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in The Way We See It on February 07, 2011
From the January 30, 2011 CSI Walworth County Sunday "The Way we see it" column:
As sports fan-in-chief, President Obama still has a few things to learn. Rule No. 1: Acknowledge allegiances if you must, but do not go out of your way to alienate a team and its fans, particularly if that team happens to be the beloved Green Bay Packers, whose devoted supporters can be found from sea to shining sea.
Prior to last Sunday’s NFC Championship game between the Packers and longtime rival Chicago Bears, Obama predicted a victory by the Bears — his favorite team — and further tweaked the Packers and their fans by saying he’d attend the Super Bowl, but only if the Bears advanced. Take that, cheeseheads.
Posted by: Editorial Post
in The Way We See It on January 24, 2011
From the January 23, 2011 CSI Walworth County Sunday "The Way we see it" column:
More than two weeks after a madman killed six and wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., media elites and ruling-class scolds continue to insist the rhetoric of conservatives has somehow created a “climate of hate” in which such violence is inevitable.
Their logic is tortured and motives craven, given the growing body of evidence that shooter Jared Laughner is a lunatic motivated only by the inscrutable demons rooting around in his fractured mind. But if we’re to believe sanctimonious liberals like Karen Dolan, whose column on the tragedy appears on this page, Laughner merely would have upbraided Giffords or perhaps only kicked his dog were it not for the right-wing hate machine driven by tea party Mistress of Darkness Sarah Palin.
Posted by: Editorial Post
in The Way We See It on January 18, 2011
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From the January 16, 2011 CSI Walworth County Sunday "The Way we see it" column:
Residents of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois will have a unique opportunity over the next two to three years to judge the relative effectiveness of their states’ dramatically different strategies for deficit reduction and economic development.
In Illinois, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Democratic majorities in the Legislature are looking to put a dent in a $15 billion budget deficit with a broad — some might say repulsive — menu of tax hikes on businesses and individuals. The state’s personal income-tax rate will rise by an astonishing 66 percent, while the corporate rate shoots up 46 percent. The tax on a pack of cigarettes will go from 98 cents to $1.98, and online purchases also will be taxed.
It’s difficult to imagine how this large transfer of wealth to the public sector will benefit the sagging Illinois economy, but then Quinn’s agenda has little to do with economic development. Rather, it’s a big, amorous kiss to public-employee unions, whose members memorably descended on the Capitol last April demanding tax hikes that preserve their generous salaries and benefits.
Posted by: Editorial Post
in The Way We See It on January 18, 2011
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From the January 9, 2011 CSI Walworth County Sunday "The Way we see it" column:
The Environmental Protection agency recently announced its timetable for regulating carbon emissions from power plants and oil refineries, which will begin (this) year. But its authority to impose these standards remains under challenge in the courts. ...
The EPA, in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, has made a “finding” that greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, pose a threat or potential threat to human health. But that finding, which gives the EPA its authority to impose new carbon-emissions standards, is under challenge by some states and businesses. ...
Posted by: Editorial Post
in The Way We See It on January 04, 2011
From the January 2, 2011 CSI Walworth County Sunday "The Way we see it" column:
A new day dawns in Wisconsin politics Monday, when Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker and GOP majorities in the Assembly and Senate are sworn in.
Expect quick action on a variety of measures designed to improve the state’s struggling economy and to eliminate a $2.7 billion budget deficit left behind by Jim Doyle and his Democrat enablers, many of whom — former Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan of Janesville chief among them — were kicked to the curb in a historic midterm-election shellacking.
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in The Way We See It on December 29, 2010
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From the December 26, 2010 CSI Walworth County Sunday "The Way we see it" column:
As a very memorable 2010 winds down, we’d like to share some of our favorite political quotes from a year that long will be remembered for tea party activism, push-back by progressives and historic midterm election gains by Republicans here and around the country.
Some of the quotes are funny, some are vile, some resonate with the passion that characterized the political season, some are just plain dumb and one — we’ll let you decide which — is all of the above. Taken together, they’re an entertaining look back at a remarkable year. And so, here is Walworth County Sunday’s top-10 political quotes list for 2010:
10. “Today is a big day in America. Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today.” — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, heralding a better-than-expected jobs report
9. “Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. I’d do it again to save lives.” — former President George W. Bush
8. “Another thing we can do for jobs is make toys of me, especially for the holidays. Little dolls. Me.” — South Carolina Democratic candidate for Senate Alvin Greene
