Phil Garthwaite for Wisconsin State Assembly

Letters to the Editor

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:25:00 +0000

Citizens of the 49th have been doing a great job with their support, they are writing letters to the editor to express their feelings. We would like to post a few letters here to let you know what people are thinking.

October 26, 2008
Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my support for re-electing Phil Garthwaite to the 49th Assembly. Phil has worked hard during his first term in office as our “voice for Southwest Wisconsin”, serving on the Transportation Committee, Agriculture Committee, and the Rural Affairs & Rural Economic Development Committee. He has fought to give Wisconsin citizens affordable access to healthcare, appropriate funding for their public schools, safer roads, and fair policies for farms and small businesses. As both my father and father-in-law were veterans of WWII, I appreciate the tremendous support Phil Garthwaite shows for all our veterans.

Unfortunately, a Michigan based special interest group, All Children Matter, has launched a vicious attack on Wisconsin politicians, including Phil Garthwaite, by buying radio time and mailing flyers that are filled with lies and deception. Because of their unethical tactics, this group has already been levied a $5.2 million fine by the bipartisan Ohio Elections Commission and is currently under investigation in Wisconsin.

It is disappointing that rather than distance himself from these types of unethical tactics, Travis Tranel chose to do the same in his campaign flyers. So much for the “positive campaign” he told voters he wanted following the primary election. The last two flyers his campaign sent to my mailbox only slammed Phil Garthwaite and did not say anything about his own issues. Although no statement printed on those flyers said anything about Travis Tranel, they spoke volumes to me. If he was that easily influenced by special interest groups, what would he be like in Madison? Would he be unable to speak his own mind then, too?

Phil Garthwaite ran a positive campaign in 2006 and has continued to do so in 2008. While he has been in Madison working on the issues he promised to make a priority in his 2006 election bid, Phil has not forgotten the people he represents. He was there helping the Village of Bagley clean up after the flood. He was there speaking at the dedication of the Mt. Hope Veterans Memorial. He was there announcing or auctioneering at numerous events and fundraisers throughout the 49th Assembly district. Please join me in supporting a man who is true to his word and true to his roots. Vote for Phil Garthwaite on November 4th!

Sincerely,
Carol Harris
Bagley, WI

Negative Advertising - Got Questions?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:18:00 +0000

This is in regard to your interest in the issue advocacy mailing you received concerning my legislative record during my first term in the Wisconsin State Assembly. I would like to start out by setting the record straight about the vote in the piece of mail you received. The vote that is cited is October Special Session Senate Bill 1. That bill was a 1,625 page document that outlined the entire 2-year 57 billion dollar state budget. A so called “issue advocacy group,” aka special
interest group, from Michigan has pinpointed 2 lines in that bill referring to illegal immigrants. They have now sent out mail to nearly everyone in our district saying I support various entitlements to illegal immigrants. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is true that I did vote for SB-1 and I will tell you why. At the time that SB-1 was proposed there had been a month’s long stalemate about the state budget. There was partisan bickering going on between the Senate and the Republican leadership in the Assembly. The budget was 100 days late when this vote was taken; local governments all over our area were having lots of financial trouble as a result. Local governments and school districts were calling my office and letting me know that if the State Legislature didn’t pass a budget soon there would be serious problems: roads not being taken care of, major cuts to local services like fire, police, garbage, to name just a few. Also if the budget stalemate took too much longer, huge property tax increases were very likely. I wasn’t about to sit by and let our local governments and local tax payers pony up the dough for political bickering in Madison.

Something needed to be done to protect the tax payers so I voted yes in hopes of ending the budget crisis. Now this group has turned a vote I took to save property tax payers millions of dollars into something completely untrue for political purposes.

You might be wondering why this group has decided to get involved in “issue advocacy” against me. Well the group that sent these mailings is named “All Children Matter”. They are a Michigan based big dollar special interest group. The big issue they support is tax payer funding for private schools in big cities like Milwaukee. Well, I have always opposed sending money that should be spent on good public schools in rural areas, to places like Milwaukee. The first
budget proposal from the Republican Majority would have cut state money to schools in our area by about one million ($1,000,000.00) dollars. That would have resulted in a one million dollar ($1,000,000.00) property tax increase for people in our local communities. I voted against their proposal and now they are spreading lies and half-truths about my positions.

