Shutdown

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Republicans' Actual Opinions of Their Dear Leader

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Get Your Fat Asses Over To Cracker Barrel

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Send In The Clowns

What Religion Makes People Do

Really Frickin' Petty (RFP)

New Land blasts city development office shortly before downtown site award

It’s a shame when things don’t go your way. But for those who are supposed to be the bastions of free market competitiveness, there seems to be a lot of dependency on the public sector. And when contracts aren’t awarded, some of these private entities lash out, point fingers, and cry the blues. 

This criticism is laughable considering development companies are the ones who continually beat the market drum all the while insisting cities and states fork over millions to help fund their projects. And then if they don’t get their way, and a pile of cash, something is wrong with the process. 

The Business Journal article notes:

New Land's criticisms of the city's development department extend beyond the Marcus Center parking structure project: Gokhman says the department has "chronic problems" and "deep dysfunction" that are "stifling development"

This coming from a company that has been awarded similar projects in the past. The company was also involved in foreclosure proceedings in the not-so-distant past. What's that old saying about glass houses? Funny how private developers believe they should be able to dictate what a city’s development department does.  

Regarding another often-used development handout, the article details, “Tax incremental financing is a tool local governments can use to pay for new developments that are expected to grow the tax base by using future property taxes those developments generate to help repay the city's investment in those projects.” What they leave out is that this financing was intended to serve blighted areas, not locations where development is already thriving. 

The Journal article quotes another developer:

"When you do put out an RFP, you have to be ready, willing and able to make the commitment to help make it successful," said Bob Monnat of Milwaukee development firm Mandel Group Inc. "None of these larger RFP sites have anywhere of a chance of creating the kind of outcome that everyone would like to see unless there's some major participation on the part of the city to help get it over the hump."

Talk about entitlement. Developers seem to believe the City should alleviate all risk from the project, while the private developers get to walk away with all the profits. What a partnership!

Aren’t some of these concepts what the free market is supposed to be all about? Isn’t this part of the conservative mythology we’ve heard over the last many decades about the private sector, job creators, the wise surveyors of the market? So why do they even need the inefficient, mismanaged, inconsistent, misleading, and dysfunctional public sector?

A big problem for New Land’s Gokhman seems to be that the City Development Department took longer than expected. I’m sure that developers never take longer than expected. They’re always on time and everything they propose is seen through to completion. [Sigh. Eye roll.]

Seems odd to have such an issue with not being awarded this site, but then to also state:

New Land supports Johnson’s vision of growing Milwaukee and believes the city's current zoning code and DCD's urban planning team are "one of the best in the country," Gokhman said. 

But then Mr. Gokhman continued:

He cites the downtown Fourth and Wisconsin site near the Baird Center and the former Army Reserve site in the city's Bay View neighborhood — which both remain undeveloped after years of discussion — as key examples of failure.

"No one at DCD loses their job if development doesn’t occur," Gokhman said. "There’s no accountability." 

So, unless every city site is maximally developed, by the city, someone has failed? Seems there is a lot of contradictory ideas and sour grapes going on here. Let’s not forget - failure happens. Everything doesn’t work out as planned in life. [As an example, see the above discussion of Mr. Gokhman’s company's foreclosure activities.] 

City development is booming. Newer offices, hotels, apartments, retail, etc. have steadily been built over the last few decades. Milwaukee has seen downtown development unlike anything since WWII. But the City should throw more money at private developers because a few sites have yet to be developed? Or should the City allow itself to be bullied by developers attempting to rake them over the coals in the media? I don't think either of these would be policy or process improvements. 

These developers' public whining is just a big bushel of bitter, sour grapes.

Me Thinks Thou Doth Protest Too Much

It's been a great strategy for the Republican party - accuse Democrats of being guilty of all the Republicans' wrongdoings. 

They repeat the lie about rampant voter fraud...and in the majority of the few cases of fraud, the perpetrator is a Republican.

During this latest campaign, and most recently at the Republican National Convention, one prominent Republican talking-point point is that Biden (or the Biden administration) is corrupt.

I thought it might be helpful to remind all of the crimes committed by Trump and his associates. 

