Blogging Blue

Just two weeks ago, the federal government released results of a study it completed regarding the frequency of drunk driving in Wisconsin. According to the study, more than 25% of adults in Wisconsin drive under the influence of alcohol, putting Wisconsin at number one in the nation when it comes to people who admit to driving drunk.

Fresh off the heels of that report being released came the terrible tragedy of Jennifer Bukosky, who along with two of her children was killed by Mark Benson. At the time of the accident that killed Bukosky, Benson was driving without a license and while under the influence of at least three different prescribed medications, and only two days before the crash, Benson had been in court pleading guilty to a 2007 drunken driving conviction, his third, in Brookfield. He was ordered April 23 to not drive and was sentenced to 75 days in the county’s work release jail, but was given until May 9 to report there.

The fact that Benson was still driving despite having just been convicted of his third OWI is simply outrageous, but thankfully lawmakers are already starting to take notice that Wisconsin is at a crossroads when it comes to how we handle repeat drunk drivers. Today Governor Jim Doyle announced that he believes a third conviction for intoxicated use of a vehicle should be made a felony. Lawmakers have already started to take action, with some calling for revocation of driving privileges and confiscation of vehicles for people convicted of a third offense of driving under the influence.

I’ve always felt Wisconsin needed to do a much better job of being tough on drunk drivers, especially repeat offenders, because a car isn’t much different than a loaded gun in the hands of a drunk driver. People can be - and have been - seriously injured or killed at the hands of folks driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and it’s time lawmakers took a tough stand. I’ve never been a strong advocate of depriving folks of property as the result of their criminal activities, but in this case I think someone who’s been convicted multiple times for drunk driving should face the possibility of losing their vehicle forever. It’s a steep price to pay, but perhaps it’ll serve as a deterrent.

Patrick over at Badger Blogger has more on this issue, as does Cindy over at Fairly Conservative

5 Comments »

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I intensely dislike State Supreme Court candidate Michael Gableman, and while my dislike is in part due to my ideological differences with Gableman, much of my dislike towards the man has to do with the stunning scope of his hypocritical and unethical behavior, both during the campaign and prior to him receiving his appointment as a Burnett County Circuit Court judge.

Gableman, who promised to run a clean campaign, has unveiled his newest attack ad against incumbent Louis Butler, and already the ad is drawing intense criticism for its not so subtle racist undertones, as well as its gross distortion of facts surrounding a case Louis Butler handled as a criminal defense attorney. At issue is the ad’s assertion that Louis Butler helped free a convicted sex offender on appeal, only to have that same defendant re-offend once he was freed. However, the truth of the situation is that while Butler did help the defendant in question win an appeal, the defendant’s conviction was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, resulting in the individual in question serving out the remainder of his sentence before being released from prison. It was only after he was released from prison that the individual reoffended.

Governor Jim Doyle said the ad from Gableman’s campaign was the lowest he’s ever seen a judicial candidate go, and the Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee also issued a statement calling the ad highly offensive and deliberately misleading before calling for the ad to be taken off the air:

“We believe Judge Gableman is deliberately misrepresenting the facts regarding this case and Justice Butler’s role in it, and it appears Judge Gableman is doing so either knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of his campaign statement,”

As I watched the ad - which I’ve included a little bit later in this entry - I couldn’t help but wonder about a fact that seems to escape Michael Gableman and his supporters: Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justices don’t lock criminals up, so being “tough on crime” isn’t as big a deal as it would be if Gableman were running for Circuit Court judge back in Burnett County. Then again, with Gableman’s record when it comes to being “tough on crime,” I can’t blame him for looking for a different job. As Sam Sarver from Brazen Maverick said,

That way, he (Gableman) wouldn’t have to deal with all the nuance and subtlety of the State Supreme Court, for which he obviously lacks sufficient patience.

I’d argue Gableman also lacks sufficient skill and intelligence to sit on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, but Sam’s got a point.

For those interested, here’s the ad in question:

H/T to Sam over at Brazen Maverick and the ever-amazing illusory tenant.

1 Comment »

Shame on him for caving in and allowing mandatory health insurance coverage for autism treatment to be cut from the budget “compromise” reached late yesterday. It’s really a sad day when politicians are so readily willing to make treatment for autistic kids a political issue, and it’s a sad day when Democrats are so quick to give up on the issue just so they can say they got a budget deal done.

In a multi-billion dollar state budget, mandating insurance companies provide coverage for autism treatment would have cost 1.3 million dollars, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s money that couldn’t have been cut from somewhere else.

I’m actually disappointed I had faith in Governor Doyle and all his talk about helping autistic kids.

No Comments »

Earlier today, State Senator Lena Taylor announced she is running for Milwaukee County Executive, confirming what’s been one of Southeastern Wisconsin’s worst-kept secrets. Even though her announcement is less than twelve hours old, Taylor’s already begun picking up support from prominent Democrats, with Governor Jim Doyle calling Taylor a “great candidate.” In addition, State Democratic Party Chair Joe Wineke has said he plans on endorsing Taylor within the next few days.

I think this is going to be one of the more entertaining races to watch during the 2008 election season, with Taylor and incumbent County Executive Scott Walker holding starkly contrasting positions on many of the issues that will no doubt be at the forefront of the race. Walker and his supporters will no doubt attempt to paint Taylor as a “tax and spend liberal” - and in fact that drumbeat has already started over at Badger Blogger. To be honest, if I were a conservative - and thank God I’m not - I’d be worried about Lena Taylor running against Scott Walker, because I’m willing to bet she’s going to be able to mobilize City of Milwaukee voters to cast their votes for her, and without a significant amount of votes from the City of Milwaukee, Scott Walker can kiss this race goodbye. If I were Lena Taylor, I’d spend some time talking about Scott Walker’s record of deception, from his promise not to run in 2008 to his veto of a voter referendum on taxes, after he previously said he supported referendums. Scott Walker’s a liar and a terrible County Executive, and I I think Scott Walker’s got little chance of prevailing.

However, if there’s an upside for Walker in losing to Lena Taylor, at least he’ll have plenty of free time to plan his run to succeed Jim Sensenbrenner as the U.S. Congressman for the Fifth Congressional District.

1 Comment »

As reported first by Xoff, David Clarke’s apparently changed his tune in a big way when it comes to allowing folks here in Wisconsin to carry concealed weapons. Back in 2003, Clarke supported a ban on concealed weapons, going so far as to urge Governor Jim Doyle to veto a measure that would have lifted the ban. Back when he supported keeping the ban in place, Clarke cited concerns about the safety of his deputies and what would happen if there were a “flood” of dangerous weapons to Milwaukee’s streets. As recently as last fall, in his campaign to be re-elected as Milwaukee County Sheriff, Clarke remained opposed to overturning Wisconsin’s ban on carrying concealed weapons. Sheriff Clarke’s flip-flop came to light in an email he sent to Charlie Sykes blasting Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Governor Jim Doyle, and State Senator Spencer Coggs, among others, for all that ails Milwaukee’s inner city. What I’m left to wonder is if Sheriff Clarke, as an elected official and Milwaukee’s “top cop” is willing to accept any blame for the state of the City.

Obviously this is just a prelude to David Clarke running for mayor, but I can’t help but wonder what accomplishments David Clarke has as sheriff that make him a better candidate for mayor than Tom Barrett. What’s he done to distinguish himself, besides kissing the collective asses of the local right wing radio nuts?

2 Comments »