Time to put the Captain of the Ship of Fools in Madison overboard.

[sybylla]

The CapTimes had a kick-ass editorial on Sen. Dave Zien's excessive mileage reimbursements this weekend.
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/index.php?ntid=57820&ntpid=11

Granted, the CapTimes doesn't get read much up here in Dave Zien's district, but the crap the media are flinging locally at this lunatic senator is starting to stick. There have been several local editorials as well on his anti-choice votes, his motorcycle reimbursements and his concealed carry bill to name a few. And this go-round his concealed carry bill seems to have less of a following than the last. He is a snake oil salesman who never answers a question he can avoid, even if avoiding it makes you question his sanity (like talking to local school board members not about the per pupil increase in aid from the state but about a rock in his office that someone has told him ancient Wisconsinites used to use as an ax:crazy:).

Which is why it gives me great joy to post this website here:
http://www.kreitlowforsenate.com/
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Pat Kreitlow, a former local news anchor, announced this past Saturday his candidacy for the 23rd Senate seat, currently held by Zien. I was at the Clark County Dem Party Annual Dinner on Saturday night and Pat was there. He gave an excellent speech - he's smart, articulate, media savvy and I think he has a great shot at defeating the Captain of the Ship of Fools. He certainly had a lot of support from local dems Saturday night.

Anyone who wants to see new leadership in Madison should consider starting with Pat Kreitlow. He's not taking on-line donations yet, but his snail-mail address is on his young website if you're interested in sending a few bucks his way.

Zien wants a $100 grand in the bank by December 31 and with WMC in his pocket, I'm sure he'll get it. Let's show him Democrats in the state of Wisconsin have taken the gloves off.B-)


edited to add the following link to Pat Kreitlow's PDF press release announcing his candidacy.
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/Oct05/Oct17/1017kreitlowsen23.pdf

[Dolomite]

1. I'm glad to see any politician put in the hot seat for wasting my money

But I really can't behind this one - see, my bike (a Honda Magna, not made in Wisconsin, like this politician’s Harley – and we all know how popular they are) gets (if I'm lucky) around 33 mpg (versus 28 in my car). My motorcycle's tires need to be replaced with greater frequency than any cars and they are twice as expensive. Then there’s the insurance.

At my work – no distinction is made between getting reimbursed for my vehicle’s travel costs whether I drive or ride. I don’t know any rider anywhere that claims half mileage expenses when they take their bikes out for work. Still, less of my money going into anyone else’s pockets is a good thing – so yeah – lower the rate motorcyclist politicians get – I’m all for it. We should charge them to heat their offices too.

Also interestingly enough, the Milw. J-S reported that Zien’s H-D has over 800,000 miles on it! I cannot fathom how much it would cost to keep a shit wagon (which is what Harley’s are) running that long – but $0.325 a mile ain’t going to be covering it – I can guarantee that Zien’s coming out on the short end on this one.

[sybylla]

2. I suppose the mileage and expenses vary between models

We had a 1979 Kawasaki 440 that got 40+ mpg and had no where near the expenses you talk about. So the reduced mileage rate seemed reasonable to me.

But we haven't had a motorcycle since that one was taken out by a small shitbox Tercel in 1985 while my hubby was on his way to work. Since 1990 we've lived on gravel roads and they aren't pleasant on a motorcycle. So we've never bothered to replace it. Perhaps things are different now and just as cars have dropped in mileage, so have motorcycles.

I understand you're not trying to defend Zien. I agree that with current gas prices, reimbursement rates are a bit of a joke anyway and could certainly move up a bit to compensate. But I never believed they were ever intended to cover all expenses. How can they when they aren't based on actual expenses but rather doled out piecemeal?

I would also point out, as the editorial against Zien's mileage does, that this is a government job consuming taxpayer's money. As a legislator, it is shameful that Zien only sees a need to conserve the taxpayer's money when it involves giving poor women birth control. The criticism within the editorial has basis, as far as I'm concerned, beyond the mileage rates themselves.

As a side note, I find it particularly interesting that he claimed, at the rate of 32.5 cents, 46,150+ miles in two and a half years. He claims he puts these miles on traveling his district which is about 150 miles end to end. Considering you can only drive a motorcycle 6-8 months of the year, I can't figure out how it is I've never seen the guy cruising my part of the district even once when it wasn't a campaign stop. :shrug:

[MadAsHell]

3. I would add a point here ...

Rules is rules ...

If you calming car mileage reimbursement when you are riding a motorcycle and there is a motorcycle reimbursement rate in the policy then you are perpetrating a fraud. You can agrue about the fairness of a two tier system or the rates but you can't just blow off the rules.

If you did that with your employeer you would be looking for a new job...

[ewagner]

4. Beyond the rate issue

there is the business of Zein traveling to campaign for other Repubs and whether he charged the State for the mileage.