Sunday, August 31, 2014

Christian Schneider: Walker Can't Win On His Record

Christian Schneider is a paid partisan hack that will go to any lengths to advance the agenda of his corporate masters - even to the point of fabricating stories.  With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that he was
called upon to try to explain away the fact that the corporate overlord's darling, Scott Walker, is continuing to sink in the polls and trails his opponent, Mary Burke, by two points.

Schneider tries to do just that by in a column showing some seriously bizarre and disjointed thinking by comparing Walker to Winston Churchill and unions to Nazis. (There apparently isn't a law that the Teapublicans aren't willing to break, even Godwin's Law.)

However, Schneider inadvertently makes an interesting and very telling confession in his propaganda piece:
But without the cacophonous protests, Walker's post-recall gains aren't as visible as they were when he was mixing it up on the public stage every day. Walker's subsequent budget, while containing large income tax cuts, was a fairly quiet proposal, leaving feathers around the state comparatively unruffled. In the absence of angry demonstrations, Walker became just another GOP governor in a Democratic-leaning state that President Barack Obama won by seven percentage points in 2012.

And that is why, according to the Marquette Law School poll released last week, Walker finds himself in a dead heat in his re-election campaign. The race, which currently stands at a butt-naked tie, now has become "Republican in a can" vs. "ACME Democrat."
In other words, Schneider is admitting that Walker is losing because he cannot run on his record, that he needs an enemy to disparage and use as a distraction. Indeed, in the past week alone, Walker and his supporters have tried to tie Burke to the unions (which is laughable at best), to former governor Jim Doyle and to Barack Obama - all of the usual bogeymen that the right likes to use to fire up their base.

It's also nothing new.  Walker used the unions for his straw man arguments during his first (successful) run for
governor.  He did this because he could not run on his record as Milwaukee County Executive.  Under Walker's watch, Milwaukee was in a constant state of decline, from county buildings falling apart to the abuse of the mentally ill to depriving the poor of needed services.

As governor, Walker's record is even worse.  He has failed utterly in creating jobs and he has all but tanked the economy.  Not only has Walker attacked the rights of workers, but those of minorities, women, children and voters.  He has attacked the poor by raising their taxes and cutting their life saving benefits.  He is in the middle of his second corruption investigation, which recently revealed that he was indeed illegally collaborating with dark money groups to buy his way through the recalls.

Is it any wonder that Walker and his allies are flailing around for an bogeyman that they can use to take the heat off of his own failures?

Schneider said that Walker needs a foil to win in November.  I would agree in the sense that Walker cannot win standing on his own record.  The question is there a foil big enough to distract from all of Walker's foibles?

Milwaukee: The Great Divide

Last year, it was reported that Milwaukee was the most racially segregated urban area in the nation.

Unsurprisingly, Milwaukee is also the most politically polarized:
The area’s been politically divided for years, with urban Milwaukee County voters favoring Democrats, while suburban Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties primarily support Republican candidates. But the red-and-blue divide has grown starker in recent elections. According to Journal Sentinel analysis, only one in eight metro Milwaukee voters lived in a neighborhood decided by single digits in the 2012 presidential contest. Meanwhile, nearly six in 10 lived in a neighborhood decided by 30 points or more. Unlike in many other large metros, where voting patterns are a purple patchwork of neighborhoods and tracts, Milwaukee comprises huge monolithic blocs of deep blue (the central city) or deep red (everywhere else).

Most of this has to do with race. Milwaukee has long been one of the most racially divided cities in the nation. The present political polarization, says Milwaukee native and Boston University professor of political science Katherine Levine Einstein, “is almost entirely driven by racial segregation.” Like many other cities, many of Milwaukee’s white residents decamped to the suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s. But, as the Journal Sentinel points out, Milwaukee “hasn’t experienced a far more recent trend -- the movement of blacks and Latinos into the suburbs -- that’s changing the metropolitan landscape and making the suburbs of some large metros, such as Chicago and Detroit, more Democratic.” The racial divide is reflected in a host of other measures in Milwaukee, from education to poverty to marriage rates.
It is undeniable that racism is rampant in Milwaukee. The examples of it are endless. There is the white flight that the article mentions (and which continues today). Squawk radio is a constant source of race baiting.  It can even be seen in the parks system, with the parks in predominately white suburbs receiving more attention than those in the inner city.  And Ferguson isn't the only town in the nation where people could be killed by the police for being black.

