Paul's Falls

 After a year's hype cable television now has serious competition.  All last year the phone company ran ads claiming that once a new law was passed the Citizens of Wisconsin would be on easy street.  A bill was in the works that would allow phone companies to provide television without paying a franchise fee to local governments. The claim was that new competition would force the cable operators to quit gouging us and lower prices. It was implied that the phone company would enter the market with significantly cheaper rates for equal service.  Every day the broadcast commercials told us to contact our legislators and demand that the new law be passed.  How nice it would be to actually pay fair prices for video service.

The law was passed.  Anyone (in the Milwaukee area)  can now sign up with AT&T and bring in video programs over the phone lines.  But guess what.  Their rates are basically the same as the cable operator. Poof....suddenly the commercials no longer talk about lower rates but instead focus on an old woman watching TV in an odd-shaped bed.

Oh, by the way, my TV bills have increased.  So much for the benefits of competition!
 

 I can't remember the last time I felt that I was able to choose for myself how to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Perhaps it was when I graduated from primary school in the 6th grade.  It was about that time that I first read 1984.  Ever since then I have noticed our Big-Brother Government adding ever-increasing restrictions on to my diminishing abilities and freedoms.

 The largest all-at-once loss was shortly after the 9/11 attacks when Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism legislation. We, as citizens, gleefully gave up many rights to the government with the assurance that these "few" restrictions would make everything right again.  Baloney!  Those laws must have been written well earlier because they are very complex and could not have been knocked out in such a short time following the attack.

Today I am on surveillance camera nearly everywhere I go.  Metal detectors surround the entrance to most public buildings.   My phone calls are being monitored and my prescriptions are entered into a government drug database.  I have to show a photo ID to board the Amtrak to Chicago.  Perhaps they expect I might hijack it and order it to go to Duluth.

The latest attempt will soon be debated in Congress.  Diane Feinstein has authored a bill creating a nationwide fingerprint databank.  Don't worry!  They only want fingerprints of anyone having to do with issuing mortgages - nobody else.  Just lenders and sales agents. Until next year that is.  Something is sure to come by creating the need for every person's prints in the bank.

I will resist it and be very uncooperative if this comes to pass.  The government will have to do without this bit of my uniqueness until the unlikely case that I commit a crime.  Be aware of your freedoms being taken bit by bit.  Do you ever get the feeling that it is all just a waste of our time and money?
 

Some good and bad items this time...

First the good:  I have finally had the opportunity to sample the wares at BBQuick on Appleton Ave.  I had heard rave reviews about the food, but never happened to be in the neighborhood when the store was open. They open and close twice a day and I finally stopped to read the store's hours of operation posted on the front door. Once I got it right I was rewarded.

Last Saturday it was a change.  The experience was all that could be expected.  It was just before noon, and walking in I instantly knew that I was in the right place.  The aroma of well-prepared barbecue hit me instantly.  What I didn't expect was the welcome I got from the proprietor.  He is a vibrant soul with a lot of enthusiasm.  I will not say more - it is something that you must  experience first hand.

By the way, beef, chicken and pork all fit under the BBQ moniker and if you choose to eat there and not carry out you will find a nice sampling of down home blues to fill your ears.  Oh, baby it's goood!

 The bad:  What's the matter with the pickets at Kohl's and other stores in the area?  Apparently they have an axe to grind about horrendous corporate profits.  Is it that the corporations buy blue jeans from SriLanka?  For sure our jobs have been lost to cheap overseas labor used by companies who operate under lax environmental and social standards.

Whose fault is it anyway?  I believe that our government has the major role in creating this confusion.  Maybe I'll say more about that another time.

Nevertheless the question -  who are the the greedy bastards raking in all the money from Kohl's and others?  We are!  We have met the enemy and he is us.  We who have invested in stock securities from thousands of worldwide corporations have only ourselves to blame.

 Notice to all mass media:

I have endured more than any reasonably intelligent person might be expected to do.  Political ads and political news suck!  From now on I will immediately turn off any news report that has anything to do with the Presidential election in November. There is nothing more that can be said about any issue.  Over and over and over and over, the same issues have been discussed in countless debates sponsored by .... the mass media purveyors.  We are being whipped up to a media frenzy in their hopes that more advertising revenue might benefit their enterprises.

