Friday Finishers, 10-10-08

By The Journal Times Editorial Board

Friday, October 10, 2008 6:44 AM CDT

THUMBS UP: Sure we like the limelight and a chance to showcase our little corner of the state on national TV, especially on a pretty fall day with Lake Michigan as a backdrop.

ABC “World News” and Charles Gibson set up shop here Thursday to broadcast a segment of their “Great American Battleground Bus Tour” on the presidential election. Wisconsin’s nominal “blue” history, by narrow margins, in recent races means the state will be getting a lot of national attention in the month ahead, and more than its share of candidate visits. We relish the chance to put a little shine on Racine’s image and Gateway Technical College’s retraining efforts to build new and needed skills for modern manufacturing industries got a well-deserved plug. Job efforts are part of our story, and so is civic pride and celebration. Hey, Charlie, you should have been here last week for Party on the Pavement — that would have been a nice image of the city to broadcast.

THUMBS UP: As much as he hated to do it, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., was in the forefront of the effort last week to secure passage of the $700 billion financial system bailout bill. Ryan’s free-market philosophies had to take a back seat to his view that the nation’s markets were in danger of collapse if Congress didn’t act. Like many congressmen, Ryan was getting heat from constituents who didn’t want Congress to bail out Wall Street. Ryan wasn’t watching out for Wall Street — he was watching out for Main Street, which was already in the grip of tightening credit. Ryan may suffer for his stance at the polls next month, but we give him a thumbs up for stepping up, showing leadership and putting his nation’s business before his own political advantage.

THUMBS DOWN: Law enforcement officers have a special obligation to be law-abiding. That’s always been the case — and the expectation of the public. So it was disheartening to read that a Racine Correctional Institution officer had been arrested and accused of joining a street gang and doing their dirty work — including smuggling drugs, alcohol and other contraband into the prison. The accused will get his day in court, and we hope, a good dish of what he is due if convicted. His actions unfortunately have put a cloud over the reputation of other guards who strive each day to do their duty.

THUMBS UP: The move to outsource jobs that has swept through companies and government agencies with a “save money” mantra in recent years may not be all it’s cracked up to be. A state audit on the outsourcing of a state printing contract with the Department of Administration could actually be done more inexpensively by state workers, the Legislative Audit Bureau found. The five-year contract could be done by 35 state workers for $9.6 million, while outsourcing it would cost $10.2 million. Milwaukee news reports quoted Marty Beil, head of the state employees’ union, as saying, “It’s kind of an ‘I told you so.’ ”

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