Daily Dose of BS April 20 pot

I am not sure what 4:20 means when the dope smokers use it.  I have asked a few times never got a straight answer.  I really don’t think that they even know, it is just something that has been said.  I have brought this topic up before and what better day than today to bring it up again.  Legalize pot and tax the hell out of it.  I don’t smoke, nor do I plan on it, but I am unsure why we don’t tap into this seemingly bottomless pit of funds.  I also look at it this way that we would be getting tax dollars from some who never has, nor ever will pay taxes, I am talking about the pot pushers.  The money raised will be able to pay off some of America’s debt; it would also allow much of the extra funds to go toward treatment for those that have problems, much like the lottery has gone to help those with gambling addictions.  Just look at the amount of funds that have been brought into the states that have legalized marijuana. I know much of the argument is that it is the gateway drug, I disagree, I feel that smoking tobacco is the gate way drug.  

Daily Dose of BS April 17 ad

Not sure if you read the paper?  I do.  If you do, do you dislike the sticker ad that started out as a Sunday only thing then creeped into the Saturday paper and now graces the paper each and every day.  I get that advertising needs to be sold, but at what cost?  I would think that the paper wouldn’t want that placed over the front page, headline and story.  Plus when you go to take it off, if you have big clumsy hands like I got, you rip the paper and then what do you do with the scrap of paper with semi-sticky stuff on the back?  I know there are much bigger issues out there but this has been bugging me for a while.  

Daily Dose of BS April 16 15$ an hour

I don’t know how many stories that I saw pop up yesterday about the 15$ minimum wage, and how many around the country want it.  I don’t, let me repeat myself I do not want the minimum wage to go to 15$ an hour, and it is not because I want to hold anybody down, it’s not because I wouldn’t like more money for myself.  It is for the plain and simple reason of if the minimum wage doubles won’t that mean that every price will double, rent, gas, food, electricity, internet, cable, hospital visits, everything.  I wish that we had business leaders who instead of huge profits rolled some of that money into wages.  I heard of a local business that had such a great year last year that they bumped everyone’s wage up a buck.  You know that those employees are happy.  The federal minimum wage isn’t a maximum wage, and if we impose a 15$ wage as a minimum I fear that many who are in the ball park of that now will see their potential for higher wages.  A fifteen dollar an hour minimum wage will stifle the economy.  

Daily Dose of BS April 15 tax day

This is it; you have until midnight tonight to send in your taxes.  Since 1955 tax day has been on April 15^th.  What started out as a simple thing, turned into a complicated pile of mess.  I am glad I have an awesome tax accountant, and would suggest that everyone get someone that they trust to look over personal and business taxes.  If you cannot get your taxes done by today you should submit IRS Form 4868 so that you can get an automatic six-month filing extension, you can find that form and others at irs.gov.  As for the scammers and cheaters that are out there, shame on you there are lots of people depending on your money.  See yesterday’s entitlement Daily Dose of BS.  Happy Tax Day, here’s for many happy returns.  Get it?

Daily Dose of BS April 13 construction

Its construction season!  On your mark, get set, STOP!  I for one am not ready for the backups and hurry up and wait mentality of the spring fix up the road time that comes our way every year.  It seems sometimes that there are construction projects that happen just to slow the traffic down.  Have you ever driven from Minnesota to Chicago, through Wisconsin?  Has there ever been a time where there wasn’t construction?  I honestly think that they are still working on the freeway in Rockford Illinois that they were working on when I was a little kid.  I think lets finish the jobs we are working on and then put new things on our plate.  What do you think?  On the bright side of this spring driving, gas prices are down again a few cents from last week, which is good since we are going to be idling while waiting for  construction this summer.  

Daily Dose of BS April 7 election day

Couple things I am thinking about today.  Today is Election Day, meaning you should go to your polling place and cast your vote.  Here is where I am going to back track just a bit, I do feel that you should vote to bitch, but if you don’t know who or what you are voting for then maybe you shouldn’t vote.  I think that is the first time I have ever said that.  I kind of feel a little dirty saying it, as for the past um-teen years I have been pushing you should vote.  All too often people just vote the populace without doing the research or thinking of the retributions.  Second thing on my mind today, congrats to the Badgers and making it to the big game, the outcome wasn’t what you wanted but you did the state proud, and you got a guy who normally doesn’t watch basketball to root for Bucky.  Also, it was nice to have a local athlete in the starting lineup.  

Daily Dose of BS April 2 tv

Yesterday was April Fools day, I saw a few online photos, read a few stories about how Brett Farve was coming back to play for the Packers but that was about it.  I remember when April Fools day was something more than just a few print jokes.  Oh well times change, I also recall when I was a kid we never had cable tv, all my buddies did, but the Schmidt Family did not.  That changed once I got out on my own, I for a while had it all, but never used it.  Dropped to basic, had kids got some back and about a year ago decided to cut the cord all together, at first the kids weren’t happy but it is funny how things change.  Now they are ok with it having found other things to do with their time.  For me cutting the cord was easy, the shows I liked were all on the networks.  I bought a few antennas, got Netflix and hooked up PlayOn and PlayLater, combine the PlayOn and PlayLater with my Tivo and all is well and good at the Schmidt house.  How do you get your tv?

