still need to hear from their constituents!

Feel free to email your congressman also. If you need help in contacting your congressmen, both FreedomWorks and Citizens Against Government Waste are aiding in the process of informing officials to support the line item veto.

The vote should take place on Thursday, June 22- so call or email today!

Day 4- Crossing the Border

Here we are, half way thru the Kenosha News' Crossing the Border series.

Day 4- Health care: Don’t ask or tell

A young Hispanic mother sits in the corner of the Kenosha Community Health Center on a late Monday afternoon, reading quietly to her son. She looks up briefly, then nervously averts her gaze.

Like most people, she’s probably waited more than two months for this appointment.

She might be an illegal immigrant. Or maybe not.

There’s a slightly more than 50 percent chance that she has health insurance.

But none of that matters to the small staff of the center, 4536 22nd Ave. They just want to treat her and move on to the next patient.

At the health center — which 19,425 people visited for medical care last year — there really isn’t a lot of time to worry about a patient’s personal history. Even if there was, Executive Director Rosanne McSherry said, that’s not the center’s mission.

An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Health Center’s mission is to provide care for the under-insured and uninsured. Most of the work at the federally-funded clinic is done by paid staff, but volunteers also offer support.

“It’s our job to provide quality health care, whoever walks through the door,” McSherry said. “I don’t care if the person is an illegal immigrant or not, and I don’t ask. My job is to help them and provide preventive medicine.

“The people who come here realize we’re not here to hurt them or get them in trouble,” she added.

How many of the health center’s 19,425 patients last year were undocumented immigrants is open to question, because the facility’s doors are open to everyone. Of that number, 11,987 were for medical visits, and 7,043 were for dental visits.

“A large portion (of the patients) are illegal, or people unable to get insurance,” said Maria Cervantes, a licensed practical nurse who works at the center. “But we don’t discriminate and we’ll treat anybody regardless of where they came from.”

In 1996, Congress enacted legislation that denied federally subsidized health care coverage in programs like Medicaid to the vast majority of undocumented residents. At the same time, it is estimated that most undocumented workers live at or below federal poverty levels, and according to the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, 54 percent of people who were uninsured in the state were either below or near the poverty level.

And, said many people interviewed for this story, that’s why illegal immigrants in and around Kenosha know they can come to the health center for care.

For those without insurance, seeking help in hospital emergency rooms, which are required to provide care, is the other local care option.

Meanwhile, trying to determine how Kenosha’s undocumented immigrant population affects health care availability and costs isn’t easy.

Health care providers don’t ask for citizenship status when providing care, so it is difficult to isolate the impact of undocumented workers on the health care system.

Also, lack of access to health insurance transcends ethnic boundaries — 16 percent of people in the United States are uninsured, according to 2004 statistics from the Census Bureau — but immigrant groups are far more likely to be without insurance.

According to the Census Bureau, about 33 percent of Hispanics in the U.S. are uninsured, and about 34 percent of all immigrants are uninsured, compared to 13 percent of native-born residents.

For hospitals, the number of uninsured residents of a community affects the amount of uncompensated care that is given, generally through emergency rooms, said George Quinn, vice president of the Wisconsin Hospital Association.

Statewide, hospitals provided $578 million in uncompensated care in 2004, the most recent data available.

That amounts to about 3 percent of the total patient revenues of all the hospitals in the state, a lower percentage than elsewhere in the United States where hospitals average 4 to 5 percent of patient revenues going toward uncompensated care.

Quinn said Wisconsin’s rates of uncompensated care are lower because the state has fewer uninsured residents than the majority of states, both because more companies here tend to offer insurance and because of state insurance programs like BadgerCare.

But he said the cost of providing charity care and writing off unpaid medical bills pushes up medical costs across the system. According to Quinn, about 7 to 8 percent of the cost of the average person’s medical insurance premium goes toward offsetting the cost of uncompensated care.

In Kenosha County, United Hospital System — which operates both Kenosha Medical Center and St. Catherine’s Hospital — provided $6.6 million in charity care and wrote off $5.5 million in bad debt in 2004, making up about 3.8 percent of the hospital’s total revenue.

Aurora Hospital in Kenosha provided $1.3 million in charity care and wrote off $5.6 million in bad debt in 2004, also 3.8 percent of its total patient revenues.

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, which operates a small pediatric hospital within Kenosha Medical Center, provided $4,279 in charity care and wrote off $82,290 in bad debt, for a total of 1.6 percent of its patient revenue.

Memorial Hospital of Burlington, operated by Aurora, gave $730,695 in charity care and wrote off $1.7 million in bad debt, for 2.3 percent of its total patient revenue.

McSherry, of the community health center, said it would be easy for her to determine who was and wasn’t a legal resident, but she has no interest in doing so.

Most of the patients who come to the health center are Hispanic — 49 percent last year. White patients make up the next biggest number at 32 percent, followed by blacks at 17 percent and other races the remaining 2 percent.

Just 4 percent of those coming through the door had private insurance. Forty-four percent had no insurance at all, while 49 percent had Medicare and 3 percent had Medicaid.

All of those people are treated by three family practice doctors and several nurses; or on the dental side, four general dentists and one pediatric dentist.

The center is always packed, and there’s usually an eight- to 10-week wait for a doctor’s appointment and a month for dental care.

“One thing that is important is we are not a free clinic,” McSherry said. “If you have the ability to pay, you must pay.”

It’s not cheap to run such a place. The center has a $2.5 million yearly budget, and the government picks up only about 35 percent of that tab. The rest comes from grants, third-party billing for those who have some form of insurance and the hope that those who don’t have any insurance will still pay something.