Additionally, I co-authored a bill that would have made these outside groups play by the same rules that all candidates need to follow. If my bill had become law this group, All Children Matter, would have contribution limits, so that all of their money couldn’t come from just a few ultra-wealthy supporters. They also would be legally required to publicly say who is paying for these mailings. As it is now, they get to operate in the shadows and don’t need to tell the public
anything about who supports them or why. It is obvious that they don’t want my vote or my bill to stop them from sucking money away from our rural communities into private schools in Milwaukee.

It is interesting to note that All Children Matter was fined $5.2 million dollars in Ohio for illegally funneling money to Republican candidates in 2006. All Children Matter is also currently under investigation by the Government Accountability Board here in Wisconsin for sending illegal literature to voters in Racine County in 2006. All Children Matter has given over $130,000 to Republican legislative candidates in Wisconsin, most of whom oppose reforming the rules that govern these groups, and that support tax payer funding for private schools.

I hope this clears up both my record and gives you an understanding why these groups have decided to distort my legislative record for their own political gain. Thanks again for your interest in getting to the truth about these deceptive mailings.

Rep. Phil Garthwaite, 49th Assembly District
Garthwaite For Assembly
P.O. box 178
Platteville, WI 53818
phil08@philgarthwaite.com
philgarthwaite.com

A Blog Post Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:47:00 +0000

I have had incredibly little time to post on here, but I thought I'd take some time to check in with you.

As we get closer to November 7th, you are starting to hear the fear-mongers peddle their "message." By and large their commercials, phone messages, and newspaper ads are old, recycled cliche's.

"Tax and Spend Democrats." "They'll take your guns." "They want abortion on demand." "They want to take away your rights."

It's the same old, same old with very little original thought.

I had posted before, and will post again;

I SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES!

I SUPPORT THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE AMMENDMENTS ENUMERATED 1-10, INCLUDING THE 2ND AMMENDMENT, THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS.

I'd also like to ask a question. Who has done more to defend the U.S. Constitution? George W. Bush? Or Russ Feingold?

Seems to me that the Bush Administration has done more to strip us of our Constitutional rights than any Democrat. If I were a Republican, I'd be more worried about the Republicans stripping down the 2nd Ammendment than I would any Democrat.

I don't want your gun. I want you to have it. And if you don't have one, but want one, let me know. My mother sells them!

More food for thought:

http://philgarthwaite.com/2006/06/so-where-do-you-stand.html

8 Weeks And Counting

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 16:43:00 +0000

And so it begins...

We've got 8 weeks until the general election. I'm looking forward to the journey. I'll be out and about walking doors and pressing the flesh, so I won't have much time for blogging.

Thank you for your votes last night. Even though I was in an uncontested primary, it was great to see the showing of support. We let the 49th district know that we have had enough and are ready for a change.

Congrats to Ron Kind, Herb Kohl, and Kathleen Falk on their primary victories. I suspect Congressman Kind will be around our district quite a bit in the next 8 weeks. I know he has to take care of business in Washington as well as campaign here, but he is certainly capable of balancing things. Hopefully he and I can work the area a bit together.

Also be sure to give John Simonson all the support you can in his race against Dale Schultz for the 17th Senate seat.

This is an exciting time, and a good deal is at stake. I look forward to the ride. Feel free to come along.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intentions of arriving safely in a well preserved, beautiful body, but rather to skid in broadside, half worn out, all used up, and loudly proclaiming, "Wow! What a ride!"

So Much To Do, So Little Time To Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:10:00 +0000

My apologies to all who have been checking this blog. I have been pounding the pavement and meeting and greeting. That will continue from now through the election. I won't make any more apologies for not blogging, because I am not going to apologize for campaigning. But I'll try to check in now and again.

A few thoughts:

-I've had quite a few people ask about voting in the primary and general elections. You can still register on the same day as you vote. Have your driver's license and/or proof of residence, and you should be fine. Also, they are using new computer equipment, but you can also vote the good, old-fashioned way with a pencil.

-Coming up this week I will be at a couple of candidate forums. The first is at the Arthur Haus in Arthur on Wednesday at 7:30 pm.

-On the 7th, (Thursday) I will be at a forum in Platteville at the City Municipal Building at 7:00 pm.

This weekend we have Platteville Dairy Days and events in Bloomington, Cassville, and Muscoda.

I'll see you around!

Mark Green. Governor/Business Czar/Dictator

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:13:00 +0000

Mark Green recently announced his plans for Wisconsin's business climate. Not surprisingly, he seems to think the answer is for more autonomy. Like his idols in the Bush Administration, he wants more unchecked, non-transparent executive control. Of course, with the stellar job that Congress has been doing dishing out pork and tax breaks to big business, we certainly can trust Mark Green to do a complete 180 if he were governor, right? Not so much. More like a complete 360.

