by Peter Rotter on October 20th, 2009
This a letter that I sent to various newspapers around the state. I think that it is an important enough issue that it be posted on Citizen Wausau as well.
Yesterday I wrote very angry letters to Wisconsin Legislators, especially my own, Russ Decker and Donna Seidel, and including Jerry Petrowski and a slew of others.
I investigated further and discovered that my anger and outrage had only scratched the surface. I was originally upset because they snuck a utility surcharge into the budget and used the money to pay district attorneys.
What first made me angry was my belief that the money should have gone to the woefully underfunded State Public Defender, especially those private attorneys taking assigned counsel cases (namely me).
On further investigation I discovered that the utility surcharge was
originally inserted to fund Wisconsin Works, one of the remnants of our State Assistance to the poor. At the last moment the Senate inserted the language directing all of that money to already employed and salaried attorneys for the state. This amounts to literally taking bread out of the mouths of the destitute to fatten the wallets of state attorneys. I am ashamed of myself for ever wanting any of that money. I see it now for what it is — blood money.
We should all be ashamed of ourselves for allowing this to happen.
Indigent criminal defense is constitutionally mandated, and it should be fully funded, but not by diverting money originally raised to provide other essential services for the poor.
Here is the text of the law:
30. PUBLIC BENEFIT FEES FOR WISCONSIN WORKS
Joint Finance: Require the Department of Administration to ensure that electric utilities charge customers an additional $9,139,700 annually for deposit into the public benefits fund for maintenance of effort in the Wisconsin Works program. Require DOA to include in its calculation of low-income assistance fees the collection of this additional amount. Specify that these additional fees would not be subject to the current caps, which specify that a customer may not be assessed more than the lesser of 3% or $750 per monthly bill.
Specify that this fee applies only for the 2009-11 biennium.
Senate/Legislature: Specify that this additional fee would be used to support salaries and fringe benefits for district attorney offices rather than the Wisconsin Works program.
[Act 28 Sections: 64m, 542p, 542s, 9101(1f), 9113(6x) and 9413(2x)]
by Cheryl Mathis on August 29th, 2008
I think the Presidential election this year is far more poignant for me now that I have children. Just knowing that there will either be a black president or a female vice president is thrilling. My kids hopefully won’t ever really understand why our country was so unwilling for so long to consider such a thing (except for educational purposes). History is being made, no matter which party line you fall behind. Forget the serious political talk… bring on the questions! This week’s edition is a collaborative effort between Dino and myself.
1. Do you ever dabble in the creative arts to relieve stress? Lately since I have an edict from my doctor that I need to avoid tension, I’ve been buying fuzzy posters and paint-by-numbers. I have no idea what to do with the finished products, but I find it very relaxing to make beautiful pictures with very little talent. What do you do in that realm, if anything?
2. Is it totally unnatural for me to be thinking about how much fun this winter will be? This summer was practically a bust for me. Because I was working part-time, I didn’t do as many special activities with the kids. No pool, no Splash Pad, very few sandcastles. Now my sights are set on winter, and I’m looking forward to sledding, nordic skiing, and the glory of swimming in a heated pool at the Y while the snow is gently falling outside. What are you looking forward to? I’m pretty sure my husband is looking forward to the first winter since acquiring a snow blower.
3. And now an easy question from the peanut gallery, population: Cheryl. What’s your favorite movie of the summer? Did you see something new or fall back in love with an old favorite? Based on your responses, I promise to watch at least two of your suggestions.
4. How aware of design are you? My friend Jason sent me an article about how the font at the closing of a show did not match the opening font. Do you notice things like that? I think it translates to everything. I have a friend who has a house that everything in it seem “On purpose” and I so love their house.
5. Did you go to Blues Fest? What did you think?
6. Did you try to go to Uptown Grill before it closed?
by Dino Corvino on March 6th, 2008
I think it is fair to say that today is a significant day in Wisconsin. The stepping down of the man that essentially brought our state to a different form of national prominence is indeed a sad day. My friend Sullie is probably taking the afternoon off from work, and lying in his bed in the fetal position with snot bubbles peppering his pillow.
