Senior Viewpoint

Quid Pro Quo is a legal term defined in Black's Dictionary, as "what for what; something for something; used in law for the giving of one valuable thing for another; it is nothing more than the mutual consideration which passes between the parties to a contract, and which renders it it valid and binding."

The Mayor of the City of Brookfield, Jeffrey Speaker, since first being elected, has defined himself as a member and supporter of the Republican Party and therefore he is bound by the political principles of a partisan political organization whose sole purpose is to elect Republicans to public office.

Since the office of Mayor is non-partisan under our law, so should be the candidates and the incumbent. To do otherwise is to violate the law which does not bode well for a former police officer.            

This translates that former police officer Speaker represents only a part of the residents of the City of Brookfield and that his agenda is driven by politics instead of statesmanship.

There is nothing wrong with being a member of a political party but there is something wrong if you have taken a solemn oath to govern your office in a non-partisan manner.

Mayor Speaker, also a part-time Milwaukee landlord, has been personally endorsing candidates for partisan public office on the Republican party ticket.

This partisan political oriented Mayor has by his actions separated himself from independents, democrats, libertarians and a host of local residents who have heir own personal political beliefs, or none at all.

The result is "Quid Pro Quo", or you scratch my back and I will scratch yours".

During the tenure of the self proclaimed consensus builder this partisan Mayor has been consistent in his support of issues and giant expenditures as a partisan politician which is a conflict of interests.

There will be an election for Mayor in the Spring of 2010 and right after the new year of 2009 begins the campaign for Mayor that will set the tone for the future of our beloved community.

The bidding war for C.C. Sabathia, baseball pitcher elite, is firing up with the Yankees historical offer of 140 Million. The price tag is too high. Babe Ruth earned $80,000 during a depression year and he exclaimed that he had a better year then the President. The Brewers are making a fair offer in a recession year and there is no guarantee that C.C. had or will have a better year than the President. This is not meant to be a pun.

The Brewers, like many other baseball franchises, have already been burnt by paying astronomical salaries to baseball players who did not earn the money. (Sheets, Suppan, Hall and Gagne), all of whom are still on the roster.

The Brewers have an extraordinary minor league system and lots of talent to choose from.

The signing of C.C. for the playoff stretch was a bold move and nearly paid off but for the no.2 pitcher in rotation, Sheets, had not quit for fear of an another of his mystery ailments.

A one year deal for an exceptional player makes sense but to suffer through 5 years of speculation because of a bad deal makes no sense at all.

The Milwaukee Brewers are now a playoff contender and as a team they need to put 9 players on the field who play like a team.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Since pro basketball made its debut in Milwaukee, from the Milwaukee Shooting Stars to the Milwaukee Hawks to the champion Milwaukee Bucks of Lou Alcindor fame, the fan support base has been strong. Recent years have seen fair to mediocre teams fall to better teams.

The present Milwaukee Bucks are a product of their loyal and generous owner, Mr. Herb Kohl. He never gives up and never stops trying to bring a winner home.

Maybe the new edition of the Bucks have what it takes, solid management, solid coach and a host of talented players. The passion of Mr. Kohl for a winning team may soon be a reality.

All we ever asked for is a competitive team deep with talented players. This team looks like that.

Certainly, Mr. Kohl has paid the price but the new philosophy of a team effort than an individual performance will get the Bucks closer to their goals.

With or without Michael Redd the Bucks want to win as badly as their owner.

"Patience is a virtue".

Veterans day at American Legion Post 449 was a tribute to those who served in the military during a wartime period. It is the second year that the memorial service was sponsored by SAL(Sons of American Legion).

For the second year I was asked to by the keynote speaker, and as a member of Post 449 and their Judge Advocate I was proud to accept.

The theme of my address was a review of a book copyright of 1910 and entitled "PATRIOTIC ORATIONS" By Charles Henry Flower, late Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The introduction states "Patriotism is a lichen clinging to its own rock. It grows by the century in its original habitat. It defies alike the frost and ice of the frigid zone and the suns and sands of equatorial deserts. It resists transplanting".

Bishop Fowler quotes President Abraham Lincoln where in the Gettysburg address he said "We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract".

 It has always been my firm belief that every man and woman who serves in our military is a hero because they dedicated their lives to serving the United States of America and for that reason alone they have earned our respect.