“Patients pay on a sliding scale, and get discounts based on family size and income,” McSherry said. “People are pretty good about paying. Our collection rate is about 70 percent.”

That’s because with each appointment, patients are also set up with a financial counselor to come up with a payment plan. Or if a patient needs a prescription, the center can make sure they’re enrolled in a program that can cover some or most of their expenses.

One of the goals is to take the burden off of hospitals in the area. “Obviously, if we’re closed, and there is an emergency, people are going to use one of the emergency rooms,” McSherry said. “But at the health center, it’s about prevention. We’d rather treat someone before they get sick, so they don’t have to end up in an emergency room somewhere else. In doing that, we build a genuine relationship with the people who come here.”

It’s tough work, she said, but it gives you a good feeling at the end of the day.

McSherry spent the first 28 years of her career as an emergency room nurse, where listening to a daily litany of patients demands was the norm.

“That’s why I left that kind of work, because we worked so hard and the people we treated didn’t seem to care,” she said. “Here, the patients are very appreciative, because we’re interested in them and their families. And they show us their appreciation by bringing us food. We get to see their kids grow up, and it’s very rewarding work. It’s much different than (at a hospital). You feel good working here because people are genuinely thankful of the care they receive.”

Cervantes, more than most people, has intimate knowledge of what it’s like to live somewhere illegally. After a few minutes, she admits that she entered the U.S. illegally 27 years ago, and then became a resident two years later.

"But even when I wasn’t legal, I was a very hard worker,” she said. “People automatically assume that if someone is illegal they aren’t working hard and contributing with taxes, and that’s not true. If anything, people here illegally work even harder because they want to make it and they want to be successful. I have worked hard every day that I have lived in this country.”

Her own background helps deal with patients who come in with severe medical issues. Occasionally, she said, the center treats women who were sexually abused while trying to cross the border.

“They won’t say anything at first because they’re embarrassed, but when they see us, we’re Latinos, and when they learn about our background that gives them security and reassurance,” Cervantes said. “I tell them, ‘When you talk to me, it’s like talking to a priest. I won’t repeat what you say.’”

Cervantes, and her coworker, Lili Ochoa, a medical assistant, say it’s easy to figure out who is a legal citizen, and who isn’t.

“Most of the people (who are illegal) know you are helping them, and they are just very thankful. They bring us food, they make clothes for us. They’re just happy to have us here,” Ochoa said. “Some of the Americans have a different attitude. They want to be seen, and seen now. People will accuse us of ignoring them because of their ethnicity, and that’s not true. Sometimes you can’t let it bother you.”

But sometimes, Cervantes said, it can get to be too much.

“And when that happens, once in awhile, you have to remind them of who we are. I’ll tell someone, ‘Listen, we’re here to help you, without judging you, so don’t treat me like that.’”

Today, I have only one question:

Should Americans being paying for the health costs of illegal immigrants?

Day 3- Crossing the Border

Here we are on day 3. Today's discussion is about the fake documents and what law enforcement is allowed or not allowed to do.

It's easy to look `legal'
Undocumented workers can pay little for false IDs, licenses

Illegal immigration has relatively little effect on local law enforcement agencies, largely because officers and deputies seldom have any way of knowing that the people they encounter might not be here legally, officials said.

There are no databases, no computers with master lists of legal versus illegal residents.

"We don't have any way of really finding out about that," Kenosha Police Lt. Ron Bartholomew said. "When we have somebody, we're pretty much going by the documentation that they have - a lot of times it's been false documentation - but that's what we have to go off."

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said deputies often must assume people are here legally.

"That's the challenge. …What do you have to show you were born here?" he asked. "The average person has nothing that says you're a resident of the United States."

Detection is especially tough if people have state identification cards or driver's licenses, which undocumented immigrants can get legally in Wisconsin through early next year.

Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill in March that requires proof of citizenship to get a driver's license or ID card. Under the law, the expiration date for licenses and IDs also would change for temporary legal residents. Instead of expiring on the person's birthday, their licenses and IDs would expire when they are no longer legally allowed to be in the United States.

The law, which takes effect in April 2007, would bring Wisconsin closer to compliance with federal identification and security standards.

Before it was passed and until it takes effect, undocumented immigrants can get licenses or identification cards as long as they proved they lived in Wisconsin. That could be done with a utility bill or pay stub.

"Basically, you had to pass a driving test. … You did not have to prove you were a resident of this country," said Patty Mayers, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Transportation.

The new law could give officers and deputies a bit more confidence that the licensed drivers they stop are legal residents, but it really doesn't matter whether those drivers are legal or not.

Even if an officer or deputy discovers someone is here illegally, agents won't take people who were stopped for a broken taillight, speeding, even drunken driving.

"We don't remove on traffic violations," said Allan Henninger, an investigative assistant with the Department of Homeland Security office in Milwaukee.

Agents also don't arrest misdemeanor offenders - people who get arrested for disorderly conduct, shoplifting. In fact, the feds won't pick up an illegal immigrant simply for being arrested for anything. The alleged offender must be charged with a crime for federal agents to get involved. Even then, the crime must typically be a felony.

Kenosha County prosecutors use several legal manuals to help them decide when federal authorities might get involved.

Even when prosecutors call federal agents, there is no guarantee that agents would pick that person up, Kenosha County District Attorney Robert Zapf said. Local authorities simply suggest that someone be taken. Federal authorities must make that decision.

