If You Want Me To Vote For Obama

I have no intention of being a Republican for Obama, unless I get my way on one thing: we, as a nation, tear up the race card.

Make me a solemn promise that we can stop talking about the minority of white people who have a true problem with black people, so that we can focus on issues that have skyrocketed past racism on the list of problems facing black America. If you do that, I'm willing to take four or eight years of almost anyone as president. I don't expect to agree with Mr. Obama on anything. I expect that many of the choices he'll make aren't going to be good for me, but I'd be willing to take a chance if it meant that we could all stop walking on eggshells and get serious for once.

If I vote for Obama, can we stop blaming race by default? Can we stop worrying about the racial makeup of the prisons and focus on who did what to put them there? Can we start talking about family and the importance of education? Can we just knuckle down for once and get things done? Can I stop feeling unwelcome in certain parts of town, and also stop feeling guilty about it later on? Can we just get over it? Can't we all just get along?

"Thanks for wearing pants."

President Bush hosted the World Series champ Boston Red Sox at the White House on Wednesday, and he was really on his game.

Bush noted the pitching of Japanese player Daisuke Matsuzaka, known as Dice-K. His presence drew a huge number of Japanese reporters.

“His press corps is bigger than mine,” Bush said. “And we both have trouble answering questions in English.”

Who's the dark horse for next year's college football champ?

Well that's interesting.

Admittedly, speculating in late February which teams will play for a championship in early January is an invitation to be mocked, harassed and badgered.

...But those who like to look for a solid pick with good odds, those who always are seeking the team flying just under the radar and those who love to bet on the dark horse should not forget a certain successful team in the Big Ten.

...That team is not Ohio State.

Again, this may be an invitation to be badgered, but upon close inspection, beware of Wisconsin in 2008.

Get it? Badgered?

JS Bach's Second Brandenburg Concerto

William F. Buckley Jr. the founder of National Review Magazine and it can be argued the founder of the modern conservative movement passed away today. He was around 83 years of age.

Modern Conservatism owes William F. Buckley Jr. much. It was due to his efforts that conservatism did not wither and die, it was due to his efforts that conservatism took a turn away from the nuttiness of the Cult of Rand (don't read too much into this, Ayn Rand has some good ideas but many who follow her philosophies too closely seem more cult members than anything else) or into the fluoride paranoia of the John Birch Society (neighbors of mine, The Empress and I live perhaps five blocks from their headquarters). William F. Buckley made it acceptable for people to differ on whether it was appropriate to jib or tack, just so long as the overall course of the sailboat was headed in the right direction. William F. Buckley Jr. was conservative before conservative was cool.

My first encounter with William F. Buckley Jr. was on the TV on Chestnut St. in Platteville just as I was coming out of a college trendy leftism spell. I see the commercial and hear him pitch his magazine with the allegro assai movement JS Bach's Second Brandenburg concerto in the background (IIRC). The advertisement also featured Tom Selleck pitching the magazine. I subscribed to the magazine and have pretty much been a steady subscriber since then (though at the moment I just don't have the time for it) and when I do get it and have the time it is read from cover to cover.

A couple of years ago browsing a thrift store I found one of his books in the used section. I purchased it and much to my delight, I found the book had been signed by William F. Buckley Jr. I got home excited and was started to work on a letter asking for a specimen of his signature so I could confirm the signature was his, but alas, that letter is still on my file-system.

In honor of the harpsichordist I present to you the allegro assai from JS Back's Second Brandenburg Concerto:


X-posted at the Blogger Beer.

Re: When you buy Jim Doyle

There are claims to the title Hollywood North, but how many places can claim to be the next Hollywood Upper Midwest? After signing the requisite Wisconsin paperwork earning them $3.9 million in tax credits, of course.

Thank you, Diamond Jim! Who says he can't be generous to the taxpayer?

CP with pic @ GMC.

William F. Buckley Jr.

Kathryn Jean Lopez informs us:

...William F. Buckley Jr., died overnight in his study in Stamford, Connecticut.

See William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008) in The Corner for the full (but short) announcement. No doubt, there will be much written of him in the near future.

Badger Bites to Return Next Week

The regular BBA feature Badger Bites has been absent/inconsistent the last couple of weeks because of a non-blogging project I'm working on. My apologies. I expect to bring the feature back next week.

When you buy Jim Doyle damn it he stays bought.

I wonder how it feels to wake up every morning and look in the mirror and know you are nothing more than a bought and paid for whore.

Well Jim Doyle can tell us all about it can't he.

Hey remember it is never about what is good for the kids, it is what is good for the WEAC and their members.

Sucks to be a tax payer in Wisconsin, we are always last in line when it matters, there is always someone more important than us silly tax payers for state government to listen too, be it road builders or the School Nazis of WEAC.

