The Way I See It!
I am an Ultra-Conservative, Alpha-Male, True Authentic Leader, Type "C" Personality, who is very active in my community; whether it is donating time, clothes or money for Project Concern or going to Common Council meetings and voicing my opinions. As a blogger, I intend to provide a different viewpoint "The way I see it!" on various world, national and local issues with a few helpful tips & tidbits sprinkled in.
Milwaukee Wave at Cudahy Station
The Milwaukee Wave's soccer facility. It adds an important ingredient to the Wal-Mart Supercenter plans and responds to the naysayers, who are interested in an upgraded image for the community and feel Wal-Mart does not fit the bill. The Wave's facility will be unique to the metropolitan area and will bring large numbers of soccer parents to the facility for their children's games, practices, etc. It is certainly predictable that these people will be shopping in Cudahy before and after games and during practices. And there is ample local and national evidence of soccer's growing popularity here and throughout the country.
The Metra and Cudahy Station
First, you already know I am a conservative and most conservatives are against light rail for many of the reasons I am giving.
Illegal Aliens in Cudahy
I am shocked to find so many people ready to defend something that is clearly criminal, though because it is projected as a discriminatory issue, some are quick to pick up and argue the point of illegalities. By entering The United States of America, by ways that are other than legal, people cross a line of being innocent and step into the area of crime. It is not only by entering the country illegally though that produces criminal behavior. Why is this crime okay and others not? A crime is a CRIME.
Let us all stop calling them “Undocumented Workers” not all of them work and “Illegal Immigrants”, which implies that as an immigrant they leave one country to settle permanently in another, many cross back to Mexico. Just call them what they are “ILLEGAL ALIENS.” By them being here, it is a crime. If most defendants are released on personal recognizance bonds and they are illegal in the first place, most would just pick up and move. Gone into the woodwork without a way of finding them. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if they are found guilty of not showing up.
Snow Removal - Whats really important to you?
Every now and then, I will do a “What’s really important to you?” topic, which is your time to type and talk. Some people get tired of reading my novels. If you don’t finish all the way through, you are missing so much.
Topic is Snow removal or lack there of. Please state your city and district number.
- Tell us how you feel?
- How would you rate the snow removal after this last storm?
- What did the city do that was right?
- What can the city do better?
What is a Comprehensive Master Plan?
Not being a government employee and not having anyone explain what the master plan is, again shows that there is a lack of communication from the government to its citizens. I will try to do (again the job of government) and explain what it is and what it was. Mr. Mayor, if you would have explained what the “Master Plan” was and is many people, including myself, would have not been so hard on you about it. Again without sounding like a broken record or skipping CD, failure to communicate.
First, we must know what a Comprehensive Master Plan is.
Common Sense At The Pump
Boutique fuels are one of the biggest gas problems. Why do we need over 40 different blends of gas used nationwide. Nearly half of those blends are used in the Midwest.
It comes down to simple math; you have refineries all across the U.S. You have only so much oil and have to divide that oil into 45+ types of gas, thus small inventories instead of a few type of gas and large inventories. Don’t forget we have 3 grades of each 45 x 3 = 135+
Elderly Man Dies After Being Run Over
Thomas Moore, an 85-year-old man from Cudahy on a mobility scooter was killed after being run over Thursday afternoon just after 1:00pm on Whitnall Ave. His body was dragged under the van while his scooter was in the middle of the road and his shopping bag was thrown half-way across the street. The driver of the van suffered some serious injuries after his van flipped over after striking and killing the man on his scooter. Both men were rushed to St. Luke’s South Shore hospital.
According to the Cudahy Police Department, the 85-year-old man died just after 7 o'clock Thursday night. Officer Bates said, in a statement released to the press, the allure to shop at the Pick N’ Save grocery store just on the North side of Layton Ave has made for some dangerous incidents and he doesn’t understand why the city, for which he works for, has done nothing to rectify the situation. The officer went on to say that many people walk, run, ride bikes, and drive electric mobility scooters on Whithall Ave in the road all the time and the city has been lucky until now that fatalities had not occurred and he hoped the city would now do something about putting in sidewalks!
Generations
Generations Defined:
Since Cudahy’s motto is “Generations of Pride” I thought it would be nice for everyone to see how the generations standout to each other.
