Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Madison Snow Report: Disappointing

The report reviewing city of Madison policies for removing snow is a disappointment.

The Review of Madison Snow Policies 

I am not going to go through the report in detail, but simply discuss the fatal flaws underlying the Madison response to the December 9, 2009 storm and other major storms of the past three years.

Over the past decade Madison has abandoned its basic commitment to snow removal.

The reduction in snow removal is factually supported  by the city budget, the inventory of the city snow removal fleet, the contracts for private plowing operations, and the miles of city streets.

A combination of factors conspired to produce this result:

• After 1999, Madison did not increase the budget for snow removal commensurate with inflation and growth.
• The city retired plowing vehicles and did not replace them.
• The city adopted winter parking policies for the downtown which made it more difficult for plows to navigate narrow car-choked streets, driving up snow removal costs.

No one will acknowledge this. Not one elected official has said a word. The news media chooses not to examine the facts.

While the report touches on 'the new ELAM program,' providing the public with "An Action Report,' and  'purchasing additional chains for plows to prevent them from getting stuck' it never address the elementary matter of public policy. 

Who Made the Decision in the Past Decade to Reduce This Basic Service?

All of this happened without a conscious decision by the legislative body, the Common Council.  While some commentators say, "Suck it in, get a life and learn to live with it," there are those of us who have a higher standard when it comes to the formulation of public policy.

We believe these matters should be publicly discussed with date and facts

Here is what we need to know:

• How much does it cost to fight a 6 inch or 15 inch storm if the city were to use the standards of the period from 1950-2000?
• How much additional equipment is needed from both the private and public sector?
• What are the costs of failure to efficiently combat such a storm?

• The cost to the school district for closing
• The cost to individuals and businesses in lost wages and revenues
• The environmental and financial cost of the resulting congestion

The Issue Was Never Properly Framed

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that one council member said the report was , "a responsible balance between preserving main thoroughfares and arteries as well as meeting neighborhood needs."

That is true if you accept the notion that the city is committing adequate resources to plowing in this storm or any other storm no matter how small or large.

The report, unlike a well reasoned undergraduate paper, never challenges the flawed premise that the only option is plowing the major streets and leaving the residential streets or plowing everything inadequately.

What Did Your Council Member Do?

Every member of the city council, especially those who served more than one term should tell us when they voted to reduce snow plowing and why they took that position.

Cieslewicz said he and other city officials framed the question during the last storm as an either/or one - pull all 30 plows from main streets or none of them.

They should explain how why they voted to cut back on snow removal so that the city was left with this problem.

One council member wrote,

Paul, it's true that the city is plowing more miles of street with less equipment and less staff per mile of street (not total). That's because technology (bigger and more reliable trucks) has made that possible. That's called efficiency and prudent use of resources (your tax dollars) to deliver services. So it's not true that comparing current data with 10 or 20 years ago would produce "an instant explanation of what went wrong" because the comparison itself is invalid.

Read this carefully and then ask these questions:

• Why did you decide to plow more miles of streets with less equipment?
• How much less equipment are you using now that compared to ten years ago?
• If modern technology and bigger more reliable trucks are out there, then why are the results 25% worse?
• How is efficient is it to save the city $100,000 and then watch the community lose millions of dollars in productivity, $250,000 in additional gasoline consumption as a result of the congestion, lower safety from increased accidents and the inability of emergency vehicles to navigate city streets, and the loss of business sales and sales tax revenues?

Why can't someone tell the truth? Why not admit that a series of decisions led to lower levels of service which resulted from a combination of conscious and unconscious decisions?

One More Thing 

The report states, "...there is evidence to suggest that extreme weather has been hitting Madison - and indeed the entire world..."

This lame introduction to the conclusion of the report is refuted by the report's own supporting documents, which includes the total snow for every winter since 1980-81. In the period from 1998-99 through 2006-2007, which covers nine winters, Madison had five seasons with less than 38.2 inches of snow and none of those seasons exceeded 55.2 inches.

If we look at every winter between 1980-81 and 1997-98 we see that of those eighteen winters, fourteen of those winters exceeded 41 inches of snow.

There were three winters with 71.2 inches or more, 1985-86, 1992-93, and 1993-94.

All that happened is that we are reverting to the norm.

My guess is that the relatively light winters from 2001-02 through 2005-06 lulled decision makers into complacency and contributed to the urge to cut back on snow removal.

 

 

Road Trip: Hot Dogs, Race Track, Elementary School Gym Teacher, 50 years.

Going back almost three decades, Bill Kessler, Frankie Pots and Pans, and I made regular trips to see live horse racing in Chicago. A combination of the introduction of off-track betting and our advancing age ended the practice almost fifteen years ago.

