Blaska Policy Werkes

Police save lives

Posted on March 30, 2023 by David Blaska

That’s the real lesson out of that Nashville school shooting!

Doesn’t Nashville TN make Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway look prehistoric with her slow-walking the use of police body cameras here in Madison WI?! (Answer: like a stegosaurus.)

Nashville Police responded to the mass shooting 03-27-23 at the religious school with alacrity and professionalism. Video from two officer-worn body cameras shows the officers stacking up so if one goes down, another can return fire.

A call to police came at 10:13. By 10:23, officers were inside the school. They shot the attacker at 10:25.

Waiting to confront the attacker was the mistake last year in Uvalde TX. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed. “Three minutes after the subject entered,” the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety later testified, “there was a sufficient number of armed officers wearing body armor to isolate, distract and neutralize the subject.”
— ‘The cops who raced toward danger knew the lessons of Uvalde.’

Shows the shooter (in red cap)

More teenaged kids kill each other

“More kids died from guns in 2021 due to street violence, usually from gangs, than from all school shootings combined from Columbine to now.” So reports Erick Woods Erickson.

175 children have died since the massacre at Columbine, Colorado, a school shooting that happened during the assault weapons ban. In 2021, four hundred sixty five children died on the streets of just nine American cities. … More than 1400 people were shot in Philadelphia from January to August of 2022, but the District Attorney decided not to prosecute many gun possession crimes because that would mostly target young black men.
— ‘The inconvenient children killed by guns’

→Nikki Haley calls for a cop in every school

→ Denver schools are reinstating school police officers after eliminating them following the Floyd George murder, the Racine Journal Times reports.

Speaking of good police work: Credit the WI State Journal for reporting that the man arrested for fire bombing the pro-life headquarters last May donated money to Democratic candidates and left-leaning causes. Got him off a half-eaten sandwich! What fantastic detective work! a combination of high-tech and shoe leather. Should be an episode of cable TV’s Forensic Files (a program we highly recommend).

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Debate sexual dysphoria and AR-15 gun control all you want. The one indisputable takeaway is well trained police save lives.

Is Madison about to be done with the cop bashing?

Posted in Protasiewicz, Satya Rhodes-Conway, Uncategorized, War on Police | 18 Comments

‘Coming to school high’

Posted on March 29, 2023 by David Blaska

‘and riding skateboards down the halls’

The most important local election here in the Emerald City is not the mayoral or aldermanic, but Madison Board of Education. Can you even name the candidates? Even the Werkes had to look them up. They are social justice educrat Blair Mosner Feltham (her website) and DNR computer specialist and father of two, Badri Lankella (his website). For an open seat on the seven-member board. Yet, we’ve seen no yard signs, received no social media messaging, heard no radio, opened no mailings from them. (They are doing candidate forums, however.)

Madison’s best and brightest would rather run for alder or county board. Who was the last business leader, high-profile attorney, or civic mover or shaker to seek the position? Mary Burke? Sure as heck fire wasn’t David Blaska!

**School board can’t keep order at its own meetings**

We don’t want to be the Greta Thunberg of education but maybe the sky really is falling for public education in Madison WI.

One of the candidates will help choose a new superintendent. Pray God it is not another terminally Woke clone of Jennifer Cheatham! Which it will be if Feltham is elected. She’s the one who says “Our schools are products of white supremacy.” Of course, she is endorsed by the teachers union and the Defund the Cops Capital Times.

Voters should dive into results of the school district’s safety and student wellness survey. Of the respondents, 48% were students, 37% parents, and 19% faculty or staff. Many had only praise for Madison’s 52 public schools. Some read like this:

“Our experiences to date at Nuestro Mundo and Sennett have been outstanding. Thank you!”

But these are more representative:

From parents:

As a parent I find it so sad that my child smells marijuana every day and sees truly abusive treatment of her teachers on a daily basis. … All three of my kids have said things like, “My teacher does not care if I show up or not. They have much bigger problems.”

