One of the hallmarks of the woke left is to obsess over insignificant or manufactured issues, often while ignoring real injustices. The classic example of this is the Chamberlin Rock. It is (or was) a very big rock that sat on a pretty hillside overlooking Lake Mendota and Picnic Point on the UW campus. ForContinue reading “Trivia Trumps Substance”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Why the Infrastructure Bill is a Big Freakin’ Deal
When Obamacare became law then Vice President Joe Biden was caught on mic saying that “This is a big freakin’ deal” as he embraced the President. Only he didn’t say “freakin’.” Last week the Supreme Court upheld the right of a would-be high school cheerleader to use the same word. Free speech advocates were heardContinue reading “Why the Infrastructure Bill is a Big Freakin’ Deal”
The Robin Vos Basket of Deplorables
There’s a special place set aside in political hell for people like Robin Vos. I think Democrats make a big mistake when they subscribe to the “basket of deplorables” view of Trump voters because, in fact, you can’t put all of them in one basket. I put them in two. The first basket is blueContinue reading “The Robin Vos Basket of Deplorables”
Veto the Damn Budget, Already!
Is Tony Evers too good a man to be the Governor? I write to you from our cabin in the North Woods. Since we’ve owned this place I’ve learned how to use a chain saw. I’ve learned how to distinguish a tree from the forest. So, I feel qualified to offer my Governor some advice.Continue reading “Veto the Damn Budget, Already!”
A Tale of Two Parties
The New York Times would tell us that their city’s mayoral race will indicate the direction of the Democratic Party. Try Buffalo and Virginia instead. It appears that Eric Adams may be the next Mayor of New York. We won’t be sure for about a month because this is the city’s first election under it’sContinue reading “A Tale of Two Parties”
Massive Power Line May Go Down
In baseball they say you win some, you lose some and sometimes it rains. But if your business is building massive power lines through the Midwest countryside you only win. At least that has been the experience of the American Transmission Company. ATC has never been denied permission to build a power line from Wisconsin’sContinue reading “Massive Power Line May Go Down”
The Trouble With Nonprofits
A few days ago, I wrote about “progressophobia,” a term coined by Harvard linguistics Prof. Steven Pinker to describe the left’s reluctance to acknowledge its own successes. I thought that Bill Maher had done a brilliant job of explaining how that was playing out in politics and popular culture. But, to be fair, it’s notContinue reading “The Trouble With Nonprofits”
It’s Time to Drop the Masks, Madison
I am the furthest thing from a COVID denier, but continued mask wearing in Madison is just another form of liberal virtue signaling. I split my time between our place in the North Woods and our condo on the Near West Side. For virtually all of the pandemic I was frustrated with my Upper PeninsulaContinue reading “It’s Time to Drop the Masks, Madison”
The Anti-Tribalist
I am a member of a very large congregation: The Church of Fallen Away Catholics. I wish Joe Biden would join me here. I grew up in an observant Catholic family in a heavily Catholic part of the country and attended Catholic schools for my first 12 years of education. During the school year atContinue reading “The Anti-Tribalist”
Progressophobia
I have mixed feelings about comedian Bill Maher. But he got it dead right about the way the hard-left refuses to deal with the reality of progress on social issues. On the one hand, Maher almost perfectly captures my own politics: liberal, but willing to take on political correctness when it’s called for. On theContinue reading “Progressophobia”
Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos 