Sometimes you have to translate political talk into plain English to understand what's really going on.

The Fitz in "Fitzwalkerstan" said recently that Republicans in Madison will refuse to consider any change in proposed state mining legislation that would put in place a net-proceeds tax on the amount of iron produced by a mining company. State Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, Senate majority leader, also told a business group that instituting an alternative tonnage tax “sends the wrong message” to the mining company.

It's election day.  A lot of the mess we are in at the moment in Wisconsin is because people have not gotten into the habit of voting. Every single time. The Supreme Court election is the only state-wide office that is up today, and it's crucial.  Of course there are also local primaries across the state, and they're just as important. The state Supreme Court has become more and more dysfunctional, and personally I think Ed Fallone is the best answer to helping the court to move forward in a meaningful way. I'm not telling you how to vote here, but anyone who has been paying attention realizes that something here has to change.  Make it happen.

Would it be too much to ask one simple question of our state's current breed of authoritarian politicians, as they again rush to judgment and throw even more citizens under the ever-less-frequent transit bus?

That one simple question:

If you, Mr. or Ms. Legislator, think the Milwaukee County Board is "micro-managing" county government, then what would you call moves by the Republican-dominated state legislature to disembowel that county board, messing around -- in detail -- with the way the county runs itself?

Faced with a looming re-election bid in 2014 and near-to-last place in job growth, Governor Walker promised us that from here on out he would "be focused like a laser on job growth." 

With this laser-like focus, Gov. Walker and company have a promising lead in their search for jobs:  Wisconsin women's vaginas!   Of course, to actually find those jobs, you need a really long probe to really search for those jobs.  They're in there somewhere and by golly the Wisconsin Republicans are going to find 'em!

If only I was joking:  Yesterday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald guaranteed the Wisconsin Right to Life Conference that requiring women to jump through yet another ridiculous hoop before they can an abortion is going to happen this legislative session. This is no ordinary hoop, however, this involves sticking a foot-long vaginal ultrasound probe up a women's vagina so she can see the fetus and hopefully be dissuaded from following through with an abortion.

I think I've figured out how Scott Walker is planning on winning in 2014:  He's driving-out all the people that might have voted against him!