Daily Dose of BS March 23 snow

I am not surprised that we have snow on the ground today.  After the few weeks of nice weather and shorts for a few days, winter has returned to the Upper Midwest.  Funny how on Friday when it wasn’t winter that I didn’t even think of snow now heading into day three of Spring we have a few inches of snow.  By the way because of this snow I lost a lunch bet to my friend at News 8.  I will pay up Michelle.  Were you of the thought that snow was done prior to our last fling with winter?  I was, in fact was ready to put the shovels up in the rafters of the garage a few days ago, I am glad that I wasn’t motivated to do so otherwise I would be back on the ladder bringing them down again.  I know I don’t need to remind you but feel I should say it, drive safe and remember it isn’t a race to get to or from work.  

DailyDose of BS March 13 obese

If you live in Puerto Rico and you have an obese kid, you could be labeled a child abuser.  What?  Their potential new law would allow social workers to open a child neglect case and fine parents 500 bucks if there is no progress in 6 months and even more money if there isn’t progress in a year.  I know as a former fat kid and current big man that shaming people into weight loss is not the way to do it.  If you have confidence and know who you are and are not going to take any guff from people than good for you, maybe these governments should also then start fining parents of bullies and parents of kids that can’t get the presidential fitness award.  Let a kid be a kid, I am guessing it is hard enough being one in today’s society.  

Daily Dose of BS March 12 protest peaceful

Hey America!  Look to Madison to see how to protest.  I think that in Wisconsin we are pretty good at protesting, heck we have had many protesters over the past handful of years.  In fact the Governor and his signing of the right to work law and now the unfortunate shooting death from last weekend, the state has been out protesting but protesting in a peaceful way.  I don’t understand why this morning we heard about the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri.  And this was supposed to be a peaceful gathering because of the chief resigning.  There are riots, and throwing of things and fighting, I just don’t get it.  As a country we need to band together, hell other countries from around the world hate us, we should show the rest of the world that we don’t hate us that we even if we don’t love each other that we can work toward tolerating each other.

Daily Dose of BS March 11 Hillary

I watched the Hillary Clinton news conference yesterday afternoon.  I didn’t believe it, because it looked as though she is not telling the truth, when addressing the media Hillary’s eyes are looking all around and she didn’t make sense.  Hillary said she didn’t want to be inconvenienced with a second cell phone, excuse me?  As the Countries leading diplomat you didn’t want to carry two phones, what if you win the presidency will you be inconvenienced with having to carry two phones then?  When you are in a high power government job you would think that a second small phone wouldn’t be an inconvenience, how many commoners or regular people carry a second phone.  Also I don’t know about you but I have multiple email accounts set up on my phone, and they all work.  I am not buying her excuses.  

Daily Dose of BS March 10 protests

Top of mind topics include the civil rights movement, the student movement, the anti-War movement, the women’s movement, the gay rights movement, and the environmental movement.  These issues sound about right, don’t they?  They sound like topics pulled from today’s headlines, right.  It is 2015 why are we still seeing color, why does it matter if people want to get married?  Are we sliding back to the 1960’s, it sounds like it, and the list at the top were protests from the 1960’s.  Have we become stagnant as a country?  Are we fighting just to fight?  In the past 50 years we have had both political parties in charge, we have had different thoughts and practices to address these issues, yet we are still fighting the same demons.  Here is an idea, let’s all get along let’s put our problems aside and come up with peaceful solutions.  

Daily Dose of BS March 9 time change

Parts of Arizona, parts of Indiana, and all of Hawaii have it right…leave the time alone.  I hate the time change…I hate changing the clocks, I hate that when spring rolls around I get one less hour of sleep, in fact this past weekend we only had a 47 hour weekend, and as I am getting older I hate that my body doesn’t seem to cooperate with the change as it once did.  Lets address these three issues… 1- I hate changing my clocks, well La Crosse Technologies has helped with this, however, I finally got my microwave and stove to show the same time, now with the change and they are off again, and when I changed my watch, I changed the date by mistake (I have an old school analog watch). Number 2- you lose an hour of sleep, I for one am smart enough to listen to my body when tired I sleep and when my alarm rings I get up, weekends are no different.  Bringing me to my 3rd issue that my body is not as elastic as it once was, I was up an hour past my bed time last night…why..because that is how I trained my body the past 6 months or so.  Come fall I am going to be tired an hour after my alarm rings.  Let’s all get together and ban the time change, or have a compromise the next time and switch it by 30 minutes and call it good.  

Daily Dose of BS March 6 bulk buying

How often do you buy in bulk?  I find myself looking for deals quite often but have at times bought stuff and ended up paying more for it in the long run.  Almost every day for breakfast I have yogurt mixed with granola and I tend to buy the whole thing in bulk, a big yogurt and a box of granola.  When is it good to buy in bulk and when isn’t it?  I read that often times stores will charge more per ounce for a larger container.  What if anything do you buy in bulk and what don’t you every buy in bulk?