It is nauseating.  Today, during my lunch hour in the employee cafeteria, CNN was blaring.  I endured Hillary pontificating for as long as I could and left quickly to finish eating elsewhere.  It was more than I could take. I quit!

Political news and political ads be damned.

 So, you media companies and candidates as well, I will listen no longer.  Save our sanity and your advertising money as well.  Enough already!

I know what you candidates stand for - perhaps only until next week when you might change your mind.  But if you do, I won't know because I've dropped out.

...see you again in November after I've made my vote when I'll tune in again.
 

Last week I had the pleasure writing in this blog about a good guy.  To our loss John Schilling is no longer a resident of our community.  Unfortunately, this week I have the unhappy duty to write about a person who is just the opposite.

The person in question has sent a scathing, critical letter to a family who recently moved away from Menomonee Falls due to declining health.  The family had served our community well for over 50 years and they were respected.  And yet this sick-minded individual sent such a vindictive, vengeful letter that it raised my anger to the boiling point as I read it.  My wife shed tears as she was reading. She couldn't believe that anyone could behave in such an un-Christian manner and be so cruel and hurtful. I would publish it here, but it would be in bad taste to do so and would only harm the family more.

Who is this spineless person that hides behind anonymity to attack a sick, old man?  I have a good idea of the identity and will post more here as details emerge.  In the mean time, whomever you are, be ashamed of what you have done and prepare to atone for your sins. An apology to your fellow citizens will be in order when a the rock you're hiding under is turned over and you have to crawl out from underneath and show your face to the rest of us.
 

 JOHN SCHILLING has written and published a story about his exciting life as an accountant.  Now, exciting and accountant don't very often appear in the same sentence, but his story certainly has both elements.

UNDERCOVER is a well written account of his actions as a whistleblower, exposing his employer's actions in their attempts to cheat the government out of a gazillion dollars. It seems they had set up a system to improperly report costs and payments to hospitals under Medicare.  What John discovered and reported to various agencies eventually blossomed into discovery of illegal practices nationwide throughout the medical benefits billing system. For his honesty he was very richly rewarded.

John, now living in Florida, grew up in Menomonee Falls.  I knew him back when he was a volunteer on the Menomonee Falls Fire Department where I was serving as Lieutenant.  His goal was to become a full-time firefighter - he thought that to be an exciting life.  Little did he know that there can be monetary rewards and a heck of a lot more excitement associated with other occupations as well.

Accountants and excitement?   Yes indeed! John has a story full of intrigue and suspense. There were a lot of ups and downs, but in the end the government and this good citizen eventually win big time rewards.  I am days late posting this blog because it is hard to put the book down and address other demands of my time.

UNDERCOVER was published by the American Management Association a few weeks ago.  I'm six chapters deep into the book and  sincerely recommend it to area residents.  I hope you will find his book worth your time and money.

The following paragraph was written by Owen Robinson and appeared in his blog Boots and Sabers:

Party In the Falls

Rumors are that members of the teachers union plan to picket the Menomonee Falls School Board meeting on Monday night (4/14/08).  The school board has actually been standing firm on salary and benefit increases that the union is demanding.  It would behoove some of the citizens in that district to show up at the meeting and support their school board. 

There are a lot of interesting follow-up comments on his website: bootsandsabers.com 

 Note to JD and others:

Since last week's election I have spent considerable time investigating corruption and I am now able to report the results. For several days I have been quite frustrated while working on my computer.  Program crashes happened often.  In the middle of doing my work the information would simply disappear from the screen.


Hours were burned while I tried to correct the problem.  Just as I was about to throw in the towel, I started digging a little deeper into directories.  As I was checking a message popped onto the screen:  "FILE CORRUPT - PLEASE RELOAD THE OPERATING SYSTEM"

I did and the problem is now fixed. Corruption has been wiped out in Menomonee Falls!

 Finally!  A couple of days with nice weather, and I didn't have to be working.  We chose to spend some of this time in southern Fond du Lac County in the Northern Kettle Moraine area.  This incredible place where glaciers ended ,has left us with nature's beauty at its fullest. The rolling countryside is delightful as spring blossoms forth, only to later be outdone as summer takes over.

