TonyPalmeri.Com Update For December 23, 2004
1. Palmeri's 2004 Oshkosh Newsmakers of the Year: I started coming up with a list of annual newsmakers two years ago, when such lists coming from corporate media just became too unbearable. In my book you have to be more than a chamber of commerce toadie to deserve the label "newsmaker." Here are links to the 2004 newsmakers as well as 2003 and 2002:
2. Rieckman's Gift For Palmeri: Oshkosh Northwestern Executive Editor Stew Rieckman came up with his own list of 2004 newsmakers in his most recent Sunday column, and much to my surprise I earned a place on it. Rieckman gave presents to each of his newsmakers, but had difficulty deciding what to give me. He writes, "What do you give a guy who has all the answers, is always right and isn’t bashful about letting you know he has all the answers and is always right?" So he settled on "A gold-plated Righteousness Meter." I'm not sure if I agree with Mr. Rieckman's assessment, but I will say that his weekly column would be a role model for me if I were inclined to have no answers and be wrong most of the time. In all seriousness, I admire just about anyone who can write a weekly column. Here's the column: http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/columns/stories/columns_19069134.shtml
3. Palmeri Letter On Citizen Caucus: All Wisconsinites disgusted with business as usual in Madison should consider attending the People's Legislature. I had a letter published in the local paper promoting the event (Scroll down to "Citizens Caucus To Defy Politics As Usual"):
http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/opinion/stories/opinion_19035045.shtml
4. Wisconsin's Tax Scandal. For the first time in 25 years, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue released a "tax incidence study" to demonstrate where the tax burden actually falls in Wisconsin. I think it's a travesty that the report was released after the fall elections, and I actually contacted DOR way back in May and they told me that the report would be released in October. Then without explanation the date was pushed forward. No doubt the incumbents were pleased at the delay; the report demonstrates a regressive tax system in which residential property taxpayers shoulder the brunt while corporations get away with paying next to nothing. Here's the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel summary: http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/dec04/284482.asp
Meanwhile the Center on Wisconsin Strategy recently released "The Big Myths About Taxes and Spending in Wisconsin": http://www.cows.org/pdf/budget/taxfacts/rp-bigmyths.pdf
5. Nobel Winner Wangari Maathi is a Green: Wangari Maathai, the 2004 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is Kenya's assistant minister for environment and natural resources and the founder of the Green Belt Movement. She's also the found of the Kenyan Green Party and was elected to office on that label, facts that never seem to make it into the mainstream American media coverage of her. Here is a Maathi op-ed from the Dec. 10th New York Times:
http://www.tonypalmeri.com/wangari.htm
6. Vernon County Dems Like Green Platform. In his never ending quest to provoke grassroots democracy in Wisconsin, Ed Garvey meets with a variety of groups around the state. When he met with the Vernon County Democratic Party recently, they told him that "The Green Party platform should be our platform." Well , here's novel idea for Vernon County: why don't you just bolt the Democratic Party and join the Greens?
http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?PostID=1014
7. Kunstler's Home From Europe . . . and is distressed at the contrast between public life over there and the lack thereof in the States. He writes, "The process of making America an alienated land of solitary, obese driver-shoppers has been very profitable for predatory corporations. They have systematically disassembled the public social infrastructure and repackaged pieces of it for sale -- starting with the single-family house isolated on its lot from all the normal amenities of culture and society. Everybody now has their 'home theater' so the cinema is only a place to park children for two hours so you can drive elsewhere to buy the cheez doodles, frozen pizza, Pepsi, and other staples of the American diet. You equip your kitchen with an espresso machine and there is no reason to "waste your time" in a cafe. Everybody has to have their own pool, so the kids can go swimming by themselves. Family values. The rest of the human race is unimportant." His entire essay is here: http://www.tonypalmeri.com/kunstler2.htm
8. Web Updates: I'll be on the road during December 23-January 2, so the website (www.tonypalmeri.com) will not be updated as frequently as usual. When I get back around January 2nd,. check the site to see my next Media Rant column, titled "Censored in 2004, Part 1." It's gonna be hot.
Here's hoping that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season! Happy holidays also from Bushy Claus: http://www.markfiore.com/animation/claus.html
Peace, -Tony