The Happy Circumstance

Prediction Time

2011-12-29T05:43:00.000-06:00

Even though nobody asked...again, here are my thoughts on what the final year of man's reign on Earth might look like.

Rose Bowl score is 64-58 after both defensive teams fail to report to the field after halftime. No matter what the line is, be sure to take the Over.

Obama, the President who got bin Laden, who got the troops out of Iraq, who finally got a healthcare deal made, will be vilified by the GOP while they try to defend Sheriff Joe.

Justice Prosser will remain ill-tempered and violence prone, but critics will notice more semi-colons in his written work.

Ryan Braun will sit for 50 after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels. Braun blames a Chuck Norris marathon on Spike for the results.

City, County, and Village clerks across the state will take to strong drink as they try to sort through the steaming mess that WisGOP dumped on their plates during the 18 months of unpleasantness that was the Walker "administration."

No new mine in Wisconsin. In other DNR news, Cathy Stepp announces new Wisconsin hunting seasons for mountain lions, grey wolves, unicorns, heffalumps and peek-a-poos. "I hate them little dogs," she says.

Charlie Sheen's big news for 2012? Nuffin, but thanks for askin'.

The GOP will dither and futz until late in the primary season before choosing a Trump/Fred Thompson ticket. The grown-ups at the convention will nominate Willard, who will then lose by 6 in November.

Your new iPhone? Obsolete by the first of March. What the hell is 5G, anyway?

Big Fitz and Jauch are safe in their seats. Why use up the effort?

On the 40th day after the Super Bowl Aaron Rodgers will ascend into Paradise, TX. Expect him back in DePere in July. Thoughts of Brett fade like the picture of McFly's Mom.

The Cubs will be emotionally eliminated from contention in July.

Pompadour Paul Ryan will get his 19th consecutive Rising Young Star award after doing nothing but chatter for another two-year term. Just one more and he gets to be named to the Grizzled Crank Team.

Some 15-year-old you never heard of will have a hit song you can't listen to from a movie that's incomprehensible to you and based on a book you wouldn't read in a million, jillion years. You might as well get used to this. It's gonna happen a lot.

Even though the NBA season started way back on Christmas Day, the Bucks are not out of playoff contention until nearly Lincoln's Birthday.

Mark Pocan wins a narrow primary victory and a trip to Washington. Tammy Baldwin gets ready to move over to the big office after steam-rolling Fitz the Lesser..

After losing his quixotic battle for a Senate leadership spot Ron "Senator" Johnson is assigned by Mitch McConnell to lead the new Senate Regional Office in Kansas City. Johnson will be in charge of laundry and morale during his four year term there.

Bucky goes to the dance in March but falls maddeningly short.

Stephanie Klett will continue to run the Tourism department in Madison without making any negative headlines. For this, the Walker team will have no gratitude at all.

Recall, Baby!

Breaking News: Walker Admits To Telling the Truth

2011-12-27T17:33:00.001-06:00

But says it was "Stupid." Vows to never tell the truth again.

Scooter's Present Arrives Late On a Friday

2011-12-24T06:45:00.001-06:00

Who's surprised that it's bad news?

It's not working, kids. You can't cut your way to prosperity.

See? There's Your Problem Right There

2011-12-17T05:26:00.002-06:00

So, he only wanted to pay for his defense if he could get the taxpayers to cover his sad fanny. That's pretty much the definition of "ethically-challenged."

Anything That Swirls Around the Drain Winds Up In the Walker Administration

2011-12-14T18:27:00.000-06:00

The star of the Bush/Rove PowerPoint scandal winds up charging Wisconsinites for their first amendment rights just about the same time Walker Tosa Ranger hires Sharron Angle's old spox as his media guru.

Somebody should tell him that it's not really fodder for a conspiracy theory if we can see it happening in the open.

BOHICA

2011-12-14T03:04:00.002-06:00

Brace yourself for Son of Budget Repair Bill.

Turns out that all of Walker's rosy projections were based on meeting his impossible goals. Now that he's driven Wisconsin to the bottom, he has no choice but to start another round of cuts as soon as there's nobody collecting signatures.

Even a rookie con man knows better than to believe his own patter.

"I always think there's a band, Kid."--Professor Harold Hill

It's As If They Were Just Talking Out Their Ass

2011-11-27T18:37:00.002-06:00

The MacIver Institute for Making Stuff Up has a new piece by their CrackerJack tm Education Analyst (sic) Chistian D'Andrea bemoaning a decrease in reading scores on NAEP standardized testing for a select group of students, and then using that as a call for more privitazation of your tax dollars.

There are a couple of points that the make-believe news service people left out.

First, the "grim trend" in the numbers shows a drop of 6 points in reading scores from 2007 to last year. This is probably less significant than they'd like you to believe when you look to the study and see that we are on a 500-point scale. If all things were equal, a 1.5% decline could be chalked up to noise in the data.

But they're not equal, either. The test was revised for 2009 and cannot be directly compared in a simple summary.

Don't lose track of the fact that MacIver is funded by same groups that fund the other GOP "think" tanks in Wisconsin and are doing their level best to make people believe that turning over tax dollars to their funders is a wise use of the resource. Don't fall for it and don't let your local paper get away with using them as a source, either.

Everything Old Is New Again

2011-11-15T05:28:00.002-06:00

A man without honor then.

A man without honor today.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he would run fake
Democrats again.

Because 4 and 2 was such a good result for him before.

Okay. You Want One Name?

2011-11-12T05:06:00.000-06:00

Here's a bunch of voter fraud being discussed right out in the open. What's the chance that JBvH does a damn thing about it?

I mean, if we're taking threats on FaceBook seriously, and we should be taking threats seriously, then some folks need a visit from their friendly Policeman.

Leave Herman Cain Alone

2011-11-11T11:30:00.000-06:00

"After listening to Cain’s speech and analyzing it, Ward said there is no
doubt, Cain is innocent. "
Says computer voice analyst hired by campaign. No word yet from cartomancy and haruspicy communities.

I'd be a lot more surprised if he couldn't hire someone to say that.

Breaking News: Blind Pig Finds Acorn

2011-11-11T08:25:00.000-06:00

Binversie gets one right when he writes about RWNJ opposition to business-requested check-off program. Conservatives will attack businesses if it looks as if Obama can help them.

As weird as the idea of what's been called a “Christmas Tree Tax” sounds, in
American agricultural policy it’s not that uncommon. USDA has set up a number of
promotion boards for trade associations to aid in the promotion of agricultural
products, such as milk, beef, lamb, pork and even honey or avocados. These
boards have member producers pay into a general fund, which is overseen by the
promotion board to direct money for ads, billboards and other ways to increase
sales.

So much for that laser-like focus on jobs.

Cain Campaign Continues Koch/Block Tandem

2011-11-10T20:15:00.002-06:00

Ed Morrisey points out the failure of leadership that continues to support Block in the wake of his failures and why misguided loyalty matters.
If the defense of Cain is that we’re being big meanies for pointing out his
campaign failings, then I think we’re missing the point of having a primary
process. It’s not to glorify all candidates, or any of them. It’s to
pick the person with the best policies who has the best chance of beating Barack
Obama in November 2012. If this campaign keeps Mark Block on board after
his misrepresentations, it’s not serious enough to warrant support. In
other words, to quote The Godfather, “It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s
business.”

C'mon. Tell Us What You Really Think

2011-11-09T16:51:00.002-06:00

“Mark Block has to go,” Ed Morrisey of Hot Air wrote Wednesday morning.
“If he’s not gone by tomorrow, no one will take this campaign seriously again —
nor should they.”

Seems a little harsh, doesn't it? Let's see what the people who work with Poor Mark have to say.
A former Cain staffer agreed. “Mark Block has no regard for basic ethics or
accounting practices,” the anonymous staffer told The Hill. “He is no
strategist. He is impulsive and obsessive.”