Just try not to laugh the next time a WEAC member tries to tell you they actually care about educating children. Must be hard to say that with a straight face.

WSB Chris

I may have to start watching Saturday Night Live again...

...just in case they show more stuff like this:



God it's funny when politicians make fun of themselves.

Gold Star Mother speaks to Berkeley City Council

Everybody remembers the Berkely City Council's actions against the U.S. Marine Corps, right? Telling the Marines they weren't welcome in Berkeley, encouraging anti-war activists to "impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley."

I got this in my inbox: a Gold Star Mother telling the council that they're a bunch of jerks.

The council did back away from its previous stance afterwards.

When do you suppose Ed Garvey will weigh in?

Mike McCabe? Dave Zweifel?

It's shameful. Shameful how Obama bought the election in Wisconsin.

Obama spent five times more on television ads than Hillary Clinton, and more than twice what all the other campaigns (including the two Republicans) spent combined. The four candidates spent about $2.1 million to air more than 8,000 spots, according to the report.

Specifically, Obama spent $1.5 million to air 6,000 ads, while Clinton spent about $300,000.

Hat tip to Owen.

Irony Alert

McCain wants out of the public financing system.

Kinda makes you wish Feingold had stayed in the race, huh?

Ethanol & Cents Per Mile

I have run two tanks of E0 or E10 through Cornholio now.

Which one do you think I find cheaper in terms of cents per mile?


I'll let you all vote & discuss and then I will pick this up again.

Corn Ethanol Facts

I'm not even going to comment on this piece. Just go there and read it, because after you're done you'll have a lot of facts at your disposal the next time your state government tries to shove through an irresponsible ethanol mandate.

As an incentive to go read the piece at the link, I'm going to leave you with the author's parting words:

Are we just one drought away from $10 corn or are we just one drought away from famine?

And all this in exchange for an insignificant amount of petroleum and subject to the fickleness of Mother Nature!

The more I learn about ethanol, the more I believe that our current government policies are leading us down the path of disaster.

Who voted for "Uninstructed Delegate?"

According to WTMJ's website, 1,710 voters statewide - 860 Democrats and 850 Republicans - marked the box for "uninstructed delegate."

That means they voted to send a delegate to the National Convention able to vote for whomever he/she wants.

So: nearly two thousand people bundled themselves up, went out in really cold weather, brushed off the car, started it up, shivered their way to the polls, and waited in line, all so they could vote for...nobody.

What, there wasn't anything on the tube last night?

But everybody I know voted for Hillary!

Geez, what a blowout. Obama 57%, Clinton 42%.

He won just about every demographic. And almost every county.

So much for that massive conservative crossover vote. I think Democrats are making a big mistake, and not because I think Obama's more beatable. But, maybe the Democratic Party really is that unserious.

Oh, and it was McCain over Huckabee, 54 to 37.

Yeah, what she said.

Amanda Carpenter on why Clinton is less dangerous than Obama:

At least Clinton is power-hungry enough to cut deals occasionally, like her husband did with welfare reform, to keep her approval ratings up.

I finally figured out who Obama reminds me of

Today driving home from the Deli I heard another one of Obama's radio ads all about feelings and hope blah blah blah short on ideas and it hit me who reminds me of.


Jimmy Carter.

Like Carter he brings no real experience or back ground that will make him a good president. Carter said he would not lie to us and Obama keeps saying he will bring back hope.

Does anyone remember what the Carter years were like? Sucks to be us.

I honestly think Obama is going to win the Dem nomination and win in November and I shudder to think of how naive babe in the woods is going to screw things up just like Carter did.

Now I do not think Clinton or McCain would be all that much better but I am sorry the Carter vibe I am getting off of Obama is actually pretty scary and depressing.

But then again the American people get the government they deserve so if they elect Obama they will have earned what ever shat sandwich they end up eating

Shame there wasn't someone left in this election worth voting for.

On that cheery note I will bid you all good day and go fire up my snow blower

speaking of snowblowers did you know Obama is going to solve that global warming problem too with hope lol.

WSB Chris

Crossover is the name of the game

Last week we rolled back out our Wisconsin Primary poll. Mitt Romney was the heavy favorite amongst readers of this blog then, but since Romney's departure from the race things have changed quite a bit. It looks like our readers will be crossing over to the Democrats' primary in droves, and they'll be voting for the candidate they see as most beatable in the general election: Hillary Clinton.


John McCain..............................................16%
Mike Huckabee..........................................6%
Hillary Clinton............................................42%
Barack Obama...........................................18%
A candidate no longer in race..................14%
Not voting...................................................4%
Other...........................................................0%

Re: HSAs = More Government

Can you guys stand a really long post about the comments to another post?

