Local utility Alliant Energy announced that they have taken full control of an $82M Mexican resort development, Laguna Del Mar. Thomas Content and Judy Newman follow the story. Content notes that Alliant also lost money invested in Brazil several years ago. Clearly, these regulated entities have no business spending money in this way. How about a rate cut (MG & E also spreads the money around in odd ways. Background here and here.
Category: Politics
Underheim/Burmaster Forum
Wisconsin DPI Superintendent Candidates participated in a forum yesterday, sponsored by wispolitics.com. Alan Borsuk has the details.
Jerry Brown Starts to Blog – of course
Zach Stern on Local Voter Apathy
UW Student Zach Stern on Tuesday’s Primary and voter apathy in general.
HR 310 – Broadcast Indecency Act: Baldwin votes Yes
Interesting vote by Representative Tammy Baldwin on HR 310, the Broadcast Indecency Act. She voted Yes.
The quality of TV in general has certainly not gone up. Advertising is also, to some extent keeping pace (Mike Ditka throwing a football through a flaming tire for a viagra type product is just one example).
The Culture of Spending
The political scientist James Payne argued that there is a culture of spending in Congress. Even people elected on a platform of cutting government become enured to higher spending as week after week they hear witnesses saying how much more money is needed and how many more problems could be solved if only you, the great Congressperson, would use your power to spend.
Posner: Abolish Medicare
As a matter of economic principle (and I think social justice as well), Medicare should be abolished. Then the principal government medical-payment program would be Medicaid, a means-based system of social insurance that is part of the safety net for the indigent. Were Medicare abolished, the nonpoor would finance health care in their old age by buying health insurance when they were young.
Wisconsin Votes: More Gaps Found (11/2004)
Madison’s numbers: 138,204 ballots were cast and 133,598 people were recorded as having voted. I wonder who the other 4606 voters were? Greg Borowski and Tom Kertscher keeping digging….
Wisconsin Voter Fraud – DePere Man Charged
Marc P. Lacher, a St. Norbert’s alumnus, was charged Jan. 14 with voting illegally in the state of Wisconsin. Lacher used an old address to vote in Green Bay, although he currently resides in Illinois. Lacher said he believed he could vote using the previous address he resided at when attending college, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Meet Ben Moga: Candidate for Madison Alderperson, District 5
Ben Moga is running for Madison’s District 5 Alderperson. Meet him, via this Quicktime Video (MP3 audio is also available).