Oh. Well, good to know

Watch the Debate...

2011-11-09T16:44:00.001-06:00

...Play the Game.
Choose the pledge you’d like to make. Every time the candidates say one of
your words, you’ll be pushing back by donating that amount to the Obama
campaign.

One Sure Sign of Leadership Deficit

2011-11-08T06:14:00.002-06:00

Fitz the Lesser leads(sic) all-night session on moot point.

Remember when Walker promised no sessions after midnight? 250,000 new jobs in 4 years? A development hotline for out-of-state business that would generate responses in 24 hours?

I suppose you could call it a management "style" to generate so much outrage that people don't feel compelled to revisit your smaller failures.

Are the Sexual Harrassment Revelations the Best Thing the Cain Campaign Could Have Happen This Week?

2011-11-03T17:54:00.001-05:00

You know? Since this is the story they took the spotlight off,
Relying on Herman Cain’s Chief Of Staff Mark Block to investigate his own
financial dealings is “like asking Willie Sutton to hire an independent
counsel,” a former Cain regional field staffer told T[alking]P[oints]M[emo] in an interview this week.

You Think It's Bad In Wisconsin?

2011-11-03T07:28:00.001-05:00

North Dakota has zombies, apparently.

Clean water-loving, clear air-campaigning, tree-hugging zombies.

Get That Woodchuck A Tuna Melt

2011-10-29T08:16:00.002-05:00

A BadLipReading Soundbite.

Now, we just need a puff by Mark Block to make it official.

Scott Walker Will Want To Distance Himself From Rick Perry

2011-10-25T17:27:00.002-05:00

'Cuz Governor Big Hair wants to see the grades.
“I’m really not worried about the president’s birth certificate [but] it’s
fun to poke at him a little bit and say ‘hey, how about let’s see your grades
and your birth certificate.’”
First he came for Obama and Walker said nothing.

But, hey. At least Scott Walker didn't commit assault, or something.

Tommy's Healthcare Talking Point

2011-10-21T07:29:00.002-05:00

"Just let Grandpa die already."
“Let’s face it. So they say ‘let’s do everything we can for mother or
father. Don’t spare the costs.’ I’m not talking about denying anybody anything.
I’m just saying let’s let mother and father have their wishes. They may not want
to be on a respirator the last six months of their life.”
He's probably ready to go after listening to Jeffy Fitz' campaign ads, anyway.

Just Log It Under "Civility"

2011-10-13T04:51:00.001-05:00

19 arrested after demanding to meet Sen. Johnson

Janet Veum with Wisconsin Jobs Now says the protesters wanted to
schedule a meeting when Johnson returns from Washington, D.C. She says the
demonstrators are upset that Johnson voted against the American Jobs Act on
Tuesday along with every other Republican senator.

The Newt Face of the GOP

2011-10-04T11:51:00.000-05:00

If you dare...Callista and Newt at home.

If Only...

2011-10-04T11:47:00.001-05:00

If only Fred Thompson would get into the race we could avoid all this unpleasantness.

Just.Too.Perfect

2011-09-28T20:54:00.003-05:00

'nuff said

It's Good To Have Options

2011-09-25T08:50:00.000-05:00

Once it became clear that the Solyndra fiasco was a mere tempest in a teapot and that Republicn outrage was being manufactured out of the whole cloth
(What was not mentioned was that at least 10 of the 23 Republicans on the
Oversight and Government Reform Committee — including Mr. Issa — have lobbied the Department of Energy to approve green projects in their own districts.)
Republicans in Congress took on a new giant among the windmills; muffins.

And still they claim to be very, very serious people. Very serious.

The Office: Scott Walker Style

2011-09-24T10:22:00.002-05:00

Call it Dunderheads-Near-Mifflin.
Documents released under the state's open records law Friday also show the office of Gov. Scott Walker - and not the Department of
Children and Families - offered Archer the job at up to 65% more than what the
last person to hold the position made. Children and Families Secretary Eloise
Anderson never interviewed Archer for the nearly $100,000-a-year job, even
though Anderson is responsible for appointing someone to the post.
Just to be clear, the office of Scott Walker did nothing. Someone working in that office jumped channels to make sure Cindy Archer had a soft spot to land. Someone working in that office lied to Eloise Anderson. Someone in that office made the decision to change these positions from Civil Service and responsible to the agencies and taxpayers to being beholden to Scott Walker.

You could see back in February that changing these jobs at the agencies could only turn out badly for taxpayers. You could see that Walker was creating slots to provide so that he could shuffle his minions around in hopes of making them less visible.

Why is half of the Wisconsin electorate willing to play along with this bully and cheat? Have we become so selfish that we'll sell out our history of clean government and progressive programs for the promise of table scraps from WMC? If so, then shame on us.

The office of Scott Walker does nothing. It's the cronies, henchmen and toadies who are willing to hitch themselves to a rancid star that carry out the tawdry business of garroting openness and transparency.

It's not the office of Scott Walker that makes political appointments out of the gaze of any oversight. It's the sycophants and strivers and Randian bloodletters who fancy themselves as Makers. They make, alright. Without a doubt they make foul scandal and fetid stench in the marble and granite halls of the Capitol.

The office of Scott Walker, physical or statutory, is occupied by those who planned, carried out and are covering up this blot on the good name of Wisconsin. The office is tainted, to be certain, but it is not mendacious on its own. It is not given to perfidy by its nature. The office cannot issue basely duplicitous transgression of its own accord.

That all depends on the actions of its leader.

That's Not the Batphone Ringing

2011-09-23T18:14:00.002-05:00

It's the BS Detector going off.

Cullen Werwie, spokesman for Walker, [snip] was granted immunity
April 14.

"We don't know what exactly is involved," Walker told the Associated
Press on Friday [September 16], when asked at an unrelated event in Milwaukee. He also added: "Until we know, obviously it's a concern but again, I don't know any more details than what I've seen reported in the media outlets around the state."

The usual strategy in these investigations is to get the little fish to roll on those higher up to build a case. Werwie is the most recent recipient of immunity out of three noted here, as many as eight if you count the Gardner/Walker improprieties, and is right there at the lectern with the Governor's seal on it. Dieck and Lucht, presumably, pointed investigators toward Werwie and Archer.

How much higher can an investigation go?

Bachmann Plays, "Who's the Genius?"

2011-09-23T06:38:00.004-05:00

"I think you earned every dollar, you should get to keep every dollar that you earned,’” Bachmann said. “That’s your money, that’s not the government’s money, that’s the whole point.”

I think when people make money, it’s their money. Obviously we have to
get money back to the government so we can run the government, but we have to
have a completely different mindset, and that mindset is: the American people
are the genius of this economy, it certainly isn’t government that’s the genius,
and that’s the two views."
Let us know when you figure that out, Shelley.

Yeah, Whatever

2011-09-17T07:49:00.000-05:00

They're all pretty much the same.

Trump sez, "I like Jim Perry.

Walker Channels John Banner

2011-09-17T06:21:00.001-05:00

"I know nussing."

An Open Letter to National Conservative Groups from Wisconsin’s Liberal Bloggers

2011-09-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

To: Chris Chocola, Club for Growth
The Honorable Jim DeMint, junior Senator from the Great State of South Carolina

It is with great disappointment that we have learned of the efforts of some conservatives on the national level to try to dictate to Wisconsin conservatives their choice for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Herb Kohl. This is a tremendous opportunity for Wisconsinites to elect a second conservative senator worthy of being able to self-fund a campaign (at least until the unseemly outside contributions can be tallied and repaid) and one that Wisconsin conservatives will take very, very, very, very seriously. This is not only a choice of ideology and of who looks best in a tri-corn hat while eating a cream puff, but one of character, charisma and compassion, and it is our responsibility to bring Mark Neumann’s lack of those attributes to your attention.

