Livin and Lovin as a Kenoshan!

The findings from the most recent Badger Poll show that most Wisconsinites now think that the state is in bad times economically and they are not optimistic about the economy over the next 12 months. A quick run down of the findings shows that:

The economy and jobs are the most important problem facing the state, according to Wisconsinites. 23% of residents mentioned this issue as the most important problem, double the proportion that said so last December.

66% of Wisconsinites think the state is in bad times economically and nearly half of those think the economy in Wisconsin will get worse over the next 12 months.

Only 21% of state residents think the state is in good times economically, with one in five of those respondents believing that the economy will get worse over the next 12 year.

55% of state residents think that the national economy will get worse over the next 12 months. Only 19% think it will get better.

While 17% of Badger State residents overall said they are either extremely or quite worried about paying their bills, 31% of residents who live in households with incomes less than $40,000 a year said they are either extremely or quite worried about being able to pay their bills.

91% of all respondents said the price of gasoline is extremely or quite problematic.

75% of all respondents said the costs of Health Care are extremely or quite problematic.

67% of state residents said that the home heating and energy prices are extremely or quite problematic.

The full poll results from the University of Wisconsin badger poll can be found here

Below is a letter that I think is a good program aimed at the younger generation. While I'm not real crazy about everything that Jim Doyle does, he most definitely does have a way of looking forward to educating the next generation. I personally have enrolled and received a benefit that is going to be put to good use soon hopefully. That is the statewide education benefit that he signed into law a few years ago. because of him I can go back and get an education that was completely out of reach otherwise. Whats even more impressive is it covers my kids. This is a huge weight off of my shoulders because I had no way to send them otherwise. All I can say about that is Thanks Jim, you the man! Its going to make a huge difference in my future generations. Without a doubt. Its one of those things that makes livin in Kenosha a good thing.

well, it looks like he's at it again. check it out below. He has set up a program to help 8th grade students ensure a bright future. This is accomplished by signing a covenant with the students that they will have a place and assistance if they accomplish some reasonable standards. Whats really cool about the whole thing is that the financial situations the students come from wont have a effect on the future of our bright minds state wide. how's that livin good.

Someone give that man a piece of apple pie, with lots of whipped cream.

By Jim Doyle

As eighth graders across the state are busily preparing for the end of the school year, I hope each of you will take some time to stop and think about your future. Before you begin your summer job or your summer ball league, I encourage you to discuss with your families the upcoming school year and your plans for education after high school.

I don’t want any young person thinking that college isn’t for them, that it’s only for rich people, or that because their parents didn’t go, they can’t go. Whether you want to become a teacher or an engineer, or you plan to work in exciting new fields in biotech and health care, or even if you aren’t sure what job is right for you, a successful high school career will open up opportunities for higher education that will provide many future possibilities.

As Governor, I want to help you reach your highest potential. That’s why we created the Wisconsin Covenant to help young people plan early for a successful high school career that will lead to higher education. The Wisconsin Covenant is a simple set of expectations and promises between eighth grade students and institutions of higher education in Wisconsin. By the fall of their freshman year of high school, students may sign the Covenant pledge and commit to reaching three goals: completing the classes they need to graduate and prepare for higher education, maintaining a “B” average, and being a good citizen.

In return for keeping the Covenant pledge, each of the Wisconsin Covenant Scholars will earn a spot in either the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Technical College System, or at one of the state’s 20 private, nonprofit, and independent colleges. In addition, we will hold up our end of the bargain to provide financial assistance to meet their family’s determined needs. The Covenant message is clear: higher education is in the reach of every hard-working student in Wisconsin, regardless of financial circumstances.

Last year was a tremendous year for the Wisconsin Covenant. The hard work of teachers, parents, and students across the state resulted in over 17,000 eighth graders representing all 72 counties signing the Covenant Pledge. The Wisconsin Covenant Foundation was also established to help qualifying students with the cost of higher education. Through the generosity of private donors to the Covenant Foundation, we were able to secure a $40 million endowment by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. In addition, we put the state on pace to triple the amount of financial aid available since I took office.

Youth represent the future of Wisconsin, and every day I see the great potential of the aspiring young people across the state. I want every young person to know that you have the opportunity to pursue your dream of higher education, and the Wisconsin Covenant is a plan to help you get there. I hope all eighth graders will take the time to discuss their future with their families and consider signing the Covenant pledge.

Current eighth graders have the opportunity to sign the Covenant pledge through September 30, 2008. More information is available by visiting

Without a doubt someone, somewhere in Kenosha has to be lovin this deal.

