August 3, 2006

Ozaukee, the new noun.

I'm coining it to signify perverse but exactly proportionate retribution. Here's the original example. Now, you propose some other ozaukee.

13 comments:

Icepick said...

From the article: [The Ozaukee (oh-ZAH'-kee) County B]oard cut funding by eight-thosuand-427 dollars, which is the amount Barrett will be paid this fall at U-W Madison.

and

The Ozaukee County Board is hoping all 71 other counties follow suit and cut funding to the extension to protest Barrett's hiring. [re-ordered by me]

But this wouldn't be exactly proportionate if all 71 counties followed suit, it would be 71 times too much. Shouldn't they be cutting funding by the fraction that they would be responsible for? And should that responsibility be determined on the number of counties only (meaning every county has a 1/71th share), or by population size? Perhaps a bi-cameral solution is in order. Besides, what if enough people sign-up for the course that it pays for itself?

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Don't you think anything that's symbolism over substance would count as an ozaukee?

KCFleming said...

Cool word.

Death by $8,427 cuts.

Unknown said...

A war ozaukee:

In a post-meaning world, the stronger of the opponents must use a suitable, proportional handicap, as determined by the UN. For instance, for every Hezbollah/Lebanese person Israel kills, they perhaps would be required to then shoot one of their own.

KCFleming said...

Ozaukee: Isn't that what Solomon advised when he suggested the two women fighting over the baby simply slice it in two, and keep half?

Barry said...

I don't have an ozaukee example, but I AM an Ozaukee resident... and now I get to research how my rep on the board voted and see if I have to make an angry phone call.

Tibore said...

U: Ozaukee?

Me: Gesundheit.

That's the way that conversation would go in my presence. :)

Frank from Delavan said...

The article said in part,
"The board cut funding by eight-thosuand-427 dollars"

I'd suggest spending that money on remedial spelling classes for the writers for WBAY-TV.

In another post, Ann wonders why she isn't watching TV more. Is this why?

Of course, being a Bear fan, I could take a cheap shot about what it takes to write about the Packers, but I'll take a pass.

JohnF said...

Ah, a slow day in Althouseville!

Don't we already have a phrase for ozaukee in "cutting off your nose to spite your face"?

Unknown said...

You're right, Daryl. I would then change my proposal to this: every time Israel plunges ahead with a metric such as number of opponents killed, the UN will fine them an amount equal to the costs associated with killing those persons, to be determined by the Human Rights Committee of the UN.

Finn Alexander Kristiansen said...

Me: "Ouzaukee?"
Girlfriend:"That's disgusting, will it hurt?".
Me: "Of course not"

(I don't actually have a girlfriend, that was a fictional reenactment of how the word is used in parts of Kazakhstan).

Unknown said...

I know, SevenMachos, I'm just being facetious.

John said...

As another Ozaukee Co resident, I happened to be privey to the draft of this resolution. The idea of splitting the county's share was discussed by the members who proposed the resolution, but a $117 cut would never make the news - let alone an Althouse post!

The county support for the UW-Extension office in Ozaukee is $294,000. This reduction will not have an adverse impact on that office.

In addition to the 72-county-split discussion related to the size of the cut, the impact of the decision by the UW administration was also mentioned. Even if the other 71 counties joined in, the dollar amount may pale in comparison to the lost contributions made by alums.