While racism is indeed prevalent, it is hardly the only reason for the great divide in the greater Milwaukee area. Just as great of a reason is the class war that has been going on for decades and is escalating.

With the passing of Act 10, Scott Walker took $3 billion out of the state's economy.  In Milwaukee, making workers pay 12.5% of their health care premiums wasn't enough for Chris "Boss" Abele, who jacked it up all the way to 29% or Milwaukee County employees.  Fellow corporate Democrat Tom Barrett is about to do the same to city workers.

Likewise, Abele has ferociously fought against a living wage being introduced in Milwaukee County.  Before that, Barrett joined forces with MMAC to have the paid sick leave law - which was overwhelmingly voted for by the people - overturned.  Even now, both men are bragging about how they are moving freeway ramps and building skyscrapers for the elite while they are leaving the roads unrepaired and have a problem due to the number of foreclosed homes that people can't afford any more.

Fortunately, there are still heroes that are fighting for the people - whether they are black or white, rich or poor.  People like David Bowen, Randy Bryce, John Weishan and Kelly Westlund.

We can help them help us in a number of ways.  We can support them in their campaigns to get elected, we can get organized and we can vote in November.

Diet Racism

From the folks at Upworthy:


Saturday, August 30, 2014

Laborfest - Milwaukee


Here are the details for Milwaukee's Laborfest:

What: Laborfest in Milwaukee
Who: Milwaukee's Working People and Families
When: Monday, September 1, 2014
Where: 11 a.m. -- Parade Downtown
Noon -- Summerfest Grounds (free admission)

Join the fun at Laborfest, beginning with the downtown parade and celebrations at the Summerfest grounds to follow. Admission is free!

Entertainment includes live music, children's activities, a union industry display and much more.

Also, enter the Laborfest raffle to win a 2014 Harley Davidson - Iron 883 motorcycle as well as other cash prizes.

I also hear that some guy named Barack Obama might be stopping by to say a few words.

Labor Day Events Around The State

From the AFL-CIO, here is a list of Labor Day events around the state:

Eau Claire: 10:30 a.m. Solidarity Walk. 11:00 a.m. Rally.  Noon – 3:00 p.m. Picnic and Prizes at Phoenix Park, 330 Riverfront Terrace, Eau Claire, WI, 54703.

Fond du Lac:  Labor Day Parade and Picnic at Lakeside Park on Oven Island.  Parade begins at 11:00 a.m.  Route follows Rees and Main Streets to Lakeside Park.  Picnic runs 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Fox Valley/ Neenah-Menasha:  10:00 a.m. parade, Milwaukee St., Menasha. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. celebration at Neenah Labor Temple, 157 S. Green Bay Rd, Neenah.  Parade route starts on Milwaukee Street continues to Main Street down Tayco St. to Neenah Commercial Street and turns on Wisconsin Ave, ends at intersection of Church and Main Street.

Green Bay:  Labor Day Family Picnic 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Bay Beach Shelter #2.

Janesville:  Sunday, August 31, from 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.  Laborfest at 1795 Lafayette St.  Music, rides, bike show, craft show, mud volley ball, car display, parade and more! http://www.laborfest.org/

Kenosha:  Laborfest at 91st St. & 22nd Ave from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..  The annual Kenosha Laborfest features booths from all labor organizations in the Kenosha area.  Raffle prizes, beer tent and activities for the whole family. Rain or Shine!

La Crosse:  LaborFest Parade at 10:00 a.m. at Gillette Street and Kane Street. Celebration to follow at Copeland Park, 1130 Copeland Park Drive, La Crosse, WI 54603.

Madison:  Annual Laborfest celebration at South Central Federation of Labor, 1602 S. Park St, Madison, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Marinette/Menominee:  Noon to 5:00 p.m. picnic at Marinette City Park. Free entertainment provided by Mike Letts and the Marquettes with Travis Swanson accompanying on guitar. All profits from the event go to Tri-City Area United Way. A bouncy house will be provided for the kids. Other activities are in the planning stages.