Often, federal agents wait until someone has been charged or convicted. The process for deportation often doesn't begin until an offender is toward the end of a prison sentence.

Once deportation proceedings begin, illegal immigrants are often housed in places like the Kenosha County Jail. Beth said housing federal inmates awaiting deportation hearings is probably the most common way local law enforcement officials encounter illegal immigration.

The jail and county detention center are home to between 50 and 120 inmates, Sheriff's Capt. Gary Preston said. The county is paid $70 per day per inmate to keep them here for the bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"If they're here, it's usually because they're facing deportation," Preston said.

Kenosha deputies make at least two trips each day to ICE headquarters in Chicago, where regional deportation hearings are held; the county also gets mileage reimbursement.

The collection of Kenosha prisoners is jokingly referred to as the "United Nations."

"We've had Laotians, Cambodians, eastern Europeans, central Americans, south Americans, Chinese. It's a United Nations," Preston said.


Instructions are posted in at least seven languages, including Spanish, Laotian, Thai and at least one Chinese dialect. Inmates also have access to special AT&T phone lines, which connect them to a translator.

Preston said federal inmates are housed much like other inmates - they are assigned cells based on their danger classification. Class 8 is least dangerous, class 1 most dangerous. Most of the federal inmates are Class 5, Preston said.

Deputies do have to be mindful of the differences with federal inmates, specifically that they have more library access and greater access to medical services. Outsiders need special permission to talk to federal inmates. Inspections are done twice each year to make sure local officials are following the rules.

Today's questions:

Do you believe that Homeland Security should be providing local law enforcement the ability to identify illegal immigrants?

Do you believe that local and state law enforcement agencies are handcuffed by current laws that protect illegal immigrants?

Do you believe that any ILLEGAL immigrant should be deported, even if they only committed a misdemeanor?

Can I get an AMEN, please!!!!!

Amen and Alleluia!!!! There will be no crappy immigration bill this year. The House is tabling the Senate bill. I would rather have no bill then that crappy Senate bill.

God bless Sensenbrenner, Hastert and all the House Republicans! Hastert is right- the House needs to take their time and do it right.

"I'm not putting any timeline on this thing, but I think we need this thing done right," said House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).

If anybody sees Sensenbrenner, give him a hug for me!

Milwaukee has one of the worst graduation rates in the country.

Now that is truly embarrassing. A new study out today shows that only about 43.1% of Milwaukee seniors graduate on the first try.

Check out the Badger Blog Alliance for the details.

National Guard ordered to New Orleans

Mayor Barrett and Governor Doyle- are you paying attention?

Gov. Kathleen Blanco ordered National Guardsmen to help police patrol the city for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, following a bloody weekend that brought fears of crime disrupting the city's delicate reconstruction.

When confronted with a looming security crisis- Nagin and Blanco decided to fight crime. They did not wait, they did not hesitate, they did not propose new government programs. They got some boots are the ground and decided to fight the crime immediately.

Much has been said and written about Blanco and Nagin's failure of leadership over the last year. Yet, when confronted with an impending security crisis, they reacted immediately.

What have Doyle and Barrett done when Milwaukee is confronted with a security crisis? Apparently nothing. We are still waiting to see some real action.

How pathetic are Doyle and Barrett, when the two people dubbed as America's worst governor and worst mayor, Blanco and Nagin- actually make them look bad?

Day 2- Crossing the Border

Okay- today, I was able to access an entire article on the Kenosha News' "Crossing the Border" series.

Today's Kenosha News article was very upsetting to me. Read along and you will find out why. At the bottom of this article- I have posed several questions- feel free to jump into the debate.

Company depends on immigrants

Amid the de-mands of running a small manufacturing company, XTEN Industries Chief Executive Officer J. Matthew Davidson plans to learn a new skill he thinks will make his company more competitive - Spanish.

XTEN is a contract manufacturer and plastic injection molding company based in the Business Park of Kenosha. "Our work force is becoming increasingly Hispanic, probably about 70 percent Hispanic," said Davidson.

Davidson said that when the company was trying to rebuild its work force after having to cutback in 2002, XTEN had a tough time finding dependable workers. They turned to a temporary agency, which brought in temp workers who were largely Mexican immigrants, and the company began hiring its full-time production staff from that pool of temps.

Davidson said his company's changing work force is forcing some changes at the company, including his own efforts to learn Spanish. Company communications are now offered in both languages, there are more advancement opportunities for bilingual supervisors, and XTEN makes sure there are interpreters at company meetings.

The challenges of a dual-language work force are worth it, he said, if it means the company can fill its open production jobs with dependable employees.

"We are absolutely delighted with our Spanish-speaking workers," Davidson said. "They're wonderful, hard workers. They show up on time. They're happy to work overtime when we offer it."

In Kenosha County, Hispanic immigrants work in manufacturing plants and distribution centers in Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie, making up large percentages of the work force at companies like XTEN, Deluxe Media, CPI Plastics and Fair Oaks Farms.

"When you talk about manufacturing in Wisconsin, I'd be surprised (to find many companies) that did not have immigrant workers," said John Metcalf, director of human resource policy for the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

In most cases, Metcalf said, that means Mexican immigrants. But in some areas of the state, he said, there are large concentrations of Hmong immigrants, eastern Europeans, or people from developing African nations working in production or meat packing plants.

Immigrants work in professions across the board, with heavy concentrations of immigrants working in agriculture, in the restaurant industry, in construction, in health care and service professions.

At most larger companies, employers make a serious effort to make sure the workers they hire are in the country legally, employers said. "Most reputable large companies check Social Security numbers," said one human resource manager for a Kenosha County-based company.

