texting

So we have some Wisconsin State Legislators who this week introduced a bill that will ban YOUNG driver from texting while driving. This despite the fact that their already a bill working its way through the State Senate that would ban ALL drivers from texting.

The second on banning all makes a lot more sense. But it will only make sense if it written in a broad enough language that regulators can work with it in real life. Can not be written in such a way that says has words like cell phones ect ect. They need to be general enough so that whatever someone wants to call them they are the same thing, No e mailing no texting and whatevering. You need to be driving not writing or calling. Reading email or texts. If you have to have that kind of constant contact then you need to be rich enough to hire a driver or work out of your office or pull off the road.

I am enough of a libertarian that if you want to kill yourself go ahead and do it but do not drive in such a way that will kill me or others with your poor judgment.

Life After

I am having way to much time to think. Maybe the word is to fantasize. Do I really want to go back to work at SAM's Club when this leg is done or do I want to.

1) Do a photo seres on 27th St. from north to south.

2) A series od photos about Hwy 41 again from north to south.

3) Purchasing a tent and spend several months in Texas photographing the Leather Neck Turtle. The only sea turtle that breeds in the daylight.

4) Drive to Alaska in the "early" spring, mid April and staying for two to three months. The great wildflowers of spring, all the new calfs and new born brown and black bears. The Eagles. Staying in State campgrounds.

5) Spend two long weeks in March photographing the migration of the Cranes and following them to a nesting spot on Wisconsin.

6) In my spare time going to art fairs and selling my photos as well as making three small books one on 27th St. one on Hwy. 41 and finally a third on the people of Milwaukee

just some wild thoughts

A Street North to South

Well now that I lived through the replacement of my left knee I have been considering a photo project. I am thinking of photographing 27th st from the Ozaukee County line to the Racine County line. No more than a dozen pictures to tell the whole story. Their may be the problem. I already have two photos that need to be in it. The first of course is Leon's . What defines Franklin better than Menards Walmart or some other strip store. "One the Border" of course.

Maybe 27th st. could be defined by it's fast food restaurants. That is sort of a sad thought. Guess I will just have to wait until I can drive again and start to look

This would just be the start for a larger project and that is Hwy. 41 from upper Michigan to the end of the road in Ill. Maybe I could do a general study and one that would focus restaurants.

They Are All Gone Now

Good By Senator Kennedy.

I will admit that when I herd the news this morning I was at work and I am not ashamed that when I told a friend about it I cried.

My interest in politics started when in 8th grade I stayed up all night watching the 1962 results. I remember sitting in the rocking chair, in out "TV room." I could not tell my mother and father that I was pulling for Kennedy as the were Nixon people.

I remember the day he was shot. Finding out in typing class and then being mad as hell that I had to go to the high school basketball game and play in the band. That is right the Random Lake school's played a game that night.

I remember going to bed that night in June thinking that Bobby was going to be the next President of the United States. It was going to be all right. He would end the was and would solve all our "civil rights." It was good. I woke up the next day and nothing was good.

Senator Ted Kennedy made things better by telling all of us not to give up the dream and to honor both John and Bobby by fighting for that dream.

I stayed in politics for several years fighting for that dream. Today, like many days I fell like I have let down John, Bobby, Martin and now Ted by not staying and fighting. I am not talking about working for a politician but working for a politician that was out fighting for a cause.

You know that many politicians run away from the word Liberal. Not Senator Ted Kennedy. He wore that like a BADGE OF HONOR.

So as sad as I am now I think we all need to take a deep breath and look to the future. The dream is not dead. It lives. Without Senator Ted Kennedy it may takes us a little longer and we may have to work a little harder. But we can get their.

Farewell Senator.

Why WALMART is Green only for the camea

Two years ago or so the then president of WALMART made a big splash about going green.

He had seen the light.

He had gotten religion.

He was going to save the world.

The company has made some good first steps. They tell truck drivers that they can not idle your engine in their docks or parking lots. They recycle all their shrink wrap. Good. Installed energy efficient lights in most if not all their buildings. Another good. They asked all their employees to fill out a personal sheet in what they were going to do to save the world. Good idea. Very poorly done. They now have containers in their break room for plastics, paper and regular garbage. Another very good idea but again very poorly exacted.