Check out the analysis of Green's "ideas" from Paul Soglin.

http://www.waxingamerica.com/2006/08/green_misses_by.html

Or from Xoff. (Bill Christofferson)

http://www.wisopinion.com/blogs/2006/08/got-jobs-need-money-call-gov-green.html

I think we've had enough of these kinds of self-serving "solutions", don't you?

Busy, Busy, Busy.

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 15:24:00 +0000

I am going to be a bit sporadic on the blog, as I've been out and about quite a bit and not around a computer. I'm probably going to be "bulk blogging" in the future. Maybe every few days I'll drop in a handfull of blogs. That allows me to keep on walking and talking.

The Grant County Fair is coming up in a few days in Lancaster. (23rd-27th) Stop by our booth and have a visit. I look forward to it.

War Profiteers And Local Elections

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 19:11:00 +0000

Have you heard of the group "All Children Matter?" They were pretty active in the 2004 elections in Wisconsin. It sounds like a wonderful organization, doesn't it? I only wish it were true. Here's a brief write up by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign on there activities in '04.

http://www.wisdc.org/ind04issueads.php

Of particular interest is the family behind the group.

This group is headed by Michigan multimillionaire Dick DeVos, whose family
is connected to Amway Corporation. DeVos' wife Betsy served for several years as
the chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Her brother, Erik
Prince, is the founder and owner of Blackwater Security Consulting, the
private tactical training facility providing security forces in
Baghdad. School choice advocate George Mitchell represents the group in
Wisconsin, and has said ACM spent more than $500,000 to influence state
legislative elections in 2004.

DeVos is running for governor in Michigan, so I don't know how active All Children Matter will be this year.

I put in bold the more interesting part dealing with Blackwater security. They have been doing very well for themselves in the Iraq War.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060828/scahill

Government records recently obtained by The Nation reveal that the Bush
Administration has paid Blackwater more than $320 million since June 2004 to
provide "diplomatic security" services globally. The massive contract is the
largest known to have been awarded to Blackwater to date and reveals how the
Administration has elevated a once-fledgling security firm into a major
profiteer in the "war on terror."

But I'm sure they are an honest company doing an honest day's work, right? Ummm...not so much.

A heavily redacted 2005 government audit of Blackwater's WPPS contract proposal,
obtained by The Nation, reveals that Blackwater included profit in its overhead
and its total costs, which would result "not only in a duplication of profit but
a pyramiding of profit since in effect Blackwater is applying profit to profit."
The audit also found that the company tried to inflate its profits by
representing different Blackwater divisions as wholly separate companies.

Surely the government will provide some oversight and get things straightened out, right? Ummm.....not so much.

The WPPS contract awarded in 2004 was divided among a handful of companies,
among them DynCorp and Triple Canopy. Blackwater was originally slated to be
paid $229.5 million for five years, according to a State Department contract
list. Yet as of June 30, just two years into the program, it had been paid a
total of $321,715,794. When confronted with this apparent $100 million
discrepancy, the State Department could not readily explain it. Blackwater's two
years of WPPS earnings exceed many estimates of the company's total government
contracts, which the Virginian-Pilot recently put at $290 million combined since
2000. Six years ago the government paid Blackwater less than $250,000.

Read the article. You'll feel disgusted and ashamed of your government and people like Blackwater Security and "All Children Matter"

Ethics

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 16:17:00 +0000

I recently filled out a survey on ethics that the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign teamed up to present. You should be seeing it in the local papers this week and hearing about it on the radio stations locally as well.

Not surprisingly, Gabe Loeffelholz didn't take the time to address the issue. You'd think being a member of the Jensen 20 would be an incentive for him to want to address the issue of campaign corruption. http://www.wisdc.org/blog/2006/08/ethics-and-jensen-20.html

This gives you a synopsis of the Jensen trial and those whose campaigns were involved in the dirty deeds. Mr. Loeffelholz makes the list. http://homepage.mac.com/oscura/ctd/docs/032206aphahnjemsen.pdf

That's what happens when you blindly follow party leadership. You get lead astray. Whether it is in matters of ethics, policy, or information, the people in the districts pay the price when elected officials choose to put the blinders on and loyally bow to the whims of party leadership rather than thinking and speaking for their constituents.