My thoughts on this are twofold. First of all, I do not like much about professional football. I spent too much time watching athletes shoot their mouths off, and under-deliver week in and week out. I am too aware of the influence of gambling on the sport as well, when ESPN offers up discussion on how a team does against the line it somehow cheapens the experience for me. The never-ending discussion of stadiums and luxury boxes and endorsements overshadows the game.
At the same time, I am prone to hero worship. I worship Derek Jeter, and Michael Jordan, and Wayne Gretzky, the whole team at Miller Park, the Florida State Football team, and so many others. I cried when the Bulls won each of their championships, and I own a Phoenix Coyotes Hockey jersey for no reason other than it is where Wayne ended up. I believe in heroes, and Brett is a hero in more than just Wisconsin.
Brett Favre was special. He threw a ball better than 99.9% of the humans on the planet. He competed as our gladiator each Sunday. He set records, won championships, brought glory to our state. He did so without crashing his car, or getting followed by the paparazzi, or any of that. He was our definition of a guy. He had stubble, jeans, wore hats like we did, and looked like us. But he was more than us. He stood in the arena, and he did something with beauty, and grace and flaws, and made most of us smile. Even me. I remember the pride I felt at seeing them beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. When Brett tore of his helmet and ran with that smile on his face after the first touchdown, I sat on my families couch and laughed with the simple joy of it.
I also remember watching him as a younger player chucking the ball all over the field on Thanksgiving Day against Detroit. Balls flying here and there, no one really sure where he was throwing to, but the ball getting to its destination with greater speed than anyone I had ever seen. I remember when Reggie White would do the morning radio shows in Milwaukee, when he called Brett “not book smart, not that bright”, and then the two of them making a joke out of it. The two of them laughing, like I laugh with my friends. It seemed like a real thing, it seemed so familiar.
Brett was our hero. Brett was every high school former jock or never jock, thinking that he drinks beer, I drink beer. He does not shave, I don’t shave. Brett is me. Brett is great. I am great. When Brett threw a pick, we cringed, because we threw a pick with him.
I want to thank you Brett for what you did for me. I felt that through you I had a reason to pay attention to football on Sunday. That football was more than what Bobby Bowden did in Florida. That football, even flag football at NTC with my boss Melanie meant something cool. Thank you Brett.
by Dino Corvino on January 1st, 2008
As I sit here on this New Year’s morning, lost in the love of my keyboard, I am faced with questions, and answers, and predictions, and more questions. So I thought I would jump in the pool first, and be the first idiot to take on our virtual Polar Bear Plunge of 2008. A veritable cacophony of randomness brought on by long hours of no work, loss of mental stimulation, and overall sitting still for way too long. (more…)
by Dino Corvino on November 12th, 2007
It has been a strange two weeks for me, both work and Citizen Wausau have been a bit overwhelming. The transition to winter, and my new Doctor stuff are sure to be an exciting thing, but I wanted to sit down and write about something else.
A while ago we talked about giving me the title of Community Builder, or whatever we came up with. I suggested, Over-Sentimentalist. I am prone to cry, and prone to giant swings of passionate discourse or lack thereof. Last week though I learned a lesson in the true meaning of community. (more…)
by Shawn Sullivan on November 1st, 2007
This has been a pretty special year so far, being a Packer Fan. On Tuesday, virtually everyone I came into contact with looked tired, with dark circles under their eyes. As we’re engaged in meetings or other conversations, there’s very little that needs to be said about our exhaustion. We were all up late watching our beloved Packers pull it out in OT, watching Brett Favre tease us with the greatness he displays periodically.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve always been an over-the-top Packer Fan. Ask anyone and they will tell you about my (sometimes) unhealthy allegiance to the green and gold. In college, my Sundays would be ruined if they lost. I was in a foul mood which probably, among other reasons, contributed to my single status throughout my college years. Luckily, the losses didn’t happen much back then.
