Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos
A safe place for moderates in a polarized world
Latest from the blog
Where’s Carlton Jenkins?
A grab bag of issues this Friday. Still lots of unanswered questions. Back in February a small army of law enforcement personnel from a half dozen agencies, including the DNR, descended on one man. They were on the far east side of Madison to arrest Quadren Wilson on a drug charge. They ended up shootingContinue reading “Where’s Carlton Jenkins?”
$1k For City Workers is a Terrible Idea
In Madison no bad idea ever really dies. Earlier this year Dane County Executive Joe Parisi proposed a one time $1,000 payment to every county employee to soften the blow of inflation. That proposal went down in flames before a very liberal County Board. I like Parisi. I think he’s a good guy and goodContinue reading “$1k For City Workers is a Terrible Idea”
What if it Comes Down to Independents?
Independent voters could decide the November elections. So, why is Tim Michels moving hard right? Wisconsin is pretty much equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, so a common strategy for both parties is to turn out their base voters. Earlier this summer Democrats were despondent and Republicans were energized. Polls showed a big enthusiasm gapContinue reading “What if it Comes Down to Independents?”
Using People As Pawns
People aren’t pawns. At least they shouldn’t be, but they are right now. I’m referring to the immigrants being shipped like parcels from Arizona, Texas and Florida to Manhattan, Martha’s Vineyard and Washington, DC. Hard-right Republican governors in those states are using human beings to score political points. The immigrants are unwilling foot soldiers inContinue reading “Using People As Pawns”
Latest MU Poll: Not So Good for Dems
The latest Marquette Law School Poll is out and it has some cautionary tales to tell Democrats. It’s not a tragic story just yet, but I found it pretty disappointing overall. Let’s dig in. Confusing numbers on Barnes-Johnson. As a Democrat I was disappointed in these numbers, which had U.S. Senate candidates Mandela Barnes andContinue reading “Latest MU Poll: Not So Good for Dems”
For a Materialistic Society
I am for materialism. Let’s be comfortable. Let’s get more stuff. Let’s focus on acquisition. Searching for meaning in life? It’s about a better sofa and a bigger flat screen. When I see one of those bumper stickers on a Prius that says, “Live simply so that others may simply live,” I drive very, veryContinue reading “For a Materialistic Society”
The Unforgiving Hard-Left
Madison Ald. Gary Halverson resigned last night. He probably made the right decision for his family, but the whole awful episode says worse things about the hard-left than it does about Halverson. Here’s the story. In 2020, before he was on the Council and before the January 6, 2021 Insurrection, Halverson joined the Oath Keepers,Continue reading “The Unforgiving Hard-Left”
Madison’s Public Market Might Have Checked Out
Madison is building or will soon begin construction on a lot of stuff: major projects at the public high schools, bus rapid transit, a new men’s shelter, a jail consolidation, and more. And all that building is happening at a time when construction costs are increasing rapidly. It’s probably time to make some hard choicesContinue reading “Madison’s Public Market Might Have Checked Out”
Wait ’til Wednesday
In a couple of days the new Marquette poll comes out. That will be the biggest day in this election cycle, perhaps until election day itself. For me, these are the big questions to be answered: Has RoJo made any headway? Mandela Barnes took a significant seven point lead over Ron Johnson in the lastContinue reading “Wait ’til Wednesday”
None Of It Matters Much
To hear Republicans tell it, we need ever-increasing hurdles to cast a ballot to prevent rampant voter fraud (which apparently only hurts Republican candidates.) To hear the Democrats tell it, the Republicans have imposed the equivalent of poll taxes and literacy tests. None of that is true. In fact, all this sound and fury overContinue reading “None Of It Matters Much”
The Cynicism of the “Varsity Collective”
Nobody can top the UW Athletic Department for sanctimony. But now they’ve reached a new level with the Varsity Collective. To understand what this thing is and why it’s so galling you need some background. Last year, at the point of legal gun, the NCAA finally allowed college athletes to benefit from their own name,Continue reading “The Cynicism of the “Varsity Collective””
Not So Sweet
UW Madison history professor James Sweet should have known what was coming. Sweet, who is also the current President of the American History Association, wrote a much needed essay in the AHA publication about the dangers of “presentism”, that is the tendency to apply present day perspectives and values to historic events. Predictably, the academyContinue reading “Not So Sweet”
Catching Up on a Few Things
A grab bag today. Biden misses the point. Yesterday Pres. Joe Biden attended union rallies in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh to celebrate Labor Day. But only one out of 10 American workers belongs to a union. If Biden really wanted to connect with labor he would have visited the loading dock at a Wal-Mart or theContinue reading “Catching Up on a Few Things”
On the Merits
On Labor Day, when we should be celebrating the fruits of diligence, hard work and just showing up on time, I had the good fortune of stumbling across a piece on the merits of merit in, of all places, the New York Times. The guest essay is by Asra Nomani, a woman who came toContinue reading “On the Merits”
The Invisible Workforce
On Labor Day weekend, here’s a question that hard-left Democrats need to ask themselves: If they’re so pro-worker how come workers have been abandoning them in droves? Once the blue collar party, Democrats are fast becoming the party of college-educated, relatively affluent, white collar workers who live in big cities and college towns. And yet,Continue reading “The Invisible Workforce”
RoJo Misfires Again
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson shouldn’t be desperate for issues on which to attack his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. But he sure looks desperate now. Johnson is going after Barnes for using a lot of security in his first three years in office. And, in fact, Barnes has rung up over $600,000 in securityContinue reading “RoJo Misfires Again”
The Land of Misfit Toys
The other day David Blaska’s lawsuit was settled, but Blaska won his war back in May. Blaska and the conservative nonprofit law firm WILL went after the Madison City Council for requiring that its new Police Oversight Board be made up of various racial and gender identity groups most definitely not including straight white guys,Continue reading “The Land of Misfit Toys”
Begging the Big Beglinger Question
The latest Marquette University Law School poll came out earlier this month. It’s the first new MU poll since June and it was taken right after the Aug. 9 primaries. Here’s what I think I learned. Is it just a bump? In this latest poll both Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels and Democratic Senate candidateContinue reading “Begging the Big Beglinger Question”
Will Loan Forgiveness Survive?
I’m betting that Pres. Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt won’t happen. Here’s why. For starters it will take awhile for the bureaucratic machinery to be put in place. All kinds of detailed questions need to be worked out and processes, decision-making standards and appeal mechanisms need to beContinue reading “Will Loan Forgiveness Survive?”
MKE, Nuremberg & the GOP
In normal times I’d welcome Republicans to Wisconsin for their national convention in 2024. But this isn’t my father’s Republican Party. It isn’t even my older brother-in-law’s GOP. The Republican National Committee has now officially chosen Milwaukee for its next confab, which had been a foregone conclusion since its rival, Nashville, balked at approving aContinue reading “MKE, Nuremberg & the GOP”
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos 