I guess I'm OK when it comes to predicting the future, but are we going to be the last ones to get the Economic Stimulus Payment? I predicted we'd see our cash at least a month ago. We filed taxes early and electronically. We've had so much time to think about how we're going to spend the money that we'll have to borrow to do half of it. (It's what the government is doing for the money anyway.)

As a matter of fact, I think we already spent the money and will just use the payment to pay on debt. Kind of sounds familiar; borrow to pay a debt.

Little Caesars. One of my last posts mentioned a sad individual without balloons and, even though I haven't gone hot air ballooning in months, wasn't referring to me. At least I didn't think so. No, I'm not the clown who lost his balloons. But I am sad that Little Caesars on Summit is closed. Sunday the pizza shop made one last attempt to attract customers by attaching bunches of yellow and orange balloons to a sign in the parking lot and by Monday they were permanently closed. Now I'm not a connoisseur of fine pizza, but did love the fact that we could run in for a quick, hot, inexpensive meal that everyone would eat. 

Auto Show. My last post mentioned the Auto Show last weekend was the reason for parking problems downtown Milw. Saturday. Well, now that I've got my facts straight, the Auto Show is this weekend.

Voting. In my 2/21 post about working the polls I failed to mention if my district saw any write-in votes. There was one - for Al Gore. Even though I said 10/14 that I would vote for him, it wasn't me. Speaking of the polls... I got paid today for my work. Sixteen hours on Tuesday plus two hours of training = $135.00. I would do it again even if I didn't need the money. It was great to see so many of my neighbors in the middle of a long winter. BTW, Deputy Clerk, Marie Bieber is looking for additional poll workers. If you or someone you know might be interested she can be contacted at 262-524-3550.

Laying down arms. The snowman standing sentry in front of my house for the last two months has finally surrendered to the elements. He put up a brave fight in the freezing/warm/windy/sunny/snowy/rainy/icy winter we've been having.

Monday I was sworn in as a poll worker. Tuesday I spent 16 hours at Hawthorne School initialling and handing out ballots and helping make sure things ran smoothly at the polling station for Aldermanic District 4. Four of the seven workers, myself included, were first time workers. I think we handled the crowd pretty well.

I was very nervous about working such an important, unfamiliar job from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Could I remain alert enough after 16 hours? Could I handle the crowds, the rules, pressure, sitting on a folding metal chair, being away from TV, regular meals and a nap for 16 hours just to work the most historic election of my life? Knowing I'd need plenty of rest for such a long day, I got to bed early then tossed and turned much of the night from worry. But as you can see I survived.

Never before could we choose between an American hero, a minority, and a woman for the most important job in the country. I was extremely proud to see 1200 of my neighbors come out to vote, many for the first time.

For the most part the job wasn't too hard - my regular day job had already prepared me for doing more than two things at once. Besides, I brought a pillow just in case I couldn't handle it . . . for sitting on, not sleeping.

One of the hardest parts of the job was knowing which combination of papers, signatures, bags and envelopes goes with which. There literally are seals for the bags that hold a bag and envelopes for the envelope that holds the envelopes. There is a set order to everything, which would be hard to remember after an only ten hour day, and most things required all seven of our signatures. I was glad to do it too if it meant a close election wasn't decided by the way we handled our ballots.

Even though we were busy all day, 16 hours didn't really seem too bad. I'll be looking forward to helping out again during the big election in November, even though it's guaranteed to be busier with longer hours. I'll be nervous about it and lose sleep over it, but will take pride that I was around when history was made.

I'd like to thank everyone for making this a good experience. Marilyn took me under her wing and helped immensely. Maria was wonderful as the poll captain. Joan, Janet and Ruth helped me and each other as needed. All the voters were polite and patient with us even though the lines were sometimes long. The custodian helped make sure the floor was kept dry... 

It's a 3-legged race to the polls and there's two entrants: It's the team of Clinton, Obama and McCain versus Team Democrat, Republican and Undecided.

This is an exciting time for politics in Wisconsin because our vote in this primary really could make a difference - at least for Clinton or Obama.

Are you a Republican and not planning to vote because McCain looks like a shoe-in? Or are you going to waste your vote by voting for McCain?

Remember, this isn't a vote to see who will be president, it's the vote to see who will run for the presidency. In primaries we can use our vote in ways other than voting for our favorite candidate. Because the race between Clinton and Obama is so close, Republicans could vote for whichever Democratic candidate they feel McCain would have a better chance against.

