[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by 6TEE8GTO

We're kind of going in a different direction here, I was just ranting about the article. But with regard to your comments, you've perhaps not visited Milwaukee much, or if you have, you have not ventured into the actual inner city, which as been devastated by the loss of industrial jobs. While the state unemployment rate and even the "metro Milwaukee" area (which includes prosperous Ozaukee and Waukesha counties) is actually very good, in the core the rate is astronomical and can be traced to changes that have taken place in Milwaukee over the past several decades. Back in the middle of the last century, you could get a very good paying, family-sustaining job with nothing but a high-school education. Generations of Milwaukee families worked at places like AO Smith, which for years made most of the auto and truck frames for much of the USA market. Anyone who has grown up here can surely recall the acres and acres of stacked frames along Capitol drive. The breweries also were a great source of jobs. (I was a security guard at the old Schlitz terminal back in the 70's) The central city was hit VERY hard and it's showing no signs of recovery. The blight has spread dramatically, areas that used to be very middle class, with well-kept homes, has become very run down and crime is rampant... People such as myself have indeed fled to the outer suburbs. The house I was born in is in the middle of one of the worst areas of the city, seems like every other day someone is shot in that area and it's just a blurb in the newspaper, if they even mention it at all. The departure of the blue-collar manufacturing and industrial jobs has had a dramatic effect on the city.

. Excellent post! When my wife was working in WI, she had a facility on North James Lovell Ave. in Milwaukee. Company policy stated that ALL corporate personnel had to leave the facility before sundown. This facility was on lockdown from 5:30PM to 7:00AM every day. Here's a thought: I'll volunteer to escort Champ into some of the more treacherous neighborhoods in North Milwaukee. $20 says he'll feel VERY insecure...

[Stuart]

Here's a Politfact article about crime in Milwaukee: http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/...kee-96-nation/ There are parts of the city that are dangerous, but other parts that aren't. You can say that about most any major city in the USA - as an example, I happen to live in the inner city of Minneapolis; while there are some inner city neighborhoods here that are crime-ridden, my particular neighborhood is pretty quiet and I feel totally safe here.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by Stuart

Here's a Politfact article about crime in Milwaukee: http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/...kee-96-nation/ There are parts of the city that are dangerous, but other parts that aren't. You can say that about most any major city in the USA - as an example, I happen to live in the inner city of Minneapolis; while there are some inner city neighborhoods here that are crime-ridden, my particular neighborhood is pretty quiet and I feel totally safe here.

Stuart, what a lot of people don't know about Milwaukee is it's where the Latin Kings, Bloods, Crips and other Chicago street gangs go to "settle" disputes. What was deemed to be an alarming situation when we lived in the area (2004-2007) has become far worse. The West Allis area of Milwaukee saw gun play and assaults on WI State Fair attendees for the first time last year. It's no wonder many of the employers in Milwaukee are abandoning the city for the outer suburbs. My wife's office was at the corner of Plankington and Michigan, a perfectly safe area, yet less than 10 blocks west it was a shooting gallery.

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by 61-63

Well I emailed GoatGuyTom and he forwarded my email to Tony Bastien, who then sent ME an email about the incident in the article. As we suspected the story was embellished. Tony's email to me follows. I removed his phone numbers which I
didn't want to put on the web for the world to see.

Hi John,



Tom sent me your e-mail, the one about John Rawlins’ Wisconsin experience.



Let’s say that Rawlins took some liberties with the facts, a classic example of artistic license.



Please call if you’d like to hear my recollection of the Wisconsin incident which, by the way, differs from Rawlins’ version.


I dealt with a Sheriff or Sheriff’s deputy, who was polite and professional (we were cruising along in a Buick station wagon at 85 when he stopped me).



My land line is xxx, and my cell is xxx.



Talk to you later,



Tony Bastien

So they printed an "embellishment", and they are OK with that? No side notes, or similar?

Glad I left GTOAA years ago..........

[Dick Boneske]

The story was an "embellishment" for sure. I've lived in Wisconsin my 74 years and never experienced anything like what's described in that story. I guess the Legend magazine is short of stories.