The Cases Against Trump: A Guide

Donald Trump's criminal cases, in one place

Trump criminal charges guidebook: Here are all the felony counts against the former president

A guide to Donald Trump's four criminal cases

Keeping Track of the Trump Criminal Cases

Trump Investigations: Tracking The Cases

Here’s a list of Trump’s ex-associates who have faced charges

What Trump allies have faced criminal charges?

Charted: Trump world allies sentenced to prison

Bannon Joins List of Trump’s Allies With Convictions

11 Trump associates have now been charged with crimes.

A Guide to Trump Allies Who've Pleaded Guilty or Been Convicted of Crimes

Trump allies Meadows, Giuliani among 18 indicted in Arizona election scheme

There is a swamp in Washington...brought to America by the Donald Trump administration. The fact that the Republican party has chosen this felon (and his cabal of miscreants) as their leader and candidate for the presidency is hypocritical, irresponsible, and embarrassing. The (supposed) party of law and order, Christian values, right and wrong, etc., supporting a philandering, tax cheating, felon for president is as stupid as it is shameless.

Donald Trump and his sycophants are not fit for office. No responsible, reasonable, clear-thinking American should vote for any of these Republican clowns. They are selfish, spineless, greedy, opportunists only concerned with their own well-being. None of them have any inkling of duty or commitment to public policy and what is best for America. 

Let's keep government functioning in the interest of the citizens, not the monied elite. Let's keep investing in American infrastructure and jobs, Social Security and Medicare, public schools, clean air and water, to name a few. To go back to the ways of Trump and Project 2025 would be to abandon the American dream and relegate America to a dictator and plutocrats. 

Keep America sane. This November, vote Democrat.

For Further Reading:

30 Things Joe Biden Did as President You Might Have Missed

Republican Hypocrisy

Constitutional Convenience

Screenshots of Wisdom

 

No Brain Necessary: Trumpers in Waukesha, Wisconsin

Other Reasons Why Ron Johnson Is A Terrible Person

Ron Johnson Wants Social Security, Medicare To Be Discretionary Spending

Companies Keep Hiring

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 390,000 in May, above the 328,000 Dow Jones estimate.

The unemployment rate held at 3.6%, while a more encompassing jobless rate edged higher to 7.1%.

Average hourly earnings rose slightly less than expected but were still up 5.2% from a year ago.

Leisure and hospitality led gains, followed by professional and business services then warehousing and transportation. [source]

Fox News thinks all of this is bad. The delusion continues. Being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian continues. 

Weekend Reading

Fox News Host: What About Trump Destroying Top Secret Documents?

Enough With 'Smart Cities'—We Need Cities Done Right

The science behind Ja Morant's unreal vertical abilities

Man crashes pastor’s book burning event — throws a bible into the fire and yells: ‘Hail Satan!’

These Abandoned Olympic Venues Prove the Games Are a Giant Waste of Money

When Private Equity Becomes Your Landlord

Unions don’t call the shots any more – but we’d all be better off if they did

Screenshots of Wisdom

Screenshots of Wisdom

Headlines That Reveal Republicans Are Selfish, Ignorant, Irresponsible, Pieces of Shit

The religious right wants states’ tax dollars, and the Supreme Court is likely to agree

Why the government is constantly on the verge of shutting down

It sure sounds like Roe v. Wade is doomed

Republicans are quietly rigging election maps to ensure permanent rule

U.S. Covid-19 Deaths in 2021 Surpass 2020’s

By Amy Coney Barrett's Own Words, She Should Recuse Herself

Meltdown At WI Hearing After Trump Ties To Election Investigation Exposed

Anti-Vax Republican William Hartmann Dies Following Battle With COVID-19

The American Right’s Scary Views

Fauci calls Ron Johnson's AIDS comment 'preposterous'

The Danger They've Created

 

Wait, Who's The Snowflake?

I wonder what Republicans would be saying if some libtard, liberal, snowflake stormed the Capitol, destroyed property and wanted to kill legislators, and then demanded organic food in prison.

Man who wore horns in Capitol riot moved to Virginia jail that serves organic food

I don't remember any caveat regarding organic food in Republicans' chants of "Lock 'em up!"

Republicans' "Private Citizen" Bullshit (Yet Another Installment In The Republican Hypocrisy Compendium)