Companies check Social Security numbers and other documents as part of the hiring processes. Occasionally, representatives at several companies say, Social Security numbers turn out to be faulty, and those employees usually, once confronted, never return to work.

"We have not had any problems, we have a very rigorous screening process," said Ron Mitchell, president of Canada-based CPI Plastics. CPI has a production facility in Pleasant Prairie, with the majority of its workers Mexican immigrants. "That (illegal workers) is just not something we can run afoul of."

Employers looking for workers to fill jobs that are often physically tiring, low-paying and requiring low skill levels often turn to immigrants, and sometimes are not very picky about the paperwork.

One local restaurant owner said he always asks new hires for their documentation to cover his obligation as an employer - whether that documentation is real or not, he said, he does not really care.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, about 30 percent of the 37 million foreign-born people living in the United States are undocumented migrants. That amounts to about 11.1 million people, about 56 percent of them from Mexico.

Of Mexican immigrants in the United States for less than 10 years, the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 80 to 85 percent are unauthorized.

"I don't think anyone has any idea how many undocumented workers are in southeast Wisconsin," said Maria Monreal-Cameron, director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin.

According to Pew, there were approximately 7.2 million illegal immigrants in the civilian labor force as of March 2005, making up just under 5 percent of the total work force of the nation. Pew estimates that between 75,000 and 100,000 undocumented migrants live in Wisconsin in 2005. How many of those people live in Kenosha County is impossible to say, but best guess estimates put that number at 2,000 to 3,000.

Regardless of the overall numbers, undocumented workers are likely to make up a large part of the work force in certain occupations.

Nationally, illegal immigrants make up 24 percent of all employees in farming, 17 percent of cleaning and maintenance workers, 14 percent of construction workers, 12 percent of food preparation and food service workers, 9 percent of production workers and 7 percent of transportation and material movers.

Agriculture is one of the leading industries in Wisconsin, and immigrants make up about half of its work force of about 73,000. Most of them work in the dairy industry, said Tom Thieding, executive director of public relations for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. It is likely, given national statistics, that many of those workers are undocumented.

Thieding said the Farm Bureau is lobbying for a long-term guest worker program for the United States. He said farmers have a tough time finding native employees to fill jobs as milkers and farm laborers.

"It is not a compensation issue, it's that people just don't want to milk cows," Thieding said. "It's been a trend of people not wanting to do this job … They're not displacing anybody, they're filling a void that's out there."

XTEN's Davidson said that while his company complies with immigration law in its hiring, he believes the border should be open to immigrants, and opposes political efforts pushing criminal penalties for the undocumented.

"I think a lot of this is really racially motivated, and that's something that shouldn't be tolerated," Davidson said.

He said that he favors a guest worker program, and avenues that would allow the undocumented to become citizens. Current pushes for increased criminal penalties and tougher border patrol are, he said, largely politically motivated, rather than based on economic need.

"Like it or not the American economy is completely dependent on what we're calling illegal immigrants," Davidson said. "These are people who contribute substantially to our economy."

Okay- today's questions-

Do you think that Mr. Davidson is right and that those that are demanding the borders be closed are racially motivated?

Do you believe that the borders should be left wide open and should the safety of Americans be considered when deciding this?

We know fake documents exist- how should we improve the system so employer's can know for sure if a immigrant is legal?

My friend Reince

To this point, I have been cautious about commenting on the rumors that Rick Graber may be called up to the National Republican Party. At this very moment it is not known whether or not Rick Graber will be leaving. But the rumor mill is exploding- the time has come for me to acknowledge this and have my say.

My ears perked when I heard a couple of names thrown out as replacements for Mr. Graber. Scuttlebutt has it that either Brad Courtney or Reince Priebus could be the next leader of the Wisconsin conservative movement.

Now, I don't know Brad Courtney. I met him once, shook his hand and we gave each other a smile. In fact, because we were at a political event, there was no time to talk and get to know each other. All in all, Brad Courtney struck me as a very nice man. He made a great first impression.

However, I do know the other person who's name is being tossed around- Reince Priebus. I met Reince a couple of years ago at the grand opening of the GOP offices in Kenosha County. At the time, Reince was running for State Senator against Bob Wirch. Since I was very new to the GOP and I really didn't know anyone, I kinda of huddled in the corner for a little while just observing what was going on. A very friendly faced guy walked up to me, stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Reince". Of course, I think the very first question out of my mouth was "How do you say your name again?" That was the start of a friendship.

Let me tell you about my friend Reince. Politically he is a conservative. Not some wishy-washy conservative, but a dedicated hard working real conservative. No one has been more dedicated to conservative politics in Kenosha County than Reince. Reince was there when conservatives could only garner 15% to 20 % of the vote in Kenosha. Still, nothing discouraged him- he kept working. Over the years, the hard work and dedication are showing signs of paying off. During the 2004 election, Reince received more votes when running for State Senator, than any other conservative has ever gotten in Kenosha County. I don't think President Bush even got as many votes as Reince Priebus did in Kenosha. Unfortunately, it was still only 48% of the vote. (Someday, I would love to discuss with you folks, the voter fraud that took place in Kenosha. It was stunning. We watched bus loads of people arriving from Illinois on election day, who then disappeared into Kenosha County. One can only imagine what they were doing here. Sigh.)

Not only has Reince pushed the conservative movement forward, but his also dragged Kenosha County conservatives to the state level. Kenosha County is no longer considered a hopelessly blue county, but now even the state has begun to recognize the conservative movement taking place in Kenosha. There are really and truly some conservatives in Kenosha County and we are making some noise. No doubt about it, Reince is our loudest cheerleader. It's just a matter of time, people.

