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NRA objects to even minimal training requirements for concealed carry

October 5, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

The National Rifle Association says it's "concerned about the implementation of Wisconsin's new concealed carry law," the Journal Sentinel reports:

What's the NRA concerned about -- that people won't get the proper training they need?

No, that they might be required to get too much training -- a whole four hours worth, and have to fire a weapon!

Clearly, someone at the state Dept. of Justice, which is writing but has not yet released the rules, has been leaking to the NRA. That's actually an improvement over what might be expected from Atty. Gen. J.B. Van Hollen. At least he's not letting the NRA write the rules.

But it will be interesting to see whether he has the backbone to stand up to the NRA on this one. Most politicians back down in the face of NRA bluster, even though the organization has had laughably little influence at the ballot box. (Example: Gov. Jim Doyle was their Number One national target for defeat in 2006. How'd that work out?)

Reality bites as Walker insists on regulations that Republicans call job killers

October 5, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Wait till Ron "Regulations Kill Jobs" Johnson hears about this.  WisPolitics reports:

Walker also defended the Revenue Department's decision to require additional permits for so-called "roll your own" cigarette machines amid complaints that some retailers are shutting down because of the regulations.

The governor rejected the argument that the policy was hurting businesses, saying the DOR decision provides certainty for all retailers in the tobacco industry.

"It's not picking winners and losers. It's applying what the law is," Walker said.

"What we hear from employers all the time … is they want the certainty of knowing what the law is, what the rules are, that they're applied universally and across the board," he added.

Funny, what Ron Johnson hears from employers all the time is that it's not "certainty" they want.  What they want is no regulations.

The idea that regulations are what's keeping businesses from creating jobs is as bogus as can be.  But it's become GOP gospel, and Walker says it, too.  Just not in this case. 

AFTERTHOUGHT: Maybe the question we should be asking is which of Walker's special interest friends and contributors is this helping?

Shorewood wants everyone to read novel; Merrill parents try to ban it

October 5, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Larry Watson, left, author of the best-selling novel, "Montana 1948," is speaking in Shorewood today to kick off a "Shorewood Reads" program in which the whole community is being encouraged to read his book. Elsewhere, they're trying to ban it. Shorewood Patch says:

Shorewood Library Director Beth Carey estimated that the book has been checked out of the library more than 200 times and been read by a number of area book clubs over the last few months...

Montana 1948 has been the featured book in community reading programs numerous times since its publication in 1993, something Watson attributes to the fact that it deals with the kind of moral dilemma that “frequently makes for interesting and productive discussions.”

The novel also has provoked an interesting discussion in Merrill, up the road a piece, where some parents tried to get it banned from high school libraries and out of the curriculum for 10th grade English students.

That effort failed, as the Wausau Daily Herald reports:

Ryan plan could send seniors back to the poor farm

October 5, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Dave Zweifel in the Capital Times:

When Social Security was enacted as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal reforms in 1935, about half of U.S. senior citizens lived in poverty. Many had to live out their lives in shameful places that people at the time called the “poor farm.” It was forever a family’s shame when during the Depression, grandma and grandpa had to go off to live in one of the county’s makeshift homes for the elderly because they couldn’t afford their own places and their children couldn’t afford to help them.

Today, fewer than 10 percent of America’s elderly live in poverty. More than 53 million Americans receive Social Security benefits to at least cover the basics of life. And as Bernie Sanders said, in the more than 75 years since, the program has never failed to pay out every nickel it owed.

Now Ryan and his compatriots want to mess with that success story. They want to begin the privatization of Social Security by turning over part of the funds that America’s working people pay into the program to Wall Street investors — yes, the same investors who have such a great track record, like blowing up the economy and requiring federal bailouts to save them.

Jamie Wall enters 8th CD race

October 5, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Jamie Wall is the first, and perhaps will be the only Democrat, to get in the race against freshman GOP Rep. Reid Ribble in the 8th Congressional District, in the Green Bay area.

Politico says, "Democrats think he's a great recruit-Wisconsin bred, grew up on a dairy farm, first in his family to go to college (Madison grad/Rhodes Scholar) and now a business owner... Democratic strategists say he can wage a serious challenge to the freshman congressman. They plan to attack Ribble for moving outside the district and for not voting in recent Wisconsin elections. Ribble beat Steve Kagen last year."

More from Green Bay Press Gazette and The Hill.

Wall, 40, lost a 2006 primary race to Kagen, who was elected and served two terms.