Good.

Yesterday, in this post, I pointed out the irony of Jack Lohman's support for single-payer health care, when he argues against HSAs, because "...we certainly don't need another bureaucracy to protect the public."

Jack says I'm twisting his words. So. Just to be fair, I've pulled the appropriate comments out and left them here for your perusal.

Lohman first wrote:

You assume that it is catastrophic coverage and the company is not going to bail out (read that; cancel your contract) when you get really sick and you need it. They are already doing that today (ask Blue Cross for details)...When your money runs out and *they* have to start paying, you are in trouble.

I countered:

Insurance of any kind – not just health insurance, and certainly not just HSAs – is a pay-first, receive-later business. The possibility exists that a business might take your money now and not pony up their end when you need it. Just ask seniors and near-seniors who are concerned about losing future Social Security and Medicare benefits.

That’s why we have things like DATCP and the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, to give people some protection.

This part of Jack's response seems to apply:

At least Medicare doesn’t need the added bureaucracy of the DATCP and the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to protect its beneficiaries. I get sick, I get care, and the caregiver gets paid.

Then he quoted this story as proof (although it isn't) and wrote:

"New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will sue UnitedHealth Group and subpoena 16 other insurers to investigate reimbursement practices that allegedly cheated customers out of hundreds of millions of dollars."

HSAs are just an extension of standard insurance plans. No thank you.

I replied:

Jack, that story doesn't mention HSAs. In fact, the examples they use sound more like comprehensive-type plans.

Point being: if a company is going to be dishonest, they'll be dishonest. HSAs are no more likely to be targets of that dishonesty than any other type of plan. You're better off making that argument about insurance in general than about one specific type.

Now, here's Jack's money quote (emphasis added):

But they never seem to mention Medicare as cheating their patients, do they?

Medicare is not perfect, and I've written much about that. See http://tinyurl.com/2hzj65

But we certainly don't need another bureaucracy to protect the public. And HSAs are just an extension of current insurance plans.

Then, on BBA, I wrote:

That's right, this champion of single-payer "universal" health insurance doesn't like HSAs because they'll create "another bureaucracy."

And Jack commented that he didn't say that, and I shouldn't twist his words.

I don't think I did twist his words - I think I responded to an irony in his argument.

As far as Medicare goes: maybe Medicare itself doesn't "cheat" its "customers," but is there really any difference, if the government cuts back on service because of cost? That's what happens in "universal" health care systems.

Anyway, go ahead and judge for yourselves.

Perspective on Corn Ethanol

Ever wonder how much corn we grow for fuel, not food? A lot.

The pending global food crisis is due, in part, to a rich twist of irony: One of the factors driving up the price of T-bone steak, a dozen eggs and a carton of milk is a perfectly edible vegetable, a staple of many diets - corn.

To add to the irony, we're growing more corn than ever before. We're just not eating it.

"The U.S. is now using more corn for production of ethanol than our entire crop in Canada," says Kurt Klein, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Lethbridge. "It's huge."

And it is going to get bigger. In 2000, world production of ethanol totalled 20 billion litres. In 2007, world production climbed to 60 billion litres. In the month of January alone, six billion new litres of ethanol were produced in the U.S., Mr. Klein says.

God help us all if we have a sustained drought here in the corn belt.

(Cross posted at Jiblog)

Vote Hillary!

NRO's Jim Geraghty points to a poll showing Clinton within 4 points of Obama here in Wisconsin - probably within the margin of error, or close - with 14% undecided.

He later links to this one, too, on WisPolitics, showing Clinton within 5 points of Obama, 11% undecided, margin of error +/-5%.

I'm on record hoping Clinton pulls it out, and not just because I think it would be funny. I'll argue for Clinton - for the Democrats' nomination - both from a conservative standpoint and a liberal one.

Are progressives trying to bribe Barack Obama?

I neglected to say anything about this post over at Fighting Bob a few days ago:

Last night 250 supporters of Barack Obama came to the progressive party at Madison's Majestic Theatre. They gave more than $6,000; heard and danced to great music from VO5, and, had fun! Peg Lautenslager started the program and she warmed up the joint for John Nichols, Joe Parisi and the star of the evening, Congresswoman Gwen Moore. Gwen was on fire.

But what about this "People's Legislature" pronouncement from a few years ago:

At the Milwaukee People's Legislature on Saturday, the group enthusiastically argued that "contributions" or "gifts" to candidates or incumbents should be labeled as "bribes."

They should all be ashamed of themselves.

HSAs = More Government?

Over at my place, Jack Lohman and I have been arguing about Health Savings Accounts. He doesn't like them.