Pothole Patrol
Come across any potholes lately? Is the road bumpier than it used to be?
Potholes occur when moisture seeps into a crack in the pavement. When the water freezes, the pavement expands and when temperatures climb, it contracts. Heavy vehicular traffic ultimately causes the cracks to become larger holes.
A True Rant and Rave
The Office of the Mayor leads and represents the City of Cudahy in dealings with residents, elected officials, dignitaries and staff. The Mayor's Office has a duty to conduct the business of the City in ways that are “TRANSPARENT,” honest, efficient and inclusive. It is the responsibility of the Mayor to ensure that City Council remains accountable and accessible to the public, so that the citizens can be sure they are receiving the highest possible standard of City services.
As I have said before, it is not the roll of the Mayor or city officials to control the players in the game of city development. Government does intrude into people’s private spheres too often.
Known TV Season Return Dates
24
Season 7 Wait Till Next Year, '24' Fans The biggest casualty of the three-month writers' strike, which recently ended, is the Fox terrorism drama ‘24.’ The hour-long drama won't come back until January 2009. The Fox network wants to air the next season, 24 episodes, consecutively. Only the first eight episodes are in the can. Fox said the late start seemed to be the best way to give viewers their wish that the episodes air without interruption..30 Rock
Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to begin airing on April 10.Aliens in America
Eight pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.Army Wives
Season 2 debuts in June.Back to You
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future TBD*.Battlestar Galactica
Returns April 4 with first half of 20-episode final season. Production on second half could start as early as March. Airdate for those TBD.The Big Bang Theory
Expected to shoot 9 new episodes to begin airing on March 17. The Big Bang Theory, will produce nine more episodes for this season, all in the next 12 weeks, which means his 200-person staff will be back at work by next week, sooner than most.Big Love
Expected to go into production on Season 3 in the spring. Airdate info is TBD.Big Shots
No new episodes expected. Ever.Bionic Woman
No new episodes expected. Ever.Bones
Four pre-strike episodes are scheduled to begin airing April 14. Expected to shoot 2 to 6 additional episodes. Airdate for those is TBD.Boston Legal
One pre-strike episode remains. Expected to shoot 8 additional episodes to air in April/May.Brothers & Sisters
One pre-strike episode remains. Expected to shoot 4 additional episodes to air in April/May. ABC has ordered four episodes of "Brothers & Sisters" to air this spring and six or seven more to get a head start on next season in case the Screen Actors Guild decides to strike this summer.Burn Notice
Production on Season 2 expected to get under way in late April. New episodes could start airing as early as July.Cane
No additional episodes expected this season. Future beyond that TBD.Chuck
No new episodes until fall.The Closer
Expected to kick off its fourth season this summer.Cold Case
Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to begin airing on March 30.Criminal Minds
Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to begin airing on April 2.CSI
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 3.CSI: Miami
Expected to shoot 8 new episodes to begin airing on March 24.CSI: NY
Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to begin airing on April 2.Desperate Housewives
Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to air in April/May.Dirty Sexy Money
No new episodes until fall; three remaining pre-strike episodes will undergo some tweaking and kick off fall run.ER
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 10.Everybody Hates Chris
Twelve pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.Friday Night Lights
No new episodes expected for this season. Future TBD.The Game
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 8 or 9 additional episodes to air in March/April/May.Ghost Whisperer
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 4.Girlfriends
No new episodes expected this season, although a special one-hour series finale is being discussed.Gossip Girl
Expected to shoot 5 or 6 episodes to air in April/May.Greek
Kicks off second half of Season 1 (which will now consist of 12 episodes, up from 8) on March 24. Renewed for Season 2.Grey's Anatomy
Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to air in April/MayHeroes
No new episodes expected until fall.House
Expected to shoot 4 new episodes to air in April/May.How I Met Your Mother
Expected to shoot 9 new episodes to begin airing on March 17.Jericho
Seven episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.Journeyman
No new episodes expected. Ever.Las Vegas
Two pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.Law & Order
Expected to shoot 5 additional episodes to begin airing on April 23.Law & Order: CI
Expected to shoot an indeterminate number of episodes to air in spring.Law & Order: SVU
Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to begin airing on April 15.Life
No new episodes until fall.Life Is Wild
No new episodes expected. Ever.Lost
Five pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.Medium
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 7 additional episodes for this season.Men in Trees
Eleven pre-strike episodes remain, the first of which airs Feb. 27. No additional episodes expected this season.Moonlight
Expected to shoot 4 new episodes to begin airing on April 11.My Name Is Earl
Expected to shoot 9 new episodes to begin airing on April 3.NCIS
Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to begin airing on April 8.The New Adventures of Old Christine
Seven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.Nip/Tuck
Season 5 concludes Feb. 19. Production on the show's eight-episode sixth season expected to start up this summer. Airdate TBD.Numbers
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 4.October Road
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.The Office
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 10.One Tree Hill
Five pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 or 6 additional episodes to air in April/May.Prison Break
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.Private Practice
No new episodes expected until fall.Pushing Daisies
No new episodes until fall.Reaper
Three pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 or 6 additional episodes to air in April/May.The Riches
Seven-episode second season kicks off March 18.Rules of Engagement
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 14.Samantha Who?
