Plymouth 2/20/10 Leibham listening session

Just a quick update-My apologies to Mr. Leibham for misspelling his name. I hope that my readers will be good enough to correct me if I do so again. It was entirely unintentional.

I went to another listening session for Mr. Leibham. There are 9 short videos taken before my batteries ran out.


This is a question about SB460. SB460 is a bill that would allow an individual to get a prescription for drugs to treat certain STD's for their partner without requiring a physician to examine that partner. There are so many reasons that this is wrong that I am a bit baffled as to how such a proposal would make it to bill form.


This segment is a follow up question about the rules as to how long our legislators may have to examine a bill before being required to vote on it.


This is a question about Mr. Doyle's unconscionable Global Warming bill which is currently before the legislature. Did you hear that, my fellow Wisconsinites? A 30-50% increase in your energy bills. Can you afford that? We'll be taking the lead in personal bankruptcy filings if this goes through. We haven't felt the entire economic impact of the last budget yet. My pockets are pretty well empty at this point. There were two local mayors at this session and both said their cities can no longer come up with the money to remain in compliance with the state's unfunded mandates.

Here's the message, Mr. Doyle and WI legislature- "THERE IS NO MORE MONEY, STOP SPENDING."


The question was where are we now as regards the legislature's/governor's continuing attempt to change joint and several liability to make it impossible to afford auto insurance in WI.


This was a question regarding legislation, AB 751, introduced by some folks who are pushing the National Popular Vote movement. This would disenfranchise WI voters by giving WI electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote in a presidential election regardless of how the people of WI vote. The next two videos are a continuation of this question.






Mr. Leibham is answering a question regarding the influence of lobbyists on his opinion. There was a follow up question as to whether or not a constituent could visit Mr. Leibham's office and get the same access as a lobbyist. The answer is YES. Please visit your legislators and let them know what you are thinking.


This was a question about illegal aliens and how we can control our costs with regard to the drain they cause on social services.

This is where I ran out of battery power. One of Mr. Leibham's better statements was that his colleagues didn't understand why he was printing up Legislative Update fliers to let his constituents know what the legislature is doing. Another constituent quipped that "Madison is where logic goes to die".

There were also questions about:

• WI healthcare amendment - This would not go into effect until after Obamacare is passed, if it passes.
• There was a question on the proposed radio tax. As that is a national rather than state issue, Mr. Leibham has no control over the vote on that.
• Mayor Meyer(sp?) from Sheboygan Falls asked why the state of Wisconsin continues to engage in structural deficits.
• There was a question about the UW Hospital's decision to perform late term abortions. (In my opinion, an abominable practice which has yet to have been shown to have any significant medical benefits to the mother.)
• There was a question about SB 439. This legislation is referring to the ability to convert a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA.
• AB 458. This was recently signed into law by Mr. Doyle. In essence, this disenfranchises WI parents from making decisions about the proper curriculum for sex education classes for the children in their school districts. This is a continuation of a disturbing and dangerous trend to inflict government upon our children under the misguided and arrogant opinion that declares that parents are too stupid to know what is best for their children and therefore government must step in and make our parenting decisions for us. Luckily, we may still opt to not provide a sex education(or reproductive health or whatever your district calls it)class in our districts. On the up side, eliminating that class should save us some money.
• There were questions brought up about why the entire state should bear the cost of Mr. Doyle's wish -a high speed train from Madison to Milwaukee. Now, aside from the obvious concern, that this would lose money like a dog sheds hair, I have to ask myself, why do we need such a thing? There is already a bus route between Milwaukee and Madison that is cheaper than the estimated $20.00 - $33.00 per trip cost of this train and that would be just as fast. Because the estimated trip time for this high speed rail line is -brace yourselves-about an hour and a half. That's right, this wonderful high speed rail line that will cost more than a bus ticket (Bus ticket is $19.00 with multiple pick-up and drop-off sites in both cities, unlike the train.)will get you there at the same speed as driving. So the governor and our legislature want to spend nearly a billion dollars to create a money pit that services only Dane and Milwaukee Counties, while taking business from the bus companies who currently provide perfectly adequate service, and they think the rest of the state should be on the hook for the continuing costs. May I refer them back to the message under the global warming bill video? It's equally applicable here.
• Mr. Leibham encouraged citizens to oppose the .5% sales tax increase being requested by the County of Sheboygan. The belief expressed throughout the room was that Sheboygan County needs to reduce spending rather than increasing taxes.

It was a well-attended meeting and Mr. Leibham remarked that the Sheboygan session had also been well attended.

After seeing what sorts of legislation our legislators have been considering, both in Mr. Leibham's pamphlet and on the WI legislature site (Proclaiming that the ancient Macedonians were Hellenes? Really? This requires legislation?) maybe I ought to be submitting my own legislative proposal for the protection of our children's Constitutional rights to someone other than Mr. Leibham. At least mine has the virtue of asking for the restoration of a right that has been defacto and unjustly removed by the courts. I will share it here. If any of you wish to submit this language to your own legislators, be my guest. Here's the text:

Whereas, the State of Wisconsin recognizes that minor children have the same rights to due process and protection under the law as every American citizen; and

Whereas, it is unreasonable to expect a minor child to understand their rights and be able to properly exercise his or her Constitutional rights in his or her own protection in the face of authority, and under the coercion that can, currently, or at any time hereafter be applied to said child; and

Whereas, the right of school officials, administrators and police school liaison officers to exercise the privileges of "in loco parentis" have been unaddressed, leading to the violation of our children's civil and 5th amendment rights;
Therefore, be it resolved that the right of school officials, administrators, and police school liaison officers, or any of their designees to exercise the powers of "in loco parentis" shall not extend to questioning a student about any issue that could result in the filing of a criminal complaint without having a parent, legal guardian or legal representation, chosen by the parent or legal guardian, who shall act in the best interests of the child, present during questioning.

Be it also resolved that school officials shall not be held criminally liable for acting to protect the students, the school and it's environs in the case of an immediate threat.

Or maybe I ought to just be grateful for what we still have. Get involved folks, it's your state.

"Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? "~Luke 18:2-7