Monday, September 5, 2022
Thursday, December 20, 2018
COLOR ME DISAPPOINTED
Well, that didn't take long.
Tony Evers, Governor-Elect of Wisconsin, rolled out his first cabinet picks today and overall they are... underwhelming and predictable.
It is irrelevant to me on principle that Mr. Evers filled the Departments of Administration, Corrections, Natural Resources and Tourism with Democratic political hacks from Milwaukee. Anyone who expected otherwise may not have a very firm grasp of how politics works. Mr. Evers won the election, and he gets to pick his cabinet, political hacks or no. It's what his appointees will do that matters.
My first thoughts after watching the press conference introductions:
Joel Brennan - Administration Secretary Designee
Mr. Brennan is a well-connected politico from Milwaukee. Being tabbed for the Department of Administration, I am not sure that he can do a lot of policy-related damage, but who knows. We shall see. He certainly took a number of shots at the opposition, suggesting that they played a zero-sum game of politics where winning was more important than results, and that nothing was accomplished during the Walker Administration. I think he was projecting in regard to the scorched-earth, zero-sum shtick; I assume he missed the Democratic playbook for the last eight years. Good grief. That's a lot of heat coming from the Administration Secretary.
Kevin A. Carr - Corrections Secretary Designee
Mr. Carr is the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is the nominee I have the least concern about background-wise. It's the policy goals he will be pursuing that will ultimately disappoint me. Again, we shall see, but I believe things are going to get a lot worse at Corrections if pro-criminal advocacy groups have too many seats at the table, which is what it sounded like is going to happen.
Preston Cole - Natural Resources Designee
Well, this was entirely expected, of course. Mr. Cole says he wants to double down on "science" and address bureaucratic concerns about "politically appointed administrators" (you know, those pesky overseers appointed by the duly elected representatives of the citizens of Wisconsin) who don't apply the bureaucrats' policy preferences, all of which points to a return to the bad old days of the DNR running rough-shod over the citizens of the state. I assume "science" means environmental alarmism and extremism, and now that there will no longer be an executive check on the bureaucracy to rein it back in, the abuses will resume. A DNR administrator steeped in urban Milwaukee politics does not bode well for the interests and priorities of our rural citizens. This choice is very concerning, but whomever Mr. Evers appointed was going to be so.
Sara Meaney - Tourism Designee
And now the four alarm fire. Mr. Evers could have made a bold stroke of leadership by retaining Stephanie Klett as tourism secretary. Because, you see, Ms. Klett is a superstar. Tourism dollars have increased by billions of dollars per year since she was appointed secretary, and tourism employment has increased by more than 23,000 jobs over 7+ years. Ms. Klett is not very political, but she is very Wisconsin, which one would not know only if they had never followed her term as Secretary nor watched the delightful program Discover Wisconsin during her lengthy tenure as host.
By way of contrast, Ms. Meaney is definitely not Stephanie Klett. I have watched video of Ms. Meaney's marketing presentations- boilerplate, inscrutable technobabble.
Director of Milwaukee Film. Leopard-print pumps and a bright blue dress. Quoting Mark Twain that "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."
Soooooooo.
Yet another cosmopolitan leftist who sees whatever they are doing as a grand crusade to combat the forces of prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Of course. That is what being Tourism Secretary is. I don't know how I missed that- its not about bringing people to Wisconsin's vacation hotspots or spending their dollars here- its about fighting prejudice. Eureka!
I foresee Ms. Meaney pushing pet, boutique, urban projects, while neglecting... well, you know... the things that actually comprise the bulk of Wisconsin's tourism industry and dollars. I do not foresee Ms. Meaney promoting hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, rural county fairs or out-state festivals or events or locations. I don't see her regularly going to those places. I just don't see that happening. Ms. Meaney is yet another urban Democrat whose purview is the interests of mostly rural non-Democrats. What happens if Tourism dollars actually start decreasing under Ms. Meaney's tenure? What then? This was not a very good choice. I hope she succeeds and continues the upward trend shepherded by her predecessor, but her first presentation to the citizenry as Secretary designee was not very reassuring.
And what did Mr. Evers say of Ms. Klett as a candidate he might have kept? "She's one of many people we will consider (as tourism secretary)," Evers said. "Obviously she's done a good job."
A good job... wow. A good job, he said. Truly Mr. Evers missed an easy opportunity to look pragmatic and effective by retaining the appointee of his predecessor, a virtual no-brainer given her significant success in the job and her lack of a clear-cut political agenda.
As a result, Mr. Evers has given more grist to the mill of his political opposition, who seem to feel that he is not much more than a bland, boring and rather uncreative stiff undeserving of their respect, if their recent rhetoric toward him is anything to judge by.
