The Saving Energy Bill ... who isn't for that?And who's against oil price gouging...

In this day of $4 gasoline (Someday all-too-soon, we'll look back on these parlous times as the good ol' days of cheap fuel.), who could oppose saving energy through public transportation?

Let's get Congress to pass a bill called the "Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008."

The findings of said bill could have such neat bullet points as:

-- In 2007, people in the U.S. took more than 10.3 billion trips using public transportation, the highest level in 50 years.

--Public transportation use saves fuel, reduces emissions and saves money...

--The direct petroleum savings attributable to public transportation use is 1.4 billion gallons per year (and when secondary effects are taken into account... more than 11 million gallons of gasoline per day)...

--Households that use public transportation save an average of $6,251 every year.

And so on.

Why, such a bill could include grants to improve public transportation in urban areas, say $750 million in 2008 and 2009; and another $100 million a year for non-urban areas.

The money could be used to reduce bus fares, acquire clean fuel equipment, expand commuter services, expand public transportation or maintain intercity service.

There's even a provision to establish up to five vanpool pilot programs -- whatever thy are.

And "Increased federal share for end-of-line fixed guideway stations," which is reimbursement for purchase and construction of park-and-ride lots serving "a commuter bus route that is more than 20 miles in length." (My favorite provision is in this section: The grant, it says, "shall be for 100 percent of the net capital cost of the project unless the grant recipient requests a lower grant percentage." Oh, yeah; I bet that happens often!)

The bill, according to its author, Rep. James Oberstar, D-MN, "provides much needed support to states and public transportation agencies and also increases incentives for commuters to choose transit options, thereby reducing their transportation-related energy consumption and our nation’s reliance on foreign oil."

Further explanations of what the bill would accomplish are HERE, written by Oberstar and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon.

And so on and so forth. Who could be opposed to such a bill? Not many. The House passed HR 6052 last Friday (read it HERE) and sent it on to the Senate. The vote was 322 to 98, and somewhat bi-partisan with 231 Democrats in favor, none opposed; and 91 Republicans in favor, 98 opposed. (Roll call HERE.)

Paul Ryan voted no.

No word from Ryan on why he opposed the bill -- although I would bet its $1.7 billion price tag had a lot to do with it.

But wait, there's more!

Last week, the House dealt with another apple-pie-and-baseball-titled bill, the "Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act." Actually, the full title is even better: A bill to protect consumers from price-gouging of gasoline and other fuels, and for other purposes. Full text HERE.

Who could be against that, you ask?

Not to put too fine a point on it, the bill prohibits anyone from selling gasoline during a presidentially-declared energy emergency "at a price that is... unconscionably excessive; and... taking unfair advantage of the circumstances related to an energy emergency to increase prices unreasonably."

You'd be for that, right? Well, Ryan wasn't. The measure received 276 yeas (225 Democrats and 51 Republicans) and 146 nos (1 Democrat and 145 Republicans) -- not enough yeas for the necessary two-thirds majority. Roll call HERE.

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Mogk serves up wine and politics

Congressional candidate as sommelier

John Mogk was keeping two conversational threads going last night.

One revolved around the four wines he was pouring at the Sommelier Wine Shop in Kenosha. "It's got a crisp taste, a little pucker on the tongue, some sweetness," he said, of one of the four bottles in front of him. The wines came from Trento, Italy, and Bad Wildungen, Germany -- the places his mother's, and father's families came from.

(Hey, as a political fund-raiser, meet-n-greet topic, it sure beat a stiff in a suit delivering a speech!)

The other conversation had more political substance: what he would do if elected to Congress in the 1st Congressional District in November.

Mogk is the latest Democrat seeking the opportunity to oppose Republican Paul Ryan, who has held the Congressional seat for 10 years. Ryan has incumbency, a huge war chest and a string of five easy victories behind him.

Despite all that, Democrats are eager to take him on in this presidential election year, a year in which all the recent Wisconsin polls show Democrat Barack Obama with a substantial lead over Republican John McCain. Marge Krupp announced her candidacy last June; Paulette Garin in January. By February, there were four: Dr. Jeffrey Thomas, Ryan's victim in each of the past four elections, is running yet again; and so is the man Thomas edged out in the 2006 Democratic primary, Mike Hebert.

And since earlier this month there are five: Call John Mogk Johnny-come-lately or accept his analysis that "there's still not a front-runner" among the earlier-announced candidates. "I started talking to people and getting encouraged to run. I'm really not being a spoiler. I think I've caught up with the other candidates already, in terms of people who are approaching me. Now, if we can just catch up on the money side."

Krupp has said she expects the race against Ryan to cost $2 million. Mogk thinks it will be about $750,000. Garin was somewhere in the high six figures. The other two Democratic wannabees -- Thomas and Hebert -- are famous for spending ... um, nothing. (They've never been elected, either.)

Mogk, 41, who was Kenosha Field Organizer for Kerry/Edwards in 2004, says he decided to run this year because "you never know what's going to happen tomorrow. You can say 'I won't run' because of Dr. Thomas, you can say 'I won't run' because Ryan has won before. Well, he's never had a challenge. And yet, he's not bringing more jobs into the district, there are things we could do with environmental issues..."

"I'm here to represent the people of the 1st District. Not the oil companies, not the party."

It's the people of the district who should set a Congressman's agenda, says Mogk (the "g" is silent). He ticks off issues in the order people mention them to him:

1. Universal health care.
2. Energy and gas prices
3. The economy and jobs.
4. Education.

"Everyone's going to pay $500 more a year for food," he says, just because of the extra costs in transportation and packaging. "And in Janesville, 2,400 people will be out of work" because GM's reliance on big cars has run into those high gas prices too.

Interestingly, Mogk says Iraq hardly comes up in discussions with potential voters. "I would like to see us get out as soon as possible, while protecting the troops," he says. But he also thinks the Iraqi people "want us to stay and help them create Democracy."