We experienced the awakening of Long Lake after a bitter winter.  The ice has pulled several feet away from the shoreline so the rocks and the critters that live among them are again visible. We saw a crayfish scurry around happily nibbling on a zebra mussel or two, totally oblivious to our overhead intrusion.

Ducks were swimming in an open channel and a myriad of northbound geese have noisily joined the 20 or so year-round flock. Motorcycles, a sure sign of spring, were also in abundance as their riders enjoyed the mild weather.

We are eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Hamburger Haus, which is the first sign of summer. 

 Those of you who know me understand that in the past I have had unresolved issues with Jefferson Davis, a candidate for a seat on the Menomonee Falls Village Board.  This year I have been biting my tongue to refrain from speaking out against him publicly, but I cannot do so any longer.

Mr. Davis has, year after year, submitted campaign finance reports that either show his inability to add a column of simple numbers
or, heaven forbid, deliberately being deceitful. 

Earlier in March I wrote two e-mails to Mr. Davis questioning his reports from the past election and asked for a reply.  He has not given me the courtesy of a response.  It seemed to me that he had not appropriately noted all his expenses or how they were paid.

Later, I sent copies of my queries to the State Elections Board with a request that they review my queries and then take appropriate action.  I have not had any response from them either. 

Recent stories in The Journal-Sentinel have pointed out a few of my questions.  There are more still  that are unpublished.  Check out the stories and then vote for the candidate of your choice.  Mine won't be for Davis!

 Strange things are happening along Pilgrim Road recently.

Political signs are going up everywhere.  It's election season.
But recent drives along Pilgrim Road have me wondering what's up.

One day at a house just north of the police station, a large political sign supporting Sharon Ellis was mounted. The very next day the sign had changed it's mind and was now supporting Jefferson Davis.

Today the sign is back to supporting Sharon Ellis.
Mighty strange things are happening indeed.
 

 For several decades, I daily traveled from my home to the Falls Cable Access broadcast studio during election season to make sure that the Chamber of Commerce Voters Form replay was set for broadcast. The goal was to make sure that Falls citizens could intelligently choose their next years representatives. I noticed that on those March days every year, little crocuses and daffodil shoots would be poking up an inch or so above aground near the broadcast facility just at that time.

This year  for me it is a bit different.  Automation and technology do not demand that immediate broadcast attention.  Electronic devices and other people are overseeing those playbacks.  But the issues are as important as ever. Even though we have had a horrendous winter, spring is at hand.  And at my house, the crocuses and daffs are again emerging with their springtime dance.

Election season - March Madness - is at hand.  The Voters Forum is again on the air. Have a look at Community Access channel 14, evaluate candidates, and then make your intellegent voting choices.

 For anyone interested in a twist on election politics, might I suggest trying this website.
It is run by an unabashed Libertarian radio personality.

www.rollye.net 

The hostess, Rollye James ,spouts the Libertarian philosophy. 

My political philosophy is conservative.  And one of my best friends is an ultra liberal.
We are great friends, but  somehow agree that both of our philosophies meet somewhere else in the universe  and are still quite similar.

I think that he is left of Communism.
He thinks that I am right of the John Birch Society.

We agree on that and are still closer friends.

This little blog isn't going to change the world, but it may cement one or the other of your beliefs.

Try the site and I'll be happy to post your comments.
 

 Upfront, I must acknowledge that I do not have any feelings or knowledge of the candidates in the various judicial races.  But, I have to comment about one particularly negativre TV ad criticizing one of the challengers without mentioning the other's name.  I have no opinion about which of either is the best choice.

 Some 40 years ago when Lee Dreyfus taught  my media class at the University of Wisconsin, he challenged us to question any and all advertisements and ask for proof of  the "puff" or the "substance" of what was being proffered.

Ask for proof!  If a commercial states a "fact" , then there should be some substance behind it for proof.

If a political commercial states that any candidate is has "over x percent" of his rulings overturned, there should be some easily addressable reference to the source.

Watch the bobblehead judge commercial.   Evaluate it.  And then ask, where is the proof?
 

 In an earlier blog on this website, Kimberly noted problems that she has been having with her telephone company. Reading that story made me again mentally grumble about my own telephone service.  I have never felt well taken care of by any of the companies that I deal with.