Bishop Fowler wrote of great deeds of great men: "Heroism is a moral quality. It may be the glory of the humblest man or child. High station furnishes a pedestal on which the Glory of an heroic achievement may be exhibited, but it is no part of the act itself. Many private soldier has stood on picket under the guns of a treacherous foe, when his humble duty was as noble as the conduct of the officer whose sleep he guarded at such peril and whose name appears on the bulletin".

So let us remember all those brave and patriotic heroes from the Revolutionary War to the battlefields of today , both living and dead, who serve our grand nation so that we may live in peace.

Let's revisit the City of Brookfield budget now that the big election is over and focus our attention on the progress our city hall representatives , both elected, appointed and hired have made.

A timely updated public report would be a good start, from the Mayor, and even a refresher summary is in order to remind us of what has been done so far to reduce spending.

If the budget is so difficult for city hall to resolve then it is certainly more difficult for us outsiders to understand.

Many suggestions have been made by citizens, including myself, and an open report of those suggestions will be a nice gesture by city hall.

One suggestion has been to create a citizens oversight board to review where our money goes dollar for dollar, and to publish a reader friendly line item detailing each dollar item from all departments.

Another, was to publish the job/employment descriptions for each city employee at city hall, not including elected officials, but including the time/hours spent for each task.

Silence will not be satisfactory.

Now that the Presidential election and other elections for legislative offices, both federal and local, are suddenly upon us, it is time to look at the forgotten campaign issues.

1. Crime. In past elections crime was at the top of the list and now the issue has slipped towards the bottom as an important problem in our society. It is a legitimate issue wide open for discussion and solutions. Yet, there has been very little or no discussion by the presidential candidates, and the local candidates. Do these people believe or want us to believe that crime does not exist ? Some carefully prepared statistics may conclude that crime is decreasing. Every day on our local television stations there are numerous reports of criminal acts at or near our vicinity. Arrests are made and the jails are overcrowded leaving convicted criminals at large. There certainly are solutions but politicians do not present any. The press has done nothing to pursue crime as a legitimate issue and almost never ask candidates for their viewpoints. We deserve more.

2. Immigration. The issue of immigration was a political football during the presidential primaries and has now been on a leave of absence since the primaries ended. Maybe all candidates have adopted a "do nothing" attitude, and if so, we need to hear from them loud and clear. When the election is over will there be a non-partisan approach to viable solutions.? I think not. There are laws that are not enforced and laws that are not enforceable. We are a nation of laws and our elected officials have a duty to create laws that all men/women that are created equal can live with.

3. Military Service. We keep hearing that the USA has the best military in the world. But, how long will the voluntary military last? And of course, can we afford it? Because there is no choice but to have the best military in the world we need to carefully determine where these people will come from. Volunteers are volunteers and can we depend on them in the future? There have been some hints at some type of national or government service but no specific plan has been brought forward. Every other country knows that we abandoned the draft and that military service in the USA is on a volunteer basis. We need to show the world more to have respect.

4. Social Security and Health Care. There have been so many plans and programs that the good and deserving citizens are by this time totally confused. Unless there is a good faith non-partisan effort made and solutions developed that are in the best interests of the citizens these critical systems will make the "Wall Street" debacle look like a picnic in the park. Time is of the essence to fix these systems.

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The recent website on AOL, "HOW TO FIGHT A SPEEDING TICKET" is a commercial that is misleading.

There is nothing to "fight" just because a police officer issued to you a speeding ticket. Under the law you have the right to defend yourself and state your case in a court of law.

The alternatives offered by AOL begin with Plead Guilty---With Explanation, and sometimes you can get a reduced charge is misleading. A Guilty plea requires the Judge to make a finding of guilty. The explanation is what is called "extenuating circumstances", and should be first raised when stopped by the officer, then at the prosecutorial level and again in court so that you are consistent.

A plea of No Contest is more appropriate because you neither admit nor deny but have the right to make a statement in defense of yourself, although the Judge will make a finding of Guilty. Also, a No Contest plea cannot be used against you in a civil case involving an accident.

A plea of Not Guilty protects your constitutional rights including the right to face your accuser/s and compel the prosecution to carry their burden of proof, along with your right of cross examination of witnesses and the ability to provide your own witnesses.

It is the reputation of some traffic courts that they are simply police courts and revenue producing outlets. This reasoning will not help you defend yourself.

