Practically Speaking

Last July my high school girlfriends and I lunched at an interesting restaurant in Shorewood, the ANABA TEA ROOM.

It was a beautiful day and we opted to have lunch up on their roof garden.

The setting was delightful and the food good. This weekend promises to be glorious. If you are on the east side, give the tea room a try.

ANABA TEA ROOM is located at 2107 E. Capitol Drive in Shorewood (east of Oakland Ave, in the vicinity of St. Roberts Church and Atwater School.) 

They serve salads, sandwiches,  traditional tea sandwiches,  sweet treats, and of course...tea! Their complete menu and prices are online. 

With all the bad news about the economy,  dining up on the roof just might lift your spirits! 

You may also dine in the regular restaurant on the lower level.

There was an interesting garden/home shop on the main floor. Be sure to check that out as well.

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Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Jay Weber, Mark Levin,  Vicki Mckenna

 

 

It's the old typo problem again. Barack 'Osama" on Rensselaer County ballots! Hundreds of the absentee ballots were mailed out in that county.

"Is it a Freudian slip, intentional act or a mistake? Voters are sure to have opinions, and one pol pointed out that the letters 's' and 'b' are not exactly keyboard neighbors.

The election officials from both parties said it was a typo. 

Go figure. 

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Here is something fun to do this weekend...stop in at the Balistreri Sendik's stores and celebrate fall!

The brochure said there were drawings over the weekend, chef demos, samples, and great values. "Each time you shop you can enter to win one of several fabulous prizes": 2 Midwest Express tickets, Golden Guernsey Milk for a year, a Sendik's shopping spree and an entertainment package.

It sounds a lot like their Anniversary Party last spring. 

Stop in, what do you have to lose?

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Well, I got up bright and early on Thursday and was out in Waukesha by about 8:20 for the McCain & Palin Town Hall meeting. The morning was sunny and the crowd excited. (I should have been there earlier.)

About 55 protesters for Obama were standing nearby. We exchanged chants. They yelled, 4 more years, Stop the war, Obama, etc. We retorted chants of, ACORN, Get a job, Pay your mortgage, John McCain, Palin, Stop Voter Fraud.

About 90 minutes later we were going through security. At first it looked like we were going to be stuck behind the press bleachers again, but after a bit, they allowed us in the bleacher section behind McCain and Palin.

There were the usual warm up "acts." Congressman Paul Ryan was the M.C. The crowd loved him. He asked, Who is ready to lead this land? Who do you trust to lead? Who has been tested? America doesn't need a show horse, America needs a work horse! 

Scott Walker was next. He joked, I like Sarah because finally I can go hunting with the Vice President! He then talked about Wisconsin's tax burden...We have one of the latest tax freedom days in our nation, April 24th instead of April 15th.

A Native American was next, Jennifer Youngblood. She works in Alaska and told us how 80 Alaskan residents began work on the natural gas pipeline this summer. Jennifer believes Native Americans could turn this vote since Arizona has so much tribal land and Illinois does not. [Sarah Palin is married to a Native American.]

Former Governor Tommy Thompson was fired up. I can't understand why the press is so afraid to pull back the covers on Barack Obama. He talked about Obama's record of voting "Present" and how you can't do that on a nuclear Iran or drilling. Tommy wrapped it up with, Democrats told Freddie to give out the money [even if the applicant couldn't pay it back]... You are just as guilty driving the getaway car as robbing the bank!

After a prayer, pledge of allegiance, and national anthem, finally McCain and Palin arrived.

We were sitting a few rows up in back of them. It is true the camera adds 10 pounds; Sarah is very trim! She commented later how she enjoyed running along our lake front this morning. John McCain looks much younger and trimmer in person too.

The usual opening remarks were made. Big cheers went up for McCain's spending freeze.

I think 12 questions were taken in all. The best of the bunch were Questions 6, "I'm mad" and 9 from J T Harris, "I've taken a ...whipping." 7 was pretty good too, about Obama's associations. I am listing 6 and 9 first, then the remaining ones after. Subjects will be in bold so you can look for the ones that interest you.

