City Cares More About Fireworks Than Mental Health Care

My efforts to get the employees at Woodman's mental health coverage are inspired by my Irish Catholic great-grandmother Mary Shea. She unfortunately died in a mental institution in Chicago many years ago. There is a history of mental illness in my family .



The City of Madison will now be working with Woodman's so the Elver Park fireworks can go on as planned. A lot of people want to make this about me but this is about a large employer in the State refusing to acknowledge that mental health is every bit as important as physical ailments. The City is rewarding Clint and Phil Woodman's little hissy fit by stepping in. So not only will Dane County have to foot the bill for Woodman's employee's' mental health care but our city tax dollars will now be used for fireworks that could of been paid for by my company Midwest Family.

Kathleen Falk joins me to talk about how the County suffers when employers like Woodman's refuse to take care of their employees . Turns out we all pay.

Fox Trashes Murtha

John Murtha, who passed away this February, served our country honorably and the US Navy is honoring him by naming a ship after him. Fox is attacking him even in death because of his opposition to the Iraq War and his accusation that US Marines killed women and children in cold blood in Haditha. Murtha is not a perfect player but let's take his legacy in totality. He cared about our troops in Vietnam and he cared about the troops when Bush was sending them to be slaughter in the Middle East. He deserves this honor and FOX's hitjob on him is disrespectful to all men and women who served.

Drill, Baby, Drill

When Sarah Palin and John McCain were chanting Drill, Baby, Drill they dismissed environmentalists as being radical and anti-business. The Bush administration and the Republican controlled Congress had an opportunity to put safety measures in place-- they chose to let the oil industry police themselves. "Just leave industry alone", well what about the tourism and fishing industries? This was caused by greed and is a perfect example of why government regulations are needed. Even with Bush out of office, he is still screwing over the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Boy Scout Badge For... Video Games?

In a desperate attempt to stay relevant, the Boy Scouts are now giving out a merit badge for mastering video games. What other badges should the Scouts give out to lure in the modern kid?

They Speak English In Alabama

Republican candidate for Alabama Governor Tim James, thinks issuing drivers tests solely in English is a very important and pressing issue for the Heart of Dixie. Do you think this will make Alabama a better place?

Not About The Fireworks

By now you know that because of me, Woodman's will no longer sponsor the Elver park fireworks with my parent company Midwest Family Broadcasting. This all stems back to a topic I did in December regarding Woodman's Food Market dropping mental health care coverage for their employees. What's more important, some fireworks at Elver park or a major employer refusing to take mental health care seriously? I encourage you to call Clint or Phil Woodman and tell them (nicely) that they should offer mental health care benefits to their employees.

Ask for Clint or Papa Phil
(608) 754-8382

We speak to State Rep. Sandy Pasch, formerly a psychiatric nurse for 30 years, about what happens when employers do not offer mental health care coverage. Turns out the county picks up the bill and law enforcement have to deal with the consequences. Pasch has pioneered a Wisconsin law, coincidentally being signed by Doyle today, to help close the gap between physical and mental health care benefits for smaller employers in the State. This will be in addition to the recently passed federal Health Care Reform Act that will treat mental illness the same as any other physical malady. So Woodman's will have to provide mental health care coverage as of 2014, thanks to President Obama.

More Shady Neumann Dealings

Keith Gilkes from the Walker Campaign joins me to talk about the "push poll" Neumann's staff is doing to try to stop State GOP delegates from endorsing Scott Walker. This isn't the first stunt the Neumann campaign has pulled. Just a few weeks ago, Neumann himself was floating around a rumor that Scott Walker was switching to the Senate race- which was completely fabricated. Even if Neumann doesn't get the Republican nomination for governor, he still might be on the ballot come November. We find out how from Keith Gilkes.

Tom Nelson - Lt. Governors Race

Although it's not official, Tom Nelson is expected to jump into the Lt. Governors Race and I'm happy to support such a strong advocate of the working man. We talk to Rep. Nelson about what the State legislature just got passed and what Nelson (if he runs) hopes to accomplish as Lt. Governor.

The Profiler Party

Sarah Palin defended the Arizona immigration law by saying it doesn't encourage racial profiling. Please. This isn't the first time some conservatives have advocated for racial profiling- does 9/11 rings a bell or the failed underwear bomber? In the State of Arizona, the hue of your skin now determines if you're a suspect. I am firmly against illegal immigration but we are above this racist law. This is a shortcut we don't have to take. If you support this law then you support racial profiling.

Poor Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown's reelection campaign has been thrown in the toilet because he told the truth. The woman who he called "bigoted" was a bigot! In the history of political gaffes this one should not bring a candidate to his knees. Quit apologizing for telling it how it is.