Still, it is thru tragedy and defeat that you really get to see the true heart of a person. Not so long ago, Kenosha County conservatives lost one of it's greatest friends. In October of 2005, we lost a true conservative friend named Jennifer Trapp, wife of our 1st District Chair- Bob Trapp. We were stunned, we were numb, we were heartbroken and we were looking for some leadership thru this tragedy. During the weeks and months that followed, Bob Trapp, Bob Geason and Reince Priebus stepped forward and provided leadership. I don't know how they did it thru their own heartbreak, but they supported each other and got the conservatives moving again. Now we are moving forward as a team.

Reince would be the first one to tell you that he is not a perfect man. He has his strengths and weakness' like the rest of us, but Reince has chosen the Lord to be his captain, and clearly that is where he draws his strength. Reince is also a very lucky man, too. Behind him stands an incredibly supportive beautiful wife and an adorable little boy named Jack. What a great family!

Who knows what will happen in the next several weeks? In my heart of hearts I know that no matter what the future will bring, whether it be the RPW chair position or not, Reince will continue to be leader in conservative politics in Wisconsin.

When Wisconsin conservatives go looking for a new true conservative leader, there is no truer friend to the RPW, than Reince Priebus.

The days of Wisconsin being a slightly blue state are coming to an end, and Reince will be leading the charge to turn Wisconsin red! We are behind you all the way Reince!!!!!

Day 1- Crossing the Border

Day 1-

The history and the economics of illegal immigration.

What did we learn today?

Today we learned a little about the economic conditions that migrants are dealing with in Mexico. We see the incredible damage done by NAFTA to those people living in Central America. According to the paper, it has created a push/pull effect. In Central America, the economic situation has become so dire, that migrants literally feel pushed into leaving their homeland. The good economic status of the United States succeeds so well, it is literally pulling migrants into the country.

We learned that close the 2000 to 3500 illegal immigrants live in Kenosha County, about 16% of Kenosha's hispanic community are illegal immigrants.

The Kenosha News lists these as some of the reason migrants are desperately trying to leave their homeland and how they are getting across-

Economic change in Mexico

Population growth in Mexico

Inadequate job creation in Mexico

Fluctuation in US Border enforcement

Changes in US immigration policies

Labor market developements in the United States

Today, we also learned the difficulties for those to enter the country legally. In 1991, almost 1 million legal migrants were allowed to enter the United States on a guest worker program. Today, with demand even higher than it was in 1991, we allow less than 200,000 migrants to legally enter this country on our guest worker program.


So today's questions are-

Should the US increase the amount of legal immigrants allowed into the country on a guest worker program? (by the way, for folks who do not know- we currently have a guest worker program and we have had one since WWII.)

Should the US improve or shorten the path to citizenship for LEGAL immigrants? (I am not talking illegal immigrants)

Should the US concern themselves with the economic conditions in Central America?

The LA Times lectures the American people on their reaction to Katrina victims

The LA Times has decided that Americans have no right to be upset about the frivolous spending by Katrina victims. In an editorial written to all Americans on June 17th, the LA Times lectures us on why we are not to blame the Katrina victims.

Sex-change operations, vacations to the Dominican Republic and wild nights at strip clubs were all bought on the government's dime by both con artists and legitimate victims of Hurricane Katrina. But try to keep that knee from jerking — although FEMA's oversight was lacking, wasted money is an inevitable byproduct of providing rapid emergency assistance.


When I first read these words on the pages of the LA Times, my mind immediately went to a friend of mine- Alfredo. Alfredo is one of my co-workers. Alfredo spends his day cleaning bathrooms, washing tables, sweeping the floors and emptying everyone’s garbage. All the while he is smiling and greeting everyone with a kind word and a warm heart. In the aftermath of the Katrina tragedy, we began collecting money to donate to the Katrina victims. The giant piggy bank sat outside my cubicle for several days. Co-workers would drop by and deposit a $10, $20 or $50 bill into the piggy bank. I never really knew who was dropping the money in; I just knew that folks were donating. One day, as I sat in my cubicle, Alfredo popped in to empty my garbage. As he was leaving, I could hear him quietly digging in his pocket looking for some money to deposit into the piggy bank. He found some change and tried to deposit it as quietly as he could and he moved on. I sat in my cubicle all choked up. I knew the sacrifice that Alfredo had made at that moment, for it was only several days earlier that Alfredo and I were having a conversation about his 6 children. All 6 of Alfredo’s children had just started their school year- it took everything Alfredo had just to make sure they all had the necessary pencils, paper, clothes and new shoes to start the school year. At that moment, Alfredo was a true American hero.

We every event that unfolded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Americans dug deeper and deeper into their pockets to help. How does the media explain the horrific reporting on Hurricane Katrina? With ever horrifying story, Americans kept digging into their pockets.

Here is small list of things that the media told us during their reporting of Hurricane Katrina, none of which were true-

• The media reported that once again, New Orleans had dodged a bullet.
• The media reported that babies were being raped in the Superdome.
• The media reported that bodies were piled up at the Superdome.
• The media reported multiple murders and rapes all around New Orleans
• The media told us that there was no food or water for anyone at the Superdome. (there was a three day supply of MRE’s and 1 bottle of water for all those brought to the Superdome- still an under-reported fact)
• We were told that “George Bush hates black people”.
• We were told that rescuers were being shot at by the people on the ground.
• We were told that no military personnel were there to control the chaos.(over 2500 National Guardsmen were in the city before the hurricane hit)
• We were told that as many at 10,000 people would be found dead. (Mayor Nagin helped with that one and his ordering up 10,000 body bags)
  

The media created a victim driven crazy monster. Millions of Americans across this country, like me and Alfredo were victimized by the media coverage of Katrina. The images on our TV’s were killing us to watch, we were desperate to help. Literally millions upon millions upon millions of dollars were raised for hurricane victims. Literally billions of our tax dollars were given to help the hurricane victims.