We do not question Neumann’s past contributions to conservatism while he was a Congressman. He has been a reliable voice for intemperance, profligacy and sabre-rattling and understands that any notions of good policy making should be flexible depending on the occupancy of the White House. Still his actions during last year’s campaign are completely unbecoming of a conservative candidate. He had the temerity to tell the Badger State the actual truth about his opponent, to expose Scott Walker for a hollow fraud, a charlatan and a corporate shill, the very characteristics that endear him to us all.

We respectfully request the national conservative groups and individuals to take a second look at their endorsement of Neumann and at Tom Coburn’s choice in suits. We ask that, since many of them were so busy at clean-coal seminars, tanning sessions in the Seychelles, Climate Change is Good for Business golf outings and buy-policy-now ALEC fundraisers that, they missed the opportunity to come to Wisconsin during the recent battles over collective bargaining for state employees, the gutting of civil service protections, kowtowing to roadbuilders, polluters and Gadsden Flag sewers and the recall elections, that they buy a freakin’ map and come to Wisconsin now to talk to true Wisconsin conservatives to find out what they think of Neumann before attempting to foist their choice upon Wisconsin. Let our 2012 motto be heard throughout the land, “No foisting without confabulation!”

We do not write this under direction or duress from any candidate, potential candidate, or candidate’s campaign. We write this as a bald-faced attempt to remain relevant in an age of corporate-funded proto-news organizations and under the knowledge that, as the primary for United State Senate commences in earnest, we will likely go our separate ways and support any number of candidates according to fashion, whim, or cosmic message in the entrails of a broken dream. That is our right as Americans, to make sure that the voice of the truly deluded rings free in the hallowed halls of think tanks across the land.

If the past election in Wisconsin has shown national conservatives anything, it is to trust in the faith of Badger State conservative activists. We had the foresight to supply the movement with past and current leaders and rock stars like Robert Welch, Joe McCarthy, Gordon Roseleip, Jeff Wood, Tom Reynolds, Randy Hopper, David Vander Leest, Paul Ryan, Former Reality TeeVee Star Sean Duffy, Recall Target Scott Walker, U.S. Senate Placeholder Ron Johnson, and even Republican National Committee Chairman Reince “Marginally Better than Michael Steele” Priebus. We assure you, there are plenty more where they came from. There is no shortage of candidates of this quality in Wisconsin. By allowing us to commit character assassination for you prior to the primary, there is no limit to the depth of the field of conservatives we might dredge up.

Don’t limit the choice of candidates too early in the game just based on past successes with Neumann. A Fred Thompson might yet emerge for us to find fault with.

Thank you,
(The Undersigned)

Cory Liebmann
Eye on Wisconsin since 2004
Milwaukee, WI

Jim Brooks
Blogger, The Happy Circumstance, since 1776
Evansville, WI, USA

Jay Bullock
folkbum’s rambles and rants
Union Thug since 1997

Bill Christofferson
Uppity Wisconsin
Blogging as Xoff since 2005

Steve Hanson
Uppity Wisconsin
Making Wisconsin safe for moonbats since 2006

Keith Schmitz
On Jay’s Team with Folkbum
People’s Republic of Shorewood

Zach Wisniewski
Blogger, Blogging Blue, since 2007
Cudahy, WI

Chris ‘capper’ Liebenthal
Cognitive Dissidence
4 years
Michael Leon
5767 Monticello Way
Fitchburg, WI 53719

Gregory Humphrey
Caffeinated Politics

Lukas Diaz
Forward Lookout

Jeff Simpson
Blogger, Blogging Blue since 2010
Cottage Grove, WI

blue cheddar
Since 2010
Madison, Wisconsin

Lisa Mux
Waukesha Wonk
6 months in the trenches of Waukesha

Ah, Good Times

2011-09-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

Remember when Frank Lasee and Jeff Wood introduced TABOR?

Whatever happened to those guys?

Yeah. That's The Ticket

2011-09-01T20:17:00.003-05:00

Tommy Flanagan offers help for Mike/Justice Gableman.

Perhaps WMC will run Morgan Fairchild for SCoW next time. She's as lightweight as Ziegler and doesn't carry the baggage of Randy Koschnick

Remember When?

2011-08-20T08:39:00.003-05:00

Do you remember when Wisconsin got national press for having clean government and providing a shining example to the rest of the country?

Harsh state judicial campaigns financed by ever larger amounts of special
interest money are eating away at public faith in judicial impartiality. There
are few places where the spectacle is more shameful than Wisconsin, where
over-the-top campaigning, self-interested rulings, and a complete breakdown of
courthouse collegiality and ethics is destroying trust in its Supreme
Court.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could get back to the good-old-days before my grandkids have to make apologies for their home state?

Advice For Pres Candidate, Chris Christie

2011-08-18T07:47:00.002-05:00

Your slogan writes itself.

Chis Christie. A proven record of credit downgrades.

The ratings company said the pressure is exacerbated by New Jersey's weak
economic recovery, high debt burden, limited financial flexibility and
persistent structural imbalance.

These Things Just Happen to Some People More Than Others

2011-08-16T14:40:00.002-05:00

Michelle Bachmann wishes Elvis a Happy Birthday

You Can Almost Forgive Mitt For Getting It Backward

2011-08-13T14:29:00.001-05:00

You see, the people he hangs with are corporations so he just assumed...

S&P 'Splains It

2011-08-06T04:58:00.001-05:00

Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now
assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012,
remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of
Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise
revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the act.
If only Congress could have seen this coming and had the time to act to prevent it.

What Passes for Clear, Level-Headed Thinking in Steve Nass' Circles

2011-08-05T16:01:00.002-05:00

Shorter Nass- "There were so many places guns shouldn't be that we decided to allow them everywhere."
Rep. Steve Nass, chairman of the state Assembly’s Committee on Colleges and
Universities, co-authored the bill. The last time legislators tried to approve
concealed carry, he said, they created a list where weapons would be
prohibited.
That list was so extensive that lawmakers this time decided to
let universities, churches and businesses make their own decisions.
The Senator went on, It isn’t clear what carriers could do with their guns if they don’t have a secure spot to leave them, but those kinks can be worked out along the way, Nass said.

Wouldn't it have made more sense to remove the kinks before opening the floodgates?

You Know What We Should Try?

2011-07-30T11:10:00.003-05:00

We should try running Wisconsin like an effective, profitable business. That's what we should try.

Signing the contract for Michael Best & Friedrich was attorney
Raymond Taffora, a month after he left his job with the state attorney general's
office, which usually represents the state on legal challenges.

Walker missed the estimate by 500%.

Contrafactual Action

2011-07-30T11:04:00.002-05:00

Wisconsin used to be so much better -- and smarter -- than
this.
The Wisconsin that Walker--and Suder--believe in is a stupider, meaner, less effective one.

"Justice Prosser...Declined Comment"

2011-06-25T16:52:00.002-05:00

I wish there was a way to say, "I told you so," that didn't feel so hopeless.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser allegedly grabbed fellow
Justice Ann Walsh Bradley around the neck in an argument in her chambers last
week, according to several knowledgeable sources.
[]
They say an argument that occurred before the court's release of a
decision upholding a bill to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public
employees culminated in a physical altercation in the presence of other
justices. Bradley purportedly asked Prosser to leave her office, whereupon
Prosser grabbed Bradley by the neck with both hands.

Just Remember

2011-06-21T10:17:00.002-05:00

When you see a pro-mining article by Tim Sullivan touting all the jobs he's "creating" in Wisconsin you need to remember that he's not telling you the truth.

