Irish Eyes on the World: June 2011

(http://legis.wisconsin.gov/AB40.pdf)

1.) "Under current law, qualified aliens receive food stamp benefits. Federal law allows, but does not require, a state to provide those benefits, and any state that does provide such benefits must pay the whole cost itself. This bill eliminates the provision of food stamp benefits to qualified aliens in this state."

2.) "This bill eliminates the requirement that a municipality or county operate a recycling or other program to manage solid waste in compliance with the disposal restrictions, eliminates the financial assistance program for local governmental recycling programs, and prohibits an individual from placing materials such as aluminum containers with materials to be disposed of in a landfill or incinerator."

3.) "This bill eliminates the family income requirement for a pupil who wishes to attend an MPCP school beginning in the 2011−12 school year if the pupil did not attend an MPCP school in the 2010−11 school year."

4.) "With limited exceptions, the bill eliminates all current economic development grant and loan programs administered by Commerce, including grants to Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corporation for a capital access program; grants and loans to a business or researcher for projects generally related to renewable energy; loans to manufacturing businesses for projects generally related to energy efficiency and renewable energy; grants and loans to businesses for diversifying a local economy; grants and loans for improving the profitability of businesses negatively impacted by a casino; grants to the city of Milwaukee to fund remediation and redevelopment projects in the Menomonee Valley; grants to the Center for Advanced
Technology and Innovation; grants to businesses for employee skills training or other education; grants to businesses for expenses in hiring students as paid interns; and grants and loans to businesses, municipalities, and other entities for encouraging minority businesses and businesses in economically distressed areas, and for strengthening urban and rural communities."

5.) "Under current law, DHS reimburses certain hospitals for hospital care provided under MA to MA recipients and makes supplemental payments to certain hospitals. This bill eliminates the supplemental payments from the MA program to essential access city hospitals."

6.) "Under current law, DHS provides funding for family planning services, including maintaining a state plan for community−based family planning programs and specific annual grants. This bill eliminates this family planning services funding."

7.) "Current law requires health insurance policies and self−insured governmental and school district health plans to cover the cost of contraceptives prescribed by a health care provider and of outpatient consultations, examinations, procedures, and medical services that are necessary to prescribe, administer, maintain, or remove a contraceptive. This bill eliminates these requirements."

Frankly, I got sick of reading the rest. I'm already sick enough today.

Haven't updated in a little while, so here goes:

On the weekend of May 21st and 22nd, Liz and Kermit hosted a really nice cookout on Saturday afternoon, which was very nice! It was great to see their house, their puppy! and visit with everyone. It was the first realy nice day of the summer, so it was great to be outside (Skip was doing stuff at Meda-Care then had planned some band things, so Preston and I stayed overnight in CL). Sunday morning we got up and headed back up to MKE, because Harrisons suggested we all get together and try to get the $10 Goodwill seats for the Brewers game that day. Thinking it was just a Sunday and not a marquee game, we figured we'd have no problems getting tickets. Turns out we had problems. 5 people ahead of Michael, Andy and Jim in line, tickets sold out. Bummer! We were having fun, though, so we decided to stick around in the parking lot and listen to the game for a while as we finished our tailgating. It was SO sunny and hot out, though, so we reached our limits.

We left the game and went down to the lake, then to the Palomino at Skip's birthday request for an early dinner. The food was really good, but service was uber slow and we had all pretty much had enough sun by that point, so a few of us were a bit crabby... We got back to our house and visited with Mom and Dad for a little while, then they headed back home. It was a good weekend overall... but I got super sunburned!

The weekend of the 28th was another good one. Preston and I got out in the morning and checked out the Tosa Farmers Market, which was pretty cool. There were tons of people out, and we got some delicious-looking herbs and veggies to plant: 2 kinds of basil, 3 kinds of peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. After the Market we went to Menards so that I could get some flowers to plant (I would have loved to get them at the market, but they were just too expensive... I'll stick with the market for foodstuffs). We got home in time to have a little lunch, then I laid Preston down for his nap. Good little boy slept for over 2.5 hours, so I was able to get out and plant my flowers in the window box on the back patio.

Our eccentric little window box.. Time began in a garden,
according to the previous owners...

After Preston woke up, I still needed veggies for dinner so we checked out the West Allis Farmers Market. It was all flowers and herbs and such, too, so we ended up at Outpost. That's really the only place close to our house where I could get quinoa, which I was jonesing for. So I got that, and some of the most expensive damn tomatoes ever...then went home and cooked it up, along with something else healthy that I can't remember. I was having a health kick that day!

Loving the quinoa!

On Sunday, we decided in the morning that it would be fun to get tickets for the Brewers game, since the tickets were 1/2-priced and hotdogs were only a $1. So I walked down to the ticket gate and was in line by 10:20 (being prepared after the weekend before!). Good lord there are some weirdos who wait in line for tickets that early! Think: Rookie of the Year, the people sitting out in the bleachers. You get the picture. Anyways, I managed to get a couple of tickets in a good section, then came home to get ready. We ended up stopping at Fiesta Garibaldi to get a snack (they're menu is back!!) and take their shuttle, since it had started pouring rain by the time we wanted to go. The game was a good time, got to see the Brew-Crew take one home, which was nice.

After the game, we rushed over to Weseloh's so we could celebrate William's 2nd birthday. Time totally flies, I can't believe he's 2 already! We had a great time visiting with their family, as always, and only did a little stalking of our old house across the street... :)

I had a concert on Memorial Day at the Wisconsin Memorial Park, which essentially is a cemetary. However, they also have a museum and chapel where people can come anytime, and they had us perform in the chapel. The concert was pretty good, a little cramped, but I think the people watching got a good show. It was too bad we didn't have a group picnic or anything afterwards, but that was okay. We tried to catch the end of the downtown parade after my concert, but missed it. So, we just bummed down by the lake, which was absolutely gorgeous that day. We splashed in the art museum fountain, saw some kites, and really just had a nice day. We got home to cook Skip's steaks and mussels he bought with his MKE Public Market gift certificate he got from my parents for his b'day. What a treat!