Most surprisingly (to me, anyway), Mogk says he agrees with Ryan's lone stand against earmarks. "If everybody in Congress keeps saying yes, we're going to be playing the same game. Eventually, the people will get behind me on this, even if I'm the only one."

Mogk says he has collected about 1,500 signatures; candidates need 1,000 "nominators' signatures" to get on the Democratic Primary ballot, and are permitted to submit up to 2,000. They usually opt for the larger number because anyone who signs more than one candidate's petitions is disqualified if there is a challenge. Deadline for submission is July 8.

More on Mogk HERE. His website is HERE.

More on Krupp and Garin HERE.

More on Thomas and Hebert HERE.

The first four appeared at the 1st District's annual convention in February. Read about it HERE.

Here are the four wines John Mogk was serving

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Feingold for VP?

OK, we've had lots of fun with the Paul Ryan for VP movement (?) on the Republican side of the aisle, if only John McCain would listen to the chattering pundits.

Now here's a suggestion that's equally not gonna fly: Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI, for VP on the Barack Obama ticket.

Here it is verbatim from Kay's Blue Racine blog:

"Don't you think that Feingold would be the perfect VP? After eight years he would still be young and vital enough to run for President. He actually read the Patriot Act. He would be no doubt the most popular among Obama's base. He's Jewish so that would really toss the whole Muslim crappola out the window for the Swiftboaters. I hope Obama doesn't take some woman just because she is a woman -- ye, Gods: Phyllis Shlafly is a woman and look at what she is like! No Pelosi: not after her famous 'impeachment is off the table speech.' "

So far, just three comments -- but they're all favorable! Can we classify it as a groundswell?

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Mogk joins Democratic field to oppose Ryan

And then there were five!

John Mogk of Kenosha has announced his entrance in the Democratic primary in Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District, for the right to oppose Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican incumbent. He joins Paulette Garin, Marge Krupp, Jeff Thomas and Mike Hebert. Democrats began collecting signatures on June 1; the necessary papers to gain inclusion in the September primary must be filed by July 8.

Currently active in the Kenosha County Democratic Party, Mogk started in 1994 as a member of the Racine County Democrats, serving as a local party officer and a brief stint as a vice-chair of the 1st CD.

He served as a volunteer in Racine on the 1996 Clinton/Gore campaign, and actively supported the special election that moved Kim Plache from the State Assembly to the State Senate.

In 2004 Mogk worked as the Kenosha Field Organizer for the Kerry/Edwards campaign. About his prior campaign work Mogk said, “My favorite memory is the incredible work by hundreds of dedicated volunteers that helped John Kerry win Kenosha County and the 1st CD.”

Mogk said he is running because Congress has been out of control and out of touch for too long. “Representatives in Congress are supposed to represent the interests of the people in their district, not the special interests as they do now.”


He said, “People in the 1st CD are paying record prices for gas, while the oil companies make record profits and continue receiving our tax dollars in subsidies. Whose interest is being served? Where is the common sense in that?”

A personal peeve of Mogk’s is the fight for affordable and available health care for everyone: “The health care system is killing this country,” he said, “costs are rising double the rate of inflation and people are being left with nothing.”

Mogk feels some of the proposals offering tax credits would help those working or who already have insurance, but they do not go far enough. He says the problem needs to be attacked on a number of fronts including insurance and medical costs, industry greed, duplication of work, and insurance companies who deny and limit care.

“700,000 declared bankruptcy last year over a health care crisis. About 500,000 of them had insurance when the crisis began. Common sense should tell us the system is not working. It will take bigger measures to handle this crisis,” he said.

Discussing the war in Iraq, Mogk’s focus is the troops. He believes lack of budget oversight and no-bid contracts are still leaving the troops without necessary equipment such as body armor and fortified vehicles. He says billions of tax dollars have been lost and mismanaged through privatizing the war. “World War II gave us the Marshal Plan. The war in Iraq has given us the Halliburton Plan. And the results have been deadly.”

Mogk believes more needs to be done to protect the troops, and fulfill the requests of generals, not the fanciful ideas of the Administration who lost America’s respect around the world. “If the 1st CD makes the right change in Congress this election, we won’t need another 5 years before the mission really is accomplished.”

Other issues Mogk discusses are improving education, the student loan crisis, alternative energies and jobs for Wisconsin, the pettiness in Congress, eliminating government waste, and the housing crisis. Mogk says the common theme through many of these issues is a lack of common sense approach.

“If you do the right thing for the right reasons, the solutions will benefit everyone. Perhaps if GM had done the right thing and looked beyond one fiscal quarter at a time, 2,400 residents of the 1st CD would not be losing their jobs.”

Mogk feels the 1st CD and Wisconsin are losing out in the development of alternative energies. “There is not a single solution. Common sense should tell us what works in the southwest might not work in the midwest.”

“But we have to do more now. Oil is a finite resource. We got lazy after the last oil crisis and are still unprepared. The 1st CD and Wisconsin are great places to develop and test ideas such as the fusion project at UW-Madison, and the KRM that could have been running already, saving residents from $4 gas.”

Mogk says that as a Representative in Congress he would pursue these ideas for the environment and jobs. “Southeast Wisconsin has the best workers, top universities, great communities with sun and wind. Bringing the research, testing and development to our backyard will have long-term economic, education, and health impacts for a better quality of life for all of us. Common sense says it’s the right thing to do. Why hasn’t Paul Ryan done it?”

Mogk has a B.A. in Business Administration. He worked at Carthage College in Kenosha in the student affairs and development departments. Currently he is call center manager at Lake Forest College.

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GM announcement is 'gut-wrenching,' says Ryan

Update:Tuesday night, Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl and Rep. Paul Ryan sent a letter to GM CEO Rick Wagoner asking him to reconsider the decision to close the Janesville SUV plant and requested a meeting to discuss the possible retooling of the plant for different production lines. A copy of the letter is HERE.