I think we've had enough of that, don't you?

You Get What You Vote For

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:11:00 +0000

Unfortunately, this is about the only answer I have for people when we talk about the price of gas and the crude oil prices. That's what happens when you vote oil barrons into office. A recent study found that 90% of oil lobbyist money goes to the republican party. Dick Cheney has secret meetings with oil company officials to develop our nations energy policy, while keeping the details under court ordered secrecy. A Supreme Court, mind you, that is a 7-2 republican appointed bench. When it came to appointing the newest justices, Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts, all anyone fixated on was their stance on Roe vs. Wade, the abortion ruling. That's what happens when you fixate on one issue. Nobody seemed worried about their views on corporate powers. Nobody asked about their views that enlarge executive power, giving the President and Vice-President more power than at any time since the Nixon Administration. Nobody, except Russ Feingold, and to a lessor extent Pat Leahy of Vermont, questioned their views on our civil liberties. But I digress.

Back on the topic of oil, I find it simply astounding that BP, the company that just shut down the Alaska pipeline because of a leak, didn't see this coming. 8% of our daily oil supply has been interupted while they work to fix the leak. But they certainly aren't going to be hurting in the pocket book. They shut down the wells. So the oil stays in the ground. Crude oil traders are going to use this as a chance to inflict some irrational emotion into the crude market. So the oil that is in the ground today would sell at $76 a barrel. But if they hold it in the ground and watch the emotion of the market take affect, they could extract that oil at a later time when oil hits $80. They are out nothing.

Politics also plays a role. Big Oil is focusing a huge chunk of change on lobbyists to get ANWAR opened up for drilling. That is the controversial Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve oil drilling boondoggle that Republicans keep pushing for. It fails to attract the needed votes for passage time and time again. And for a good reason. The amount of oil is insignificant to our needs. Any oil extracted would be designated for export to Asia. It would NOT be piped down the the lower 48 states. It would do nothing to ease our dependence on foreign oil. But BP et, al keep pushing for it. Make no mistake about it. The ANWAR debate will come up again as a potential solution to the cracked pipeline problem. But at the end of the day, that dog won't hunt.

Do you think it's time for more renewable fuels standards?

Remember, you get what you vote for!

Playing Chess When The Game Is Checkers

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 13:32:00 +0000

I ran across this article at work this morning.

Got Weeds? USDA's ARS Can Help
Thanks to scientists at USDA's Ag Research Service - weeds won't stand a chance against farmers and ranchers. New technology will help farmers locate and eliminate weed patches. Two methods have been developed to help farmers with site-specific weed management at the ARS Water Management Research Unit at Fort Collins, Colorado - by helping them select the management strategy that's best for targeting weed patches in their fields. A software program - WeedSite - helps farmers predict the results of weed management methods. The WeedSite program uses weed maps of producer fields to calculate the effects of various site-specific weed management practices - providing them with the information they need to make a good decision.

So now we have to have computer software to help us find weeds? Well, in the interest of cutting government spending, I've got a better solution to the problem of finding weeds.

Get Dad mad!

He'll find some weeds for you. Bull Thistles. Canadian Thistles. Ragweed. Giant Ragweed. Cockleburr. Burrdocks. It depends how mad you get him. I'm not one of those guys that will tell you how to do things without having done them myself. So I know this method will work better than any old computer software. Why buy a modem, when a spade will work? Why buy a monitor when a weed chopper will work? Best of all; when they break, you don't need to call a technician. Just grab the welder. When I was a kid we used to have to head to the pasture and wage war against Canada Thistles whenever we got on Dad's bad side. Dad would hand us the "thistle chopper" that he'd picked up at Gasser's True Value for Mom for Mother's Day and order us to combat. It was one of those weed whacker's that had a wooden handle and the metal part at the bottom was a flat piece of metal with serrated edges, about 6 inches long. Kinda like a hockey stick, or a putter with a long, flat blade. Well, we'd whack away, practicing our golf swings, until we confronted a Bull Thistle with a stem as thick as an oak. Undeterred, we'd strike a mighty blow..........and break the blade off!!! With a satisfied smile on our face, we'd head to the barn with pieces in hand, knowing that our thistle cutting was done for the day. Unfortunately, Dad was a step ahead and would give the pieces to my oldest brother, Brian.