Determined to make a trip this year, we scheduled one for last Thursday. We were joined by Doug Moe of the Wisconsin State Journal, who not only enjoys horse racing but knows a good hot dog, and best of all, tells a great story.

Our itinerary was slightly altered when I got a surprise call from my elementary school gym teacher Ed O'Farrell, famous from that old spiritual, Go Down Moses*.

Coach was great then, and when we met him at Fat Tommy's he was as wonderful as I remembered him fifty years ago. Doug Moe wrote about our sojourn on Sunday,  

Colorful characters hit the track:

Before getting to Hawthorne, we stopped at a small restaurant called Fat Tommy's for another Soglin passion, a Chicago hot dog. We were joined by Ed O'Farrell, Soglin's 77-year-old former elementary school gym teacher. The two hadn't seen each other in 40 49 years and had recently reconnected on the Internet. They embraced.

After lunch, Kessler said, "Ed is a gracious gentleman."

Frank Pots and Pans nodded. "Something we're not used to."

I look forward to the next visit to see the Coach, another Chicago hot dog - (Fat Tommy's gets a B plus), a pleasant day of racing, and my Madison companions are great.

 

*Go down, Moses

Way down in Egypt's land

Tell O'Farrell

(To) let my people go.

At holiday assemblies our fifth grade class sang these lyrics repeatedly to the chagrin of our music teacher at Phillip Murray School in Chicago.

Madison Rail: Conservative Misconceptions About the RTA II

Yesterday in Madison Rail: Conservative Misconceptions About the RTA, I explained how the RTA works in Dane County.

Let us review.

The RTA is comprised of the Madison Metropolitan area, not Dane County. That is the city of Madison, and a number of surrounding cities (including Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, and Middleton), as well as several towns and villages.

Most knowledgable commentators know that the RTA is not coterminous with Dane County. I wish it were, but those who made the decisions did not heed my advice.

In any case, yesterday we discussed the proportional makeup of the RTA board in comparison to the population of the area served. Madison's mayor gets two of nine appointments. Madison's population is 70% of the district. It is not likely that the three appointments made by the governor and county executive will come from Madison. More likely, at least one of them will come from the towns in the RTA.

We received a comment yesterday from someone purporting to be David Blaska:

Paul, Madison has less than 50% of the population of Dane County. As I count the representation, Madison could well have 5 of the 9 members.

Mr. Whoeveryouare (I believe David Blaska is smarter than trying to pull such a distortion), why are you focusing on Dane County's population and Madison's population in proportion to Dane County?

We all know the RTA is not the same as Dane County. Why confuse people?

Madison Rail: Conservative Misconceptions About the RTA

This week I listened to the conservative spin on the regional transit authority (RTA) for the Madison metropolitan area in Dane County.

What they said was not wrong.

More important it was not right. In fact it is misleading. Misleading in the extreme.

Take the matter of the the composition of the nine person RTA board. The spin is that over 50,000 townspeople have no representation.

What they do not tell you is that Madison, with over 70% of the population, and which will provide well over 75% of the taxes, has two members of the nine.

The appointments are as follows:

The Governor 1, County Executive 2, Madison Mayor 2, each of three additional cities, Sun Prairie, Middleton, and Fitchburg, 1 each and the Dane County Cities and Villages Association 1 .

There is nothing to prevent the county executive or the governor from appointing a RTA member from a town. In addition, much of the population of the towns in question, such as the town of Madison and town of Burke, will be annexed to cities in the next decade.

The casual observer fed these conservative talking points believes that the city of Madison is dominating the RTA. Assuming that the Dane County executive appoints one town resident, that gives them one appointment for 53,000 people. The city of Madison, population over 212,000, gets one appointment for every 106,000 people.

Duh.

U.S. Airways Meets United Airlines: My bad

This is how the airlines make their money and why they deserve to be hated, starting with my former favorite airline, United and my new favorite for four days U. S. Airways.

This is a tale of airfare rules and more airfare rules.

I purchased a December ticket for one of my daughters last Wednesday on an UA flight which is also used by U.S. Airways. The price was about $420 two weeks ago, but I had to wait until she firmed up her travel dates. So here is what we had; all prices are for the exact same flights on the same dates:

• Price around September 9 purchasing through United: $420
• Price September 23 purchasing through UA: $740
• Price September 23 purchasing through US Airways: $574

I purchased the UA flight through US Airways for $574. Sunday night, while working on the seating assignments for the flights, I checked the fares again:

• Price September 27 purchasing through United: $540
• Price on September 27 purchasing through US Airways: $477

I called US Airways and asked to get the fare reduced to $477.