Daily Dose of BS March 5 censorship

Should the internet be censored?  I was poking around on facebook the other day and came across a video of a person laying on the ground and some smarty pants saying above it, I clicked on it and the video showed someone shooting the face off of someone else, and then the shooter proceeded to keep shooting until the head was blown off, this is unacceptable, I don’t want to watch this and don’t want people to think that this is ok.  What in the world are we allowing to be seen online?  Before I was a dad I used to be of the belief that there should be no parental lyric displays, that everyone should have access to everything seen and heard, I remember saying that I really wouldn’t care what my kids would listen to, guess what once you have kids that changes in an instant.  I am not for censoring any speech, and do still believe that we should have access to all - but how do we limit what kids especially young kids have access to online and on the air?

Daily Dose of BS March 4 guns

Dumb idea Governor.  I am all for the conceal carry laws and for law abiding Americans to carry guns, but it is a decision, and a decision that is not to be made lightly to own a gun.  There is currently a 48 hour waiting period on picking up a handgun, and I bet that the 48 hours of wait time can be tough to wait for.  I recall when I was a kid and waiting for the summer trip or waiting for the big test, or just about any wait for something that you wanted.  48 hours is a long time, but it is also a time for reflection, and I really feel as though a 48 hour wait on a hand gun is an acceptable time period.  I also know that if you wanted to get a gun and knew the wrong person or in this case the right person that you would be able bypass the typical 48 hour wait.  Nothing is wrong with a little patience especially when it could be life changing.  

Daily Dose of BS March 3 cell phones

I just read that you shouldn’t use your cell phone while you are trying to charge it, the quote was using your phone while trying to charge it is like filling a bucket with a hole in the bottom.  I find that with the exception of when I am working, sleeping or driving I am looking at almost all the time, and when at work I am using it to communicate when not talking on the air.  I am in almost constant contact with someone, and I don’t even know why I am.  I think about the amount of time that people waste on their phones each and every day.  For me it used to be even worse but I took angry birds, and ninja fruit off my phone.  I still have to charge my phone a couple times a day, and I do use it when I am charging it.  Does your phone last the day on a charge or do you have to constantly find a place to plug in to also?  

Daily Dose of BS March 2 open records

The state of Wisconsin has an open records law that seems quite troubling, if you are a marketer, you can request each of a school districts students name, address, picture, etc.  This needs to end.  Not tomorrow or the day after but today.  I worry about the pedophiles, and other weirdos that are looking for names, and addresses of kids.   What even brought this up is that a marketing firm that is looking to market the school voucher program wants to send school paraphernalia to parents of kids to get them to jump to private school using the voucher program.  This is another program that I don’t get; don’t we have good schools in the state?  I appreciate that there are religious schools available and other non-traditional schools out there, but if you want to go to them, shouldn’t that be on your dime?  Am I missing something?  Anyway back to my first thoughts, I don’t want the names and ages of my kids being given to anyone, let alone a marketing group, is nothing sacred anymore?  

Daily Dose of BS Feb 27 drinking

Being smart begins with choices.  We have all heard the news stories about how a couple drinks can be good for you and may help your heart but only a couple.  More reports are coming out that say low-to-moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a reduced risk of heart attack. It’s not clear if it is all types of alcoholic beverages, cause I my favorite is an ice cold beer or perhaps a good whiskey it also says that there is an increased risk of harm when drinking goes from moderate to heavy saying that having 6 or more drinks in the past 24 hours is associated with a 40% increased risk of heart attack, isn’t that how most people drink?  They binge and average out the couple a day over a weekend?  Whatever the case for you and your group of friends, be careful this weekend, and be safe, also remember that buzzed driving is drunk driving.  

Daily Dose of BS Feb 26 right to work

When I moved to La Crosse back in 1992 it was to work at a radio station.  When I was hired they had me sign a three month no compete, and said that even if I didn’t sign it that Wisconsin was or wasn’t a right to work state I don’t remember but I remember that they said that my non-compete it would hold up in court.  I had no idea what Right to Work meant then, and I still have no idea what a Right to Work State means to me now.  I have never been in a union, nor do I ever see myself being in one since I am a middle aged radio personality and don’t see myself moving from this market anytime soon.  From what I understand the proposal in Wisconsin would make it a crime to require private sector workers who aren’t in a union to pay dues.  If it truly is that simple, I don’t get the problem, but I am assuming that since the government is involved that it is much more than just that.  Supporters say it’s about workers freedoms, while detractors say it will hurt businesses and lower wages.  Since I really don’t know, how can wages be lowered or how can it hurt business by making this a right to work state?  

