Month: January 2019

My father is rolling over in his grave

/ This Just In... From Franklin, WI / 1 Comment

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”
Post Office motto since who knows when

“The U.S. Postal Service suspended mail delivery in parts or all of several Midwest states including Wisconsin.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/29/2019

“With severe winter weather impacting the area, and forecasts predicting temperatures to reach historic low levels, the U.S. Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.”
Fox 6 Milwaukee, 1/29/2019

“For the second day in a row, the U.S. Postal Service will temporarily suspend regular delivery service on Thursday, Jan. 31. This is to ensure the safety and well-being of postal carriers and other employees.”
Fox 6 Milwaukee reporting on 1/30/19

No USPS delivery on Thursday 1/31/19?

I personally helped a DHL Express delivery person into our office building today (Thursday) when the USPS took a powder. I also saw UPS and Federal Express trucks out in abundance. All while the USPS felt it necessary to stay home but still increase the price of a postage stamp.

Can we say “clueless?”

I have countless memories of my late, great father that I can recall to this day. How he proudly worked for the Post Office for more than 31 years. When a neighbor lady asked in front of this youngster if he would want his sons to work in the Post Office, he immediately said, “Hell no!”

How come? Dad saw in the mid to late 1970’s how the Post Office work ethic had started to decline. Not to mention how the workers had become a bunch of slobs.

Yes, I know how the USPS handles all sorts of volume per day.  Even so, I know Dad would be completely ashamed of what has become of the Post Office today.

Today’s highly interesting read (01/31/19): Tax the wealthiest of the 0.1 percent? Not so fast.

/ This Just In... From Franklin, WI / 1 Comment

Image result for image, photo, picture, tax the wealthy

From the Editorial Board of USA TODAY:

To be sure, wealthy individuals can and should be asked to contribute more in the name of funding government services and reducing government debt. There’s a place for inheritance taxes, and a case for taxing investment income at the same rate as ordinary income.

But the proposals gaining currency would harm the economy and job creation, thereby undermining the goal of easing income inequality.  

Read the editorial here.

What’s the latest on Franklin’s future roundabout?

/ This Just In... From Franklin, WI / 3 Comments

More information was shared about the planned roundabout at 51st and Drexel at the January 8, 2019 meeting of the Franklin Common Council.  Brad Severson spoke to the Council. He’s from R.A. Smith, the engineering consultant for the roundabout design.

Safety

Severson said the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) conducted a study in 2017 of the 51st and Drexel intersection. The study looked at the five year period from 2011-2015.

During that time there were 19 crashes in the intersection. That equates to .7 crash per every one million vehicles entering the intersection. Clearly that raises the very legitimate question of whether a roundabout is even necessary.

“That’s not a huge safety issue,” said Severson, but “it’s one certainly worth looking at.”

Half of the crashes were T-bones according to Severson who said that unusual at a 4-way stop.

Cost

According to documentation on the city of Franklin website the design project is, not surprisingly, over budget. There is a 60% project estimate that reflects a construction total of $1,034,000. A previous construction estimate was $825,000. Not included in the higher estimate are land acquisition costs that are unknown at this time. Land from all four corners of the intersection must still be acquired.

Severson said reasons for the increased cost include the SEWRPC study is about two years old and the design has to consider the accommodation of larger vehicles.

Listening to the tape of the meeting one doesn’t get the feeling that there’s a sense of urgency about the cost issue. Franklin’s approved 2019 Capital Improvement Fund includes $1-million for the roundabout project.

Intersection delays

If Franklin did nothing at the intersection and simply left it a 4-way stop, Severson told the Council an average delay for a vehicle, from the time it was stopped in line to it finally leaving the intersection would be, on average, 5 ½ minutes which includes the time frame when Franklin High School lets out.

The project is behind schedule. It’s thought the 90% plans will be ready this March and that the bidding process to receive bids will begin this May.

The council voted to direct city staff to begin the land acquisition and bidding processes and also study why costs are higher.

Read more about this story:

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2018: #6

The Kevin Fischer “Whippersnapper Hall of Fame”- Inductee #31

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For new readers:

I am always on the lookout for sharp, young, talented writers. As I have blogged in the past, these young folk must meet certain standards.

They must have a strong ability to write well.

Their efforts must be provocative and insightful.

They should have strong opinions and beliefs that are fact-based.

Their work should be grammatically correct, and they must not regularly and repeatedly flunk spell-check. Doing so would demonstrate a lack of pride and self-respect, not to mention a clear ineptness.

I have  recognized special young writers who will be members of the Kevin Fischer “Whippersnapper Hall of Fame.” By the strictest definition, “whippersnapper” may not be the most positive term. However, I can assure you that in this context, “whippersnapper” should be considered in the most complimentary, respectful sense. These young individuals are refreshing.

