Tag Archives: Wisconsin

Skin in the Game

Posted by Tim on

dairyThere’s a common misconception that somehow if the free market is left alone there will be monopolies popping up left and right. Therefore, it is the government’s job to “fix” this by using the “Anti-Trust” laws to break up these monopolies. It may come as a surprise to some, but really, it is the government who enables most monopolies to exist in the first place. By creating an environment that is unfriendly to start-ups and small businesses, government puts big corporations at an advantage.

Big businesses have the resources available to fight lawsuits, to get into politicians’ pockets and get a special “loophole” in various laws, and to avoid paying taxes. Small businesses don’t have these advantages. In fact, many small businesses don’t even file their taxes as corporations, but rather as individuals; in tern paying the regular income tax that the rest of us pay. Monopolies exist rarely, and when they do exist, it is often because the market has been twisted and manipulated by government.

The government uses these various anti-trust lawsuits to play god with the market, pick winners and losers, and try to decide what is “fair”. In 2011, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Dean Foods, claiming that the dairy company owned “too much of the market” in a particular geographical area. So Attorney General Eric Holder, along with Wisconsin Attorney General JB van Hollen, ordered Dean Foods to sell off one of its subsidiaries – Golden Guernsey Dairy.

Unfortunately, the only buyer of Golden Guernsey was a Los Angeles company that closed the dairy over the weekend, laying off over 100 men and women. Was there an actual complaint against Dean foods? Did Dean foods have a monopoly on the milk market?

“The proposed settlements restore competition so that school children and consumers in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan, will pay lower prices for their milk,” said Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.  “The divestiture of a significant milk processing plant and the provision that requires Dean to notify the department of future milk plant acquisitions will ensure that competition remains in this important industry.”

Right now, however, schools are scrambling to find out who can provide them with the milk for their lunch programs. Instead of having enough milk, the schools are faced with a shortage, which will in turn lead to higher prices, not lower prices. This is basic economics. Perhaps Christine Varney could learn a thing or two from Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.

“… There is a second main factor that spawns new economic fallacies every day. This is the persistent tendency of men to see only the immediate effects of a given policy, or its effects only on a special group, and to neglect to inquire what the long-run effects of that policy will be not only on that special group but on all groups. It is the fallacy of overlooking secondary consequences.”

Christine Varney - Government hack

Christine Varney – Government hack

It always astonishes me how little economic understanding people in government have, especially when their job title is “screwer of the market”. But really, lets remember why these people have the jobs they have, and what their incentives and constraints are. There is no reason to believe that Christine Varney, Eric Holder, or JB van Hollen have any interest in keeping businesses happy. Profits to a business are its lifeblood. But government doesn’t turn a profit, it just does things and never has to pay the consequences.

Government officials, especially unelected bureaucrats, do not have to live with the effects of their actions. The people who feel the pain are the workers who are laid off. When was the last time the Department of Justice laid off any employees? Hell, when was the last time any federal agency laid off any employees? Instead, the government kills jobs in the private sector, and then demands that the private sector kick up more money to fund the further growth of government. It is foolishness to assume that the government acts in “the people’s interest”, especially when the people making the rules were never elected by the people in the first place.

A small number of people will notice this dairy going out of business, but these kinds of events happen all over the country constantly. I’ll give the government the benefit of the doubt (I really don’t) and assume that they are trying to do what is right; but they pay no price for being wrong. When Barack Obama calls for people to have some “skin in the game” perhaps he should look at the various government agencies who answer to no one, and force the rest of us to deal with the fallout from bad policy. Does government have any “skin in the game”? I think not.

A New Year

Posted by Tim on

2013I usually don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I felt like doing it this year. There are a few simple ways that I know I can better myself, both physically and mentally. A New Year is a good starting point to set some goals, and forget about all of the failures of the past. Its a clean slate. I’ve got larger goals in a few years, (buying a home, for instance) but in the meantime, I might as well focus on some smaller things.

Dieting is easy for me. I can put on weight and lose it at the drop of a hat. I’ve been working out and dieting for years and I know my body well enough where (if I wanted to) I could lose 50 lbs in a few months and put it back on in a few more months. The New Year’s diet really has nothing to do with my weight; I’m comfortable in my body. But I could be healthier; not that I’m noticing any problems.