If you usually vote Democratic the choice probably isn't that easy. My suggestion would be not to vote for whoever you feel is most popular just because they're popular, but for the one you would feel good about as your president.

At this point most of us are voting for someone that has a one in three chance of becoming our next president. If you're a Democrat and don't care for either Clinton or Obama, then I'd suggest you save your vote for November when the choice will be a lot easier. Or, if you're still undecided, you could just let the Super Delegates decide for you.

############ I wrote the above before reading this morning's Freeman. A story on Mayor Nelson removing a political post from his blog caught my eye. ##############

The mayor wrote, "Now that Sen. McCain is definitely going to be the Republican nominee, I think that independent and open-minded Republicans (who sometimes vote for the best person instead of only voting by party affiliation) should join Democrats in voting for either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama because it's clear one of these three people will be the next president."

any similarities?

. 

Mayor Nelson and Gov. Doyle spoke at the Labor Temple tonight. They were stumping for Senator Barack Obama and spoke with enthusiasm to a full house. The governor explained why we should vote Tuesday the 19th and why he feels Obama is the best choice.

I don't know who the best choice is after hearing the governor talk but feel better informed. It has been, though, pretty clear to me that if we want change we should be voting Democratic this year. But the main thing is that we educate ourselves on the choices and then vote, because if we don't vote we shouldn't complain. 

I think it would be interesting having a president younger than myself. Obama and I are actually the same age, though I'm a few months older. Mayor Nelson predicts Obama will be the next president. I suppose that's possible, but I'm just going to predict that Obama and Clinton will be on the same ticket.

The mayor's blog is finally up and running, his first post was yesterday. The comments feature is turned off, but that's OK. The NOW sites started out the same way and we eventually got ours turned on. Give it some time and I'm sure he'll eventually have all kinds of links and pictures, etc.

hug an alderman

Had a chance to see the last portion of the 9-1/2 hour rebroadcast of the 11/20 marathon Common Council meeting on cable Ch. 25. (Ald. Bull had already left so I knew it was after 3:00 a.m.)  After all the criticism and controversy of unpreparedness, vote changes, job cuts, projects on hold ... any alderman, mayor, city employee or even camera crew that sat through the record meeting until 4:30 Wednesday morning for the good of Waukesha has my utmost respect. It was almost painful to watch as many were obviously tired, hoarse and quiet-voiced as they were forced by us, the constituency, and the state by it's late budget, to stay there as long as it took.

I felt bad for everyone who was there:  Steve Crandell and the IT guy with him who were rushed to crunch numbers after so many hours of the same. Mayor Nelson who could get only a couple hours sleep before an interview with a city administrator candidate. All the aldermen who spent countless hours in meetings and study for this budget to save us a couple dollars. I sympathize with them all, for I know it's not easy staying alert and working with numbers at 4:00 a.m. (I was only able to stay awake till 11:00 p.m. on 11/20). And give a special hug to Alderman Charlie Betker as he supposedly announced at 4:30 a.m. that he won't be seeking reelection in April. (His mic was off when he said it, but the papers reported it)

sworn to secrecy

I haven't blogged in a week because I was sworn to secrecy. OK, maybe just for a couple hours yesterday, but it sounded good anyway. My confirmation group helped at the Women's Center for a group service project and signed a paper stating that we won't repeat anything heard or seen. So I guess I can't mention that volunteers have provided the center 12,000 hours of service this year (I think that's the figure. It's a secret). All I can say is the shelter is a nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there, if you know what I mean. (It's for battered women and their children.)

T-bone, not well done

I was one car back from witnessing the 6:00 p.m. accident in the intersection of Northview and Grandview on Thursday. Though I only heard it and saw it through the windshield of the car in front of me it looked like the people turning left collided with the one going straight. More than likely trying to beat the light - the Packers were playing and everyone was in a hurry. We all stayed motionless for a bit, probably in shock, until one sensible person in another car ran to check on the occupants. The car in front of me then left without so much as a goodbye. Is it a law for witnesses to stay and give their name once it's determined everyone is OK? No, but it's almost required if the accident's serious or if there's injury. Did I stay? No, I wasn't a good witness and, besides, the fire station is just a few yards from the accident scene.