Brian was pretty handy with a welder. (I don't think it was by choice. He just figured it was easier to work with fixed equipment. Dad and Grandpa would break it as fast as Brian could fix it, it seemed) Well, he'd take the thistle chopper to the welder, and grab himself a spare section from an old haybine sickle. It was a triangle piece about the size of the palm of your hand with serrated edges. He'd weld that at the base of the blade, not only fixing the chopper, but reinforcing it! Then he'd come into the house where I was no doubt enjoying a popsicle and watching tv, and send me back out. (I sometimes wonder whose side he was on. I think Dad was slipping him a little something under the table)

The moral of the story? Rather than waste government spending on computer software to find weeds, I pledge to cut government spending. If you have weed troubles but don't know where they are, I'll give you the old man's phone number. You call him up, insult him, and he'll head to Gasser's and get you a weed whacker and find your weeds for you. You can handle it from there. I may have to talk to Brian about offering welding services. You better bring your own welder, just in case.

More On Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 15:00:00 +0000

State Senator Judy Robson, a registered nurse from Beloit, offers some insight on the current dismal state of healthcare in this country.

http://wisopinion.com/index.iml?mdl=article.mdl&article=4841

Of interest:

We spend too much money on paperwork and red tape.The billing bureaucracy –
in hospitals, clinics, and insurance companies – takes up far too much of every
dollar spent on health care. We waste too much money on a bureaucracy that
contests whether every pill, every exam, every day in the hospital is justified.
The bureaucracy of our health care system costs $400 million a year. That’s 31
percent of every health care dollar spent in America, compared to 17 percent in
Canada.

And thanks to the Medicare prescription drug bill that the republican congress let the drug companies write:

And it’s getting worse. The new Medicare prescription drug benefit increases
our wasteful spending in two ways. First, the federal government is paying
top-dollar for prescription drugs instead of using its enormous purchasing power
to negotiate lower prices.Second, instead of a simple, efficient model like
Wisconsin’s SeniorCare, the federal government is funneling large amounts of tax
dollars through private insurance plans with high overhead.

We need reform and we need it now. The state legislature had their chances and blew it. It's time for a change!

It's The 4-H Kids Fault

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 15:42:00 +0000

If you follow the news on a regular basis, you've no doubt heard of the controversy involving the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a part-time instructor who believes the 9-11 attacks were an inside job.

Kevin Barrett is a part-time instructor at UW who teaches a course in Islamic studies. Outside of the classroom, he has spoken out about his views on 9-11. The nutshell version is that he believes that the U.S. Government orchestrated it. For the record, I DO NOT share his view. I believe plenty of mistakes were made by our government, but I find Barrett's views go plenty overboard.

I can understand people finding his views outrageous. But I have somewhat of a problem when they want to punish a citizen for his personal views. He doesn't teach them in his classroom. But even if he did, college students have more than enough intelligence to think for themselves. After all, that's what college is supposed to be for, right? College exists to expose students to as many opinions and as much information as possible and allow them to form their own thoughts. The role of college is not to program their thoughts. So to me, this whole deal is much ado about not a heck of a lot.

But getting back to people wanting to punish Barrett for his opinions. I'm not real comfortable with that. But it is downright disgusting that farmers and 4-H kids have to pay the price because somebody wants to exact some revenge. You read that last sentence correctly. Farmers and 4-H kids.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=479531

The Ozaukee County Board has voted to cut funding to the Ozaukee County UW-Extension program in the amount of Barrett's salary as punishment to UW because they didn't punish him by firing him. I'm not making this up.

Ozaukee County Supervisor Joseph Sopko said he plans to contact all 71 other
county boards to urge them to adopt the same resolution.

I think I'm gonna hang out at the Grant County Administration building in hopes that I can be the one who answers the phone when this clown calls.

Sopko co-authored the resolution with Supervisor Joe Dean, of Port
Washington, who was not present at Wednesday's board meeting. The resolution to
cut next year's UW Extension program by $8,427 - the same amount Barrett will be
paid this fall - passed 18-11.

It's for the voters in Ozaukee County to deside, but I'm hoping there will be 18 new board members when the next election is held.

"
We believe a message must be sent to the UW-System and UW-Madison that their
actions represent a gross dereliction of their duty, a blatant disrespect for
this nation, and a misguided and dangerous acquiescence to a fringe 'Blame
America First' theory," the resolution reads.

Last time I checked, 4-H kids and farmers weren't running around "Blaming America First". They've got more important things to worry about.

"The only people who will be harmed by this kind of cut in Ozaukee
County or any other county will be our local 4-H kids, local farmers, local
families, local businesses, local communities," said David Giroux, a spokesman
for UW Extension in Madison.