Please ensure that there is a monitor on the Toki buses. My 8th grader was punched in the back of the head last year multiple times by another student.

Restorative justice isn’t happening. Administration isn’t documenting behaviors. No one is helping the staff or students in the most danger.

My child has been bullied and beat up in 2 different classrooms by several students.

My daughters are more likely to be assaulted by their classmates than a stranger or a random school shooter.

My child is often hit at school, and the school doesn’t really care. … Closed fist to the face hit. I brought it to the attention of the classroom teacher, and nothing was done.

Indeterminate source:

Safety is a HUGE concern at West High School especially in the public restrooms. Students are almost ALWAYS doing drugs in the bathrooms. Students are threatened with knives and told not to snitch.

MMSD needs to focus more on the rights and safety of the well behaved students … MMSD is too focused on the rights of the misbehaving students.

Not segregate races when it comes to race discussions.

Not push too hard against the idea of traditional families.

The MS grading scale converts all failing students to a grade of D.

From teachers:

We currently have students that come to school high, that roam the halls and do not go to class, that get into fights. … they swear, speak loudly, yell, ride bikes and skateboards down the halls.

I have had fists flying in my classroom, called for support, and none has come, numerous times this year. I have had parents come in screaming, threatening to “beat my ass”. … The school district touts black excellence, but as a staff member at a school with the highest amount of black youth, it seems as though blinders are on when it comes to our school.

Hearing the N-word is also a regular part of our diet of foul language. …MMSD needs to get over itself and start having some real consequences for these kinds of behaviors.

As I type this, I’m listening to a kid walk down my hall screaming, “Fuck you.”

If I had a kid, there is no way in hell I would put my child through the nightmare MMSD schools have become. … I don’t get paid enough to put myself through the inevitable cursing out, or being completely ignored.

Madison schools Safety Survey

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas warns: “We will not have true public safety in this city until schools become part of the public safety solution.”

Is anyone in town getting this?

Posted in Election 2023, Madison schools, Uncategorized | 18 Comments

Referenda to rear-end ya

Posted on March 28, 2023 by David Blaska

On our Spring 2023 ballot

Voted early this time (and only once, so far). They call it absentee in person, which makes a kind of only-in-Madison sense. Bottom of the ballot listed what looked like college essay questions. Either that or the disclaimers you click through without reading, alerting that the software you just downloaded reports directly to Chairman Xi Jinping. These are the six referenda questions on Madison WI ballots.

Crime — The first two are intended to curb liberal judges’ tendency to release suspected criminals only on their likelihood of showing up for trial. Infernal Republicans propose that gauging the risk to the public is also important.These two constitutional amendments are on ballots statewide. Would have the force of law if they pass this time and in a second referendum; the Democrat in the governor’s office can’t veto them. Proposed after the Democrat in the Milwaukee district attorney’s office letting Darrell Brooks out on low bail so he could mow down kids and the Dancing Grannies at the Waukesha parade two Christmases ago. (D.A. blamed an underling.) (Official explanation)

Conditions of release before conviction. Shall section 8 (2) of article I of the constitution be amended to allow a court to impose on an accused person being released before conviction conditions that are designed to protect the community from serious harm?”

Cash bail before conviction. Shall section 8 (2) of article I of the constitution be amended to allow a court to impose cash bail on a person accused of a violent crime based on the totality of the circumstances, including the accused’s previous convictions for a violent crime, the probability that the accused will fail to appear, the need to protect the community from serious harm and prevent witness intimidation, and potential affinitive defenses?

Voted ☑️ YES and ☑️ YES.

Welfare — Republicans also think able-bodied welfare recipients should work for their bennies. Designed to get progressives undies in a twist. Doesn’t have the force of law like the first two. This one will go down in Madison but prevail statewide. (Official explanation

Shall able-bodied, childless adults be required to look for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded welfare benefits?

Voted ☑️ YES

Blaska is not one of the "dozens" of voters found to be incompetent. So far.

