The other night, I was listening to the police scanner, when there
was a call for an officer to check on a girl because she had told
her mother on the phone that she had cut her wrists. The
mother lives in a different city, so she could not go check on her
herself. So, an Antigo policeman was disbatched to the
address.  After a little time had passed, the policeman came
back on the radio to say something along the lines of, “She
only said it to get back at her mom”, and “she has no
intention of harming herself, she has family with her, a cousin.”
and the policeman left.

It has always been my understanding that this type of thing is
NOT a judgment call for the police to make. Every time I have
ever heard of the police catching wind that someone MAY be
suicidal, it meant a mandatory stay at the Wausau Health
Care Center for an evaluation.  I would assume because the
people at the Health Care Center CAN make the call on
whether or not someone is truly suicidal.  I would also assume
that the reason the police don’t make those kind of judgment
calls is because if someone did harm themselves AFTER the
police had been there, the police dept. may get sued.

I didn’t hear anymore, so I am assuming that the call that was
made was correct.  Even so, that doesn’t mean that something
can’t happen in the future to the girl and maybe a stay at the
Health Care Center could have helped her.  If that were a
family member of mine, or someone I knew, I would most
certainly make a complaint against the Antigo Police.

..

The Canadian government is now requiring seal hunters to make
sure their seals are dead before skinning them. Seal hunters have
always just clubbed their prey unconscious, then taken their pelts
before the seals wake up, apparently in the belief that the seals
would re-grow their fur and be available for harvesting again next
year. Now they have to cut the veins under the animals’ flippers
to make them bleed to death before they can start skinning.

This strikes me as being unwarranted government interference in
free enterprise. The notion of incremental harvesting really needs
to be expanded, not constrained, especially in these parlous
economic times. Mink farmers could skin their mink alive, and
come back for more pelts when the fur regrows. Fishermen could
slice off some filets from their catch, and throw the rest back to
regenerate. Puppy mills have shown that animals don’t really need
much room or food or care to breed, so you’d think pig farmers
could slice off a sow’s hams and shoulders, and maybe a loin or
two, and still use her for breeding.

This Canadian model of interference in harvesting could put a real
crimp in the animal products business. What if we were required
to kill chickens before taking their eggs? Or kill cows before
taking their milk? I would predict some serious price increases
when that happens.

The last thing we need in this economy is for ethics and morality
to take command over common sense profitability . A resurgence
of morality would not only damage the economy, but it would
doom all politics, as well! We had better knick this one in the butt
before it gets out of control!

====

According to reports in the Antigo Daily Journal, the Hardees in
Antigo is now closed. It sounds as though no warning was given
and the manager was not commenting on the situation.

You can read the Journal article here:
http://antigodailyjournal.com/full.php?id=7525

How sad this is, another Antigo business closed.

..

Apparently after a long & difficult run, Lisa’s Truck Stop has now
closed for business. The business has not done well for quite
some time now. It was formerly the M&L Truck Stop. It is sad
to see another business closing it’s doors.

..

The cost of living in Wisconsin is much less than in, say,
California, but, have you ever really thought about what the cold
weather actually costs us?
Not only does your home heating bill go up, but, what about the
cost of winter coats, hats, scarfs, and gloves. Not to mention
the extra costs for your vehicle, adding heat to your gas, the
gas you waste while your car “warms up”. The extra car washes
to help remove the salt from the roads. Is the life of your vehicle
is also shortened due to cold weather? I would have to guess
Yes to that one. How about the cost for shovels, snowblowers,
and sidewalk salt.
So, if it’s so terrible, why do we live here? I would speculate that
close to 80% of those who live in cold states like Wisconsin, do it
because of family and friends. If we didn’t have a reason that was
extremely important, we wouldn’t live here.
So, during this holiday season, please take a moment to think
about why you do live here and what is really important to you.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

..