Original post: Congressman Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, a fifth-generation Janesville native, made the following statement in response to today’s announcement that General Motors will close it Janesville SUV plant by 2010:

“Today’s news is downright gut-wrenching for Janesville. Growing up and living in Janesville, this is something we’ve always feared. First of all, my thoughts and prayers are with the workers and their families, many of whom I’ve grown up with and am still close friends with. If GM’s plans are fully carried out, this would be a big psychological and economic blow to our community and our state; but Janesville will survive this, because we simply have to survive this. As I have witnessed time and again, I have faith that our community will pull together to support one another in the difficult days ahead. It is my hope that as this 2010 shutdown date approaches, Janesville will be in a better position to reverse this decision.”

Ryan said he will work closely with union leaders, GM officials, and members of the Janesville community to support those hit hardest by the closure.

Sen. Herb Kohl, D-WI, issued the following statement:

“It’s a tragedy that General Motors plans to close its plant in Janesville, leaving behind thousands of skilled and dedicated employees. The community of Janesville depends on these jobs, and I will do everything in my power to convince General Motors to reconsider their decision or help their employees find new work.

“Today I’m urging officials at the Labor Department to make job training and transitional assistance for GM’s employees readily available. The people at the Janesville GM plant are second to none, and I hope that GM supports these employees with the same loyalty and commitment that these men and women have brought to the job everyday.”

And Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI:

“For generations, the people of Janesville have poured their heart and soul into General Motors and have proven to be an incredible asset for the company. GM should immediately take steps to ensure the continued success of the GM plant including retooling the plant for new production lines. I will continue to work with Governor Doyle, Senator Kohl, Congressman Ryan, state and local officials, related businesses, and the leadership of GM to do all I can to support an ongoing and vital GM presence in Janesville. The people of Janesville have worked too hard for too long to deserve anything less.”

And Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL:

"My heart goes out to the workers and families affected by the closing of these GM plants, including the Janesville plant that I visited a few months ago. Today's news is a painful reminder not only of the challenges America faces in our global economy, but of George Bush’s failed economic policies. For eight long years, we’ve had an energy policy that funds both sides in the war on terror without promoting fuel efficiency or helping make our auto companies more competitive. That’s part of the reason thousands of more Americans in Wisconsin and Ohio will no longer be able to count on a paycheck at a time when they’re already being pinched by rising costs. Unlike John McCain, I’m not in this race to extend the failed Bush economic policies; I’m in this race to end them. I’ve proposed investing $150 billion over ten years in green energy and creating up to five million new green jobs. We’ll finally provide domestic automakers with the funding they need to retool their factories and make fuel-efficient and alternative fuel cars. And we’ll invest in efforts to make sure that the cars of the future are made where they always have been -- in the United States. Because the fight for American manufacturing is the fight for America’s future – and I believe that’s a fight this country will win."

Gov. Jim Doyle:

“After all the years of work and everything the people of Janesville have given, it is tough to stomach what GM is doing here today. Families here have dedicated their working lives to this General Motors plant. The city of Janesville, the state of Wisconsin – we have all been committed to making this plant work.

“So many people here have put their hearts into building trucks at the Janesville assembly plant, and now they are left with a cold decision that casts them aside. We all feel it in our guts.

“GM made it clear that this was a plant that they were invested in. They brought Barack Obama here just months ago. It was clear that this plant was the pride of GM. It should have been obvious long ago that the future was not where GM was headed. Bad corporate decision kept these lines turning out gas guzzlers as fuel prices went from 2 dollars to 3 dollars and now to 4 dollars per gallon.

“Now we stand here, carrying the burden of those bad corporate decisions – failed leadership that culminated in a calculation that left out the very heart of this company, the workers who built it.

“I am inspired by the workers who in the face of all this – in these difficult times – are saying they will work to make the best of this. That’s the spirit that made this company worth something, and that’s the spirit that built Janesville. I want Wisconsin workers that the state will stand with you. We will work together to fight for Janesville and our future together.”

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GOP straw poll suggests Ryan for U.S. Senate

Getting tired of all the talk about Paul Ryan as a potential Vice Presidential candidate?

Well, how about Paul Ryan as a U.S. Senate candidate!

Racine County Republicans conducted a straw poll at Burlington's Chocolate Fest last weekend, seeking candidates for the 2010 Governor and U.S. Senate primaries. Not surprisingly in a county he already represents in Congress, Ryan led the Senate poll, with 68% of the vote. Former Congressman Mark Green came in second with 26%. The Democratic opponent in 2010, presumably, would be Sen. Russ Feingold, who will be completing his third term that year.

In the Republicans' gubernatorial straw poll for 2010, voters again stuck with the familiar: Scott Walker, Milwaukee County Executive, got 58% of the vote, easily beating former governor Tommy Thompson, who polled 12% and former Congressman Mark Neumann with 10%.

The party noted, "Although much focus is on the 2008 Presidential elections, it’s never too early to start thinking about who will be our Governor and U.S. Senator come 2010." Governor and Senate candidates, that is.

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Ryan promises 'bold plan' to transform federal government;also sets listening sessions in 35 communities

Update 3: Dem candidate Paulette Garin has something to say about Ryan's plan. Here it is:

Healthcare: Basically, Ryan is still promoting his Health Savings Account plan. His proposal segregates the high-risk, chronically ill, and those with pre-existing conditions to be subsidized by the individual states. So the burden of cost shifts, but is not diminished. You may derive some benefit from this plan provided nothing serious ever happens to you. It does not appear that his plan does anything to reign in the disproportionate influence of the insurance industry. Why would it? Take a look at his list of campaign PAC donors – BIG Pharma and the insurance industry.

