I had an opportunity to visit recently with Black Earth resident, Wisconsin Heights teacher and Wisconsin DPI Superintendent Candidate Todd Stelzel. I’ve posted a 13 minute video clip and mp3 audio file where Stelzel discuss his background, candidacy and asks for our vote. Following are a number of fat links to information about Stelzel, who recently completed his Masters Degree at Edgewood College in Madison. Fat Links (click on the icons):
Look for an interview with another candidate, Dr. Paul Yvarra soon. I’ve not heard from incumbent Madison resident Elizabeth Burmaster or Gregg Underheim. If I do, I will post their interviews as well.
Category: Politics
Our Tax Dollars at Work: FBI’s $170M failed Computer System
The development is a major setback for the F.B.I. in a decade-long struggle to escape a paper-driven culture and replace antiquated computer systems that have hobbled counterterrorism and criminal investigations. Robert S. Mueller III, the bureau’s director, along with members of the Sept. 11 commission and other national security experts, have said the success of that effort is critical to domestic security.
“It’s immensely disappointing to learn of this type of failure,” Lee H. Hamilton, the vice chairman of the Sept. 11 commission, said in an interview. “The F.B.I. cannot share information and manage their cases effectively without a top-flight computer system, and we on the commission got assurances again and again from the F.B.I. that they were getting on top of this problem. It’s very, very disappointing to see that they’re not.”
Governor Jim Doyle’s State of the State Speech Links
Google News and Clusty links to commentary on Doyle’s speech last night. 67MB Video Clip
Feingold 2008?
Russ Feingold for President – 2008. Goin South, an article recently published by Salon is certainly food for thought. Graeme Zielinski digs a bit deeper.
Madison’s Sister City Program
Mayor Dave is visiting one of Madison’s many sister Cities: Mantova, Italy. Props to the mayor for paying his own way. Perhaps another approach is in order: hold a drawing for ordinary citizens to make the trip…..
Wisconsin Open Records: Bill Leuders on AG Peg Lautenschlager’s support
Isthmus news editor Bill Leuders writes about Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager’s strong support for our open records rights:
Last spring, the newspaper I work for had a problem obtaining some public records from Madison schools. Officials demanded that we first send a check for $613.08 to cover the costs they expected to incur reviewing the records and deciding what information to black out.
These costs put the records effectively beyond our reach. Worse, I knew from my involvement with the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council that this was part of a much larger problem. Throughout the state, records custodians were seizing on some loose language in a 2002 Supreme Court case to justify charging exorbitant fees designed to thwart records requests.
I asked state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager for an opinion on this practice. Her office reviewed the matter and in short order issued an unequivocal opinion stating that Open Records Law does not permit such costs. Custodians may charge only for copies and in some cases for the cost of locating records.
It was a major win for the cause of openness in Wisconsin, one of many on which Lautenschlager has played a role. Indeed, in my opinion, no one in Wisconsin has done more to preserve the public’s right to know.
Classic Politics
Hackworth: It’s up to us
David H. Hackworth:
so here’s my New Year?s resolution: to keep countering Pentagon lies with the truth until enough concerned citizens demand that Congress set up a congressional investigative arm to formally expose the liars and hold them accountable.
For almost six decades, I?ve borne witness to scuzzy machinations that had little or nothing to do with America?s national security. And because of them, I?ve watched my beloved country become enmeshed in far too many blood-splattered military misadventures only because they were good for Pentagon business. I?ve seen trillions of dollars allocated for gold-plated pork of value only to the monsters who manipulate the military-industrial-congressional complex and absolutely worthless to our gallant soldiers ? the kids who end up paying the ultimate price for the madness of war.?
Had a decent chunk of that dough been spent on the right stuff ? supporting our troops ? our warriors wouldn?t have fought in Korea in 1950 with World War I gear or be slugging it out in Iraq in scrounged ?hillbilly armor? and told to go to war with the Army we have and to suck it up.
The NSA Opens Up
Christian Davenport says that the National Security Agency is opening up and looking for small business to help in the war on terror.
“I’m looking for new ideas,” said Daniel G. Wolf, the NSA’s information assurance director. “We want to hear what you have.”
In November, the agency announced that it would pump $445,000 into the center, whose companies are at the vanguard of security technology: finding cures for bioterrorism diseases, protecting computer networks from hackers, developing software designed to find terrorists.
As the intelligence industry continues to expand since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the clandestine agency is playing a more prominent — and visible — role in the Washington region. With plans to hire 7,500 new employees over five years, the NSA, already Anne Arundel County’s largest employer, is undergoing its largest recruiting drive since the Cold War.
The agency is also increasingly opening its doors to private companies for help in developing spy technologies.
Taxpayer Bill of Rights [TABOR], A Look at Colorado’s Experience
Wisconsin’s legislature continues to consider a Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Colorado passed a taxpayer bill of rights in 1992. Steven Walters visits the front range to talk with locals about their version of TABOR. Why did TABOR happen in Colorado? The numbers tell the story:
- The problem: From 1983 to ’92, spending by Colorado state government rose by 97%, while inflation rose 29.7% and the state’s population increased by 10.4%. We have a similar problem, unfortunately, Wisconsin’s economy is not the powerhouse it once was.
- The solution: In 1992, Colorado voters – by a 54% to 46% margin – passed a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights that limited state spending and required excess tax funds to be refunded the next year, unless voters let governments keep the surplus.
Much more here:
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