Milwaukee:  Laborfest Parade and Picnic at Summerfest Grounds. 11:00 a.m. parade kicks off from Zeidler Union Square Park.

Oshkosh:  Labor Day Picnic and Car Show at South Park in Oshkosh.  Event runs 11:00 am. to 5:00 p.m.

Racine: Laborfest, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Franksville Park, 9700 Northwestern Ave.
Wausau:  Labor Day Parade, 4:00 p.m. Parade starts at the corner of W. Wausau Ave and 3rd Ave, continues down 3rd Ave and ends at the Wausau Labor Temple, 318 s 3rd Ave.  Line up along W. Wausau Ave starts at 3:00 p.m. parade starts at 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Crazy, But Thats How It Goes;




By Jeff Simpson







 Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe. it's not too late
To learn how to love, and forget how to hate  







  MacIver has had a chance to go through the emails that Wisconsinites sent to Senator John Erpenbach in support of his fight against ACT10.   Now they plan on using that information to attack and harass anyone who had the gall to contact their elected representative in our representative democracy.   

Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train

No one cares about crazy people!


 I've listened to preachers,
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules
One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role

You can not make this stuff up!

Gov. Scott Walker offered his suggestion nearly two years ago for reducing the impact of campaign money on politics.
“One of the biggest things is transparency,” Walker told the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism in December 2012. “The more transparency involved, the more people could hold folks accountable, for whether it’s $5 or $500, or whatever the amount may be.”  

 Mental wounds still screaming
Driving me insane
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train

You really can not make this stuff up:


Revisiting a piece from April, this is the next congressman from Wisconsin.
Grothman has made a name for himself championing conservative causes. He sponsored legislation that repealed the state’s Equal Pay Enforcement Act, fought for a seven-day work week, proposed a bill that would have considered single parenthood “a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect” and argued that public employees should have to work on MLK Day
Last year, he said Kwanzaa is a fake holiday that “almost no black people today care about

 I know that things are going wrong for me
You gotta listen to my words, yeah, yeah


Governors should be defined not just by what they do and say, but who they surround themselves with, making sure to have the smartest person for a particular task or to head a specific agency. They should be judged on that basis and who they take advice from.”  Scott Walker


Heirs of a cold war,
that's what we've become
Inheriting troubles,
I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just cannot bear
I'm living with something that just isn't fair

 A controversial bill that would allow high-income parents to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars a year in child support was written with the help of a wealthy donor to the bill’s author, Rep. Joel Kleefisch.


 
Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train


But the first-term Republican governor has not always been so pro-mining.
In fact, he helped block a proposal to construct another major mine in northern Wisconsin years ago.
In 1998 — as a member of the Assembly — Walker voted in favor of a mining moratorium that put the brakes on a proposed copper and zinc mine near Crandon. The measure passed in the Assembly on a 91-6 vote and was signed into law by Gov. Tommy Thompson.
The mine was never built.


I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train



Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The Inner Circle

Facebook post of the day


Your tax dollars in action.




Walker's Bad Gamble

For seemingly forever, the Menominee tribe has been trying to clear the way to build a casino in Kenosha.  After years of pushing for it, the federal government gave its blessing for the casino last year.

Before the casino could be built, it needed to be approved by Scott Walker.

Walker promised that he would make a decision quickly, but repeatedly pushed back his self-imposed deadlines as he tried to milk campaign donations from both the pro-casino and anti-casino factions and tried to figure which way would be the most politically advantageous for him.

Unsurprisingly, one of the opponents to the new casino, the Potawatomi tribe, got tired of Walker's shakedowns and decided to flex their own muscle by withholding a payment of $25 million to the state.  Needless to say, this is already causing havoc with Walker's already out of whack budget:
As tensions rise over a proposed Indian casino in Kenosha that would compete with the Forest County Potawatomi tribe's Milwaukee gaming operation, the Potawatomi are refusing to pay their casino fee of at least $25 million to the state.