The 6th question was a biggie. "Thanks for coming. I'm mad! I'm really mad! (YouTube link) And what's gonna surprise you is it's not the economy--it's the socialists taking over our country!" (This one brought down the house--standing ovation.) When you have Obama, Pelosi, and the rest of the Hooligans represent our country... It's time you represent us. GO GET 'EM!!!" More applause and chant, USA, USA, USA!!!

McCain quipped back, I think I got the message. The gentleman is right. Democrats have been in control. Have you noticed any improvement? About ACORN. There are serious allegations about voting. They should be investigated immediately before Nov. 4th, so Americans won't be denied their precious right to vote.

Question 9 brought down the house! J. T. Harris, an African American, the man to Palin and McCain's right, stood up and said,

"God bless you Governor Palin, you are a barracuda, we need that...God bless you Senator for your service to your country, for your leadership. At the convention, you asked us to fight for you...I have to tell you, I doubt there is anyone in this room who has taken the [backside]whipping I have taken for supporting you and your policy!" BIG, BIG, BIG STANDING OVATION.

"Sir, I believe in the next debate, it is absolutely vital that you take it to Obama, that you hit him where it hits as a softball, Sir ACORN is out there, we have the good Rev Wright, Flagler , we have all these shady characters that have surrounded him. We have corruption in Wisconsin and across the nation. I am begging you sir, to take it to him [Obama in the next debate.]"  (Photo was taken after his statement.)

McCain, "Thank you for your courage... I believe your reward will be in heaven not here on earth... Yes, I will do that." But I want to address the greatest financial challenge of our lifetime with a positive plan of action... we will do both.

The other questions in order: 

First question was on health insurance: She wanted to be able to pool with other company's groups. McCain agreed. You should be able to go anywhere for your insurance--why be restricted?

Question 2 from a Realtor--Freddie/Fannie. Will you take immediate actions to investigate, prosecute and name names [on Freddie Fannie scandal]?  McCain said, I will. BIG CHEER

3rd question was on abortion. The moderator clearly did not bring the subject up. With 3rd debate, will you find a way to bring it up? I think McCain agreed and said life begins at conception. Some of the greatest words ever written, "...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty..." He then added, We need to change the culture in America and show compassion and courage to support young women in this situation and improve adoption.

4th question--oil and exportation of Alaskan oil to China. Sarah Palin answered, We need to drill more. No, it is not a huge proportion that is exported.  

Question 5 was on Hate Crimes legislature trying to stop free speech. McCain answered,  I don't think I can divine the intent of a crime...we just need to prosecute [the actions].

7th question asked, How is it Obama got where he is? We are all a product of our associations. Is there any way to get around this media? [who won't look into Obama and Ayers, Wright, ACORN, etc.] McCain answered, We need to know the full extend of the relationships. Then he brought up character, how Obama said he would take the public money if I did and said that he negotiated with me about it. He did not. [Obama opted to be privately funded.]

Q. 8 was just about the cost of gas.  Palin talked about drilling and "all of the above"

Question 11 was about one of Obama's "tiny" countries: Venezuela. What would you do if Chavez shows aggression to other S. American countries? McCain replied that Hugo Chavez is a great reason for energy independence! Strengthening relations with the President of Columbia was part of his solution.

Question 12 was from a Vet. He took issue with Obama's statement of our troops in Afghanistan [bombing villages etc.] He introduced his adopted son, a former Iraqi citizen, now an American. I appreciate your support of war Vets, but when I talk to soldiers, what we want more than anything is to win the war against terrorism. Lots of applause for him and his son.

That was it for the questions. Handshakes and autographs followed for quite some time. I was glad I went.

Once outside, we still were not allowed to leave until the Straight Talk Express bus with McCain and Palin in it left. The crowd was pumped but very discouraged about the prospect of voter fraud.