The best and most prudent method of defending yourself is to retain a competent and experienced Attorney to represent you. This will give you the best result possible, save you time and money to make court appearances and to protect your driving record.

AOL refers to Bargaining which in the law is more commonly known as "plea bargaining" with the prosecutor and not the Judge. A pre-trial conference with the prosecutor to attempt an agreed stipulation to be approved by the Judge will for the most part be a fair resolution. However, the prosecution is bound by the facts and the law and is subject to guidlines and precedent. The idea that by paying a higher fine for dismissal of the case is not ethical and has been called "buying points", in addition to appellate court decisions rejecting such a procedure.

If you receive a traffic/speeding ticket be sure to get your current driving record, the Department of Transportation point system and by discovery obtain police department records of your case.

All 256 pages of the proposed city budget do not give a clue of what the line items are for or are about. That , in part, is because nobody ever asked. Line items are the nitty gritty of what goes into a budget, like paper, pencils and personal computer use. The computer in most industries is used partly for business and partly for monkey business. That is not meant to be funny. It is at times a wasteful form of communication. Let's assume that the city hall leaders carefully studied every line item in the budget. The result is that it becomes their person viewpoint of what is needed.

A prudent alternative is to have a group of local residents take a look at the budget and render an independent viewpoint of what is needed and what they will pay for.

This can be done by the establishment of a Citizen Review Oversight Board made of of interested local residents who can make an objective study of the city budget and make valuable suggestions.

In the times ahead the time is now because we have not yet felt the financial downturn at it's worse.

The city of brookfield should act now and not wait until it is too late.

Scripture tells us to "love thy neighbor", but that is not what is being done in the current political climate. Our neighbors include all people who have an opinion of their own. Why do we not respect our neighbors in the USA, instead of finding a way to ridicule them ?

The messages that are being sent out about candidates for public office emphasize the negative. This is self destruction and self endowing.

If you really "love thy neighbor", then emphasize the positive. 

In the past few days I have called 4 aldermen about the budget and the elimination of the DARE program, including the President of the Common Council and the Finance Committee Chair, and only one has returned the call which resulted in a good discussion. This alderman was not one of the above.

Since the citizens have been invited to research the budget and make suggestions I am doing just that. 

A major concern are high paying positions at city hall that are either not needed , can be absorbed by others or can be abolished. The city officials working hard on the budget may want to consider the elimination of the Assistant Chief of Police and the Human Resources director. In the numerous police departments I have been in contact with during 50 years as a trial lawyer and 34 years as a judge, there was a chain of command that went from the chief to the captain, etc. who were very qualified within the department to take charge in the absence of the chief. Human Resources in business has a reputation as the dumping ground for employee issues and serves no real purpose to represent the residents.

A huge cut could be made by having garbage service reduced to every 2 weeks during the winter months (say Nov. to April), because people I speak with say that neighbors don't have much garbage, it freezes in cold weather and is not a hazard in the garage, snow and ice makes it difficult for seniors to prepare their driveway for the ingress and egress of the workers and some say simply they can do without the weekly pickup in inclement weather if it reduces taxes.

It is budget time again the city department heads have been busy formulating their 2008 budget requests, having meetings with city leaders and preparing to make their presentations to the Finance Committee.

The proposed budget has been published for public consumption and it is a voluminous document which will take time for me to review.

With the staggering financial disaster we all have a duty in our community to watch carefully as our elected officials and city employees decide how to allocate our tax dollars.

During my 34 years as Municipal Judge I presented 34 budgets and that experience gives me an insight into city finances.

The numbers to look out for are the line items, not always published, which constitute the small expenses that grow into the final numbers that are published.

Some of these small expenses are office furniture and accessories, expense allowances, replacement equipment, paper, use of utilities, newsletters, medical insurance for employees, and yes even pens and coffee cups with the city logo.

The Journal/Sentinel recently reported that the Mayor is calling for a 4.29% general fund spending increase, and that trying to chop that increase back to 2.8% would mean finding about $520,000 in spending reductions which the Mayor said would reduce the city's high quality services.

The ball is in the Mayor's court to find that money, reduce the budget and maybe, just maybe, recommend a property tax reduction that city residents can live with during these difficult times.

So, let's all do our part to help our city save money.

The 2008 edition of the Milwaukee Brewers are winners. A playoff berth, 90 victories and record attendance tells the story. Only 2 teams go to the world series. The other teams end their season early, like our Brewers and our neighbors, the Cubs and the White Sox.

