Then there’s his big tip that the Republican party should be “more relevant and more courageous”. Perhaps that means being strong enough to just take Koch Brothers money without a conscience or awareness of the consequences and do their bidding in Wisconsin while they treat the state like a twisted, oligarchical fantastic power grab and greedy social-scientific experiment.

With the “courage” to plague Wisconsin with his austerity-driven agenda combined with draconian attacks on unions and crippling cuts to public services and public education, Walker seems to enjoy the clueless cheers from those under his spell.

With Walker’s semi-privatized scandal-plagued pet project Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), continuing investigations have found that “ineligible recipients, for ineligible projects, and for amounts that exceeded specified limits” were another continuing sign of Walker’s dishonest, abusive and out of control “leadership” where taxpayers in the state should be outraged at the arrogant, irresponsible and unethical developments that are dragging Wisconsin further down.

Just like Walker made an event all about himself with a self-aggrandizing speech at the recent 23rd Annual Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony on the state Capitol grounds, he reminded those foggily mesmerized and tricked by his Right Wing Fox News Star quality that he had roots in Iowa as a young boy long before he became a dishonest college dropout.

After all, the Wisconsin governor weighing a 2016 bid for president spent seven years as a young child living in Plainfield, a tiny town in northeast Iowa Walker referred to a half-dozen times during a 40 minute speech at a Republican fundraiser.

More broadly, the rising GOP figure prescribed what he characterized as a Midwestern approach to politics and the way for Republicans, back-to-back White House losers, to win again.

“I would encourage us all to be more optimistic, more relevant and more courageous,” Walker told 600 GOP activists in a suburban Des Moines hotel ballroom. “I think when we do, we win in Iowa, we win in Wisconsin, and all across this great country, and we transform this place we live in.”

The first-term governor, who has won party acclaim for taking on unions and overcame a contentious recall election, has been raising his national profile with speeches to national Republican audiences in recent months and headlined fundraisers in New York and Connecticut this week.

More from source

Also speaking at the event at the Robb Kelley Club Annual Spring Dinner were Tea Party zombies Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Look for Walker to be out pimping his delusions in June with Ralph Reed’s crowd as he further tries to act like a “moderate” who eventually has to turn back into what he really is.

While working on his book “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge” with a George W. Bush speechwriter who helped craft the fake WMD stories, Walker hopes the recent Marquette Law School poll results where 27% of Wisconsin Republican voters and independents who lean Republican supported Ryan, 21% supported Marco Rubio and him placing third with 16% are not a trend that he may be in trouble in his 2014 re-election race, which is critical for any 2016 aspirations.

Considering Iowa leading with rail systems, wind farms, infrastructure improvements, equal marriage rights and other real accomplishments that are leaving Wisconsin in the dust, Walker could have the courage to see how they are doing it right next door. Then again, Walker doesn’t have the courage to do what is need to create real jobs.

Being that Walker is a college dropout incapable of having the discipline to get to graduate, one can expect such short-sighted hick-like stupidity and self-centered myopia from this governor.  It’s what those paying attention to this wheezing charlatan have learned to expect and his extremist, partisan divisiveness combined with what can only be seen as a circle jerk march from his willing Republicans to keep shoveling more excrement in the Fail Pile to make interested investors chuckle and move on to other midwest states where clowns are not at the helm.  So, as one would expect, more bad news about Walker’s Wisconsin keep coming:

The monthly jobs loss — indicated in preliminary, seasonally adjusted Current Employment Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, was the biggest monthly decline since April 2009, near the end of the Great Recession.

The state lost 22,600 private-sector jobs between March and April and another 1,500 public jobs according to the Current Employment Statistics, which samples around 3.5 percent of Wisconsin employers monthly.

(snip)

“If Republicans spent half as much time creating jobs as they do spinning lackluster job numbers, Wisconsin might not be falling so far behind in job creation,” Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said, adding that “Wisconsin also ranks 45th in wage growth according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and dead last in short-term job growth according to the conservative U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“The Walker administration neglects to mention that Wisconsin was 11th in the nation in job growth the year before the governor took office,” Barca said. “I find it highly disturbing that the governor, his partisan cabinet secretaries and Republican legislators are all patting each other on the back now that we’ve plummeted to 44th.”

April statistics show Wisconsin’s unemployment rate at 7.1 percent, unchanged from March and lower than the national 7.5 percent.

They also show job losses in the state and in every employment category except natural resources and mining, which was unchanged. Construction jobs fell by 3,900 and manufacturing was off 3,400 jobs.

Private service industries lost 15,300 jobs in April in Wisconsin.

Source

Republicans tried to shine the pile of dung with predictable praises that Walker’s job creation numbers was at best like buying some soot-filled Kool Aid at a corner stand.

It’s Walker’s War on Success that continues unabated.

The historic transparency and scrutiny involved with wealthy donors having to disclose their contributions within reasonable limits are now vapor. With the IRS 501(c)(4) status available, there is plenty of legal openings to hide behind and pollute the airwaves with distortions, lies and attacks:

Types of Organizations Exempt under Section 501(c)(4)
Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(4) provides for the exemption of two very different types of organizations with their own distinct qualification requirements. They are:

• Social welfare organizations: Civic leagues or organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare, and
• Local associations of employees, the membership of which is limited to the employees of designated person(s) in a particular municipality, and the net earnings of which are devoted exclusively for the promotion of social welfare.

Homeowners associations and volunteer fire companies may be recognized as exempt as social welfare organizations if they meet the requirements for exemption. Organizations that engage in substantial lobbying activities sometimes also are classified as social welfare organizations.

Source: IRS

The difference between a 501(c)(4) and a 501(c)(3) is that the former is allowed to do considerably more political advocacy work while neither group needs to disclose the identity of its donors or the contributions.

When the news that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had targeted some conservative groups seeking and applying for 501(c)(4) tax-free status with zero transparency and anonymous donations from greedy billionaires between 2010 and 2012 where applications spiked, suddenly the tinfoil conspiracy crowd was joyous that they were seen as The Victim.

The reality is that the IRS inspector general’s report stated that 298 political groups received special scrutiny with only 96 – about a third — Tea Party groups or related obviously politically right-wing agenda groups getting checked for validity and compliance. Add that the only group so far to have tax-free status rejected was the Maine chapter of Emerge America, who train Democratic women to run for office. So much for the big attack on the Tea Party as seen on Murdochian Fox News and the Drudge Echo Chamber of Zealots. Yes, there are those that just dial it in like tired Chris Matthews on MSNBC and the CNN flub-o-maniacs that are hooked on the half-truths.

It’s always been an intense obsession for those within that predictable political faction to be seen as poor victims targeted for their purity and pious arrogance fueled with morally subjective tantrums. Fox News and those not really paying attention or ignoring what 501(c)(4) status has done to damage democracy want to paint the IRS  somehow overstepping for actually doing their job to check out groups applying for tax-free, anonymous status before bestowing them their will to spend millions on negative political ads without anyone knowing who was behind the curtain.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) had issued a report “Inappropriate Criteria Were Used to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for Review” that illustrates the IRS activities.

With Koch Brothers 501(c)(4) groups like Americans For Prosperity spending undisclosed amounts of anonymous money defending Scott Walker and other Republicans during the 2011-12 Wisconsin Recall season, it is particularly relevant that financial secrecy and politically charged negative ads and funding for manufactured astroturf “grassroots” events made outside Wisconsin forces have a distinct advantage over the people of Wisconsin. Outspending the anti-Walker opposition by nearly 8 to 1 in media ad buys allowed for the hidden-from-view out-of-state funders to hoodwink the populace or render them burnt-out of the whole process.

Here is an example of Americans For Prosperity during the Walker recall season with obvious support for “a candidate” that is against 501(c)(4) status policy. Warning: the ad is full of the usual garbage that was overwhelming the airwaves at the time.

Essentially, the Tea Party and conservatives whining about how the big bad IRS is picking on them by bringing scrutiny and accountability is particularly ironic since that’s what they are always complaining about regarding the government. Since the mathematical reality that the majority of groups seeking 501(c)(4) status were conservative with titles like “Tea Party” and “Patriot”, it is obvious that the numbers of those under scrutiny who eventually got their status were “targeted”.

How did this get started? It began back in March 2010, when the tea party movement was all the rage. According to a leaked timeline (PDF) from a draft report by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, IRS staffers began flagging applications from groups with politically themed names like “We the People” and “Take Back the Country.” Staffers also targeted groups whose names included the words “tea party” and “patriots.” Those flagged applications were then sent to specialists for a more rigorous review than is typical.

The IRS gave extra scrutiny to 298 groups applying for tax-exempt status, the Washington Post reported. Seventy-two of those groups had “tea party” in their title, 13 had “patriots,” and 11 had “9/12,” shorthand for the 9/12 movement started by conservative TV host Glenn Beck.

More from source

The real question is who are those who contribute to 501(c)(4) groups and should they be allowed to be politically charged when their status allows them to “primarily” remain messaging in “social welfare” issues. Isn’t using the term “Tea Party” as part of a group aiming for non-political 501(c)(4) status admitting a political bent that itself would be a violation of the status definition?

Speaking of scrutiny, it is laughable that complaints from anti-government Tea Party types want to use government programs like the IRS 501(c)(4) status and get caught red-handed with being delinquent on paying their taxes.  Obviously, it’s evident that they aren’t the sharpest blades in the drawer.

The IRS denied at the time that it had targeted conservative groups for special attention, an assertion that has proven to be an embarrassment for the Obama administration in recent days.

While embroiled in a lengthy dispute with the IRS over her group’s tax-exempt application, Rapini said the IRS office in Ogden, Utah, audited her and alerted California tax authorities that she and her husband had neglected to pay $20,000 in taxes. They were billed $43,000 with penalties and fees.

Rapini alleges that the personal audit and her group’s application were connected. She intends to pay the taxes, which she blamed on an accounting error and are owed to the state, but is still fighting the fees. The IRS declined to comment.

Source

There is also another layer of intrigue where there is evidence that some 501(c)(4) groups are missing millions of dollars:

Sometime in late 2009 or early 2010, a 501(c)(4) group called TC4 Trust — about which OpenSecrets.org wrote several months ago — gave $3.8 million to another 501(c)(4) with a Phoenix address. The recipient’s name, however, is smudged on TC4′s IRS form 990, where it had to report any grants that it made to other organizations.

But there’s a clue: TC4 made another $5.5 million grant the following year to a group called American Commitment — which had the same IRS-assigned employer identification number (EIN) as the unknown recipient of the $3.8 million grant the year before.

Between August 2009 and June 2011, then, TC4 gave more than $9 million to this group.

The hitch? No 501(c) organization (or 527 group) with that EIN has ever filed a tax form 990, according to IRS data. Even given the delayed filing deadlines that allow these nonprofits to send their forms in long after their activity has occurred, the American Commitment group on the receiving end of TC4′s largesse would have reported many months ago.

More from source

While millions are lost, there are the obvious violations by conservative 501(c)(4) groups like Americans for Job Security, American Commitment, American Action Network, Karl Rove’s Crossroads and many others that not only need to be brought under scrutiny, but also investigated for criminal offenses.

In their initial applications seeking tax-exempt status under a particular provision of the tax code, section 501(c)(4), dozens of political nonprofits told the IRS their political spending would be limited or, in some cases, nonexistent. (Otherwise, they wouldn’t qualify for this advantageous tax status, which allows them to take foreign donations and hide the identities of their funders.) But ProPublica reported that many of those groups have spent big on politics. In 2008, for instance, the Iowa-based American Future Fund assured the IRS on its tax-exempt application that it would spend “no” money to influence elections; the same day the group mailed its application, it released a web ad hailing then-Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and went on to spend $8 million on politicking in the 2010 elections. Americans for Responsible Leadership, an Arizona-based nonprofit, was more bold: It told the taxman it would engage in zero political work. It then spent $5.2 million backing Mitt Romney.

Source

There are some records available that indicate who some of the big players are who helped contribute to conservative 501(c)(4) groups in that last election cycle, although much more money doesn’t have to be accounted for:

Sheldon and Miriam Adelson: $36.25 million
Much of the Las Vegas Sands tycoon’s early outlay went to the now-defunct Newt Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future. When the former Speaker dropped out of the race, the Adelsons switched their allegiance to Romney, vowing to plough $100 million towards his victory if necessary. With a net worth of $20.5 billion, it’s not a stretch.

Harold and Annette Simmons: $15.74 million
The Texas oilman and his wife told the Wall Street Journal they’d happily spend $36 million removing Obama from the White House. So far they’ve donated almost half that to Restore Our Future as well as Karl Rove’s conservative super PAC  American Crossroads, itself a magnet for big-spending billionaires.

Peter Thiel: $4.735 million
The PayPal billionaire and early Facebook investor is the only rich list member to have given to Ron-Paul backing super PAC Endorse Liberty. The self-proclaimed libertarian also cut a check to Club For Growth Action, which supports candidates running against Democrats.

Robert Rowling: $4.13 million
Most of the oil mogul’s millions went to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads super PAC.

William Koch: $3 million
The “other” Koch, Charles and David’s lesser known brother Bill, is a supporter of Mitt Romney-backing Restore Our Future.

Jerrold Perenchio: $2.6 million
One-time Univision owner has backed both Restore Our Future and American Crossroads.

Harlan Crow: $2.5 million
Like Perenchio, the real estate mogul has split his cash between Romney and Rove.

Paul Singer: $2.2 million
New York hedge funder has donated cash to Restore Our Future, but also to his own pro-equal rights super PAC American Unity PAC. He’s a firm backer of marriage equality and gay rights.

Ken Griffin: $2.08 million
Citadel honcho has cut checks to Restore Our Future and American Crossroads.

Joe Craft: $1.75 million
The billionaire coal magnate split his funds between Romney and Rove.

Julian Robertson: $1.25 million
Hedge fund legend backed American Crossroads and Restore Our Future.

Bob Parsons: $1.05 million
Eccentric founder of GoDaddy.com is the most recent billionaire donor to Romney-backing super PAC Restore Our Future, making his gift in August.

Kenny Troutt: $1 million
Telecoms king and Kentucky Derby winner backed Rove’s American Crossroads as well as Americans for Rick Perry and the Texas Conservatives Fund.

B. Wayne Hughes: $1 million
The founder of Public Storage is a longtime donor to Rove’s American Crossroads.

Source

Until Citizens United is somehow repealed and real campaign finance reform is initiated and signed into law, 501(c)(4) groups will continue to bloat within the fabric of democracy and favor buying politicians with dark, secret money with unlimited, secret money to continue influencing elections.  Between stealth 501(c)(4) groups hiding their money and contributors and the agenda of the American Legislative Exchange Council, much more has to be done to fight back in grassroots movements as future elections come into the next cycle.

Meanwhile, the greedy billionaires and banksters will hide behind the curtain and have their way through sordid means like legal extortion and hope no one is paying attention.

It turns out Darling and Republicans in the Joint Finance Committee were trying to sneak through troubled, faltering policies like school vouchers in the budget.

From a repeal of residency rules for local police to softening regulation of rent-to-own stores in Wisconsin, key GOP lawmakers for now are keeping dozens of items in the state budget that don’t belong there, according to their nonpartisan budget office.

The decision to leave most of the policy matters in the budget frustrated Democrats as well as at least two Republicans.

In a memo, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau has identified 58 policy items tucked into Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget that have little or nothing to do with state finances. But Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, decided to keep all but 12 mostly minor provisions.

The 46 provisions that remain in Walker’s budget would expand charter schools and private school voucher programs for special needs students; end municipalities’ ability to establish residency requirements for their employees; exempt rent-to-own stores from consumer protection laws; allow police to take DNA from felony suspects at arrest rather than conviction; and ban wolf hunting at night. Of these items, longtime Fiscal Bureau director Bob Lang wrote in his memo to lawmakers that they are “not closely related to the state’s fiscal programs.”

Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Allouez), who doesn’t sit on the committee, said he was upset that Joint Finance members didn’t remove all the policies, saying it would have “improved the budget dramatically.” But he reserved much of his criticism for Walker, who he said had broken a campaign pledge by putting those items into the budget in the first place.

“This governor campaigned on not having policy in the budget. What happened to that promise?” Cowles said.

“They pile things into the budget so they can hide them, and they don’t have to take responsibility for their action.”

More from source

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau issued the report, which shows the list:

Trying to stealthily push through policies under the umbrella of budget law is nothing new. Walker promised he would never do it. For those paying attention, it means he will indeed try to do it like a common sneak. Wisconsin’s Michele Bachmann, Alberta Darling, is more than happy to giggle and do his and the American Legislative Exchange Council’s bidding.

Walker asked the state Legislature to freeze UW tuition for the next two years, according to an email from Tom Evenson, Walker’s press secretary. Walker said the students and families paying into the UW System “deserve a break,” according to Evenson.

Additionally, state Democrats, such as state Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, have joined with Republicans in calling for a freeze.

“A tuition freeze is a small but necessary step in once again making education affordable,” Wirch said in a statement.

The tension over the surplus, 40 percent of which is funded by tuition dollars, spilled over into a state committee hearing Tuesday where top-ranking legislators altered a session originally devoted to discussing the system’s human resources plans to instead interrogate UW System President Kevin Reilly on the system’s reasoning behind keeping the tuition-bolstered surplus.

State Republicans, such as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Burlington, and others who were present at Tuesday’s meeting, have also called on the system to implement a tuition freeze.

“I was totally mistaken in believing that the … UW System could control their own fiscal affairs,” Vos said at the Tuesday state hearing.

Source

The Republicans, along with Scott Walker, seem completely comfortable that the Walker pet project Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has mismanaged over $50 million in funds and has acknowledged that they have failed to track millions of dollars in loans. Where are the UW scolders like Robin Vos and Alberta Darling on that disaster? Call Charlie Sykes! He’ll protect you from the truth. After all, when Darling was asked recently about more transparency with the WEDC, she quibbled that “We’ll look at it”.

UPDATE:

UW President Kevin Reilly was recently interviewed and responded on the UW Surplus “crisis”:

MILWAUKEE —University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly is defending the system’s estimated $1 billion in cash reserves, which grew even as UW raised tuition 5.5 percent annually in recent years.

Republican lawmakers have been furious since news of the huge reserve broke last week. Some have referred to it as a “slush fund.” Gov. Scott Walker and legislative leaders are now calling for a two-year tuition freeze at UW.

Reilly pushed back on the “slush fund” phrase in an interview Friday with “UpFront” host Mike Gousha.

“That amount is 90 days of operating expenses for the university, three months,” Reilly said, adding the reserves are needed to compensate for unplanned drops in revenue.

Reilly said other major universities hold similar, or even larger, reserve funds.

Gousha asked Reilly why university leaders did not tell lawmakers about the size of the reserve fund.

“It’s in the annual financial report, it’s there, we didn’t highlight it and say look at this, it’s there every year,” Reilly said. “The Legislative Fiscal Bureau, we talk with them about it every year, so in that sense, it has been known.”

Source

Granted, the University of Wisconsin System has acknowledged they will be more transparent with funding and the complexities of trying to run a World class educational system with Republicans waving budget axes at them from all directions. Should they have reasonable cash reserves at a time where a college dropout like Scott Walker wants to slash education funds? You betcha.

When it’s done behind closed doors secretly and then the evidence is destroyed in investigations, that’s where yet another form of Republican voter disenfranchisement goes into a criminal level.

New federal court filings allege that hundreds of thousands of Republican redistricting files in Wisconsin were deleted last year, in defiance of court orders to turn over all documents. The deletions fit into a pattern of the Wisconsin GOP covering their tracks and could result in sanctions for the attorneys or individuals involved in deleting the files.

According to the April 18 court filings, a forensic analysis of computers used during redistricting indicates multiple files were deleted just after Republicans were instructed to turn them over to Democrats — but before they had actually done so.

In January 2012, after the three-judge federal panel hearing a Democratic challenge to the redistricting maps ordered Republicans to produce all redistricting-related records, someone with the user name of an aide to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald logged-on to GOP computers and deleted files and folders. In July, just after Democrats took control of the state senate and asked for the entire redistricting folder, another Fitzgerald aide’s login was used to delete hundreds of thousands of records.

Though the legal challenge to the redistricting maps was resolved over a year ago, mounting evidence of deleted files and possible misrepresentation by Republicans and their attorneys led the court to order a forensic analysis of the computers to recover deletions and assess the level of wrongdoing.

The entire redistricting process has been marked by an unprecedented level of secrecy. And the stakes are high for the Republican legislature’s law firm, Michael Best & Friedrich, whose lawyers have been sharply criticized by the court for their handling of the case. Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus is a partner at the Wisconsin-based firm, though he is currently on leave while he leads the RNC.

More from source

As the investigations continue, it will soon be evident that the people of Wisconsin are being taken advantage of again.

Yet it is not in Fox News Rock Star Scott Walker’s interest to have to uncomfortably contend with Solidarity Singers, protestors with signs and others who dare to peaceably assemble and petition his failed, extremist governance with their grievances. Now, with petty laws drawn up regarding how “a sign that is not larger than 28 inches in length or width, or to any item of clothing worn by an individual”, new rules are now put into place to try to snuff out dissent as if it’s a rampant pestilence. You want to protest? Get out your wallet.

With hazards like “displays, decorations, signs, banners or the like” being banned unless one gets a permit and having to pay for the cost of the event and $50 per hour per Capitol Police officer, the new rules by the Department of Administration (re: SS 028-13) set it straight that freedom is now merely coin-operated like so many politicians across the country. Groups of more than four people will be required to apply for a permit before any protest can begin. On the Capitol grounds outside, these rules extend to over 100 people exhibiting behavior known as dissent or protests. Any damage or cleanup costs could be charged to protestors with the requirement of liability insurance or a bond. A new revision states for those who may be innocent bystanders at an “illegal event”: “The revised rules allow the administration to cite spectators of a demonstration who refuse to withdraw from a prohibited event.”

Simply stated, Freedom has a price tag now.

First Amendment rights are something Scott Walker would be able to parrot about on Fox News or at some Koch Brothers-funded swanky Tea Party Republican event outside of Wisconsin. With all the bluster and fury from the Tea Party “leaders” and their red-faced rantings about individual rights and freedoms under attack ad nauseum in order to pad their wallets, they are nothing more than docile, cowardly pudding nibblers when it comes to their precious Scott Walker cracking down on “whining, screamers, pounding drums, filthy sign and crazy songs” because they see democratic principles as merely morally subjective “policies” with no compass or sustained consistency.

Besides the many disasters, the new rules claim it cost $7.5 million to clean up after the Wisconsin Uprising in 2011. They forgot they back-pedaled on that claim in December 2011:

The Administration Department said the state might be able do a cleanup and “very limited restoration” of the statehouse and grounds for $347,500, if outside specialists are not required to do the work.

Source

The full text of the policies are here.

Having been to the Capitol and seeing her firsthand at the Solidarity Sing Along during noon, Rep. Chris Taylor has been on the front line trying to petition Walker and those complicit in trying to make the Wisconsin Capitol building akin to a King’s castle.

Despite Dozens of Citation Dismissals, Walker Administration Continues to Crack Down on Capitol Speech

MADISON – Today, State Representative Chris Taylor (D-Madison) was joined by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, constitutional law attorneys, individuals who have been cited but exonerated for exercising their First Amendment rights in the Capitol rotunda, and dozens of supporters of free speech to highlight new tactics being proposed by the Walker administration and employed by the Department of Justice to suppress protected speech in the Capitol. Rep. Taylor called for an end to these tactics, and for a reasonable dialogue around the exercise First Amendment rights in the Capitol.

“Despite the dismissal of approximately 68 citations to Capitol protestors for singing and carrying signs since September, 2012, the state is pressing on with their tactics of suppressing constitutional speech by issuing anticipated ‘emergency rules’ and ‘long form’ complaints to further restrict protected expressive activities in the Capitol.”

Despite repeated attempts, the Walker administration has been unwilling to provide Rep. Taylor with even basic information about the type of conduct that is allegedly illegal, communications the Department of Administration has had with the Capitol police concerning the citations being issued or specifying denotations made on the “black list” that was recently discovered listing Rep. Taylor and other individuals being monitored by the Capitol police. Both the Department of Justice and Department of Administration have to disclose the substantial taxpayer dollars spent issuing roughly 140 citations since September, 2012, and in the subsequent legal actions.

As the citations reach courts, judges are now weighing in on the tactics being used in the litigation of these citations and the substance of the claims being asserted by the state. Last week, Circuit Court Judge William Hanrahan threw out the state’s case against a defendant cited for walking in a circle in the Capitol Rotunda. Attorney Bob Jambois, a retired Kenosha County district attorney who represented the defendant in the case states, “There is no legal basis for issuing these citations, as recognized by Judge Hanrahan. These actions are a complete waste of taxpayer money and a tactic being used to harass individuals exercising their First Amendment rights.”