I have attempted to give you a flavor of the meeting. If you want to hear the exact question and answer, check the Video feed of Town Hall & Audio of Town Hall Thanks, Cindy, at Fairly Conservative

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At yesterday's McCain/Palin Town Hall meeting, a person from Milwaukee County's Republican Party passed out info to the waiting crowd: "Your VOTE is being STOLEN!" It gave some information about the problem of voter fraud.

"National activist groups such as ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), come to Milwaukee and members have been charged with padding the voter list by adding fake names. Once these fake names are on the voter lists, they can be voted by people claiming to be that person."

It mentioned Obama's associations with Project Vote, a subsidiary of ACORN, and how local municipal clerks are saying they don't have the time to follow the laws of the United States. It ended with,

"Concerned? You should be. Want to help? Contact 414-727-0008" 

I called the Milwaukee Republican Party for more information. The woman who answered the phone said they were looking for poll watchers. (She suggested you bring your own chair.) I asked if this was to identify declared Republican voters, as they did in 2004 or if it was to look for voter registration irregularities. She said it was to check on registration irregularities.

The Waukesha office said that the poll watchers duties were to check if their base was voting but also to make sure people did not vote twice.  

If you wan to help, call your campaign headquarters and volunteer. The Waukesha office number is 262-542-8532

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Today's Washington Times piece, PRUDEN: Smells from the shadows sums up much of what's fishy about this election: the voter fraud, the biased media, and of course, Sen. Barack Obama's questionable associations. (My emphasis)

Something odd is going on. The Obama campaign boasts of a landslide in the making even as his polling lead slips a point or two, and there's anger bordering on rage when John McCain and Sarah Palin raise questions about Barack Obama's judgment in his unexplored past in Chicago.

An investigation of ACORN, a cabal of "political activists" hired to register voters in the neighborhoods where few friends of John McCain abide has now spread to 10 states. ... The rules for this game were written in Chicago.

Wesley Pruden brings up an important point that often is overlooked: judgment. Whatever explanation Obama gives to explain away his many controversial associations, Rev. Wright, Rev. Flagler, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers, and even his work with ACORN, still doesn't address Obama's lack of judgment. How could he have not known these associations were toxic to a political career?

The unanswered questions are not about crimes, but about his judgment.

Obama has used that That isn't the so-in-so I knew several times to whitewash his relationships. Yet, good judgment is a necessary quality in a President. A president must be able to size up individuals and make accurate assessments of their character, be they prospective cabinet members or leaders of countries such as Iran, Venezuela or North Korea!

But we do know that he has a history of choosing odd friends, such as Tony Rezko, whose sentencing for racketeering was postponed this week, suggesting that Tony the Squeezer is squealing to the feds in pursuit of a lighter sentence. Maybe the squealing will tell us something else about the Obama past. Or maybe not. The senator's reticence encourages speculation, some of it perhaps unfair.

But why did it take him 20 years to discover that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his beloved pastor in Chicago, is a racist bigot who doesn't like white folks very much and who prayed for God to "damn America."

Why indeed. Political candidates lives are supposed to be an open book. The media used to investigate everything. So "Why the ferocious attempts to stifle these perfectly legitimate questions?"

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I saw An American Carol on its debut, Friday, Oct. 3. Usually I wait for a movie to hit the Budget Theater, but with these more offbeat type films, often you better see them when you can. (Same thing happened with the movie, Expelled. It just came out on DVD in case you missed that one.)

The movie had some very funny lines, bits, and situations, but also contained some real points to ponder. Actor Leslie Nielsen plays a grandfather of a Navy man, the Bob Cratchit of the story, who is about to ship out to the Persian Gulf. The Navy man's uncle is the Michael Moore-like character, Michael Malone--the Scrooge.

During a 4th of July picnic, Grandpa Leslie Nielsen's grandchildren beg him for a story. He then tells them the American Carol story, how, anti-American Michael Malone (Scrooge) tried to abolish the 4th of July. (Malone cannot abide that holiday because it celebrates our war of independence, and he is a pacifist at any cost.) There is also a little of It's a Wonderful Life mixed in, where Michael sees what would have happened if President Lincoln had been a pacifist too.