We can be proud of having a great owner, great management and a great ballpark.

We can see a bright future with one of the youngest teams in baseball and a farm system that produces quality baseball prospects. 

And above all we have great baseball fans of all ages who have something to cheer about.

The makeup of the 2009 Brewers will be determined in the coming months. To be sure there will be some changes in personnel.

Free agent players are a risk and come at a high price as we have learned.

C.C. Sabathia is a must to keep and our management knows that the price will be high. But C.C. is a proven leader and would give the Brewers a pitching ace for years to come.

There will be replacement players, maybe a key trade and a host of young prospects making a serious effort to make the roster.

But, before changing the lineup management must be sure that the replacement player is better than the one he replaces.

To return a now veteran lineup in the infield of Fielder, Weeks, Hardy and Hall, and the outfield of Braun and Hart and finally giving Gwynn his chance, and adding some improvement is pretty solid. Keeping Kendall behind the plate and most of the bullpen is wise. There are enough talented starting pitchers on the expanded roster.

Go Brewers.

The Brewers come home Saturday and the celebration begins to welcome the first playoff team in 26 years. Although, the home team is 2 games down the atmosphere will be much different for them. Many players return to their homes and families and will get the support they need from their loved ones and friends. The extra day off, today, will give the players a chance to get some rest and relaxation before they head for Miller Park on Saturday.

Let the game begin and let the hunger for the taste of victory dominate the desire to win once more.

This is no time to say wait until next year. This is the time to win the next 3 games and with the superb talent at hand our Brewers can and will succeed.

Saturday is the day that our team will brush off the woes of the past and play the game of the day with a zest that has never been seen before.

There is no room for criticism or finger pointing. Baseball is a team game and each athlete on the roster has to be prepared to perform at the highest level of excellence.

To be an underdog is to accept and meet the challenge by doing what they do best. Don't press to hard and the hits will come in droves.

Never say never and show your families, friends and fans that the 2008 Brewers are special.

Somewhere in Miller Park on Saturday  my Son and I will be cheering our own major league team.

The Phillies are now in our house and the Brewers will not let us down.

Today,Wednesday, October 1, 2008, was the first Brewers post season game in 26 years. The Brewers late rally in the 9th inning fell short as the Phillies starting pitcher was almost flawless, and the Brewer bullpen was solid.

But again the Brewers lack of ability to drive in runs was very costly. Watch their new manager make some changes in the batting order to get back to "small ball", and not hope against hope for home runs.

The decision to start a pitcher just coming off rehab may haunt the Brewers although the opportunities were present to overcome that.

My observation is that the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers have enough fire power to win playoff games and go to the World Series with their front line pitchers and a little luck.

The odds are on our side tomorrow with C.C. on the mound and hopefully better weather. Home run hitters don"t do well in the rain but the bunt is hard to handle and leads to runs.

Well, my chance to be at Miller Park is Saturday.

The Milwaukee Brewers revisit the major league playoffs 26 years later, since 1982 when the likes of Young, Molitor and Fingers were household names, at least for the sturdy fans. Now in 2008 the Brewers names of Braun, Sabathia and Hardy, to name a few, are household names, at least for the sturdy fans whose support helped make it a reality.

Those fans whose unwavering support helped the Brewers win a wild card berth and a chance to get into the world series are to be commended for not giving up, for not having doubts and for not complaining when it does not go well.

Look in the eyes of the youngsters and see the sparkle and excitement. 

Now everyone else can join in the celebration and in their own way cheer on the Brewers to the ultimate victory.

It is true that not everyone is a baseball fan but we have a big time major league team who carries the name of Milwaukee and Wisconsin all around the world.

 So, its on to the playoffs and hopefully to the world series.

The Brewers are nearing the end of a good baseball season both for the fans, the players and management. This is a young team that has tasted adversity and are battling back from it. The talent is certainly there and the recent change in leadership will give the players an opportunity to know where they stand.

When Harvey Kuenn was the manager the Brewers were most successful because he was a veteran major league all star, a local product and was in tune with the players.

But baseball is baseball and the goal is to score more runs than your opponent.

A nervous or anxious player cannot perform under pressure. Players must be relaxed, confident and have focus on every move they make on the field.