First things first – no more fast food, no more soda, no more alcohol. Its been a week, and this has already made an impact. I’ve cut out these things before, and I always have more energy when I do. But fast food is convenient, especially since I spend a lot of my time driving. The extra energy helps take the place of soda, which I mainly drink for the caffeine. And alcohol – well. I’m not a big drinker anyway, but I might as well cut that out too. It’ll at least save me some money.

I also plan to read a book a week for the rest of the year. So far, so good. Already read Russell Kirk’s “Edmund Burke: A Genius Reconsidered“. Next up – “America the Beautiful” by Ben Carson. This will be a way to take up some extra time since I won’t be spending it at bars or at restaurants. More time at home reading means less time out spending money that I could be saving.

Unfortunately, this also means that less time will be spent writing on this blog. Don’t worry – I’ll make enough time for the occasional blog post, but updates will come slower than last year. Which reminds me; its been over a year since this blog took off. Over 200 posts and nearly 20,000 views. Thanks everyone! Please feel free to comment on anything I write and share the blog with your friends. Suggestions are always welcome as well. ;-)

Here’s to another year in America; another year in Wisconsin.

The Walker Agenda

Posted by Tim on

Immediately following Mitt Romney’s somewhat expected loss to Bronco Bama in November, I started looking forward to future of politics, government, and our nation in general. It will be 2 years before another national election is held, but what needs to happen in the meantime?

walkerIn April, Wisconsin will hold a Supreme Court election. This is important because just about every law signed by Governor Scott Walker is taken up in court, and it is important to have a conservative majority. Republicans already overwhelmingly are going along with Walker’s agenda – no mushy moderates are holding him back. Republicans own the House, Senate, and of course the Governorship, so there’s no legislative road blocks. And for the time being, the Wisconsin court has a conservative majority.

It is vitally important to keep it that way. Walker’s agenda for the coming 2 years includes getting a mining bill passed. The iron mining in northern Wisconsin could be a economic godsend; thousands of great paying jobs ($80,000+ a year), plus all the businesses that are helped in those surrounding communities. Also – a lot of the equipment that is used in these mining operations is made here in Wisconsin. Taking advantage of Wisconsin’s natural resources is a no-brainer, but there are always angry environmental leftists that fight against such progress.

There is also whispering around town about turning Wisconsin into a “right-to-work” state. This would mean that no union could force people to be members just to hold a job. For instance, a mining workers union could form once these mining bills are passed. Typically, the union would say, “If you want to work at this mine, you have to join our union.” This will no longer be allowed. People can still join unions, but they can no longer be forced to join.

Experience has shown that right-to-work states attract lots of new businesses. Wisconsin is surrounded by lefty states like Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. If Wisconsin passed right-to-work legislation, it could become the best place to do business in the midwest, pulling in money from the surrounding areas. Couple this with the fact that Scott Walker will NOT be creating a state exchange program, and Wisconsin is becoming very attractive to new businesses.

Voter ID bills are a constant struggle around the country, and Wisconsin is no exception. The bill has already been taken up in court, and will likely end up before the state Supreme Court, where conservative justices will be very important. Voter fraud is rampant in this state. Madison, for instance, actually had more people vote than are registered! Racine polling stations had vans with Illinois license plates dropping off loads of people. Where are these people coming from? Out of state!

Ending same day registration alone would be a great help to stopping voter fraud. People can wander across the state border, register with a fake address, not show an ID, and have their vote counted. By the time people realize that the person doesn’t actually live where they said they lived, the election is over. In elections where only a thousand ballots determine winners and losers, this can mean the difference between someone getting elected fairly, and someone else stealing the election.

Despite national politics being a complete mess, (with all the so-called “fiscal cliff” nonsense) I’m thankful to live in Wisconsin. Even though Wisconsin’s electoral votes went to Bronco Bama, we still are very much a red state. The same election that delivered votes to Bama also allowed Republicans to regain a majority in the state Senate. Scott Walker, along with his allies in the legislature are really something for conservative Wisconsinites to be happy about.

Eric Hovde for US Senate

Posted by Tim on

I already posted my announcement to endorse Eric Hovde for the Wisconsin US Senate seat a while back. I gave a few positives for each candidate, and essentially called it a two-man race, between Eric Hovde and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. As of late, Mark Neumann has closed the gap, and Jeff Fitzgerald has picked up a few points as well. With all that going on, I still stand behind Eric Hovde, and for anyone still on the fence, I want to express why.

