tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post4049716171240750263..comments2023-11-03T03:52:37.873-05:00Comments on Cognitive Dissidence: The County Emperor Versus SolidaritySomebody DO Something!http://www.blogger.com/profile/08717747685928127724noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-58082762348339196942013-12-28T20:43:51.265-06:002013-12-28T20:43:51.265-06:00Whose segments have a growing slice? The only peo...Whose segments have a growing slice? The only people whose slice is growing that I can think of is Chris Cline, Scott "convicted felon" Jensen, and Kurt Bauer Jeff Simpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12118335402641807712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-90072749995747673382013-12-28T16:56:58.190-06:002013-12-28T16:56:58.190-06:00The pie may be shrinking but some segments find th...The pie may be shrinking but some segments find their slices growing. Makes it tough for them to vote for or fund someone else. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-42451897423653944402013-12-28T16:46:42.599-06:002013-12-28T16:46:42.599-06:00Just multitasking! You and your blog aren't wo...Just multitasking! You and your blog aren't worth getting upset about but it is interesting to shake the tree a little. Interesting to find it's all about you after all. And your paranoia is breathtaking. Personal attacks, really? Do you actually even live in Milwaukee County? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-77710269197664556922013-12-28T16:44:57.288-06:002013-12-28T16:44:57.288-06:00He has shrunk the pie...so im not sure the point y...He has shrunk the pie...so im not sure the point your trying to make Jeff Simpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12118335402641807712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-89698085300535449592013-12-28T16:40:05.166-06:002013-12-28T16:40:05.166-06:00Walker has done nothing to increase the pie - that...Walker has done nothing to increase the pie - that's the point. And liberals aren't all poor people and public employees you know. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-62050086269025928912013-12-28T15:46:18.003-06:002013-12-28T15:46:18.003-06:00Oh, the Board has faults too. One glaring one was ...Oh, the Board has faults too. One glaring one was not doing more to protect our vulnerable adults from Abele's abdication of his responsibility to them.<br /><br />But I would recommend that you go and enjoy the warm weather while it's here. Your obviously becoming upset that your empty rhetoric can't stand up to reality, hence the increase in spelling and grammar mistakes and your baseless personal attacks on me and the blog.capperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08751967312821403092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-88666716009462037862013-12-28T15:13:28.823-06:002013-12-28T15:13:28.823-06:00Sorry, i wanted to read your whole diatribe, I rea...Sorry, i wanted to read your whole diatribe, I really did. However I got stuck at this little speedbump:<br /><br />" I'll respond last to first. I personally have done rather well under Walker. And therein lies the problem, right? Because a lot of people who consistently vote have done rather well under Walker. In my case, I am one of those Democrats who sees the value in enlarging the whole pie and not just a piece or two - "<br /><br />Say What? <br /><br />There are alot of liberals who are doing much better under Walker?? I would love to meet one. Unless of course your blaming the crash of the economy on Doyle and not on the banksters. I also would like to know what Walker has done to "increase the pie". Jeff Simpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12118335402641807712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-1958733061859568982013-12-28T14:58:40.474-06:002013-12-28T14:58:40.474-06:00All on Abele as far as you're concerned, eh? ...All on Abele as far as you're concerned, eh? Shockingly but not really the Board is either absent or portrayed as the victim in your posts. That should be enough to make the average county taxpayer wonder - why are the Board so weak? Why are they so ineffectual? Why in the world couldn't they even create a park closed to development out of Milwaukee County's last green space? It's too bad Abele makes mistakes. But then mistakes are indicative of someone actually, you know, trying. Now about the Milwaukee County Board again. What exactly have the been doing to effect change? Oh and Capper, maybe these monolithic plutocrats you write about should just run the show in Milwaukee County if you're the face of the alternative. You seem to want to force the Milwaukee voters into a choice between Plato and Leibniz. Well, that's a heck of a rotten choice. Hopefully there are enough informed taxpayers left in Milwaukee County to demand stronger leaders and smarter policies from their county government while resisting manipulation by those of whatever stripe who desire only to fleece them and increase their own slice of the pie at the expense of the whole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-83998284838492873822013-12-28T14:08:14.272-06:002013-12-28T14:08:14.272-06:00Walker has his mine. Abele has his destruction of ...Walker has his mine. Abele has his destruction of the last naturally growing area in the county in Tosa. Abele also has the selling and building of private buildings on public lands and a part of the former lake bed on top of that! But with enough money, apparently one can buy a revision of history.<br /><br />Abele has taken tens of millions out of circulation in Milwaukee County by doubling the amount paid by workers. And I literally meaning doubling.<br /><br />And going beyond Walker, Abele's abandonment of our most vulnerable citizens has already to at least one death, a maiming, and numerous arrests. He has not only jeopardized the safety of these vulnerable citizens, but has endangered the public safety throughout the state as he forces them out into the street whether they have proper safety services or not.<br /><br />You say raising property and sales taxes are bad, but are apparently fine with Abele shifting higher taxes on the municipalities as they try to cover Abele's shortcomings. You apparently have no issue with Abele wanting to raise the sales tax for a new arena, even though that will have an overall negative impact on the area. Funny thing is I bet you also opposed the sales tax for transit which would have bolstered the economy and also given a reduction in property tax.