Woodman's Cancels Elver Fireworks....Because of ME!

Back in December, I called out Woodman's for dropping mental health coverage for their employees. I also said Papa Woodman wore his pants up to his nipples. Because of these comments, Woodman's refuses to be a sponsor of the Elver Park fireworks as long as my parent company, Midwest Family Broadcasting, is involved. Keep in mind that our sister station Q106 is the one affiliated with the fireworks, not WTDY. Midwest Family is still more than willing to sponsor the west side fireworks display as long as they find another sponsor, hopefully one that isn't as sensitive.

Oklahoma Intrusive New Abortion Law

The Oklahoma legislature has overridden the Governor's veto of a controversial abortion law that requires doctors to conduct an ultrasound on their patients before performing an abortion. There is no exemption for victims of rape or incest. This is being done for shock value. This is also the same crowd that is against health care reform because they don't want the government getting between doctors and patients. Can you think of a bigger government intrusion on health care than this draconian law?

Goldman Sucks

Senators torn into Goldman Sachs executives for what has been described as a peddling shitty deal and then betting that they will fail. What's the fair and balanced coverage from FOX News? The Fox Pundits weren't outraged by Goldman's shady deals or the executives flippant attitude toward taking responsibility. Oh no. Fox was angry that the word shit was uttered.

David Newby: Workers Memorial Day

Wisconsin AFL -CIO President David Newby joins me to talk about Workers Memorial Day. Even today, dozens of workers each year are killed on the job and even more are exposed to hazardous workplace conditions. The recession has only exasperated the situation since workers now have to work longer and harder to keep their jobs.

Vicki Has FDS

Vicki McKenna went crazy on her Milwaukee radio program yesterday, ranting on and on about how horrible Senator Feingold is for the State. Vicki has a classic case of Feingold Derangement Syndrome. Symptoms include being ignorant of Feingold's voting record, spreading blatant falsehoods, and vehemently defending huge corporations no matter what the issue. She went on to say how conservatives need to get behind a candidate. I challenge you Ms. McKenna to step up and run against Senator Feingold this fall.

UW Med School Strippers

The UW Medical School throws a "prom" for its new graduates each year and some students this year decided to hire a stripper. Now students might be disciplined for this supposedly outrageous breach of decorum. Madison prides itself on its open-mindedness and its liberalism but if a nipple makes an appearance the town goes crazy. Who was harmed by this?

Jeff Woods: An Addict Not A Crook

A WKOW reporter chastised and followed Jeff Woods as he was being booked into jail for his third DUI charge. For the first time I'm feeling sorry for Mr. Woods. In terms of State legislatures who broke the law, Woods is a lightweight. At least he didn't defraud and subvert the legislative process like some former lawmakers. At what point do you stop kicking Jeff Woods?

Limbaugh Shows His True Colors And They're All WHITE

Rush Limbaugh said on his radio program that this Arizona immigration law would almost certainly violate some people's rights but "civil rights are not the end all, be all". In a way El Rushbo is right. Rush and his listeners do not care if brown people have civil rights, at least he's being honest.

Facebook Group Cares More About Geese Than People

Anyone who joins the local facebook group condemning the decision to kill Canadian Geese at Warner Park, cares more about their fowl friends than people. When a plane goes down at Truax because a goose gets stuck in a jet engine, I hope you're there to tell the families that a goose was more important than their loved one.

HOOOWWW

To protest the State legislatures decision to let the State's School Superintendent force districts to get rid of their Indian mascots, we come up with native mascots for schools that don't even have them. The Regents? The Purgolders? Give me the Redmen or the Warriors- some real mascots!

The Loneliest Man In The State

Republican Dick Leinenkugel announced in Russ Feingold's home town of Janesville that he will be running for U.S. Senate. Leinenkugel kicked off his campaign by distancing himself from the 18 months he just spent as Doyle's Commerce Secretary. He insists he didn't do much in that position. Good luck Dick!

Sex Ed Changes In Canada

In Ontario, 3rd graders will now be learning about lubrication, gender identity, even anal sex. This is to educate kids early so they learn about sex in the classroom and not on the playground. How would you feel about your 9 or 10 year old getting an explicit sex education?

My Trip To Louisville

Dr. Dan Mongiardo and I


Emily and Carson, Mongiardo's Dedicated Campaign Staffers

While in Louisville I helped Kentucky Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo campaign for the U.S. Senate. He's an interesting and well qualified Democratic candidate that would be a strong contender for that monster Jim Bunning's seat. Many thanks to Dr. Dan's amazing staff, Emily and Carson in particular, for being so welcoming.

Please visit Dr. Dan's Campaign Site To Learn More