I might never wash my car again!

I really wonder how long it takes Scott Wade to create his dirty pictures. (Even a mini-cooper!)

Oh go ahead and click through... I wouldn't send you to a porn site would I ??

A loss...

I attended a funeral yesterday, my friend lost his wife. He spent every day for the past several months at her beside as she battled cancer. What an example of how to do what's right, even if it doesn't make us feel good. Funerals always remind me of how necessary it is to cherish our health and friendships.

A travel day.

I took Ping to the airport on Friday, so she can resume her life in Thailand. She was our exchange student here for the past 11 months. It was a very sad day and I will miss her. She has agreed to provide me a tour of some sights in Thailand when we travel there someday. She is a delightful young woman and we became good friends.

Summer soccer slideshow

The intensity is real!

Patrick was in Eden Prairie MN playing some very hot soccer this past weekend. I think this goalie might have been a bit concerned about Patrick's ability to avoid mowing him down! That fancy headband he's wearing make's him look more intimidating.

An apparent spending spree...

And here I thought we were already living in a high tax state... guess once that's established it must not matter where you set the upper limit... interesting that we're setting a record - not one I'm particularly fond of...

Give the Wisconsin Democrats credit. When a tax burden is as onerous as Wisconsin’s, it’s hard to make it much worse. Yet, they’ve somehow managed to DOUBLE it. The following statement is so astonishing it needs special emphasis: The budget passed last week by state Senate Democrats has so many new taxes that fully half of the taxes included in it are being added this year. The Tax Foundation says it is the largest single increase in tax revenues as a percentage of a total budget in any state. Ever!

If the above paragraph isn’t staggering enough, the level of tax increase amounts to 6 percent of the state’s total gross domestic product. Again, that’s just the increase. It would be incredible enough to double the burden of a state with historically low taxes or one seeing huge population growth. But in Wisconsin, we already have one of the nation’s highest tax burdens and our population growth is a little behind the national average.

The Democrats in the Senate not only included every last one of Jim Doyle’s proposed $1.9 billion in new taxes and fees but added to them. They took Doyle’s "oil profits tax" (that’s gas tax hike in the real world) and increased and added to his sales tax expansion as well. But the biggest contributor to the tax increase that rocked the world is the inclusion of a 14.5 percent payroll tax to establish a statewide universal health insurance plan. That would amount to a tax increase of $15 billion a year.

The $15 billion is on top of all of the Doyle tax hikes - the one on hospitals, the one on nursing homes, the sales taxing of junk foods, the auto registration fee hike, the huge cigarette tax hike and the gas tax whopper. Is their goal to drive every last one of us out of here?

(Mark Belling is the host of a daily WISN radio talk show and a Sunday television show. His column typically runs Wednesdays in The Freeman.)

What no our town photo?

I was surfing to find Ian Miller's "ladder scene" photo which appeared in the July 5th edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. No luck locating it, just he caption... Laurie and I will get to see the show this evening!

What: Girl Friday's production of "Our Town"
When: Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday; continues through July 28
Where: Minneapolis Theatre Garage, 711 Franklin Ave. W.
Tickets: $18
Call: 612-729-1071
Photo
Ah, the old "Our Town" ladder scene. But Girl Friday Productions promises a different approach to the chestnut, featuring Ian Miller as George and Jenny Hollingsworth Kathman as Emily.
Copyright 2007 Saint Paul Pioneer Press

Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen

This is some new software at work providing some interesting looks into the changing world we live in. Way to go Hans!

That's Entertainment

Went to see Willie Porter at Stone's Throw in Eau Claire last night. (Recommendation from Laurie) Can honestly say I haven't seen anyone play guitar quite like that. He's a very engaging entertaining guy in addition to a spectacular guiatar player. One part of the show is described elsewhere as:

He's fun and he's playful, all the while he's tearing his guitar to shreds before your eyes. He does his version of an old folk trick that few attempt, and that is to solicit several unrelated topics from the audience, and write a song around them right on the spot and perform it.

He's a got a nine string guitar that makes some incredible sounds.

Loved it, go out of your way and catch this act if you can.