Because the media was so driven by their own agenda to destroy George Bush, they believed every single lie being told to them. They did very little to check out some of these stories. The more outrageous the story, the faster the media pushed to get it into print.

In their angst to destroy George Bush, the media even forgot about the true American heroes. The media spoke very little about the thousands of helicopter pilots and rescue workers, working day and night to save lives. The media said very little about the tens of thousands of volunteers who packed up their vehicles with everything they thought might help, and on their own, they drove down to the Gulf coast. The media said very little about the thousands of churches sending food, clothes and volunteers to the Gulf region. Many of those churches are still in the Gulf region feeding, clothing and helping the Gulf region rebuild. The media said very little about the millions of Americans shelling out billions of dollars to help.

Instead the media choose to tout Hugo Chavez as the real hero. The dictator that cannot feed his own people, but just to stick in the eye of George Bush, chose to send some cash and oil. The media enjoyed touting the dictator’s response, but ignored the millions of hard working Americans making huge sacrifices to help.

The media forgot about my friend, Alfredo.

Now, to further add insult to injury, the LA Times has chosen to lecture us on whether or not we should be angry when we find out how our money has been spent. Instead they chose to make excuses, telling us that a certain amount of fraud should be expected.

The media’s excuses are just not good enough for me. The media tells us that we should not blame the victims, so who should we be angry with? The Federal Government did exactly what the media demanded- they tossed good money after bad in order to help the hurricane victims. The American people did exactly what the media demanded- we gave millions upon millions to help hurricane victims.

Then the media made Hugo Chavez the hero and George Bush and the American people the villains.

The question is whether or not America will ever get past this? In the next natural disaster, will the American people ever give as much as they did for Hurricane Katrina victims? Will Americans ever trust their TV screens and their newspapers again, knowing that much of the stuff we see and read is not trustworthy?

I sure hope so. I do have my doubts. Do you blame me? After the GAO report was released showing the billions of dollars wasted, I was made a victim of Hurricane Katrina also.

Happy Father's Day!

My father did whatever it took to get his family thru. If it meant working two jobs- he did it. If it meant getting up at 5:30 am every morning to make our lunches before sending us off to school- he did it.

The most important gift my father gave all of us, is he pointed us in the direction of the Lord.

Thank you Dad!



Happy Father's Day, Dad!

The Kenosha News takes on Illegal Immigration

Starting tommorrow, Sunday, June 18th, the Kenosha News is planning an in depth evalution of illegal immigration. This should be very interesting.

Here is the press release from Craig Swanson- Editor of the Kenosha News

The smoldering issue of illegal immigration is not one of those esoteric topics of interest only to Washington insiders and public policy wonks, nor is it a "big picture" national issue of no significance to everyday people.

On the contrary, U.S. immigration policies and practices directly affect us all - including those of us in southeastern Wisconsin - in ways both obvious and surprising.

Many consider illegal immigration one of the most important issues of our time, largely because of its pervasive nature and potential to touch so many facets of our daily lives. Illegal immigration is not only altering the nation's political landscape, it is:

* Influencing how much we pay for various goods and services.

* Redefining the U.S. job market and many business employment practices.

* Putting a strain on our public education system and the delivery of various social services.

* Raising questions about crime and national security.

* Forcing us to confront questions of ethnic diversity and the bigotry that inevitably follows.

* And, finally, fostering broad, philosophical discussions about national values and our role in the world.

"Crossing the Border," an eight-day series that begins Sunday in the Kenosha News, takes a detailed look at all of those issues with an emphasis on how they relate to life in Kenosha County. News reporters, photographers and editors have worked for months to develop a package that readers should find compelling and informative. But mostly, we hope you find it relevant to you … your family, your interests, your life.

The accompanying chart offers a brief summary of what we've prepared. Each day has a specific focus, and each also contains a profile of an illegal immigrant in Kenosha County.



Throughout this series, we try to explain what the various issues mean to Kenosha County residents. Whenever possible, we use photographs, maps and charts to help make the information more understanding and visually compelling.

We hope you will find time to read this special series in its entirety. We think you'll find it worth the effort.

Craig Swanson
Editor

Here at Stepping Right Up- I will attempt to post as much relevant information from this series, as I possible can. I cannot link to most of the articles. So, I am going to just use my best judgement and post the most relevant information. I will attempt to highlight both the positive and the negative information that I read.

Each night- feel free to comment on what you have read in that day's Kenosha News or what you have read on this blog.

Please remember, as we are discussing this very important issue that we are discussing ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND NOT LEGAL IMMIGRATION!

I am asking that all those who comment on this series do so in a respectful manner. All comments are moderated by me, before they are posted. Feel free to disagree with my position or the Kenosha News' position, just be respectful and your comment will be posted. No vulgarity, name calling or hate speech will be tolerated on this blog.

Thank you in advance for cooperation-
Kathy Carpenter

Here are the links for discussion on Days 1 thru Day 4

Day 1- The history and the economics of illegal immigration.

