Where is Susan Happ and What Would She Do as Attorney General?

[Note: At Eye on Oshkosh, we received the following press release from the Schimel campaign and felt it was worth publishing, especially in light of the fact that the Happ campaign failed to get back to our numerous attempts to have her on the show. Incidentally, we also didn't hear back from the Grothman campaign, and had a rather nasty experience with Joe Zapecki, the spokesman for the Mary Burke campaign. As far as Happ and Burke go, I have usually sided with Democrats in campaigns because I tend to more deeply connect to their issues. But when we have candidates who run from the press, or worse yet, don't even have the courtesy to be grateful for the opportunity you're offering them, I have to question that. I still don't know what to do about the Burke campaign because I think Walker is just plain wrong for Wisconsin, but Schimel has my support, and vote, for Attorney General, just as Mark Harris has vote Congress.]

 

For Immediate Release: September 24, 2014

Contact: Johnny Koremenos 262.955.8981

 

Where is Susan Happ and What Would She Do as Attorney General?

Only Brad Schimel Has Outlined Plans, Happ Ducks Press and Voters

 

Brad Schimel is running for Wisconsin attorney general on the issues that matter and Susan Happ is apparently waiting for her special interest allies to save her candidacy.

 

"Tuesday was a microcosm of this entire race," said Schimel campaign manager Johnny Koremenos. "Both candidates went to La Crosse. Brad Schimel went to the UW-L campus and outlined a plan to prevent, confront and combat violence against women. While Susan Happ spoke before a special interest group, promising not to defend state law."

 

Law Enforcement's choice, Brad Schimel, is leading the way in the race for attorney general, relying on his life as a front line prosecutor to develop plans to tackle the major public safety issues facing Wisconsin. Activist Susan Happ is hiding, hoping her special interest friends provide her cover.

 

Eighty-nine elected law enforcement leaders, including nine Democratic sheriffs and district attorneys are backing Brad Schimel because they know he'll put public safety ahead of politics. Susan Happ lacks bipartisan support and has promised special interest groups she wouldn't defend many state laws like those on Voter ID and even the Act 10 labor reforms.

 

Brad Schimel has outlined detailed plans on:

·       Heroin

·       Human trafficking

·       Violence against women

·       Internet crimes against kids (ICAC)

·       Reforming the State Hygiene Lab, and improving the way the state tests for drugged driving.  

The campaign promises more to come. Meanwhile, Susan Happ has been evading the press and the public, and recently broke her promise to release a list of debates in which she'd participate.

 

"Brad Schimel is running a positive, issues-based campaign on the public safety issues that matter," said Koremenos. "Susan Happ appears to be laying low, biding her time until her special interest group friends descend onto Wisconsin airwaves to attack Brad Schimel?

 

“Is she hiding from the press' growing list of questions about her record? Is she outsourcing her campaign to the outside interest groups? Or both?

 

"Look at www.bradschimel.com and www.susanhappforwisconsin.com and you'll see only Brad Schimel respects the voters enough to address the issues that concern them," said Koremenos. "Happ hides and hopes. She refuses to answer questions about her record and she hopes third party groups come in to save her. Maybe that's why she's promising not to defend certain state laws?"

 

Schimel is also endorsed by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, current Attorney General JB Van Hollen, the Wisconsin Troopers Association, the Milwaukee Police Association, and the Wisconsin Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. 

 

“Fill the Bowl Project “– A new effort to assist the needy in Oshkosh

If you have ever had a pet, you know how important a pet can be to the mental and emotional health of the people surrounding it. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot of money or very little, a pet can serve as a lifeline to well-being. Unfortunately, people can fall on hard times and their ability to feed their pets often becomes difficult, too. Sometimes they choose to give up their own food or medicine in order to take care of the pet. And in very sad cases, some people give up their pets, often surrendering them to the local humane society. Neither of those scenarios should have to be a reality. As part of the Animal Ministry at First Congregational Church, our group has decided to provide some support to both the Oshkosh Area Humane Society and the Oshkosh Area Community Food Pantry to help make pet food available to those in need.

The Oshkosh Area Community Food Pantry which provides needed emergency food for people in Oshkosh also offers a very limited amount of pet food for those with pets who can’t afford their feeding costs (3 pounds once a month). The Oshkosh Area Humane Society is currently setting up a system to help those in need of food for their pets, as well. They hope to be able to provide a month’s worth of pet food to those people who come to them needing extra help in paying for pet food.

