Wisconsin
Related: About this forumCreepy Bill Kramer story
By Kristin Hansen
In 2009, Governor Jim Doyle signed the indoor smoking ban. Republicans ranted and railed, predicting wide spread closure of bars and restaurants and general state-wide chaos. (This has since been proved completely false, of course restaurant and bar business is actually up.) One of the chief purveyors of that rant was State Rep. Bill Kramer. It was one of his main points in a Doyle attack speech delivered to the Waukesha Kiwanis Club, of which I was the president at the time.
As president, it was not my job to invite speakers, but it was my job to open the meetings, deliver club news, and welcome the speakers. I did so politely, even when they were there to talk about things I disagreed with a courtesy that was extended among all members. We had conservative and liberal members, and we worked together to raise money for charity and learn about our community.
Kramers speech was the usual political presentation theyre wrong, were right, etc. Nothing newsworthy there. But he got especially agitated about the smoking ban. He was red-face and nearly hysterical, telling us that this was just the worst thing to happen to small business in the history of the state and that mom and pop taverns would be forced to close because nobody would go out if they couldnt smoke.
I raised my hand, and told him that as an asthma sufferer I was looking forward to being able to go to any restaurant, without worrying about smoke. I asked about the employees who are forced to inhale smoke all day or night, etc. He just stared at me. I think that he thought since he was in Waukesha he wouldnt be challenged on anything. Finally, he told me that it was people like me who hated freedom, that if I didnt like smoke I should stay home, and that when we had massive job loss because of all the businesses closing it would be the fault of people like me.
But that isnt the point of this story. What happened at the end of the meeting is.
Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/purple-wisconsin/253112431.html
Bet he wouldn't have done that to a big man. He likely would have ended up with a fist in the face.
charmay
(525 posts)That's what we get when republicans take over.
ewagner
(18,964 posts)Obviously people knew about this...
But he kept rising up the ranks...nobody called him on it...til now
hue
(4,949 posts)More about Kramer:
http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-kramer-canard.html
Lefta Dissenter
(6,617 posts)You're going to wear a trench coat to your initial appearance for a sexual assault charge? And, as one of my friends said, it appears that he's fondling the evidence. YUCK!