My cell phone provider leaves me feeling as if I should take a shower after talking with them.  And, I don't like being locked in to a contract.  (Only 8 more months to go.)

Last summer I was having issues with service interruptions from my copper wire provider that were not getting resolved in a timely manner. I was not at all pleased with them.  While wandering through the State Fair last August, I was enticed by an offer from a cable provider that offered great rates and good service if I would switch to them for both telephone and internet services. 

The prices quoted were very attractive, so I signed up.  Both services work well and I should be happy - but I'm not.
The trouble is, those attractive prices were not the ones that show up on my monthly bill.  Somehow the billing computer doesn't recognize the prices quoted on my sign-up sheet. Perhaps I'll make a stink about it soon, but maybe it's not worth the hassle. 

After all, the only recourse is to go back and try to deal again with that other company.   

Today I received a letter from friends of mine who have moved out of town.  Below I'll share the content of that letter:

What Did Jack and Mary Louise Do?
We tried to encourage the Friends group to focus on protection of the entire park and its green spaces as recommended in the Management Plan.  We offered to donate $10,000 to the Friends for the purpose of rstoration in LKNA.  There were conditions.

Best wishes,

Jack and Mary Louise Magnuson

 Art is most often thought of as the creation of a painting, a sculpture, or the like.  One rarely takes notice of a myriad of other artistic endeavors that swirl around our busy lives every day.  For example, a carpenter building a new chest of drawers.  He takes the rough lumber and, if he's not me, creates a thing of beauty. Or a plumber - designing and building a system that has to not only fit into a constrained area, but look good as well.

This morning I experienced an artist at work. I awoke early and notice a village snow plow in our cul-de-sac dealing with yesterday's snowall. Recent snows have more than filled available areas for storage but alas there was still more.  Watching the driver maneuver his rig around the court kept my attention.  Where was he going to go with it all?  Would it end up in front of my driveway?

 I shouldn't have worried.  With the finesse learned from experience he operated his rig as gracefully as a ballet dancer on a stage.  Move the snow a foot here, a foot there, adjust the wing blades while on the go, and then the job is done. The final result was clean pavement with no driveways obstructed.  Beautiful, a true artist!

On Sunday there will be a repeat performance, I understand.  I have front row tickets.
 

These men have just finished placing solid steel pillars in concrete to stop vehicles from parking on the pavement outside a sports bar downtown.  They are cleaning up at the end of the day.

They are anxious to go home.  How long do you think it will be before they realize where their vehicle is parked?

 Our President has, in possession at all times, a device known as the "nuclear football".  This piece of hardware, if activated, could bring global widespread destruction that would bring civilization as we know it to an end. The football is the key to activate missiles with nuclear warheads aimed at targets which the President considers to be our country's enemy.

We have many enemies, and they have similar devices.

Forget national health care.
Forget social security benefits.
Forget the state of our economy.
Forget the rest of the meaningless clap-trap.

Keep this in mind as you make up your mind for the best candidate for the President Of The United States.
No matter your preferred party - all  rhetoric aside - Whom do you trust to carry the football?

Homework assignment:  Ask your preferred news medium to address this issue. I would like to know any responses from them.
 

 I don't know why.
There is no immediately apparent reason for my feelings - but something is putting me on edge.

No, I'm not hearing the voices.  I'm much better now.

But, all kidding aside, somethings are making me edgy. Some self analysis reveals my feelings:
    I do not care for any of the presidential candidates that have survived this far.
    I'm hoping that President Bush doesn't start something else that we can't finish.
    Our natural resources are running out faster than they can be replenished.
    Our monetary system (US dollars) is/are shrinking relative to the rest of the world.
    I am treated like a criminal when I take a trip on an airline for vacation.
    "No child left behind" has left our school "No money left at all".

I could go on and on a lot more, but:
THIS IS SUPERBOWL (oops, I meant the big game) WEEKEND. 

I will  repress the above for a few days and enjoy the um, S*%^!  Bow#!
Enjoy the game!I have

 
Disclaimer: I  have been asked to publish the following response to this blog. It was submitted by Andy Mohrfeld. His views regarding the school system are often quite different than my own. I'm suggesting that Andy contact Journal Communications and set up a blog of his own. It is easy to do and he will have free reign to express his views in detail.