Now Showing: Preview of Effects of US Auto Industry Collapse (Wisconsin edition)

vlwc2005

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Friday December 12, 2008 · 12:31 PM PST

2008/12/12 · 12:31

The Janesville, Wisconsin, GM plant is closing on December 23. Nice timeing, eh? This has been planned for some time, due to lowered demand for SUVs, which are assembled in Janesville, and GMs desire to cut costs. The Janesville employees are obviously in a very difficult situation.

However, what is not fully appreciated by many, and apparently not at all by 35 Senate Republicans, is the cascading economic devastation that occurs when one of these plants shuts down.

Today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has an excellent article describing the Ripple Effects of the Janesville plant closure. This may be repeated near every Big 3 plant in the US. Thank you very much Bitch McConnell.

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday June 13, 2008 · 8:58 AM PDT

2008/06/13 · 08:58

Have you heard about the emergency proposal to redirect corn that has been contracted for ethanol so it can be put to other uses this year? I haven't, but I'm hoping this gets on the table quickly given our food predicament.

Given the global grain supply situation, which, going into this northern hemisphere growing season has basically no reserves or tolerance for diminished harvests, the dependence on the global system on our midwestern grain production, and the floods across the midwest that are an unmitigated disaster for farmers, it seems to me that we are in for a huge food supply problem starting right about now.

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday October 18, 2007 · 8:58 AM PDT

2007/10/18 · 08:58

Here's one more thing to be thankful for. Denny Hastert has announced he's going to step down early, perhaps before Thanksgiving.

As the parent of small children, it seems to me that these Republicans leaving early smacks of preschool mentaility: "I'm taking my ball and going home" when things aren't going their way.

Link to story: http://news.yahoo.com/...

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday February 23, 2007 · 6:21 AM PST

2007/02/23 · 06:21

This may not be a particularly new insight for people here, but it has become increasingly clear to me that we will not withdraw from Iraq. The war planners and 'international energy policy' architects (who happen to be the same people) think that if we leave, we essentially surrender forever our ability to control any significant new source of oil. Forget about democracy, Saddam, or threat of attack, Iraq was the low hanging fruit of untapped oil reserves, the easy win, and that is why we went there.

If we do not have direct control (through private oil companies) of some major source of oil when things get tight due to peak oil - game over for us. We will be at the mercy of countries in the middle east and russia to provide us with oil and natural gas so we can continue to grow food in the current industrial ag fashion, drive our gas guzzlers, heat our homes, produce much of anything, or defend ourselves with a mechanized military. This is a fight about who controls the energy and a desperate attempt to make sure we're not left begging for the energy source on which our current infrastructure depends.

vlwc2005

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Tuesday January 16, 2007 · 10:02 AM PST

2007/01/16 · 10:02

I am looking for good books on the history and prospects of 'people power' for lack of a better term. Populist movements in history, and related titles.

So far I have, and have been inspired by:
Zinn's People's History of the United States,
The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America (Lawrence Goodwyn)
Crashing the Gate (by you know who)

What else do you recommend? Please feel free to give a brief summary of the book in your comment. Perhaps others will find this of value too.

Thanks.

Feingold is Out

vlwc2005

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Saturday November 11, 2006 · 10:11 PM PST

2006/11/11 · 22:11

Sorry for this short diary, but I am in the midst of moving. I just ran across the front page story on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel stating that Feingold is not running in '08. He cites long odds. Link to the article: http://www.jsonline.com/... Read More

Giving away nukular secrets? Yawn, no big deal...

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday November 04, 2006 · 7:08 PM PST

2006/11/04 · 19:08

I've been watching the stories that show up on the front page of Yahoo and google news for the past few days waiting to see when the levee would break on the "Republicans forced nuke instructions to be posted on public web site" story. Still waiting. Right now, we have stories about Haggard, because of the sex angle no doubt, criticisms of a bigfoot researcher, Iraq locked down in advance of the verdict, Mike Stark's run in with a pair of handcuffs (keep 'em sweating Mike!!), and that Bush said Dems will raise your taxes by 10,000% if they take over.

