Category Archive: Politics
Small Updates
“Its gonna be the future soon, I won’t always be this way!” - Jonathon Coulton
I wanted to sit down and do a bit of an update this fine Tuesday morning. Tea in hand, Mariah Carey on the mp3 player, and capezios on my feet. Thinking about the one who got away in high school. Oh, Laura, I am so sorry.
Regardless of the melancholy of a 30-something, non Timothy Busfield guy, I thought we could talk a little bit about the future, or really the present (with a slight twinkle in our eye about the future). We, as a group, have gotten over the hump and finally feel good. We have a strong group of supporters, a bunch of frequent commentors, and some great mentors guiding us in this venture. So, thanks to you all.
Obama at NTC: A Firsthand Experience
(A Note from Dino: We were pleased as punch to find out that one of the students who attended the Barack Obama rally in Wausau was a friend of ours. Then we found out that he had a chance to spend some time with the candidate as well. We thank Andy Straub (not Laub) for giving us this narrative. We also hope to see more students from NTC become a part of CW as we think that NTC is a crucial part of our community.)
Last Thursday started just like any other day. I woke up, went to class, and then …
21 Questions from the Slumberland of Large Fleece Jackets
To my esteemed colleagues here at Citizen Wausau I say this…from time to time, it sadly falls upon my shoulders to put forth a shovel full of questions. These questions while seeming entirely random, and aiming in no directions, I can assure you are often pointed toward a finish line. While this finish line might be abstract, and only in my imagination, it is most certainly something I am kind of aware of, at least on one of the many levels of chakra consciousness. Though, I have not had a real chance to cleanse myself through any …
City Council Agenda, 2/12/08
It is that time once again. The City Council is meeting tomorrow, and we hope to see more of your smiling, dissenting, note taking, question asking, over all holding the elected official accountable faces in the Birch Room. Even if you do not have any vested interest in any of issues on the agenda, it is really interesting to see the collected faces there. It is an interesting reflection as to who is who, and what is what in this city. So, here is the agenda:
City Council Agenda (PDF)
City Council Agenda, 1/22/08
As we move forward – and to do so is a great thing – we are faced with the reality of what happened, so off we go. Here is the City Council agenda for this week. It will be interesting to see if you are going to make it down; let’s see your reaction. Will it lead to more involvement in City Council meetings?
City Council Agenda (PDF)
City Council Agenda
Friends,
I just wanted to bring your attention to the City Council agenda for the meeting tonight. I hope it leads to more of you at the meetings. It is the general hope, a sort of idealized vision that we see more of you at the meetings. Which, by the way, are broadcast on Public Access here in Wausau.
City Council Agenda (PDF)
Where Does Wausau Go?
What an amazing year 2007 was. It’s brought about a a lot of change in our community, and in some ways, I myself will never be the same.
A few months ago, I was walking into my friend Forest Young’s drugstore to pick up a prescription. As I entered, I was quickly asked to leave and not touch anything. Why? Was I a loitering miscreant? No, not this time. It was because the ladies behind the counter had just been accosted by a gun-wielding burglar.
Time to Move for the Local April Elections
So I’ve picked up a competitor in the April Fool’s Day election for the Wausau City Council. It’s no big surprise because this will be my sixth race and in that time, I’ve faced four different competitors. As the longest-serving elected official in the City of Wausau, I’ve made some very good friends and I also have what has thus far been a smaller, but dedicated group of detractors. That’s normal.
I don’t take competition lightly, since I won the seat from a 12-year incumbent myself in 1998. It’s a one-time luxury to run as a challenger, …
The Pay Raise Amendment
Click on the above amendment to see what was submitted to the City Council of Wausau as a response apparently to the brouhaha about pay raises for senior staff. It was submitted by Rosenberg, who is also a member of the Citizen Wausau community (though we hardly hear from him these days), but it ended up getting tabled by some others on the Council. To be honest, by that point I had lost interest in the whole thing and was beginning to make smart remarks to the people around me, à la Mystery Science Theatre.
Neal Gets Real, So Deal
Preamble
The other day, after reading a news article re: prez-candidate Mitt, I penned the following thoughts, unsure of where I might consider airing them. I figured this was a “national” issue (warning: it’s about abortion) and maybe didn’t fit in with the local thrust of Citizen Wausau content. Then pal Dino encouraged me to “localize” it and post on CW. Well, how’s this for local: do you have a daughter, sister, wife, aunt, female friend? Do you own her? Are you her ruler? Or do you think she has the right to make her own decisions regarding her body and health care? Do you think she should be able to access care she wants here where she lives? Do you think your daughter or other female close to you deserves privileges that other females don’t?