Our immediate families could be much larger by this time next month -- at least in the City of Milwaukee.

While Ald. Mike D'Amato has done a number of notable things while representing the East Side, his lasting legacy could be the redefinition of a nuclear family. D'Amato proposed that the city's definition of "family" include first cousins. This would allow college students to bunk together and avoid the ban on three unrelated people from living in the same dwelling, a recent target for crackdown by city building inspectors.

For the record, the city's current definition of family includes: "Husband and wife, son or daughter, mother or father, sister or brother, uncle or aunt, grandparent, grandchild, niece or nephew, mother-in-law or father-in-law, all of whom comprise no more than one nuclear family unit per household. Included in the term "family" are four or fewer legally assigned foster children, except that more than four may be legally assigned if all are related to one another as brothers or sisters."

Keeping it all in the family, state law states that second cousins can get married legally. We're pretty sure it's not a common tactic used to get around housing ordinances.

Much Ado About Ronnie: Usually when politicians honor dead politicians -- especially presidents -- there isn't much debate over the resolution. But a resolution creating "Ronald Reagan Day" in Wisconsin created a firestorm this week.

The resolution praises Reagan as "a man of humble background (who) worked throughout his life serving freedom and advancing the public good ... (who) inherited a disillusioned nation shackled by rampant inflation and high unemployment; and (who) led to an unprecedented economic expansion and opportunity for millions of Americans; and (whose) commitment to an active social policy agenda for the nation's children helped lower crime and drug use in America's neighborhoods; and (whose) commitment to the armed forces contributed to the restoration of pride in America, her values, and those cherished by the free world, and prepared America's armed forces to win the Gulf War."

The over-the-top language seems to have set off state Rep. Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids), one of our favorite orators whose skin is thick enough that he doesn't need Teflon.

"What I remember is something called Iran-Contra," Schneider told the chamber. "What I remember is a frontal assault on the air traffic control system."

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Posted by compujeramey on Jan. 25, 2008 at 11:34 p.m. (report)

Doug, Cousin is already included in the definition. D'Amato is closing a loophope where students claim they're cousins by inserting the word first. He's actually working to keep it at 3 instead of allowing it to grow to 4. http://www.dailyreporter.com/pdf/resolution-011708.pdf