Today's Example Of Why Reasonable People Cannot Reasonably Believe What GOPers Say: Capitol Damage

what? (0.00 / 0)

Notebook paper or not, are you denying that this was the state architect's estimate?  Do you have a conspiracy theory that Walker forged the architect's handwriting?  

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by: AO @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 19:13:57 PM UTC

Damn, you're dumb. Or, incredibly dishonest. (0.00 / 0)

I'd go with both.

"Those that forget the lessons of history, tend to vote GOP"

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by: TwoPuttTommy @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 19:45:45 PM UTC

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??? (0.00 / 0)

For once in your life, make an effort to answer the question.

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by: AO @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 19:49:21 PM UTC

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I'd rather debate with a table, Dipstick - (0.00 / 0)

at least tables don't make (stuff) up.

You, being a GOPer, simply cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

It's simply not in your nature.

"Those that forget the lessons of history, tend to vote GOP"

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by: TwoPuttTommy @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 19:56:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

What did I make up? (0.00 / 0)

If I said something wrong, call me on it.  It's the internet.  We can wait for you to google it.  Besides, I was just asking questions.  I don't have a monopoly on all the facts of this situation.  Maybe you can enlighten us all as to why the state architect was misled or misguided in making his estimate that Governor passed along.

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by: AO @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 20:05:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Enough, both of you (0.00 / 0)

Tommy, AO's point here appears to be the following -- that you didn't specify in your post why this is such a ridiculous turn of events perpetrated by the Wisconsin GOP. Fair point, even if it insists on way too much explanation for something that should be fairly obvious.

AO, Tommy's point is that a damage estimate written on a single sheet of notebook paper, purporting to detail more than $7 million in damage, is absolute and total crap. It's made up. It's meaningless. If you asked for a damage estimate on your house after a bad storm, and a contractor handed you a single sheet of notebook paper with the number $700,000 on it, would you hire that contractor to do the repairs? No, you'd get another estimate from someone who takes the time and effort to detail what they found and explain what costs how much and why -- because you're going to need to spend a lot of money on the repairs, and you want to make sure you're not getting taken for a ride.

In this case, it's Mr. Stephans taking the entire state of Wisconsin -- in this case, the "owners" of the "home" -- for a ride on Governor Walker's behalf. And that is utterly, incomprehensibly wrong, especially from leaders who claim to be all about making tax dollars do more, stretch further, and get better value.

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by: Joe Bodell @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 20:16:29 PM UTC

another thought (0.00 / 0)

The estimate came from the guy who oversaw the 2001 $145Million restoration, so I don't know if calling it "total crap" is fair.  His estimate was likely the number needed to get the marble back to the 2001 post renovation quality, which may not be necessary.  We also don't know whether the damage caused between 2001 and 2011 occurred mainly during these recent protests or not.  

What I really took issue with was the notion that we can't trust someone who would pass along this estimate.  It's not as if Walker made up the number, or had committed to spending the $7 Million before getting better estimates.

Besides, the difference between the actual cleanup cost and the projected restoration cost from the architect isn't going to amount to a drop in the bucket of the state budget.  Wisconsin has more important things to worry about than the state of the marble in the building.

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by: AO @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 20:40:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

"... so I don't know if calling it "total crap" is fair." (0.00 / 0)

Well, OF COURSE you wouldn't, AO - you're a GOPer, and making (stuff) up comes naturally to you.

From the Milwalkee JS story, quoted above and WITH A LINK above:

The day after the testimony, Walker administration officials sharply backpedaled from the damages figures amid widespread questions about their validity

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Here's that link, which is a Mrch 4, 2011 story: http://www.jsonline.com/news/s...

From it:

Later Friday, the administration provided a memo saying the $7.5 million estimate had been done by Stephans after consulting with a specialist in building restoration and an employee of J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc., the contracting firm that handled the massive $145 million Capitol restoration completed in 2001.

The Journal Sentinel made an open records request Friday for any original state documents - produced before the statements were made in court - that detailed how state officials arrived at the $7.5 million estimate.

State officials did not immediately provide any such documents.

Well, of COURSE they didn't "provide any such documents" -- they didn't HAVE any.

The one and only "document" they eventually coughed up, because they HAD to, was a one-pager, written on notebook paper:

http://media.journalinteractiv...

And AO is gonna make the argument - in his first comment - "big deal"??!?

And he just made the argument - in his last comment - "I don't know if calling it "total crap" is fair"??!?

AO is a fraud.

No surprise there; he's a GOPer "leader."

"Those that forget the lessons of history, tend to vote GOP"

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by: TwoPuttTommy @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 21:03:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Besides being obvious, there are plenty of links to explain why the single sheet.... (0.00 / 0)

... is so ridiculous.

And either AO is too dumb to figure it own on his own, or he is shockingly - but typically - willing to make (stuff) up, in the form of stupid "questions."

I'd suggest "both."

And as a party "leader" AO is a prime example of why reasonable people cannot reasonably believe GOPers are telling the truth.

"Those that forget the lessons of history, tend to vote GOP"

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by: TwoPuttTommy @ Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 20:46:23 PM UTC

[ Parent ]