Wisconsin

For some reason every job I've had the last 15 years has sent me to Wisconsin. I've been a few times and I'm going back this April.

The reason I'm going back is to attend a Financial Management conference scheduled months and months ago with regard to schools. It will be fun to hear about how they're handling things in that state given the protests in the Capitol building.

One thing that I find pretty interesting as I watch is the deliberate attempt to put a halt to business by breaking their quorum rules. Right now their state Senate assembly can only operate as a committee. Could you imagine if Federal lawmakers in Washington DC left the country to stop the healthcare bill?

Breaking a quorum to stop business is a normal parliamentary trick that is used but it's only real helpful when there are time limits set to certain types of business. The idea is that you can just wait out business based on rules that the assembly uses but in this case the legislation will wait and in fact since the remaining legislature exists as the only operating committee they are forfeiting all of the priorities of the assembly over this one issue. The democrats to fled the state are counting on protesters to bully the remaining assembly into changing their mind.

Overall this may be a good thing as the legislature can't "fix" all of their state's other problems. Maybe a shutdown of government will help people understand how little they need it most of the time.

CPAC

I could never go to CPAC. I know this to be true of myself. When I find myself in the same room with nutbar conservatives I get very uncomfortable. Hell, sometimes I'm uncomfortable hanging around other libertarians as there is usually one that jabs his elbow into my ribs and says "You know 9/11 was an inside job, right?"

So anyway, Ron Paul won the straw poll. He got 30% of the votes and you know what it means? It means that his Campaign for Liberty did a good job of organizing people to go to CPAC because paleo-conservatives and libertarians love pissing off neo-conservatives. I know...it sounds crazy to mention all these fringe groups in the same sentence, but it's true.

Ron Paul cannot win the election and more importantly cannot win a Republican primary. Too many Republicans want our military might bossing the world around, a fence to keep Mexicans in Mexico (unless they're watching their kids or doing their laundry) and of course they want gay people back in the closet...especially gay people in their own party. Insane.

The real news is that a relatively unknown candidate who introduced himself to CPAC came in a distant 3rd place with 6% of the vote. A guy who I endorsed in December of 2009. I like Gary Johnson and if he runs he will get my vote...no matter what Ron Paul decides to do.

Ron Paul should not run because he actually has a role to play in congress. His job there at a significant time in this nation is just too important. We need more sensible Republicans in congress like Ron Paul...and fewer like the current Speaker of the House.

I'll be posting on a bunch of non-political stuff soon...promise.