In a letter to lawmakers Tuesday, Gov. Scott Walker said that the payment was due June 30 and that its absence is having an impact on the state's two-year budget, which has only limited reserves.
Faced with a budget crisis of his own making by putting bad politics before good policy, Walker did what comes naturally to him - blame someone else.

This time, he falls back to his old foil, Governor Jim Doyle:
Compact agreements negotiated by Gov. Jim Doyle's administration include clauses to reimburse some tribes for losses resulting from a new tribal competitor, payments that could equal tens of millions of dollars to the Potawatomi and the Ho-Chunk tribes. Those two tribes combined contributed $700,000 in soft money to the Democratic National Committee days before Doyle was elected in 2002.

"At least one of the tribal governments (the Potawatomi) appears to believe that they could recover about $100 million from the state — plus millions more through the process spelled out in the compacts and through the withholding of compact payments. This has already had a negative impact on the current budget and could very well create a program for future budgets worth hundreds of millions of dollars," Walker wrote to lawmakers.
In summary, Walker tries to play the two sides of the proposed casino against each other in order to maximize the odds of political gain for himself. But he pushed his luck too far and made a bad bet on how things would work out. And because of Walker's gambling problem, the taxpayers could be on the hook for tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of dollars.

I'm not a gambling man, but I do know a joker when I see one.  We need to get rid of Walker before we come up going broke.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Scott Walker: Out Of Work? It's Your Fault, You Lazy Bum!

Scott Walker has come out with a couple of commercials in the past few weeks. Walker has made a sudden and severe shift in his campaign strategy with these ads.  Instead of the long string of ads attacking Burke for not fixing the Bush/Cheney deficit and attacking former Governor Jim Doyle (who isn't even running), Walker has decided to fall back on his old faithful strategy of lying his butt off about his own record.

First, he ran a commercial about six white people that supposedly got jobs thanks to Walker.  Now he is running another commercial about how much "success" he's had in meeting his original campaign goals, even though he hasn't met any of the ones he is bragging about.

Now, I could go into how he said that the 250,000 jobs was just the minimum of the jobs he was going to create:



Or I could talk about how over a third of the jobs Walker is boasting about actually came in the first six months of his term, when Doyle's policies and budget were still in effect. Or I could point out that Walker's track record is worse than if he had done nothing at all.

But there is something about Walker's last two ads that I find exceptionally disturbing.

In both ads, he has a tag line of "We won't stop until everyone who wants a job can find a job."

Notice how he won't say it will be a good paying job?

The real disturbing part about this is the blaming the victim mentality of that line, which is all to common among conservatives.  He is saying that if there are people who are unemployed, it's because they don't want a job.  It reminds me of when conservatives used to say that there are so many homeless people because they choose to live on the streets.

Sadly, this is also just another version of the conservative race-baiting claim that people - usually referring to African Americans - are too lazy to get a job or that they don't need a job because they are living so well on that $40 a month in food stamps.  I can already hear race-baiters like Charlie Sykes and Brian Sikma making the claim that the people who are unemployed are only unemployed because "those people" don't want to find work.

The only thing that people need to listen to when Walker starts talking about jobs his is campaign pledge to create 250,000 jobs by the end of his first term - and to hold him accountable when he fails to meet that.  And the only way to hold him accountable is to get out and vote him out of office in November.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Fitzwalkerstan - The Cartoon Strip

OK, actually it's "Pearsl Before Swine," but it's still so damn timely and true!

Click on image to embiggen

Cowardice or Arrogance?

Who Knew Legitimacy Was So Costly?


 

By Jeff Simpson

“Everything we’ve done is completely legitimate,” Walker told reporters Saturday in Madison.

Yet, Mr. Walker has spent well over $1,000,000 on lawyers, which is alot of money when you have done nothing wrong.   Mr. Walker also has a hard time distinguishing between illegal and unethical.    
To put things in perspective, he spent more than ONE MILLION DOLLARS on lawyers when he did everything right and sent ALS $10 to help find a cure(sans stem cells).  I wonder why he did not "nominate" Eric O'Keefe

Life is about priorities!  