Daily Dose of BS Feb 24 cans

I admit it I was wrong.  I was upset and complaining about the garbage cans and recycling that was forced down our throats about a year ago.  I complained too soon.  When the big 96 gallon garbage can was dropped off and the equally sized recycling bin was also dropped off I was like right my family of six will fill that up and nothing will go in that huge recycling bin.  Ha I was wrong and glad I was, I love the system, it cleaned up my alley, the 96 gallons for trash is plenty in fact I asked my single neighbor if she could get the bigger cans just so I would have room for excess trash, we have only added to her recycling bin, we went from just a few recycling items to 96 gallons of recycled stuff every other week.  It takes a big man to admit it but as I started out, I was wrong.  

Daily Dose of BS Feb 23 safety

Does the 1982 Men Without Hats song Safety Dance come to mind after Al Shabaab calls for an attack on the Mall of America?  I am not making light of the fact that the Mall of America is being called out by name, but I really did start hearing the beat of that song when I first read about the called for act in Minnesota.  I wonder how many people take these threats seriously.  Did the call for violence or terrorism stop you from going to a mall over the weekend?  I was out by the mall yesterday and it didn’t seem as though in La Crosse that any less people worked their way to the mall.  Do we let threats dictate our lives?  I think if we are all vigilant and if we see something that seems off or odd that we say something and look out for each other that we will have that much more of a chance of being safe.  I hope that we don’t live our lives in fear over the ranting of one person or another or that we let someone words put a damper on our lives.  

Daily Dose of BS Feb 20 words to live by

We all have words to live by, things that we want to pass on to our kids.  My Dad always used to say that a moment of laxity can cause an eternity of regret, when I was younger I didn’t know what that meant, I do now.  We all have those bits of advice that we have heard from mentors, what are some that you have heard?  Some of my favorites include - Give at least one genuine compliment every day.  Take responsibility for what you did.  Promise to do better next time … and actually mean it.  Help people without expecting things in return. And finally try to see the good in people … including yourself.  What are some of the words that you live by? 

Daily Dose of BS Feb 19 customer service

Customer service is on top of my mind this morning as I had conversation about it yesterday and heard a national story about how Walmart is at the bottom of the food chain and has become America’s Most Hated Store.  I am taking a class on customer service and time and time again the store gets called out by students.  I don’t think I agree with having the pleasure of being the worst, but they still have a long way to go to crack the top ten.  I like when I shop at a place and there are staff members around to answer questions about whatever I am looking for, and I feel as though not only are the big guys lacking on this but often times some of the smaller chains have these same issues.  We as Americans are always pushing for low cost items, having customer service, and I mean good customer service costs money.  I think that paying a fair price for something and getting great customer service is better than paying the rock bottom price and no customer service.  What are some extremes of service you have received?  

Daily Dose of BS feb 18 stickers

When my kids were young I always loved seeing the bumper stickers that said inappropriate things.  The questions that followed were always welcome.  There was a truck that used to be on the South Side of La Crosse that had he vinyl lettering that said my other toy has (begins with t ends with t and has an I in the middle) I remember that conversation with my kids like it was yesterday.  On the internet we see lots of people post what they think is funny or those who want to make a political statement, in fact the other day I say someone post the bumper sticker on their facebook page that said “I work hard because millions on welfare depend on me”.  What brought this up as a topic is yesterday when driving home from work I saw a car ahead of me with pink on the trunk, I drove up on it to see what the pink tape was for and the owners of the vehicle had written in bright pink duct tape across the trunk of the car “Walker Sucks”.  I also recall seeing a few bigger stickers with the frequently asked questions monogram lettered on the back of a few vehicles which is fine until you phonetically say the letters together.   

Daily Dose of BS Feb 17 ash trees

I just read that neighborhoods are going to be a changing April 11, 2015 the landscape along Losey Boulevard will be a bit sparse.  The city of La Crosse will be eradicating the Ash Tree from the fabric of the city.  I am guessing that when we drive down Losey on April 12^th we will notice the clear cutting of the Ash trees from the boulevard.  Besides the loss of the trees we will be viewing the exposed stumps of 117 Ash trees that have been cut down in hopes of eradicating the Emerald Ash Borer.  It saddens me to think that all these trees will soon be gone from our beautiful city, and that our lovely canopy of leaves will for a long time be missing from the city streets.

Daily Dose of BS Feb 16 basketball

I was at a basketball tournament at Central over the weekend.  There are a lot of bad sport parents in the stands, in fact one of the parents sitting over to the side of me was screaming and yelling and questioning the refs at every call.  I am glad I wasn’t sitting right in front of him.   I wasn’t the only one who was upset by this guy’s behavior; I also think that his “from the stands” coaching caused the kids to loose.  Which brings me to my next thought on this, I have mentioned in the past that my kids are never going to be professional sports stars but they try, and they have fun playing the game, so when the kids are there at every practice and work hard at practice and show up to play the game, play the kids.  I don’t care if you play the kids for 2 minutes a game, play each of the kids, not just your favorite, how do you expect these children to get better.  It is a game you know, especially when the kids playing this game are 13 years old, and it isn’t an A team not by far.  All I can say is I am glad that this season is over and I am guessing that others on the team are also happy.