Three pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot an additional 3 episodes to air this spring, likely after Dancing with the Stars.Saturday Night Live
Returns Feb. 23.Scrubs
Five pre-strike episodes remain and will begin airing on April 10. Up to four additional episodes may be shot; unclear whether they'll air on NBC or go straight to DVD.Shark
Expected to shoot 4 new episodes. Airdate TBD.The Shield
Final season already shot. Airdate TBD.Smallville
Three pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.Supernatural
One pre-strike episode remain. Expected to shoot 4 or 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.Two and a Half Men
Expected to shoot 9 new episodes to begin airing on March 17. Will produce nine more episodes for this season, all in the next 12 weeks, which means his 200-person staff will be back at work by next week, sooner than most.Ugly Betty
Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to air in April/May.The Unit
No additional episodes expected this season. Future beyond that TBD.Without a Trace
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 3.Women's Murder Club
No new episodes expected this season. Future beyond that TBD.
* TBD = To be determined
Reminder: VOTE TUESDAY
Don’t forget Wisconsin’s Presidential primary is February 19, 2008 Vote from 7:00AM to 8:00PM
MoveOn.org Votes to Endorse Barack Hussein Obama and pushes Hillary Clinton aside.
HD DVD dead... No More Format War...
Sources inside Toshiba have begun leaking to the press - that Toshiba is no longer going to be manufacturing HD DVD players - and is abandoning the format altogether. Apparently, this decision is going to cost Toshiba hundreds of millions of dollars -
In the last few months, Sony has completely and totally flanked and surrounded HD-DVD. It started with the Warner Brothers move, when Warner's announced their decision to become dedicated to the BLU RAY format beginning this June - the world could feel a seismic shift. Then in a series of announcements from BEST BUY to NETFLIX to the most recent WAL-MART support for Blu Ray and abandonment of the HD DVD format... well, the rush to bury HD DVD has become quite aggressive.
Tricks & Tips
Teach kids these things to improve life and social skills (Some Adults may not even know all of these):
Sun rises in the East sets in the West
East - West (I-94) Interstate highways are even numbers while North - South are odd numbers (I-55) for the most part.
If the Interstate is three digits and is even (I-894) means it is a bi-pass the travels around city while three digits that are odd (I-794) are a bi-pass that travels through the major city.
If the address is EVEN it is on the East or North side, ODD are on the West or South
Phonetic Alphabet -
A - Alpha K - Kilo U - Uniform 0 - Zero
B - Bravo L - Lima V - Victor 1 - Wun (One)
C - Charlie M - Mike W - Whiskey 2 - Two
D - Delta N - November X - X-ray 3 - Tree (Three)
E - Echo O - Oscar Y - Yankee 4 - Fower (Four)
F - Foxtrot P - Papa Z - Zulu 5 - Five
G - Golf Q - Quebec 6 - Six
H - Hotel R - Romeo . - decimal (point) 7 - Seven
I - India S - Sierra . - (full) stop 8 - Ait (Eight)
J – Juliet T - Tango 9 - Niner (Nine)
Knuckle trick for months - Count the months on your knuckles and the grooves between your knuckles. Leave out your thumb knuckle. Every month that lands on a knuckle is 31 days, every month that lands on a groove between knuckles is 30 days (or 28 for February).