Jacob Marley's ghost is John F. Kennedy. (If you remember, Director David Zucker was a Kennedy Democrat.) Kennedy comes out of the TV and scolds Michael for not listening to his inaugural address where he promises to stand by any country seeking liberty. 

There are also many funny scenes that involve the terrorists, who are plotting to blow up Michael Malone's anti 4th of July rally. (If you can call terrorists funny.) 

The same terrorist who said suicide bombers were getting harder to find because all the good ones were gone also said something about illegal immigrants: We need the Mexicans to do the jobs the Tali ban won't! (The audience roared at that one.)

The terrorists were searching for a movie director who hated America. Searching for a director who hates America? This won't be hard, all American directors hate America. Hollywood is full of them!

(Well, there is David Zucker, Stranger in a strange land: A conservative in Hollywood.)

Christians were to blame for all the world's ills too in some spoof bits, showing how Christians are the only group in a tolerant society that liberals won't tolerate. (How true.) 

There were times the movie was hokey and moved a little slowly, but overall, the message was very good. Zucker even got in a dig at the snobbish, anti-American stance of college educators. How they are really still stuck in the anti-American, anti-war era of 1968. (This is really true. Most teachers on college campuses, especially in the subjects of sociology and history are spewing anti-American garbage ala Professor Bill Ayers (terrorist) at University of Chicago...but that is another blog.)

There were other times when the movie was very touching and made you appreciate the sacrifice others have made for our country to give us the gift of Democracy and freedom.

The PG-13 rating was well earned. While there were no granddaddies of swear words, if you catch my drift, there were the usual crude substitutions for manure and calling people another word for donkey. There also was a situation that would imply gay sex in a men's room, but it wasn't. Some children wouldn't get the implication. Another caution was there was some violence that was treated as humorous. Overall, most teens are exposed to this type of thing in movies all the time if you allow them to see PG-13 fare.

Since the overall message is good and gives an appreciation of history, I would still recommend the movie for teens. BUT, if you are in doubt, I would advise that you see it yourself first before allowing your teen to see it.

An American Carol came in 9th in box office terms, taking in $3.7 million. Best of all, it beat out Bill Maher's anti Christian movie!  

So, how did a liberal Democrat become a conservative? The Weekly Standard's Hollywood Takes on the Left walks you through Director David Zucker's political journey. 

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The specter of voter fraud looms larger every day in the battleground states. People all over our country are wondering if the winner on Nov. 4th will be the legitimate recipient of properly registered voters or the product of massive voter fraud. There is growing fear and evidence it could be the latter.

"We don't know how many (falsified forms) are here; there may be two, or there may be thousands," said Bob Walsh, spokesman for the secretary of state's office.

Registration fraud typically stems from workers striving to meet their daily quota of submitted voter forms, [Secretary of State Ross] Miller said.

ACORN is a nonpartisan organization, but it is affiliated with a political action committee that has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama in the presidential election. ...

Obama's work as a community organizer in Chicago in the early 1990s was with Project Vote, but his campaign said it was not affiliated with ACORN at the time. Obama also was part of a team of lawyers representing ACORN in 1995 in a lawsuit that accused the state of Illinois of putting up barriers to poor people trying to register.

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Would you like to go to the polls on Nov. 4th and have everyone view your ballot? Not too many people would. The right to a private ballot is important to Americans.

Peer pressure can be a powerful force--especially in unions. There is a bill right now called the Employee Free Choice Act, HR 800. The name would make you think it protected privacy. It doesn't. Senator Barack Obama co-sponsored and voted for it. 

It is such an affront to workers' rights, that even former Senator George McGovern opposes it. He ran an ad during last night's debate describing why he was against this legislation. (It was one of the highlights of the debate!) From Real Clear Politics,

One of labor's top agenda items for at least the last two years has been the Employee Free Choice Act, which would strip employees from the secret ballot in deciding whether to form a union. The measure was defeated earlier, but will doubtlessly get a second hearing with an Obama administration.