Wisconsin's Constitutional Crisis

2011-06-15T21:10:00.002-05:00

What happens when ideology trumps the Rule of Law?
However, when the Chief Justice of the State’s highest court accuses the
majority of highly unethical behavior and political motives when making law, and
does so in the writings found in a decision of the court, there is no court in
the state – nor citizen seeking to follow the laws of the state – who can give
credence and credibility to the high court’s rulings. Every ruling of the
Wisconsin Supreme Court, so long as it is composed of its current Justices, will
result in precedents that are instantly suspect due to the charges that have
been levied by members of the court.
Remember that Governor Nitwit has promised to improve the Bidneth Climb-ate but note that he seems to have forgotten the one thing business owners desire most of all--stability. Business doesn't flow to states that are in turmoil. Unless there are assurances that governments are stable they shouldn't look for an influx of new business.

While the State of Wisconsin has a lot on its plate in the recall
department, I’m afraid they now have little choice but to consider taking a look
at some of their Supreme Court Justices for similar action.

Not because the court handed down a ruling that will make people unhappy – but because the people of Wisconsin now have every reason to believe that their Supreme Court has been corrupted and their opinions subject to invalidation.

Make no mistake. This is not about a judicial philosophy with which I might
disagree. Reasonable, learned judges can – and often do – apply the law to
a fact situation and come up with different opinions and they do so in the
utmost of good faith and their best understanding of the law.

However, the minority opinion issued yesterday in the Wisconsin Supreme Court did not charge mistaken application of law. The opinion charged perversion of the facts and the law to meet a desired result.

If this is true, this is court corruption at its absolute worst and the people of Wisconsin cannot permit this to stand.
The system of checks and balances has broken down in Wisconsin and has been replaced by a Government of the Purse. Paybacks to WMC, AT&T, the roadbuilding lobby and beer distributors have taken precedence over the working families of Wisconsin.

Miserable Human On The Loose

2011-06-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

What more can you say after you express abhorrence? A GOP Rep in Massachussets has gone on record as saying he'd favor creating a class of women who could be raped without fear of repercussions.

Asked if he would be concerned that a woman without legal immigration
status was raped and beaten as she walked down the street might be afraid to
report the crime to police, Mr. Fattman said he was not worried about those
implications.

“My thought is that if someone is here illegally, they should be afraid
to come forward,” Mr. Fattman said. “If you do it the right way, you don’t have to be concerned about these things,” he said referring to obtaining legal
immigration status.

I'm flabbergasted, but sadly unsurprised.

The Prescience Of Our Founding Fathers

2011-06-10T07:33:00.002-05:00

Apparently, they thought of everything. [David] Barton declared,
"As far as the Founding Fathers were concerned, they'd already had the
entire debate over creation and evolution, and you get Thomas Paine, who is the
least religious Founding Father, saying you've got to teach Creation science in the
classroom. Scientific method demands that!" Paine died in 1809, the same
year Darwin was born.
You know David Barton. His "textbooks" are listed on Wisconsin Homeschooler and he was the first lecturer at Glenn Beck's "university."

Well, yeah. Me, too.

2011-06-07T12:49:00.002-05:00

But shouldn't Reince sweep his own house clean before he bitches about the neighbor's?
GOP chairman demands Weiner resign
David Vitter.

Newt Gingrinch.

Darrell Issa.

His caucus looks to be rich in opportunities for his high dudgeon.

Aww, Geeez

2011-06-06T16:12:00.002-05:00

It's time to move along, Anthony.

At least we know now that Breitbart is all over the "men's underpants" news.

The Ghettoization Of Rural Wisconsin Continues

2011-06-06T13:42:00.003-05:00

When you see those commercials telling you that AT&T's assimilation of T-Mobile will usher in an age of unicorns and lotus flowers rememebr this monster that was slipped into the Omnibus Budget bill by JFC on a (wanna guess?) 12-4 vote late Friday afternoon.

“Prohibits the Board of Regents, the UW System, and UW Institution, or the
UW-Extension, directly or indirectly, from doing any of the following: receiving
funds from any award from the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Building
Community Capacity through Broadband (BCCB project; disbursing, spending,
loaning, granting, or in any other way distributing or committing to distribute
any funds received with respect to, budgeted to, or allocated for the BCCB
project, and participating in the planning, organization, funding,
implementation or operation of the BCCB project.”

That means that any money that was collected by grant, any money that has already been budgeted or committed to bringing broadband communication technologies to rural Wisconsin is to be forfeit in the same way that the money for the MKE-MSN rail line was given up.

This is tantamount to standing in the way of rural electrification in the 1930's and will set rural development back decades for the sake of making AT&T's lobbyists happy.

The Darling-Vos led cabal has offered up big paybacks to the roadbuilders in this bill, they've paid back their beer distributing contributors at the expense of small brewers and now they're killing a program that directly supports jobs in rural Wisconsin for the benefit of AT&T.

The recalls can't come soon enough to stop these assaults on Wisconsin industries.

"He Ain't So Tough."

2011-06-06T12:52:00.002-05:00

Putative Presidential candidate Rick "Google" Santorum (R-In His Dreams) has said that Paul "No Bibles For Me, Thanks" Ryan (R-Way over in the right-hand corner) just wasn't randy, er Randian enough.

Santorum not only says that Ryan doesn't go after cuts in Social Security. He adds that Ryan seems unwilling to personally kick individual widows and orphans when they're down, although the defeated Senator does admit that Ryan's plan may be best for keeping crutches out of the hands of the lame and the halt.

Crossposted

Have You Heard?

2011-06-04T04:08:00.001-05:00

Have you heard WMC's radio ad extolling the virtues of a 21 mile-long strip mine in "Little Iron County?" I'm told there are several versions of it running around the state touting the Jobs and Unicorns Bill or Jobs Forever and Ever, Amen Bill or some such misnamed nonsense.

WMC claims thousands of jobs for decades while making claims for some sort of environmental protection. "Minnesota and Michigan have done it," they declare, without any acknowledgement of the degradation of the land in those places; the rust-colored ground water and the tap water that tastes like a bloody nose.

There's a new movie out that explains a lot about modern mining.

“If you try to do what they do in West Virginia in the Berkshires, the
Catskills or the Sierra Nevadas, or in Utah or Colorado, people would just put
you in jail,” [Bobby} Kennedy told us.

“Over the past 10 years, they’ve blown up and leveled an area of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia that is larger than the size of Delaware. They’ve blown up the 500 biggest mountains in West Virginia. They explode everyday 2,500 tons of dynamite, or ammonia nitrate explosives. It’s the equivalent of a Hiroshima bomb once a week. And they take the rock and debris and rubble and dump it into the adjacent river valley.”
But surely, you say, they won't do all that much blasting in Iron County because they'll have all those 2000 men and women in the pit. That's not the way modern mining works.

Haney told us that the industry’s argument that they need to engage in
mountaintop removal to protect jobs doesn’t hold up when you realize that
companies are extracting more coal with fewer workers.

“We’re both sensitive to the fact the economy is in a vulnerable place and that Americans need work. But it’s also a giant mythology,” Haney said. “The reality is that the coal industry has been using these explosives that Bobby was just talking about to eliminate jobs.”
How do they get away with it? Why do these things happen in West Virginia?

“They get away with it in West Virginia because as in every place where you
see large scale environmental injury, you’ll also see the subversion of
democracy. And at every level democracy has been crushed by these large
corporations in West Virginia,” Kennedy continued. “It’s distressing for
everyone in this country.”
And, that's why having a Governor at the beck and call of the Koch Brothers is a bad thing. Not because business is inherently evil but because government controlled by business is unable to act in the public good. The politics of Big Coal or of Big Iron is the same. They show fewer symptoms of conscience or discretion than a 19 year-old boy on MD 20-20. It's their nature. It's what they do.

Why does it matter here? Why should you care about coal in Kentucky or waste in West Virginia?