Parallel parking: when your right rear wheel is even the other cars bumper then you start turning your steering wheel.
Correct Distance from the curb for normal parking: if you’re looking at the centerline of the hood it would line up with the curb. The angle that the driver sees. The hood thing, its hard to do it that way anymore because they don't put body line on hood too much anymore
Look through the windows of other cars when driving to see further.
Drive in snow just as if you were on ice; remember you don’t have brakes on ice.
Don’t change lanes in bad conditions on bridges and under overpasses. The wind and the cold can form ice quickly.
Keep the car to the even with the left lines on the road. That is the front corner of the car you can see and control. It is hard to know the right corner, but if you drive with the left line you will not have a problem knowing the width of your car.
If the driving sign is small letters it is left or longer letters it is right for construction signs.
Color and meaning of lines on road – Yellow: you are crossing into on coming traffic, White: is traffic flowing in the same direction. Small White dashed lines: lane is either ending or exiting.
Time zones
6 P’s Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Port (4 letters like Left) / Starboard is right (big word)
Side is always from looking at the back towards the front as if you are sitting in it.
Righty tighty, lefty loosy
Never pick a fight, but always finish it.
If you know you are right stand up for yourself
If you are knocked down get backup and fight
Protect the weak
Keeping feet warm at outdoor games and activities - It is all about layering. Subzero temps, feet on concrete for 4 hours with little movement, warm feet is the key. In this order: 1 pair very thin socks, plastic bag (bread bag or kitchen bag), 1 pair cotton socks, 1 pair wool socks, foot warmers (they really do work and I was skeptical) and boots. (Preferably snowmobile or insulated hunting) Feet will be toasty the entire game.
Any you would like to add?
Has the Genie already been let out of the bottle?
On Feb. 5, Common Council members unanimously approved a contract, among the city, the Community Development Authority and Single Source, which will help city officials with the process and procedure of taking over the private properties at Dusty's and Wayne's World taverns in the 4800 block of South Packard avenues.
This marks a sad day for me in Cudahy when we resort to such action, even if it is just in the infancy. Just because we can do it, doesn’t make it right or that we should. This is a slippery slope. Open Pandora's Box, just once, and it may never close. I do believe someone in the Wal-Mart public forum did post that something like this was around the corner. I do believe someone else posted that rumors like that should not be spread. Seems to me whoever posted that original info may have been from inside our government, giving us a warning…
Most Americans go green at home but not at work
Most Americans go green at home but not at work: survey
The top reasons cited to "turn-off" at home were to save money - 85 percent - and to help the environment - 53 percent.
IRL’s IndyCar, Champ Car reach agreement on merger
Open wheel fans can rejoice in the fact that the series is whole again, after twelve years of damages to open wheel racing. In the end a stalemate and understanding that they both need each other forced them together. This year IRL would have had only 16 cars running and Champ Car with 13. All that time and money lost was a plus for NASCAR.
Tony George offset the cost of the new car the Champ Car just developed last year by giving a free car and 1.25 million dollars to each team per car for the running of the full circuit. For the 2008 race year, three of Champ Car’s venues will be added to the current IndyCar schedule and more to be added for the 2009 year.
We are one-step closer to a Wal-Mart
With hearty cheers and shouts of "ooh-rah!" and "hoo-rah", we are one-step closer to a Wal-Mart and the Milwaukee Wave training facility at the debunked Ice Port.
On Tuesday February 12, 2008, the CDA approved the Wal-Mart and soccer facility in a 4-3 vote. Those in favor were Sarah Ebberhardy, Mike Clark, Joan Houlihan, and Rick Ceschin and destining votes were Alderman Sean Smith, Alderman Tom Pavlic, and Tom Paul. **hands fold and cover face - The wave of euphoria is tempered by skepticism**
TIF's & TID's
Tax Increment Financing, “TIF’s” are not new to Cudahy. Some people think that the proposed Wal-Mart and Cudahy Station are the only projects in a TIF/TID and that is not correct. Cudahy Station has 13 years remaining. TIF’s are a good tool to bring in development.
Even Lee R. Barczak's Cudahy Market is in a TIF / TID.