Giroux questioned the logic of penalizing UW Extension because of a
hiring decision at UW-Madison.

"Kevin Barrett has absolutely no affiliation with University of
Wisconsin Extension. I understand (Sopko's) reaction. It's easy to understand
those feelings. It's harder for us to understand how this is being done to
direct that frustration at those local extension programs when in fact the
person you're frustrated with has no connection to those programs," Giroux
said.
The UW Extension is a separate institution of the UW System.

That's a good point by Mr. Giroux, but right-wing wingnuts have never let truth and logic get in the way of their arguments. In this case, 18 of them didn't.

Several Ozaukee supervisors questioned whether the County Board should even
entertain the resolution.
"It is not appropriate. This resolution does not
pertain to our mission whatsoever," Supervisor Jean Stern of Mequon said.
"It
is germane," Supervisor Dan Becker countered. "We're a voice to look out for our
constituents. It's a way to send a message. I'll be damned if I'm going to let
tax dollars be spent on spewing lies."
At one point, Sopko's voice rose to a
shout as he described his flight home from Afghanistan aboard a plane carrying
coffins of military personnel killed there, as well as some who were
wounded.
"Talk is cheap. This is an opportunity to hit them where it hurts. You're either with Joe Dean and I or you're against us," he
shouted.

If being "with" Mr. Sopko and Mr. Dean means being against farmers and 4-Hers, that makes for a pretty easy decision for me.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, boys.

Role Of Government

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 15:27:00 +0000

So often in campaigns we hear candidates talking about the size of government and whether big is better or smaller is better. In my opinion, they miss the point. It's not the size of government that matters so much. It's the effectiveness and efficiency that matters. Government can be too big, and it can be too small. Big government can be effective or ineffective; efficient or inefficient. Small government can be effective or ineffective; efficient or inefficient. But at the end of the day, society needs government. Good government. Responsible government. We need roads, schools, police, firefighters, etc. Electing people who understand this and act in accordance is vital to society. So it doesn't make sense to elect people who hate government. People who hate their jobs don't do a good job. They treat it with apathy. That makes for an inefficient and ineffective government, regardless of its size.

I ran across an article that talks about this and asks some simple questions.

http://haloscan.com/tb/folkbum/115453798702817375

When you have your car repaired, do you take it to a mechanic who hates
working on cars?

When you go to the Doctor, do you choose one who hates treating
people?

Would you hire a babysitter who hated kids?

Why then do you continue to vote for those who hate government?

To continue to vote these guys into office and expect efficient good
government is to expect the impossible. It is long past time to hire people who
can and want to do a good job.

Saving The Farmland

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 15:41:00 +0000

Seeing farmland being gobbled up for development is an issue that more and more people in rural Wisconsin are getting concerned about each day. Especially when it comes to young and beginning farmers trying to find land to buy for farming. It's because of these concerns that Rod Nilsestuen, Secretary of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection appointed a panel to look into the problem and try to find some workable solutions.

Margaret Krome is a member of the state board of DATCP and also contributes to the Capitol Times newspaper. http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/index.php?ntid=93253&ntpid=0

Of interest:

Not only in southern Wisconsin, but across the state, farmland is being
converted to housing and commercial uses at alarming rates. From 1950 through
the 1990s, Wisconsin lost 24 percent of its farmland, leaving the rest
fragmented and expensive. Forest land also is becoming more fragmented as large
owners sell lots for housing and recreational uses.

Even in 40 years time, 24 percent is a sizable chunk of land. But the question I always ask is, Can you blame a farmer for selling? Krome asks that as well.

So shall we hate farmers for selling out? Farmers whose livelihoods are
vulnerable to extremes of climate and market changes? Farmers whose profession
is one of the nation's most dangerous and who, as small-business owners, must
pay their own health insurance? Farmers who worked hard for years, likely never
made large incomes from farming and count on the added value from the
development potential of their land to secure their retirement?

No? Well, then, let's blame developers, right? They're the ones who
convert the land and make a pretty penny as they do it, right? Alas, it's not so
rational to hate developers either. After all, few developers are so foolish as
to purchase land without a clear market for their housing or commercial
developments. Simply put, housing demand is growing, as our population grows and
people seek second homes.

