What Did I Miss?

I’m back from Key West and ready to get back to work. But first, what did I miss while I was gone? Here’s what I saw; fill me in on anything else. Preferably, not anonymously, so I am more likely to believe you….

* Former Senator William Proxmire was memorialized at the State Capitol on Friday. Proxmire was perhaps best remembered by me as the last person in the state to be able to campaign on his vision, issues and a personal handshake, rather than on his fund raising prowess. Proxmire regularly spent less than $200 to get elected to the U.S. Senate. Today, most U.S. Senators can’t get through happy hour on that. Of course, Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl are exempted from that dig….

* Vice President Dick Cheney shot his friend. Oops. And he forgot to tell anyone about it for awhile. Guess it must have been for national security reasons…right?

* Legislative Republicans continued to ignore Governor Jim Doyle’s call for a special session on helping the public pay for record-high heating costs. Instead, GOP leadership took off for several $1000 plus fundraisers in Washington D.C. I hope people can use GOP political paraphernalia to heat their homes this winter.

* And today, GOP leadership is having an invited testimony ONLY “public hearing” on their newest incarnation of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The bill, first introduced formally on Monday, is being fast-tracked for the legislature to pass before the rumored end-of-session date of March 9. Does anyone else have a problem with a public hearing being held without public input? I guess the GOP is afraid to hear what the public thinks about it. And that’s the Republican agenda for 2006?

So what else did I miss?

Anyway, I’m back and ready to rumble. The next month will be a flurry of legislative activity, with all sorts of important issues coming before us. Issues like allowing eight year olds to hunt, banning already banned civil unions and same sex marriage, TABOR and much more. I’ll keep you posted. I’m guessing it will be a hoot.