My goal is to showcase these young writers who, by their true ability give us superb confidence that the future of our great country is in very capable hands.

I have also expanded my Hall of Fame beyond young writers to include young folks who have performed exceptional public service, accomplished outstanding feats, or demonstrated exemplary behavior.

The latest inductee is Ace Davis at #31 below.

THE KEVIN FISCHER “WHIPPERSNAPPER HALL OF FAME”

1) The Conservative Casanova

2) American Sweetheart

3) Eva Lorraine Molina

4) Matt Kallerud

5) Hannah Giles

6) Jillian Bandes

7) Jonathan McCoy

8) James O’Keefe

9) Jackie Seal

10) Jill Metzler

11) Jake Shafer

12) Bree McMahon

13) Keli Carender

14) Jessica Watson

15, 16, and 17) Christopher “Kreece” Fuchs, Xavier Helgesen and Jeff Kurtzman

18) Vanessa Jean Louis

19) Zack Goodman

20) Lila Rose

21) Drew Anderson and Toni Alten-Crowe

22) Christine Rousselle

23) Carlos Turner

24) Jhaqueil Reagan

25) Matt Walsh

26) Kwasi Enin

27) Anthony Casalena

28) Dylan Puccetti

29) Lyla Black

30) Rishi Sharma

31) Ace Davis

Today’s highly interesting read (01/30/19): We need to build the wall for the children

/ This Just In... From Franklin, WI / 1 Comment

Image: A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer patrols along the border

Today’s read and insightful perspective is from Timothy Ballard, founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), an organization dedicated to rescuing children from sex trafficking.

As a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) special agent on the southern border who fought sex trafficking for over a decade, I can say with certainty that the issue of the border wall should be not about power and partisan politics. It should be about the children – the tens of thousands of them who have been and are being trafficked into the U.S. and forced into the commercial sex trade.

Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise on the planet, with millions of child victims stuck in its clutches. Indeed, this is no peripheral issue – this alone should be front and center in our border and immigration debate.

Read the column here.

Today’s highly interesting read (01/29/19): The Mess We’re In

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Today’s read is from columnist Jonah Goldberg who writes about the current state of affairs in the media.

In a nation of 326 million people, the responses of even a few thousand people (assuming all of them are genuine people) of various motivations and varying levels of sincerity is not proof of much of anything and is only rarely evidence of “news.” We choose to invest grandiose meaning to these events, creating a signal to fight over amidst all the noise that is social media. A fight over Thanksgiving dinner about Trump or the wall or even the transgender aunt who showed up by surprise could easily be turned into a national news event if properly captured by someone’s iPhone.

Read the entire column here.

 

 

The latest pro-life news (01/28/19)

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THIS WEEKLY BLOG PROMOTES A CULTURE OF LIFE

Don’t miss our closing heartwarming story every week!

From Pro-Life Wisconsin

From WI Right To Life…

ALSO:

Andrew Cuomo Defends Legalizing Abortions Up to Birth: “I’m Not Here to Represent” the Catholic Church

Media Trashed Pro-Life Teens Extensively, Spent Just 58 Seconds on Actual March for Life

When legislators pass a law to legally kill a baby on the day it is to be born, and when people celebrate that killing, we are in the midst of pure Evil.

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Oh, baby: Lasagna, exploding baseballs and bath bombs are part of the booming gender reveal industry

AND FINALLY, LOVIN’ LIFE…

Men and their masculinity took a beating recently. What garbage. Thankfully there was an uprising of outrage.

Here’s to all the many good men, exemplified by this group. CBS’ Steve Hartman reports.

 

Today’s highly interesting read (01/28/19): Why does Roger Goodell continue to ignore the mess from Rams-Saints?

/ This Just In... From Franklin, WI / 1 Comment

 

Image may contain: one or more people, people playing sports and outdoor, possible text that says 'The Times Dicauune MONDAY, JANUARY 2019 RAMS REFFING UNBELIEVABLE Blown no call robs New Orleans of NFC Championship, sets up tainted Super Bowl LIII between Rams and Patriots AINTS'

Image may contain: 3 people, crowd

Image may contain: 4 people, people smiling, people standing, people walking, beard, shoes and outdoor

Today’s read is from well-known and highly regarded NFL analyst Peter King:

Hard to know where to start when discussing the eight-day-old officiating decision heard-round-the-NFL that played a major role in the Rams winning the NFC title game. I think we should start at silence … silence from the NFL, and from commissioner Roger Goodell, and (mostly) from vice president for officiating Al Riveron.

But what seems so tone-deaf and arrogant about ignoring the no-call in New Orleans is … well, let me enumerate:

Read King’s entire column here.