Not only is the nukes-on-the-net story not there, it's not on the most recommended, emailed, or highly rated lists. Read More

Finding common ground and stereotype busting at the coffee shop

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 03, 2006 · 11:40 AM PST

2006/11/03 · 11:40

I am no Mike Stark, but I wanted to share my experience today with a couple of hard core republicans, and my attempts to break through the noise machine and get them thinking.

I often work from a neighborhood coffee shop (free wireless + coffee = instant office) in the mornings. For months, I've watched and listened with interest to two retired men who come in and self-reinforce each other about how all liberals are whackos, discussing every little superficial detail of every news cycle with the official right wing spin and talking points, laughing in derision at everything the democrats have attempted to do and blaming every republican scandal on the lefty media. Straight out of O'Rellyville. (follow me below...) Read More

A Message From the POTUS

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 28, 2006 · 11:21 PM PDT

2006/08/28 · 23:21

Apparently by cross referencing my information on the DoD government contracting website, an unencrypted VA laptop left on a beach somewhere, my aol search history, local library records, and my DailyKos member profile, I was identified and contacted today. I was asked to pass along a message to the Daily Kos community from George W. Bush himself. I was informed that all comments would be read, but might not be answered. He said he's pretty busy, and his job is hard work. Indeed. So, here goes:

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday August 18, 2006 · 5:49 PM PDT

2006/08/18 · 17:49

On my bike commute home today, mulling over all the recent significant events, and unable to get Bush's broken-record slogans out of my head after his asinine speech today about the NSA program, the thought occurred to me: what we (progressives) are doing is Fighting for Democracy, and independence, here so we don't need to over there.

We are fighting for votes to be counted properly, fighting for elections that are not bought and paid for by special interests, fighting for separation of powers, fighting for energy independence, fighting for people to think long term, fighting for our health, fighting for our voices to be heard. WE are fighting FOR each other. Read More

Just What Does Bush Think A Fascist Is? [UPDATED]

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday August 10, 2006 · 10:29 AM PDT

2006/08/10 · 10:29

Today Bush points out that we are still at war with "Islamic Fascits". This got me to wondering exactly what he thinks (if he does) a fascist is. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and others have made a pretty strong case that many characteristics of the Bush Administration and the current Republic (sic) Party are very similar to previous Fascist regimes, in that they value ideological purity, military might, supress opposition, and are essentially a government run by corporations. Read More

RFK Jr on the Media, Colbert, and Crimes Against Nature in Milwaukee

vlwc2005

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 04, 2006 · 9:51 PM PDT

2006/05/04 · 21:51

My wife and I just got home from an amazing speech by Bobby Kennedy, Jr. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Many of you have probably heard him give a similar talk, which was based largely on his Crimes Against Nature, but he was on fire tonight, and it was his answer to a question after the talk that really had the room buzzing (more on that below). Kennedy was introduced by Mayor (and former US rep, D-WI) Tom Barrett, who joked that this was the most exciting night for him in the UWM Union's Wisconsin Room, second only to his wedding reception, and he was only saying that so he could go home tonight. Read More

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Now Showing: Preview of Effects of US Auto Industry Collapse (Wisconsin edition)

Proposal for an Ethanol Holiday due to Midwestern Flooding

Hastert Gone by Thanksgiving

Why we will not withdraw

WYFBOP? (What's your favorite book on Populism?)

Feingold is Out

Giving away nukular secrets? Yawn, no big deal...

Finding common ground and stereotype busting at the coffee shop

A Message From the POTUS

Fighting for Democracy At Home So We Won't Need to There

Just What Does Bush Think A Fascist Is? [UPDATED]

RFK Jr on the Media, Colbert, and Crimes Against Nature in Milwaukee