On Some chiefs think consolidation is answer to fire departments' woes
Posted on September 28 at 7:33 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I was amused to see that one argument against consolidation was that taxes would go up for township residents.
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As it stands now, because of mutual aid agreements, etc, those town residents have access to all of Beloit and Janesville's expensive equipment and personnel without having to pay for it, or the benefits and retirement costs.
On Survey says: County parks need improving
Posted on September 26 at 11:02 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I'm quite sure that the figure quoted for Beloit's parks budget is incorrect. According to their website, the 2008 operating budget for parks was $1.4 million which would translate to about $38 per capita.
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Also, while Rock County isn't exactly famous for its parks, we do have two larger municipalities with extensive park development and several smaller municipalities with very nice parks.
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We could do a better job of maintaining county parks, to be sure, but I'm not sure we need more of them.
On Referendum fails in Town of Fulton
Posted on September 10 at 6:46 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
People (other than farmers) live in these rural areas because they fancy themselves rugged individualists who don't need "gummint" picking their pockets and telling them what to do.
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So, since the referendum failed, I guess they're just gonna roll up their sleeves and fix them dang roads themselves . . . and then go get an alignment and some new shocks on their pickup trucks.
Posted on August 23 at 7:06 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
It would appear that Obama is looking to add some gravitas and experience to the ticket rather than trying to pick up some electoral votes in this region or that.
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Biden has years of experience, especially in foreign policy, is a powerful (if long-winded) speaker and has a long history of working both sides of the aisle to accomplish things.
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Great choice.
On In oil debate, Democrats want to kill planet to save it
Posted on August 1 at 9 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I'm disappointed that in this political season almost no one is talking seriously about conservation as a tool to reduce dependence on oil and cope with high gas prices.
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Taking just a few tips from hypermilers, the typical driver could reduce consumption by 10% with no change in life style, 20% with a few minor changes in life style. If everyone did this we wouldn't be having these other discussions about prices or drilling.
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If high gas prices really bother people so much, why are they still flying down the roads well above the speed limits?
On New study says minimum mark up law too harsh today
Posted on July 24 at 8:54 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Before everybody gets all excited about this, consider: Even without the law the retailers are going to mark-up the price by some margin, they have to in order to meet payroll and other overhead costs, afterall.
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Fact is, 9.2% is far lower than the typical retail margin on other goods. And, as the article notes, retailers can already go lower than 9.2% to meet competitor's prices.
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Since the law probably has little impact on the marketplace, it might as well be repealed. Just don't expect some kind of windfall for consumers.
On County will oversee rebuilding in flooded townships
Posted on July 12 at 6:48 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Good point, wortnik. Looking at current construction costs, most homes would cost more to replace than their current market value, possibly by a factor of 2x in many cases.
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In that case, a home that is only 25% damaged could require 50% of its value to repair. Having to do a tear down under those circumstances would be heartbreaking.
On Cow couture: Bessie statue fine as good idea goes bad
Posted on June 29 at 7:44 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
WOW, guess Janesville now has another distinction:
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In addition to being the town of fast food and all-you-can-eat buffets, it also totally lacks a sense of humor.
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C'mon, folks, lighten up.
On Janesville strip club manager arrested after prostitution investigation
Posted on June 27 at 10:34 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
. . . and of course if you read it on the Internet, it must be true . . .
ya right
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On Residents pose questions about new hospital
Posted on October 2 at 1:03 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Long Time Gone is correct in pointing out that the market for health care is not a free market in any sense of the word and that consumers have little if any choice.
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The reason is that we completely turn those decisions over to others when we ask them to pay the bills for us. It is, in fact, our money that is being spent but we have given up control over how it is spent. We don't ask how much anything is going cost and we rarely even look at the bill when it is all over.
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The solution to our looming health care crisis is going to be in finding ways to turn control of spending over to the actual consumers of the services where it belongs.