As concluded by Rep. Taylor, “The tactics by the Walker administration need to stop. It’s time to have a reasonable discussion about these issues.”

Source: Rep. Chris Taylor

Where are the Republicans and/or the Tea Party when it finally comes down to standing up for freedom? When do the so-called “emergency rules” disengage? The biggest question is why do we have these new freedom-squashing rules now that Scott Walker has become governor?

Albert Einstein stated “Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” Benjamin Franklin stated “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.” Martin Luther King, Jr. stated “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

To have to pay for the right to dissent should be called a “Freedom Tax”. That can be added to Scott Walker’s failed legacy.

Marc Thiessen and George W. Bush

With the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War this year, where the American people were lied to by the Bush administration into going to war based on absolute lies, it is very evident that the speeches made by former President George W. Bush, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former Vice-President Dick Cheney and others were deceptive, manipulative and crafted to bring about the illusion that nuclear war was imminent with Iraq as well as other disastrous effects, including humanitarian, economic, political and military consequences still being revealed as the turmoil continues in the region.

Pernicious forgeries, ruinous fraud and arrogant hubris combined with countless blunders and miscalculations are the legacy that continue to be exposed thanks to “neoconservative” hooligans and Project For A New American Century (PNAC) apparachiks and a willing corporate media.

Marc Thiessen and Donald Rumsfeld

The continuing reverberations and side effects about the calamitous Iraq War are long and wide. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died. Nearly five thousand American soldiers lost their lives. Tens of thousands of other soldiers are maimed with gruesome injuries or have incredibly horrific post-traumatic stress disorder conditions to have to heal from. Trillions of dollars have been spent with billions missing. The repercussions of what many correctly call an illegal war are stunning.

Who was partly responsible for such a disaster of epic proportions who assisted and brags about speeches made by Bush and Rumsfeld during that time? It was Fox News uber-propagandist and Koch Brothers-funded American Enterprise Institute Fellow Marc Thiessen, who was on the White House Senior Staff as chief speechwriter for both Bush and Rumsfeld then and got his start with warmongering agitprop “training” with far-right senior policy advisor to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman and sexist, homophobic and racist “master obstructionist” Jesse Helms (R-NC).

Has Thiessen apologized or in any way asked for forgiveness for being part of one of the worst debacles in American history? Hell no.

He’s going to “help” write Scott Walker’s upcoming book to possibly use as a way to get puff interviews on Fox News as a potential contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Thiessen, a fan of “enhanced interrogation techniques” used by the CIA, which is categorized as torture, will have to go through the torturous effort to try to make Walker seem “successful” as one of the worst, most divisive governors in Wisconsin history. The title of the book is currently rumored to be “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge”.

Fortunately, Thiessen is familiar with writing fraudulent, deceptive screeds that Scott Walker is very good at. Together, both will certainly produce a book full of fiction that dares not illustrate Walker’s rise to power as a corrupt Milwaukee County Executive and then show how he has made Wisconsin one of the worst states in the country thanks to his American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-driven policies, far right-wing legislative trickery and radical budget cut funding.

Doing political contortion techniques to try to portray Walker’s dreadful failure as governor as a palatable “success” will perhaps be even more challenging than driving the United States into an unneeded, disastrous war as chickenhawk Thiessen holds on as his greatest victory.

Just feet from where Scott Walker sat in his Milwaukee County Executive office, Kelly Rindfleisch exchanged with Walker’s campaign managers over 1,000 emails and about 1,400 fundraising emails while on taxpayer time while using a secret email system installed by former Walker deputy chief of staff Tim Russell. Tim Russell and Kelly Rindfleisch stole $192,178 of Milwaukee County taxpayer money to run Scott Walker’s political operations while Walker was feet away. Tim Russell and Kevin Kavanaugh stole $62,232 of funds from Operation Freedom for veterans and the families of fallen soldiers of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. There were Walker staffers, including Cullen Werwie, press secretary for the governor, and others associated with Walker who were granted prosecutorial immunity.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced that the John Doe investigation into illegal campaign activity ended on Feb. 20. Judge Neal Nettesheim made his announcement regarding the John Doe investigation, due to three specific areas of investigation:

PRESS RELEASE
From: Judge Neal Nettesheim (Ret.)
March 1, 2013

Upon the petition of the Milwaukee County District Attorney, I have entered an order concluding the John Doe proceeding.

The John Doe was commenced to investigate possible criminal or illegal activity in three principal areas:

1. Potential illegal campaign contributions by employees of the Wisconsin Southern Railway and its president and owner William Gardner;
2. Suspected campaign work by employees of the County Executive’s office
   while on county time; and
3. Suspected theft or misappropriation of funds earmarked for veteran’s events.

Criminal charges emanating from the John Doe were filed in all three areas of inquiry.

Although no substantive proceedings in the John Doe have occurred during recent months, I nonetheless held the John Doe open because certain of the defendants and the State required the release of various John Doe documents for use in the criminal proceedings. All of those criminal cases have now been concluded by guilty or no contest pleas by the various defendants, and those cases have been concluded. This has cleared the way for my order concluding the John Doe.

I had three principal goals when I assumed the duties as presiding judge over the John Doe. First, to assure that the matter was conducted in accord with the Wisconsin Statues governing John Doe proceedings. Second, to assure that all participants – witnesses, attorneys for witnesses, prosecutors, investigators, and court staff were treated with dignity and respect. And third, to assure that any charges resulting from the John Doe were supported by the requisite degree of probable cause mandated by the law.

Nettesheim press release

Does that make Scott Walker a saint in this matter? Are Walker fans proud of the criminal charges that were produced from the John Doe investigation? Either Walker is a clueless automaton that doesn’t know what his staff was illegally doing literally feet from his office or he is looking out for himself and is willing to sacrifice staffers and throw them under the bus for his own political ambitions.

Being proud that Walker got away without any convictions is like being proud a boss didn’t notice his staff was stealing products out of the warehouse right under his nose and didn’t notice until after they got caught red-handed.

“It’s not a feather in Scott Walker’s cap that he was not charged with a crime,” said Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski. “This is unprecedented in Wisconsin history and it speaks to the poor values of this governor.”

Perhaps State Congressman Peter Barca has the correct idea for what Walker should do now:

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) even went so far as to call on Walker to apologize for the investigation.

“While the governor was not charged, he must make a statement accepting responsibility for the people he trusted, hired and supervised and apologize to the taxpayers, particularly the veterans, who were cheated,” Barca said.

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A sober review of what was revealed from the John Doe investigation is nothing for any Walker fan to be proud of.

Those charged in the probe were:

Kelly Rindfleisch — Walker’s former deputy chief of staff, Rindfleisch was convicted of illegal campaign activity and sentenced to six months in jail for illegally working on the 2010 lieutenant governor campaign of then-Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, while working in Walker’s Milwaukee office. Davis is now the head of the state’s Medicaid program under Walker. Although the charges centered on the Davis campaign, Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf presented evidence in court that Rindfleisch traded 3,486 emails with top Walker campaign staffers, including 2,216 during regular work hours between January and October 2010 using a secret email system installed in Walker’s office. Rindfleisch’s sentence has been stayed while she appeals her conviction.

Tim Russell — Another former deputy chief of staff, Russell was convicted of taking more than $20,000 after Walker handed over control of the Operation Freedom event to him from a veterans’ group. Russell used some of the funds for vacations and for an out-of-state meeting with Republican businessman Herman Cain, who was weighing a run for president. Russell was sentenced to two years in prison.

Darlene Wink — Former constituent services director Wink got a year of probation for doing work for Walker’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign while on county time, sending hundreds of emails related to campaign events including campaign fundraisers.

Kevin Kavanaugh — A former Walker appointee to the county’s veterans’ services committee, Kavanaugh was sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling more than $51,000 in donations intended to help veterans and their families.

Bill Gardner — The former president of Wisconsin & Southern Railroad, Gardner was sentenced to two years of probation after acknowledging that he illegally laundered tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to Walker’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign through several of his employees.

Brian Pierick — In the final case to be resolved, Russell’s domestic partner, Pierick, was sentenced Feb. 14 to community service and a $2,100 fine on a misdemeanor delinquency charge after the investigation revealed lewd text messages sent by Pierick to a 17-year-old boy. Under a deal with prosecutors, Pierick, who said he believed the boy was 18, pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and a $2,148 fine.

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While Walker still maintains his criminal defense fund and doesn’t plan on giving it up, one can assume that other investigations are continuing including what is happening with the missing millions from his pet project Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). We shall see what develops from that fiasco.

So imagine a group of Republican legislators coin-operated by the many propaganda arms and billions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), DC Beltway rat Grover Norquist, the Carlyle Group and others trying to push through certainly unconstitutional, environmentally careless mining deregulation legislation doomed to be in costly litigation for years before the first digging the proposed largest open-pit iron-ore mine in the world.

It’s bound to make lots of lawyers very happy and the pricey kickbacks for the Republicans who support the legislation will keep them primed for more extremist legislation down the political road. Getting rid of many historic environmental mining standards involving wetlands, groundwater, rock disposal that even moderate Republicans in the past supported is so easy when the current Republicans are bought and paid for.

Add to the absolute irony (no pun intended) about the iron-ore mine, the billionaire carpetbagger behind the whole mining project (and gave $8,000 to Scott Walker in 2010), Chris Cline, rents out his swanky 164-foot yacht “Mine Games” (featuring five staterooms and a two-person submarine) and has staked a claim with his Cline Group and Foresight Energy.

Thanks to the Wisconsin Republican Party, he and his company flacks flew to Wisconsin in his Gulfstream G550 jet and wrote the West Virginia Appalachia-style “Broad Form Deed” legislation. Getting rid of environmental protections while shutting the public out of the process which would harm the Wisconsin environment and leave landowners and local citizens to deal with the debris and acid mine drainage is what the legislation is designed for. As for his track record on polluting groundwater while doing other mining operations, climate change denialist Chris Cline can certainly be a little angry this news got out about problems with the Macoupin Energy’s Shay #1 Mine in Illinois:

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency formally notified Macoupin Energy in December that it believes the company is dragging its feet with the cleanup at the Shay 1 mine in Carlinville, Ill., according to government documents.

The agency said it plans to refer the case to the Illinois attorney general.

Macoupin is one of four mines owned in Illinois by billionaire Christopher Cline, who is proposing to build a $1.5 billion iron ore mine in Ashland and Iron counties if the Wisconsin Legislature rewrites mining laws to the company’s satisfaction.

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ALEC-funded Republican sellouts hundreds of miles away from the mine that vote for this legislation can giggle that they got paid like common whores in the street after doing a trick in a haunted barn. That’s the greed-soaked hegemony and legacy of the Scott Walker GOP.

Cline Group’s Wisconsin-based subsidiary Gogebic Taconite’s proposed $1.5 billion open pit iron mine in the Penokee Range south of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin’s Ashland and Iron counties has run into problems in the recent past. It’s been a hard sell saying the mining project would last 35 years and create 700 direct mining jobs over that period, although further evidence shows that less than 100 jobs would be created for Wisconsin workers. With automation and use of newer robot technology, the actual job numbers could be considerably less.

Despite the jobs numbers, the open pit mine has very real consequences for environmental disaster in the region around it.

Due to the proposed mine being upstream from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribal reservation, the Bad River and Kakagon watershed sloughs, traditional wild rice harvesting and waterways would be inflicted and contaminated with cancer-causing heavy metals, asbestos, lead, arsenic, mercury, sulfide deposits in waste rock causing acid mine drainage,sulfuric acid and toxic runoff and other factors.

You can get a good understanding of what’s at risk (Nature Conservancy study) in the region where the World’s largest open-pit iron-ore mine is being proposed:

Why This Place is Special

The Penokee-Gogebic Range consists of two steep, parallel ridges that dominate the local landscape rising 1,200 feet above nearby Lake Superior. The topography of the area and the variety of soil conditions result in a wide range of habitat that supports a diverse group of species and natural communities.

It’s the Water

• Seventy-one miles of rivers and intermittent streams flow through the proposed mining area, emptying into the Bad River and the eventually into Lake Superior.
• The surface and groundwater originating from the Penokee Range is the source of drinking water for the municipalities of Ashland, Mellen, Highbridge, Marengo, Odanah and Upson.
• Portions of many of these waterways—including the Bad, Potato and Tyler Forks rivers—are designated as Exceptional or Outstanding Resource Waters, meaning they are among the highest quality rivers in Wisconsin, having good water quality, providing outstanding recreational opportunities and supporting valuable fisheries and wildlife habitat.