In fact, one weekend in college, I was so upset about missing a game to go to a work function, I snuck in a walkman and got busted when I couldn’t keep it to myself when Sean Jones ran back a Viking fumble to break the game open. True story; and that situation came up during a reference check for a future job (albeit in a tongue-in-cheek manner).
I’ve grown since then, and hopefully grown up. The losses drip away more quickly now, and I’ve realized I can’t take my frustrations out on the family like I could roommates and other acquaintances. But, there’s always the Monday (or Tuesday!) morning quarterbacking sessions, dissecting where things went wrong or right. There’s a certain camaraderie that goes with being a fan, being present in the moment, agonizing over the losses or celebrating the wins.
In a world where we struggle to find common ground (just look at the Daily Herald message boards) it’s nice to know that you can strike up a conversation with virtually anyone regarding “the game” and for that fleeting moment, we’re all just fans, unbound by any hang-ups or preconceived notions (or post-conceived notions, I guess).
What other things (local or otherwise) draw people together like that? I’m interested to hear what you think.
by Barry Liss on October 19th, 2007
I see that the Wausau School District teacher’s union has voted unanimously for its teachers to drop out of extra-curricular activities. I heard that a 0.5% raise for accredited teachers was on the table. So, a teacher making 40 grand a year would see a pay increase of $200 before taxes. My sense is that a strike is looming.
This is my seventh year in Wisconsin and I must say it’s simply part of the status quo. As a matter of fact, I don’t know a Wisconsin that doesn’t cheat its teachers – it’s been this way since I got here.
Wisconsin bamboozles the teachers and professors and tries to pretend that it’s just good business – cost savings in lean times. Wisconsinites use every form of debased argumentation to pretend that its teachers are deserving of their shoddy treatment. The same old BS clichés are parroted. My two personal favorites are: first, the teachers have it easy because they don’t have to work in the summer. This is of course gibberish because many teachers work on their curricula for their students or are even forced to take extra employment in the summer to make up for their deficient incomes in the academic year. And second, teachers get free healthcare – as if healthcare was a luxury like caviar or expensive cigars? And let me tell you, it’s not free and the teachers’ wages have been steadily eaten away to offset insurance costs.
Governor Doyle is actually threatening to shut down the UW for the winter semester because the system will run out of money a month before spring finals. This would be astonishing if I hadn’t lived through the budget axe of the last six years. The rub has been an unmitigated degeneration of the system as a whole: increased tuition for students compounded with a lower quality of education. Imagine that – in the mighty UW outstanding professors are leaving tenured positions for superior jobs; at Marathon we’ve had a faculty line in math that has repeatedly gone unfilled because no qualified PhDs are willing to work for the entry salary. Intelligent and deserving students are denied access into the UW because they cannot afford the rising costs. Wisconsinites seem to actually believe that since knowledge and wisdom walked the hallowed halls in the past that these virtues are ever-present phenomena. Sadly, no.
With only 1 in 4 acquiring a bachelor’s degree, Wisconsin is not producing the kinds of home-grown minds necessary to compete in the global knowledge economy. What does this mean for you? It means that your kids will not adequately compete for those skilled, better-paying jobs that only highly-educated people can perform. It also means a further diminishment of the revenue base as a whole, which will result in a deteriorated public infrastructure even for those highly educated workers who do find themselves in a competitive position.
Wisconsin is not a rich state. It has fallen to 25th in GDP. It has no oil or natural gas, no mountains, no oceans and its timber and mineral resources are limited. However, Wisconsin has always taken the greatest of pride in that it can educate with the best in the world. The public schools from kindergarten through the university have been the backbone of Wisconsin’s integrity. This is the case no longer. I guess you get what you pay for.