I won't go through all his arguments, but one in particular one got my irony meter going. He argues that insurance companies will simply refuse to pay up, once the deductible is spent.

I counter that this is possible with any type of insurance, not just HSAs, and that's why we have government regulators like the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

Say what you want about such government functions, but it's true.

Jack's response to that:

...we certainly don't need another bureaucracy to protect the public.

That's right, this champion of single-payer "universal" health insurance doesn't like HSAs because they'll create "another bureaucracy."

OH, AND BY THE WAY: I know some of you guys draw more comments on posts about your laundry schedule, but that post of mine set a comment record for me. Thirteen.

Re: A Salt Question

I wasn't able to post photos here today. Instead, I'll provide this link to my photographic report on the salt situation.

The Magic 8-Ball says: Outlook not pretty.

The Latest Ethanol Mandate

Cross-posted at THEB.

We blogged about yet another attempt by clueless legislators to ram an ethanol mandate down the throats of Wisconsin residents as a sop to the well-heeled and well-financed campaign contributors from the ethanol industry.

The latest pair of boobs (apologies to real pairs of boobs) are state Sen. Pat Kreitlow and state Rep. Scott Suder.

Kreitlow is the guy who said earlier this week that if it weren’t for Charlie Sykes and Mark Belling, Wisconsin would already have had a statewide mandate for ethanol. Actually, he’s only partially right. It isn’t talk radio and bloggers that has stopped repeated attempts from the ethanol whores to impose their will on the people of Wisconsin.

It’s people like you who contacted their senators and representatives and told them not just “No!” but “Hell No!”

It’s time now to contact Sen. Kreitlow and Rep. Suder and give them that not-so-subtle message again. Here’s how to get in touch with them:

Sen. Pat Kreitlow (Democrat)
Room 10 South
State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, Wis. 53707
Telephone: (608) 266-7511 Or (888) 437-9436
Fax: 608-267-6794
Email: Sen.Kreitlow@legis.wisconsin.gov

Rep. Scott Suder (Republican)
Madison Office
Room 324 East
State Capitol
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, Wis. 53708
Telephone: (608) 267-0280 Or (888) 534-0069
Fax: (608) 282-3669
Email: Rep.Suder@legis.wisconsin.gov

Contact them and ask them: “What part of ‘No!’ don’t you understand?” and remind them they work for the people of the state of Wisconsin, not the fat cat lobbyists walking through the state Capitol handing out $100 bills in plain brown wrappers.

A salt question

I've wondered about this every winter of my life when I've read about cities/counties running out of road salt in Wisconsin: Why? Everybody in this state knows that we have a lot of variance in our winter weather. Some winters are very mild and communities do not have to exhaust their salt supplies. Other winters are more severe, and the need for salt exceeds supplies/budgets. Why aren't communities figuring out an average salt supply and sticking with that year after year? Excesses from mild winters can then carry over until more severe winters. Are our communities really that poor at road salt management that they squander their entire yearly supply, regardless of need?

New poll, same as before

You've seen this before. A couple of weeks ago, we asked this exact same question. With the changes in the field and the Wisconsin Primary upon us, what will you do now?

If Wisconsin's primary was held today, what would you do?
	Vote for John McCain
	Vote for Mitt Romney
	Vote for Mike Huckabee
	Vote for Hillary Clinton
	Vote for Barack Obama
	Vote for a candidate no longer in the race
	I'm fed up, so I'm not voting
	Other (Say what in the comments to this post)
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Badger Bites Valentine's Day Edition

Peter has a crush on Michelle. It's all about freedom of speech, uh huh.* And don't forget some Charlie lovin'!

Todd considers Doyle's "impassioned plea."

Kathy wins my heart by pulling the curtain on those stinking cheating Pats. Hell hath no fury, &cetera! Go, Kathy!

Paul celebrates hero-worship. For FireJoeMorgan.com and The Office. His bonus post is a riot of not-so-much Shakespeare-to-his-Fair Lord affection. C'mon, you can respect Paul's ultimate price for buyout.

Patrick McIlheran at WiDigest makes a plea for marriage, in the name of economics.

Unromantically, flashy wants a divorce with a "no handout" settlement.

Ben endures hardship for Obama, then defends McCain's Hundred Year's War. Kind of. With pretty pictures! Grumps opines Obama from afar. Or at least as far as Evansville. Which leads us to the topic of - what else? - the war. Meanwhile, Althouse experiences Obama Angst.

Jib sings a song of love gone wrong. And never uses the word 'pimping,' not even once*.

Lastly, I blog, blog, blog V-Day.

*Disclaimer: I blogged freedom-of-speech deathwatch too; and I blogged the pimpin'.

Duh

NOW can we start blaming deadbeat dads?