Tony Evers, Governor-Elect of Wisconsin, rolled out his first cabinet picks today and overall they are... underwhelming and predictable.
It is irrelevant to me on principle that Mr. Evers filled the Departments of Administration, Corrections, Natural Resources and Tourism with Democratic political hacks from Milwaukee. Anyone who expected otherwise may not have a very firm grasp of how politics works. Mr. Evers won the election, and he gets to pick his cabinet, political hacks or no. It's what his appointees will do that matters.
My first thoughts after watching the press conference introductions:
Joel Brennan - Administration Secretary Designee
Mr. Brennan is a well-connected politico from Milwaukee. Being tabbed for the Department of Administration, I am not sure that he can do a lot of policy-related damage, but who knows. We shall see. He certainly took a number of shots at the opposition, suggesting that they played a zero-sum game of politics where winning was more important than results, and that nothing was accomplished during the Walker Administration. I think he was projecting in regard to the scorched-earth, zero-sum shtick; I assume he missed the Democratic playbook for the last eight years. Good grief. That's a lot of heat coming from the Administration Secretary.
Kevin A. Carr - Corrections Secretary Designee
Mr. Carr is the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is the nominee I have the least concern about background-wise. It's the policy goals he will be pursuing that will ultimately disappoint me. Again, we shall see, but I believe things are going to get a lot worse at Corrections if pro-criminal advocacy groups have too many seats at the table, which is what it sounded like is going to happen.
Preston Cole - Natural Resources Designee
Well, this was entirely expected, of course. Mr. Cole says he wants to double down on "science" and address bureaucratic concerns about "politically appointed administrators" (you know, those pesky overseers appointed by the duly elected representatives of the citizens of Wisconsin) who don't apply the bureaucrats' policy preferences, all of which points to a return to the bad old days of the DNR running rough-shod over the citizens of the state. I assume "science" means environmental alarmism and extremism, and now that there will no longer be an executive check on the bureaucracy to rein it back in, the abuses will resume. A DNR administrator steeped in urban Milwaukee politics does not bode well for the interests and priorities of our rural citizens. This choice is very concerning, but whomever Mr. Evers appointed was going to be so.
Sara Meaney - Tourism Designee
And now the four alarm fire. Mr. Evers could have made a bold stroke of leadership by retaining Stephanie Klett as tourism secretary. Because, you see, Ms. Klett is a superstar. Tourism dollars have increased by billions of dollars per year since she was appointed secretary, and tourism employment has increased by more than 23,000 jobs over 7+ years. Ms. Klett is not very political, but she is very Wisconsin, which one would not know only if they had never followed her term as Secretary nor watched the delightful program Discover Wisconsin during her lengthy tenure as host.
By way of contrast, Ms. Meaney is definitely not Stephanie Klett. I have watched video of Ms. Meaney's marketing presentations- boilerplate, inscrutable technobabble.
Director of Milwaukee Film. Leopard-print pumps and a bright blue dress. Quoting Mark Twain that "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."
Soooooooo.
Yet another cosmopolitan leftist who sees whatever they are doing as a grand crusade to combat the forces of prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Of course. That is what being Tourism Secretary is. I don't know how I missed that- its not about bringing people to Wisconsin's vacation hotspots or spending their dollars here- its about fighting prejudice. Eureka!
I foresee Ms. Meaney pushing pet, boutique, urban projects, while neglecting... well, you know... the things that actually comprise the bulk of Wisconsin's tourism industry and dollars. I do not foresee Ms. Meaney promoting hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, rural county fairs or out-state festivals or events or locations. I don't see her regularly going to those places. I just don't see that happening. Ms. Meaney is yet another urban Democrat whose purview is the interests of mostly rural non-Democrats. What happens if Tourism dollars actually start decreasing under Ms. Meaney's tenure? What then? This was not a very good choice. I hope she succeeds and continues the upward trend shepherded by her predecessor, but her first presentation to the citizenry as Secretary designee was not very reassuring.
And what did Mr. Evers say of Ms. Klett as a candidate he might have kept? "She's one of many people we will consider (as tourism secretary)," Evers said. "Obviously she's done a good job."
A good job... wow. A good job, he said. Truly Mr. Evers missed an easy opportunity to look pragmatic and effective by retaining the appointee of his predecessor, a virtual no-brainer given her significant success in the job and her lack of a clear-cut political agenda.
As a result, Mr. Evers has given more grist to the mill of his political opposition, who seem to feel that he is not much more than a bland, boring and rather uncreative stiff undeserving of their respect, if their recent rhetoric toward him is anything to judge by.
WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS, TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS, COME INSIDE! COME INSIDE!
Writing has always been something of an outlet, or, more accurately, it has been an outlet for as long as I could actually do it. It has also been something I do regularly as part of my profession, although with a much different form and purpose.