It’s the Wetlands

• The proposed mining area embodies a large portion of the headwaters of the Bad River watershed, which supports the 16,000-acre Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs, the largest undeveloped wetland complex in the upper Great Lakes.
• These Sloughs have cultural significance – they support the largest natural wild rice bed in the Great Lakes basin and members of the Bad River Band have harvested wild rice here for centuries.
• The Sloughs and streams that feed the wetland system like the Bad and Kakagon rivers, and Bear Trap and Wood creeks all depend on surface and ground water that originates in the Penokee Range.
• The Sloughs are home to many threatened and endangered species such as the trumpeter swan, bald eagle, piping plover, wood turtle and ram’s-head lady-slipper orchid.

It’s the Forests

• The proposed mining area encompasses nearly 35 square miles of northern hardwood forest, which has been managed for hardwood timber production, including maple and yellow birch, for decades.
• Because the majority of the land is enrolled in Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Law, it is open for public recreation, including hunting, hiking, and snowmobiling.
• It links the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin to the Ottawa National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, connecting a 40-mile stretch of continuous forest cover for wide-ranging mammals like gray wolves and rare American martens and breeding populations of migratory songbirds.

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Other factors like tourism in the pristine area would certainly be affected by the world’s largest open-pit iron-ore mine. That would be a hard sell for a vacation getaway unless you want to catch dead fish and perhaps poison yourself with the deadly water runoff.

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is a sovereign nation having equal status to the State of Wisconsin when it comes to air and water quality enforcement. They have been fighting multinational mining interests several times and their resistance is a fascinating and inspirational story:

Native resistance to multinational mining corporations in Wisconsin has been growing in northern Wisconsin for over two decades. It started in 1975 when Exxon discovered the large Crandon zinc-copper sulfide deposit in Forest County, one mile upstream of the wild rice beds of the Mole Lake Chippewa (Ojibwe) Reservation, five miles downwind of the Forest County Potawatomi Reservation, and 40 miles (via the Wolf River) upstream of the Menominee Nation.

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Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) estimates costs of managing the mine would cost taxpayers funding ranging from $550,000 to $3.8 million per year to maintain environmental standards in the process of building the mine. They describe the projected mine in detail:

The Penokee/Gogebic deposit is generally defined as the 21-mile western end of the 60-mile long Gogebic Iron Range, which stretches east to west from Lake Gogebic, Mich., to Mineral Lake, Wis. The deposit is steeply dipping (between 40 and 90 degrees north, averaging 65 degrees) and contains 20-30 percent iron in the form of magnetite. Because the iron ore in this deposit is of lower grade than the natural hematitic ores previously mined in northern Wisconsin, the ore must be concentrated and processed into taconite pellets prior to shipping to a smelter.

Most of the surface and mineral rights are currently owned by the LaPointe Iron Company, which has optioned potential development of the deposit to Gogebic Taconite, LLC. The mining company is currently focusing potential development on a four-mile stretch between the Tyler Forks River and Ballou Creek. If developed, it would be an open pit mine.

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In terms of following the money where this mining project’s interests purchase politicians, look no further than to Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s research:

Topping the list of those who received campaign cash from interests that back mining deregulation was veteran Republican Senator Alberta Darling of River Hills who accepted $467,293. Darling spent a record $1.23 million during the 2011 recall elections to keep her job. Darling was followed by the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate – one of the four legislative campaign committees Democratic and Republican Senate and Assembly leaders use to rake in special interest cash to spend at election time – which raised $313,413. GOP Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, who was a recall target in 2012, rounded out the top three raising $262,735.

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All the money funding the usual suspects will probably be stopped by international treaties that the Bad River Tribe will bring about in legal battles when Scott Walker signs the mining legislation.

The tribes believe the protections in the treaties also extend to air and water quality, said Jim Zorn, executive administrator of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Those protections, Zorn said, extend to all of the ceded territory — roughly the land in the northern third of the state on which tribes reserved the right to hunt, fish and gather. The mine would be built well within ceded territory in the Penokee Hills, meaning that if there is a chance it could damage air or water quality, it could be subject to legal challenges under the treaties.

“The tribes’ view is, what good is the right to fish if you’ve destroyed the water?” Zorn said.

The tribes’ legal standing is even more far reaching if a project outside the reservation is shown to have the potential to pollute water or air within the reservation boundaries, Stoddard said. Just as Wisconsin would be in violation of federal laws if it polluted waters in an adjacent state, federal treaties and the tribe’s status as a sovereign nation could be invoked in court if the state allows pollution from the mine to flow into reservation waters, Zorn said.

Because the Bad River tribe is sovereign, it can also set its own water quality standards. That right was upheld in the 1980s when Wisconsin challenged tougher water standards set by the Mole Lake tribe. Treaty protections played an important role when Mole Lake fought a mine near its reservation proposed by Exxon Minerals in the late 1980s. Exxon eventually withdrew its application for a mining permit.

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There is also the issue that the careless mining legislation is in direct violation of the Public Trust Doctrine, part of Wisconsin’s State Constitution under Article IX, which states that rivers and lakes belong to the public and should be protected:

SECTION 1. The state shall have concurrent jurisdiction on all rivers and lakes bordering on this state so far as such rivers or lakes shall form a common boundary to the state and any other state or territory now or hereafter to be formed, and bounded by the same; and the river Mississippi and the navigable waters leading into the Mississippi and St. Lawrence, and the carrying places between the same, shall be common highways and forever free, as well to the inhabitants of the state as to the citizens.

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There are many places to check out what can be done. Some links include the Sierra Club, the League Of Conservation Voters, Madison for the Penokees, Save the Water’s Edge, Bad River Watershed Association, Save Our Sky Blue Waters, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission and others locating in the Links section on this site.

Update:

On March 11, Governor Walker signed the doomed legislation at Oldenburg Group Inc., a Rhinelander mining equipment manufacturer, a hundred miles from where the actual mining site would be. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will certainly file a lawsuit that will tie up the project for years in legal battles.

It’s far from over.

Gogebic would have to receive permits from the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Also, a mine would have to meet water quality standards of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Its reservation is downstream on the shore of Lake Superior.

Lawsuits are also likely. The bill could run contrary to the state’s Public Trust Doctrine, which generally prohibits harming public waters of the state.

Also, environmentalists used the courts in the early 1990s to challenge construction of a copper mine along the Flambeau River, saying the mine would harm two rare clam species and a rare species of dragonfly.

The Bad River could also object to the mine on water quality grounds for what they say is the failure of state officials to consult with them before making changes in state law that could harm their reservation.

Gogebic has been discussing exploratory drilling with the DNR in recent weeks. The company is expected to ask for a permit to conduct test borings on the property on which it has an option for mineral rights. Borings from the property’s owner and other sources have shown considerable iron ore in the rock, Gogebic officials have said.

Ann Coakley, the DNR’s top mining regulator, said that the Gogebic will have to do considerable work before they submit an application.

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A great statement from Wisconsin Representative Fred Clark at the time of the signing tells what is really going on:

MADISON – State Representative Fred Clark (D-Sauk City) issued the following statement prior to Governor Scott Walker’s signing of Senate Bill 1 (SB1) in Rhinelander and Milwaukee this afternoon:

“As Governor Walker signs SB1 into law, citizens around Wisconsin continue to wonder whether our state government works for us all, or just for well-connected special interests. By passing this controversial and deeply unpopular bill, the Governor and legislative leaders have made it clear that the wishes of out-of-state special interests are more important than the huge majority of Wisconsin citizens who have opposed this bill. I challenge anyone to find a more blatant example in Wisconsin history of a major public policy that was custom-written by and for a single corporation than SB1.

“It is tragic and ironic that enactment of SB1 makes it even less likely that responsible iron mining and the family-supporting jobs it could support would ever occur in Wisconsin. The real legacy of this legislation is that it re-fuels the controversy and bitter division that has engulfed Wisconsin since 2011. It appears that once again the Governor’s primary tactic in major policy is to “divide and conquer”. That’s a failure of leadership that continues to drag Wisconsin to the bottom in actual job creation.

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Walker continues to be merely an errand boy for the Far-Right and is looking out for his career and political ambition over the responsibility of good governance.

While Wisconsin continues to be a laughingstock with other governors in the Midwest and beyond thanks to Walker’s antics with the worst economy in the region, Walker continues to keep acting like the disinterested college dropout that he is. Giving up yet another estimated 10,000 new jobs and making BadgerCare a stronger program while saving the people of Wisconsin tax dollars is beyond Walker’s comprehension.

Claiming he’s against “government-run healthcare” in his rejection of billions of dollars that would assist the people of Wisconsin and will go to other states instead, Walker wants those poor rejected in his murky “WalkerCare” program to use government-run health care exchanges to cover the uninsured. If that makes no sense to you, it’s because it makes no sense at all. That’s the Walker way.

If Walker accepted the Medicare expansion, Wisconsin would receive 100% federal funding for the first 3 years, decreasing to 90% by 2020. According to the non-partisan Kaiser Foundation, accepting the federal funds would result in a savings to the state of $248 million dollars over the period 2013-2022.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would fund over 90 percent of the cost for states to expand Medicaid to most Americans earning up to 133 percent of the poverty line, which is now limited mainly to seniors, children and pregnant women. Since Walker doesn’t care about the poor and even wants to disenfranchise their right to vote, why would he give a rat’s patootie whether they get help from Medicaid. Wisconsin taxpayers will pay for yet another goofball mistake from Walker’s ineptness.

Gov. Scott Walker says that he will not agree to a federally backed Medicaid expansion, but will instead look to reduce the number of the state’s uninsured population by 224,580 people while shifting more people to private insurance or the federal health care exchanges.
Addressing the Business Day in Madison event today, Walker said he believes those above the poverty line should be able to afford health care if they’re moved onto a subsidized plan through the health care exchanges.

He also said that he plans to spend an additional $644 million in state GPR on Medicaid in his upcoming budget.

GOP lawmakers hailed Walker’s decision, saying it will protect taxpayers, while Dems panned it as an attack on the middle class.

“We’re giving more people access to private health insurance without putting state tax dollars at risk,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. “Our focus will continue to be reducing people’s reliance on government programs. We want fewer people on Medicaid and want to give people the opportunity to choose what’s best for their families.”

Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said Walker made the wrong decision.

“Forcing working families to try and find healthcare in Governor Walker’s failing economy is not a middle path,” Larson said. “If Governor Walker cared about building a strong middle class and a healthy workforce, he would accept all available funding to strengthen BadgerCare and give 175,000 more working Wisconsinites access to economic stability through affordable healthcare.”

Source

Here is a sample from Republican governor Rick Snyder regarding his decision to support the Medicaid expansion:

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Wednesday endorsed an expansion of health coverage for the poor under President Barack Obama’s reform law, joining five other Republican governors who have agreed to widen the Medicaid program in their states.

Snyder made his announcement at a hospital in the state capitol of Lansing.

“This makes sense for the physical and fiscal health of Michigan,” Snyder said in a statement.

He said the move will add 320,000 state residents in the first year, and more than 470,000 by 2021, cutting the number of Michigan uninsured almost in half.

Snyder joins fellow Republican Governor John Kasich of Ohio, who made his Medicaid expansion announcement on Monday. The Republican governors of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and North Dakota had previously said they would expand the program.

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As for Republican governor Rick Scott from Florida, he reversed his decision to give up the Medicare funds:

“Our options are either: having Floridians pay to fund this programm in other states while denying healthcare to our citizens, or using federal funding to help some of the poorest in our state with Medicaid as we explore other healthcare reforms,” he said. “While the federal government is committed to paying 100% of the cost, I cannot in good conscience deny Floridians that needed access to healthcare.”

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Then there’s Republican governor John Kasich of Ohio and his responsible judgement to maintain sanity with Medicare:

“Whenever federal resources are being distributed to the states then Ohioans shouldn’t be robbed of their fair share. I make no apologies for ever standing up for my state and any governor who would is in the wrong job.”

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It’s a twisted World when Rick Snyder, John Kasich and Rick Scott come across as a reasonable governors given their tendencies to play the Tea Party halfwits most have gotten accustomed to. It proves again what an unfortunate reality it is that Scott Walker is still governor.