My guess is that nearly every "green" project has had a positive addition to the bottom line. If you take into account the free press they have received then they have made mega dollars on every project. Sometimes doing good requires you to make a sacrifice and and not just ask others to make them for you.

A couple of other things they could do. Re-cycle the waste heat for their refrigeration unites in each store.

Paint the roofs white in all their stores.

Quite watering their plants and shrubs in the middle of the day. (do it aster dark)

Invest in training the management staff of all their units in how important this is to the company as well so the world.

Install "curtains" on all the open refrigeration units so they can be closed off at night. Then demand that they be used. Presently they had tops for their "spot" freezers which are never used.

The most important tool they have is the power of their morning meetings. Meetings to motivate everyone to work harder and make more money for the company. A meeting to help the workers work safer and help the bottom line.

Maybe the need to think of a new bottom line. Not one that will just line their pockets with some extra cash but a bottom line that 20 years from now their children will have a sane and safe world so that they can shop at WALMART.

The problem with this thought is that the company would have to hire manager or train managers to have to be concerned with things other than the bottom line as their only reason for existence. This needs to come from the top down. So every day when the Vice Presidents are calling and talking about payroll they need to call and talk about carbon.

A general manager will care nothing about saving energy or even saving money if the money saved is not saved in an area that the Market Manager cares about that day or week.

But just think what could happen if just 10 or 20 percent of the workers took the message to heart and went home and practiced them. They each may get one or two more people to join the band. And as Woody would have said pretty soon you have a movement.

I just do not think that this company has the courage to be the leader of such a movement.

Food Part Two

For a long long time I have refused to purchase tomatoes in the grocery store.  For the most part it was because they lacked any taste.  Today their are other reason I will not purchase tomatoes from a store especially if they are from Florida.  But that is a whole different story.

A few years back I added red and yellow delicious apples from the state of Washington.  Again they produce this large very good looking apple that has no taste.  If you do not believe me this fall taste a Wisconsin or Michigan apple and if you are traveling try one from up state New York.

This year I have added two more products.  Those great looking strawberries we find in the store.  Big, Red and very little taste.  And finally the "seedless" watermelon. They have taken the taste out just as they have taken the seeds out.  It is still possible to find a real mellon in this city if you want to drive for it but you no longer can find them in the stores.  

I can not believe that american farmers think that no seeds is more important than taste.  Well for me the taste is much more important.

This is PROGRESS ?

I am not sure if any of you took note of the big big annulment last week made by Monsanto and the Jolly Green Giant.  It must go down in history as one of the big ones of all time.

These two food giants are going to be working together to "develop" better tasting vegetables.   Though they did not say it it sounds to me that they have admitted that all their tinkering with the food for the last 50 or so years has not worked.   

They have been breeding plants so that they could make more money from each crop.  That was the bottom line.  So that they "looked" better,  they transported better, got bigger, had better color and made them more money.  OH did I already say that.  But they forgot about the reason that we eat vegetables.  At least the reason I eat them.  For the taste!!!

In an interview with the CBC (Canadian broadcasting company) a vice president from Monsanto said that it was an experience that his young daughter had that brought tis 0n.  She had gone to their garden and pulled a carrot.  After she ate it she asked her father why a carrot from the garden tasted so much better than a carrot from the store.  You know that nice sweet carrot taste.

I am guessing that their are at least tow generations of Americans that have no idea what a carrot, tomato, radish or any other vegetable really tastes like.  All they are tasting is the butter or cheese or whatever topping that is put on them, or dip that is used to give us some flavor.

Ah american agri- business. They think that if it looks good we will buy it.  That has worked up to now.  What I do believe has done them in is the growth of Farmers Markets and stores like Whole Foods and the Outpost.  Enough people have in the last several years have tasted the vegetables and fruits that have been grown from vintage seeds.  

So why do they want to develop new seeds.  Only one reason.  Monsanto does not own the rights to the old seed.  No big profit their.  So they will spend money to added flavor back into their product.

As long as we are talking about taking away the taste of food look what we have done to beef.  Just so that we could eat a larger quality of beef they breed out the fat (marbling) .  Less calories per serving and far less taste per serving.  The only way to enjoy beef and pork today is to add rubs so that we can have some taste.  