“West Virginia is really the template of where our nation is headed, which
is away from the democracy that our founders believed in and towards kind of a
corporate control of the decision-making at every level of government,” he said.
“And I think that’s one of the questions that this film really poses to the
American people.”
Lincoln wouldn't have made history if he'd spoken of a government of the businessman, for the businessman and by the businessman. Don't let Wisconsin sell its heritage for a few tons of taconite pellets.

Xoff has more about the underlying faulty economics in the plan.

How Much Will It Cost Your District To Do Paul Ryan's Version Of "Nothing?"

2011-06-03T17:53:00.002-05:00

Handy-dandy interactive map shows the impact to each Congressional District of the Medicare and Medicaid cuts that Paul Ryan is trying to make you believe is really no change at all.

Ryan's 1st District here.

Tammy Baldwin's 2nd District here with just a few highlights.

• Deny 580,000 individuals age 54 and younger in the district access to
Medicare’s guaranteed benefits.

• Increase the out-of-pocket costs of health coverage by over $6,000 per
year in 2022 and by almost $12,000 per year in 2032 for the 117,000 individuals
in the district who are between the ages of 44 and 54.

• Require the 117,000 individuals in the district between the ages of 44
and 54 to save an additional $27.3 billion for their retirement – an average of
$182,000 to $287,000 per individual – to pay for the increased cost of health
coverage over their lifetimes. Younger residents of the district will have to
save even higher amounts to cover their additional medical costs.

• Raise the Medicare eligibility age by at least one year to age 66 or
more for 65,000 individuals in the district who are age 44 to 49 and by two
years to age 67 for 460,000 individuals in the district who are age 43 or
younger.

All the rest.

Crossposted at The Paul Ryan Watch

It's All Part Of the Plan. Relax.

2011-06-03T06:44:00.002-05:00

Blatantly stolen from Sandy Underpants at The Aristocrats. Be aware that there's a content warning on that blog.

Too Easy

2011-06-03T06:43:00.003-05:00

Mama Grizzly has been taking history lessons from RoJo again. Just listen.

And yet, they get upset when her knowledge and skills are questioned.

The Horror. The Horror.

2011-05-26T17:46:00.001-05:00

Grover Norquist is trying to train 150,000 activists to make the pitch for
the plan. “The challenge will be to teach each of our activists to deliver the
Ryan speech," he said.
Just imagine 3000 mini-pompadors in ill-fitting suits criss-crossing each of our states, 42 per county just in Wisconsin, each one armed with AFP vetted charts, graphs and statistics standing on street corners offering to bloviate on the virtues of abandoning the poor and sick.

It's a regular Galtfest.

Crossposted at PRW

Great Moments In Messaging

2011-05-23T07:52:00.003-05:00

Flyin' Jim Sensenbrenner defines GOP "brand" as being one of smoking rubble and horrified onlookers at convention.
Sensenbrenner says, "We got our brand back."
He says the challenge now will be to sustain the goals their achieved. He says Wisconsin will be ground zero in 2012...

A Note From the Convention

2011-05-22T06:46:00.002-05:00

Meanwhile, Gov. Scott Walker (left) said the state is on a roll, but
Republicans need to win the recall elections this summer to keep that momentum
going.
Mrs. O'Leary said the same thing about Chicago, if only they could get the fire put out.

Do you suppose it ever occurred to Scotty, even for just one moment that, if Wisconsin was actually on a roll, there would be no recall elections?

The Cost Of Cuts In Terms of Human Lives

2011-05-18T01:08:00.002-05:00

"The whole cost of our cervical cancer screening program will probably
be less than the care of one hospitalized patient with advanced cervical
cancer."
Walker's budget proposal will mean that more women will die. Is it fair to say that his budget kills women? Perhaps not. Is it fair to say that Walker and his cadre really don't care if more poor women die? That surely seems to be the message he's sending.
The medical director of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene says
women will likely die of cervical cancer if Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal
eliminating $266,400 for cervical cancer screening prevails.

"I see at least 1 - 2 high-grade lesions every day during cytologic
evaluations," Dr. Daniel Kurtycz says in prepared remarks to be given Wednesday
to the Joint Finance Committee, which will consider Walker's budget request.
"Without follow-up, there is no doubt that some of these lesions will become
invasive. Because cervical cancer takes at least two years to run its course,
sometime after 2015, we will have women dying of cervical cancer as a
predictable consequence of the funding reduction for testing in this
budget."
How long can we afford Walker's callous disregard for the working families of Wisconsin?

Fixing The Blame

2011-05-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

My Brother always says that, if you can find someone to blame, you don't have to lift a finger to improve the situation. Now Donald Trump, The Candidate Too Bad To Lampoon, has decided to begin the blaming by pointing at Paul Ryan.

If Republican Jane Corwin goes down in defeat in the May 24 special
electionin New York's 26th congressional district, blame Republican Rep. Paul
Ryan's(R-Wis.) budget, Donald Trump said Wednesday.
Trump, speaking in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, blamed Ryan's budget proposal — in particular, its controversial provision to reform Medicare — for dragging Corwin into a competitive race to replaceresigned Rep. Chris Lee (R).

"A very popular Republican woman is running for the office. She was expected to win easily," Trump said in the Granite State. "She's having a hard time defending that whole situation with Medicare."

"Too early, too soon. There was no reason for him to do it," he later said.
Just remember that Trump has really only been a political celebrity for a few months and his light is fading faster than a moth in a bell jar, even someone so politically naive can see that Pompadour Paul is putting the stink of death on his own party with his Medicare witchhunt.

Crossposted at The Paul Ryan Watch

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

2011-05-09T06:53:00.002-05:00

Let's see.

The program is Federally-mandated so there's no chance to not provide the service yet Walker and Vos want to defund it.

Saving $1 at the state level cuts $2 more in matching funds to provide services.

The only people who will suffer for these cuts are divorced parents, many below the poverty line.

The tag tells the tale of shame.

Several Republican members of the Joint Finance Committee did not respond to
requests for comment.

Not So "Tough On Crime" After All

2011-05-06T05:59:00.002-05:00

How long until the adults are back in charge?

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced Thursday
that he has ordered his assistant prosecutors to continue working full-time
despite the state's plan to cut all their salaries by 20% starting Sunday.
"As public safety professionals and ministers of justice, our word is
our bond, and we are obligated to keep our promises even if others don't,"
Chisholm said in a written statement.

What Is Left After Perspective and Rationality Are Discarded?

2011-05-02T08:16:00.002-05:00

Crazy Shelley.

Bachmann said the next generation will ask similar questions about what
their elders did to prevent them from facing a huge tax burden.

"I tell you this story because I think in our day and time, there is no analogy to that horrific action," she said, referring to the Holocaust. "But only to say, we are
seeing eclipsed in front of our eyes a similar death and a similar taking away.
It is this disenfranchisement that I think we have to answer to."

Don't forget that taxes as a share of GDP are lower than 60 years ago. It's only because Bachmann and Ryan and their ilk keep piling on working families to the benefit of corporations that individual's burden is greater.

OBL Dead

2011-05-02T05:35:00.002-05:00

One major international criminal will now find out what his rightful place in Hell really looks like.

Celebrations may be heartfelt, but seem to be just a tad out of proportion to what we gained by his death. It's more imperative today to be on guard than it was yesterday.

Is There A Urine Test For "Wrong-headedness?"

2011-04-27T04:37:00.004-05:00

Because I'd recommend one before Grothmann gets his government check every month.

h/t illy-t

Some Unsolicited Advice, Likely To Go Unheeded

2011-04-22T07:44:00.002-05:00

For those who, in April, are willing to embrace the freak show that is The Donald, I offer three words to put his campaign in perspective.

Fred Dalton Thompson.

No. They ARE Major League Baseball.