US Airways: Mr Soglin, I do not think you want to do that since this is a nonrefundable ticket and there is a $150 charge to reissue the ticket at the lower fare.

Mr Soglin: I thought that a passenger can get a lower fare if the price declines before departure.

YUS Airways: You can Mr. Soglin, but there is the $150 fee for reissuing the ticket.

Mr Soglin: You do not need to reissue the ticket, just credit me the $97.

US Airways: I am sorry Mr. Soglin but these are the rules.

Mr Soglin: Perhaps you can waive the rule?

US Airways: I cannot; the only person who can waive the rule is the CEO*

Mr Soglin: Freaking

* How to Get Money Back When Airfares Drop

Doug Moe Should Have Left Well Enough Alone: A Food Review Meant for the Alleys and the Bleachers

Buddy Doug Moe, a usually accurate societal crtiic, took the discussion in a new direction on Monday. In his latest food review Moe  writes Contender returns in fight for top dog:

Drastic times call for drastic measures, so maybe it is time to admit the possibility that the best Chicago hot dog for Madison isn’t a Chicago hot dog at all.

To Doug's credit he was up front about his betrayal. He distingushes between Chicago Hot Dog and any old hot dog. He betrayed Chicago and more importantly disgraced his idol, Mike Royko.

Let us review:

Chicago Hot Dog - a steamed Vienna Red Hot

The Works: optional to varying degrees, including hot or sport peppers, onions, diced tomatoes, pickle or cuke, celery salt, day-glow green relish, yellow mustard

Catsup: an accoutrement that does not belong in the same sentence or even paragraph with the aforementioned works.

Hot Dog: any variety of wieners, most not Kosher and all in need of repair; thus the introduction for a variety of adornments including chiles, cheeses, tacos sauces and whizzes.

Food reviewer: usually the top person at a newspaper that eats cheese and wines, expensive meats and 'veggies.' Anyone claiming to be a 'foodie' has no business passing judgment on a hot dog, let alone eating one.

Moe ventured to the edge of the cliff. Knowing of his treason he jumped and thought he could redeem himself by admitting failure to abide by The Rule of Royko, when he pronounced on the subject of catsup on a hot dog, "It was Royko who once explained why it is wrong to use ketchup by saying: “It is wrong because it is not right.”or, as restated by moi,

No one can be forgiven for putting catsup on a hot dog, any hot dog unless they are under the age of eleven. If you are over the age of ten, there are only two ways to order a Chicago Hot Dog - with "everything" (also "the works") or "everything but peppers." There are guys sleeping with the fishes in Lake Michigan who uttered the word catsup.

This essay expands and edifies on the fine points of the ingredients: A Chicago Hot Dog Review for Madison Worth Your Time

As for Falkenstein's review, she should be banned from sampling any important culinary delight. Her lead is, "It's hard to get too persnickety about a food that's usually sold out of stainless steel street carts or hawked from boxes at ballgames.."

An older post that will make your mouth water. The pics contained here are lifted from real menus from real places that serve real Chicago Hot Dogs. A short dissertation on the cuke induced more pics: More Chicago Hot Dogs - The Pickle and Mushy Buns (Ugh):

...raises the question of the pickle or 'cuke.'  The pickle that nestles alongside the hot dog is to be a 'new' pickle. One that has not been seasoned for a lengthy period of time. By definition that means it will crunch as the teeth penetrate.

Since you will not always have me around for guidance, when you check out unfamiliar street carts or stands in Chicago, and you want assurance that you are getting the real thing:

I watched the young woman take out the bun and carefully build my hot dog. Immediately I suspected there was something wrong. Missing was the the grizzled knuckles, hairy arms, the sweat dripping off her just as hairy brow, topped by a paper hat that looked like it been used to clean her shoes.

And that is my review on the newest place in Madison to offer hot dogs.

Watch Out for the Urban Sprawl that Accompanies the Commuter Train

The Capital Times asks Just how close is Dane County to getting commuter rail? 

On June 29, however, the Madison area saw arguably the biggest single step toward getting a regional transit system when Gov. Jim Doyle signed a state budget that included approval for Dane County to form a regional transit authority (RTA).

This is as good a time as any to recall that urban sprawl was introduced to this country by the train, not the accursed automobile. Whether we look to Long Island or Chicago's North Shore, it was efficient, swift rail, that opened the door to suburbanization eighty years ago.

This is not an argument to thwart the plans to bring commuter rail to Dane County, but it is a reminder that we must have rational and enforceable zoning that keeps development concentrated along the rail line, rather than subdivisions that bloom throughout county.

The benefits of rail, with its smaller carbon footprint than individual cars, the reduced congestion, and the ease of travel are compelling reasons to support the system. Hopefully the transportation planning will be accompanied by good land use planning.