[Formulabruce]

Drama Sells... How old is general Hospital??

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by 6TEE8GTO

People such as myself have indeed fled to the outer suburbs.

So, what your telling me, is that I was right...

I've lived in areas that were truly decimated by the elimination of jobs - more so that what happened in Milwaukee.

I grew up in an iron/taconite mining area. Back in the early 80's - some of the communities in my sales territory had 80% unemployment. I insured the oil jobber in that town. How would you like to be selling heating oil when 80% of your customers were unemployed?

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by hurryinhoosier62

. When my wife was working in WI, she had a facility on North James Lovell Ave. in Milwaukee. Company policy stated that ALL corporate personnel had to leave the facility before sundown. This facility was on lockdown from 5:30PM to 7:00AM every day. Here's a thought: I'll volunteer to escort Champ into some of the more treacherous neighborhoods in North Milwaukee. $20 says he'll feel VERY insecure...

So from early November to late February - all employees had to leave the facility before 5:30 PM.

FYI - the whole month of December sunset is BEFORE 4:30 PM. Oh, and they couldn't even get to work at 7:00 AM because the sun didn't rise until AFTER 7:00 AM.

As to those treacherous neighborhoods - if they are so bad (not saying that they aren't bad) - why would you volunteer to take me there?

Arrogance or stupidity?

[Trulyvintage]

Unless you were there - you don't know ...

I was walking out of a Walmart in a small town in Eastern Nebraska along the Lincoln Highway a few years ago ...
(2) guys in suits approached me in the parking lot & asked me for identification.

I did not comply - not then and not for over two hours more when (5) vehicles and (7) officers from (3) agencies interrogated me without given me a reason.

Turns out - a senior citizen was bamboozled out of money by a Traveler's Gang member - went to a bank & withdrew money at the atm with the the guy.

The ONLY DESCRIPTION the old guy gave the authorities was he thought perhaps the guy was driving a truck pulling an enclosed trailer with out of state plates.

I had spent the previous night in town - I drive a truck & pull an enclosed trailer so that me THE PRIME SUSPECT.

I have a basic knowledge of my rights & I stayed within my rights.

Finally they realized I was not the guy they were looking for.

I told the lead detective either they had totally inept local law enforcement
or they had no actual crime to investigate.

After they left - a local came up who had been watching for the last half hour
and told me I was the first guy he knew of that stood up to what was happening in his community recently.

Seizure laws that had been passed recently had led to an increase of
vehicle & property seizures in the local county - there were pending
civil lawsuits for unlawful action as a result.

Sh*t Happens - do not discount the possibility of what you do not witness.


Jim

[6TEE8GTO]

Originally Posted by The Champ

So, what your telling me, is that I was right...

Originally Posted by Trulyvintage

Unless you were there - you don't know ...
Sh*t Happens - do not discount the possibility of what you do not witness.
Jim

Since this has kinda of gone all over the place now, and turned into some kind of "I'm right, you're wrong" deal, let's step back from the trees for a second and look at the forest?

I started this topic because the article appeared to be complete and total BS, based on the fact that I live in this area, and that our great country has what one might call "regional dialect" and the story didn't sound plausible.

Originally Posted by The Verdict

Hi John,
Tom sent me your e-mail, the one about John Rawlins’ Wisconsin experience.
Let’s say that Rawlins took some liberties with the facts, a classic example of artistic license. Please call if you’d like to hear my recollection of the Wisconsin incident which, by the way, differs from Rawlins’ version.

It was. Game. Set. Match.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by 6TEE8GTO

I started this topic because the article appeared to be complete and total BS, based on the fact that I live in this area, and that our great country has what one might call "regional dialect" and the story didn't sound plausible

I lived in Wisconsin for over 20 years and my daughter and grandson still do. Based on that fact, I called BS on part of your claim.

[lilabner]

Originally Posted by 66sprint6

One thing I can say: being a construction executive and working around the world, it's good to be fluent in both. I've always been curious, though. Which system does the US military use?

Military uses both.