I have spent a lot of time in my life both writing creatively, mostly for the enjoyment of myself and my friends, and a lot of time writing "legally," which is to say writing within the legal profession, ranging from things as mundane as contracts, to things a bit more exotic like legal briefs or correspondence attempting to persuade a tribunal or opposing party to my way of thinking.
Legal writing is something I do for work. Creative writing is something I do for pleasure.
But now, I also intend to write as something of an exercise in Steam Control. Not the Steam Control of a prudent broker whose advocacy might be helpful on judgment day, like the Reverend Reginald Bacon. I have a more intimate (and less ominous) Steam Control in mind-- steam that wants to be released because you can't, or don't want to, hold it inside.
I am sure everyone experiences it at some point-- that desire to just throw out your thoughts and opinions on the written page and see what happens. The act of expression is very satisfying, and writing it out helps sharpen and focus the thought process behind that expression.
And so, I will express myself on things that interest me, whether it be sport or culture or politics or whatever, really, that captures my attention and I feel is worth making note of here. It's for my benefit, and if anyone else should ever peruse the thoughts recorded here some day, well, wonderful!
The State of Magnus, is of course, my state. As one may guess from the image at the top of the page, my other state is Wisconsin, a place that seems to have had more than its fair share of attention these last few years. Wisconsin will certainly be a topic of interest, on many fronts.
I love the martial arts (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is something I do, and Tae Kwon Do and Krav Maga are also a part of my past) and a number of sports (Chicago Cubs/Bears/Blackhawks/Fire, in that order. It's not easy growing up a Chicago fan in Cheeseheadland!). I volunteer as much time as I can-- whether pro bono legal services for those can't otherwise afford legal representation, or promoting adult literacy in the city where I grew up. I am a single parent (divorced) with a teenage daughter. I love being out in the woods whenever time allows. I really need to eat better and exercise more! I am Lutheran, and a Freemason (and no, I have never met anyone who knows where the holy grail is, nor have I met any members of the illuminati-- faceplam)
And, full disclosure- my personal politics are libertarian and conservative. If that unsettles anyone reading this in the future, I would understand if they stopped reading and went elsewhere, but I hope that is not the case. Most people who are of a like mind as myself are not hate-filled monsters who want to repress women or ethnic or gender minorities, even though that seems to be the prevailing theme in the news media or on college campuses these days.
In any event, away we go!
I have spent a lot of time in my life both writing creatively, mostly for the enjoyment of myself and my friends, and a lot of time writing "legally," which is to say writing within the legal profession, ranging from things as mundane as contracts, to things a bit more exotic like legal briefs or correspondence attempting to persuade a tribunal or opposing party to my way of thinking.
Legal writing is something I do for work. Creative writing is something I do for pleasure.
But now, I also intend to write as something of an exercise in Steam Control. Not the Steam Control of a prudent broker whose advocacy might be helpful on judgment day, like the Reverend Reginald Bacon. I have a more intimate (and less ominous) Steam Control in mind-- steam that wants to be released because you can't, or don't want to, hold it inside.
I am sure everyone experiences it at some point-- that desire to just throw out your thoughts and opinions on the written page and see what happens. The act of expression is very satisfying, and writing it out helps sharpen and focus the thought process behind that expression.
And so, I will express myself on things that interest me, whether it be sport or culture or politics or whatever, really, that captures my attention and I feel is worth making note of here. It's for my benefit, and if anyone else should ever peruse the thoughts recorded here some day, well, wonderful!
The State of Magnus, is of course, my state. As one may guess from the image at the top of the page, my other state is Wisconsin, a place that seems to have had more than its fair share of attention these last few years. Wisconsin will certainly be a topic of interest, on many fronts.
I love the martial arts (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is something I do, and Tae Kwon Do and Krav Maga are also a part of my past) and a number of sports (Chicago Cubs/Bears/Blackhawks/Fire, in that order. It's not easy growing up a Chicago fan in Cheeseheadland!). I volunteer as much time as I can-- whether pro bono legal services for those can't otherwise afford legal representation, or promoting adult literacy in the city where I grew up. I am a single parent (divorced) with a teenage daughter. I love being out in the woods whenever time allows. I really need to eat better and exercise more! I am Lutheran, and a Freemason (and no, I have never met anyone who knows where the holy grail is, nor have I met any members of the illuminati-- faceplam)
And, full disclosure- my personal politics are libertarian and conservative. If that unsettles anyone reading this in the future, I would understand if they stopped reading and went elsewhere, but I hope that is not the case. Most people who are of a like mind as myself are not hate-filled monsters who want to repress women or ethnic or gender minorities, even though that seems to be the prevailing theme in the news media or on college campuses these days.
In any event, away we go!
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