So this is progress????????

I think not

Do they want my business

Here is my problem.  

Does AT&T Really want my Cell Phone business?  I am thinking that not really.  They are not interested in maintaining  the customers they have.  Not even long term customers. 

They (AT&T) are no different than any of the other companies I guess.  They all are going to give you a great deal on a phone if you sign up for two years.  But then it is who are you.

I understand that they may be paying more for the phone than they are selling it for just to get you on board.  That may have been a great idea when the industry was young and people jumped from company to company.  Today I am guessing that more of us are staying with the company that we have had for years.

I know that I have been with them for almost 20 years.  I have no reason to switch (I thought).  They are all the same.

Here is the dilemma.  I can wait 6 months to purchase a new phone, pay $100.00 or more for the phone I want as a new customer or when my contract comes due go to another company and take their offers.  

Maybe the better option is just purchasing the phone and when the contract comes due do nothing.  Just let it run month to month.  Then every time they call and ask me to sign a new contract I can tell them that I will give them the same consideration that they have given me.

SHHHHHHHHH It is a secret

After all this time I have figured it out.  I have a very large dislike for this big entertainer for years.  In fact the way this "man" or should I say "fat old white man" has embarrassed me with his ranting.

Then last night I had this "vision."  This man is not a bad man.  This fat old white man is really a good guy.  All the bad things he has been saying about this administration and its polices are really not meant to hurt.  They are meant to help.  How you ask?

Well every time Rush and his buddies open their mouths to speak agonist something the registers start to ring on the Democratic side.  Not only that but he gets the blood pressure working on the "true believers".  When that happens more phone calls are made to other true believers and they in turn make more phone calls and give more money.

So let us Listen to Rush with one ear so this WHITE man can help the democratic  raise more money

Card Check

Ok I think it is time to throw the liberals a bone.

Business got their bank bail out.  It got saved on the car companies.

Even the NRA has had two bones.  The D.C. gun bill and the right to cary loaded fire arms in national parks.

Now we are getting  the nomination for the Supreme Court who at best can be called a moderate. She will not be the great "liberal" thinker that the conservatives have on the court.  

We are still going to be at war for a long time.

So give us liberals a small bone and that bone should be card check.

It is time that equality is restored to the workers of the country.  Business has had the ability and the money to stop Unions from organizing for two many years.  

To many CEO's are making the millions by cutting the pay and benefits for the workers.  Cutting back on 401K contributions, freezing pay, running on short staff, reducing R&D and on and on and on.

We have herd this bill is going to hurt and put them out of business.  I say that is what GM, Ford and Chrysler said about what would happen if they were forced to increase the cafe standards to those of the rest of the world.  Well we know how that turned out.

So give us a bone.  We helped elect you.

Retail Space

Sunday I took a drive from Oklahoma Ave to the Mayfair Mall down Highway  100.  

I am very happy that I am not invested in retail space.  

Not long ago I listened to a gentleman who had written a piece for "The Economist ".  It is one of those papers that is not know as a liberal leaning publication.  I would say maybe even with the pre Fox days of the Wall Street Journal.  He was saying that the United States had double the amount of retail space that could be supported for the long term.  At the time I was thinking maybe he was a little out their.  But I am not sure any more.

You can start at the corner of 100 & Oklahoma.  Open space their and as you travel you will see almost every one of the strip malls with open space and two of them that have no tenants at all.

Consider the fact that Southridge has for years been trying to fill that mall.  

Recently a hold was put on the construction of the Pabst Farm Mall.  I do believe that was good news.  At the same time some investors have talked about taking the old Delphi plant in Oak Creek and turning that into retail space.  That is the bad news.

To switch direction here maybe that Delphi plant could be turned into the new Post Office instead of the proposed location on College.  Existing easy road access and I am thinking that it could be done without taring down the old building.  Thus saving construction material.

I do believe that the "NEW AMERICAN DREAM" that is being talked about maybe be a throw back and that as we age we are not going to want to drive 20 miles to get our bread and butter and that small retail space in our own neighborhoods is going to be the prime retail sapce

No to "MEDIUM' speed rail

No to the plan to build a "medium" speed rail from Milwaukee to Madison and then extend to Chicago and Minneapolis.  