Wal-Mart...It's NOT just going to go away!
From my numbers of views on “We are one-step closer to a Wal-Mart” post, there still is a big interest in Wal-Mart. WOW…
I was sitting having lunch at McDonalds the other day and two senior citizens came up to me. One of them said, “You’re that kid pushing for the Wal-Mart, right?” To which I said yes (I don’t think of myself as a kid, but in their eyes, I am). He went on to say that there are grumblings that maybe I should head a RECALL of McCue and his followers, that McCue broke his promise of ending the IcePort after he gave the go ahead to wait six more months. Now this was not the first time I’ve heard that we should recall Ryan, my neighbor, “NOT A FAN” of McCue, has said the same thing. I kindly told him I was not interested, but I would mention it on my blog and maybe someone else would start it. By the way, one fellow was for the Wal-Mart and the other didn’t care either way, “Just put some thing there”, he said. Guess which one was for Wal-Mart --------------- Not the one talking about the RECALL. If a recall does go forward, will McCue lose some of his support from city people?
Sony Announces New Blu-ray Player
Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. has announced it will be releasing a new Blu-ray high-definition DVD player in the summer, capable of downloading trailers, games and other bonus materials from the Internet.
The new player will be the first from Sony since it won the high definition war with Toshiba by its rival completely withdrawing from the HD market. The new player will start at a price of about $400.
The Wal-Mart Puzzle
The economy is tanking. So why is the megaretailer thriving?
Which brings us to the mystery of Wal-Mart. The nation's largest retailer, which caters to working-class customers, seems to have something of a sweet spot.
What makes Cudahy a great City to live in...
Cudahy “Generations of Pride”
Cudahy has city and county parks (and easy access to Milwaukee’s) with all sorts of amenities including walking trails, playgrounds, pools, dog parks (Thanks to Mayor McCue) and community centers. With excellent access to Lake Michigan.
Milwaukee Journal Wal-Mart blog
Someone sent this Milwaukee Journal blog that was in the paper. Very good!!!
Here is the highlight
When running for mayor last winter, McCue said that Cudahy has an image problem and Wal-Mart would just make it worse. He doesn't seem to have changed that view -- he told me he had no further comment on Wal-Mart but that his prior comments stood. All right, he's made it clear: A Wal-Mart Supercenter is too declasse for the kind of commuter-rail suburb Cudahy wants to be.Except for this: There are seven Wal-Mart Supercenters within 40 miles of Milwaukee, according to Wal-Mart's store finder. Every one of them is in a ZIP code where the median household income is markedly higher than Cudahy's.
The precise figures, according to the 2000 Census (those are the latest numbers for which the Census has breakdowns by community for places under 65,000 people) are thus:
Who is Against the Cudahy Wal-Mart?
First, here is an email I received from a supporter and again I have removed the personal information, but it makes a very good point (They are older and on a fixed income).
I have been reading and following the blogs/news and say that, yes I am quite surprised and disappointed with what I read, why are our leaders so unaware of the wants and needs of the people of this community. For what it is worth between yourself and I, you just cannot make a silk purse from a sows ear. I have never attended a recent council meeting without being amazed with some comment made by the council, their common sense does not prevail or representing the people, too much me & I.
A Comment, A Reflection, A Thought
After the Master Plan meeting, a citizen came up to me and asked if I was gunning for the Mayor’s job? To which I said no! Too bad, she said, you have a big mouth and the attitude to go with it. She went on to say, “I would vote for you and you would make a very good Mayor”!
At first, I was upset and shocked about her statement. Then I started to think about what my K-Mart regional manager said to me just after I became a manager. He told me you are an arrogant, pompous, know it all that has to be right and most of the time you are. I am glad you work for me and not against me. He coined the phrase that I was “body temperature right,” and that I was right 98.6 percent of the time. That has mainly held true, all you have to do is ask my professors, teachers, wife and parents. I am not trying to blow my own horn. It felt nice that someone who never met me before knew me from the public forum and my blog. She said see saw my face and had to tell me. I think I crushed her when I told her I do not have the time to be Mayor. I do want to thank all of you who have made similar statements in the public forum on Wal-Mart. It is very nice to know how some people view me. I am flattered and I will keep up the fight!
