Hunting Season

In a recent post I asked the candidates running for Wisconsin's 24th Assembly district to "justify my vote".  On August 6th I contacted all six declared candidates via e-mail or the contact form on their respective websites and sent them this message: 

“Hello -

My name is William Weaver, and I'm both a Menomonee Falls and 24th Assembly district resident.

I would like to ask you a single question re: your candidacy for the WI State Assembly, and post your response in the blog I write for MenomoneeFallsNOW.com (http://blogs.menomoneefallsnow.com/hunting_season/).

Your reply will be printed verbatim, without any editorial comments on my part.  I'm putting the deadline for responses at Noon on Monday August 18th, 2008 and I plan to post the replies I've received either that evening or the next day.

My question is: Why should I (and by extension other voters in the 24th Assembly district) vote for you during the primary on September 9th, 2008?

I look forward to your response, and my best to you in your campaign!

RANDY MELCHERT

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JASON LASAGE

Republican voters have to choose between four conservative candidates that all want to lower taxes, reign in government spending, and build a strong business climate in our state through incentives, less taxation, and less regulation.  Though, what makes me stand out among the Republican candidates is experience and a track record that proves I am deserving of trust.   

I have the most experience in government, through serving as vice-president and 6 years on the Germantown School Board, where I helped oversee a 36 million dollar budget and from working for state Senator Alberta Darling’s office.   

I have experience in business through working my entire life in Menomonee Falls, first at Guaranty Bank, then at Strong Investments as a licensed securities representative.  I also own a self-made real estate portfolio which has taught me how to budget, prioritize, and perform cost benefit analysis, similar to when I work with individual clients to help them purchase a home or make an investment decision and akin to what needs to happen in state government.  

I have experience in education, from not only the school board, but through tutoring area kids and part-time substitute teaching for the past 6 years at Thomas Jefferson, North Jr. High, and Menomonee Falls High School.  Nearly half of the state budget deals with education; from day one I will have a hands-on, working knowledge of many of our expenditures. 

I also have community experience, from being a life-long 24^th district resident, growing up in Germantown and currently living as a Menomonee Falls homeowner.  I have actively served on many community boards including: Youth Futures, Deutschstadt Heritage Foundation, Leadership Germantown, and the Washington County Republican Party Board.  I have also been involved in numerous volunteer projects in Menomonee Falls and Germantown. 

These experiences, along with my family upbringing, have shaped who I am.  Voters can trust that I understand their hard-working, low tax and spending values.  They can trust that I understand that the community wants a representative who respects life and believes that those who do us harm should be locked up rather than given liberal “understanding.”  

Madison is in need of great change if we are to get out of being ranked 46^th among the states in job creation.   Since I am the only candidate that has fundamentally changed a governmental body, through taking 6-1 votes where I was in the lonely minority, voters can trust that I am the right person to represent them in the state assembly.  I educated the community on what was happening in their schools and we packed gymnasiums with people demanding change.  Together we succeeded.  Voters deserve someone who will stand up to special interest groups, political pressure, intimidation, money and promises of power.  I have done this at the local level and I am ready to tackle a new challenge.

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DAN KNODL

As a current elected official(2nd term on Washington County Board) I understand the back room workings of government and I can dismiss the overtures of operatives looking to advance their personal agendas at the expense of others.

We need to get on with responsible governance for Wisconsin residents.

Dan Knodl
www.danknodl.com
dknodl@yahoo.com
262-707-7805

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MICHAEL MOSCICKE

Dear William,

I am the candidate of experience.  I have more experience with the state government than any of the other candidates running in this race.  For the past three years I've worked for the state Department of Administration in the state capitol building.  As a tour guide I was responsible for teaching the general public about what the legislature does and who they are, giving me more first hand knowledge about how the legislature operates and more connections in the legislature than any of my opponents.  I've worked for the state Department of Health Services as an office manager, which provides me with an inside view of how one of the largest state departments functions and how the private health care sector currently interacts with the state.  I've also served on the faculty senate of the thirteen statewide University of Wisconsin Colleges, during which I sat on over 20 different committee that dealt issues ranging from curriculum to multimillion dollar budgets.

I understand how businesses benefit from less government intervention and fewer fees, which is why I'm supported by the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors. 

I know the community.  I was born in Menomonee Falls and my parents and grandparents grew up right here and in Germantown. 
 

I may not be the oldest candidate, but I am older than Tommy Thompson was when he was first elected to the State Assembly, and that turned out pretty well. 