In case one needs proof that the Koch Brothers were certainly part of Walker’s antics, look no further than the Koch Brothers-funded “Americans For Prosperity” who actually congratulated their errand boy with an Orwellian thanks:

“Wisconsin is doing the responsible thing by working to manage our Medicaid population instead of blindly expanding it to people we can’t sustain. We look forward to seeing the actual details of the plan and working with Governor Walker and the Legislature during the budget to find additional ways of reforming the system to provide better services at lower costs.”

So by referring to Medicaid with the Ayn Randian screed “blindly expanding it to people we can’t sustain” goes right at the heart of what Walker and his owners are up to.

• $2,050 from Alice Walton, a Wal-mart heir from Texas who has for years been one of the nation’s top donors to “school choice” campaigns.
• $1,850 from Jim Walton, another Wal-mart heir from Arkansas who is a big donor to “school choice” campaigns.
• $1,750 from Lynne Walton, still another Wal-mart heir from Arkansas who is a big donor to “school choice” campaigns.
• $2,000 from Dick DeVos, a Michigan millionaire who has funded assaults on public education nationwide.
• $1,800 from Betsy DeVos, another Michigan millionaire who has funded groups that attack public education, teachers and their unions.

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While many are familiar with the antics of the Koch Brothers, the fabulously wealthy billionaire right-wing DeVos family is equally funding efforts to destroy environmental policies and regulations, eviscerate unions, defund and implode public schools and privatize social security. Promoting school vouchers to destroy public education is a main mission with Roggensack’s funders.

Wal-Mart heir John Walton, the movement’s most prolific giver, gave seed money to the pro-voucher group CEO America and $2 million to Michigan’s 2000 voucher ballot initiative. Walton bankrolls a massive private voucher program along with financier Ted Forstmann and runs a charter school management company. And through the Walton Family Foundation, Walton supports advocacy groups, think tanks, and legal nonprofits that promote vouchers and tax credits.

Alticor Inc. President Dick DeVos directed the 2000 Michigan voucher initiative and, with family members, spent $5 million on this measure – which voters rejected by a 70-30 margin. DeVos and his wife, Betsy, are continuing their anti-public education assault through a new nonprofit organization that promotes a skewed report claiming that 90 percent of Michigan’s public schools are failing.

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Think Progress has compiled a great list of some of the major right-wing billionaires (besides the Koch Brothers) who are buying politicians, judges and others in their quest to take public schooling out of the American landscape:

– Dick DeVos: The DeVos family has been active on education issues since the 1990?s. The son of billionaire Amway co-founder Richard DeVos, Sr., DeVos unsuccessfully ran for governor of the state of Michigan, spending $40 million, the most ever spent in a gubernatorial race in the state. In 2002, Dick DeVos sketched out a plan to undermine public education before the Heritage Foundation, explaining that education advocates should stop using the term “public schools” and instead call them “government schools.” He has poured millions of dollars into right-wing causes, including providing hundreds of thousands of dollars into seed money for numerous “school choice” groups, including Utah’s Parents for Choice in Education, which used its PAC money to elect pro-voucher politicians.

– Betsy DeVos: The wife of Dick DeVos, she also coincidentally happens to be the sister of Erik Prince, the leader of Xe, the mercenary outfit formerly known as Blackwater and is a former chair of the Republican Party of Michigan. Mrs. DeVos has been much more aggressive than her husband, pouring her millions into numerous voucher front groups across the country. She launched the pro-voucher group All Children Matter in 2003, which spent $7.6 million in its first year alone to impact state races related vouchers, winning 121 out of 181 races in which it intervened. All Children Matter was found breaking campaign finance laws in 2008, yet has still not paid its $5.2 million fine. She has founded and/or funded a vast network of voucher front groups, including Children First America, the Alliance for School Choice, Kids Hope USA, and the American Federation for Children.

- American Federation for Children (AFC): AFC made headlines recently when it brought together Govs. Scott Walker (R-WI) and Tom Corbett (R-PA) and former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee at a major school choice event in Washington, D.C. AFC is perhaps the most prominent of all the current voucher groups, having been founded in January 2010 by Betsy DeVos. Working together with its PAC of the same name and the 501c(3) organization also lead by DeVos, the Alliance for School Choice, it has served as a launching pad for school choice legislation across the country. AFC made its mark in Wisconsin by pouring thousands of dollars into the state legislative races, donating $40,000 in the service of successfully electing voucher advocate Rep. Kathy Bernier (R) and donating similar amounts to elect Reps. Andre Jacque (R), John Klenke (R), Tom Larson (R), Howard Marklein (R), Erik Severson (R), and Travis Tranel (R). DeVos front group All Children Matter also donated thousands to many of these same voucher advocates. Altogether, AFC spent $820,000 in Wisconsin during the last election, making it the 7th-largest single PAC spender during the election (behind several other mostly right-wing groups with similar agendas).

- Alliance for School Choice (ASC): The Alliance for School Choice is another DeVos front group founded to promote vouchers and serves as the education arm of AFC. In 2008, the last date available for its financial disclosures, its total assets amounted to $5,467,064. DeVos used the organization not only for direct spending into propaganda campaigns, but to give grants to organizations with benign-sounding names so that they could push the radical school choice agenda. For example, in 2008 the organization gave $530,000 grant to the “Black Alliance for Educational Options” in Washington, D.C. and a $433,736 grant to the “Florida School Choice Fund.” This allowed DeVos to promote her causes without necessarily revealing her role. But it isn’t just the DeVos family that’s siphoning money into the Alliance for School Choice and its many front group patrons. Among its other wealthy funders include the Jaquelin Hume Foundation (which gave $75,000 in 2008 and $100,000 in 2006), the brainchild of one of an ultra-wealthy California businessman who brought Ronald Reagan to power, the powerful Wal Mart Foundation (which gave $100,000 in 2005, the Chase Foundation of Virginia (which gave $9,000 in 2007, 2008, and the same amount in 2009), which funds over “supports fifty nonprofit libertarian/conservative public policy research organizations,” and hosts investment banker Derwood Chase, Jr. as a trustee, the infamous oil billionaire-driven Charles Koch Foundation ($10,000 in 2005), and the powerful Wal Mart family’s Walton Family Foundation (more than $3 million over 2004-2005).

- Bill and Susan Oberndorf: This Oberndorfs use their fortune, gained from Bill’s position as the managing director of the investment firm SPO Partners, to funnel money to a wide variety of school choice and corporate education reform groups. In 2009, their Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation gave $376,793 to AFC, $5,000 to the Center for Education Reform, and $50,000 to the Brighter Choice Foundation. Additionally, Bill Oberndorf gave half a million dollars to the school choice front group All Children Matter between 2005 and 2007. At a recent education panel, Bill Oberndorf was credited with giving “tens of millions” of dollars of his personal wealth to the school choice movement, and said that the passage of the Indiana voucher law was the “gold standard” for what should be done across America.

- The Walton Family Foundation (WFF):The Wal Mart-backed WFF is one of the most powerful foundations in the country, having made investments in 2009 totaling over $378 million. In addition to financing a number of privately-managed charter schools itself, the foundation showered ASC with millions of dollars in 2009. It also gave over a million dollars to the New York-based Brighter Choice Foundation, half a million dollars to the Florida School Choice Fund, $105,000 to the Foundation for Educational Choice, $774,512 to the Friends of Educational Choice, $400,000 to School Choice Ohio, and gave $50,000 to the Piton Foundation to promote a media campaign around the Colorado School Choice website — all in 2009 alone. WFF’s push for expanding private school education and undermining traditional public schools was best summed up by John Walton’s words in an interview in 2000. An interviewer asked him, “Do you think there’s money to be made in education?” Walton replied, “Absolutely. I think it will offer a reasonable return for investors.” (He also did vigorously argue in the same interview that he does not want to abolish public education).

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More coverage from Wisconsin Watch shows the importance of the race, which will probably be close and certainly be costly:

Justice Patience Roggensack, who has already served one 10-year term on the state’s highest court, is expected to survive the cut. Her challengers are Ed Fallone, a Marquette University Law School professor, and Vince Megna, a Milwaukee lawyer specializing in suing auto companies. The general election is April 2.

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 4, according to the most recent reporting, Roggensack had raised about $200,000, compared to Fallone’s $75,000 and Megna’s $0. Roggensack reported having $219,154 cash on hand, compared to Fallone’s $63,713 and Megna’s $5,340. Most of Megna’s money came from a $10,000 contribution to himself.

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What this Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice means is that the conservative majority could remain in power and shuffle through the Walker agenda and even come into play with the turn of events that could happen with Walker’s John Doe investigation.

Many in the progressive community are favoring Ed Fallone for the February 19 primary. Here is some commentary where Russ Feingold is showing his support:

When former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, who for many years chaired the Constitution subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, endorsed Fallone, he said, “In addition to his intellectual know-how, Ed has a proven commitment to fair treatment in our justice system. His work in the community and on campus has helped working people obtain legal representation when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a lawyer. Ed is exactly the kind of fair-minded person we need making legal decisions on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. And we have a lot of work to do to get out in front of the out-of-state billionaires and corporate interests who are willing to spend millions to buy their way out of facing an impartial judge.”

We share that view, as we do Feingold’s observation: “Ed won’t be beholden to corporate interests that want to make the court a wing of their political operation.”

More from source

Ed Fallone was interviewed about the upcoming race.

Watch Ed Fallone on his Supreme Court bid on PBS. See more from Here and Now.

Besides the Koch Brothers funding for pre-made legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Goldwater Institute, Heritage Foundation, Alliance for School Choice, Friedman Foundation, Heartland Institute, Reason Institute, the DeVos Family and other right-wing groups want to continue trying to destroy public education while they have the right-wing media compile dishonest vitriol and feed the echo chamber to demonize teachers and unions in general. Other goals from these far-right thinktanks, billionaire-stealth superPACs and religious extremist groups are the continuing attacks on the War on women, privatizing social security, reducing government regulations, decimating environmental policy, denying climate change and buying as many coin-operated politicians looking to sell their soul for greed.

Pressing for school vouchers appeals to those who want to demonize teachers unions as well as religious and/or conspiracy theory parents who want to “educate” their children at home. That way, if they didn’t want their kids to learn about basic science, evolution, anti-religious views of Thomas Jefferson or even to teach that Obama was from Kenya, they could get taxpayer money to allow them to make their children as limited as they are. The issue of separation of church and state certainly come into play with taxpayer monies going toward exclusive religious enterprise.

Supporters of school vouchers insist that students in corporatized schools should not have to take state achievement tests. Using the ruse that poor children need help in getting a good education away from public schools as a tired excuse, the real reason is to snatch taxpayer money to be used for public education and also debilitate public education at its core. All this is done by making these schools part of a franchise like a fast food restaurant corporation. The poor children used as the excuse to essentially defund public education makes them the poster children of a darker conservative scheme. It’s no wonder that the biggest proponents of school vouchers are now trying to call them “scholarships”, since everybody lose scholarships.

By having school vouchers used for private and charter schools, parents would find out that the amount given would only pay partially towards school costs, and in may cases less than a third of the cost. Those parents would also find that they have no power to make decisions about their school board because the private or charter school has its own corporate board that decides what makes them money over what is best for the students. If a child has special needs, well too damn bad. That child is rejected like an unwanted toy.

Parents looking for school vouchers would find that Wisconsin open meetings and records requirements are thrown out with little scrutiny to oversight, class sizes would skyrocket, schools wouldn’t hire certified teachers and, as much evidence shows, educational standards and results would be worse than reasonably-funded public education.

For example, a $3,000 school voucher may make a big difference for some families, allowing them needed aid to cover the tuition for a $15,000 per year private school, but is of little value to families who can’t come up with the needed remainder of money to cover tuition costs.

Look no further than to Milwaukee where voucher programs have been going since 1999. Students who use vouchers don’t do as well as public school students, even with public school funding in turmoil:

The test results show the percentage of students participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program who scored proficient or advanced was 34.4 percent for math and 55.2 percent for reading.

Among Milwaukee Public Schools students, it was 47.8 percent in math and 59 percent in reading. Among Milwaukee Public Schools students coming from families making 185 percent of the federal poverty level — a slightly better comparison because voucher students come from families making no more than 175 percent — it was 43.9 percent in math and 55.3 percent in reading.

Statewide, the figures were 77.2 percent in math and 83 percent in reading. Among all low-income students in the state, it was 63.2 percent in math and 71.7 percent in reading.