Medicare: On the surface, this appears to be a "privatization" of Medicare, which we are already experiencing with Medicare Advantage. It appears to be another plan where the insurance industry will get to "cherry pick" amongst the healthiest. His proposal limits your choice of providers to a pre-determined list. ou really are not free to choose. Better check out which companies are on that list, what relationships they have with our congressman, and who really stands to benefit.

Social Security: Another move toward "privatization." If this is the same type of plan that he has been advocating for years, you would be limited in your choices as to where you could invest your personal retirement funds. Once again, who stands to benefit – the investment managers on Wall Street? What relationship do they have with our congressman? Better check out his PAC contributions and personal assets. Always be suspicious of "privatization" until you carefully examine what constraints are put upon the program and who will actually gain.

Taxes: Ryan is pushing a "Taxpayer's Choice Act," which would basically create a flat tax system. he highest tax rate would be 25% as compared to the current 35%. While paying lower taxes appears attractive, how does the government make-up for the $840 billion revenue shortfall created by this proposal? We already have a staggering deficit, driven by defense spending, AND that does not even include the cost of the Iraq War. We have placed an overwhelming financial burden on our children and grandchildren.

If Ryan were truly a fiscal conservative, what has he done to balance the budget, to eliminate the government’s ‘no bid’ contracts, and to end expensive sub-contracting to private companies? Better check out his PAC donors once again.

Ryan claims government is wasteful and inefficient, yet he continues to promote layers of bureaucracy that would now get intermingled with private enterprise. My overall impression of Rep. Ryan’s plan is that it is just more GOP spin to complicate matters and mislead people into actually believing that he is working for his constituents and not for the special interest groups who are funding him.

Update 2: Here's Ryan's plan in his own words, written as a Wall Street Journal editorial page column. Basically, he's trying to reform every major government (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, tax code, health insurance) program at once. Could it be a play for the vice presidency? It'll be interesting to see if McCain responds/embraces this. Here's a link to the full plan.

Update: Marge Krupp, who is running as a Democrat in the First District, responded to Ryan's proposal Wednesday morning. Here's here statement:

Later today, Congressman Paul Ryan is planning on announcing an 88 page proposal on Healthcare and Social Security, and his Democratic challenger, Marge Krupp issued a key question in regards to his plan, "Why does Paul Ryan want to hurt the senior citizens of Wisconsin?" Krupp, Democratic Candidate for Wisconsin's First Congressional District, challenged Ryan's proposal was working against the financial security of those that she wants to represent, "The seniors of this district count on a monthly Social Security check as part of their income and Paul Ryan is trying to undermine that." Ryan's plan calls for a privatization of Social Security services that some say could lead to a destabilization of the program.

Also proposed in Ryan's plan is a health insurance tax credit that would allow Americans to purchase a healthcare plan of their choice. Krupp again asked why Paul Ryan would issue such a plan, "This is the same kind of proposition that the Bush Administration has been giving the American people the past eight years, why is Paul Ryan trying to punish our working families and seniors?"

Krupp also noted that Ryan receives tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from private insurance companies and is at the will of these individuals when it comes to issues of Healthcare or Social Security.

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Give U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, credit: He sure knows how to keep us in suspense.

On Tuesday he sent out a media advisory promising "to unveil a plan to transform federal government."

But we have to wait until tomorrow to learn what it is!

The press release, with details of the Washington event, and a teleconference we Wisconsin media types can dial into, says Ryan "plans to introduce his bold new initiative to solve America’s looming fiscal and economic crisis. Ryan’s plan, titled A Roadmap for America’s Future, takes a comprehensive approach to fixing the current health care crisis, restoring the promise of Medicare and Social Security, and simplifying the outdated tax code."

The event will take place at 10 a.m. our time; no doubt we'll have news about it later Wednesday.

Ryan also announced an extensive schedule of district listening sessions from May 27 – June 16. Ryan will visit 35 communities. Go to any one of them, and ask him about his new initiative that "seeks to transform our domestic priorities to strengthen American society for future generations."

His full schedule is after the break:

Tuesday, May 27

WALWORTH: 11:30am – 12:30pm, Village Hall, 227 North Main Street
CLINTON: 1:30 – 2:15pm, Village Hall, 301 Cross Street
JANESVILLE: 4:15 – 5:30pm, City Hall, Council Chambers, Room #417, 18 N. Jackson St.

Wednesday, May 28

RACINE: 4:00 – 5:00pm, Gateway Technical College, Racine Building, Great Lakes Room
#110, 901 Pershing Drive, use parking lot D
OAK CREEK: 5:45 – 6:45pm, Police Department, Courtroom, 301 West Ryan Rd.

Thursday, May 29

DELAVAN: 8:00 – 9:00am, City Hall, 123 S. 2nd Street
FONTANA: 9:30 – 10:15am, Village Hall, 175 Valley View Drive
WILLIAMS BAY: 10:30 – 11:15am, Village Hall, 250 Williams Street
LAKE GENEVA: 12:15 – 1:00pm, Public Library, 918 West Main Street
GREENDALE: 2:00 – 2:45pm, Safety Building, 5911 West Grange Ave,
GREENFIELD: 3:00 – 3:45pm, City Hall, Council Chambers 7325 W. Forest Home Ave

Friday, May 30

DARIEN: 8:00 – 9:00am, Village Hall, 24 North Wisconsin Street
EAST TROY: 9:30 – 10:30am, Village Hall, 2106 Church Street
NEW BERLIN: 11:00am – 12:00pm, Citizens Bank of Mukwonago - New Berlin Branch, 5450 S. Moorland Road
HALES CORNERS: 1:00 – 2:00pm, Village Hall, Meadows Room, 5635 S. New Berlin Rd
MUSKEGO: 2:30 – 3:30pm, City Hall, Muskego Room, W182S8200 Racine Ave.

