On Menards mini-storage units are a no-go
Posted on May 21 at 5:21 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Forward Janesville is not known as being a Red front, patriotsal, and they didn't think this was good for Janesville, either. Say, you do realize that "government control" up to and including eminent domain is not some wild invention of the radical left, but has its roots in English common law and monarchy? Nah, of course you didn't.
.
916WI, I receive neither benefit, so your fumbled attempt at insult misses me by a mile. John Menard clearly gives F.A. about Janesville as evidenced by this very proposal, so we have no particular reason to bend over for him. And of course, Mr. Menard is such a generous and thoughtful citizen that he has been taken to Federal Tax Court for evading payment -- while George W. Bush was President, mind you. If the Republicans take you to court for evading taxes, I think there's a pretty good case to be made that you evaded taxes.
On DNR to waive fishing, trail fees for weekend
Posted on May 21 at 5:12 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
If you want everything rolled into your tax bill, then you have to occasionally relent, stop whining like a stuck pig, and let taxes go up, as jocose astutely points out. I'm happy with the current system as long as the user fees remain affordable, and as long as they money does go toward improvements such as trail maintenance and extension.
On Wis. GAB seeks absentee voting rule changes
Posted on May 21 at 5:06 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I certainly agree with one common deadline -- that will reduce costs and administrative headaches for election clerks statewide. The electronic system is something that other states and countries are trying, but I would like to know more about the proposed safeguards. As to the signature, is this effectively a "witness" signature, and how does that affect ballot integrity (and are other states doing it or not)?
.
Also, is the legislature at all likely to follow the GAB recommendations, or do they still consider the GAB an enemy of the Walker regime?
On Is it time to dump the landfill?
Posted on May 21 at 5:02 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
marge123, the point is that the collection fees from homeowners never covered the true cost. Property taxes are spread out over not just homeowners, but owners of commercial and rental property who are not customers of the city sanitation system. There's also IIRC the city's share of the county sales tax, which generates revenue from not just outside the city but outside the county and through travelers, although it's a small portion of the budget overall.
.
One of the considerations here, which I've mentioned in regard to the landfill's negative environmental aspects (runoff, smell, etc.), is that I don't know that there's a city our size in Wisconsin that has its own landfill anymore. Most of them are operated by counties and are outside populated areas.
On Menards mini-storage units are a no-go
Posted on May 21 at 7:21 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Good decision for Janesville -- too bad for the millionaire who would rather just suck money out of the city. This should be a prime retail location due to the proximity to the Interstate and the area's existing regional hub status. The economy has held back development but will recover eventually. Storage won't generate jobs OR tax revenue the way retail will.
On Police holding back report information
Posted on May 21 at 12:50 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Considering it took twenty years for this case to appear, that's hardly something you can lay at their feet, billnewbie. The courts generally weigh the intent of Congress highly when making decisions at this level and it's not really clear to me what led the appeals court to this decision, and I suspect there's a substantial chance it will be overturned for that same reason.
.
In normal times Congress might act quickly to fix a law that, like this one, resulted in unforeseen circumstances, by tweaking the exemptions or the like, but the current split between parties may make a quick fix impossible.
On A look at why the Benghazi issue keeps coming back
Posted on May 20 at 8:37 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
You can't just load a plane full of SEALs, no matter how badass, and drop them into the middle of a fluid situation with no secure landing site. Life is not a summer blockbuster. I think it shows what an utter joke this whole so-called scandal is that certain people think it's a mature and serious criticism to say that they could have "buzzed" the consulate and that "might" have scared off the attackers (who were battle-hardened warriors fresh from a civil war with a brutal dictator, mind you). It's like cub scouts are now armchair generals.
On Breaching First Amendment rights
Posted on May 20 at 8:32 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
This is not something with easy answers -- clearly there is the potential to breach national security with reporting on terrorism investigations, but generally we should err on the side of free speech and open debate (e.g. prior restraint law, famously slammed down in the case of Progressive Magazine v. United States). It is worth noting here that the journalists were not themselves being investigated -- this was a whistleblower witch-hunt, if anything -- but it's still unsettling. It may come down to how the i's were dotted and the t's crossed in terms of the Justice investigation.
On Students learn English for their families, their jobs, their community
Posted on May 20 at 8:28 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
It's actually the norm that immigrants (legal or otherwise) who are younger than 40 learn the language. Four out of every five immigrants has engaged in formal education or tutoring to learn English. But learning a new language becomes progressively more difficult as the brain ages and most people older than 30-40 years of age will have difficulty becoming more than proficient. People who have children to take care of or are employed also have fewer opportunities to learn. A recent study also found that ethnic enclaves can protect immigrants from the need to learn, but that's usually an issue with larger cities that will have a Chinatown or a segregated Hispanic community.
Page 1 of 829 | Next
On What to do with dandelions
Posted on May 21 at 5:31 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Lots of people don't have the pride to maintain their property, it's true. Others don't have the time or money -- you can pay more for chemical weed control, or spend more time maintaining the lawn without. Most landlords don't really care, of course. I'd rather use corn gluten, myself, but I have too many rental properties around where the dandelions seem to be the primary crop, so I have to weed and feed twice a year.
.
If I could somehow manage it so there's about one dandelion per square yard or so, permanently, I wouldn't mind it, but they never stop there.
.
Wisconsin Master Gardener Melinda Myers has lawn care tips just for our state (download the 5 easy steps):
http://www.melindamyers.com/Gardening-Ti...
.
Her book "Wisconsin Lawn Guide" seems to be out of print but you can get it on Amazon.