I have reliable values.  It's common in elections for candidates to promise things they can't deliver and this election is no different.  You're going to hear over and over that if elected a candidate is going to lower your taxes, ensure you have free healthcare or make the state more business friendly.  None of these things can be accomplished by only one representative.  Any viable legislation will have to be passed out of committee, voted on by 131 other legislators and signed by a Governor, who for at least the next two years will be a Democrat.  I've worked with these Representatives, Senators and Governor for the past three years.  I know how to convey to them what's most important to me and the community I come from.  This is why promises are not important, but values are.  When it comes to hammering out a budget or any legislation, the other legislators won't care what I promised to get elected.  Instead they're going to care about what's best for Wisconsin, what really matters to the people who live in the community and what negotiating can be done to get a real law passed.  That said, here is what I believe in: I believe that the state government needs to be smaller, 53,000 state employees are far too many.  I believe that taxes in Wisconsin are too high, especially when it comes to the fees that keep skyrocketing every time we pass a budget simply because no one wants to admit they're really a tax.  I believe that education in Wisconsin should be accessible to everyone and that it makes no sense to have a state run University if most people can't afford to pay the tuition it charges.  I believe that we can solve the problem of rising health care costs without socializing the health care industry.  I believe that government should not tell people how to live their lives. 

I have a plan.  Any effective legislator must begin by hiring a skilled legislative aide, who does a great deal of the constituent relations work, legislative research and other day to day operations in the capitol building office.  My first choice to fill this role would be Sue Jeskewitz's current legislative aide, Diane Handrick, who has played a key role in keeping things in Representative Jeskewitz's office running smoothly and successfully over the last few years.  I immediately plan to keep my individual office budget low by not requesting state highway maps for distribution and not sending out any mailings to constituents, both of which are often state sponsored campaign materials.  I plan on asking for committee seats on the Colleges and Universities committee, the Elections and Constitutional Law Committee, and the Public Health Committee.  These positions would help me push forward legislation that would reform the public University of Wisconsin System, eliminate the positions of state Treasurer and Secretary of State, and implement partnerships with the private health sector that will reduce the costs of health care and make health care more accessible to everyone. 

Finally, I'm committed to continuing Sue Jeskewitz's record of ethical, informed service in the state legislature.  This is the most important reason a vote for me is the best vote. 

Sincerely,
Michael Moscicke

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CHARLENE BRADY

Thanks for the opportunity to get my message out.  I am The Frugal Choice.  I will not be spending thousands of dollars to buy myself a job with insurance better than most of the residents of this district have. I am knocking on doors to introduce myself and get to know the people I'll be representing.

I'm running because I have the leadership and experience required to move past partisan politics to find solutions that will strengthen Wisconsin's economy, bring efficiency to government, and ensure economic growth through education.

Experience includes serving on the Washington County Board of Supervisors for three terms, the Germantown Village Board and numerous committees.  Besides being a civil engineer, I've also worked in retail, in a restaurant, as a quality control assistant director in manufacturing, a ski instructor, and a lead buyer for a book company.  Life experience includes being married to the same person 28 years and raising three children.

Besides helping out in the schools and being involved in several school groups and activities throughout the years I've been involved in many community activities including the Menomonee Falls Newcomers Club, Friends of the Library, Civil Air Patrol and the Germantown Tourism and Betterment Committee. 

Engineers find solutions to problems and moms take care of children, I'm an engineer and a mom with experience.  I'll look out for all my residents.

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So there you have it.  The 24th Assembly district candidates, in their own words.  My thanks to the candidates for taking the time to respond!

Remember folks, Tuesday September 9th is the primary.  Get out there and vote!

Straight up - why should I vote for you during our primary on September 9th, 2008?

I'll e-mail the candidates who I can find e-mail addresses on within the next few days (since your staffers are probably busy with other things than reading my blog here - lol!) to give everyone a chance to speak.  (UPDATE 8/6/08 - all six candidates have been contacted either via e-mail or the contact form on their website). 

I'll put the cutoff date for responses at Noon on Monday August 18th, and post your replies soon thereafter.  For those pro-active candidates/staffers, e-mail me here via the "Email author" link in the masthead, but know that I'll perform due diligence to verify it actually came from your campaign.

For those not up on these things, the declared candidates for WI State Assembly, 24th district (links courtesy of JSonline [UPDATE 8/6/08 - links for Michael Moscicke and Charlene S. Brady are new, courtesy of Google.]):

Republican: Dan Knodl, Jason LaSage, Randall Ryan Melchert, Michael Moscicke
Democrat: Charlene S. Brady, Torrey Lauer

I look forward to hearing from all y'all!

All those yard signs touting candidates for State Assembly district # 24 assure one thing: a spirited September primary!

(Not sure if you're in the 24th Assembly district?  If you live in G-town or Butler, the answer is yes.  Most of Menomonee Falls as well.  To find out for sure, go here).

I think I've got the Republican Assembly candidates sussed pretty well, but here's some links so you can read what they have to say and decide for yourself: Dan Knodl, Jason LaSage, Randy Melchert, and Michael Moscicke.  (Note that the links for the first three candidates are from a JSonline article and appear to be their respective official campaign sites.  I googled Michael's name for his link).

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On the U.S. Congress side, there's an interesting and very unusual development in the race for Wisconsin's 5th district: a new Republican candidate with the stones to take on long-time (nearly 30-year) incumbent Jim Sensenbrenner.  His name?  Jim Burkee.

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Tuesday Sept. 9th is the day of the primary election, so educate yourself on the candidates and get out there and vote!  For those in the Falls, note that some polling locations have changed.  Primary elections are ideal for first-time voters to register, learn the mechanics of casting a ballot in a "low-pressure environment", and experience the beauty of democracy first-hand.