Monday, June 2

SHARON: 8:00 – 8:45am, Community Center, 125 Plain Street
GENOA CITY: 9:30 – 10:30am, Village Hall, 715 Walworth Street
TWIN LAKES: 11:00am – 12:00pm, Village Hall, 108 East Main Street
SILVER LAKE: 1:00 – 2:00pm, Village Hall, 113 South 1st Street
PADDOCK LAKE: 2:30 – 3:15pm, Village Hall, 6969 236th Avenue
PLEASANT PRAIRIE: 4:00 – 5:00pm, Village Hall, Auditorium, 9915 39th Avenue
KENOSHA: 5:30 – 6:30pm, Gateway Technical College, Science Building, Room S137,
3520 30th Avenue

Friday, June 13

MILTON: 8:00 – 9:00am, The Gathering Place, upstairs dining room, 715 Campus Street
EAGLE: 10:00 – 10:45am, Village Hall, 820 East Main Street
NORTH PRAIRIE: 11:00am – 12:00pm, Village Hall, 130 North Harrison
MUKWONAGO: 1:00 – 2:00pm, Village Hall, 440 Rivercrest Court
BIG BEND: 2:30 – 3:15pm, Village Hall, W230S9185 Nevins Street
FRANKLIN: 3:45 – 4:45pm, Police Department, Courtroom, 9455 West Loomis Road

Monday, June 16

ELKHORN: 8:00 – 9:00am, People’s Bank, Community Room, 837 N. Wisconsin St.
BURLINGTON: 9:45 – 10:45am, Gateway Technical College, Rm 100, 496 McCanna Pkwy
WATERFORD: 11:15am – 12:00pm, Village Hall, Council Chambers, 123 N. River St
ROCHESTER: 12:45 – 1:30pm, Municipal Hall, 203 West Main Street
UNION GROVE: 2:00 – 2:45pm, Community State Bank, 1500 Main Street
STURTEVANT: 3:15 – 4:00pm, Village Hall, 2801 89th Street

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Dem primary candidate wades into foreign policy

Marge Krupp, one of four Dems running to challenge Paul Ryan in the fall, issued a statement calling for more U.S. aid to Myanmar following the tragic cyclone in the southeast Asian country. Krupp has reportedly raised $85,000 in her bid to challenge Ryan in the fall. She's running the First Congressional District primary against perennial nominee Jeff Thomas, plus Paulette Garin and Mike Hebert.

Here's Krupp's statement on Myanmar:

Krupp Calls For More U.S. Help in Myanmar
The world wants to see the United States lead again, it is now time for the United States to act and to provide that leadership

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wisconsin -- With a reported death toll of more than 34,000 and as many as 100,000 suspected to have perished as a result of Saturday's deadly cyclone, Marge Krupp is calling on more pressure from the U.S. government to allow relief workers to enter the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar. Myanmar's military regime has barred large-scale relief efforts, and at press, the United Nations is reporting that less than a quarter of the nation's affected are having their issues met. Without proper attention from experts trained in responding to natural disasters of this kind, the death toll is expected to climb rapidly.

Krupp, Democratic Candidate for Wisconsin's First Congressional District criticized the sluggish relief response by the U.S., "The lessons learned from the tragically slow response to Hurricane Katrina in our own nation should be applied to what could amount to a regional refugee crisis in Southeast Asia." Krupp also called on more pressure to be applied by Washington on Myanmar's military dictatorship, "The time to act is now."

Joint communication and aid in the form of relief workers and supplies between the U.S. and Myanmar could avert the possibility of more deaths and a flood of refugees to surrounding nations.

Marge Krupp is a highly qualified Democratic candidate for Congress who will fight to end the war in Iraq, strongly support working families and work hard to ensure a more peaceful and prosperous world. For more information, please visit her web site at www.KruppforCongress.com

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Ryan and Hillary agree! (On gas tax moratorium, sigh)

Hillary Clinton and Paul Ryan on the same side of an issue? Who would've thunk it!

All this time we thought our home-grown Congressman, R-WI, 1st District, was angling for a VP nod from the Republican heir presumptive, John McCain ... but now it turns out he was really hoping to be on Hillary's ticket?

Just kidding. Still, it is surprising to find Ryan and Clinton in agreement -- even if it's something as ultimately inconsequential and wrong-headed as a summer federal gas tax holiday. Something, we need to point out that John McCain favors as well.


Don't these politicians realize that with the price of gas approaching $4 a gallon -- we spotted the $3.99 sign above just yesterday on Durand at the Citgo station (yes, Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, and gas in Venezuela is selling for 12 cents a gallon, last we checked) -- a "vacation" from the federal 18.4-cent gas tax won't make any substantive difference? The damage from your 20-gallon fill-up would drop from $80 to $76.40; big whoop. Two years ago, that fill-up cost about $40.

Still, Ryan is for it. Today he introduced legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on earmarks (he really, really hates earmarks, in case anyone hadn't noticed) and "with the savings from this break in pork-barrel spending Congress would provide some relief at the pump this summer and make much needed investments in our nation's infrastructure," Ryan said. (Never mind that one Congressman's "much needed investments in infrastructure" are another's ... um, earmark and pork.)

Whatever. Ryan unveiled “The Gas Tax Relief and Earmark Moratorium Act of 2008” at a joint hearing before the House Budget Committee and House Transportation Committee, which focused on financing infrastructure investments.

The press release from Ryan's office notes:

"Ryan’s proposal would suspend the Federal 18.4-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax for the high-demand summer months. Today’s announcement coincides with news that the price of a gallon of gas in Southern Wisconsin has set new record highs, averaging roughly $3.80 per gallon in some areas. With the revenues saved from the earmark moratorium, his bill would replenish the Highway Trust Fund, a critical source of funding aimed to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure. The Gas Tax Relief and Earmark Moratorium Act would go a step further by shoring up the fund’s projected shortfall for the coming fiscal year.