You can see the ad on Gateway Pundit, who concludes, "Too radical for George McGovern?...That's Barack Obama!" 

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On the news yesterday, I heard that John McCain and Sarah Palin will go to La Crosse Friday after their stop in Waukesha on Thursday. I think that is a good move. McCain will also be in Mosinee, WI, and Palin in Wilmington, OH later on Thursday.

Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin said she wanted to go back to Michigan--she wasn't giving up on that state. That is good news for Michigan since The GOP in Michigan is still trying to "boost efforts" in the state.

I just heard about this PAC group, Our Country Deserves Better. They aren't willing to give up Michigan either. In fact, they are holding a 2 day web-a-thon to raise $500,000 by Thursday morning. In their first day, they raised a little over half of it according to their CONTRIBUTE NOW page.

Their logic is that if McCain just gives Michigan up, Obama won't need to spend any time or money there.

The 17 electoral votes will be lost to Obama/Biden.  Down-ballot races of candidates sympathetic to McCain will lose.  And Obama will be able to take money he had intended for Michigan and put it into other swing states such as Nevada, Virginia, Florida, Ohio and Missouri.

We might be focusing on the presidential race, but the president isn't the only candidate on the ballot. The entire House is on the Nov. 4th ballot, and 36 Senators are up for election too.

The thought of an unbridled Democrat majority House and Democrat majority Senate with a Democrat President is enough motivation for citizens to shell out $254,000 (so far) to help Michigan. 

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That's right.  ACORN Vegas Office Raided in Voter Fraud Investigation this morning: (My emphasis)

Bob Walsh, spokesman for the Nevada secretary of state's office, told FOXNews.com the raid was prompted by ongoing complaints about "erroneous" registration information being submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also called ACORN. 

The group was submitting the information through a voter sign-up drive known as Project Vote. 

"Some of them used nonexistent names, some of them used false addresses and some of them were duplicates of previously filed applications," Walsh said, describing the complaints, which largely came from the registrar in Clark County, Nev. 

Sound familiar? How about this? 

Secretary of State Ross Miller [a Democrat] said the fraudulent registrations included forms for the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys football team.

...

But it's not the first time ACORN's been under investigation for registration irregularities. The raid is the latest of at least nine investigations into possible fraudulent voter registration forms submitted by ACORN -- the probes have involved ACORN workers in Wisconsin, New Mexico, Indiana and other states. 

In 2006, ACORN also committed what Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed called the "worse case of election fraud" in the state's history. 

In the case, ACORN submitted just over 1,800 new voter registration forms, and all but six of the 1,800 names were fake.

Can you imagine? A whopping 1,774 names were phony out of 1,800 in that 2006 case? 

How many Ohio registrations are fake? How about Wisconsin?

Until we get a nationwide voter ID law, we will never know.

Question of the night: Will John McCain bring up the other branch of the ACORN family and Barack Obama's involvement in it tonight at the debate? Or how about Obama's working relationship with Bill Ayers, the self admitted bomber of the US Capitol, police headquarters and Pentagon?

Obama, "I've chaired major philanthropic efforts in the city, like the Chicago Annenberg Challenge that gave $50 million to prop school reform efforts throughout the city."

The Chicago Annenberg Challenge, or CAC, was founded in part by Ayers, who was also co-chairman of the Chicago School Reform Collaborative, one of the two operational arms of the CAC. Obama served as CAC chairman.

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Between the voter fraud issue and yesterday's stock market, sometimes a body needs a little comic relief!

Here it is: How well do you know your Presidential Candidate? Match-o-Matic II

It's a quiz from ABC News. The graphics are cute, but there is something to think about too. If you click on the above link, you see a cartoon of the White House and Obama and McCain on a teeter totter.

