Forward Lookout - Latest Comments

Re: City Week Ahead

Erik Paulson — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:18:16 -0000

InSite is an upgrade/add-on to Legistar.

From what I've seen at other cities, it takes some serious steps backwards, but improves a few things. Overall, I'm not especially excited and think that I'm going to hate it.

You can see Milwaukee's implementation here:http://milwaukee.legistar.com/...

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

Jeff Simpson — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:37:00 -0000

Ok Jim lets take a look at it.....there were tens of thousnads of protestors at the Capitol throughout the course of the couple months were people protested prior to the passage of ACT 10, with the pinnacle being approx..150,000. of these thousands of protestors, approximately 12 got in trouble for getting a fake sick note to try and get a day off paid, per their contract, instead of having to take it unpaid. I didnt say it was fine, i said i dont care.

secondly lets also take a look here, We have a Supreme Court Justice who choked a 62 yr old woman, another who took gifts of well over 100,000$ and then ruled in favor of the company giving him gifts(all without disclosing this relationship), we have open meeting violations almost regularly at the capitol, A Governor who we have on tape explaining to his millionaire donors how he really wants to govern and telling the people a different story, and we had thousands upon thousands of people storm the Capitol peacefully, amongst others. And you tell me that 12 people getting a note from a dr and they might or might not have been sick and thats news?

O yeah and we have a governor who does not work
http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/...

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

jimri — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:46:28 -0000

Jeff says bogus sick notes written to get people out of work, when the people aren't really sick, are fine. Who knew?

And, if a story doesn't appeal to Jeff, it's not news. Good to know.

Re: City Snubs Tenants – 50% of its residents

Teresa Doyle — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:41:01 -0000

I think that you could have consulted with Brenda Konkel instead of trying to use her as a pawn to show you are your own Al Gore kind of person.

You did not check for her rationale behind the letter. You sounded like you were responding to a bunch of office talk.

If you thought she was wrong in her interpration of what happened, you diddn't know her interpreation, did you get that word, "interpretation" from my blog when I wrote last night that Konkel has never been called a liar and that she may interpret it differently.

I think you used her. I think you use people for some kind of personal agenda. Your agenda to me seems to be that you want to prove to the middle that your not too liberal and that you can be elected.

I don't respect that.

I believe if you had asked Konkel where she was coming from in her note she would have given you the details.

You could have then has the opportunity to bring communication to all sides.

Your actions show you wanted distance from Konkel. Now, that she pointed out her frame of mind and what was going on you take my word, "Interpretation" when your real goal was to distance yourself from Konkel so maybe the office people will like you?

Re: City Snubs Tenants – 50% of its residents

BrendaKonkel — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:18:12 -0000

I asked once, I was ignored. I asked twice, I was told there was an preferred alternative plan that they were working on. And then I heard nothing. Was I supposed to ask a third time? And what is the issue, why didn't he just say I could attend in the first place - its a free training, right? Is this how the city works with its alleged non-profit partners. 6 months to get a meeting to talk about work that was urgent 6 months ago on one hand and blown off on the other. You find this acceptable?

Re: Soglin’s Anti-Poverty Plan

BrendaKonkel — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:07:50 -0000

The motion for the injunction is still out there, even tho the Temporary Restraining Order was denied. The case has not been dismissed.

Re: Soglin’s Anti-Poverty Plan

Steve Burns — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:18:07 -0000

the city attorney called me last week and said that the he has advised
the mayor that he can’t talk to me until the Occupy lawsuit is resolved
“because you are too close to Occupy”.

So the Occupy suit is still going on?

Re: City Snubs Tenants – 50% of its residents

Lisa Subeck — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:00:40 -0000

Brenda,

In your email to a large group of service providers, you stated, "I wouldn’t recommend this training, they are refusing to let the Tenant
Resource Center attend. I am concerned about what landlords will be
told during these sessions as the new laws are complex and confusing. I
have been told I can give input in advance, but haven’t been contacted."'

First off, you were never told that representatives of TRC could not attend. Certainly, Capt. Wahl could have followed up with you after sending his email offering to connect you with the trainers. However, you didn't respond to his offer to say that you were interested in doing so, so it was not at all unreasonable for him not to take any further action.

I am not accusing you of lying, but I do believe you are wrong about your interpretation of what happened here. I fully support TRC and admire the work of both you and the organization. However, I think your assessment in this case is off-base, and your email urging people not to attend this training was inappropriate.

Lisa

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

Robert Arnold — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:54:49 -0000

Has the Wisconsin State Journal or any other legitimate news outlet ever reported that every single Madison teacher made up the time lost through extending the length of the remaining school days? Those who did not report to school to protest were not paid for for their make up days and those who did report to school gave the taxpayers four extra days worth of free labor.

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

Jeff Simpson — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:30:04 -0000

Of everything that happened at the Capitol, some doctors writing sick notes to a dozen protestors(out of thousands and thosuands) to me is not a story. How many people call in sick on a daily basis? ever seen opening day of the Brewer Game? think 50,000 people there are there on unpaid leave?

The teachers had a certain amount of paid leave days in their contract and if they used them they used them Its a contract, maybe Maciver can follow every teacher every day they call in sick to make sure they do not go get their mail that day.

Lets look at it in context also. Recently David Prosser missed a month on the Supreme Court because he wasnt feeling good. Were his medical records subpoenaed? When President Obama was in Milwaukee, Scott Walker had the flu that only allowed him to meet up with the president on the cold runway for a photo op but he was too sick to accompany him on a factory tour....medical records subpoenaed there?