Most people who know me are wondering at this point if I have lost my mind.  They know in the past I have supported rail.  I still do but I support "high speed" rail not this stuff where the trains will only go 110 miles an hour.

If we were talking of building a system that the trains would travel 160MPH plus then I would support it.  But a train that only travels 45 mph faster than the highway speed limit is not going to attract the kind of ridership that will be needed to make such a line economically viable. When add in the time of getting to the station waiting for the train then finally getting to your final destination I am not sure you will have saved any time.  

We may reduce our carbon footprint but that is not going to be enough to fill the train.  The service will have to either save us time or a great deal of money.  At 110mph it is not going to save us the time and even if gas goes back to $4.00 it will not save us that much money.

If we are going to put money into a system then let us do it right and not half way.  Some will say that we have to make the compromise and build this system then latter we can come back and up-grade.   I think we all know that would not happen.  If we can not afford to build it right then we should not build it at all.

Health Insurance & your tax dollar

Just think about this.  Each of the thousands of WALMART stores offered their employes health insurance.  The health insurance was not offered from the corporate office but each of the stores had to go and find their own.

That would not make any sense.  It would be expensive.  You would not get the same kind of price break and it would not be even.  One store may make each employe pay $1.00 for the insurance while the next store could make each pay $5.00.

The same would go for the retirement plans.

So why does it make sense for Wisconsin governments to do this.  Why should each county, city, town, township, school district and whatever else we have out their have their own plans.  Maybe it is time to combine them all under the state plan.  The same ones that the Wisconsin State employees have.  

We would give the option to any school district to come into the state plan immediately or wait until their current contract is up to switch over to the state plan.

This may be the one issue that could get the unions and the business community on the same side.  The insurance industry would not like this plan as they could see some of them being frozen out of the market and the unions would not like because they could not control the funds.  SO BE IT.

We need to modernize how we finance and spend our local tax dollars.

Obama best pick

At this early stage I will nominate Defense Secretary Gates as the best pick President Obama made for his Cabinet. 

The reports of the Defense budget made yesterday was almost great.  Not everything a lefty like me wanted to see but it goes a long way in the right direction.  

First I am wondering if GW new the kind of person he nominated for this post.  I am sure that President Obama knew what he was getting.  I am thinking that what GW may be thinking about him is the same as Eisenhower was thinking about Early Warren when he said that if he only knew.

Image that a Defense Secretary does not believe that he agency can not just ask for the moon and expect to receive it.  Image that a Defense Secretary thinks that he has to fight the wars of today and not of yesterday.  That the odds of fighting another WW II war are small and that is not the place to put our money.  WE need to take care of the troops that we have now and the ones that have served the country with honor.  

I also am happy that the Presidents of the United States and Russia are going to talk about reducing the number of nuclear weapons.  First they are expensive to maintain.  The constant maintenance on the missiles and the number of plains that have to be maintained to deliver these weapons. Not to mention that they are getting old and will soon have to be updated.

The threats that we face today are from the much smaller countries.  The threats are not so much against us as they are to our allies.  I worry about the weapons that are in the hands of countries like India and Pakistan.  I realize that Israel feels the need to have the weapons as it is surrounded by states that are not friendly but it also makes the case from the neighbors to have one also.  That does not make me feel any safer.

Back to Gates.  I am sure that their is going to be opposition coming from congress.  First the congressman from whose district the plants are that were going to build these projects and also the those on the RIGHT who feel that Obama is not strong enough on defense.  Let us write our congressman and support this budget.  We need the money for health care. That will be a strong defense of our country

Humility

Humility.  

That I think is the reason that I have come to like the Obama administration.

For most of the 70's, 80's, 90's and especially the last 8 years I have seen and heard the leaders of this great country say things my country right or wrong.  Usually what they meant was that we were never wrong.  Do not criticize our country.  You can kick the hell out of anyone citizen of this country or another country that does not agree with "us".

Now here is what I mean by HUMILITY coming from this administration.  

