Operatives from an organization called "Advancing Wisconsin" began leafleting doors in Bay View for the first time this political season.

We should expect many more trees to be sacrificed for such efforts.

Advancing Wisconsin attacks John McCain for not voting to raise taxes on oil profits or give consumers a tax credit.

According to the group's fledgling Web site, "We seek to advance the public debate around progressive issues by engaging in face-to-face conversations with citizens throughout Wisconsin through an expansive door-to-door educational and grassroots lobbying outreach program. Advancing Wisconsin will educate Wisconsinites about critical social and legislative issues, such as health care, education, the economy, the war in Iraq, and retirement security."

There is little other content on the site, other than a disclaimer saying that because the group is an independent expenditure entity it doesn't have to register as a political action committee. At www.AdvancingWisconsin.org, a full Web site is promised as "coming soon."

More Gas Pains Needed: Take comfort that there are benefits to $4 a gallon gas prices. Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein makes a compelling argument that high gas prices are actually good for society.

"With public transit use nationally at a 50-year high, traffic dropped 2.1% in the first four months of this year across the country," he writes. "That mileage reduction -- along with people driving smaller cars, and more slowly, to save gas -- could mean that 12,000 fewer people will die in traffic accidents this year. ... Air pollution has been reduced enough to prevent 2,200 respiratory-related deaths over the last year. Less eating out and more walking and biking could mean a 10 percent reduction in obesity."

What's needed, he says, is gradually increasing taxes until gas reaches $8 a gallon, as it is in Europe.

"Cheap gas is unfair. Driving creates huge social costs in the form of traffic, health-damaging pollution and global warming that aren't suffered solely by the person buying the gasoline," Stein writes. "Governments usually set up idiotic systems to offset such social costs (emissions trading, ethanol subsidies, taco truck regulations) instead of forcing individuals to pay for their own mess by adding a tax to remedy the imbalance."

Other perks to pricey gas include better socialization among our neighbors since people will be forced to move from the exurbs and suburbs back to the dense city as well which will also reduce stress due to fewer commutes.

"Sure, $8 gas is unfair to poor people, but so is all of capitalism," he writes.

Numbers Crunching: Milwaukee County Exec Scott Walker vetoed a County Board resolution calling for a referendum to be held in November asking residents if they would agree to a 1% increase in the sales tax to pay for our depleted transit and parks systems.

In his veto announcement, Walker said Milwaukee County would become a "tax island," driving people to do their shopping in neighboring counties because they would want to pay an extra penny-per-dollar for their stuff.

County Board Chairman Lee Holloway did some math of his own, using Walker's location of announcement -- Art's Camera Plus in Greenfield -- as ground zero.

"For a camera costing $500, the sales tax in Milwaukee County would rise by $5. But, factoring in our current gasoline prices, it would be slightly more costly for many Milwaukee County residents to drive to the nearest camera stores in Waukesha County," Holloway says in a press release.

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