<br /><br />And as I have pointed out in the post, which you refuse to acknowledge, Abele has been caught lying time and again and using bad math. Remember the more than $3 million in errors in his last budget that had to be fixed.<br /><br />If you really think that Abele or the rest of the plutocracy really cares about you or me, you are grossly mistaken. The question is whether your are sincerely being foolish or simply being duplicitous. capperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08751967312821403092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-16371044839237056642013-12-28T13:51:49.232-06:002013-12-28T13:51:49.232-06:00Defensive as always. The contrast couldn't be ...Defensive as always. The contrast couldn't be greater between you and the Blogging Blue guy. I'll respond last to first. I personally have done rather well under Walker. And therein lies the problem, right? Because a lot of people who consistently vote have done rather well under Walker. In my case, I am one of those Democrats who sees the value in enlarging the whole pie and not just a piece or two - I differ from you in that it seems - so I don't support him. Abele is removing the safety ladder from Milwaukee County families, destroying the purchasing power of a majority of Milwaukee County families which in turn hurts businesses, diminishing women's access to healthcare and destroying their reproductive rights in Milwaukee County? Is he allowing an open pit mine in Milwaukee County in one of it's most pristine natural areas - maybe along the lakeshore? Has he removed a billion from the schools? Has Abele just proposed scrapping the state income tax for a huge sales tax increase? Some perspective Capper. Whether or not, Abele is the solution for Milwaukee County, there is worse happening to the entire state. Tell me Capper, are unions innovative? Do they see themselves as part of the solution and do they offer growth strategies and partner with management to develop new business and retain clients? Do they believe in creating a better whole for everyone versus enlarging a piece or two for themselves? The answer is of course that some do and will survive and others don't so won't. Where do you belong I wonder? Privatization actually can work well as long as government does its job and establishes accountability and oversight. No accountability, the costs go up and problems occur - another reason why I don't support Walker as he drops the ball consistently in this area. The decision to hand over responsibilities to the state, private entities, municipal governments or keep the service and reform it should be based on a number of factors and bad or good examples of past experience are only one of those factors but overall the goal in Milwaukee County should be to shrink the layers of government the residents must fund. Personally I think the entire region should convert to a single regional government but it seems easier to ask for world peace. A part-time and extremely slimmed down Milwaukee County Board saves money two ways - first the savings from going to part-time salaries and no benefits for board members and fewer full-time employees for the administration. Perhaps the Board doesn't have $150kers working for it but the MJS reports today that there is a $100ker there. More importantly a slimmed down board drawn from business people, workers and professionals will possess the skills, desire, and objectivity to problem solve and make the difficult decisions on the size and goals of Milwaukee County government. Lastly, county government cannot run spending like the state or federal governments given how it generates revenues. Austerity is an unfortunate consequence to the lack of foresight among leadership much further back than 15 years ago. The exodus of manufacturing and flight of white families to the burbs should have brought about change 20-30 years ago. Times are very bad for Milwaukee County families and businesses and increasing property tax or sales tax would be the worst possible step. Look Abele is not great but he's not status quo. He's digging into the numbers, trying out alternatives, proposing solutions. Anyone else doing that in the County? Or are you all just grabbing as much of your own as you can, keeping yourselves in place, and convincing yourselves you're indispensable to the taxpayers? Seems like you and your cronies are the real bad guys in this daily Milwaukee County drama you promulgate on Cognitive Dissonance. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-52930532828457860042013-12-28T12:38:53.330-06:002013-12-28T12:38:53.330-06:00Yes, the county is sinking because of the status q...Yes, the county is sinking because of the status quo. But you fail to recognize that the status quo for the past 12 years has been austerity. It is obviously not working, but yet you say let us open the flood gates to more austerity. This makes sense how?<br /><br />You say cut the board's salary, authority and ability to do it's job. How will that save money. As a percentage of the county budget, it is a pittance. And the do not have staff making $150K, like there is in Abele's office. If you were serious about helping the cash strapped taxpayer, one would have thought that is where you would have started.<br /><br />You say abdicate the county's responsibilities to the state or to the municipalities or to a private entity. If you are saying this will save money, you are either grossly misinformed or simply not a serious person.<br /><br />The state took over child welfare in MKE County in 1998. Since their take over,the system is costing $40-$50 million more each and every year, yet is no better - and in many ways worse - than when the county ran it. Furthermore, there has been countless studies and reports showing that privatization is more expensive than keeping things in the public sector. And yes, having 19 agencies doing what was done by one is more expensive, any way you add it up.