On occasion, throughout the last month or so, there's been utility work at that intersection so I wondered if poor street lighting was a contributing factor to the accident. I noticed on Friday night that almost all the street lights were out from Silvernail to Northview, but the intersection was fully lit. 

speaking of Packers

I don't think the Packers lost because Favre got hurt. They seemed to play better after he left. Favre put too much faith in the long ball to double coverage in this game. Aaron Rodgers at least wasn't afraid to run the ball for first downs. He played very well but you could tell there was poor communication between him and the other players. I thought the game would be a lot closer but it definitely was fun looking forward to it all week.

and finally

The photos in my last post are not upside down. Reflections are funny that way.

 

 

 

Next Tuesday's annual city budget adoption meeting at 7:00 promises to be a long one. As a matter-of-fact, here's your excuse to stay out past midnight if you want to. No, the pillow isn't for sleeping, it's for sitting on. Several hours of sitting on those hard fibreglass chairs and you're going to need one. 

If we made no changes to our lifestyle here at the Lee household, the new state budget will cost us almost $1200.00 more in 2008 than this year. That's a lot of groceries!

How will the new budget affect you?

Things I would've blogged about if I had the time:

I'd vote for him again. Even though I think we're overdue for a woman president, I'd vote for former V.P. and now Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Al Gore, again. I know I've voted strangely in the past, Ed Thompson for one, but Mr. Gore has shown the kind of leadership we need now. It's safe to say the war in Iraq wouldn't have happened had my vote counted instead of the Electoral College's. If Mr. Gore became president I don't think the auto makers and polluters would love him, but after reading his book Earth in the Balance, I think his term would be good one not only our country now, but for the future world also.

For once I didn't mind donating $200.00 to Pick 'N Save. This was one shopping trip when I actually wanted to spend $200.00. Pick 'N Save is running a "Bonus Bucks" promo where you receive a coupon for savings on your next shopping trip by spending X amount of dollars. It's not a bad deal, 10% savings, if you pay attention. The promo is incremental. If I spend $80.00, I'll probably get a coupon for use with a $120.00 minimum shopping trip. The coupon I used yesterday was $18.00 off a $180.00 shopping trip, which means we probably spent $120.00 previously to get it. The coupon we received yesterday for spending $200.00? $40.00 off a $400.00 or more shopping trip. I don't think so!

A couple good columns I read last week. A Miami Herald writer, Leonard Pitts, turned 50 and had the humor and seriousness to write about it. It was reprinted in Thursday's Journal Sentinel. This makes two very good column's from him in two weeks. Also, I found it interesting, in last Sunday's Journal Sentinel, that Historian John Gurda had joined a Father Groppi open housing march 41 years ago when he was just 19. Being one of the few white faces in the crowd, taunted but undaunted, he helped carry the American Flag at the head of the procession. He said, "Never before had I felt so angry, so scared and so exhilarated, all at the same time."  I guess you could say it changed his life, because a couple years later he was determined to be part of the solution; he took a job at Journey House to work with the kids who were part of the brick-throwing mob who greeted Fr. Groppi.

The sign wars have begun. The first aldermanic yard signs are up in my neighborhood in advance of next month's primary. My next door neighbor's sign got me thinking about what I'd do if I was asked to place one in my yard.

My neighbor on Easy Street is running, as is the former alderman. I signed the current alderman, Joe Pieper's nomination papers.

Because we endorsed Joe, should we place a sign for our neighbor, if asked? I really don't think so. Even though no one would know except Joe and us I don't think it would be right. I remember six years ago a neighbor placing not one but two signs for a candidate when I knew they endorsed the opposition. It didn't feel right to me then and still doesn't.

So, four people are running in the Fourth District and I've met three of them. Maybe no one will ask me about a sign so I won't have to worry about it.

A gentleman stops me after Sunday mass yesterday and I can't quite place the face. It's Joe, my alderman, and he's with his lovely wife. Told him I saw the sign he placed next door. He told me they were joining my parish that very day. I gladly told him he could place a sign in my yard.

I have a good feeling I did the right thing about the sign and I have a good feeling about Joe leading the Fourth District into the future.

****************** 1/24 update ********

Read it today's paper that my neighbor has left the aldermanic race. I feel better about my sign now.

Seems I voted the same as most around here, except for the questions. I seem to have got those wrong.