Each candidate has positives and negatives. No politician will ever be perfect on every issue, and that’s just the nature of the game. Tommy’s positives may be that he is very experienced, not only on the state level, but also as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. That certainly gives him a leg up – perhaps he won’t be the typical “freshman” Senator. His experience with healthcare could also be an asset when we repeal Obamacare and replace it with real reforms.

But to me, the most important issue is where Eric Hovde stands head and shoulders above his opponents (especially Tammy Baldwin, I should add). Not just today, but over the next 10 years, the domestic issue we will face is cutting our government’s spending, eliminating the deficit, and slowly whittling away at our national debt. These are the issues where a Senator with a background in economics comes in handy.

Paul Ryan, one of the most controversial politicians in Washington, is leading the fighting for fiscal sanity. He is chairman of the House Budget Committee, and is the brain behind the fight to reform Americas costly entitlement programs. Ryan needs a partner in the Senate he can count on, and while Ron Johnson is doing the job just fine – two is better than one. Paul Ryan went to college and earned a B.A. in economics. Eric Hovde went to college and studied… that’s right – economics. If we want a parallel to Paul Ryan in the Senate, Eric Hovde could very well fill that position.

I think the thing I like most about Hovde is that he isn’t from politics. He doesn’t come from a family of politicians, the Bush family or the Kennedys. He comes from a private sector background – starting a business at 24 years old and working to become a millionaire, supposedly being valued at around $150 million. He knows business. He knows economics. If we want to get our business climate turned around, and if we want to start paying off our debt, we need Hovde.

Some people may not feel comfortable with a candidate who is so wealthy. There’s another way to look at it though. If there is someone out there who is willing to give up their prominent position in the private sector making millions of dollars, and trade it in for a Senate seat earning significantly less money – he’s doing it for the right reasons. Hovde isn’t running for Senate to earn money; he already has plenty of that. He’s running so he can help save our country.

Furthermore, because he is able to finance his own campaign, he doesn’t need to make backdoor deals with his fundraisers. Eric Hovde’s biggest fundraiser is Eric Hovde – not some labor union, not “the rich” or “the poor”, not whites or blacks or hispanics. He can go to Washington and do what he says he’ll do, without having to answer to some company who gave him large campaign contributions. He specifically talks about these kinds of seedy arrangements that distort our free market system.

For all the reasons above, I’m still sticking with Eric Hovde. He’ll get my vote on Tuesday, August 14th, and I hope he gets yours as well.

Wisconsin US Senate Endorsement

Posted by Tim on

The Wisconsin US Senate race is in full swing right now. The Democrats are sticking to their strategy of running Tammy Baldwin against whoever the Republican nominee will be. Although Baldwin is a far left whacko from Madison, she is semi-known and will have all the support of Wisconsin’s liberal media. Does she have a chance? In my opinion, no. Wisconsin is on such a role for conservatism, I doubt she’ll beat her opponent, no matter who he is.

The Republican nominees are four strong candidates, any of whom would make a fantastic Senator. Each candidate has their issues, and here’s how I’ve been breaking it down thus far. Tommy Thompson is a former Governor of Wisconsin. With that title, he earns the top seat as far as popularity goes, and a Thompson vs Baldwin ticket would be an very easy win. Unfortunately, when we take a look into Tommy’s past, he’s not the most conservative candidate. He was a moderate (at best) governor, and when he left to work for the Bush administration in 2000, he managed to help Bush throw on tons of debt.

Mark Neumann is a former Republican representative, and he has a strong backbone when it comes to issues. He’s a proud conservative, a private businessman, and has a good record to run on. But in the last 2 elections he’s lost. He’s kind of seen as a loser at this point, someone who cannot capture the attention of independents or Democrats. He also really ticked a lot of people off when he badmouthed his opponent for Governor – Scott Walker, thereby giving Walker the victory. As much as I like Neumann, he may need to work on his politics.

Jeff Fitzgerald… honestly, I don’t know where he is! I don’t see TV ads for him. I don’t hear radio ads for him. I haven’t gotten any phone calls from his campaign asking for my support. He is far behind in the race, and I’m about ready to count him out. Not just because he lacks publicity, but because I don’t know anything about him. As a voter, I shouldn’t need to dig through Google to find out about someone. Fitzgerald should be pandering to me. Since he hasn’t, I don’t know where he stands on the issues, and he’s at the far back of my mind.

Eric Hovde is a private sector businessman, who was unknown up until a few months ago. A good thing about candidates having money is that they can basically bankroll themselves and not need to do a lot of fundraising. Hovde has hit the ground running with nonstop TV and radio ads. Not only are there a lot of ads, but the ads are compelling. Hovde’s campaign is doing a great job thus far. He comes off as the real deal, and he is the only person who is really in the running, other than Thompson.

The choice is set – Thompson or Hovde… Moderate politician, or Conservative businessman? I have to go with my gut and give my support to Hovde. Wisconsin needs another Ron Johnson – someone from outside politics who is willing to make the tough decisions of our time. With Thompson’s history as a spender and grower of government, I cannot give him my support. Of course, if he wins the nomination I’ll vote for him over Baldwin, but now is the time to pick the person who will make the best Senator for Wisconsin – Eric Hovde.

When Reality Strikes You Hard

Posted by Tim on

In the wake of Scott Walker’s win in his recall election, Democrats are scrambling to come up with an excuse as to why they lost. Not only did Walker win, but he won by 7 points (53/46) and over 100,000 votes – a stronger victory than his original win in 2010. This shows that not only does Wisconsin want him as their governor, but that they like him even more after he implemented Act 10, the legislation limiting collective bargaining rights of public workers.

CNN was lucky enough to film a goofball on the streets crying (literally) about how “democracy is dead”. Of course, the fact that there have been 7 elections in the last 17 months disproves his hypothesis about the death of democracy. He went on to say that Walker outspent his opponent by $30 million. Again – when we look at third party expenditures, we see that Walker and his opponents spend about the same amount – each around $60 million since early 2011. A lot of money, no doubt, but not nearly as one-sided as the left would have it seem.

But as the facts start to come out, Democrats still refuse to accept the truth. Instead, (in an article found HERE) they point to the Republicans’ new strategy of “class warfare” – turning the middle class against itself. Non union workers are now turned against union workers and they’re anger is based solely in envy and fear. A ridiculous concept considering the entire 99% vs 1% movement (classic class warfare) was started by the left. The left attempting to explain away their sad loss by saying Republicans are using class warfare is laughable. The article goes on to say that instead of turning union against non union, they say we should be turning 99% against 1%! In one sentence condemn class warfare, and in the next use it yourself. Beautiful.

No, the truth of the matter is that Wisconsin and America are not leftists. In fact, the majority of Americans do not classify themselves as liberals, or even Democrats. When push comes to shove, more Americans call themselves conservatives than liberals. The media would have you believe otherwise. A near monopoly on newspapers, local and cable news, and public radio and television gives the impression that liberal ideas are the norm when in fact they are not. This election told the truth loud and clear – Wisconsin is just not a fan of liberal socialist policies.

But the truth about Scott Walker and elections isn’t enough. Shinning some light on this whole 99% thing could be useful as well. So let’s break it down real quick. The statistics that show a majority of the wealth clumped into the top tax bracket follows on certain brackets (via census). If you want a better picture of who “has all the money”, the IRS tells a very interesting story, due to the fact that it follows flesh and blood individuals, not abstract groups. IRS statistics show that most people in 1% are only there for a year! Not only that, but most people move through a number of different tax brackets throughout their life.

The idea that the 1% or even that “the rich” are an enduring class is simply not true. The same people who were rich and in the 1% 20 years ago are not the same people who are there today. And the people there today will most likely not be the same people there next year. Hating “the rich” is simply hating success. Anyone who is successful enough to get into the 1%, if even for a single year, needs to be punished and taxed endlessly until they fall from the 1%? Now that is class warfare!

I hear it all too often – the rich get richer and the poor get ______. Fill in the blank. That’s right – poorer. Again, its just simply not true. For this one we don’t even need to read off any statistics. Just look around and tell me that the poor today are worse off than they were 20 years ago. The “poor” as government defines them aren’t actually poor, they just don’t earn a lot of money. There are legitimately poor people, no doubt, but most “poor” people have air conditioning, cable TV, video games, cars, and cell phones. How is it that the poor are worse off today than they were 20 years ago?

Capitalism works because even the lowest earning group of people see a raise in their standard of living. The money made up top trickles down, products become cheaper to produce, and more people (including the “poor”) benefit. Those who believe in class warfare ought to take a look around and see how capitalism has raised more people out of poverty than all socialist government programs combined. Equality and prosperity are not the same thing, and forced equality will most certainly lead to a less prosperous society. History has proven it again and again.

Walker Wins Wisconsin… Again!

Posted by Tim on

History was written tonight here in my home state of Wisconsin. Scott Walker survived his recall election despite millions of union dollars being funneled into the badger state. His message was clear – “Here’s what we did, and these are the results. Let’s keep moving forward!” His opponent’s argument? Something along the lines of, “Scott Walker is mean.” Well – there’s the difference. Results and facts versus emotions. The statement was made tonight, however – while some laws may make some people mad, the majority of Wisconsinites stand behind Governor Walker.

The election has national implications as well. Leading up to election day, Scott Walker was receiving endorsements from major political players on the right – Bobby Jindal, Paul Ryan, Rick Santorum, and presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, his opponent, Tom Barrett, only received a Tweet from Barack Obama… a day before the election. Wow. Thats a slap in the face. Is it because Obama didn’t care, or just because he didn’t want to be associated with Barrett’s loss?

No matter the reasoning, Obama’s lack of leadership in the Wisconsin recall elections shows his true colors. He’s sent the message to Democrat senators and congressmen across America – you’re on your own. Obama is campaigning for himself and no one else. Mitt Romney on the other hand is working in numerous states, trying to help however he can. He knows that 2012 isn’t all about him. He needs to win, but also have a strong House and Senate to back him up. Obama – he’s just trying to save himself.

But back to Wisconsin – does this win for Walker, reflecting a push for fiscal sanity and conservative values, represent a national movement? While the Tea Party hasn’t been making a lot of noise recently, Scott Walker was in fact called the “Rockstar of the Tea Party” by Tom Barrett. Low and behold, Walker won the election easily. Now, not every state has a Scott Walker, but every state does have a Tea Party. Tea Party numbers are strong while Occupy Wallstreet numbers are dwindling. The mood of America is changing.

Wisconsin delegates were given to Barack Obama in 2008 – he won the state by 15%! But this Walker victory tells a different story. 2010 told a different story as well. Will 2012 tell a different story? Wisconsin is no longer a blue state – we’re a swing state, which means that we could just as easily end up going to Mitt Romney as Barack Obama. That’s the next chapter in the “Save America” saga. The stage is set, and the next battle is only a few months away in November.

Wisconsin – A Red State?

Posted by Tim on

Things are feeling good here in Wisconsin. Real good. Not only is the cold weather finally over and many beautiful days ahead of us, but the cold of many political trials are almost over, and I must say that things feel great right now. The past week I was doing some traveling around the US and I missed some good news. Well, I didn’t miss it (I heard about it while I was gone), but I wasn’t here to celebrate with some fellow conservative Wisconsinites.

Reports of Scott Walker costing Wisconsin over 30,000 jobs in 2011 were hard to hear. The latest commercials stated that not only was Wisconsin losing jobs, but that we actually hemorrhaged more jobs than any other state! How could this be? One ad says one thing, and one ad says another. What bothered me most was that the numbers went completely against what I felt. Wisconsin felt like it was creating jobs, that its unemployment was lower,  and that its economy was turning around. Why then with these dismal numbers?

Well, just last week, the new and improved numbers were put up. In a new federal report on jobs numbers not only did Wisconsin NOT lose any jobs in 2011, but it actually gained over 20,000! Add that to over 10,000 gained so far in 2012, and Wisconsin is definitely on the right track! So much for Scott Walker’s policies not working, ey?

In the end, this means that Wisconsin is doing better than it was when it was under Democrat control. Taxes were continually raised on working families and small businesses alike. The government repeatedly kneeled to pressure from various public sector unions, forcing the state into debt – which in turned raised taxes on Wisconsin citizens. All the while there were ridiculous ideas about building a train to go from Milwaukee to Madison – something that would cost the state even more money.