Gerrymandering — Our overly Woke Dane County supervisors did their own back atcha. Referendum basically asks: Do you support gerrymandering or crooked maps? Which is it? Doesn’t explain how to “unpack” Madison and Milwaukee’s shoulder-to-shoulder Democrat(ic) demographics. Does not advise where more than two non-partisans can be found to accomplish this miracle. Only on the ballot here in Dane County and purely advisory. (Official explanation.)

Should the Wisconsin Constitution be amended to require a nonpartisan system for redistricting legislative and congressional districts in the state?

The devil in Mr. Blaska Voted ☑️ NO

Right to privacy — More mischief from the county board that can’t build a jail for fussing over its pronouns. Designed to gin up the pro-abortion, pro-gender bending vote. Mischievously likens to inter-racial marriage. Counter-balance to the bail and welfare work questions. Only on ballots here in Dane County; also advisory. (Official explanation; scroll down.)

Should the Wisconsin Legislature adopt an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution creating a new right to privacy that would protect rights such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and interracial marriage?

Voted ☑️ NO

Aldermanic terms — This city-only question would give cover for Madison alders to stagger their two-year terms of office like the U.S. Senate. But there are only 20 alders. The WI State Assembly has 99 members, the U.S. House of Representatives 345 and neither staggers (well, maybe after Happy Hour but …). In any event, given that only 14 of the seats are contested this year and that — at most — only 7 incumbents will get re-elected (due to retirements etc.), what is the point? To make staggered terms work, would need to impose one-year terms on half the council. Advisory. (Official explanation.)

Shall the Charter Ordinances of the City of Madison be amended to establish staggered two-year terms for members of the Common Council beginning in 2025, with the 2025 Spring Election including one- year terms for alders in even-numbered Districts and in subsequent elections the term for all alders shall be two years?

Voted ☑️ HELL NO!

Blaska’s Bottom Line: A solution in search of a problem.

Which of these 6 ballot questions does NOT pass?

Posted in Crime, Dane County Board, Election 2023, Gerrymandering, Madison city government, Uncategorized | 21 Comments

Violence in Madison Schools largely ignored

Posted on March 27, 2023 by David Blaska

`Terrifying situation brought on by an overly permissive environment.‘

— MacIver Institute

Surveys revealed a terrifying situation throughout Madison’s school district brought on by an overly permissive environment. Students complained of “too many fights,” and feeling “unsafe in hallways, common areas, bathrooms and buses.” Bullying has become a major problem. It was mentioned 450 times in the survey responses. Students attribute these problems to an environment with “no consequences.”

Some female students reported that they won’t use the bathrooms at school because “they are not safe, drugs are done in there, and destruction, and even sex.” Teachers were well aware of these problems.

“This month I’ve seen a lot of students pushing, shoving, and verbally harassing each other during passing time,” one anonymous respondent wrote.

“I am concerned about the amount of alcohol and drug use happening inside the school building,” another wrote.

Parents were also allowed to provide feedback and they didn’t hold back.

“I want to send my children to our neighborhood school, but not when disruptive, swearing, sexually harassing students are sent right back to class without consequence,” one parent wrote.

Have you about given up, too?

Posted in Madison schools, Uncategorized | 19 Comments

By your friends shall ye be known

Posted on March 27, 2023 by David Blaska

Who’s endorsing which Madison candidates?

What does it tell you about Madison politics that Paul Soglin — “Havana Paul” — is now regarded as conservative (all politics being relative)? We’ve come a long ways from Henry Reynolds and Bill Dyke — too far! Yet Mayor Paul has cut a social media spot for challenger Gloria Reyes alleging that incumbent Satya Rhodes Conway is insufficiently … progressive!

Again this election, the faceless bureaucrats at Blaska Policy Werkes have compiled an accounting of who’s endorsing whom for mayor, common council, and Madison school board. Knowing which dog has whose fleas is a good indicator of where the candidate stands despite his/her campaign literature. During a campaign, we’ve learned, everyone wants public safety, is a fiscal conservative, will return your call, and will personally plow your street. Oh, and is progressive as Old Fighting Bob standing on a hay wagon.