Most of all the players need big time fan support not only at Miller Park but from the entire state in every form possible, including the press.

There will be enough criticism and coaching from within the team.

This is the time for everyone in the Brewer network to openly show their support for a team that is so very close to the goals we want them to achieve.

After all, this is our one and only major league baseball team.

No more boo birds at the game.

Term limits for elected officials has long been a topic of discussion, from federal to state to local public offices. My research includes JSONLINE which is a valuable source.

The focus of this article is on local public offices starting at the top.

JSONLINE relates that in Grafton, WI. 71% of the voters in 1994 favored an advisory referendum for term limits, and on April 1, 2008 Fondulac,WI. voters decided by 62% to keep term limits. In 1994 Cedarburg, WI. voters approved an advisory referendum on term limits 2-1.

There have been arguments pro and con on the subject of term limits.

Historically, term limits or rotation in office dates bach to the American Revolution, and before then early civilizations such as Ancient Greece and Rome.

The President of the United States of America is subject to term limits by means of the 22nd Amendment to the US CONSTITUTION in 1951.

There are local municipal governments who have adopted term limits, and in the City of Brookfield there is no term limit for the highest office of Mayor.

Every vote counts in the upcoming elections for federal, state and local offices on the ballot. Local government has made it easy and convenient to register and vote which is all they can do. It is the decision of the residents to take advantage of the most precious right in our great country.

A simple phone call or a visit to city hall is all that it takes to register and under certain circumstances to even vote by absentee ballot.

Before you vote be sure to be informed of the qualifications of the candidate of your choice, and not just rely on rumors or bogus information.

Your vote is the result of the honest efforts by candidates who seek public office and risk being targets of the press , the media and special interests.

Voter apathy is the most serious obstacle a candidate faces. Some people criticize candidates and demean their character and fail to vote.

Voting is the only way to participate in an election with the guarantee that you made a difference in the final outcome.

We cannot have a representative government unless the electors select the representatives.

Regardless of your partisan or personal beliefs please make it a high priority to vote.

BROOKFIELD NOW publishes municipal salaries for 2006, and for the City of Brookfield, one can only assume are now higher than the 2 years old survey.

A number of persons, excluding the police and fire departments, who work at city hall are very well paid.

Of course, these loyal employees are considered the elite of city government and their skills are judged by someone to be deserving.

At least 9 employees are paid over $90,000 annually and this amount presumably does not include fringe benefits which may not have been included in the survey, and should be revealed.

The salary figures probably do not include special allowance , if any, for transportation, gasoline, meals, conventions, meetings, social gatherings, golf outings, memberships, luncheons, dinners, and other expenses that the city determines are related to the job.

The survey only stated "job title", and omits job descriptions and accountability.

Based on the assumption that these salaries are set by city ordinance or some other methodology, it is fair to say that the city taxpayers have nothing to say.

Oversight seems to be absent as is some type of public venue to determine performance.

There must be more information made public because the public has the right to know.

After all, taxpayers foot the bills.

I remember as a youth the elders reminded us to "mind your manners". That's the way it was and that's the way it should be regardless of our situation.

Emily Post wrote the blue book of social usage entitled "ETIQUETTE". The original edition was copyright in 1922 and is preserved in the Library of Congress, Catalog number 55-7589.

Chapter 1, "The True Meaning of Etiquette", contains  quotes by Emily Post, such as "integrity includes not only honesty but a delicacy of motive and fairness in appraising the motives of others", and "loyalty means faithfulness not only to friends, but to principles".

The famous book consists of 54 Chapters , and in each one she writes about a different subject matter.

Chapter 4, "The Use of Names and Titles", has this statement: "First names used in public was in such bad form that even young women and men who had known each other all their lives and habitually called each other by their first names, spoke to each other as "Miss" or "Mister" when with strangers.

In Chapter 6, Ms. Post writes "don't chatter" and "don't pretend to know more than you do. To say you have read a book and then give evidence that you have understood nothing of what you have read, and "no person of real intelligence hesitates to say, I don't know".

There is a special section on how to address certain important persons and she instructs that an Instructor (teacher, professor), is properly addressed as MR. or DR. (may I add also, MRS. or MS.), if that would please Ms Post.

I am impressed with the manners of the young and adult persons in our community and am sure their manners would please Ms. Post, who says in her book, "graciousness and courtesy are never old-fashioned, though their expression does change."