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Delicious

By Jeff Simpson

We take time to from reading the Walker docs, to check in on Scott Walker's brother in arms (well not arms anymore) Indicted Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry


One of Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry’s charges comes with a possible prison sentence of 99 years behind bars, but that might not be his biggest hardship. According to Texas and federal law, NRA dreamboat Perry has probably lost the right to buy guns or have a concealed carry permit during the period of his indictment. Should he get convicted, he’ll lose his right to own guns altogether for at least five years after he gets out of prison. The Perry family asks for your prayers during this troubling time.

According to an article published in the Austin American-Statesman, federal law prohibits a person under indictment from carrying a concealed weapon or from acquiring new weaponry (whether by purchase or as a gift) if their charges call for more than a year in prison – a margin Perry’s charges beat by roughly 98 years.



perry-hannity-on-border

By the way, Sean and Rick:



Just Sayin --- The Sequel!


By Jeff Simpson

H/T Bob Cesca -  

Recently we brought you Just Sayin!, now we bring you Just Sayin! - The Sequel!

EVENT, October 22, 1983 — The administration began planning its military incursion into Grenada.
REAGAN OPTICS, October 22, 1983 — Reagan remained on vacation at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Repeat: golf resort. Here are three strikingly presidential photos from Augusta — the golf resort! First, Reagan in his jammies being briefed on the Grenada plans, then, later hitting the links. Where were the Republicans of 2014 to scold him?

http://banter.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/reagan_pajamas1.jpg   
http://banter.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/reagan_pajamas2.jpg   
 
President Reagan was still on vacation at the GOLF! resort the next day when the Marine barracks in Beirut were bombed, killing 241 Marines.
 
 C17837-10   

Austerity And The Mental Health System Equals Expensive

Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele is so set on closing the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Complex - even though there's not enough community beds to support the people that need help - that he had his bought and paid for state representative Joe Sanfelippo push through a law to make sure that these vulnerable citizens were thrown to the corporate wolves.

Likewise, Scott Walker is implementing austerity measures and has already started putting limits on one of the state's mental health hospitals, forcing Dane County law enforcement officers to transport people two and  a half hours away.

Walker and Abele try to spin their austerity as being cost-saving measures that will allow more freedom and independence to these vulnerable citizens.  Abele also likes to pretend that these are best practices for those involved.

I would strongly suggest that these two reprobates pay attention to the State of Washington, where austerity and the mental health system is costing taxpayers $30 million and counting:
Gov. Jay Inslee has approved spending as much as $30 million to start meeting a state Supreme Court order to add more psychiatric evaluation and treatment beds around the state, officials said Friday.

In addition, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a motion Friday asking the high court to delay the effect of its decision by 120 days so the state can implement a plan to ensure alternative care is available.

On Aug. 7, the Supreme Court ruled that the practice known as "psychiatric boarding," or holding mentally ill patients in emergency rooms, was unlawful. The state estimates the ruling applies to about 200 people.

[...]

The justices ruled that mentally ill patients who are involuntarily committed cannot be "warehoused" in emergency rooms or acute care centers as a way to avoid overcrowding certified mental health facilities. Patients have a right to adequate care and individualized treatment, and state law required that they be detained in certified evaluation and treatment facilities, the court said.

The state's involuntary-treatment law passed in 1973 allows people to be committed to a mental hospital or institution against their will for a limited period of time. The purpose is to evaluate and treat people with a mental disorder who may be gravely disabled or pose a danger to themselves.

The state has been using "single-bed certifications" as a way to temporarily hold involuntarily committed people in hospitals that aren't certified to evaluate or treat their mental illness.

[...]

The department's mental health program will have to seek a supplemental appropriation in the 2015 budget to avoid other mental-health reductions in this fiscal year, the agency said.
It should be noted that the $30 million is just to act as a stopgap to fix what they broke. It does not include the cost of any crimes that were committed, the police and court costs or the cost of any litigation that might develop from this violation of civil rights.

And to think that Walker and Abele like to paint themselves as fiscal conservatives.  The sad part is that the will probably get away with their malfeasance.

Walker has already proven that "no one cares about crazy people."