But since we’ve turned around, people in Wisconsin are taking notice. For the first time in nearly 10 years Wisconsin taxes went down. Its not just me that’s noticing, either. Across Wisconsin people are listening closer to their options, and more people than ever are standing strong with Scott Walker against his recall. In the primary just a few weeks ago, Walker’s votes totaled more than both of his Democrat opponents combined! Recent polls show Walker leading his opponent by 10 points!

The most startling evidence of Walker’s impending victory is his opponents’ reaction. Not too long ago, the DNC pulled out their forces from Wisconsin. That’s right! Weeks before the election is set to be held (June 5th, by the way) the DNC decided to pack up their things and go back to Washington. They have already written off Wisconsin as a loss, and are moving on to other things. Equally surprizing is the fact that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel made a statement actually endorsing Walker! (For those of you who don’t know – the Journal is heavily biased towards liberal politicians, earning it the title “Milwaukee Urinal” from folks like myself.) The fact that the Journal came out and is now standing with Walker is amazing! He’s turning his opponents into supporters!

Once the recall election is taken care of (Please DO NOT forget to vote for Walker. Don’t get too comfortable!), next up is our Senate election. Honestly, any of the Republican candidates will be able to mop the floor with Tammy Baldwin, a washed up liberal hack from Madison. Jim Sensenbrener and Paul Ryan will remain confortable as Wisconsin’s conservative representatives. What’s left? Oh yeah – Mitt Romney and Barack Hussein Obama. With everything else turning from left to right, can Wisconsin go from an Obama win to a Obama loss? Can Wisconsin become a red state again? I think its certainly in the realm of possibilities. Only time will tell, but you can count on conservatives fighting to bring Wisconsin style policies to Washington!

Politics 2012

Posted by Tim on

Well, if you haven’t heard the news – Rick Santorum officially suspended his campaign. No more “conservative alternative” to Mitt Romney. In the end, Romney’s millions of dollars were just too much for Santorum, and with numerous personal troubles with his family, (including the health of his daughter, Bella) it was time to call it quits. He was still my pick, and I’m proud to have supported a strong candidate and a good man. But he’s still young – don’t think that Santorum will be gone forever. We may very well see him in the next round of primaries in 4 or 8 years.

In the meantime, its now time to move our attention from Romney vs Santorum to Romney vs Obama. We had a hell of a time picking our team leader, but now that he’s picked, its time for Romney to show the same viciousness he showed to Gingrich and Santorum to Barack Obama. Of course, now that Obama knows who his opponent will be in November, he’ll start attacking Romney heavily as well. With that in mind, its time to rally behind Romney. Let the games begin!

Here in Wisconsin we’re also coming up on Scott Walker’s recall election. I spend enough time in the more liberal communities to hear all of the arguments against Walker. He’s against “workers’ rights”, he’s “destroying our schools”. The fact of the matter is that Wisconsin had a $3 billion deficit before Walker was elected. By the end of his first year Wisconsin had a $300,000 surplus. He did this by eliminating numerous collective bargaining privileges that were being used to take the public for every tax dollar they had. What this meant was that Wisconsin had one of the worst business climates in America, and some of the highest taxes as well.

Since Walker took over property taxes went down for the first time in years, unemployment is down, economic outlook is favorable, and 8 out of 10 business owners feel Wisconsin is on the right track. Scott Walker passed voter ID laws, concealed carry laws, the castle doctrine, and of course, his infamous “Act 10″. At the end of the day, Wisconsin is turning around. Not only do Wisconsinites know it, but so does the rest of the nation. Scott Walker was named governor of the year – by the other 49 governors of the United States.

But he’s being recalled. Public employee unions want their money, their benefits, and their so-called “rights”. Democratic candidates will battle it out soon for a chance to be Walker’s opponent. Kathleen Falk appeals to far left liberals, while Tom Barrett has the more moderate approach. Each have their own hang ups. Falk lacks the name recognition needed to bring down Walker, and Barrett has already attempted to beat Walker back in 2010 – he lost by a landslide. Only time will tell who the democratic nominee will be.