The report is due out sometime this week, and among the ideas generated:

• Supporting initiatives that advance marketing and agriculturally based
economic development, to help keep farming profitable.
• Updating the
Farmland Preservation Program to improve agricultural planning and zoning,
increase tax credits, and improve the flexibility of local governments to
administer the program.
• Creating a new Working Lands Enterprise Areas
program to foster clustering of active farms and slow farmland conversion.
•
Creating a new purchase of development rights grant program to permanently
preserve selected properties.
• Promoting opportunities to increase land use
density, to use land more efficiently and reduce demand for conversion of
working lands.
• Creating beginning farmer and logger programs.
• Helping
local governments implement working lands programs and educating the public
about them.

Obviously, as Krome notes, these things need to be paid for if implemented. But before we cross that bridge, we'll need to take an in-depth look at the panel's ideas. Some may be feasible, some may not.

As the old song goes, further along we'll know more about it.

Listen To What They Don't Say

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 15:38:00 +0000

As the old saying goes, "the devil is in the details." But what if there are no details?

Congressmen Mark Green, the republican candidate for Governor, has released his "plan" for a state budget should he win election. The problem is, there are very few details. It's one of those "trust me. I have a plan. You don't need to know it, just trust me." type of deals. Sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it? It's very much in line with the Bush Administration's philosophy. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?

Check out this link to a blog that subsequently links to other blogs with breakdowns of what can't be broken down because there are no details. Confused?

Check this out from Xoff: http://www.wisopinion.com/blogs/2006/07/greens-budget-plan-is-no-plan-at-all.html

One more thing. As for the title of this entry, notice that in all of Mark Green's comments, he never brings up TABOR, or TPA. He is a very big supporter of TABOR. So when he talks of cutting spending, his idea isn't to do it with fiscal discipline in Madison. No sir! His idea is to cripple local governments and force the burden on property owners with a TABOR or TPA. Gabe Loeffelholz cast the deciding vote on TPA in the last Assembly session. Think he won't do it again?

A Donut That Doesn't Sit Right

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:58:00 +0000

I'm not talking about a jelly donut. I'm talking about the donut in the Medicare debacle that Congress passed recently.

Check the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/washington/30medicare.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&oref=slogin

This Medicare bill was a pure and simple boondoggle for the drug companies. Fortunately, we have SeniorCare that Governor Doyle got extended, but more needs to be done.

From the Democratic Difference:

We seek an affordable single-payer health care system that provides universal access, promotes preventive health care, and covers prescription drugs, and all physical and mental illnesses.

We support Badger Care, Wisconsin Senior Care, Medicaid and Medicare with prescribed drug and medical device benefits and oppose undercutting Medicare by HMOs and insurance companies.

We favor enhancing programs for the aging and disabled, including subsidized long term in-home or nursing home care.

That's a boondoggle I could stomach!

Putting His Money Where His Mouth Is!

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:42:00 +0000

That would be Senator Russ Feingold.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=478014

From the article:

Unlike any other '08 prospect in his party, his early money is coming mostly from small donors.

In the first half of 2006, the Wisconsin senator raised 62% of his funds from people giving $200 or less..........

In an interview last week, Feingold said raising his money in small donations was in keeping with his past Senate races, his belief that it's healthy for the political system...........

Sounds like a man of the people to me.

More Ideas On Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 17:23:00 +0000

There are far too many people in this state and country without health and medical coverage. There are just as many with inadequate or partial coverage. It's a problem that leads to a lot of talk, but very little action. Most agree it is a problem, but as an opinion piece in the Wisconsin State Journal notes, there are just as many opinions on what to do as there are people without insurance. They bring up a pretty good point. Do we really need a one-size-fits-all national coverage plan? Or can we have the federal government work with states to come up with solutions that fit each state's individual needs?

Russ Feingold and Tammy Baldwin would seem to favor that approach.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/index.php?ntid=92691

Not mentioned in the article is the fact that Ron Kind has also been working on this idea.

I believe it can be done. It will take working together with state and federal governments. With the relationships I've developed with Congressman Kind and Senator Feingold, I don't see working with them being a problem.

It will also take strong bi-partisan work at the state level to develop a program that works for Wisconsin. If you keep up with my blog, you know my feelings on Health Savings Accounts. In a nutshell, I view them as a band-aid being applied to a hemorrhage. They may help a little, but they are by no means the silver bullet. Having said that, a state plan could incorporate health savings accounts for those few who would benefit from them. Other options could be incorporated for the majority of people who will not benefit from the health savings accounts.

Putting this idea on the table for discussion in Madison would be a great start. It's too bad the past and current legislature didn't see fit to try. It's time for a change.