2011-04-21T06:46:00.001-05:00

They just think they're a GOP Governor.
Commissioner Bud Selig is taking away control of the Los Angeles Dodgers
from owner Frank McCourt, whose troubled finances and unresolved divorce
settlement have seemingly paralyzed the once-proud franchise.

Lies, Enumerated

2011-04-18T07:12:00.001-05:00

Jay does the heavy lifting so you (and I) don't have to.

Nostalgia Ain't What It Used To Be

2011-04-18T06:34:00.002-05:00

Remember when An American Carol skyrocketed to #161 on the 2008 box office charts with its conservative tale of Life in America? Remember how ideology made the script swoop and soar like an untrammeled great bird in the hands of Kelsey Grammer and Zach Levy? It looks as if we have another hit of that magnitude. Pretty much everyone shrugged.
Dagny and Hank ride blissfully in Taggart’s new high-speed train, and then Hank suggests they take a trip to Wisconsin, where the state’s policies caused the suppression of an engine that runs on the ozone in the air, or something (the film’s detailed explanation won’t clear this up). They decide to drive there. That’s when you’ll enjoy the beautiful landscape photography of the deserts of Wisconsin.

The Blog Post Somebody Doesn't Want You To See On Facebook

2011-04-09T06:46:00.001-05:00

“This is NOT an acceptable way of doing this stuff”
Why does one FB user find this unacceptable?

Friday Questions

2011-04-08T06:20:00.003-05:00

Who ever would have suspected that shenanigans would follow a county clerk who kept her own separate records? As it turns out, the answer is, "Most of the Waukesha County Board." How relieved are the municipalities in Wisconsin now that Walker has given them tools? Considering that those tools only help them recover an average of sixty cents on the dollar the answer is, "Not so relieved after all."

Surprise Tactics Really Only Work Once

2011-04-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

They're wise to Operation Sneaking Weasel in Green Bay.

RPW Fail

2011-04-03T22:10:00.002-05:00

You should further note that the e-mails that we have reviewed contain absolutely no evidence of political motivation, contact from individuals outside normal academic channels or inappropriate conduct on the part of Professor Cronon. The university finds his conduct, as evidenced in the e-mails, beyond reproach in every respect. He has used his university e-mail account appropriately and legitimately. He has not used his university e-mail account for any inappropriate political conduct. In fact, none of the e-mails contained any reference whatsoever to any of the specific political figures that you identified (except Governor Scott Walker), nor do they in any way reference the proposed recall efforts.
What's the hub-bub, Bub?

I Know They Don't Like It When People Say They're Stupid

2011-03-31T16:03:00.003-05:00

But, what are you going to do in the face of this? GOP Rep who is on the Foreign Relations Committe, "After Libya will Obama commit troops in Africa?" Gohmert says that Obama is depleting the Army so he can call up his private army of doctors. Florida GOP adds eighth banned word to the list. Gets skittish about saying, "Uterus." It's as if Superman's Bizarro World had come to life.

Know Nothings: Raising the "Yellow Peril" Flag Since 1882

2011-03-31T04:42:00.003-05:00

Just cringe.

And, For All Three of My MKE Cty Readers

2011-03-30T08:01:00.001-05:00

Voter supression=Jeff Stone=ALEC

Outside Agitators Inside the Gates

2011-03-29T18:39:00.003-05:00

Okay, kids. I'm not going to spoon feed this to you. You may have to actually follow some of the links to flesh out the story as I ramble on and on like the damn desert, but it's well worth the effort. Professor Wm J Cronon of the UW wrote an article showing that the curious timing of a national flurry of fundamentally similar bills could be traced back to a group calling itself American Legislative Exchange Council. (ALEC) ALEC issued a non-denial denial of involvement to a specific question.
Raegan A. Weber, an ALEC spokeswoman, replied via e-mail that ALEC had not worked with "Gov. Scott Walker or any of our members on any of the governor’s proposed legislation."
A snot-storm ensued which soon spread. But, "Why does this even matter?" you ask. How could such inside baseball affect me? Do you turn on the lights when you get home? Does your computer use electricity?
ALEC's sample legislation advances the interests of low wage employers, energy companies, prescription drug companies against drug importation, private insurers threatened by health reform, various and sundry polluters, the private prison industry, and anyone who doesn't want too many Democrats voting. Its bills oppose unions and favor privatization of public assets.
Does any of that sound familiar? "What's disgusting?!" Well, pretty much that whole litany of conservative boodle, now that you asked. Using tax dollars to fund for-profit schools. Maciver=Scott Jensen=ALEC Closing the Capitol to the people and issuing outrageous edicts. Mike Huebsch=ALEC Prisons for profit. Jeff Fitzgerald = ALEC Health care reform. Scott Fitzgerald+Leah Vukmir= ALEC
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) currently serves as an ALEC state chair. Wisconsin State Rep. Leah Vukmir (R) is the "public chair" of the ALEC Health and Human Services Task Force, the "private chair" is Marianne Eterno of Guarantee Trust Life Insurance. Vukmir has a history of opposing mental health parity laws that would require insurance companies to cover psychiatric illnesses on par with other conditions.
Which brings me back to my point about electricity. We have a new PSC Chair for the next 6 years. He will "oversee and regulate" the energy policies that fulminate in the Walker administration.
"Phil will help protect ratepayers and ensure our state has a sustainable and economical network of power production facilities,” Walker said in a statement.
Everyone who believes that should sit down and rest a moment. But who is Phil Montgomery and why should we worry about a former legie joining the current administration? Well, in the first place Walker's budget cuts 10% of the headcount for the PSC making any oversight that much harder no matter who is in charge. And then you have that pesky Montgomery=ALEC=Privatizing Energy Generation equation. Scores of communities across Wisconsin are able to keep rates low and rate-payers happy because they own the generating plants. That's something Walker and the Fitz' can't stand and will seek to change. Write this prediction down. In the name of Economic Development the state will subsidize electricity for large end users but only if it's produced by an investor owned utility. Further, restrictions will be lowered to allow users to cross into the service areas of public utilities to cherry pick these subsidized rates. Public utilities will see large revenue losses leading to higher rates for residential users and calls to sell the generating capacity to investor-owned utilities. In the same way Walker will use municipalities to do to the Police and Firefighters that which he would not do, he'll use his new pet Dept of Economic Development to gut public utilities. I know you're tired of hearing about the Koch Brothers and AFP but the connections are here. I know you're weary of being beaten down by Wal-Mart stories but Wal-Mart is beating you down. And I know how cranky some folks get when you point out the definition of fascism in the dictionary. But giving in doesn't make your life better. The John Birch Society of the 50s and 60s were little more than a collegial bunch of goofs who believed Eisenhower was a Commie and got together now and again for a good book burning or two. This iteration is more tenacious and more ferocious and our ballots are the first line of defense against them. Never waste one again.

It's Hard In The House For A "Rising Star"

2011-03-29T18:28:00.002-05:00

Sean Duffy is having trouble make ends meet in Congress. Duffy told an audience in Polk County...
I drive a used minivan. If you think I'm living high on the hog, I've got one paycheck. So I struggle to meet my bills right now.
Duffy makes $174,000 per year as a first term Representative. The average HOUSEHOLD income in Polk County is $50,520. Maybe they can vote him home for a reality check in 2012. It's time to take the pressure off this poor child.

And, Violet Eyes To Die For.

2011-03-23T10:55:00.001-05:00

RIP, Elizabeth Taylor

The Bully's Defense

2011-03-23T10:43:00.001-05:00

She made me do it. I'm not that kind of a person. "I'll destroy you, bitch."

It's Hard To Be A Wingnut #12

2011-03-17T17:44:00.002-05:00

You know that somebody is soft on the concept when they name their entire movement after The Boston Tea Party and then whine that boycotts are mean.