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2008) — Active father figures have a key role to play in reducing behaviour problems in boys and psychological problems in young women, according to a review published in the February issue of Acta Paediatrica.

Ethanol bill blocked again

Just got a heads up from Jay Weber, the ethanol bill that won't die has been blocked again.

Jay includes:

Steve Nass of Whitewater, one of the good guys who opposed this, says "I am convinced that the overwhelming opposition from citizens and gas station owners played a role in stalling the mandate."

I don't expect that the fight is over, but we have won another battle in this war against stupidity.

MillerCoors considers a neutral city

From JS Online's NewsWatch:

A headquarters for the combined operations of Miller Brewing Co. and Coors Brewing Co. will probably land somewhere other than the Milwaukee or Denver areas, Coors Brewing Chairman Peter Coors says.

Pete Coors, chairman of Golden, Colo.-based Coors Brewing, made those comments in a Rocky Mountain News article published today.

"There's a fairly strong sense a neutral site would be important," said Coors, who will be the non-executive chairman of MillerCoors LLC. "If you pick one city over another, people in the other city will say, 'They're running the deal.' I don't think that's particularly healthy."

Given this news, I think there is only once city that makes sense for the new headquarters: Chippewa Falls. I, for one, think a mini skyscraper would fit in perfectly in that town, and we all know that Leinie's is the most important brand in their portfolio, anyway.

What's Missing?

It seems to me that we've had almost every type of snow this winter: the powdery balls, slush that freezes on contact into a crusty layer, big flakes, light dusting, relentless dumping, and clumps.

If we get needles and thunder snow, I think we've covered them all.

A quick thought about Wisconsin Politics and our friends on the left

Update: Welcome Folkbum readers(look Jay I did not swear at them I have grown and Jib said he would was my mouth out with soap lol)The fact that Jay linked to this tells me I hit closer to home than I thought ;)

I had this great thought on the Beach this weekend I guess not being cold got my brain working again.

Since now all of a sudden the Wisconsin Democratic primary actually matters(On the Right it has been a waste of time for months)

My question was and is which side Obama or Hillary will benefit from all the Voter Fraud the left in Wisconsin is known for?(save me your denials we all know you are some ballot box stuffing Mothers)

I mean right now the Democratic party is on the rocket sled to open civil war as the Obama insurgents battle the Hillary Party Machine. So my guess is only one will benefit from the fraud we know is coming but who. I believe it will be Hillary she is the Party Machines "Man"

So all of you Obama supporters welcome to our world where the buses of voters will show up at the polls at 7:30pm full of "voters" and since Jim Doyle and Tom Barrett have done nothing but fight the efforts for things like voters needing official ID you are screwed. If the machine decides to cheat for Hillary you Obama boys and girls will not be able to stop them.

Put that in your Latte and drink it :) Bwahahahahahahahaha.

Its funny when it happens to someone you do not like lol

WSB Chris

Notice to Posting BBA Members

I need you to visit the Backroom (link to the right & at bottom of posting member list) to proffer you opinion on a proposal I am making.

Thanks
MA

It's about criminals, isn't it?

I agree with Eugene Kane.

It is not often that I say that, but today it is at least partial true.

In today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Eugene Kane writes:

Who's behind prison walls affects us all

Kane is correct in this statement.

In this state, no different in every other state, we want criminals behind bars.

After all, prison should be about criminals, right?

We want our criminals locked up and away from all of our communities.

Of course, if you continue to read the article beyond the title, that is where Kane and I disagree.

Most of us do not care what color the criminal's skin is.

White, black or hispanic, it does not matter- if they are criminals, then lock them up and keep them away from our families.

It is just that simple.

Having criminals behind bars does affect us all.

Having sexual predators behind bars does affect us all.

Having drug dealers behind bars does affect us all.

You get my point.

More and more we see that our criminal justice system in Wisconsin is no longer about criminals but about the communities that are sending them there.

Why should our communities have to apologize for sending criminals to jail?

Our communities should not have to apologize for sending a white criminal, a black criminal or a hispanic criminal to jail.

It is time our criminal justice system returned it's focus to the criminals

Saturday's Music February 2, 2008

Comes from this week's birthday composer.

Without doubt you know many of this man's works, in fact this composer being born in 1932 is still alive. If you have ever stepped into a movie theater especially the blockbuster movies of our era you have heard his works.

He wrote the theme for a movie and that movie became the highest all time grossing box office hit until another movie came out two years later. John Williams also wrote the theme for that movie. What were the movies? Jaws and Star Wars.

The You Tube for tonight's Saturday's Music however comes from neither movie, but a big hit none the less. The music is very heroic which indeed befits Indiana Jones!