The object of the quiz is to pick between 2 statements, made by the candidates on various issues, that you most agree with. It then matches the quote with the candidate. At the end, it shows which candidate's philosophy you agree with most. (No big surprise here on my quiz, McCain bounced Obama off the teeter totter. I missed 1 out of 13.)

Have fun!

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Boy, that bailout bill really helped, didn't it? The Dow is now below 10,000 at the time of this writing. The rest of the world isn't faring much better.

But don't they say that every cloud has a silver lining, or it is an ill wind that blows no good?

Well, falling oil prices would be the little ray of sunshine in our black cloud of falling stocks.

Oil prices fall below $90 amid financial crisis worries: 

Oil prices briefly fell to an eight-month low below $90 a barrel Monday on speculation that the spreading financial crisis will exacerbate a global economic slowdown and cut demand for crude oil.

Significant gains by the U.S. dollar against the euro also contributed to slumping oil prices.

By midafternoon in Europe, light, sweet crude for November delivery was down $2.68 to $91.20 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier in the session, the price fell as low as $88.89 a barrel.

Oil prices have tumbled nearly 40% since peaking in July. The Nymex front-month contract last traded this low in early February.

At least lower oil prices will help Americans with heating costs* and filling their gas tanks. That is the only good thing I can say about the falling markets right now.

But, since we are so dependent on middle east oil, don't expect this downward trend to continue back to "good ole days" prices. After all, they do control the supply side of supply and demand. More from USAToday,

Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossien Nozari said Saturday that it would be "unsuitable" for both producers and consumers for oil to dip below $100 a barrel. He called on fellow OPEC members not to pump too much oil and avoid a drop in prices.

"OPEC has signaled it may defend $80," Shum said. "There's uncertainty over what OPEC may do."

Need another reason to drill domestically and adopt an "All of the Above"** energy policy? Our economy would not be in the mess it is right now if we had adopted it years ago.

*Most will not benefit this winter from falling oil prices when it comes to heating. JSOnline: Government warns of sharp increase in winter heating costs, especially for homes using oil 

**I do not favor all of the All of the Above. So far, solar, wind, and ethanol are just too expensive and inefficient to be practical. 

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I always find it interesting to see how much politicians give to charity. Senator Joe Biden gave a paltry $995 last year, yet he made $2,450,042! And his $995 to nonprofits was over twice his normal yearly giving for the past 9 out of 10 years. Why do I say paltry? Because many teens I know give more money from their part time job income than he gave in his past average donations.  Biden made almost $2.5 million but gave such a little amount... amazing.

Actually, I am surprised at his Scrooge-ishness, because Biden says he is a Catholic. I would have thought he would have given his church more. (David Wade, a spokesperson, said the Bidens did give to their church, “The charitable contributions claimed by the Bidens on their tax returns are not the sum of their annual contributions to charity.” That could be the case. But why they wouldn't record these donations and put them on their tax return is beyond me, since that is such a standard practice. It raises the question, if you aren't claiming the entire amount, then why list any at all?)

I was thinking about stinginess vs. generosity again today when I looked at our church bulletin. I usually check the offering report for the previous week and often am pleasantly surprised at the dollar amounts listed. Our congregation almost always gives above the amount needed to stay on budget, and they do this without coercion.

The associate pastor does remind us from time to time that all we have is from God and that He allows us to keep around 90%. But there is no heavy handed tithe requirement or even a hint that giving more makes God love you more. The love is supposed to be coming from us to God in the giving, and it is evident in our church. Often people give more than the usual 10%. Many of these families are not wealthy and some are large, having 4 or more children.