Lets now look at the reporting the WSJ did. How many sick days have those teachers built up? how many times have those teachers ever called in sick during their career or taken vacation during the school year? How many hours a week have they worked over and above their contract? What was their diagnosis and are they absolutely certain that they did not have those symptoms? Maybe they were sick and went to the Capitol to protest anyway. IT would not be the first time that someone went and did something when they werent feeling good. lets not forget that the Walker administration ended the paid sick leave bill, despite in our democracy it was passed by the people, so they expect people to function when they are ill.

This story and subsequent law suits are a black mark on the Wisconsin State Journals already failing reputation. By the way whatever happened to Tort Reform?

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

Jeff Simpson — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:20:06 -0000

Brian,

I know your smarter than that. I never said it was not a true story I said it wasnt news. It is not. I said that you were desperate for anything to take the story away from the corruption of fitzwalkerstan officials(which is true) and this is all you found so you had to blow it up into something it is not.

Luckily for you, you had the WSJ as a willing partner, usually they only help WPRI so willingly.

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

Jeff Simpson — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:18:19 -0000

Wow you use lazy reporting just on your own even. A search of donations of NB employees and the owner would reveal a much more complicated system than one persons one donation. Also unlike the WSJ, NB respects the beliefs of everyone and does not punish employees who hve a different ideology than the owners.

Secondly I find it laughable that you worry about patient privacy when you sued for private medical records.... You should say the resulting stories, they were not news. You took a desperation attempt by Macgyver and tried to make it news.

While you were attacking elementary teachers, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was actually doing investigative reporting and broke the story that Michael Gableman has been selling his vote to Michael Best & Friedrich. Interesting what an investigative journalist finds when they actually investigate.

Which story is more newsworthy to the people of WI?

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

MacIverInstitute — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:21:23 -0000

1) The story was not manufactured. It happened. Our reporting was accurate. Several doctors have been disciplined by the Medical Examining Board because of this scandal.

2) Matt, how can you say the other marchers escaped our attention? See--> http://www.youtube.com/results....

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

Scott Milfred — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:54:21 -0000

Extending his "logic" from above, Jeff Simpson and his employer New Balance must be a subsidiary of Mitt Romney for president: http://fromtheleft.wordpress.c.... As to the sick note issue, the courts agreed they were open records, and we agreed to receive them without teacher names attached. The resulting news stories led to sanctions against doctors -- http://host.madison.com/wsj/ne... -- with a medical school investigatory committee determining the doctors seemed to be acting dishonestly, didn't provide competent care and failed to protect patient privacy. -- Scott Milfred

Re: Wisconsin State Journal a Division of the MacIver Institute

Matt Logan — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:22:35 -0000

As low as my esteem for the MacIver Institute is, I see nothing wrong with exposing illegal practices like the fake sick note issue. Where MI goes wrong is that while the sick note issue was occurring in perhaps 2 dozen cases, there were 100,000 peaceful, law abiding citizens that seemed to escape MacIver's attention.

Re: City Snubs Tenants – 50% of its residents

Fredwallin — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:21:30 -0000

I told you so.

Soglun is not the progressive messiah .

You should join the apparatment assoc.

Re: ex-Mayor Dave, the Whiner

John-6 — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:33:27 -0000

What can you learn learn from Citizen Dave's blog?

1. Dave reads the New York Times
2. Dave doesn't read or listen to outlets he doesn't agree with
(like so many Fox News devotees)
3. Dave exaggerates - a lot.
4. Dave's crazy ideas are not balanced and well thought out (thanks for running and winning Paul Soglin).
5. Dave reads the New York times

Re: Verona Road Updates

Susan De Vos — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:28:45 -0000

Farce. If you thought that neighborhoods being destroyed for highways is archaic and past history, think again. And do you know who asked the Council to approve it? Yes, the great environmentalist then-Mayor Dave.

Re: ex-Mayor Dave, the Whiner

Susan De Vos — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:24:28 -0000

Makes one wonder if Isthmus is getting paid to run his articles. It let many other bloggers go but kept him. Why? Sign of desperation?

Re: Vote Tuesday May 8!

Forward Lookout — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:24:41 -0000

http://host.madison.com/ct/new...

Re: May 8th Recall Primary Day Open Thread

forwardourmotto — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:41:18 -0000

Oh yeah, you can vote in different primaries for Governor and Lt. Governor: http://host.madison.com/ct/new...

Re: Vote Tuesday May 8!

Andy O'Leary — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:46:20 -0000

If we vote in the Republican primary for Governor, can we still vote in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor? I'd like to vote for Art for Gov, but I think I'd like to vote for Mahlon Mitchell for Lieutenant Governor even more...

Re: Occupy Madison Events – The Final Countdown?

forwardourmotto — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:52:20 -0000

That's not a solution. Occupy wasn't perfect, but it was something.

Well I look forward to Mayor Soglin taking the lead on this since he clearly doesn't like Occupy's efforts.

Re: Occupy: Not As Soglin Says

plankbob — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:44:13 -0000

Very disappointed by how Paul "Occupy Lincoln Financial" Soglin handled this.

Re: So, What is Soglin’s Plan for Housing and Homelessness and Poverty

Peter Patau — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:23:59 -0000

This is so sad. Not surprising, but really sad.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/m...