Its all over the local news services and the minds of the locals.
Its a horrible loss that we all except, but still feel deeply moved by.
That loss is of a young man, the best of the best, the few, the proud, a Marine.
Being a former marine I cant help but feel the loss of a brother, that i have never even met. now i have no chance of ever meeting him, well not anytime soon. I know where he went, its just going to be a while before i join him there( if I'm lucky that is).
before I read this article: Full article here
I had already realized a unexplainable bond to this man that only another marine could understand, But after reading the article, I now realized that he was a part of a large local group of Christians that i also belong to. now my sense of loss is even greater, how close had i come to crossing paths with this young marine? how close could you possibly be without actually making a contribution to each others lives? once again, it is obvious that our churches are way to big. how could i have spent 5yrs in that church and not even know him or his family? yes aether I'm blind or our churches are way to big.

well one thing is for sure he most definitely was a brother, in arms,or in Christ, the loss is the same. what else is there to say about it but:

Semper Fi
Cpl Richard Nelson.

Ill be looking you up when I get there, to Thank You.

Has anyone in town been to the new Cousins Subs lately? I recently went to the new one on 18^th st, and was surprised to find a pretty good sub there. The last time I had a Cousins sub it was a really dull sandwich with one topping. Hence the reason I avoided the places for many years. It seems that they have finally learned to make a pretty decent sub. That’s good for me since the subway on this side of town is gone, and I don’t think L&M meats or hungry head sub shop are going to be moving over here anytime soon.

At this time it looks like were going to be seeing many more of these sub shops opening up in the area. The ones in Kenosha are doing so well that the corporate big shots have set their minds to expanding in the southeastern Wisconsin area, specifically between here and Rockford Ill. This is a pretty good area to start in concidering that the main office is in Milwaukee. They are hoping to use their subs to attack everything within 400 miles of Milwaukee.

Are you interested in a franchise? If so they will be holding seminars which you can go and check things out if you want. Just visit the website and requester to attend. Pretty easy stuff.

Cousins Subs' franchise seminar is free and open to the public. To register, please visit www.cousinsfranchise.com/seminar.

For more information on Cousins Subs' franchise development please visit www.cousinsfranchise.com or call Kerry Espich at (800) 238-9736.

If by chance you do open a franchise:

Don’t forget who turned you on to it.

Try using some sauces on the sub, mayo is good.

Well the local elections are over, and the candidates that I supported didn’t make it, so I get to call it all experience and move on. Of course cheering for the underdogs does tend to work that way in local politics.

I did get to learn a few things through all this though, it will be a help later when I assist other candidates. Notice that I said assist.

I did get to witness something I had known about for many years, voter apathy.

It pretty bad, when you live in a city of almost 100,000, but only about 15 thousand show up at the polls through out the city. Most of the candidates in the county won with less then 500 votes. In my district alone there are 12000 registered voters, but only about 7 hundred showed up and most of them were retired.

Which only means that older generations are the ones paying attention? This is really sad considering that they won’t be here much longer, who’s going to vote then. Many looked like death warmed over, but were still there, and willing to do their part. There were even times when we thought for sure that one person or the other was going to collapse. Oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, walkers and all. Hopefully as we get older, we will also begin to pay attention, or this country is in for a very difficult future.

I also noticed that the majority of the voters were woman. That alone is a major observation. Politicians should be paying attention to this. The woman will probably continue to lead in numbers of votes. That means less shaking hands and more kisses on the cheeks. Better also learn to like pictures of the grandchildren. Perhaps holding debates at the bingo parlor aren’t really out of the question. Perhaps buying all your baked goods from church bake sales would also be a good idea.

What I don’t understand is that It’s supposed to be the men’s responsibility to run a community, whether they like the hassle or not, and they just don’t show up like they should. Like it or not, society as a whole dictates that this is our burden, but yet, we don’t care .

Where are all the leaders? Where are all the guys who are willing to take care of business? I know where, at home, watching TV, refusing to get involved. Cussing about this person or that. The whole time allowing the country to go into the hands of that exact person. Next time you get mad at a politician, just remember he/she is there because you aren’t. They actually cared enough to try.( yep, that was a challenge, alright.)

Quit cussing and gripping guys, you let it be that way. And you just missed another chance to make it different. Instead your wife had to go do it for you. As usual. This is a real problem in society that needs to be addressed more.

Now, my next question is not so simple, who do I get to assist next?

We have more elections coming up this year. Perhaps one of you who are reading this will be running. If so, let us know in the comments. Perhaps you could be my next underdog to support. You never know!?