Democrats said the results are evidence that the voucher program is not working. Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Middleton, the top Democrat on the Assembly Education Committee, said voucher students, parents and taxpayers are being “bamboozled.”

“The fact that we’ve spent well over $1 billion on a failed experiment leads me to believe we have no business spending $22 million to expand it with these kinds of results,” Pope-Roberts said. “It’s irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars and a disservice to Milwaukee students.”

Source

As one should always do, follow the money. An excellent resource to see how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is purchasing politicans for school vouchers and defunding public schools is illustrated by The Center For Media and Democracy.

As college dropout Scott Walker prances around Wisconsin trying to convince those not paying attention that taxpayer-funded school vouchers undermining public education are a good thing, there are Wisconsin Republicans that are not taking the bait:

Republican Senate President Michael Ellis, R-Neenah, and Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, said they would oppose automatic expansion of vouchers unless residents in the affected school districts first approve the expansion through a referendum vote, according to the Pioneer Press.

“We will have democracy at its purest,” Ellis said. “The people will decide.”

While Ellis and Olsen’s decision to cross party lines may be lauded by Democrats, they have little support from their Republican counterparts. Likewise, School Choice Wisconsin President Jim Bender spoke of his disapproval toward Ellis, according to the La Crosse Tribune.

“Certainly a senator who witnessed the ugly tactics and massive resources of the unions at the Capitol would not suggest the same battle be fought at the local level by parents in a failing school trying to find a better future for their children,” Bender said.

School Choice Wisconsin is a Wisconsin group that lobbies for voucher programs.

Ellis was quick to call Bender out for trying to compare the school voucher debate to the 2011 decision to eliminate collective bargaining rights for Wisconsin school teachers.

“We don’t have any failing school districts, so if voters want to have this, let’s have that dialogue,” Ellis said. “Throwing up the mess in 2011 is a red herring.”

Source

How all this plays out will come in time.

Apparently declaring January 22, 2013 via a proclamation, it goes like this:

WHEREAS; 40 years have elapsed since the infamous January 22, 1973, U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion for any reason for the full nine months of pregnancy in all of the United States; and
WHEREAS; it is the first and primary duty of the government to protect its citizens, a role which the Court usurped from the states; and
WHEREAS; more than 55 million unborn children have expired from abortions nationally, a human rights abuse unprecedented in American history; and
WHEREAS; more than 540,000 of Wisconsin’s unborn children are lost to Wisconsin families, and their skills and talents are lost to the state of Wisconsin; and
WHEREAS; countless mothers, fathers, families, and society as a whole have suffered devastating consequences from this wholesale destruction of human life; and
WHEREAS; the future of our state and country depend on protection of the weakest members of the human family;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Scott Walker, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, January 22, 2013, as
PROTECT LIFE DAY
throughout the state of Wisconsin and I commend this observance to all of our citizens.

Clearly, Walker is lying about the Roe vs. Wade decision in regards to a woman being able to have an abortion at any time of her pregnancy. Walker either knows that’s an abject lie or he is completely misinformed.

With weak job numbers where Wisconsin is 42nd in the U.S. for job creation, scandals like the continuing John Doe investigation and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) cronyism and corrupt mismanagement of millions of taxpayer dollars, a very divided state from his draconian policies and a very divisive lack of leadership, Walker could only come up with what sounded like talking points from his 2010 campaign speeches when he was running for governor.

Four efforts were the focus of his speech: cutting taxes so the infrastructure and public services continue to crack, getting mining legislation that will go into courts for years, further defunding public education with $1.6 billion in cuts to favor campaign contributors who are lobbying for private school vouchers and corporatized charter schools and getting more jobs through failed policies.

Under Walker’s regime, Wisconsin’s economic outlook is bleak at best. His 2010 campaign promise of creating 250,000 jobs by 2015 is far off track with only about 37,000 jobs created. Of course, expect Walker to lie about how ‘it’s on track” with bloated estimates and distorted numbers to distract from the truth.

Walker mentioned that he was interested in “healthy transportation system that includes roads, bridges, freight rail, ports, and airports.” It’s a good thing he didn’t mention commuter rail lines like the one major project that he rejected $810 million to connect Madison to Milwaukee that would have created tens of thousands of jobs and improved the state’s infrastructure and other benefits.

The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Army Corps of Engineers have already warned that they will fight any mining legislation that Walker signs and tie the legislation in courts for years because they know it will be done carelessly as nearly all of what Walker has done since becoming governor. Tribal sovereignty rights and concerns about destroying the Bad River watershed, the Penokee Hills and the Kakogan Sloughs with sulfuric acid and other chemicals and other damage will keep any mining legislation a failure.

Walker mentioned he wants Wisconsin to have high-speed broadband internet connections in rural communities, but failed to mention he rejected $23 million in stimulus money that was to be used for expanding high-speed Internet service in libraries, government agencies and schools as well as improving police, fire department and hospital communications in rural areas of the state.

There were many complaints from critics of the speech that it was long on drama and short on detail.

What is important is what Walker didn’t say what he will do. He will sign non-job creation legislation for the so-called “pro-life” interests and further embarrass Wisconsin nationally. Despite what he has stated, he will sign voter disenfranchisement legislation if given the chance. The same goes for so-called “right-to-work” legislation. Whatever the Koch Brothers and the American Legislative Exchange Council want, Walker will try to deliver like a good errand boy.

Essentially, Walker will want to swerve further to the right if he survives scandals to get in line for a possible 2016 presidential run where he will have to appeal to the far right Republican extremists where he gets his funding. He knows where the GOP money is.

Apparently parroting the usual phony claptrap about attacks on “freedom” from the Tea Party crowd doesn’t include inflicting draconian rules that show for all to see that their concern about freedom only applies to their ability to squash freedom for those that don’t agree with their plastic astroturf Koch Brothers marching orders.

All with most legislation done with this Republican crowd, they apparently don’t see how what they do know will come back to haunt them when the tables are turned.

Debate heated up over new rules for visitors in the Assembly galleries. Those rules were introduced by Vos and Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford.

The new Assembly rules say visitors may not use “audio or video devices to record, photograph, film, videotape, or in any way depict the proceedings on or about the assembly floor.” And Assembly visitors are prohibited from using cellphones or pagers, reading newspapers or other printed materials, eating food or drinking beverages, displaying signs or placards, carrying bags or briefcases, or wearing hats.

The new rules also say that anyone who engages in “a prohibited action” may be removed from the galleries and not be allowed back in for 24 hours. For a second violation during a two-year session, that person would be barred from the galleries until the next regularly scheduled floor period, and for a third violation the person would not be allowed back for the remainder of the legislative session.

Democrats warned that the new Republican rules would infringe on free speech.

“Something you seem to forget, the First Amendment is as important as the Second,” Rep. Peter Barca said.

Source

Since the freedom of speech is directly attacked as one of the first matters at hand for the new Legislature session, it should be appropriate to remove all American flags from the Legislature chambers unless the value of the American flag is merely for decoration, as if the flag is a cloth with a pattern that means nothing.

There may be ways to protest these actions with duct tape over mouths, clothing or glasses that help make memories last forever.

With the Legislature now with slightly different Republican leadership, Walker has promised tax cuts for everybody, education “reform”, job creation, workforce development including a “new and improved” mining bill, venture capital legislation and maybe free brats on every corner. Don’t kid yourself.

The Wisconsin 101st Legislature’s 2013-14 legislative session begins on January 7, 2013 with the Senate having 18 Republicans and 15 Democrats and the Assembly having 60 Republicans and 39 Democrats. There are new Assembly committee assignments and Senate committee assignments. Here is how it looks:

The Senate. The Republicans took control of the Senate by winning an open seat in the 12th district. Republican Rick Gudex will replace incumbent Democrat Jessica King in the 18th District. King was the only incumbent senator to lose a seat in the November election.

The Assembly. The Republicans will retain a similar margin of control to that held in the 2011-12 session. Four incumbents were defeated on November 6. Two, John Steinbrink (D) and Evan Wynn (R) were paired with other incumbents by redistricting. Two others, Joe Knilans (R) and Roger Rivard (R) were defeated by newcomers.

The 2013-14 legislative session is the first one under the redistricting enacted by 2011 Wisconsin Act 43. Residents can look up their new districts on the ” Who are my Legislators” page.

Organizing Caucuses. The Senate majority has elected the following officers:

• Majority Leader: Scott Fitzgerald
• President: Michael Ellis
• President Pro Tempore: Joe Leibham
• Assistant Majority Leader: Glenn Grothman
• Caucus Chair: Frank Lasee
• Caucus Vice Chair: Sheila Harsdorf

The Senate minority has also selected its leadership as follows:

• Minority Leader: Chris Larson
• Assistant Minority Leader: Dave Hansen
• Caucus Chair: Julie Lassa
• Caucus Vice Chair: Kathleen Vinehout
• Caucus Sergeant at Arms: Nikiya Harris.

The Assembly majority elected the following officers:

• Majority Leader: Scott Suder
• Speaker: Robin Vos
• Speaker Pro Tempore: Bill Kramer
• Assistant Majority Leader: Jim Steineke
• Caucus Chair: Joan Ballweg
• Caucus Vice Chair: John Murtha
• Caucus Secretary: Mary Williams
• Caucus Sergeant at Arms: Samantha Kerkman

The Assembly minority elected the following officers:

• Minority Leader: Peter Barca
• Assistant Minority Leader: Sandy Pasch
• Caucus Chair: Andy Jorgensen
• Caucus Vice Chair: JoCasta Zamarripa

Source

According to the fantastic resource Sourcewatch, the Republican members with their name bolded are also members of the Koch brothers and Koch Industries-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Who do you think they are listening to? Let’s guess what their agenda will be.

Voter ID

Walker was grinning when he stated at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on November 11, 2012 that he wanted to get rid of Wisconsin’s same-day voter registration due to his “sincere” concern trolling that seniors working the polls are just too tired to handle the job:

“States across the country that have same-day registration have real problems because the vast majority of their states have poll workers who are wonderful volunteers, who work 13 hour days, who in most cases are retirees. It’s difficult for them to handle the volume [that] comes on that day.”

Source

Of course, he was lying through his teeth. And perhaps he forgot that his own son registered to vote on Election Day so he could vote. After much ado about how that was basically more Walker distortion than reality, he walked it back a little saying it won’t be a focus in upcoming years. So we should fully expect the Republicans to try to disenfranchise voters during this legislative session and have Walker giggling as he signs that legislation.

Mining

Walker has been doing very controlled “public” events in Wisconsin with his “Mining for Jobs” agenda. It’s another attempt in what will probably end up in the United States Supreme Court over government land uses on tribal nation land, but here’s where it stands now:

A bill that would have streamlined Wisconsin’s approval process for mining proposals was defeated in the last session of the legislature, after one Republican state Senator joined with Democrats who opposed the relaxation of environmental standards, and the elimination of public challenges to parts of the approval process. Democrats used a short-lived majority in the final months of last year to produce their own package for the new session which begins next week. That proposal calls for a two-year time limit for the state Department of Natural Resources to approve new mines while preserving environmental protections, and allowing opponents to challenge the proposals through what are known as in contested-case hearings.

Gogebic Taconite – the firm which last year scrapped plans to construct a massive iron ore mine near Hurley – is against the Democratic bill, as is Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business lobby. Governor Walker recently said he wants a bill that both creates jobs, and protects the environment.

Source: Wisconsin Radio Network

School vouchers

To continue the ALEC agenda to corporatize education and attack public schools through school-choice options with independent charters and private schools, which can operate independently from community school boards and essentially frontally attack control or input from parents. As they always say, follow the money:

Between mid-October 2011 and mid-January 2012, at the same time the debate over the voucher expansion was going on, 15 wealthy contributors who support expanding school choice gave $443,550 to Gov. Walker and legislative Republicans, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported.

School-choice groups have become huge players in state politics, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s Mike McCabe points out.

“They may not be the proverbial 800-pound gorilla, but they’re big — 500 or 600 pounds at least,” McCabe says.

In the recall race, American Federation for Children was Walker’s third-biggest PAC supporter, at $555,000, behind Right Direction Wisconsin at $700,000 and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce at $660,000.

National school-privatization groups are part of “a small constellation of interest groups” that include anti-abortion groups and the National Rifle Association, and have a major influence on state races, McCabe says.

McCabe sees school-choice groups as a classic example of what has happened to campaign finance in general: It has gone national.

“In-state interests have almost become bystanders,” he says. “What you’ve got is national movements coming in and hijacking state campaigns.”

