This Just In...

A  look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...


HEROES OF THE WEEK


Ellen Basinski


Good Samaritans


Sully and his crew


Nigel Haskett


Make-a-Wish Foundation


Nadya Vessey


Governors turning down stimulus money


Mary Woodward Lasker


J. Innes


Jeff Van Zytveld



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Amanda Knox


TV show protesters


Greenpeace


The officer who gave out this jaywalking ticket



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


"We are not quitters. While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before."
President Obama in his State of the Union address.


"This spend-a-thon that Obama and the Democrats in Congress have been engaging in places a huge burden on our children and also threatens to make inflation so severe that it wipes out those who have prudently saved for retirement."
Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner reacting to the State of the Union speech.


"Bill Clinton declared more than a decade ago 'the era of big government is over.' With his new budget, President Barack Obama has brought it back."
Steve Holland of Reuters on President Obama's proposed federal budget.


"The taxing aspect of this is worse than Robin Hood. He's resurrecting class warfare for political gain."
Economist Peter Morici, a University of Maryland professor


"Conservatives, it is the time to begin the job of taking back our government. Democrats want to use this crisis to move America toward the sort of Europeanized economy that runs counter to the freedom and entrepreneurial spirit of our people, to usher in an era of greater government control and micro-management of our economy."
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan


"I can't emphasize enough that we believe we can do this safely. We're not opening the back door and saying it's time to leave."
Wisconsin Corrections Secretary Rick Raemisch on Governorr Doyle's plan to release 3000 felons early.


"He is letting people off of sentences that they were given by a jury and judge. And worse yet, he is letting unelected bureaucrats - not judges and juries - make those decisions."
State Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbostford), reacting to the governor's plan on releasing felons early.


"I see the rationale as very different, so I didn't raise the beer tax. I want to be very clear. We don't want young people to drink. But we actually like people to drink beer in Wisconsin. We don't want people to drink beer irresponsibly and excessively. But unlike tobacco, it's a very different substance. Alcohol and beer used responsibly and for enjoyment and so on is not inherently a dangerous product. There's no healthy way to use tobacco."
Governor Doyle on his decision not to call for an increase in the beer tax.


"Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard. Giving every worker the right to smoke-free air is an important public health issue that is supported by the vast majority of people in Wisconsin. Personally I hope that clock doesn't tick too long. Because every second marks a second that someone in Wisconsin is needlessly being exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke."
Pat Finder-Stone, a volunteer with the American Cancer Society at a rally to support a statewide smoking ban.



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


The Obama tax and spend us into oblivion budget



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Obama nominee likens pregnancy to slavery. Can you say, "nutjob?"



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


Bobby Jindal's performance during his rebuttal to the State of the Union address.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


Perfect timing on this raffle.


My, my, my, but gas is really expensive.


The Hat Man can wear his hats again.


Not surprisingly, this happened in Hollywood.


And there's no way to crawl under this stall.


REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.

It's Friday night. Time to unwind. The weekend has finally arrived. The evening stars are out. Let's put controversy and provocative blogs aside for the rest of the day and smooth our way into Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday they handed out the Oscars. Think of movie music and the first name that should come immediately to mind is Henry Mancini, the most famous artist associated with theatrical themes and scores. Mancini won 4 Oscars and 20 Grammys.

Pink Panther 2 is now in theaters. Mancini, of course, wrote the familiar and popular theme. Here he is at the piano with the Terry Gibbs band.

About a year ago, smooth jazz star Dave Koz did an album entirely about movie music. And he had some impressive help putting it all together.

Here's Dave Koz with the legendary Johnny Mathis performing on the "Tonight Show." Enjoy your weekend, everyone, and if it includes a date at the movies, don't forget to pay close attention to the music.

“Friendship should be part of politics.”

George Lightbourn, who worked in the Tommy Thompson administration, makes that remark in a column for the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.

“Clearly, there is simply no place on the political landscape for friendship, not with the other tribe.  Our politicians would instinctively join right in the street fight between the Montagues and the Capulets in the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet.  An unwritten but firm rule is that Ds flock only with other Ds and Rs only with other Rs.  Armed with press releases and printouts, these two camps are forever spoiling for fight.”

I’m not sure I totally agree with Lightbourn. Yes, there’s far more partisanship today at every level of government than ever before. But it’s not the WWE 24/7.

The news media that covers state politics concentrates only on the skirmishes, the partisan debates and differences. There’s a great deal of respect and friendliness in the Capitol amongst legislators and staff members from both parties that you wouldn’t realize if you didn’t work there. However, it’s undeniable that politics has become uglier, and as Lightbourn writes, that’s a shame.

I was happy to see Franklin alderman Steve Olson make this comment recently on my blog:

“Printed political discourse in this city has turned from an expression of ideas to vendetta and personal destruction.”

Olson was referring to blogs. There are plenty examples in the Wisconsin blogging community of untruths, wild and unfounded accusations, sophomoric commentary, hateful and sometimes profane language.

Whether it be politics or the blogosphere or the workplace or whatever the scenario, I admit we could all probably engage in a better effort on civility.

Georgetown's basketball team, only 5-10 in the Big East Conference, lost this week to Marquette and to Louisville and will probably lose Saturday at Villanova. Could it be their minds are on something else?

Here are the topics to be discussed on InterCHANGE Friday night on MIlwaukee Public Television at 6:30 with a repeat Sunday morning at 11:00:


1 – NATIONAL ECONOMY.

