This Just In...

Though it usually comes at the end, I will start with the moral of this story:

Be nice to your waiter.

Culinary no-no #45 dealt with respecting the wait staff at restaurants. We heard from Phoebe Damrosch who has written a book about her experience waiting tables at Thomas Keller’s four-star New York City restaurant, Per Se.

Another book told from the perspective of a waiter is out, only this time, the waiter is out for revenge. Steve Dublanica is the author of, “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter.”

Read an excerpt from his book and also watch a video of his appearance on the Today Show here.  Here's a book review from the Wall Street Journal.

Chances are you’ll have second thoughts the next time you’re thinking about being rude to your server.

DATELINE:  City Hall, downtown Milwaukee, Tax Hell, USA.

Milwaukee aldermen approve a $20 wheel tax for automobile owners who live
in the city of Milwaukee.

Of all people voicing some fiscal sanity on the matter, it’s Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Barrett understands what’s so difficult for the Aldermen to grasp:

“This is a tax on City of Milwaukee residents and will increase the cost of registering their vehicles from $75 per car to $95 per car - a 26-percent increase for every vehicle in a household.”

Promising a veto, Barrett then does a Scott Walker on the proposed Milwaukee County sales tax increase:

“I do not want Milwaukee to become a ‘tax island.’”

It’s one of those rare moments Barrett is right, even though his veto probably won't stand.

The governor of the state of Washington tried to enter a bar in her own state last weekend.

Waiting at the entrance was a young man checking ID’s.

The governor couldn’t produce identification.

No problem, right?

She’s the governor, right?

Everybody knows her, right?

A quick smile, maybe a handshake and she’s in, right?

Wrong.

The 23-year old bouncer wouldn’t let the governor slide.

No ID, no entry.

Governor Christine Gregoire is 61 years old.

Did the young man do the right thing?

Was he correct in his position that rules are rules and he wasn’t going to let this woman pass through?

Of course he was wrong.

He should have used the brains God gave him, exercised some common sense and let the governor inside.

It was foolish to be as obstinate as he was.

But he’d make an ideal checkout person at Pick ‘n’ Save.

“Uhhh, excuse me ma’am, I mean, like, I know you’re the governor and you’re as old as my Grandma, but, uhhh, could I see your ID?”

Bouncer? Hell, he could be a doggone Pick ‘n’ Save manager in a heartbeat.

Here’s the story.

Chicago Tribune photo illustration by Phil Geib

The WISCONSIN State Fair opens Thursday. Here is one of the special promotions:

ILLINOIS DAY TRIPPIN’ DAY – FRIDAY, AUGUST 1
Wisconsin State Fair invites our friends in Illinois to experience the wonders of Wisconsin and all the Fair has to offer! Buy two (2) adult admissions (ages 12 & over) for ONLY $10 when you present your Illinois driver’s license at Wisconsin State Fair Gates on Friday, August 1, 2008 only.


I renew my previous objection to this discount.

I hate the idea of an Illinois Day at the Wisconsin State Fair.

This is a Wisconsin event, funded by the taxpayers of Wisconsin.

Why should the over-burdened residents of one of the highest-taxed states in the nation (that would be us) subsidize carloads of people from Illinois?

Do you think the organizers of other state fairs sit around in their meetings and try to devise ways to give big discounts to people who live in other states?

Why not Iowa Day at the Wisconsin Sate Fair? Minnesota day? Michigan Day? Hawaii Day? District of Columbia Day?

Does the Illnois State Fair have a WISCONSIN Day offering special discounts to Badger tourists? The answer is no.

Let 2008 be the last year for Illinois Day at our State Fair.

Meanwhile, my very good friend at rightfromtheright will be blogging about the fair every day from his great location backstage at the Main Stage.

• Wisconsin would adopt emission standards for passenger vehicles currently in place in California.
• Wisconsin would adopt voluntary and mandatory emission reduction measures to reduce emissions from off-road sources related to construction, agricultural, lawn/garden care, recreational and industrial/commercial sectors.
• Truck idling would be limited at depots, over night rest areas and other long-term parking circumstances to a maximum five minutes.
• The state would set aside funding to regulate the reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by individuals.
• The existing 65 mph highway speed limit would be strictly enforced and a study would be conducted of potential future speed limit reductions.
• Legislation would develop a low carbon fuel standard for fuel providers. The Task Force says, “Providers could meet the standard by blending ethanol (corn/cellulosic) with gasoline, blending biodiesel with diesel,” in other words, an ethanol mandate.
• The Task Force believes emissions would be reduced by the creation of three programs for public and private transit alternatives: Intercity Rail, Transit Trust Fund and a Regional Transit Authority.
• Rental properties would be required to install energy efficient lighting.

So, let's add it all up.

Policies endorsed by the Task Force would regulate your car, lawnmower, boat, tractor, and 4-wheeler, dictate how many miles you can drive, lower speed limits, encourage you to walk, regulate the trucking industry, and impose an ethanol mandate. Making matters worse, and fueling my skepticism is the fact the report fails to specify the cost of these initiatives to Wisconsin residents and their effect on our fragile state economy that grew by a paltry one percent last year. If Wisconsin were to implement the Task Force recommendations, it is a safe bet heating bills, electric bills and gas prices would all increase and our economy would continue to suffer.

The most efficient method to reduce emissions would be to increase our use of nuclear energy. However, after 16 months of study, the Task Force fails to recommend the construction of a new nuclear power plant or expanding a plant in operation.