"Ryan’s earmark moratorium adheres to the reform efforts of Representatives Jack Kingston and Frank Wolf. The Kingston-Wolf proposal would conduct a full study of the broken practice of earmarking, bring greater transparency to these spending projects, and bar any new earmarks until the system is fixed. Ryan’s one-year earmark moratorium would provide an estimated $14.8 billion of additional revenue, more than enough to provide Americans relief at the pump and replenish the Highway Trust Fund so that road repairs can continue. Additional earmark savings would be dedicated to reducing the deficit. Challenging his colleagues again on the scourge of pork-barrel spending, Congressman Ryan issued the following statement:

"The decisions made by Congress on taxes and spending impact the paychecks of working men and women. By clinging to this broken earmark practice, Congress is picking pork over paychecks, and pork over potholes. Simply saying no to earmarks for the remainder of the year could give folks in Wisconsin some relief at the pump this summer and fix the Highway Trust Fund’s deficit. I am hopeful that Congress will give up its addiction to pork and address the concerns of the American people,” Ryan said.

(My prediction, in case you hadn't already guessed: Sanjaya has a better chance of becoming the next American Idol and marrying Paula Abdul than this legislation has of passing.)

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Local Democrats want Ryan to do what?

Talk about your fool's errand: The Racine County Democratic Party is asking Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, to investigate the Bush Administration's interrogation techniques (i.e., what used to be known as "torture" when the other side did it).

Yeah, like that's gonna happen! Hell, don't the Democrats remember that in December, when the House approved a ban on waterboarding, Ryan voted against the legislation (which President Bush had threatened to veto anyway) -- somehow turning his vote into a call for more intelligence funds and fewer earmarks. (Earmarks? Yep, you read me right. See HERE.) If local Democrats wanted real action, they would have turned to Sens. Russ Feingold or Herb Kohl, D-WI, who have both spoken out against the Bush administration's use of torture in the war on terrorism. But, of course, articles of impeachment must originate in the House of Representatives, so ...

Rich Hinderholz, secretary of the Racine County Democratic Party, today sent local media a resolution passed unanimously by the party's executive committee on April 24, a resolution that Michael Shields, chairman of the party says "lays out a prima facie case indicating highest level Executive Branch officials engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors."

Shields writes Ryan: "Your position in the House of Representatives warrants your Constitutional obligation to conduct investigations into matters that may lead to impeachment. Please inform us in writing before our next general membership meeting to be held May 12, 2008, of your reaction to the resolution and your intended course of action. We anticipate your prompt attention to this serious matter."

The complete resolution after the break:

A Resolution Respectfully Requesting Congressman Paul Ryan to Conduct a Comprehensive Investigation into the President’s Decision to Permit “Harsh” Interrogation Techniques against Suspected Terrorists.

Whereas, The United States of America is a nation founded on the rule of law.

Whereas, America’s Constitution and its Amendments delineate the rights of those accused of crimes and prohibits cruel treatment.

Whereas, the nations of the world have adopted the Geneva Conventions which prohibit the cruel treatment of prisoners’ of war.

Whereas, America has signed (agreed to abide by) the Geneva Convention.

Whereas, news reports state that during 2002-03 U. S. Department of Justice employees issued a series of memos (subsequently withdrawn) justifying interrogation techniques some call torture.

Whereas, ABC News reports Vice President Cheney and the heads of the State Department, Justice Department, Department of Defense, and National Security met several times at the White House and authorized physical abuse of prisoners such as slaps and pushes, sleep deprivation, or waterboarding.

Whereas, on April 11, 2008, President Bush told Ms. Raddatz of ABC News that he knew of Cheney’s meetings and approved the harsh interrogation techniques.

Whereas, the United States of America’s Constitution establishes three equal but separate branches of government—Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

Whereas, said Constitution provides checks and balances between the three branches to take corrective action when one branch exceeds its authority.

Whereas, Congressman Paul Ryan has been elected to the House of Representatives to represent the citizens living in Wisconsin’s First Congressional District.

Whereas, the members of the Democratic Party of Racine County reside in said district.

Now therefore be it Resolved, in consideration of these premises, the members of the Democratic Party of Racine County do hereby respectively request their representative, Congressman Paul Ryan, to motivate his Republican and Democratic Colleagues to conduct a nonpartisan and comprehensive investigation into the treatment of suspected terrorists held by or at the request of America.

Be it further resolved, said investigation to determine the:
1. Identity of the suspected terrorists, the location where they are being held, and why they are being held.
2. Actual interrogation techniques employed.
3. Reason the Department of Justice issued and then withdrew the memos authorizing the harsh treatment.
4. Identity of the government officials who authorized the harsh treatment, and the degree of their involvement in the decision.
5. Possibility of said government officials committing violations of American or International Law.

Be it further resolved, this resolution be forwarded to Congressman Paul Ryan.

Adopted April 24, 2008

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Ryan rips Fed for cutting interest rates again

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan got his Alan Greenspan on today with a fiery press release criticizing the Fed's latest interest rate cut. Ryan wants to pass a law that would force the Fed to focus on inflation and price stability, as opposed to economic growth. He blames the low interest rates for rising food and gas prices.

Here's the release:

Ryan on Rate Cuts: Enough is Enough

WASHINGTON – On the heels of yet another interest rate cut, Wisconsin’s First District Congressman Paul Ryan today announced plans to introduce legislation that would recommit the Federal Reserve to controlling inflation. Since last September, the Fed has slashed the federal funds rate down to 2%. Congressman Ryan has been outspoken with his concerns on inflation, as interest rate cuts have persisted in the face of rising prices.

While dealt a bad hand, the Fed has been unsuccessful in balancing their dual – and often contradictory – mandate of both short-term economic growth and long-term economic stability. Congressman Ryan has sought to set our monetary policy back on sound economic footing with the introduction of The Price Stability Act of 2008. This legislation would give the Federal Reserve a single mandate: price stability. The Price Stability Act would not alter the tools at the Fed’s disposal, but rather direct the Fed to make their overriding policy goal that of controlling inflation.