<br /><br />As for your complaint that I am too focused on workers' rights, let me point out that due to Abele's policies, there has been a number of lawsuits filed against the county. Not only is this costing the taxpayers the cost of the legal representation but it the county keeps losing because what Abele keeps doing is illegal and unconstitutional. How is that saving you money. But the fact that you are expressing your animosity to unions and to workers tells me that you really don't comprehend the problem, much less the solution. <br /><br />You complain about state leaders who are causing damage to Wisconsin families and businesses, but then support Abele for taking the same actions and call for more of it? How does one even try to justify that sort of hypocrisy?<br /><br />Finally, you complain of my "fixation" on Abele. Funny, people said that same thing when I wrote all about Walker most of the time and started to blow off my warnings. How is that working out for you now?capperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08751967312821403092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-41574534619653896512013-12-28T11:44:05.781-06:002013-12-28T11:44:05.781-06:00First let me offer a little constructive criticis...First let me offer a little constructive criticism about how narrow and boring your blog has become. It's "Abele is evil" nearly all of the time. There are pretty serious actions being taken by Wisconsin's leaders to damage Wisconsin families and businesses - you're doing us a real disservice by focusing on this never ending quest for your great white whale. Shockingly, you actually hit upon a very real problem - first class city status. Junk that system and no more separate rules, no more attacking and diverting resources from the one city that arguably needs the most. I made no proposals in my prior comment so now let me suggest that at the very least a part-time county board with fewer supervisors and less administrative bloat would be an appropriate starter measure. Far from costing more, it will cost strapped taxpayers in the county less and bring in members who hold jobs, businesses and professions and possess fresh ideas, perhaps a passion to innovate and reform and who can represent the taxpayers free of the shackles of making their money off those same taxpayers. Start with a stronger crop of county representatives and all manner of improvements are possible. Instead of services cut or defunded to the point they may as well be cut, a strong group of innovative thinkers truly representing the taxpayers may re-cast the responsibility to the state, a city/village, or a private entity or they may choose to reform its objectives and delivery. The net effect of reform and lessening the layers of government feeding off the taxpayers doesn't have to be lower service nor higher costs and there is simply no chance for Milwaukee County to ever find out as long as the status quo is maintained. Your county is sinking. Totally. It's not Abele's fault - I'm no fan, he's under educated with limited professional experience (just like Walker) - but you've let personal animosity blind you to the hopelessness of Milwaukee County's situation. There is no turning back the dial to the way things were in its manufacturing hey day. Your landscape is strewn with generations wallowing in the anguish of poverty, crime, illness and hunger. The only direction must be forward towards freed up resources, reinvestment, re-building, and establishing a new identity, not doubling down on the status quo as you advocate in post after post. I guess it's unsurprising that you and some of your union brethren would rather maintain a laser like focus on your own job descriptions, pay, breaks and benefits. But while you go along as before you are simply institutionalizing brokenness and misery. Milwaukee County is in desperate need of transformation and perhaps Capper, you are simply too invested in your own grudges and pay scale to care. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-61792867307214967222013-12-28T09:21:58.865-06:002013-12-28T09:21:58.865-06:00Wow, nice little Gish Gallop you got going on ther...Wow, nice little Gish Gallop you got going on there.<br /><br />So, you're saying that nineteen bureaucracies will be more efficient and cost effective than one. Right. If you even bothered to think that through before spouting Abele's rhetoric, you would realize how foolish that is.<br /><br />Apparently you have forgotten how the municipalities cried when Abele cut the EMS funding, saying it would raise their taxes or eliminate EMS services for their town. You also seem to have forgotten all the problems they have every time that the library agreement comes up for renewal.<br /><br />What your proposing would raise taxes and cut services to the point that it would make Detroit look like Utopia.<br /><br />Secondly, tell me what other counties in the state has a Class A city, an international airport, a world class zoo, and all the other amenities that Milwaukee does. What's that? There are none? Right! So you're comparison is as feeble as your other argument.capperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08751967312821403092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-16070369269578281222013-12-28T08:04:24.193-06:002013-12-28T08:04:24.193-06:00Actually Abele sounds like the only adult in the r...Actually Abele sounds like the only adult in the room. Hard to see what value Milwaukee government delivers or needs to deliver in an area completely covered by cities, towns and villages. Why should your cash-strapped taxpayers foot the bill for a bloated entity and not wish to trade it in for a more flexible, lean county structure as found in every other county in Wisconsin?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-78878570490956055632013-12-27T12:53:40.613-06:002013-12-27T12:53:40.613-06:00I wish someone would primary this bait-and-switch ...I wish someone would primary this bait-and-switch elitist.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5888314760091661875.post-20919542875176011972013-12-27T12:21:17.333-06:002013-12-27T12:21:17.333-06:00I would love to see a response to this from the Bo...I would love to see a response to this from the Boy Emperor, or from a spokesperson or any kind of designated sock puppet. <br /><br />There's got to be a point where it becomes obvious that "reducing budget costs and saving taxpayer money" is just another name for "strangling government in the bathtub." That benefits no one except the feudal overlords, whose influence would then grow to fill the resulting power vacuum. <br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com