If Governor Doyle intends to push these far-reaching ideas in the Legislature, Wisconsin residents need to be aware that the recommendations are highly intrusive, expensive, and would do little to provide any benefit to the earth’s climate.

Of all people, the NY Times comes up with a list of those supposedly evil, no good, rotten things that you really, really shouldn't give a second thought to while on vacation.

Uptight liberals and hyper-enviro's probably won't like this list.

As for me, pass me a hot dog, all the way and crank the AC!

Franklin residents, I sure hope you paid good attention to Janet Evans’ roundup of the Franklin School Board meeting of 7/23/08. In paragraph four of her blog (I wish the most important part of the meeting would have been mentioned earlier), Janet, who regularly attends Franklin School Board meetings, gave us this information:

“Also, nowhere in the Budget Draft does it clearly state that the proposed Tax Levy is 3.9%.  The last page of the draft has it broken down over a three year period.  But it is not clearly stated for the citizens what the proposed property tax levy will be…which is the main issue the taxpayers want to know.  They shouldn’t have to calculate it…just state it.”

Really?

That’s quite a news bulletin, and it’s not surprising coming from the unscrupulous Franklin Public Schools administration.

For several weeks now, it’s been reported that Franklin school officials have been saying the school tax levy increase will be 3.9% but that the figure is subject to change.

You bet it could change. This is the same gang that couldn’t shoot straight that last year stated publicly for months the increase would be 5.6%. Then on the night the School Board voted on the final budget last fall, we were told Board members thought they were voting on, and thought they approved, a 5.9% increase. I reported on This Just In shortly thereafter that taxpayers had literally been lied to and taken. The tax levy increase was actually 11.7% but no one bothered to tell the people who count the most……..the taxpayers.

Here are more details on last year’s budget scandal.

This group can’t be trusted. They will string taxpayers along for the next few months of budget deliberations, then drop a big bomb at the last minute. That is my fear, and it was heightened by Janet Evans’ recent blog.

Notice to the Franklin Public Schools hold-up artists:

We know what happened last year. And we’re watching you again this year.

Janet Evans attends the meetings. She tapes the meetings. Then she returns home and performs a great community service by reporting what happened. You’re not behaving in an empty room anymore. Oh, sure, some of your machine may attend from time to time, especially if there’s talk of even the slightest cuts. But there are vigilant watchdogs keeping a close eye on what the people who work for them do. That’s right. It’s a concept you haven’t quite grasped yet, but you work for us.

If you say the school tax levy increase is going to be 3.9%, it better be in that ballpark, not in another stratosphere.

Mighty low.

The long range forecast predicts high temperatures in the low 90’s in our area this Saturday and Sunday.

Don’t complain. In Baghdad, Iraq, temperatures will reach 118 degrees this weekend, a full 25 degrees hotter than what we’ll experience.

How do our soldiers in Iraq cope?

Read this from the American Forces Press Service.

Listen to this from NPR.

Here’s what I wrote last summer on this topic.

And come this weekend, think before you say, “It’s too hot.”

Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com has written a  no-holds barred, scathing column about Packers GM Ted Thompson saying he and the Packer organization are guilty of what they’re accusing Brett Favre of doing: waffling.

Wojciechowski’s flaming keyboard provides these gems:


“Thompson knows what would have happened if Favre had been issued a helmet and a jersey today. Everybody knows. Favre would have been the best quarterback on the field.”

“Thompson isn't interested in putting the best product on the field. If he were, he'd let Aaron Rodgers, his handpicked successor to Favre, compete for the starting position.”

“If Rodgers can't handle the pressure of Favre's presence and open competition for the job in July, what makes you think he can handle the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in December? But Thompson doesn't want the best man to win. He wants his man to win. So no quarterback bake-off.”

“But nobody has bungled this situation more than Thompson. From the disingenuous ‘We Care About Favre's Legacy’ stance, to the convenient and false statement that Favre could return to the team, Thompson has written the textbook on mismanagement.”


It’s beautiful and dead on. Thompson is the #1 villain in this entire fiasco.

Read the entire column.

But if they do….

ONE

TWO

THREE-??????

I’m a bit concerned.

I don’t get it.

There is a large contingent of Wisconsin residents that loves the Chicago Cubs. The only way this is understandable and acceptable is if those individuals are Illinois transplants. If they’re not, then they have no business cheering for the Cubs. Their allegiance should belong to the Brewers.

For years and years, I’ve heard Milwaukeeans say they’re Cub fans because, and this is incredibly stupid, they feel sorry for those perennial losers. Do you think Chicagoans rooted for the Packers from the 70’s to the early 90’s because they were sympathetic to our horrible teams? Nah, they still hated us!

I should have plugged for the Cubs for the past few decades because they stunk?!! No way! I’d rather root for the Russians than the Cubs or the ************* Bears.

If you live in the land of beer and cheese, and weren’t born in the Land of Lincoln, and you like the Cubs, you need serious help because that’s just plain dumb.

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn says the numbers show a dramatic decline in violent crime.

According to jsonline.com:


·  Homicide, 33 in 2008, compared with 48 in 2007.

·  Rape, 88 in 2008, compared with 124 in 2007.

·  Robbery, 1,392 in 2008, compared with 1,607 in 2007.

·  Aggravated assault, 1,703 in 2008, compared with 2,210 in 2007.


Still, it begs the question:

Do you think Milwaukee is a safer city?

I don’t.