I hope you enjoy this rendition of the Theme From Indiana Jones a work by John Williams:

Ethanol Boosts Greenhouse Gases

Jo Egelhoff brought this link to our attention in the comments to a previous post on ethanol. Given our elected representatives' continued insistence on forcing ethanol upon us all with AB 682, I think a few excerpts from the New York Times article are appropriate.

Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these “green” fuels are taken into account, two studies being published Thursday have concluded.

The benefits of biofuels have come under increasing attack in recent months, as scientists took a closer look at the global environmental cost of their production. These latest studies, published in the prestigious journal Science, are likely to add to the controversy.

Wonder why ethanol interests want to shove this through? Perhaps it has something to do with that increased scrutiny.

Together the two studies offer sweeping conclusions: It does not matter if it is rain forest or scrubland that is cleared, the greenhouse gas contribution is significant. More important, they discovered that, taken globally, the production of almost all biofuels resulted, directly or indirectly, intentionally or not, in new lands being cleared, either for food or fuel.

“When you take this into account, most of the biofuel that people are using or planning to use would probably increase greenhouse gasses substantially,” said Timothy Searchinger, lead author of one of the studies and a researcher in environment and economics at Princeton University. “Previously there’s been an accounting error: land use change has been left out of prior analysis.”

These plant-based fuels were originally billed as better than fossil fuels because the carbon released when they were burned was balanced by the carbon absorbed when the plants grew. But even that equation proved overly simplistic because the process of turning plants into fuels causes its own emissions — for refining and transport, for example.

I'm a doubter of man made global warming, but a lot of you out there are not, and if you think I'm wrong for doubting, then this should really upset you. And still, your representatives, Republican and Democrat alike, want to force more ethanol use and production on you. These mandates will not allow you to make your own economic or green decisions on the matter.

But, you ask, how does a little extra corn grown in Wisconsin make any difference? Well, here's how:

Likewise, Dr. Fargione said that the dedication of so much cropland in the United States to growing corn for bioethanol had caused indirect land use changes far away. Previously, Midwestern farmers had alternated corn with soy in their fields, one year to the next. Now many grow only corn, meaning that soy has to be grown elsewhere.

Increasingly, that elsewhere, Dr. Fargione said, is Brazil, on land that was previously forest or savanna. “Brazilian farmers are planting more of the world’s soybeans — and they’re deforesting the Amazon to do it,” he said.

This would seem to be a prime example of the slogan "Think Globally, Act Locally," don't you think? Opposing ethanol mandates, while not necessarily opposing ethanol completely, would seem to be one, maybe the only, common cause between environmentalists on the left and some of us on the right who are concerned about other effects of a mandate.

LOL Hillary

Re: A Small Case for Optimism

Yup.

Re: A small case for optimism

Lance,

Your observations means it will be sometime before the court shifts decidedly to the left. However, we on the right are on the advantage here. If we manage to win the presidency and hold level in senate (or improve) then the next administration can have a couple of supreme court nominations.

A small case for optimism

In light of my previous post on Supreme Court Justices, it's only fair that I also point out: the three youngest members on the Court are Thomas, Alito, and Roberts.

Wheeee!

Tag, you're it.

Okay. Just published not one, but two columns next door.

The first one is actually something I wrote for the Tomah Journal (published today), in response to editor Steve Rundio's column of January 21.

Steve is a native Barabooian whose brother and family lived right next door to mine for a little while. I appreciate him letting me respond.

His editorial was a sorta-response to something I wrote back in March, which was itself a response to something that appeared in the Journal earlier that same month.

So I guess...tag.

Plus, an Extra Friday Bonus: a once-in-a-blue-moon second column of the day.

Yes, let's sit out the election if McCain is the candidate.

Or, maybe...

Current ages of U.S. Supreme Court Justices: 87, 74, 71, 71, 69, 68, 59, 57, and 53.

Those oldest two? Stevens and Ginsburg.

Whom do you suppose President Obama will choose to replace them?

Badger Bites

Southern Wisconsinites tonight are nursing their sore backs. Meanwhile, Northern Wisconsinites are enjoying a little schadenfreude as their snowblowers rest in their garages. Northern or Southern, the internet is never snowbound, so enjoy tonight's trip around the Badgersphere.

-Patrick points to a new tool coming down the road for taxpayers.

-"The Church" as seen from the eyes of a Protestant.

-Wigderson wanders out on a limb and finds a VeeP candidate.

-Super delegates, super headache.

-Nostalgic for the Capital Times.

-Fraley looks at the advertising trends behind the deaths of dailies.

-Never say never?

-A lefty government in Australia displays fiscal sanity.

-Fred starts a movement to keep the death tax dead.


And a note to BBA members: I'm probably going to need a 'Bites' substitute on both Monday and Thursday next week.