As the negative impact of our monetary policy becomes increasingly clear to Americans, Congressman Ryan has issued the following statement:

"Enough is enough. The continued rate cuts from the Federal Reserve have fueled price increases across the board. Inflation is an insidious threat to our economic well-being: it wipes away savings; it eats away at the paychecks of working people; and it devalues the quality of life of those living on fixed incomes.

"Congress bears some of the responsibility for the Fed’s recent actions. The Congressional mandate given to the Fed must be reexamined. The Price Stability Act would refocus our monetary policy to tackling inflation. Our economic challenges require bold solutions – and this commitment to sound money is a vital component to strengthening our economy."

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Students rally for immigration rights

The cadence blared out from megaphones, and got the time-honored response:

"What do we want?"
"JUSTICE!"
"When do we want it?"
"NOW!!!"

Several hundred students, mostly high schoolers, filled the south half of Monument Square at 8 a.m. this morning, for a brief rally demanding immigration rights. Then they marched up Sixth Street, past U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's office -- he wasn't in -- and back around to Festival Hall, where six buses waited to take them to Milwaukee for an even bigger rally.

The only elected official I saw was Racine Mayor Gary Becker, who said, "Let's demand respect for everyone in the community." When asked whether all those kids shouldn't have been in school, the mayor said the event "is a good learning experience. I'd take my kids out of school for this."

Meanwhile, the Journal Sentinel reported today that Wisconsin's Wisconsin's Hispanic population grew faster last year than the nation's, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In the past year, the state's Hispanic population grew 4.3% to 271,830. The state's percentage gain was greater than the national Hispanic growth rate of 3.3%.

"The Hispanic population here grew the most of any minority group - 41% from 2000 to 2007. With Hispanics constituting 4.9% of the state's population, Wisconsin ranks 32nd for its percentage of Hispanics and 24th for total Hispanic population," the J-S reported. The full story is HERE.

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The Democrats' Dilemma: Picking an electable candidate

Paulette Garin, Mike Hebert, Marge Krupp, Jeff Thomas (l-r)

First Congressional District Democrats met in Franklin Sunday for their annual convention, and the elephant in the room -- who wasn't actually there, of course -- was U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI.

Speaker after speaker took up the cause, following the lead of 1st CD chairman Ray Rivera of Kenosha, who announced at the start, "I hope to be 100% behind the person taking on Paul Ryan. I hope we all can get behind an electable candidate."

A district chair who hopes to be behind the party's candidate? If that sounds somewhat strained... well, it is indicative of the dilemma the 1st District finds itself in: a surfeit of four candidates, but two of them ... well, to be blunt, two of them want to run without money. None, nada, zip. Against an incumbent with $1,623,394 cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission. There have been rumblings, conversations among Democrats wishing to convince those two candidates, who have run and lost before, to withdraw ... but there is nothing in the party's rules allowing any such action. For now, there is just the undercurrent of frustration, which occasionally makes it to the surface. And no official party support either.

In early April, Rivera sent a letter to district Democrats stating: "Without a significant political gaffe, it is difficult to beat an incumbent without the following: A: Fulltime candidate; B: Excellent staff; C: Exceptional fundraising capability; D: All of the above." Sunday he told those at the convention: "The number one challenge of the district is to find a candidate to run for Congress." The task is especially difficult, Rivera said, because the primary is Sept. 9, and "we can't do anything until the primary... and then it's just 60 days until the election. I think that stinks. The Congressional District, in my opinion, is a little hamstrung."

Keynote speaker State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, agreed, pointing out that there are just 79 days until July 8 -- the filing deadline to qualify for the primary, and 198 days until the election on Nov. 4. Still, he said, "Paul Ryan is a beatable member of Congress." Not that anyone thinks it will be easy. Racine County's Jeff Van Koningsveld said Ryan "is a giant ...we have to chop him down little by little. We need to tie him to this president, to this war, to Social Security, healthcare..."

The four announced candidates for the party's nomination were each given five minutes to address the delegates. Two of them discussed their positions; two appeared to be addressing Rivera's four points, above ... and sticking their tongues out at them.

Janesville surgeon Jeff Thomas, for example. Thomas, the party's unsuccessful nominee in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 said, "I'm going to stay in the race. I know some of you would like me to go home."

Mike Hebert of Kenosha -- who came in second to Thomas in 2006 -- was similarly unmoved by Rivera's criteria. "I'm a part-time candidate, not full-time." Nor, like Thomas, does he plan to raise any money. Hebert compares himself to former Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire (1957 to 1989), who famously ran for office by shaking hands. Hebert said he shook 10,000 hands last year, and he pointed out that the most Proxmire spent on a campaign was $175 -- "and that was for stamps to send unwanted contributions back."

Hebert heaped scorn on "this delusional administration" and said "it's very important that we get rid of Mr. Ryan, who uses cash as an intimidation tool."

The other two candidates for the nomination more closely fit Rivera's wishlist; one more than the other. Marge Krupp of Pleasant Prairie addressed the issue directly: "I quit my job over a year ago to run full-time. I have the fund-raising skills to beat Ryan. I have a full-time professional staff." Her latest FEC campaign report shows $74,376 raised, with $22,153 coming from herself; expenditures so far total $50,048, with $24,328 cash on hand and debts of $19,392. Krupp has said the race against Ryan will cost $2 million.

Krupp said Ryan's voting record has backed President Bush "94% of the time. He votes against Wisconsin's working men and women. Paul Ryan stands against affordable heath care." She said American citizens are under domestic surveillance as "tools meant to keep us safe are used against us. We're in the Iraq recession and few know it."

Paulette Garin of Kenosha had a similar message, outlining a campaign platform of universal healthcare, education, the environment and fiscal responsibility. "The GOP is trying to privatize unemployment insurance," she said. "One way or another, we must make sure every American has healthcare."