Secretary of State Clition goes to Mexico and tells them that all the violence related to the drug cartels is not all their problem.  The United States has to bear some responsibility.  If the United States did not have such a market for the drugs they would not have this problem.  If most of the guns that are used in this violence did not originate in the United States they would not have this problem.

President Obama last month sent a message to the people of Iran.  In this message he for the first time called the country by its right name the Islamic Republic of Iran.  What a difference from the last four years when Iran helped us in Iraq and a month latter Bush puts them on the Evil Empire list.

Just yesterday the Attorney General pulled the plug on the prosecution of the ex senator from Alaska.  One week before the election he was convicted of filling out some forms wrong.  The prosecution made the point that he was being bribed by some oil people from Alaska.  He may very well have been guilty.  But the Justice department broke some many laws an rules to get the convection that they would have had to have a re-trial.  They did not provide all the documents they had in their possession and may have know that one of the key witnesses lied on the stand.

I think, for what little it is worth, that this shows an administration that has enough faith in the citizens of the United States as well as in itself.  An administration that is willing to ask the citizens of this country to look at the truth and to make the sacrifices that are needed to make us a better country.  No more of this just go out and shop.

1973

A short not.

On March 29, 1973 the last U.S. Troops "left" South Vietnam.  Thus ending the U.S. active military in that war.  A war that still has not ended in the minds of many an American as I am sure for many a Vietnamese.

Just as many of our southern friends do not think that the "war between the states", i.e. Civil War has ended. 

Three Quick Items

Three items in the news this week caught my attention.  Two of them came from the Anchorage Daily News.

The first is a report that of the 75 primary care physicians from Anchorage only 13 of them will accept new Medicare patients.  Again here is another indicator as to why we (all of us) need to work on fixing the health care system.  

If you are worried about the Federal Government debt  and how that will effect us think about what health care cost are going to be doing to our income.

The second note was also caught in the Anchorage paper.  People in Anchorage are discussing if senior citizens should receive a higher property tax break.

Some may think it strange considering my age but I am against any property tax break based on ones age.  Property taxes stem from a time when that was he only measure of ones wealth was their property.  It taxed all your property / wealth such as your house your barns, your cows, your slaves, your house.  It was the only revenue that a local unit of government could collect.  This is how they payed for education 

Today the measure of property is not a measure and surely we can find a better way to pay our taxes.  So if they want to give a tax break to someone it should be based on their ability (income) and not on how much property the have.

KFC and potholes.  Saw a news report that KFC was paying to have potholes filled in their home city of Louisville, Ky.  After it is filled they spray on their logo with a message that they paid for the repair.  The logo wares of "quickly".

I do not want KFC or any other company having to pay to fix potholes.  That is governments job.  I understand that all government budgets are tight but they have certain obligations and filling potholes is one of them.

What we need is a debate on how to pay for the services we get from the government.  Should property be taxed and for what purpose.  What services should local government pay for what should the state pay for and what should the federal government pay for.

Today we have our elected representatives so fearful of voting for a tax increase to apply for a needed service like garbage pick up they will charge you a fee.

Not saying that we will all pay less taxes, we may even pay more, but my goal here is pay them correctly. 

My Outrage

I am sick of hearing how outraged people are at the bonuses  paid out to some people at AIG and some other finical companies.  A drop in the bucket.  It also showed what a lack of moral backbone these companies and their employees have.

What I want to hear is the voice of OUTRAGE not over the amount of bonus  checks but about the "base" salary.  Remember these people make nothing.  Produce nothing.  Work for a company that Makes nothing.   Produces nothing.  I am sure that they will argue that they make wealth.  The dollar they make does not have the same "value" as the dollar that is made at Ford, GM or GE (that is the one half of GE that still makes something).

A dollar generated at one of these industrial plants pay for labor and for parts.  Each dollar spent purchasing parts generates more payroll and more purchasing on down the line.  Creating jobs and paying taxes.

For the last several years our boom economy has been fueled by credit.  Be it the credit card or people taking money out of their house in home equity.  The pay for the average american is not keeping pace with our economy.  That average is facing higher and higher medical cost and fuel cost and these cost keep on rising.  The difference between what the executives make and what the "workers" make is widening every year.