We are launching our “Fill the Bowl Project” on Sunday October 5 as we celebrate St. Francis’ ministry to animals that day. We will continue to gather food and supplies throughout the year and donate them to both the Food Pantry and Humane Society on a regular basis.  Beginning on October 5, people may bring in pet food (dog and cat), or money ($ 0.01 - $ 1000 or more), to drop off in our special pet pen located in the narthex (outside the sanctuary). If you’re unfamiliar with First Congregational Church, 137 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, someone in the church office can assist you.

When we have reached a goal of 1000 pounds, we will celebrate and set a new goal. 
As you can see from the information provided by the Oshkosh Area Humane Society, 1000 pounds of dry food is the amount they need every month. If we can provide food over that amount, they can provide pet food to people who can’t afford it on their own. Read through the information provided to determine what foods you should bring in. They may be revising their lists as they analyze the nutrient content of the food and may find less expensive alternatives.  If so, we or they can let you know about any changes.

If you’d rather just drop off your food or cash donations directly to the Humane Society, they would welcome that effort, too. But we are hoping folks will get on board with the “Fill the Bowl Project,” as established originally by the Humane Society of the United States.

Following are some questions we posed to the Oshkosh Area Humane Society and their answers. This will hopefully help you as you prepare to help others. Thank you!

How many animals in shelter (including fosters) are being supplied with food each month on average?
On average we have about 178-200 cats (We comfortably hold 150) and 30 dogs, 4 rabbits, 2 Guinea pigs and 4 mice. Rabbits seem to come in either 2 or 8 at a time, one time we took in 32 at once as a police impound. In the summer months our population of cats soars to over 300.

How much food (pounds) of dog and cat food is consumed by the shelter animals?
650 pounds of dry cat food, 330 pounds or more of dry dog food, (we see four times as many cats as we do dogs),  900 cans of canned cat food for just the cats in the shelter and another 150-200 pounds for cats in foster and 300 cans of canned dog food and 80-100 pounds of Purina Kitten Chow. This doesn’t include the wet food that is used for enrichment (mixed with dry food for stuffing Kongs.)

Do you have any estimates on the number of surrenders that occur because the owners cannot afford food?
10 -15 % say they can’t keep their pet because they can’t afford but that usually is due to medical care costs. We don’t really have them specify if they say “Can’t afford.”

How much and what specific brands of food would you like to have donated on a regular basis?
Purina One SmartBlend (chicken) dry dog food, Purina One Little Bites for Dogs, Purina One Turkey, Chicken & Rice dry cat food. No indoor cat formula food. (Please note that the humane society will accept vegetarian dog food, if someone wishes to also donate that, however no vegetarian cat food, please, as cats should absolutely not be on a vegetarian diet.)

What other supplies do you need and in what quantities?
We go through 60 gallons of bleach a month – minimum, 2 cases of disinfecting wipes, and 2-3 cases of paper toweling. Soft dog treats are used for exams and training as they are a better incentive than a dry biscuit. PupPuroni stick and Canine Carry Outs. No bacon type treats – the dogs really don’t like them. We also use enrichment foods such as peanut butter, hot dogs and cream cheese for stuffing Kong toys and tuna for the cats as a treat. These are our usual most needed items
We also go through 70/40 pound boxes of Tidy cat litter (2800 pounds) and 80-100 pounds of gravel cat litter (used for kittens) Small mammal food we like to buy as needed especially fresh greens for the rabbits and Guinea pigs. We also like to use Natural Balance Turkey Food rolls(no beef) for dogs not eating well as a flavor enhancer on their food (grated) or cut up into small dog treats. Found at most pet stores – looks like a summer sausage.
We also go through a lot of large rolled raw hide chews – made in USA preferred and large only.

P.S. Thanks to Pat Nichols for such a great job in assembling and putting together all this information.

Eye on Oshkosh interviews State Attorney General candidate Brad Schimel

The latest episode of Eye on Oshkosh is taped and now online. We were very pleased last night to visit with Brad Schimel, Republican candidate for Wisconsin State Attorney General. You can see the interview here. We also want to thank Brad and his campaign manager Johnny, for making such a concerted effort to appear on the show. They had other commitments in the area, but worked a little magic to fit us in. For that, we are very grateful. (P.S. Not to mention that he is fiscally responsible enough to recognize the value of 60 minutes worth of free media time and publicity. :)  Just kidding there, but campaigns are expensive and free advertising is, after all, free advertising. It would be nice if all candidates had the same appreciation for the value they're getting.)    http://youtu.be/_B_kHX4bVwo