I linked to a sixth grade level article on the Tea Party in case Michelle Bachmann is reading.

More Value For Your Government Dollar

2011-03-17T05:05:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday, Isthmus posted a story to its website saying that under the
settlement Walker did not acknowledge any fault but agreed to produce the
records and pay attorney's fees and costs of around $7,000.
Do you remember back when Scott Walker promised transparency and openness in Madison? Yeah, that's not what Scott Walker is known for. Back in 2005 he got a letter from the DOJ referring to the way Milwaukee County dealt with open records requests.

"In sum, this episode evinces a case of how government officials ought
not to do business...

"Whether they violated the public records law is a question largely
mooted by the later production of the waivers and the nearly inconceivable
notion that a repeat of this inglorious set of circumstances might be
forestalled by a judicial pronouncement on the matter.
"Nobody honored
to serve in public office ought to manipulate public records in this fashion --
that is the opinion of this office."

Interestingly, the news that Scotty had pissed away more than $7000 in a losing battle to keep from embarrassing himself the Dane County District Attorney filed and Open Meetings Law Violation complaint against the conference committee meeting last week which saw the non-fiscal parts of the Budget Repair Bill (Let's chew on that for a moment. Non-fiscal ad budget repair. All together right there, screaming at one another as if they didn't belong in a single sentence.)

This week also saw an open hearing that wasn't really open that included funding to repair the power plants the Governor intends to offer for no-bid contracts to his campaign contributors. He's going to sell them without open bidding because they'll cost too much to repair and there's not demand enough for open bidding, he says. But he's allocating money to repair them so they'll be ready for whoever buys them and uses them to generate electricty they'll sell to the state at a profit. Somehow, that wasn't important enough to warrant a meeting room large enough to hold a real hearing.

What was it Scotty said back when he was gutting the Department of Commerce in favor of a new system for funnelling tax dollars to contributors? "
We want to make sure that both from an ethics and open government standpoint
and overall in terms of accountability that we have full disclosure and
accountability, ..."
Yeah, see? Walker's not good at any of that. His track record in Milwaukee County is one of obfuscation and deception, of bending the rules he can't ignore and of doing everything in his power to block legitimate requests for information. Some people wanted to believe Walker without any reason or cause and it's costing all of us today.

Why bring all of this up? Why the downer? Because it's Sunshine Week, the week when we lobby for openness and transparency in government the same way we hope to build awareness for this disease or that condition in hope of finding a cure. It's Sunshine Week and our brand new Governor stepped on his pud three times at once. His case of deception may be beyond any glimmer of hope for a cure.

It can't be tough to do better than this. We've simply elected a man who has no idea how to follow through on his words.

When Faced With A Tough Choice...

2011-03-10T04:48:00.003-06:00

...the GOPbaggers decide to make deep cuts to Special Olympics.
The House GOP's budget, which passed last month, takes a hatchet to programs
for disabled kids and Special Olympics athletes. The proposed cuts could force
the closure of at least one Special Olympics program, which is funded through
the Department of Education. Dubbed Project UNIFY, the program serves more
than 750,000 students in 43 states and draws from techniques used in Special
Olympics training for activities in public schools.
It's a shameful time to live in America.

Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

2011-03-09T18:01:00.000-06:00

When, "Obviously aware," means, "Didn't have a clue."

Seriously?

2011-03-09T05:43:00.002-06:00

The flip side of that argument is, that if you think the NPR/O'Keefe kerfuffle means something dire, then you should be supporting charges against Scott Walker for the BuffaloBeast call.

Remember When It Was All About "One Vote For One Voter and Every Vote Counted?"

2011-03-08T17:55:00.000-06:00

Now it's all about stopping college kids from voting.

It's Hard To Be A Wingnut #9

2011-03-08T11:57:00.000-06:00

It's hard to reconcile a desire for making it easier to get a gun into the Capitol with seting up metal detectors at the entrances to keep pocket change and nail clippers out of the building.

J'Accuse!

2011-03-08T05:46:00.002-06:00

In tense appearance yesterday Governor Walker accused Senator Mark Miller of obstructing Walker's plans to gut Wisconsin. Walker stood at the lectern, rolling a pair of ball bearings in his left hand and... suggested - with no apparent irony - that perhaps Miller has been having
secret phone calls with special interest backers in organized labor.
You'll recall that it was Walker himself who got caught with his official hands in that particular cookie jar not so very long ago.

Before leaving for a prior engagement at Room 126 of The Country Springs Motel with Charlie Sykes, Walker was heard to blame Miller and Senator Jon Erpenbach for taking some strawberries out of the Capitol mess lockers.

Spin Away, Boys!

2011-03-06T10:25:00.002-06:00

It was a surprise that the Rasmussen Poll showed such low approval for Governor Walker's overreach but to have WPRI's numbers show 2-1 against the scheme to strip collective bargaining rights it counts as shocking.

I would like to take a moment to disagree with the MJS characterization though. If Walker's 4 point win was a mandate then these numbers don't show division as much as they show solidarity of public thought against Walker and the Fitz'.

Meanwhile, In Other News

2011-03-04T06:32:00.001-06:00

Scott Fitzgerald vows to hold his breath until Jon Erpenbach comes back to Madison. Really. He means it.

And he's not going to eat his vegetables, either.

For A Change, I'm Glad Walker Is A Hypocrite

2011-03-04T06:27:00.002-06:00

Remember how Scott Walker says that all government spending is bad and that we have to cut, cut, cut? Yeah, not so much. Walker Asks FEMA For Federal Aid For Blizzard Costs
I'm glad he's asking. Sharing the risk is one of the things that government spending does well. There is a long, long list of things that we can do as a government that we could never do as individuals.

I just hope that someone points out the irony of this request at this time to The Incurious Governor.

A Laser-Like Focus On Jobs

2011-03-01T15:11:00.002-06:00

You'd expect this from The Onion but, no, it's from The Badger Herald Although representatives deny any connection to the recent prank call on the
governor, two legislators began circulating a bill Monday that would ban making
trick calls masking the caller’s true identity.
Calls from running refrigerators and Prince Albert have, apparently, upset the imminemtly upsettable Mary Lazich and equally offendable Mark Honadel as they have now proposed adding one more task to the lists already dumped on underfunded DA's in Wisconsin.

Summing It Up

2011-02-25T17:35:00.001-06:00

From Dana Milbank, writing in WaPo: Under Walker's tribal political theory, governing is a never-ending cycle of
revenge killings.

Power Plant Sales Look Like A Done Deal From Here

2011-02-23T20:34:00.002-06:00

Even though no one knew until a week ago last Friday that Wisconsin might be considering selling any power plants. And, even though there has been no approval to sell power plants by the Legislature and no offer to sell power plants by the state, it certainly looks as if someone believes they'll soon be buying themselves some power plants.

Posted today, Wednesday, on Thinkenergygroup.com, a job posting site for engineers, Energy client is looking for experienced Plant Managers for multiple power
plants located in Wisconsin.
Not just looking for a power plant manager, mind you, but for multiple managers for multiple sites in Wisconsin. And after the normal expectations for experience and proficiency comes this telling requirement. Strong Labor relations experience is a big PLUS (emphasis in the original)
Well, given the climate change in Wisconsin over the last ten days, that's probably an understatement.

Shouldn't somebody look into where these jobs will be opening up and see if some big energy company got an inside line on these no-bid sales that Governor Walker is pushing so very hard?

Maybe

2011-02-23T09:03:00.001-06:00

Maybe if M&I Bank had contributed less to Scooter's campaign they wouldn't be trashing 143 jobs.

Just add them to the list of jobs lost under Walker's "Laser-like Focus."

What's Going On With You?

2011-02-13T11:00:00.003-06:00

Some news for you.