Tis is where i need to do more reaserch on getting the hard facts.  I will do that this week and post it latter on.

In addition to the salaries at AIG and other banking institutions I have some other OUTRAGES.

The commissioner  Baseball was paid 8 million last year.

Mr. Menard the owner of Menards had a salary of 20 million dollars and if fighting with the IRS over taxes.  He needs to spread some of that money to his employees  so there can purchase itms and help keep the economy going.  The executives need to make less and the workers s more.

More to come on this next week

HEALTH CARE "REFORM"

Health care reform.  Socialized medicine.  Universal Health care.  Mandatory Health Insurance.

I am sure their may be dozens of other names for it but it all is meant to do the same thing.  Fix our broken health care system in the United States.

Now this is where it get tricky.  I just said that the system is broken.  Now I can find you many people that do not think it is broken.  They will say that a little tweaking here and their and it would be fixed.

Then you have people like me who think that it is really broken and we need major overhaul.  

Then I can find people that will say the hell with the overhaul.  Scrap the whole thing and start over.  The hydrogen bomb solution.

The opponents of reform are using "small business" as the fall guy.  We will have no more small business if they have to pay an increase in taxes or help pay for health insurance for their employees.  

Will it be a burden for them.  I am sure it will. It will be more for some.

The real question is what will their burden be if we do not reform the system.  When companies can no longer afford to kick in for their employes.  Right now we are seeing some of that with the auto companies.  Yes they have made many mistakes in how they make car and how they sell cars but I contend their biggest mistake was in the late 40's when Walter Ruther, then president of the UAW, suggested that the UAW and the car companies go to Washington hand in hand and fight for Universal Health care.  They thought that was to much like socialism.  They were big enough they could handle it.  I bet they would like that one back today.

I have no idea on how to fix it and have even less of an idea on how many ways that it is broken. But here is a couple of things that I have observed over the last couple of years.

Valet Parking at the hospital.  I am sure it is not a big part of the budget but we still have to pay for it.

End of life care.  I saw this with my mother several years ago.  Keeping her in the intensive care unit until she passed away.  Doing procedures that would have kept her alive longer.  She was not going to get better the outcome was not going to change.  Just would have been a higher charge sent to MediCare.  

Recently I had an ultra sound done on a leg.  I had knee pain.  The doctor ordered X-rays for the knee.  He was sure that my problem was with the knee but just to make sure he ordered ultra sound of the leg to make sure I did not have blood clots.  Was that a needed test.  I doubt it as I told him I have had this pain for several years.  Did my insurance pay for it?  Yes.  Here is extra cost we all pay for.

So lets us figure out how bad it is broken or at least that it is broken so that we can get on with fixing it and fixing our economy. 

Mine is not bad, Yours is bad

EARMARKS 

The word that has become bad.  By popular definition of today it has come to mean someone got money secretly, slight of hand or outright corruption. 

What really is an earmark.  Well it is something that a Senator or congress person inserts into a bill, usually a budget bill, telling a certain part of the federal government  to spend X amount of dollars on a certain projects. Many of these projects are worth the time and money but would never see the light of day or would take some many years to get funding through some grant program.  Why?  Because they are small many times or they are going up against some high profile project that has lots of money to higher the right lobbyist.

Several years back Marquette University received money for it Dental School.  Take this past cycle.  The city of Janesville received a million dollar "earmark" to help with the new unemployment program.  Are they bad?  Most people would say no, I think.

How about the settlement between City of Milwaukee and the County of Milwaukee over mass transit money.  That has been an ongoing problem for years that  has cost the local millions of funding as well as slowing down many projects.  

Are any of these "The bridge to nowhere".   Of course not.  In amy document as large as the Federal Government you will find good and bad things.  

It started with Senator McCain and Feingold.  The ranting and the raving about how bad earmarks.  Now their is a whole herd of naysayers.  Though the herd was thinned last November.  The Republicans hold only 41 seats and still praying to get to 42 yet they matched almost dollar for dollar that of the Democrats.  

So do they really believe they are bad or are they trying to make earmarks a political football just as John McCain has.  Maybe they should as their Gov. not to take the money.

But then again I forgot that my earmarks are good it is only your EARMARKS that are all bad.

