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Monthly Archives: June 2010

Government Spending

YouCut: A Project of the Economic Recovery Working Group

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I’m not a Republican, but here’s a good idea for supporters of any party. YouCut is “a first-of-its-kind project – is designed to defeat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress. It allows you to vote, both online and on your cell phone, on spending cuts that you want to see the House enact. Vote on this page today for your priorities and together we can begin to change Washington’s culture of spending into a culture of savings.”

There’s a video explaining how the program works:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e90m-iWEau8

This week’s five possibilities for cutting:

1. Refocus National Archives Activities On Preserving Federal Records, $10 million in Savings in the First Year ($100 Million Over Ten Years)

2. Reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Savings estimated at $30 billion.

3. Terminate Broadcasting Facility Grant Programs that Have Completed their Mission, $25 million in Savings in the First Year ($250 million Over Ten Years

4. Reduce Spending on Non-Essential and Questionable Research, $3.8 Million in Savings in the First Year

5. Consolidate and Reduce Funding for Federal Advisory Committees, $34 million in Savings in the First Year

I voted for reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Voting is easy, and requires only a email address — it’s a quick way to send a message against federal over-spending. more >>

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 6-1-10

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Good morning,

Whitewater’s forecast calls for a day with a high of eighty-seven degrees, with thunderstorms likely tonight.

There’s a Common Council meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. The agenda is available online.

The Walworth County Genealogical Society will meet tonight at 6:30 PM, in the Community Centre, 826 E. Geneva Street, Delavan, with featured speaker Ann Wells of Crystal Lake, Illinois. She will will present a program called “Access to the Archives,” about British National Archives. Wells will explain how to search the information from the British Archives through a home computer.

The Wisconsin State Journal has a series called Secret Places, and one of the most recent entries describes the observation deck at the state capitol building:

The lantern observation deck at the top of the state Capitol dome is visible to thousands every day, but it’s also one of Wisconsin’s Secret Places. The public hasn’t been allowed here, nearly 237 feet above the ground, for seven decades. The Wisconsin State Journal was granted access after making a request to the state Department of Administration and receiving approval from J.H. Findorff & Son, which is working on the dome.

Few get these unique perspectives of State Street, East and West Washington avenues and Picnic Point, all clearly defined. The deck surrounds the exterior of the lantern, the column on top of the dome, which is also accessible. But with no air conditioning or ventilation there, taking in the view is more comfortable on a warm day from the outside deck. This spot also reveals a bird’s-eye view of Monona Terrace and, if you use your imagination, a renovated Edgewater hotel at the end of Wisconsin Avenue.

The story includes photos from the deck, and a video of the rotunda. Wisconsin’s state website also has a photo tour and virtual reality tour of the Capitol building.

View from balcony of Wisconsin State Capitol Building from Wisconsin.gov