Mister Rogers Defending PBS To The US Senate

[source]

Walker Mismanagement/Ineptitude Continues

Highway project delays rack up $700 million cost overruns

While some of these increases come from faulty cost estimates or unavoidable inflation, the new figures underline the obvious: Delays can be costly for Wisconsin taxpayers. When projects are paused because of financial challenges in the state's road fund, the price of materials, labor and real estate can rise... 

The four major highway projects were each delayed for one year because last summer Gov. Scott Walker and GOP lawmakers couldn't settle on an approach to paying for them... 

Refusing to back increases to the gasoline tax or vehicle registration fees last year, Walker settled on bonding as the solution to the state's transportation funding woes, asking $1.3 billion in borrowing to fund the state's transportation projects while freezing state borrowing for most other needs.

Republican legislators pushed back, ultimately lowering the borrowing to $850 million. 

"He'll say that he hasn't increased taxes, but he's certainly pushed the cost of these projects onto the state credit card, and it's going to cost people a lot more," said Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee), a member of the Transportation Projects Commission. "Whoever comes in after him is going to have a complete mess on their hands."

11 Countries with Universal Healthcare and Free College

11 Countries with Universal Healthcare and Free College

Country, Population ("Best Countries" Ranking):

Sri Lanka - 20 million (41)
Brazil - 200 million (20)
Argentina - 41 million (40)
Luxembourg - 543,000 (14)
Spain - 46 million (16)
Germany - 80 million (1)
Greece - 11 million (26)
Finland - 5 million
Sweden - 9 million (5)
Denmark - 5 million (10)
Norway - 5 million

Total - 422,543,000

United States, 319 million (4)

There are those who comment that the United States can't afford free health care and education, it can't happen, and it's impossible.

They are wrong. 

Health care, education and infrastructure can take precedence over bombs, tax cuts and deregulation.

Everything Must Go

Is Goldman Sachs Buying Your City?

Our Airwaves

Dennis Kucinich and Anthony Weiner get to the bottom of the NPR, public radio, public airwave debate. [h/t Crooks & Liars]

Private Gain, Public Pain

Two recent articles [below] highlight the misguided efforts of entrepreneurializing government and public agencies. If we all act like a business, worship the market, and strive for bloated profits, all will be right with the world.

This snake-oil has caused us to believe public goods and infrastructure no longer matter. Everyone and everything must compete.

And, for some reason, we keep banging our collective head against this wall even though it has increased volatility and risk, while concentrating gains among a select few and leaving the increasing loses the responsibility of the taxpayers.

For Further Reading:
Public Benefits, Taxpayer Pain
The New Threat From Wall Street

Water: Public Good

The privatization of Milwaukee's Water Works would be one of the City's biggest budgetary, security, and policy mistakes ever made. Privatization schemes do not work. Water is a vital recource - becoming moreso by the day. Water is a public good that should remain under the supervision of the public sector.