Daily Dose of BS April 1 pet rock

Remember the pet rock?  How about the chi-pet or the clapper?  Ever thought how did that ever get to market?  I have had lots of ideas that I thought could be the next pet rock, guess what none of them ever hit.  All it takes is the right place and right time for many products to go from insignificant to significant and then back.  What makes someone buy a pet rock or a chi-pet or any of the other millions of things that we as consumers buy, but don’t need?  Because who ever needed a pet rock?  I guess they are a lot easier to clean up than a dog, right?  By the way this week is International Pooper Scooper week, again, a job that who would have thought would have existed.

Daily Dose of BS March 31 parking

The Schmidt family made it through the parking debauchery again this year.  Tonight we are going to be able to park on either side of the street, for the first time in five months, and I for one am glad.  I am always happy when April 1st comes around as it is the end of the joke perpetuated on the tax payers of the city of La Crosse, April 1st means no more alternate side parking, well at least until November 1st.  We didn’t really have much of a winter snow wise this year, and for us to have an additional fee of parking in front of our own house, well that kind of sucks.  I can see if we get big snowfalls but this past winter our biggest snow came this month and it was melted within 24 hours.  I am guessing that all our parking money helps to subsidies something, but I am not sure what, as my taxes are still through the roof.   Every year I wonder how many alternate side parking tickets will litter the windshield at the Schmidt house, and I am proud to say that this year we got none, zero, zip, nada, and that includes my 16 year old and that makes a dad proud.

Daily Dose of BS March 30 livable wage

The state of Wisconsin is looking to do-away-with the prevailing wage law.  I am all for saving money, on items, but I do not want a disgruntled underpaid worker working on the bridge that I drive over every day.  The state, in their infinite wisdom is looking to get rid of an eighty year old law that requires paying a living wage to workers on state buildings and roads.  I don’t like it.  I want to know that the best person for the job put together the buildings I am in and that the best of the best are also working on the roads I am traveling and bridges I am crossing or going under.  I do get saving money, but at what cost?  If we are going to have to replace the roads or buildings more often, or if we end up having less people get into the fields of construction, what have we accomplished?  

Daily Dose of BS March 27 famous

Ever met anyone famous?  I have had the chance to meet a few rock stars, an actor or two and lots of politicians.  The one who stood out to me as someone I would like to hang out with was Bill Clinton, seemed like a guy that would be fun around the poker table, I guess it is because he was a professional BS’er for a living.  However most of the famous I have met are just shaking hands as a part of their job, not seeming like it was sincere, or that they even wanted to be there.  Would I personally go out of my way to meet any athlete, rock star or movie star, I don’t think so, unless it was to have a real conversation with them.  For me to go to a meet and greet or have a chance for an autograph, I guess I have out grown that.  How has it been when you met someone famous?  

Daily Dose of BS March 26 Trooper Casper

Why is it when a police officer gets shot and killed in the line of duty that this is not a national story, or at least a headline on a national news cast?  I waited the day yesterday to see how it would play out and frankly I am not surprised.  I am disappointed in the media.  A 21 year old Wisconsin State Patrol officer was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday evening during a shootout with a bank robber.  Trevor Casper was just 3 months in to his career as a State Patrolman when he was shot and killed.  Where was the media reporting that a robber shot and killed a cop?  Why is it when the shooter is an officer doing their job, taking down someone who is allegedly fighting back that it is plastered all over the media, but when an officer dies while doing their job, getting shot by a robber that that doesn’t lead the news?  I work in this business and I don’t get it.  All lives matter but do some matter more than others?  Didn’t I read a book like that when I was in school?  

Daily Dose of BS March 25 media

Is traditional media dead?  I am talking about the good old forms of broadcast media?  I am talking radio and tv.  I spend hours a day with good old school media, from my time at work on the radio to my drives listening to music and talk to the comfort of my recliner for screen time catching my favorite tv shows.  I think that the delivery system of both radio and tv have changed but the premise has not.  I now stream more of tv than ever before and my radio station both streams and podcasts our shows.  Heck we even have an app (get it here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wlfnam.player ) We are changing and evolving but I don’t believe that we are dead.  I think we either need to keep up, reinvent or get out of the way.  How do you listen to the radio or watch tv?

Daily Dose of BS March 24 babysitters

One of the biggest thrills of being a parent is the first time you can leave your children home alone.  It is a whole different ball game now than it was when we were left home the first few times, everyone has a cell phone now and we are reachable.  I recall when my neighbor was babysitting my brothers and I that my youngest brother Brian put paper in the furnace because he saw flames, needless to say that the fire department was called and our house was aired out in the middle of the winter.  With the four kids my wife and I have we have been asked when is the right time to leave the kids alone without a sitter.  My response was always you will know.  And you do.  Which leads me to how much should a babysitter be paid?  My daughter has a few clients where she will watch some children, and she gets paid way more that I used to pay.  I have heard that kids get paid up to 12 bucks an hour, if my mom heard that, we would hear the story how she made 25 cents and had to do the dishes.  Things sure have changed. 

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.