Re: Ethanol & Competitve Disadvantage

Marcus, I had the pleasure of attending a speech by a gentleman from the Heartland Institute last year. His talk was largely on ethanol, and it was an enlightening session. If my memory serves me, he saw the future of ethanol production being cellulosic in nature. One of the highlights of, say, switch grass was that it could be grown in soils in the southeast that he said were salty and not capable of producing many food crops. Also, a crop like switch grass can create much more stock per acre in a year than corn can. He also discussed the use of crop residue to make cellulosic ethanol in agricultural regions like Wisconsin, but that opportunity is more limited because crop residue can act as a top soil erosion inhibitor. He also discussed the possibilities of genetically engineering some crops so they can be successfully grown in more arid regions out west, but I found that part of the discussion a little fanciful at worst and a long way off at best.

One additional advantage of cellulosic ethanol production is that the process could actually create a byproduct that could in turn be used as an energy source in the production process. That would reduce energy costs for those plants and increase the amount of energy ethanol gives over what it takes to produce.

Having said all of that, I still don't see ethanol as a silver bullet for our energy problems. I doubt that under any scenario we can produce enough of it. Additionally, it will never be significantly more environmentally sound than oil when all factors are considered. I am willing to consider it as a component of our energy policy as long as government stays the hell out of the way allow the best processes to succeed. I am concerned about Federal and state governments are propping up a type of ethanol (corn) that has way too many disadvantages, and once more advantageous forms of production come online that they'll continue to prop it up out of political expediency.

Re: Corn Ethanol at a Long Term Competitive Disadvantage

Jib,

Yeah corn based ethanol is expedient not efficient. We have corn, we know how to mash (a fascinating process one I should look into doing again shortly) it, we know how to ferment it, and we know how to distill it.

Over at Boots & Sabers I was in a discussion about ethanol and noted the depressed mileage Cornholio gets when I run ethanol through it. A commentator informed me E85 vehicles while capable of burning the high concentration of ethanol they are not optimized for ethanol, that the engineering prevents flex fuel vehicles from achieving the mileage they should. I asked about the energy content of ethanol vs. gasoline but have not revisited to view if there was a response.

Still, if we switch to ethanol whether based on corn or switch grass or what have you, there is going to be a need to use land to grow the raw material and I have this notion the land downtown Burbank is not what is going to be used.

No More Soviet-style Billboards in Madison

The Capital Times is dead as a print news daily:

Late this spring The Capital Times will dramatically enhance its Internet site as well as alter its print frequency from six days to two days per week to address changing habits of afternoon newspaper readers, company executives announced Thursday.

Publisher Clayton Frink said the newspaper's online site, captimes.com, will feature increased volume, depth and timeliness of news, opinion and other information. He said the printed edition of the newspaper will expand its distribution by about five times and switch from six-day publication to two weekly tabloid-size editions.

That twice a week tabloid will be distributed free around the city and in the Wisconsin State Journal in Dane County.

Mitt's out.

Romney has left the building.

Update

Now I know why I'm first to post this. None of you brought your crackberry along for the commute.

Corn Ethanol at a Long Term Competitive Disadvantage

The science and the processes behind cellulosic ethanol are still being worked out, but once that brand of ethanol production gets its feet, the corn based ethanol made in places like Wisconsin and Minnesota is going to be hard pressed to compete. To wit:

A new cellulosic ethanol plant that promises to produce renewable biofuel for less than $1 a gallon has a new partner.

ICM, a Kansas-based ethanol plant design, engineering and support firm, has a new agreement with Illinois-based Coskata, which made headlines when it announced it could produce next-generation ethanol made from waste, plant materials or other biomass, rather than corn, at a fraction of the cost, and with a fraction of the pollution and political fallout.

The southeast could stand to become this country's major ethanol producer. It offers a good climate for fast growing ethanol stocks like switch grass, and it likely has the land capacity to farm those stocks without seriously hampering food production. If we in the Midwest choose to prop up the production of corn ethanol legislatively now, we will likely continue to do so in the future and assure ourselves of higher fuel prices than other areas of the nation where cellulosic ethanol production may proliferate.

Kagen Throws St. Brett Under the Bus | Who the hell is Dr. Kagen?

Who the hell is Dr. Kagen?: Time for Congress to take a timeout | ContraCostaTimes.com Or not?

"'U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) proposed the creation of the House Brett Favre Oversight Committee, citing the quarterback's 'atrocious' decision to throw deep to Donald Driver on the second play of overtime in last month's NFC Championship game.

'Did he think he was filming another blue jeans commercial?' Kagen said from the House floor. 'Just the week before he carved up the Seattle Seahawks like nobody's business. But when things got tough against the New York Giants, he just heaved one up for anyone to catch.'"