Wisconsin legislators are giving themselves a 5.3% salary
increase to celebrate their competence and devotion to duty,
just like the Wall Street executives collecting bonuses for their
finely-honed financial acuity. While it’s nice to see someone
making out all right in these trying times, my enthusiasm for
supporting our legislators is tempered by my unfortunately
fondness for rational thinking.

These well-over-paid legislators are the same folks who kow-tow
to the misguided tavern owner’s league and think they are
standing up for Second Amendment Rights by refusing to pass
smoking bans for Wisconsin’s public-access businesses. It’s
interesting to note that Wisconsin is surrounded by states that
have already enacted such bans, putting us once again at the
lonely end of the science, health, and enlightenment train.

This is the same gaggle of clowns who, in 1998 sold our 25 year,
$5.9 billion tobacco settlement payment in exchange for an
immediate $1.3 billion cash deal to squander on inept budgeting
and administration. That’s right, folks - you voted for a gang of
idiots who gave away four-fifths of a bird-in-hand for a one-fifth
transitory chirp in the bush.

But, after all, the well-dressed and carefully neck-tied legislature’s
salary increase is nicely packaged, carefully worded, and
completely legal, proving once again the truth of Voltaire’s
assertion that, “To succeed in today’s world, it is not enough to
be stupid. One must also be well-mannered.”

====

Just so you won’t think I make this stuff up, let me quote from
the Antigo Daily Journal’s own web page -
http://www.antigodailyjournal.com/full.php?id=7403 ….

“Massive Servco FS building takes shape
“Dec. 9, 2008
“One of Antigo’s more unique—and hidden—building projects is
quietly rising from the rubble of the former Langlade Lumber
Company boiler house.

“Servco FS, which owns the complex that long-ago was home to
the company and its massive boiler house, is in the midst of
constructing a massive fertilizer storage building, one of three
projects underway at the sight.

“In his monthly report to the Antigo Common Council, Building
Inspector-Assessor Jerry Wilhelm detailed a number of
commercial projects underway, including the truly massive FS
structure.”

And the cutline (description) for the accompanying picture:
“Servco FS is continuing work on a massive fertilizer storage
building, which will be six stories tall when completed….”

I would quote more, but I have tears “underway at the sight”, and
consequently can’t read the rest of this massive story. So I’ll
never learn how a “more unique” construction project can be
“quietly rising from the rubble”. And in case you’re wondering
what else might be massive in Antigo, “massive” appears in
another headline, and in the cutline for a deerhunter-with-deer
picture, in that same December 9 issue of ADJ. Was “massive”
the “word for the day” on the ADJ desk calendars?

Who pays the Antigo Daily Journal’s alleged “writers”? And, why?

====

I have heard recently that the community leaders or council of
Antigo want to even FURTHER cut back on the bus services
in our area. They are thinking about cutting a driver and a day
or so a week. (I don’t know what else at the moment.) With
having them take so much away already and how it benefits
our community, I was just wondering why they don’t cut
somewhere else. Has anyone else heard anything about this?
(I was told no one was supposed to know and we still aren’t
until they make their decision.) Shouldn’t we, as citizens of
Antigo, know?

..

I’ve got a good site for Antigo Daily Journal’s “Hidden Places”
crew to investigate. In fact, Editor Fred Berner should be really
hot to get the crew out there to dig around, since it’s in his very
neighborhood and should be, but isn’t, on the same tax roll that
extracts school tax money from him.

This “Hidden Place” is Elcho’s Sno-Devils snowmobile club
headquarters. And the reason it qualifies for “hidden place” is
that it has successfully hidden from tax assessment for about
29 years. Yup, the club owns property, like you do, but doesn’t
pay taxes on it, like you do.

When Fred sends his crew of crack investigative reports out on
this exploration, they’ll likely find that the Sno-Devils own a
$100,000 dedicated-purpose building and about $350,000 or so
worth of trail-grooming equipment and the like, all parked rent-free
on township land. That’s about a half-million in taxable property
that’s not being taxed because the assessor doesn’t want to do
his job, the town board doesn’t want to do its job, and the state
tax assessment authorities think that sending out an advisory
letter that’s ignored by its recipients is the only part of their job
that they’re really obligated to do. “No follow-up, please. We’re
Wisconsin governmental officials. Enforcement is just not our
thing.”