School Finance

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 19:15:00 +0000

If you've read the newspapers, heard the radio interviews, or talked to me face-to-face, you've no doubt heard me bring up the current crisis our school districts face when it comes to school finance reform. I've mentioned many times that John Simonson, who is running for the State Senate (17th district) does a far better job of articulating the problem and potential solutions than I do. Since I don't speak for John, I figure I can let you see firsthand what he is thinking in regards to school finance.

http://www.johnsimonson.com/documents/k12fin.htm

When you see John, make a point to talk to him about the issues. He's a very bright man, to say the least. We'll do well having him elected to the Senate.

In Case You Haven't Heard

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 21:20:00 +0000

I picked up a pretty significant endorsement.

http://wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=67469

As the release mentions, Senator Feingold and I share the same desire to clean up government and restore accountability. I am appreciative of the fact that he recognizes that and took the time to check out our campaign and liked what he saw and heard.

Also, for those of you who pay attention to the Assembly races in neighboring districts, (or live in one) you have to like what is happening in the 51st district. Steve Hilgenberg is making an awful lot of noise. I've had the pleasure to visit with Steve a few times, and I can see why he is getting such great support. He is definitely worthy and will be a great statesman. Check out Steve's website if you have time. www.SteveHilgenberg.com

Good News For Dairy Farmers

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 13:47:00 +0000

Governor Jim Doyle and his cabinet were in Grant County yesterday for a number of events. One of which was a press conference at Tom and Connie Kunkel's family dairy farm near Cuba City. (Their 3 girls were on hand as well. Very impressive family).

The Kunkels expanded their herd by gutting out their stanchion barn and putting in a parlor. They did quite a bit of work themselves, and received a Grow Wisconsin Dairy Initiative grant to help out. They won't be the only ones, as the Governor announced an additional $860,000 in federally funded grants for Wisconsin's dairy industry.

Courtesy of the Wisconsin Ag Connection:

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.cfm?Id=879&yr=2006

In addition, Doyle announced some help for dairy producers who are struggling to get medical coverage. They now will have a better chance at qualifying for BadgerCare Plus.

Also courtesy of Wisconsin Ag Connection:

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.cfm?Id=878&yr=2006

This plan needs federal approval, so it isn't a slam dunk, but Doyle indicated that he didn't see federal approval being too difficult.

These are the kinds of things we need to see from state government. Partnerships that foster economic growth are vital to the health of rural Wisconsin. Expanded access to healthcare is vital to our well being. The job is far from over, but at least the Governor and Rod Nilsestuen, the state Ag Secretary, are on task. Sure beats obsessing over trivial things designed to pander to a political base, as the current state legislative leaders are doing.

What Do You Think?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 15:02:00 +0000

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "I don't care what people think, I only know what they ought to think."

Unfortunately, that seems to be the attitude of those in leadership positions both in Madison and Washington D.C. Ideology has taken over where reality should reign supreme. We saw it with President Bush and his veto of embryonic stem cell research. The far right neo-con mindset is one of telling what to think rather than asking you what you think and then acting upon it. Not exactly what our founding fathers had in mind. They had that silly notion that government is to be "of the people, by the people, for the people" Today's "leadership" seems to find that notion to be something of an inconvenience.

I'll expand upon this thought later. I am rolling up the sleeves and getting ready to head to Platteville this evening to meet with Governor Doyle and his cabinet at the Strawberry Festival. I'm gonna tell them what I think, and I'll not settle for them telling me what I ought to think.

ENOUGH!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 15:20:00 +0000

If you grab the paper or go online for your state news, you can't go through one day without hearing about this candidate or that candidate taking money from a sleazy outfit or getting it illegally or unethically. It is getting to the point that every dollar donated is being accused of being dirty. All that does is muddy the water to where the real dirty money is lumped in with the legitimate money and is that much harder to distinguish.

So let's get rid of all this dirty money talk by cleaning up our elections. This is a rehash of an earlier edition, but for those of you who may have missed it, check out this group.

http://www.wicleanelections.org/

Tip Of The Cap

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Garthwaite) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 15:15:00 +0000

A tip of the cap to the folks who put on another successful Blakes Prairie Jr. Fair in Bloomington. The Combine Demolition Derby was a smashing success. Pun intended. They went from 3 entrants last year to 14-15 this year. (I never did an actual count) The crowd was over flowing with young and old enjoying the show. Great job, Bloomington!