Source: The Daily Page

Anti-Abortion laws

Despite Wisconsin choosing President Barack Obama for President in 2012, those who were disappointed with the results still see so-called “pro-life” Governor Walker as a willing War On Women kind of Republican that can deliver extremist abortion laws like the other Republican governors have. Adding to additional costs, attempting to shame women who want (or need) an abortion with a vaginal probe, making them watch their fetus in an ultrasound or banning abortions altogether because fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks is just what will be introduced by Republicans and who knows whether the laws will get signed.

The state’s largest anti-abortion group sees opportunities to place further regulations on abortion, including requiring women seeking the procedure to view an ultrasound of her fetus.

Wisconsin Right to Life is also proposing banning abortions that would cause pain to the fetus, barring abortions that are sought based on the sex of the fetus and prohibiting the ability of state employees to use their state health care plans to access abortions.

“I support all those measures and would gladly be a lead or co-sponsor on any of them,” said Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc). “Any measure to protect life is of the utmost highest priority.”

Requiring ultrasounds and banning certain abortions based on fetal pain follow a wave of legislation around the country. Backers of abortion say if put into law in Wisconsin, they could prompt lawsuits.

“These bills represent much of what we’re seeing across the country,” said Elizabeth Nash, state issues manager for the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group that supports abortion rights.

Source: Journal Sentinal

Right-To-Work

While Walker is on record stating he would not sign Right-To-Work legislation or want to pursue it for Wisconsin, his word has proven to mean nothing but political gamesmanship in the past. ALEC loves Right-To-Work legislation and proved they could get it passed in Michigan in a couple of days in 2012. We remember Republican Governor Snyder saying he would never, ever, ever, ever sign Right-To-Work laws. OK, he signed the laws happily. Walker says Right-To-Work legislation would be a “distraction” as if he actually cared. Coming from someone who wants to be a Republican Rock Star who forgets how Wisconsin is sinking, underperforming and sagging from Act 10 cuts and other mishaps like the WEDC scandal and the John Doe investigation, Walker apparently loves distractions.

Of course, we trust Scott Walker won’t want to “divide and conquer”.

Much more will unfold as the new Legislature begins and it’s no time to sit back and let more damage happen to Wisconsin thanks to one of the worst governors this state has ever had to be burdened with.

“States across the country that have same-day registration have real problems because the vast majority of their states have poll workers who are wonderful volunteers, who work 13-hour days and who in most cases are retirees,” he said. “It’s difficult for them to handle the volume of people who come at the last minute. It’d be much better if registration was done in advance of election day. It’d be easier for our clerks to handle that. All that needs to be done.”

Source

Of course, he was lying. The same-day voter registration was used by Walker’s own son, whom Walker personally went to the polls with. Incoming Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) supports as much voter suppression as possible and will certainly try to sneak through legislation. To add to the insanity, the Government Accountability Board (GAB) did a preliminary study PDF indicating that not only wouldn’t the policy work, but it would cost Wisconsin taxpayers over $5 million.

The accountability board estimated in its report that ending election-day registration would cost the state $5.2 million for the first two years – $1.9 million for increased costs to maintain voter lists, $1.2 million in computer system upgrades, $1.2 million for an ad campaign and voter outreach and more than $800,000 for training and adding staff.

Some of those costs would be recurring. The figures do not include the costs to other state agencies that would have to offer voter registration forms to the public and forward any returned forms to election officials. Those costs are expected to be tallied in a follow-up report due at the end of the month.

The accountability board noted that its cost estimates are rough because expenses could change significantly depending on the exact wording of any legislation.

Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) said he had not yet reviewed the material from the accountability board and remained committed to trying to end election-day registration.

“They ought to push that out of the chute,” he said. “It should be on the floor in January.”

He said he believed election-day registration made it easier to commit voter fraud, though he acknowledged he had no evidence to support that is happening.

“I can’t prove it, but we all believe it,” he said of fraud. “It would be harder to cheat under Motor Voter and that’s why we should go with Motor Voter.”

Democrats criticized Grothman for claiming election-day registration can lead to voter fraud without backing it up.

“The only vote fraud taking place here is when they’re disenfranchising people and trying to take their vote away,” said incoming Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee).

Source

Stay tuned for more idiocy from the Republicans and Walker in 2013.

Russell (left) and Walker fundraising

UPDATE: Tim Russell was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of extended supervision on January 22, 2013 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court for stealing money from the veterans group Heritage Guard Preservation Society.

When Scott Walker was Milwaukee County executive, former aide and fellow criminal Tim Russell embezzled thousands of dollars of “Operation Freedom” funds for he and his boyfriend Brian Pierick to go on expensive’ lavish trips to Jamaica, Hawaii and Herman Cain events in Georgia, buy various personal items, work on Walker’s gubernatorial websites and other criminal actions.

Walker posing at “Operation Freedom” event

“Operation Freedom” funds were supposed to go to veterans and their families who participated in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. According to records, Russell stole 50 cents of every donation dollar deposited into the fund. Walker had gone to many of the organization’s events and made sure to work the crowd of veterans, soldiers and their families for whatever they could contribute to then have the money managed by confidante Tim Russell, who gladly took the money.

However, Scott Walker had transferred the funding operations to Russell’s non-profit front operation “Heritage Guard Preservation Society” and stated on on Oct. 20, 2009: “I have identified a nonprofit corporation to which I am transferring Operation Freedom. This new structure will allow the community to take ownership of it.”

Tim Russell pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count of stealing over $21,000 from veterans’ fund “Operation Freedom”, in exchange for the prosecution to drop two other counts against him.  Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney and prosecutor Bruce Landgraf said he will ask for no more than 30 months’ incarceration and 30 months’ extended supervision, a total of five years and will not to file any other charges against Russell.

MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) – Governor Scott Walker’s election campaign says it condemns the actions taken by Walker’s former Milwaukee County aide Tim Russell.

The 49-year-old Russell pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of embezzling $21,000 from an annual event at the County Zoo which saluted Wisconsin veterans.

Walker’s camp said Russell, “took advantage of all the volunteers who worked so hard to honor military members.” Russell agreed to a plea deal which would send him to prison for two-and-a-half-years, and put him under extended supervision for another two-and-a-half years.

But the judge does not have to accept those terms when he sentences Russell on January 22nd.

Russell was scheduled to go on trial Monday, and his attorney Parker Mathers said, “a lot of good people will not have to testify for the defense.” He did not explain what he meant by that.

Russell was 1 of 5 ex-Walker aides and associates charged in a Milwaukee County John Doe probe which continues.

More from source

The plea agreement calls for Russell to repay $28,000 as well as any jail time when he is sentenced January 22, 2013.

Russell is allegedly also responsible for a secret email system installed in Walker’s deputy chief of staff Kelly Rindfleisch’s office, located 25 feet from Walker’s office, and was “routinely used by selected insiders within the Walker administration … for both official and unofficial purposes (and) was never disclosed to county employees outside a closely held group within the Walker administration.”

Russell is the fourth Walker aide convicted in the continuing John Doe investigation. Kevin Kavanugh, Darlene Wink, Kelly Rindfleisch have been convicted as well.

Here is a great list from WisDems about what continues:

Seventeen Questions For Scott Walker

1.    Scott Walker has acknowledged that his campaign and his Milwaukee County office “routinely” coordinated on both matters of public (taxpayer) policy and campaign strategy, and stated that this coordination was neither unusual nor improper. Does, or did, Walker’s campaign similarly coordinate with the governor’s office?

2.    The extent to which the secret computer network installed in the Milwaukee County Executive’s office was used to conduct illegal campaign activity for Scott Walker’s benefit has been revealed as larger than perhaps originally thought. Does Scott Walker himself appear as a sender or recipient of any messages exchanged on this network, and has this practice been repeated into his current administration?

3.    Is Scott Walker in possession of digital and/or hard copies of any of these messages?

4.    Has Scott Walker been informed by state and/or federal prosecutors that he definitively is NOT a target of this investigation, and/or that he will NOT be charged with criminal misconduct related to this investigation?

5.    Why did Scott Walker think it was appropriate and/or lawful for his campaign to direct Milwaukee County policy, as it was revealed in the Kelly Rindfleisch sentencing?

6.    Why did Scott Walker think it was appropriate and/or lawful to compel County employees to misuse taxpayer resources to participate in campaign activity on his behalf?

7.    Did Scott Walker direct any County employees to suppress, hide or destroy evidence related to the O’Donnell Park tragedy, as apparently suggested by his campaign manager, Keith Gilkes?

8.    Did Scott Walker believe it was appropriate and/or lawful for him to personally review, approve and authorize County press releases drafted by his campaign?

9.    Did Scott Walker believe it was appropriate and/or lawful for him to personally review, approve and authorize campaign material drafted by his County staff?

10.  Does Scott Walker believe the Milwaukee County taxpayers should be reimbursed for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in County resources that were illegally used to advance the Walker campaign?

11.  Has Scott Walker directed any more funds into his criminal defense fund?

12.  In light of new revelations that implicate Scott Walker as a knowing and willing party to the illegal campaign activity carried out on his behalf, will Scott Walker agree to disclose the identities of his criminal defense fund donors in advance of the statutorily required deadline for such disclosure?

13.  Did Scott Walker personally approve payments to John Doe figures facing prosecution from his campaign and/or from entities associated with the Republican Party of Wisconsin?

14.  As was evidenced in Milwaukee County, is Scott Walker or his administration causing the subversion of Open Records laws for his political gain?

15.  What has Scott Walker been told about his role in the John Doe criminal corruption probes?

16.  Why does Scott Walker believe it is appropriate for a sitting governor to challenge the judicial independence of a John Doe proceeding?

17.  Scott Walker confirmed that he was a daily participant on 8:00 a.m. calls between his campaign and County staffs, including Kelly Rindfleisch. How was he unaware that Kelly Rindfleisch was campaigning on taxpayer time when he was participating in the very same activity?

Source

Remembering how it was explained in a Soviet Union cultural exchange back in the 1980s, the Kremlin used the same ruse for keeping the concerned citizenry involved in what was strategically called getting them tangled in the “sport is good” mentality. Why have them be bothered with complicated facts and figures on how their corrupt leaders owned by the plutocrats are screwing them when they can get their minds twisted in pointless stats and hero worship of athletes throwing leather balls at each other and getting the true “divide and conquer” participation of the masses. Forget about religion being the opiate of the masses. Sports talk is even more myopic and ultimately a way to stuff your head full of stats about countless sports teams and players rather than facts about what should be done for a better society. The Kremlin-Gordon Gecko effect is apparently all the rage.

John “Sly” Sylvester, known for not being a shrinking violet politically in the Madison news talk radio market, made this statement on his Facebook and other pages:

Message to everybody: I just want to inform you that today was my last day of employment at WTDY. After 15 years, I was told that my services were no longer needed. I would like to thank everybody that’s supported my program. It’s been a pleasure to share this wonderful experience with you. I need to take a big deep breath this weekend and figure out what my future plans are. But, old Winter Soldiers NEVER DIE, and I look forward to letting you know what lies ahead. Solidarity!

You can email me at canadasly@gmail.com

-SLY

Source

There are many other examples where news talk, especially local community-based radio, is being swapped out with a computer at the radio station that has a national sports feed fill the air and ultimately fade out. Progressive radio KPTK in Seattle is going through the same transition:

Everyone else is calling it since the change in call letters from KPTK to KFNQ “the Fan”? this past week. CBS radio will roll out an aggressive Sports Radio format to push to their markets and CBS owned stations such as AM 1090, to go head to head, 24 hours a day, to compete with ESPN and FOX sports radio beginning Jan 2.

Source

KPOJ-AM in Portland, Oregon went through the same “transition” as well:

Portland, Oregon’s only left wing commercial talk radio station has suddenly been switched from politics to sports.

KPOJ was the first Air America affiliate in the country, according to its supporters, who learned early on Friday that the host of the locally produced morning show had just been fired by Clear Channel effective immediately.

That afternoon, a local paper confirmed that the AM station would become “Fox Sports Radio 620” beginning in just 3 hours.

Brad Friedman is blogging about the sudden death of lefty political talk on KPOJ. Friedman accuses Clear Channel of choosing to favor its right wing talk radio stations over its left wing properties.

Source

It could be that trends show that AM radio itself is fading away due to lousy sound compared to FM or newer digital formats on smart devices and the net. AM’s weakness is making radio companies create new talk formats in the better sounding FM format. With iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn and other Web radio choices available, progressive radio has already been available for years. There’s also Sirius/XM satellite radio too. The PPM (Portable People Meter) readings are getting more complicated as the digital radio realm continues to give more choices.