Obama sends a $3.5 trillion dollar budget to Congress that marks a pretty dramatic shift in national priorities and leaves unprecedented deficits, including $1.75 trillion this year, nearly four times last years record $455 billion dollar deficit.  Will Congress go along with this? Is he doing exactly what he told his supporters he would do, i.e. make the nations priorities health care, education, and energy?   Are we supposed to believe the financial experts this administration uses, and not the ones that were used the previous eight years?  Is this too massive a measure for someone who has only been in office for one month?  Is this an investment in our future, or a redistribution of wealth?  Which advice to you follow?  That which says “Don’t spend what you don’t have” or that which says, “You have to spend money to make money.” 


2 – DOLAN TO NYC.

Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan heads to New York City.  Will he be missed in Milwaukee?  Was he really that important to Milwaukee Catholics?  What kind of Archbishop will replace him?  Will it be a liberal like Weakland, or a conservative like Dolan?  Will Dolan be able to handle the media scrutiny he is sure to face in New York?


3 – MPS Residency.

Once again, there will be a legislative effort to end the requirement that MPS teachers live in the City of Milwaukee?  Will it pass this time?  Should it pass?  Is it absurd to require people to live where they work?  Would better teachers be attracted to MPS if they didn’t have to live in the city?  Would there be a huge migration out of the city if the residency requirement was lifted?  Do outstate lawmakers care about the requirement?  Who will have more pull with this new state legislature?  The teachers union, or City of Milwaukee officials who want the requirement kept in place?  Will it be a trade off for lifting the Qualified Economic Offer?

Earlier this week,  I took issue with the mantra that we are living in the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Today, Victor Davis Hanson writes in the National Review that while we’re not in the best of times, it ain’t exactly 1932:

“The majority of working Americans are not yet pulling out their sinking retirement funds. Most are still putting away pre-tax money each month, apparently confident that within a few years their portfolios will return to their former value. Some are even consoled that they are now buying mutual funds at rock-bottom prices rather than investing in sky-high investments at the peak of a bull market.

Times are bad for those out of work or those who bought expensive homes with paltry down payments. Yet for those hurting, there is a vast array of government help. Both private companies and public agencies offer all sorts of ways to either walk away from mortgage obligations or have them renegotiated. The same is true for credit-card debt.

Unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps, and even more new social programs on the way have redefined poverty from what our grandparents told us of the Great Depression.”

Here’s the entire piece.

Well spent.

I'm thinkin' this is an investment.

That's what the NY Times says about Marquette coach Buzz Williams. The paper's profile of the head man of the Golden Eagles portrays him as geeky, strange, peculiar, and consumed.

It's an interesting piece.

"Americans, including many Catholics, elected a gifted man to fix an economic crisis. That’s the mandate. They gave nobody a mandate to retool American culture on the issues of marriage and the family, sexuality, bioethics, religion in public life and abortion. That retooling could easily happen, and it clearly will happen -- but only if Catholics and other religious believers allow it."

Those comments about President Obama are from Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, who also says, "Whatever his strengths, there’s no way to reinvent his record on abortion and related issues with rosy marketing about unity, hope and change........We can’t claim to be ‘Catholic’ and ‘pro-choice’ at the same time without owning the responsibility for where the choice leads – to a dead unborn child."

Chaput has issued a warning that worshipping Obama needs to be put in check.  That means you hypocritical Catholics who voted for the guy.

UPDATE from the Denver Post

Advocates of government over-regulation, government trampling on property rights, government intruding into private businesses,  government banning the use of a legal product, and government killing jobs will gather at noon Thursday at the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay. They will demand a statewide smoking ban.

If they're successful, they won't stop there. Can't smoke in your own business? How about not being able to smoke in your own car?

Ultimately, these opponents of freedoms won't rest until you can't smoke in your very own home.

HT: Ban the ban Wisconsin

You've got the ugly weather...about an inch of rain is in the forecast. Maybe some snow, depending on where you are.

The president unveils his budget. Bye bye wallet.

And you've got bad news coming from everywhere in new reports:

Weekly jobless claims

January numbers for durable goods

January numbers for new-home sales

General Motors reports its quarterly earnings

JIm Doyle announces he's learned about a whole new bunch of tax increases while in Spain.

OK, that last one probably won't happen. We think it won't. Maybe not. It shouldn't. Well, knowing Doyle, it could.

“Almost no one believes that Americans are getting good value for their health care dollars.”

That’s what the USA TODAY writes. The USA TODAY would be wrong (By the way, that's some whopper of an idea the presdient has, isn't it?).

Even though Governor Doyle and legislative Democrats want to tear apart our health care system and replace it with a Socialist-style government plan, the fact is our state offers some of the best health care in the country, with many satisfied customers.

Wisconsin was ranked first in the nation in health care quality based on information compiled by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The state's hospitals also were given the highest score in the country.

Milwaukee hospitals ranked number one in patient satisfaction when patients were asked to evaluate their experience in the emergency departments in that city. That was the finding in another national survey of more than 1.5 million patients treated in more than 1,500 acute care hospitals around the country.

The report also ranked the metropolitan areas with a population of 500,000 or more with the highest levels of patient satisfaction about their emergency room experience. Milwaukee ranks #1.

Why ruin a good thing by letting the government take over?

The Cheesecake Factory wants to know.

Culinary no-no #95


“No cameras, no touching, cash only.”

Down, down, down...

Utters "Oh, God" before GOP response to Obama's State of the Union.

This is a good bill, being considered in Texas.