My transit fix is better than you road work.

Finally what could be more open than an earmark.  If some group gets funding through a department we have no idea if they got the funding because it is a good project or because they hired the right lobby group.  Did the Senator go to the department and twist some arms or promise to vote for more funds next time for the agency.

Give me earmarks any day.

IT IS UP TO US

For some reason we, the United States of America, citizens have come to depend on someone else to do it for us.  In this case I am talking about foreign imports of oil, the cost of the final product be it gas, heating fuel or the price we pay for all the plastics we use. 

 

Some, I am hoping not many, want us to open up more of our protected areas for drilling. Some are waiting for the new technology to come and save us.  Or we are growing corn witch takes a heavy investment in carbon to save the day.

But I say we and I mean you and I could cut our imports in one month by at least 10% or more. Get this it would not even take a lot of work.  No investment of money and very little of time. All it really would take is to start using the brain.

Do you really need to drive 70 miles an hour down the express way.  First of all in the county the speed limit is 55.  From 60 to 70 you are using 10% more fuel.  Jack rabbit starts in the city, racing to the next stop light and them breaking.  Their goes another 5% and yo are going to have to replace your breaks more often.  How much longer is it gong to take you to get to wherever it is your going by driving this way.  Is the maybe five or ten minutes worth that much money.

Have you ever stopped at a gas station to get that cup of coffee in the morning and some next to you was to lazy to turn their car off while they "just ran in" to get their coffee.  Wasted gas.

Now lets talk about that cup of coffee you get.  That cup and that lid you are using is made from petrol chemicals.  CRUDE OIL.  A truck had to bring them to that store and the garbage truck is going to take it away.  More wasted crude oil.  Many places will give you a small discount if you have a refillable cup.  Here you save not only money but CRUDE OIL.

How much time to you save waiting in the drive through lane at your favorite hamburger joint. 

Now here is where you will have to make an investment and have to work hard.  Park the car and go in and get it.  As long as the lines I see outside you may save yourself some time in the long run besides the CRUDE OIL.

Keep your tires inflated to the right pressure.  Save another 5%.  I am not good at this so I went to SAM'S Club and had nitrogen but in my tires.  More stable than air.  I am sure if you are a hatter of all things Walmart you can find someone else to put the nitrogen in.

Another way to decrease the CRUDE OIL imports is the way we shop.  Again here it will require at least an investment of five to ten dollars.  Almost any store be it grocery or hardware you can purchase a "canvas" bag for about a dollar.  Buy a couple of them.  Never have to use a plastic bag in the checkout lane again.  Not only will you save the CRUDE OIL but you will reduce our imports from China.  They make the bags.

Finally, for today, by big rant is water in the bottle.  In many cases the same water you could have put into your own bottle at home and you are paying for it.  And brother are you and me paying for it.  CRUDE OIL to make the bottle.  CRUDE OIL to deliver it to the store. CRUDE OIL to dispose of it.  And you could only be so lucky is maybe 25% are recycled.  Some people can not walk the extra 15 feet to put it in the recycle bin.

So all it would really take to reduce our dependence on foreign oil is an investment of a few dollars and maybe an hour a week in our time.

Milwaukee's Future

Since this is my first posting I wanted to make it positive.  That is why i choose to look at the future of Milwaukee.  Milwaukee is blessed by the fact that as a community we are conservative. Not politically, but socially and economically.  That has its positive side as well as its negative side.  We are one of the most segregated cities in the United States.  That is the negative.  The positive is that the city did not try and re-make itself into some finical center or the newest high tech software capitol of the. galaxy.  We have maintained a much reduced but still relative strong heavy industrial base.  

With a shifting of the economy to a more sustainable economy Milwaukee should be ready to jump in.  Consider Johnson Controls.  They are working with car companies in designing batteries for the new hybrid cars and trucks.  Rockwell Industries another cutting edge industry.  Milwaukee is blessed with many companies that will be pivotal with bringing clean water to cities and towns around the world.

So I truly believe that Milwaukee has a great future.  

Wisconsin has a governor that believes in this city and we have a mayor who works hard for the city.  We do need to work on our school system but maybe we will discuss that some time in the future.