Download
Madison Candidate Endorsements

***Click here or on image to download the full spreadsheet***

We chart only the contested races — 14 of 20 aldermanic, the mayoralty, and one of the two Madison school board seats. Incumbents are noted with an asterisk (*). In two aldermanic races, two incumbents were thrown into the same district.

We list the endorsing agencies from Left to Right physically and (by our lights) politically. Look for updates as the campaign goes along. Let us know if we’ve missed any.

Curiously, The Capital Times endorses both alder candidates in District 9, incumbent Nikki Conklin and Nino Amato. The Wisconsin State Journal endorses neither. Madison Chamber of Commerce backed off that one, too. Dane County Democrats endorsed both candidates in 11 of the 16 races we list here. That’s something new.

Realtors are not endorsing but independently throwing dollars at nine candidates. We used to count on the Realtors to back us conservatives but there just are not enough of us anymore and they need friends. That’s our only explanation for some of their choices. Bonnie Roe’s Safety Connection is a new and welcome player. It highlights candidates most likely to support public safety.

Paul Soglin may pitch Gloria Reyes as the true progressive, but the former school board president also gets endorsements from two past police chiefs (Noble Wray and David Couper), Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, the former UW police chief, and the Madison police officers union.

Satya Rhodes Conway has the Madison elected establishment, headed by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and the city’s delegation to the state legislature. (Her endorsements.)

Blaska’s Bottom Line: We would make our own endorsements but we would like them to win.

Who do YOU endorse?

Posted in Election 2023, Madison city government, Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Pro-riot Democrats are Pro-tasiewicz

Posted on March 26, 2023 by David Blaska

Is HER squeeze worth the juice?

State Rep. Lakeshia Myers, D-Milwaukee, is that perfect specimen of the average Janet Protasiewicz voter: progressive, eager to rewrite history through the lens of racial equity, milk and cookies for criminals. Ethics as pliable as Silly Putty.

The state legislator defends rioting in today’s Wisconsin State Journal. Do not reboot your laptop; you read that correctly. “Riot bill will stifle legitimate protest.” The burr under her saddle? Republicans put up a bill to define riots and penalize rioters. THE HORROR! (Assembly Bill 70 passed the lower house Wednesday 03-22-23 with all 35 Democrats voting AGAINST IT! It now goes to the State Senate.)

Perfunctorily, Myers quotes Martin Luther King Jr. — oblivious that the man preached nonviolent protest.

***‘Fighting for their very existence!’ and cool stuff — 05-31-20 on State Street, Madison WI***

“I voted against the bill,” Rep. Myers boasts, on behalf of:

People who inherently carry the burden of fighting for their very existence and fight to hold on to their piece of the American pie.
— State Rep. Lakeshia Myers, D-Milwaukee

Also, the latest iPhone and Air Jordans, she might have added. Does she really think the young teens aged 14 to 17 who wrecked that stolen car with a loaded gun (explored here) are “fighting for their very existence”? How about studying one of the STEM disciplines (if you’ll excuse that term) before the Madison school district abolishes advanced placement entirely? THAT would ensure a generous slice of that apple pie.

Do not misunderstand Rep. Myers! “I am not a proponent of violence, but …”

“I am not a proponent of violence but I understand why it happens,” the Rep. writes. Does she understand why January 6, 2021, happened? Doubtful, but her situational ethics is a free Get Out of Jail card for any hothead with a cause, whether the overly Woke mope who vandalized a statue of an abolitionist who died freeing the slaves or the QAnon Shaman.

So much for gun control. Assembly Bill 58 imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for violent felons in possession of a firearm. All 35 Democrats — including Lakeshia Myers, voted NO!

Blaska’s Bottom Line: There is a reason Democrats are in the minority in the Wisconsin state legislature. Here’s a clue: it’s not gerrymandering, state supreme court candidate Protasiewicz. It’s the political party that supports you.

What does Rep. Myers tell State Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee) beaten on the grounds of the state capitol (by white women, no less) in one of the BLM riots of May/June 2020?