Given that Al Gore and his wife gave a pittance, coupled with Biden's ridiculous amount, and the Obamas only recently gave above their 1% average, to me shows a selfishness. God instructs us to give Him the first of our fruits, not the left-overs. We are to trust Him to take care of us. (In fact, that was the subject of our sermon today, from a series on The Sermon on the Mount, Oct. 5, 2008)*

It's no wonder these politicians think people must be compelled by the government to give to social programs through taxes. They know they would not give voluntarily. From National Revue:

It has become a common practice, when a presidential candidate releases his or her tax returns, for reporters and pundits to examine how much the candidate gave to charity. In September 1992, for example, when the Washington Post reported that Al Gore, then the Democratic candidate for vice president, had released his tax returns, the second paragraph in the story noted that out of income of $183,558, Gore “donated $1,727 — less than 1 percent — to charity.

But thankfully, plenty of Americans do give voluntarily, and they give a lot!

When the government taxes me more, it reduces my ability to give to the good works I think are worthy. Taxes also compel me to support programs I don't agree with or think are immoral, such as Planned Parenthood or ACORN. My "donation" in the form of taxes gets less bang for my buck because it must first travel through the maze of wasteful government bureaucracy.

If politicians like Biden, Obama, and Gore would give more to charity, maybe they would be less eager to increase taxes to pay for government social programs. Maybe then they would be more understanding of how higher taxes impacts voluntary giving. Obviously they have not tried it.

In case you were interested, McCain's giving, Palin's income and giving. 

*When my husband was laid off in 1982, we were concerned that we would not be able to meet our charitable donation commitments. Thankfully, we got through it.  

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The weather promises to be beautiful this weekend. How about a short trip to the north?

My sister and I recently took a little jaunt to West Bend. Our mission was to visit the Museum of Wisconsin Art and hopefully do a little digging into some background information on Wisconsin artist Francesco Spicuzza.

Our grandfather was a friend of the artist. We did not find what we were looking for that day...must dig deeper!

The museum features Wisconsin artists. Their main collection is of Carl Von Marr's work. He painted in the late 1800s and his work is quite remarkable. I love his use of light in his paintings, and his people have a real sense of life to them. If you are in the West Bend area, the collection is worth seeing.  

The museum is located at 300 S. 6th Ave. (6th and Poplar St.)There are some playful frogs sitting on a bench on the north side--be sure to take a picture with them.

Museum Hours: Wed. - Sat. 10 am - 4:30 pm, Sunday 1 - 4:30 pm. They are closed on holidays. 

Just a half block east of the museum on Poplar Street is a restaurant, the Poplar Inn, 518 Poplar Street, 262-335-6302. It is in an old brick house and it was very charming.

We had a delicious lunch there--price range was from $5 - $11, I think. The menu offered sandwiches, salads, soups, and great desserts. We shared a chocolate gannache dessert after our lunch. Very tasty, especially when paired with the Alterra coffee they served.

The restaurant decor featured antiques and faux painting. There was a bar upstairs, but we did not venture up there.

Even the ladies room was decorated in a clever way. They used an old copper wash tub and wringer to hold folded sage green fingertip towels!

By the way, this was not a ladies only type place--there was an extended family there and also another table with a married couple in addition to a few tables of women when we first arrived.

I got the sense this was a place visited by the locals. I like supporting good restaurants that are not part of a chain.

Our next notable stop was a very cute shop called Somedays: simple luxuries for life at 305 W. Kilbourn, 262-334-3480.

If you leave the Poplar Inn and walk east, you will run into it (where Poplar meets Kilbourn and South Main.)

The owner, Kim Hahn, was a former teacher and we quickly were chatting about this and that.

I enjoyed the way she displayed her inventory; Kim did it in a very artistic way. I really didn't need anything, but a tiny 6 inch old fashioned wire hanger with hanging clips somehow popped into my hand. It was only $2.50, but what could I use it for?

Ah, I know! I could hang vintage postcards from it as a unique way to display them on the wall instead of using a frame. Sold!

Now for the fun part. Kim gave my little purchase all the attention a $100 purchase would have commanded! She gave me the full treatment: printed tissue, mini shopping bag, tag, and ribbon bow!

My sister and I continued looking in various shops on South Main, but we did not find any as fetching as Kim's Somedays.

Ah, time to head home. It was a pleasant way to spend the day. Let me know if you have a favorite shop or restaurant in West Bend. We might have to go back for more "research."