Day 2- Company depends on immigrants

Day 3- It's easy to look `legal'

Day 4- Health care: Don’t ask or tell

Iraq to take over the south's security: deputy PM

This is absolutely incredible news. Iraqis are slowing taking over their own security.

Of course, we have to find this out thru the Australian media, because most of the American media believe that we are losing the war.

Iraq's deputy prime minister says Iraq has an agreement to take over security responsibilities from Australian, British and Japanese forces in southern Iraq this month.
Deputy Prime Minister Salam Zikam Ali al-Zubaie was responding to a Japanese news report that Australia, British and Japanese troops will transfer security responsibilities in southern Iraq to Iraqi authorities next week, and soon withdraw from the area.
"There is an agreement to take over the security responsibilities from the British, Australian and Japanese forces in southern Iraq during this month," al-Zubaie said.
"There is such a plan and such news is not based on nothing. We hope that the Iraqi security forces will live up to their duties there. It is the dream of all Iraqis that our forces will handle security issues all over Iraq."
At a defence meeting of the three countries last week in London, British officials told their counterparts that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will announce the transfer of security authority in southern Iraq next Tuesday, Kyodo News agency reported, citing coalition sources.
London will then announce the pullout of its forces from the southern province of Al Muthanna, and Tokyo and Australia will follow with similar announcements, Kyodo said.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is expected to announce a pullout by Japan from the southern city of Samawah as early as next Wednesday, Japanese government and ruling coalition sources said.
Australia is expected to announce plans to pull its forces out of the area the same day.
The withdrawal of Japanese troops is likely to begin later this month and may be completed by the end of July, the sources said.
Officials in the Iraqi prime minister's media office said they could not confirm or deny the report.
Al-Zubaie said he knew nothing about plans for such an announcement and could provide no other details.
Australia has around 460 troops in southern Iraq, where they have been protecting Japanese forces engaged in rebuilding efforts since 2004.
Some Australian troops are expected to be redeployed to the basic training centre at Tallil, near An Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar Province, as well as the Counter Insurgency Academy at Taji, near Baghdad, training Iraqi and coalition troops in tactics to defeat the insurgency.

Let's hope this trend continues and slowly the Iraqis will take over. The Iraqis are embracing freedom. It is a long hard road, but they keep plodding forward. Go Iraqis!!!!!

H/T Free Republic. Once again the people at Free Republic are way ahead of the curve- nice find.

House rejects time-table for Iraq pullout- again

Today, the House rejected setting an artificial timetable for a US troop pullout from Iraq.

In a 256-153 vote, the GOP-led House approved a nonbinding resolution that praises U.S. troops, labels the Iraq war part of the larger global fight against terrorism and says an "arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment" of troops is not in the national interest.

Good.

Here is the final roll call vote.

To Knock or Not to Knock

Let's start by completely ignoring the fact that the Associated Press reporter, Gina Holland, wrote an editorial, chock full of her opinions, instead of writing an article on the Supreme Court's ruling on whether or not evidence collected via a search warrant can be used in court, if the police do not knock before entering.

Gina Holland states:
The Supreme Court made it easier Thursday for police to barge into homes and seize evidence without knocking or waiting, a sign of the court's new conservatism with Samuel Alito on board.

Let's talk about the real issue. If a police officer does not knock, even after announcing their presence, before entering a home, does the evidence that is collected in that police raid stand up in court, or should it be tossed out?

The Supreme Court decided on Thursday, that yes, the evidence is still admissible in court. This was a tough one for the Supreme Court. They did uphold an earlier lower court ruling that stated the evidence could be used in court.

For a little background on how this ended up in front of the Supreme Court, here is a quick explanation of what happened. In 1998, Detroit police, armed with a search warrant, entered the home of Booker Hudson and found a loaded gun next to Mr. Hudson, along with his rock cocaine. Detroit police, approached Hudson's home, announced their presence, waited 3 to 5 seconds before entering, however, they did not knock. Hudson's lawyer claims that because the police did not knock, that all of the evidence collected at the home of Mr. Hudson should not be allowed in court.

In 1961, the Supreme Court upheld the "knock and announce requirement" as added protection for citizens, in support of the 4th Amendment against "unreasonable searches".

The question that the Supreme Court had to face yesterday, is whether or not to allow the suppression of evidence gathered at the Hudson home, because the police did not knock. The Supreme Court upheld the Michigan appellate court ruling that allowed the evidence to be used against Mr. Hudson.

I can certainly understand why many folks would be concerned with yesterday's rulings, perhaps this will help-

Does yesterday's ruling still require police officers to announce their presence and knock before entering a home, even if they have a search warrant?

Yes, the police are still required to knock and announce their presence before entering a home. Yesterday's ruling did not change this.

Justice Kennedy writes:
"It bears repeating that it is a serious matter if law enforcement officers violate the sanctity of the home by ignoring the requisites of lawful entry"

If police do not knock, but they have a legal search warrant- can the evidence collected still be used in a court of law?

Yes, according to yesterday's decision, the evidence collected with a search warrant can be used in a court of law.

USA Today:
Alito sided fully with Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion, which emphasized that tossing out evidence acquired in violation of the knock-and-announce rule — but with a valid warrant — could mean "releasing dangerous criminals."

If the police do not knock and announce, but are armed with a search warrant, and the police enter your home to conduct this warrant, what can an average citizen do about it?

On this, all of the Justices seem to agree. You can find yourself a civil rights attorney and sue the police department. However, the evidence collected against you, can and will be used to convict you of a crime.