She pointed out that defense spending has increased 62% under Bush -- "and that's not including the Iraq war." Garin's campaign report shows $8,946 raised, with $2,724 from herself; expenditures so far total $6,612, with $2,334 cash on hand and no debt. Garin rejects a focus on campaign funds, however, noting, "if we base this campaign on dollars raised, we keep the Republican incumbent in office."

Needless to say, neither Thomas nor Hebert has filed any campaign finance report...

The next official step in the election begins June 1, when candidates may begin collecting signatures to support their candidacy. The necessary papers to gain inclusion in the primary must be filed by July 8; until then 1st District Democrats have four candidates, and none.
- - -
ADDENDUM, 4/21/08: I just received the results of a questionnaire distributed after the Walworth County forum on Feb. 23, at which all four candidates spoke. The three dozen or so Democrats who filled out the form clearly divided the candidates into two tiers: Paulette Garin and Marge Krupp on top; Jeff Thomas and Mike Hebert on bottom.

When asked, "Do you think any candidate should NOT be in the primary?" their response was clear: Thomas got 34 votes; Hebert received 4. Which candidate are you likely to support? Garin received 21 votes; Krupp got 6.

On issues and impressions, Garin clearly led in every area, with Krupp in second place. Thomas and Hebert both occupied a definite lower rung. The full results are below; click to enlarge:

The 1st Congressional District Democrats have a new website, HERE.

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Who's the most Conservative of them all?

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who's the most conservative of them all?

When it comes to Wisconsin's Congressional delegation, do you really have to ask?

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, is the most Conservative member of the Wisconsin Congressional delegation. And pretty darn Conservative overall, compared to the rest of the House: He voted Conservative 79.7 percent of the time, and is the House's 94th most Conservative member (out of 435).

Click on table to enlarge.

When it comes to votes on foreign issues, Ryan is ranked "more liberal" than 0 percent of other House members.

This unstartling bit of information comes from the National Journal's ratings of all Congressmen, based on an analysis of how they voted on a variety of issues. By their count, Wisconsin Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, are the state's most Liberal, voting that way 95 percent of the time. (And tying for 1st place in the entire House of Representatives, a six-way tie.)

As the National Journal explains: Members are assigned separate scores for their roll-call votes on key economic, social, and foreign-policy issues during 2007. The members are rated in each of the three issue categories on both liberal and conservative scales, with the scores on each scale given as percentiles. An economic score of 72 on the conservative scale, for example, means that the member was more conservative than 72 percent of his or her House colleagues on the key votes in that issue area during 2007. An asterisk [*] means that the member missed more than half of the rated votes in an issue area. Composite scores are an average of the six issue-based scores. Members with the same composite scores are tied in rank.

Click on table to enlarge.

Meanwhile, Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl are among the Senate's most Liberal members. Feingold ranked as the Senate's 10th most Liberal member; Kohl as the 21st.

The complete HOUSE RANKINGS are here.

The complete SENATE RANKINGS are here.

(And just to save you the effort: Hillary Clinton is ranked 16th Liberal, more so than 82.8 percent of the Senate; Barack Obama is the Senate's No. 1 Liberal, more so than 95.5 percent of the Senate. John McCain? Well, he missed too many votes to be categorized.)

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Ryan bill addresses illegals' with employee verification

Congressman Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, joins two other congressmen Thursday introducing legislation to address illegal immigration with a new employee verification law.

Ryan will take part in a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. with two other members of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, Sam Johnson and Kevin Brady of Texas.

The New Employee Verification Act, Ryan says, will ensure a legal workforce, secure workers’ identity, and protect Social Security. The bill strengthens enforcement through tougher employer penalties, replacing the current error-prone and cumbersome I-9 process with an electronic verification system.

Susan R. Meisinger, President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, and Lynn Shotwell, Executive Director of the American Council on International Personnel, will speak at the news conference in support of the measure as well.

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Vice President Ryan? Funny, he doesn't say 'no'

The first mention of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, as a possible vice presidential nominee came out of the blue ... just good ol' Bob Novak, the CIA spy snitch, ruminating about potential John McCain running mates last Sunday on Capital Gang.

But now there's a groundswell ... or at least a second pundit weighing in on Ryan's behalf. Quin Hillyer, writing in The American Spectator, a conservative monthly famous for Clinton-bashing, notes that Ryan is only 38, "but what a resume already! A brainy, attractive, principled conservative, he worked for Sens. Bob Kasten and Sam Brownback, and also for conservative idea leaders Jack Kemp and William Bennett. He's already been in Congress for 10 years, but he has yet to be subsumed in the bad old ways and the conventional wisdom; instead, he has been a font of ideas, and a devotee of conservative ideals."

So, of course, we had to ask Ryan whether all this attention is going to his head; whether, in fact, he agrees with the suggestion and might do something to advance his cause. Here's the response we got:

"It is nice to have my name mentioned, but my sole focus is doing the best job I can working for my employers – the residents of the First Congressional District of Wisconsin. There is so much work to do in Congress right now – saving Social Security and Medicare, restoring fiscal responsibility and revamping our health care system. Finding solutions to these problems is my priority."

Careful parsers -- even superficial ones! -- will note that Ryan did not use the words "no" or "not interested" or anything like the Shermanesque clarity we have come to demand from politicians saying "No, no, a thousand times no."

Like William Tecumseh Sherman himself, when he forcefully rejected any attempt to nominate him as the Republican candidate for president in 1884: "If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve."

Or Lyndon Johnson's rejection of a second full-term nomination in 1968: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president."

Or even Rep. Mo Udall's 1984 classic: "If nominated, I shall run to Mexico. If elected, I shall fight extradition."

Contrast those firm statements with Ryan's pusillanimous: "There is so much work to do ..."

Oh, yeah; he's interested!

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