Appears Waukesha wasn't prepared for the large turnout at the polls even though the numbers fell within what I had heard predicted. The many absentee ballots took some of the blame.

My experience at the poll;
Three wards but just one with a line - mine. About 13 in front of me around 7:15 p.m. Six voting booths, all being used with a short line waiting. A moderate line of people registering. City Clerk Thomas Neil in attendance a short while checking on things.

Am almost at the front of the queue with just one voter in front of me and the line stops a good five minutes. The guy's voted there before but his name is not on the list. While someone calls City Hall on a borrowed cell phone the line doesn't move. It now reaches the back of the gym. The line doesn't move because apparently the gal on the phone was needed for her initials, her blessing, or her map reading skills - I don't know, but that line wasn't going anywhere without her. While all this is going on the two remaining poll workers in the ward continue logging in the absentee ballots. To their credit they did discuss resuming the line but they decided they couldn't without the missing one.

In the end it was discovered that the voter's name was on the list but misspelled. It seemed to me and the people around me in line that something like this could have been planned for a little better. Why hold up an entire line for at least five minutes over a misspelling? At least we didn't have to wait for a voting booth when the line resumed.

I asked the person sitting next to me on the way to work Wednesday why she didn't vote. Didn't know who was running. "But you didn't have to vote in every category. Didn't you feel strongly about the questions?" Didn't know what the questions were. Wow, I wonder when she's going to get her power turned back on!

If you're among the 70-odd percent that will be too busy Tuesday to take five minutes to vote in the primary then you can save valuable time and stop reading now. However, if you're planning on making a difference Tuesday...

A Republican I'm not but I'll be voting that way come Tuesday. Both Paul Bucher for Attorney General and Brad Schimel for Waukesha District Attorney have been endorsed by the Journal Sentinel among many, many others. Paul will still have his day at the polls come November once he beats J.B. Van Hollen in the primary. Brad, on the other hand, will learn Tuesday whether he succeeds Paul as Waukesha's newest D.A. because his only opposition is from another Republican. For Brad, this primary is just as important as the general election.

I'm biased because I don't know Dennis Krueger or J.B. Van Hollen, Mr. Bucher and Mr. Schimel's competition in the primary. Even so, I know Paul and Brad will do an outstanding job for for our county and our state. I'm proud to know them and glad we're given the choice of these two great candidates.

A gentleman from Fair Wisconsin stopped to talk and hand me a flier yesterday while I sat enjoying the paper outdoors. His visit reminded me that I still hadn't handed out any of the Brad Schimel for District Attorney fliers which I'd promised I would.

I began campaigning for Brad on McCall Street just south of the Post Office and was extremely impressed with the historic homes, wonderful gardens and friendly neighbors. Ness Flores, now a reserve judge, even invited me in to see his beautifully restored historic home. At 3:00 I was told by a fellow voter that she was heading out to hear the governor talk at Sprizzo's.

I was really enjoying what I was doing, got a good start after putting off the fliers for weeks and still had a stack of them left, but I'd never met the governor and he was just a short bike ride away. I finished McCall Street and left for Sprizzo's figuring I probably missed him. However, he was just making his way to the front of the cafe where I was, he gave me a warm handshake then gave his speech about 10 feet away.

Governor Doyle talked about his dedication of a new segment of the Hank Aaron State Trail earlier in the day, meeting Aaron and land stewardship. He talked about someday maybe a bike trail will stretch from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi and he talked about stem cells. He spoke of Wisconsin's lead in stem cell technology and how the research could've helped his own mother. The governor talked about a lot more things but I did not hear him say one word about Waukesha's water situation.

Security was sure tight around my bicycle yesterday. Not that my bike didn't deserve it, but the reason for the dozens of police and secret service was because the president and my bike were both at the Hilton Hotel in Milwaukee (I park my bike in the garage there). And it cost a lot less than $10,000 for a photo op. with my bike!

I can think of one small problem with hosting President Bush at the Hilton; They closed Wisconsin Ave. during rush hour!

Because going to my regular bus stop would risk arrest, I wandered for blocks in a light rain wondering where I might catch the coach to Waukesha. I hesitated calling Wisconsin Coach from a pay phone because if I did the bus would surely come while I was away. I called anyway because I still had no indication where the routes were running, and shortly thereafter a coach did show up for me.