What’s the big deal? Not much. Maybe $5,000 or $6,000 a year.
The authorities could go back two years, plus the current year, for
payments, so that’s maybe $15,000 to $18,000… if they get
assessed. But, so far, it looks like they won’t get tagged. See
the previous paragraph, on governmental officials’ responsibilities
and obligations.

But what the heck, we can all just chip in to cover the Sno-Devils
shortfall, right? We’ve been doing it for 29 years or so, and might
as well keep on doing it. No sense getting a bunch of good ol’
boys and girls like the fun-loving Sno-Devils all riled up about
“Doing the Right Thing”, is there? After all, paying taxes is just
for people who don’t know how to get out of paying them, right?

====

Lack of Enforcement of Langlade County Zoning
and Junk Ordinances

My comment is on the lack of enforcement by the County for
ordinances they passed. One is the Junk Ordinance which lists
the definitions of “junk”, specifically spells out what is not
allowed, and specifically spells out the consequences and
options that the County can take to enforce this ordinance.
As I’m sure many other readers agree, there are many
properties in this County that are cluttered with multiples of
junk vehicles, campers, cages, tires… and the list goes on.
With the high price for metals these days, there is no reason
why cleanup should not take place. If a resident refuses to
comply with the Junk Ordinance, the Zoning Office has the
option to get a court order for the clean up; there are recycle
businesses that could go in and clean up the property - and
the property owner would be billed - if payment is refused,
the cost can be assessed to their tax bill. Before moving here,
we contacted the Zoning Administrator and voiced our
concern about the junk that abounds in this county; we were
told about the Ordinance and that the County is cracking
down. Since moving here, we have gotten nowhere in trying
to get the County to follow their own ordinance - we have
been on the agenda of both our Town and the Land Use &
Planning Committee. Our Township followed the directions
given to them by the County, but when it came time for the
Zoning Office to hold up their end of the Ordinance - they
refused to get an order for property cleanup - and the
property in question remains an eyesore. When I stated to
the Zoning Administrator that the Ordinance is very misleading
to people relocating here, giving us the idea that the County is
cracking down and wants to stop these junk collectors, I was
told that if I think it’s misleading, then the County should do
away with the ordinance because they consider it the lowest
priority anyway. What kind of answer is that! The Junk
Ordinance was passed by the County Board, not just the
Land Use & Planning Committee!

The Land Use & Planning Committee also has authority to
enforce the Zoning Ordinance - which can control the number
of animals on a property, depending on its zoning status. I live
next to a property that is zoned AFR which has strict
instructions as to the number of animals allowed per acre.
I again met with this Committee numerous times, as well as
talking to the Zoning Administrator. A site visit was finally
made, but no followup was done to force a reduction in the
animal population on the property in question. I have no
problem with people having more animals then the Zoning
Ordinance allows if the animals are provided decent shelter,
food, and have the amount of land defined by the Zoning
Ordinance vs. being confined in areas so small they can hardly
walk around. That is blatant animal neglect! While I am well
aware that the Zoning Office does not get involved with animal
neglect, they definitely have the power to enforce the County
Zoning Ordinance, and by doing that, it would often time get
animals out of neglect situations. But again, the Zoning
Administrator refuses to enforce this County Ordinance. Even
when I told her I could have homes waiting to take in animals
that would be removed so the County did not have to worry
about that part of it, nothing was done. Again, a site visit was
made, but there was no followup or enforcement, and many
of the animals on this property continue to live in filthy,
cramped conditions.

By the way, it is the same property that is in blatant violation
of both the Junk and Zoning Ordinances.

I wish there were many more people in this County that are
sick and tired of looking at the glaring eyesores of junk - or
seeing animals kept in unhealthful and stressful conditions -
problems that can be addressed through the County
Ordinances in place.

..