Click the link to read the full article online...

I hereby repeat my offer to submit the results of any sociological study...

...at only half the cost of an actual study.

Baraboo's own Ben Bromley:

I direct you to a recent study from Singapore that reached the following stunning conclusion (you might want to sit down for this): Male primates will do whatever it takes to get sex, but they prefer to do as little as possible.

TA-DA! Believe it or not, it took a team of researchers 20 months to figure this out.

Results from "If the WI Primary Was Today"

Last week we asked, "If Wisconsin's primary was held today, what would you do?" Our mostly right of center readers placed their votes, and here are the results:

Vote for John McCain.........................................8%
Vote for Mitt Romney.......................................29%
Vote for Mike Huckabee....................................0%
Vote for Hillary Clinton......................................6%
Vote for Barack Obama.....................................15%
Vote for a candidate no longer in the race......11%
I'm fed up, so I'm not voting.............................2%
Other....................................................................4%

Take those numbers for what they are worth. They are unscientific and could possibly include representatives of all political parties. In another year, I'd be tempted to say that this might be an indicator of a Romney surge, but this year I'm not willing to walk out on that limb.

Badger Bites

Welcome to Super Tuesday Eve! All across the nation, children wait with baited breath for Sa....what, I have the wrong day? Ah, that's right, today is Christmas Eve for poligeeks, and if you're here, you're probably one of us. Although the white death is probably more important for many of us, we're on the cusp of the primaries' stretch run, and Wisconsin's talking politics. Enjoy.

-If you want to see behind the scenes of politics, there is no better place to start than the Olsen Papers.

-Speaking of ethanol mandates, is the current one dead or still lurking?

-Nick expounds on why he's drawn a line.

-Just in case you wanted to keep up on Ralph Nader, Babblemur has you covered.

-"A Conservative Case for McCain"

-Pheisty looks at smoking, choice, and a push from Minnesota.

-Dean has a Super Duper Tuesday chart for your reference.

-Marcus looks at how not to make friends.

-George Allen as the source of current Republican disarray?

-And tonight we close with a story that is funny to everyone but the parent-a poo covered toddler.

Fool-Aid

Cross-posted at THEB.

From Joey at PheistyBlog:

Happy Groundhog Day, Jimmy!

Don't forget to wish Jimmy a happy Groundhog Day - from the Groundhog Capitol of the World (Sun Prairie), he says we're in for an early spring!

Jimmy may not be the subject of the most hoopla, but he's definitely the cutest weatherman around.

Badger Bites Belatedly

Patrick notes "sleazy political attack dog" Todd Rongstad's current target.

Surprise! Most of you will agree with Ben: "To me he looks like the next Bob Dole." Bonus bites for the great photo.

Sean twitters over Hil and Barack, but you're probably more interested in his response as to why Mitt didn’t do better in Wednesday's debate. My question to Sean: What makes you think he's not aiming for 2012?

Paul takes a crack at helpful advice for the Superbowl. Less pithy but more to the point of recent BBA posts, Paul blogs that he's "not against tax cutting." It's just that he doesn't think the current package offers much hope.

More Superbowl dish from grumps. Me? I'm more concerned over who grumps thinks will bequeth more to their party platform.

Do not under any circumstances read Christian's thoughtful solutions for the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Unless you're naturally ireverant and can laugh at religions and blasphemy. And I know not all of y'all take kindly to that. So consider this a warning bite.

HeatherRadish signs on to the "infinite change" candidate's bandwagon. And you thought McCain was trying to work all angles...

Ed Garvey heckles Rudy on the way out, then heckles some more in a meandering piece about Edwards' exit... no, it's about Barack... no, it's about Feingold's backing, or lack of... oh, just go read.

We should all give Jib a Yep, yep, yep! for his recent turn as a political pundit. Behold, the outtakes. I laughed too, hard. For that, you deserve the Thursday off, man.

One final question: Why isn't Nick in the purple section (or any section at all) on the BBA's blog roll? C'mon - he's crazy-stumping for Ron Paul. Twice. And he talks to his baristas, who also peg him for a liberal.

*Ode to Nick. (In case you need explanation, "some one set us up the bomb.")

Re: No Bites Tonight

That bites!

If Wisconsin's Primary Were Held Today...

...what would you do?

If Wisconsin's primary was held today, what would you do?
	Vote for John McCain
	Vote for Mitt Romney
	Vote for Mike Huckabee
	Vote for Hillary Clinton
	Vote for Barack Obama
	Vote for a candidate no longer in the race
	I'm fed up, so I'm not voting
	Other (Say what in the comments to this post)
Free polls from Pollhost.com

For you Ron Paul supporters, I apologize for not having that choice up there. Write him in the comments section if you are voting for him.