How can you not love this country?

As I was watching Brew Crew games on TV the last few days, I was constantly seeing the ad run by the Republican National Committee about how our Republican nominee will combat climate change.  Just what is the RNC thinking here?  I guess next we'll see, what, Sen. McCain's plan for universal healthcare (and at taxpayer expense)?

I've done enough independent observation and study on Presidential political campaigns to confirm that one goes for "the base" in the primaries, and then goes for "the middle" in the general election.  It's worked in the past, and it may work in the present and the future.

But COME ON you folks in the RNC ad dept.!  This is the best you can do in this swing state?

We took in two of this weekend's inter-league games vs. the Baltimore Orioles (Sat. & Sun. 6/21-6/22).  Both games were Brewers wins (always fun - for Crew fans!), enough dingers to get the crowd ramped up (in case you haven't heard, Prince Fielder has still got it!), and enough sticky situations (Crew pitching - don't get me started...) to keep the hardcore baseball fans interested.  Two sellouts in a row, two great days of tailgating weather, and two straight giveaways (thanks to those who took their time coming in on Saturday - both the missus and I got a cap).  I also had a personal first on Saturday in seeing the roof start as closed, then open up, then get closed again.

While this will not be news to those of you who have been to Miller Park on a regular basis, Saturday evening games during the summer (especially with nice weather on game day) tend to produce a "more lubricated" crowd than normal.  Sunday afternoon games tend to be more family-friendly, though not always depending on where you sit (I do love affordable bleacher seats, but no way will I seat the family there for a weekend game.  Your results may differ).  We went Loge Diamond this weekend and we had GREAT "seat neighbors" for both games, so the game experience was that much better.

Saturday evening was special from our fan perspective.  A gentleman seated in front of us (in full O's regalia) turned around during the 2nd inning to ask me what Seth McClung's W-L record was (I answered correctly, 4-3 going into that game).  Then an elder gentleman seated to his right struck up a conversation with him about the O's vs. the Crew, and baseball in general, which lasted the entire game.  Great insights by both fans.  The O's fan pointed out to all of us Hall Of Fame pitcher and O's broadcaster Jim Palmer in the visiting broadcast booth (the O's fan already knew where Mr. Baseball was).

All in all, a great Brewers weekend.

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On other summer topics, Ted Klumb has a great post about "gentlemen of a certain age" (and then some) who should do us all a favor and COVER IT UP!

(What had started as a short observation has kept getting longer, so I'm going to break this up into two parts.  Part two will be posted within the next few weeks.)

Not quite breaking news any more, but former Bush Administration Press Secretary Scott McClellan has written a book (What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception) that has been reported to be critical of the Bush Administration, including the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.  I haven't read the book yet, so I can't comment on the content.  But I do have enough horse sense to know that the most inflammatory quotes, especially if and/or when taken out of context, tend to make the headlines.

One thing I did find peculiar though was the Bush administration's response.  According to them, McClellan is, essentially, a disgruntled ex-employee.

As I was watching and reading some of the media coverage on this, I remembered something like this happening before...

Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror--What Really Happened by former National Security Council Advisor Richard Clarke came out in 2004.  It was critical of the Bush and Clinton Administration's handling of anti-terrorism, and was also critical of the 2003 invasion of Iraq as not really aiding the war on terror.  Clarke had served in varying capacities from the Reagan administration onwards, and began his government career with the Department of Defense in 1973.  While I don't recall any Bush Administration officials stating it directly at the time, the refrain I heard on talk radio and Fox News was that Clarke was, essentially, a disgruntled ex-employee.

Earlier in 2004, The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the education of Paul O'Neill by Ron Suskind was released.  The book was based on extensive interviews with the Bush Administration's first Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill, as well as review of essentially every unclassified document that crossed Secretary O'Neill's desk during his tenure in office.  O'Neill took issue with the overall management of the Administration's first two years, as well as the Administration's policy on Iraq (note that this was pre-invasion, as Secretary O'Neill resigned effective 12/31/02).  While O'Neill also has deep roots in government (serving under President's Nixon and Ford, and passing on being Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush while recommending Dick Cheney for the job), he also has a long and successful track record as a corporate executive.  Again, while I don't recall any Bush Administration officials stating it directly, I remember the frequent talking point of commentators on talk radio and FNC at the time was that O'Neill was, essentially, a disgruntled ex-employee.

I read both the Suskind and Clarke books within a few months of their respective releases (thanks to the Menomonee Falls Public Library for making them available!).  I heartily recommend the Suskind book as it's a broader view of the management of the Bush Administration's first two years, and especially for Secretary O'Neill's views on fiscal policy (now THERE is a fiscal conservative and realist!).  The Clarke book is a pretty good read though the issue focus is narrower, and his writing seems to be self-serving at times.

Anyway, points to ponder: (1) Does releasing a political book in a hotly contested election year help sales?  (2) If said book has content critical of the invasion of Iraq in retrospect, is it truly newsworthy?  (3) Can all three of these men be, essentially, disgruntled ex-employees?