But there’s more. Long time US Senator, Herb Kohl, is retiring. His seat will be up for grabs in November, and plenty of people are jumping on board. For the democrats – just one – Tammy Baldwin. For the Republicans – 4 different names are already in the hat. Mark Neumann, who ran against Walker in the Republican primary for the governor’s office; Eric Hovde, a businessman running a similar campaign to Ron Johnson’s in 2010;  Jeff Fitzgerald, Wisconsin’s speaker of the House; and former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson. I’m looking forward to learning more about each of the candidates. At the moment I’m leaning towards Tommy Thompson, for the sole fact that he’d be an easy win against Baldwin. But my opinion could change.

All in all, this summer and fall are shaping up to be very interesting. The presidential election alone is enough to drive most voters crazy. Add in some heated Senate races and the recall of the most loved and hated governor in America – Ha! This is what its all about! Bring it on, baby!

Concealed Carry

Posted by Tim on

Facebook is a trap! Every time I log in and start scrolling through the most recent updates I’m flabbergasted by the amount of stupidity just in my own circle. The pictures, the statuses, and the worst – the political arguments. But I’ve fallen for that trap before, and I won’t again. It’s nearly impossible to win an argument on the internet, especially when you’re dealing with people who don’t watch the news, don’t know crapola about economics, and couldn’t tell their ass from their elbow. I’m ranting, aren’t I?

The most recent argument that I saw was regarding concealed carry, and the dangerous effect it has on communities. In case you aren’t from Wisconsin – our awesome Governor, Scott Walker, has really moved the state in the right direction (pun intended). Not only do we now have voter ID, the ability to fire bad teachers, and a balanced budget, but we also have concealed carry. Once a Wisconsin resident passes a course and signs a few papers, they can get a permit to carry a concealed gun in public.

This isn’t a new thing. In fact, now that Wisconsin is on board, only Illinois is left without a conceal carry option. Now, if 48 other states are already doing what Wisconsin is, what is the big hubbub about? Well, it’s simple. Some people (mostly whiney liberals) are literally afraid of guns, and think that people shouldn’t be allowed to walk around with them. People might start “taking the law into their own hands” or being “vigilantes”. Right… Unfortunately, in all other states where concealed carry is allowed this isn’t the case.

The evidence is very clear about the effects of concealed carry. While some people may believe that more guns mean more crime, statistics show that without a doubt – more guns mean less crime. Why? Because an armed community scares off criminals looking for victims. In communities where concealed carry is prevalent, crime rates plummet – murder goes down, rape goes down, armed robbery goes down. It’s amazing. Criminals don’t want to be shot, so they stay away from people with guns.

But, wouldn’t it be easier to just not allow anyone to carry guns? Instead of allowing people to walk around with permits, how about we just ban people from carrying weapons all together? Well, that’d be great – but a lot of people would be left defenseless. Criminals are by definition people who don’t obey laws. Therefore, you can pass all the laws you want and they will carry all they want. You then end up in a situation where law biding citizens are left defenseless and the criminals have all the guns. Concealed carry allows regular people to defend themselves.

The misconception is huge, but the evidence is very clear. More guns – less crime. The problem with the argument for less guns isn’t just politics. Its more serious. As the evidence shows, crime rises when people aren’t allowed to protect themselves. If someone really wants to “ban guns” they are not only banning guns, but putting innocent people’s lives on the line. The decision to ban guns is a moral one. How is it right to risk someone else’s life, just so someone else can feel safe?

In the end, the law will stay as it is. We’re not going back to the days of being one of two states that doesn’t allow its residents to defend themselves. The effects of this law are already becoming apparent. Recently a man with a conceal carry permit stopped a robbery at an Aldi Milwaukee. Bet that’ll be the last time anyone tries to rob that store! More of these kinds of incidents are great. They tell criminals that we’re not afraid. Law biding Wisconsinites will not be pushed around by thugs.

As for people “taking the law into their own hands”, let me just say that when there isn’t anyone else around to enforce the law, a citizen has the duty to enforce it himself. Police aren’t everywhere, and that means that responsible citizens should step up and defend themselves. There is nothing wrong with protecting yourself, your family, and your property. Its admirable, and should be encouraged. In the end, we’ll wind up with a less violent community, where we aren’t afraid of criminals – criminals are afraid of us!

Suggested reading – “More Guns, Less Crime” and “The Bias Against Guns” by John Lott, and “The Seven Myths of Gun Control” by Richard Poe.