The AFL-CIO has put up an online petition protesting the usurption of power and the violation of our workers' rights and our civil rights. By the way, the petition is insanely easy to sign.

State Senator John Erpenbach Listening Session
Middleton High School
2100 Bristol St, Middleton in the Courtyard Commons.
Sunday Feb 13 4-6 PM
“Governor Walker wants to introduce this proposal today and pass it tomorrow. The people of this state deserve better. Governor Walker should be bringing people together rather than tearing this state apart. I am hopeful we
will be able to make changes to the bill to at least remove the non-fiscal
items.” Senator Erpenbach will hold a listening session this Sunday at Middleton
High School at 4pm

Rally to Save Unions in Wisconsin
204 West Lake Street Horicon WI
Sunday, February 13 · 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Monday, February 14 · 10:30am - 1:30pm
Rally for Worker Rights - Deliver Valentines To Walker
Spaights Plaza on the UWM campus
Created By Milwaukee Graduate Assistants Association

The rally will address Walker's threats to all UW and state
employees,and will be our first response to his reckless campaign to
trampleworker rights and the Wisconsin economy.
It is historically worth noting that many of the rights Walker wants
torestrict, roll back, or eliminate, including collective bargaining rightsand
union dues deduction, were precisely the rights that Memphis'municipal waste
collectors were striking for in 1968 when Dr. Kingjoined them. It was in that
struggle for worker rights that Dr. King was assassinated.
Please join MGAA, AFSCME, and our student allies at the rally on
Monday.We will begin with a rally in Spaights Plaza to exercise our First
Amendment Rights about all of the devastating news from Governor Walker today.
Then we'll show Gov. Walker just how much he's broken our hearts by hand
delivering valentines.
For more information, or to RSVP for the bus ride to deliver the
valentines, contact Paul Sickel, MGAA staff member, at pfsickel@gmail.com.

WSEU Statement re Tuesday and Wednesday Lobbying Days in Madison

The world of state employees and their rights as workers comes to an end
under Scott Walker’s budget repair bill. His proposal, for the most part,
creates no savings, but is full of political paybacks, anti-worker provisions,
and a general disdain for public workers’ rights. If this bill passed as
proposed, it will turn all of our worlds upside down. Something as simple
as the grievance procedure will be replaced with the civil service procedure,
which establishes the agency head as the final decision maker on your
grievances. Everything will be in the hands of and controlled by the
employer, without employee
recourse.

There are other rights and protections aside from the grievance procedure that
are nullified in Walker’s proposal. To make things even worse we were
officially notified that effective 3/13/2011 the contract extension will be
cancelled. This means that all of us will have no contract
protections. All local agreements and memoranda of understanding are
unilaterally cancelled. Everything affecting your daily work life is in
jeopardy.

We, along with WEAC, AFT, AFL-CIO and other unions are doing everything possible
to avert this disaster. We are meeting with legislators and we would
strongly encourage all of you and your members to reach out to their State
Senators. The message is clear: “Why are you taking away my
rights?”

We will be up on T.V., both commercial and cable, starting Monday, as well as
radio.
On Tuesday, 2/15 and Wednesday, 2/16 we will be having lobby
days at the Capitol. Watch this website for specific pick up
locations. Buses will run from every corner of the state on both days,
arriving in Madison for a briefing at approximately 10:00 a.m., followed
by a rally at the Capitol at noon. The afternoon will be spent visiting
legislators. This rally should be the biggest we have ever
held. We have multiple unions, community groups and citizens joining
us. We would encourage you and your members to extend invitations to our
allies and ride the busses with us. There is no
charge.
We
know that Walker is trying to bait us by mobilizing the National Guard, hiring
an Ohio security firm to staff any facility and instructing the capitol police
to meet with legislators and “advise” them not to meet with constituents in
their districts.
This budget repair bill is an all out
assault on you, your families, your careers, your rights and your union.
Walker keeps talking about the “good and decent people who work for the State of
Wisconsin”, but his actions speak a different message of divisiveness, cronyism
and servitude.

AFSCME Bus schedule to Madison

WSEU-SEPAC Info Page

WEAC Bus schedule to Madison

SEIU Bus schedule to Madison

AFT Bus schedule to Madison

There will also be vigils each afternoon on the Capitol Square from 3-7 pm each afternoon/evening, with speakers towards the end of the vigils. In addition you should take the advice of my friend Chris.

Finally, you can call 877-753-5578
and get connected with your legislator. Or you can find their numbers
here. Call them and ask them, politely, to stop the insane attack on working families, using the facts that I laid out a little earlier.
However you do it, make sure your voice is heard along with the rest of
ours.

First and foremost, make sure you get out to vote on Tuesday before you head for Madison. Given Justice Prosser's confession that he will serve as a complement to Walker's power grab it is more important than ever that you look at the candidates running against him and make what is a clear choice to repudiate the activist judiciary that Prosser and Gablman represent.

If It Wasn't Such A Tragedy For So Many In Wisconsin...

2011-02-09T06:41:00.002-06:00

...it would be funny to see all the news outlets that endorsed Walker realizing the enormity of their mistake.

The State Journal this morning says Fitzgerald hiring doesn't "pass the smell test." They'll want to get used to that with Walker.

Really Quick. Really Judgemental

2011-02-07T06:42:00.003-06:00

Kid Darth Vader for Jetta- Far and away the best of a pitiful litter

Black Betty for Beetle- Maybe my fave but for narrow enough reasons

Doritos- The Cheese Guy was just creepy and I don't remember the rest. Where the Hell is Ali Landry when the nation needs her?

Feuding Couple for Pepsi Max- I loved it when it was a State farm commercial. I'm almost over this version already

First Date for Pepsi Max- This is what Two and a Half Men will look like without Charlie Sheen

First Date for Chevy Cruze (sic) - Just for a moment I knew what Papa Hemingway was thinking at the end.

Budweiser Wild West- Never has so much been made of so little. How did no one stand to say that Coke did all this with the Grand Theft Auto ad years ago.

Motorola Xoom (what does that even mean?) - They even went so far as to put 1984 on the reading pane just to let us know that they knew we'd know they were ripping off the most famous SuperBowl ad of all time in the service of a device that will be obsolete by Saint Swithin's Day.

Careerbuilder.com- Yeah. It's monkeys. We get it. Move on.

Godaddy.com- Yeah. Web content is unrated. We get it. Move on.

Joan Rivers for godaddy- Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it.

Richard Lewis for Snickers- We knew where it was going but it was still cute enough. I have Roseanne getting logged running on a continuous loop on a spare TV right now.

Carmax or carfax or carsoup or carmex or whatever that was with the mattress showroom and stuff - Not as creative as the Bridgestone Beaver ad but infinitely superior to the talking cars drek you committed.

Reply To All for Bridgestone- You should have rerun the one with the whale. Oh, wait. Chevy Pickups did the one with the whale this year. And it was a bigger whale.

There were more. None was exceptional. Most were ordinary. Some were execrable.

Things That Make Me Go, "Huh?" #2

2011-02-07T06:34:00.002-06:00

When you read this story many questions should come to mind.
AOL buying Huffington Post for $315M

AOL is still in business?
HuffPo is a "news organization"? Seriously?
Seriously?
$315 million? Isn't that latte money for Ariana?
News? No kiddin' now? Seriously?
Is this some kind of weird "get even" move after the WisPolitics thing?
Okay, I've heard of Mapquest but Endgadget and TechCrunch? Are those breakfast cereals?
Did this have anything to do with that cheap champagne Jerry Jones was pouring?

Separation Of Powers Follies

2011-02-03T21:51:00.001-06:00

Rick Santorum stopped by at a Myrtle Beach Tea Party event yesterday in
South Carolina, and assured the group that he "would sign a bill tomorrow to
eliminate the 9th Circuit [Court of Appeals].

from TPM