Barack Obama and The Pirates

No sooner was Captain Phillips rescued and the talking heads provided political meaning to the event. In fact, many of them started the speculation within hours after the seizure of the merchant sea captain last week.

We can all speculate as to what this means for the future:

• An escalation of tactics by the pirates.
• An escalation by the international community to stop the piracy.
• A firm linkage between the pirates and political terrorists.

Before we look too far into the future, we should revisit the past.

During the 2008 presidential campaign there was speculation that Barack Obama could not respond to a crisis. It was hypothesized, that with no military training and no international diplomatic experience, he did not have the qualifications to lead.

Obviously that was not the case.

Leadership is comprised of many facets. One is the technical knowledge - the marksman skilled with a weapon, the social worker skilled in counseling, the computer programmer skilled in creating software.

Each one of these people takes knowledge of their craft, but it does not mean the leader has to have the exact experiences or profound knowledge of the specific profession.

Instead, the leader must analyze, make tough decisions, and take risks.

One errant shot by a Navy SEAL, which had nothing to do with Obama's decisions, and the outcome is different.

But Obama was willing to make the decision that allowed an optimum outcome.

So far, so good.

Why We Lost The Cold War

As a child growing up in the nineteen fifties there were plenty of reminders about the never-ending battle against Soviet Communism.

In and out of the classroom we knew of the value of our democracy, the freedoms we enjoyed as Americans.  We had open and free elections, though blacks could not vote in the South where the poll tax ensured the rule of whites. We could travel across our great country without having to show identification or answering to anyone as to our purpose, so long as there was no probable cause to stop us.

The differences were not limited to democratic values.

The virtues of capitalism were everywhere. In Poland, peasants stood in line for hours for a loaf of bread. In Moscow it took weeks, no months, to have a telephone installed. And the Soviet airline Aeroflot was a joke, United States Airlines Compete With Aeroflot - And Win :

At the height of the Cold War, Americans indulged in self congratulations when comparing our airline industry to the Soviet's Aeroflot. The rickety communist propelled travel provided images of a sweaty, husky commissar boarding an oversold but underfueled airplane, burdened with packages and a bottle of carry-on borscht.

As he worked his way into the seat, storing his chickens in the overhead compartment and his goats under the seat in front of him, he settled in next to an equally husky and sweaty peasant with a crying, soiled child -one  under each arm. If they were lucky, they would arrive at the scheduled destination city, and perhaps within twenty-four hours.

Onward

After the first of the year I was shopping at a big box store. The lines indicated it would take a half hour to check out. I asked the manager why there were so few clerks, "With the holidays over, no help to be had?" The response was frank and honest, "No, after the new year, we were instructed by regional to reduce our staffing to these levels."

My Facebook friends know that I spent over an hour on hold Monday with a life insurance company, a health insurance company, and a telephone company.

It was my fault trying to reach them on the first Monday after the holidays. Of course, I tried reaching them last week to no avail. There are only so many minutes one can waste on a cell phone.

Maybe the free-everything capitalists are right. We need competition. We need competition from the Communists. Then American corporations will start providing service.

Some of my friends probably think that the destruction of our Constitution under the second Bush reign with warrant-less search and seizures is a disaster. They probably think the telephone company turning over their phone records to the government without any legal authority is a travesty.

Screw the Bill of Rights.

The real travesty is the telephone company not answering the phone.

Praise Nordstroms. Praise the local Sundance 608 movie theater. Praise the Nitty Gritty. Praise the local Sentry.

 

 

 

Fuel Plummets; Airline fares soar

As we travel today, the busiest travel day of the year, it is important that we give thanks that the airline industry is not in line for a bailout.

For those in the Madison area, we can also take thanks that the Dane County Airport reduced landing fees in an effort to convince Northwest Airlines to increase its Madison load and resume more connecting flights to Minneapolis and Detroit. My beloved United Airlines and American Airlines are a lost cause.*

Rivaling the mismanagement and greed of the financial services industry and the automobile manufacturers, the airlines spent the last ten years lowering the quality of service, the frequency of service, the rate of on-time departures and landings, and the availability of seats.

And they raised the fares.

Some of you, dear readers, may recall that we were told that fare increases, baggage fees, the removal of seats and their replacement with orange crates, and the rationing of water on transcontinental flights were all the result of increased fuel prices.

Please note that fuel prices are half of what they were two four months ago and the lowest in five years.

Enough said.

*Dane County Regional Airport in Madison had the fourth-highest average domestic fare at $468. Cincinnati had the highest average fare at $595, followed by Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C. at $568; Knoxville, Tenn. at $524; Madison; and Grand Rapids, Mich. at $461.