Hopefully, a clearer, crisper former WTDY news staff is heard on something other than tinny AM sometime in the near future. We need them and wish them well in the next phases yet to come. The real loss is having community radio slowing becoming a thing of the past. Other local right-leaning radio talk hosts should see this trend as a warning that they may be next on the AM chopping block.

Sports is a good thing and listening to sports is great on radio. But when you start losing community radio content (left/right/middle/English/Spanish/Mung…) and replace it with national ESPN jock talk, it’s bad for communities.

There have been plenty of examples where community-based radio is taken away and local areas that used to have that radio access never get local news, weather reports and yes, political commentary unique to that area.

There is a movement where “in the spring of 2013, the Federal Communications Commission will start the process of allotting thousands of new community FM radio licenses for the first time in urban areas.” More information to start your own radio station is available, thanks to President Obama signing the Local Community Radio Act. There’s always a way to start your own web radio show.

In a lengthy presentation during Rindfleisch’s sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf displayed numerous emails between Rindfleisch and key members of Walker’s campaign staff in which they discussed how to manage county government in 2010, while Walker was a candidate for governor.

Repeatedly, Landgraf argued that Rindfleisch knowingly broke the law by doing campaign work at the courthouse. In a new development, the prosecutor made clear – without saying it was illegal – that top Walker campaign officials influenced, even directed, county strategy.

“You guys are in the driver’s seat,” Rindfleisch wrote in one message to Keith Gilkes, Walker’s former campaign chief of staff.

At another point, Rindfleisch said in an email regarding an effort by the campaign to plant stories about problems at the state Mendota Mental Health Institute: “This needs to be done covertly so it’s not tied to Scott or the campaign in any way.”

Landgraf said “The Campaign Group” included Walker, Gilkes, campaign spokeswoman Jill Bader and campaign adviser R.J. Johnson. It also included several top county aides to Walker: Cindy Archer, who was county administration director; county chief of staff Tom Nardelli; spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin; housing director Timothy Russell; and Rindfleisch.

Rindfleisch served as Walker’s policy adviser and later his deputy chief of staff at the county.

Five members of the group spoke by phone daily at 8 a.m. to make sure the county executive’s office was “in sync” with the “image” the campaign was advancing of Walker in his Republican race for governor against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, according to an email Landgraf presented in court as part of a PowerPoint presentation beamed to a large flat-panel TV.

“There was close contact with the campaign” and Walker’s county staff, Landgraf said.

The five members on the daily calls were Gilkes and Bader from the campaign and Rindfleisch, Nardelli and McLaughlin from the county executive staff.

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Walker is bound to get even more implicated as Rindfleisch has agreed to testify in the upcoming December trial of Timothy Russell on three felony counts of embezzlement as well as links to setting up a secret email network used by Rindfleisch, just feet away from Walker’s Milwaukee County executive office.

“It’s clear now that he presided over a criminal culture where county government in Milwaukee became an adjunct of his campaign,” State Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski said. “The citizens of Wisconsin should be afraid that this criminal culture has been imported to Madison.”

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One of the features of the healthcare reform law that calls on American states to set up online health insurance markets where consumers can purchase private coverage at federally subsidized rates. This is great for all consumers and especially those that have pre-existing conditions and allows states to set up healthcare exchanges, which give states control of private individual insurance markets. The health insurance exchanges are set to open January 1, 2014, as part of the health reform bill. Larger employers, with more than 200 employees, won’t be affected by the Affordable Care Act until 2017.

Click to enlarge. Courtesy Xerox Corp.

As anyone still controlled by the do-nothing Koch Brothers-funded Tea Party Republicans and Mitt Romney whiners and apologists, Scott Walker chose to make Wisconsin lose control over many key decisions on how the people of Wisconsin will decide which plans can be sold through the health exchange, to be able to compare insurance plans and what the plans must cover and their costs. Instead of having Wisconsin be able to manage the health exchanges, federal government now can come in and run the exchange and take over the responsibility.

Walker’s typically careless decision went against some of his own allies, including the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, other health care advocacy groups that support universal health care and the insurance industry.

The Obama administration recently agreed to a request by Republican governors for a month’s extension for making a decision on the health care exchanges. Walker had time to look over the implications of this important decision and decided to act like a college dropout and punt. Walker chose to listen to the Tea Party, who don’t want the federal government to run anything, and decided to have the federal government to run the health care exchanges. That’s how much sense his decision makes.

US Senator-elect Tammy Baldwin, a supporter of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, said Walker “chose to pass the buck and reject the opportunity to take ownership of this issue.”

That battle just got another snag for the unconstitutional collective bargaining law. The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Association (WLEA) has filed a lawsuit to continue to make sure Walker’s conservative star-making legislation is further stomped on.

The lawsuit points out that the two groups exempted from the law — state troopers and inspectors — are represented for lobbying purposes by the Wisconsin Troopers Association, which endorsed Walker in the 2010 election. All other law enforcement groups represented by WLEA that did not endorse a candidate in the 2010 election were covered by the law.

The lawsuit said the law forced the WLEA to break into two parts, each with different rights.

The law was designed to retaliate against law enforcement WLEA members and restrict free speech rights “for the improper purpose of diminishing the law enforcement unions’ political effectiveness,” the lawsuit argues.

The lawsuit also contends that constitutional equal protection rights were violated by treating those represented by the WLEA differently than similarly situated employees.

The WLEA said in a statement that the law “fractured the union and the solidarity of its members, undermining their ability to join together and advocate for the best conditions to keep Wisconsin roads and communities safe.”

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Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, stated it best when he said: “As we have said from day one, Scott Walker’s attempt to silence the union men and women of Wisconsin’s public sector was an immoral, unjust and illegal power grab.”

Here are the results from that historic day:

Here are some photos.

A judge Friday ruled against a bid by a former aide to Gov. Scott Walker to have his felony embezzlement charges thrown out based on an ethical transgression by a defense attorney.

That means former Walker aide Timothy D. Russell will stand trial starting Dec. 3, unless a last-minute plea deal comes through. Russell worked as deputy chief of staff and housing director while Walker was Milwaukee County executive.

It was also disclosed Friday that a plea bargain had been offered to Russell but that he hadn’t accepted it. He’s charged with two felony embezzlement counts accusing him of stealing more than $20,000 from a veterans group and taking more that $2,500 from a county supervisor candidate whose campaign Russell was helping. He’s also charged with a misdemeanor for embezzling a smaller sum from another candidate.

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As the Joe Doe investigation continues, it should be noted what has happened so far. Kevin Kavanaugh, a Walker appointee to the county Veterans Service Board, was convicted in October of stealing over $51,000 in money as donations intended to help veterans and their families. Walker staffer, who used a secret email system installed by Tim Russell within feet from Walker’s Milwaukee County Executive office, Kelly Rindfleisch pleaded guilty last month to felony misconduct for doing campaign work while working for Walker. Also, in that same office, Darlene Wink, Walker’s county constituent services director, pleaded guilty in February to two misdemeanor counts for doing campaign fundraising at the office.

More details will develop and continue to be updated.

Beside using photo ID legislation to disenfranchise voters from performing their basic American right with voter intimidation efforts, Republicans and the Romney campaign want to use bullying tactics to scare voters from voting or make it more difficult. It turns out that the Wisconsin Republican Party is up to this vicious set of tactics and have been exposed for training poll watchers to use erroneous information. Some of the training materials found show what they are up to regarding voter harassment while hiding their own political affiliation at the polls:

Here are four misleading or incorrect pieces of information distributed by the Romney campaign:

CLAIM: Any “person [who] has been convicted of treason, a felony, or bribery” isn’t eligible to vote. (Page 5)	FACT: Once a person who has been convicted of a felony completes his or her sentence, including probation and fines, that person is eligible to vote.
CLAIM: Page 8 lists 10 items as “The ONLY Acceptable Forms of “Proof of Residency”.	FACT: The list used is incomplete. There are many other documents people can use to prove residency that are not included, such as letters from public schools, student loan papers, correspondence with a Native American tribe in Wisconsin, vehicle registration, and food stamp correspondances. In addition, the list fails to mention that homeless voters may use an affidavit from a public or private social service agency as proof of residency.
CLAIM: “If a handicapped voter is unable to come into the polls to vote, an assistant can deliver the ballot to the voter if the CEI verifies the elector’s proof of residency.” (Page 10)	FACT: Under Wisconsin law, the CEI (Chief Election Inspector) does not have to verify proof of residency so long as the voter is registered.
CLAIM: “Election Observers should not assist [voters].” (Page 10)	FACT: A voter can ask for assistance from anyone, including a poll watcher, so long as the voter initiates the request and does not engage in electioneering.

Romney Volunteer Observer Training

Source: Think Progress

If you want some serious blow-by-blow evidence of the Romney campaign delivering misinformation to poll watchers via a former beauty queen, check out Root Siren.

Another component in the Republican dirty tricks arsenal has been to have ominous “voter fraud” billboards reminding voters of the legal penalties for voter fraud in minority communities in Milwaukee as well as in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. Fortunately, many of those billboards have been removed, but the messaging certainly has been inflicted in those communities.

The John Doe investigation has taken another dark turn for Scott Walker. Walker’s deputy chief of staff when he was the Milwaukee County executive, Kelly Rindfleisch, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of misconduct in office. These felony charges carry a maximum combined penalty of $40,000 fine and six years in prison. It turns out that Scott Walker will not just be a witness but additional news of a subpoena for his testimony will be part of the trial, which begins on October 15.

MILWAUKEE (WKOW) — A subpoena for Governor Scott Walker’s testimony in an upcoming criminal trial of one of his former aides has been submitted to a Milwaukee County court.

Clerk Gina Barron for Judge David Hanscher tells 27 News the subpoena was submitted to the court Friday.

Barron says the subpoena documents show the subpoena was served on Walker’s attorney, Michael Steinle.

Steinle has yet to return a call from 27 News seeking comment.

Walker was previously identified by a prosecutor as a potential witness in the October 15 trial of Kelly Rindfleisch in Hanscher’s court.

Authorities say Rindfleisch committed misconduct by working on campaign activities in 2010, while at her government job as deputy chief of staff for Walker when Walker was Milwaukee County executive.

Authorities say Rindfleisch exchanged dozens of emails with others on behalf of the campaign of lieutenant governor candidate Brett Davis, who is now state medicaid director under Walker.

Authorities also say Rindfleisch used a secret email system, with records of emails unknown to county custodians of such records.

Rindfleish’s attorney, Franklyn Gimbel, and assistant Milwaukee County District Attorney Bruce Landgraf have yet to return calls from 27 News seeking comment on the subpoena served on Walker’s attorney for the governor’s court appearance to testify.

Source

This story is developing and more news about what transpires will be available.

Meanwhile, another former Walker associate is going through trial procedures as well. Kevin Kavanugh faces charges where he embezzled thousands of dollars from veterans’ groups.

The trial for Kevin Kavanaugh begins Monday in Milwaukee. Jury selection is expected to take up a good part of the first day.

Kavanaugh, a former appointee of then Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, is charged with one count of felony theft and four counts of felony fraud. Prosecutors say Kavanaugh embezzled $42,000 from veterans’ groups. He had been appointed to a veterans’ service post by Walker.

The charges against Kavanaugh stem from a secret John Doe investigation into activities that took place while Walker lead Milwaukee County government. The probe began in 2010 and has not yet concluded.

Source

UPDATE on Kavanaugh:

MILWAUKEE, Oct 12 (Reuters) – A former aide to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was convicted on Friday of stealing money from a fund for families of U.S. soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A jury in Milwaukee County Circuit Court found Kevin Kavanaugh guilty of embezzling more than $42,000 from Operation Freedom, a military appreciation event held each year at the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Kavanaugh, who worked for Walker when the first-term Republican governor served as Milwaukee County executive, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Sentencing is expected on Dec. 7.

Kavanaugh, 62, was the treasurer of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, a charity involved in Operation Freedom, from 2006 to 2009. Walker appointed him to serve on the Milwaukee County Veteran Service Commission during Walker’s term as Milwaukee County executive.

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Things are starting to get busy with the John Doe investigation.

You may wonder what Romney was on when he was at the first debate when he distorted his record and thought no one would pick up that he is an empty suit.

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Thanks to WISC-TV for the video.