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Last week, I was at US Bank; a CD had matured. I asked the banker, does US Bank have money to lend? Could I get a loan if I needed one? He said, Yes, it was no problem. (I have a good credit score.) 

A local car dealer last week said they had money for financing too.

So we see, not every bank is short on available cash. And now this: Wells Fargo acquiring Wachovia for $15.1 billion! (My emphasis)

 In an abrupt change, Wachovia said Friday it agreed to be acquired by San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. in a $15.1 billion all-stock deal that trumps Citigroup's plan to acquire Wachovia's banking operations and avoids government assistance.

The Citigroup deal would have been done with the help of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., but the Wells Fargo deal for Wachovia will be done without it. Shares of Wachovia and Wells rose in morning trading, while Citigroup shares fell.

Today, all eyes are on the House, seeing if the bailout bill passes there. I am hoping it doesn't since it contains too much pork and not enough reform. Loads of Pork, Little Accountability in Senate Bailout Bill: Will the House Balk?

 

The House rejected the original bill on Monday but the revised bill contains a lot of "sweeteners" designed to garner enough votes, including $100 billion in tax relief, a widening of the FDIC insurance cap to $250,000 and aid to rural schools.

But the Senate bill is also laden with pork, including:

• $223M for Alaskan fisherman
• $192M for rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
• $128M for auto racing
• $33M for companies operating in American Samoa
• $10M for film & TV production
• $6M for producers of wooden arrows

In the meantime, the private market is working, buying up bargains and expanding their market share. 

UPDATE: New development. Wells and Citi are fighting over who gets to buy Wachovia! Wells Fargo, Citigroup in tug of war over Wachovia 

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The Senate bailout plan passed Tuesday night. The bill went from the 113 page house version to 450-something pages! How could the Senators even read 450 pages?

This travesty of a bailout bill epitomizes everything wrong with Washington: Dire problem...Don't fix problem...Load on the pork...Make problem worse.

What is in there? I heard some tax breaks. The oddest was for children's wooden arrow manufacturers. I call that the good part because at least it probably does not amount to much money.

This bill is probably everything Congressman Paul Ryan feared. Certainly the Senate version did not get that month long, or even a week long committee meeting process that Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner wanted. Instead they rushed this pig through.

Michelle Malkin posted 3 pieces Tuesday: Kill the baliout: The vote draws near, and The Senate votes, and Read the Senate bailout bill here, which included the bill's language. They give a flavor of the night and bill. Nays include: Brownback, Bunning, Dole, DeMint, Feingold, Inhofe, Johnson, Sanders, Sessions, Shelby, to name a few. The votes are recorded at end of Malkin's The Senate votes posting. (I will have to thank Feingold, which does not happen very often.)

Correction: Hold the phone, the following did not make it into the final bill: The bill included an amendment from Senator Sanders for a 10% income tax surcharge on incomes above $500,000, $1million for couples. That will hurt some small business owners.

It goes back to the House Thursday, with a vote possibly on Friday. If you are a praying person, pray the House would have wisdom.

The most important piece, the repeal of the Community Reinvestment Act I think is still sadly lacking. Without that piece of the pie, I think we are doomed to just keep repeating the cycle.

Seems that additional 340-some pages were pure lard.

Sickening. 

We have a model that worked pretty well when the government stepped in with the Savings and Loans. Why didn't they do that?  What about the Republican model of lending institutions purchasing insurance? Another possibility comes from frugal Dave Ramsey.

Post Script bright spot: "The bill also reaffirms the Securities and Exchange Commission's authority to suspend so-called mark-to-market accounting, an issue that gained surprising traction among lawmakers looking for less costly alternatives to the Bush plan. The practice, adopted in the aftermath of the savings-and-loan collapse in the 1980s, pegs the value of assets to their current market price, rather than the price paid for them.'

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I went to school with the Zucker brothers. Jerry was in my class; David was 2, maybe 3 ye