A fellow named Todd Berry from the Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance came to the Janesville Community Brainstorming Session. It was held at Holiday Inn Express and Convention Center today. The gathering was apparently the epiphany of Janesville City Manager Steve Sheiffer (sidewalks-will-save-the-economy-Sheiffer). The impetus is, what do we do now that the economic reality beast is looming upon us. Berry droned on about how wonderful Rock County is. He prattled on about how lucky we all are. He cited statistics about how productive our regional higher education facilities are: UW - Madison; UW - Whitewater; Beloit College; Madison Area Technical College; Blackhawk Technical College; and, UW - Rock.

    I got a sick feeling as I looked out over the kind of crowd that gathers on a Thursday afternoon. No blue-collar folks in that bunch: Media; chamber of commerce types; city and county elected officials; and of course, retirees. The big modern hall reminded me of the banquet room on the Titanic. The people reminded me of the people stepped on by Godzilla as his reptilian foot crashes through the ceiling. No mention of all the graduates that have fled Rock County for a generation. No mention of my blue-collar colleagues that have been economically crushed and moved away.

    Only, two questions were allowed to Mr. Berry, and one was actually a statement just repeating what Berry had just said. My God, I thought. I actually felt sorry for these people. I don't know why? These are the same handlers of our play house that never give me an interview apparently because I am over 50. I have four college degrees acquired after 50 years old, and have not missed a day of work in 10 years. So, don't give me any crap about it being my fault! And don't give me any crap about how I should move to another state like the people at the Rock County Job Center keep suggesting. This is my home - it is the area I grew up in! I have moved before to find work - it is an awful lifestyle to up-root every 10 years because the handlers of our economic system are inept. 

    I have done what the experts suggest. Find something others will not do and/or are afraid to do. See you in Iraq next year for a third media project then. But, the caveat is this - the Brainstorming Session will most likely be a feel-good session for those who now are agonizing over whether they have some culpability in this mess we call the American economy. And, if they ever get their act together and actually give me or other "re-tooled" older graduates an interview for some/any job even with an ounce of dignity attached to it, then perhaps the cynicism from my level may ebb a bit. I certainly would not wallow around in a war zone if someone gave me a chance at even a rough-around-the-edges decent job. I would even accept a bone, a peck on the economic cheek.  

    But I am kidding myself. The real jobs are leaving and have been leaving for some time - but I suspect there will have to be several more Community Brainstorming Sessions before Janesville even marginally admits there may be a problem.  It will probably be like a drug addict or alcoholic that finally looks around an empty, six-months-rent-past-due apartment and suddenly decides the addiction is everyone elses' fault. 

    Good luck "Brainstormers" - you will need it. 

                            Wisconsin military service person of the week

    Army Major Christopher J. Splinter, 43, from Platteville died the day before Christmas Tuesday, December 24, 2003, when his vehicle struck a bomb on Highway 1 near the city of Samarra, Iraq.  The area of the incident is north of Baghdad according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Splinter was assigned to Headquarters Company, the 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, based at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned Splinter graduated from Platteville High School in 1979. He later attended and earned a degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and also joined the ROTC program. The Journal Sentinel went on to say Splinter graduated and earned his commission in 1990 and had been on active duty in the Army since then. Major Splinter had shipped out to Iraq in July 2003. The Journal Sentinel also noted Splinter had been married to his high school sweetheart, Penny (Barton) Splinter, for 18 years. The couple have two children: a son, Mitchell, 13, and a daughter, Rachel, 10. Major Splinter was the ninth Wisconsin military service person to die in the Iraq war since Spring 2003. 

                                           As of this blog entry's posting date:

    85,141 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
    
    8,389 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    4,104 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    522 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    313 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    328 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    30,209 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    2,071 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    90 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    10 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    129 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    15 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

Soldier of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; and, icasualties.org.