In my opinion, yesterday's ruling by the Supreme Court, was not an easy ruling, but it was a good ruling. The days of murders, rapists and drug dealers getting off on a technicality took a huge hit yesterday.

A word of warning to the police officers- make life easier on yourself and follow the rules. The citizens of this great country are counting on you to keep us safe. Please do not screw up this up and continue to let the thugs in our society roam our streets. We are counting on you to do things the right way and follow the rules.

As a society we need to stop handcuffing our police officers and starting letting these officers handcuff the criminals.

‘Twas the night before the Fitzmas Flop

‘Twas the night before Fitzmas and all thru the Congressional House,
Rumors were stirring that Karl Rove was louse

Democrat Representatives were scurrying around in a thither,
So sure of an indictment, and Rove would soon whither.

Full of excitement, the MSM created such a clatter,
Forgetting that actual laws are all that really matter.

The MSM continued to push their made up agenda,
Knowing full well, that Joe Wilson was a pretenda.

Never mind the real laws or the truth they insisted,
A Rove indictment would come if they just persisted.

So sure were they of a huge Fitzmas haul,
There leader would be next to the Presidential ball.

They went to bed every night with big Fitzmas dreams,
As Hillary and Nancy continued with their confident beams.



They awoke with excitement and energy on great Fitzmas morn’,
For surely today their Rove indictment would be born.

Imagine their faces when they found no Rove indictment,
The blow was so severe, it completely killed their excitement.

So crushed were there dreams, they should just wanted to go back to bed.
What’s the point of doing that, when there are many sleepless nights ahead?

This is the story of the huge Fitzmas flop,
All because Karl Rove just refused to pop!

-Author Kathy Carpenter

Carnival of the Badger- It's Summertime!

I am really excited about hosting this week's Carnival of the Badger. As the temperatures rise, we are hit with the sensational feeling that it is summertime!

Jump right in to join our summertime celebration.

Aaron @ Subject to Change questions whether summertime is the best time for the blogosphere world. I guess we have to wait and see, Aaron. I plan on continuing to post all summer long.

A hot topic to debate this summer is being played out in the blogworld. Joining in the sizzling debate over the electoral college are Steve @ No Runny Eggs and Nick @ The World According to Nick. Carry on fellows, we will be reading along.

For those steamy sultry summer nights, Yours Truly @ Sex and the Mil-town has stepped in to provide analysis on this summer's "one night stands". Watch out ladies, the men of summer are on the prowl!

What would summer be like without getting a little exercise and a little fun in the sun? James from Wigderson Library and Pub shares his excitement(or lack thereof) for world cup soccer. Hey James, as long as they are not kicking me, I have no issues whatsoever.

For some real outdoor excitement, Laurie from Growing Old Disgracefully, suggests a nice summer hunting trip in search of Bigfoot. Ya'll better hurry and sign up, the hunt takes place on June 22 thru 25 and June 29th thru July 1st. This is every women's chance to find a man with big feet or Bigfoot- whichever- take your pick .

Fred from RealDebateWisconsin seems to be confused about this summer's hottest political debate topic- Jim Doyle and Georgia Thompson. Now it appears that Georgia will be wearing the attractive orange jumpsuit pictured on Fred's website, for the summer. I wonder if Jim Doyle is being fitted for his jumpsuit right now? My suggestion for our summertime party faithful is to passionately avoid have to wear the orange jumpsuit- it could completely ruin your summer!

Tracy @ The FRAUDfiles Fraud Blog jumps in to remind us, that just because it is summer, does not mean that Microsoft has stopped spying on us. Beware of the every present eyes from the inter-net called Microsoft.

Summer just would not be summer, without politicians and alcohol joining in the mix. Kathy @ Stepping Right Up! provides some summer advice to politicians when it comes to mixing alcohol with their celebrations.

On a more sobering note, Patrick @ BadgerBlogger, reminds us about organ donation. Even during the summer- many folks need our prayers and they need us to sign the back of our driver's licenses. Continued prayers and a special thanks for those that lose loved ones, but are willing and able to give life to another family.

God bless all of you and have a great summer!

Kathy

PS. This is a reminder to all, please submit your carnival writings by Wednesday, June 21st by using the Carnival of the Badger submission form.

God Bless America!

Today is Flag Day. Fly your flags.

Good to see some leadership in Iraq

Finally, it is good to see some leadership in Iraq. The new Iraqi PM has sent 70,000 Iraqi troops into Bagdad to crack down on the violence.

Iraqi PM sets in motion major security crackdown in Baghdad

Iraq's prime minister launched the biggest security crackdown in Baghdad since the U.S.-led invasion, with tens of thousands of security forces deploying throughout the capital on Wednesday and increased checkpoints causing some traffic jams.

The crackdown, which army officials said was dubbed Operation Forward Together, began a day after U.S. President George W. Bush paid a surprise visit to Baghdad, promising continued U.S. support for Iraqis but cautioning them that "the future of the country is in your hands."

An Iraqi army official, who declined to named because he was not authorized to release the information, said two divisions had been deployed in the capital, which would be about 20,000 soldiers, along with some 50,000 Interior Ministry forces.

Another Guilty!

Boy this is getting kinda fun. So far, in the last 24 hours, we have-

Guilty- Georgia Thompson

Not Guilty- Karl Rove

Guilty- Congressman Patrick Kennedy!

Rep. Patrick Kennedy has reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs in connection for his middle-of-the-night car crash last month near the U.S. Capitol.

Alright folks- to keep the pattern going- I need another "not guilty". Anybody got anything?