The Romney/Ryan Bromance Still Lives

It's always nice to see a cute couple stay together.  It's even better when it is the bromance between Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan:
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan said Thursday he would love to see Mitt Romney run again for president and teased the GOP's former nominee at one point that the "third time's the charm."

Appearing with Ryan at a public event for the first time since their ticket lost two years ago, Romney offered his own good-humored praise by saying that Ryan "wouldn't be a bad president" himself.
Well, isn't that just special? It brings back all the warm, fuzzy memories of them dissing the 47%.

In order to give Ryan all the time he needs to evaluate a run for president, we should give him the time off he needs to thoroughly study the matter.

To do that, please help support - and vote for - Rob Zerban!






Friday, August 22, 2014

Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Goat

Caption This!


Paul Ryan Cares


 

By Jeff Simpson

Paul Ryan has opened up a dialogue on poverty in America.   

He even gave a speech about it:


I look forward to hearing from everybody. But let’s start with a principle we can all agree on: Hardworking taxpayers deserve a break in this country. Too many families are working harder and harder to get ahead, and yet they’re falling further and further behind. The costs of food, housing, and gas keep going up, but paychecks haven’t budged. So whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, I think we can all agree: America deserves better.

Paul Ryan is so interested in tackling the issue of poverty, and "hearing from everybody" that for the small price of $10,000 you can have that discussion with him.  



Lunch and Conversation with Congressman Ryan
12pm until 1:30pm | Check-in begins at 11:30am.

Intercontinental Hotel Milwaukee | 139 East Kilbourn Avenue | Milwaukee

Questions? Please email us at info@maciverinstitute.com or call 608-237-7290.

HURRY! Seating is limited. Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, August 13th. 

Photo ID will be required for entry.



Your donation to The MacIver Institute at the following levels is TAX DEDUCTIBLE and will reserve your seat:

❏ $10,000 Event Sponsorship includes Table for Eight, special recognition throughout the event, picture with Congressman Ryan, preferential seating, 8 autographed books and lunch admissions.


Word to the wise--- agree with him, or else!


 

Paul Ryan Is All Wet!

By Jeff Simpson

If you have not been living under a rock, you have seen someone do the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge"


ALS/ Lou Gehrig's disease is a horrible disease for which there is currently no cure.   This challenge has brought in millions of dollars in funding for research and has really shown the power of the new era of social media.  Last number I have heard is that the "Ice Bucket Challenge" has helped ALS research raise over $31,000,000. 

It also shows us how truly despicable and hypocritical our politicians can be.  Especially Wisconsin's very own Paul Ryan(R-Wall St.).  Paul Ryan, after being "challenged by Scott Walker, recently took the challenge and donated a whopping $100 to ALS



 Paul Ryan even had the gall to "challenge his good  friend who lost her father to ALS".   Unfortunately for Ms. Sellman and the countless others affected by ALS, Paul Ryan did not accept the challenge when it came to doing the right thing with Federal funding.

  Some of the very lawmakers who have taken the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and money for ALS research voted for legislation that defunded ALS research.

The funding cuts, in this case, were caused by the passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011 -- otherwise known as the bill to save the United States government from default. As a condition of getting congressional Republicans to sign off on the debt ceiling hike, the Obama White House and Congressional Democrats agreed to budget cuts and future budget cuts that would be delivered via sequestration, an across-the-board cleaver that cut certain agencies' budgets by roughly 5 percent.

The National Institutes of Health was one of those agencies. It was forced to slash an estimated $1.55 billion from its programs. Among those was the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In Fiscal Year 2013, the NINDS budget was $1.53 billion, a $92 million decrease from FY 2012. For ALS-specific research, funding went from $44 million to $39 million.

At least now that pink slip Paulie has personally donated $100, he can sleep at night.  Although I am not sure how he can ever look his "good friend" in the eye.    

Paul Ryan's Shutdown Stupor

By Jeff Simpson

More revisionist history from Paul Ryan (R-I really didnt vote for everything I say I voted against).




VOTE FOR ROB ZERBAN!

$206,000,000

BY Jeff Simpson

$206,000,000 is the amount of money that Scott Walker cost the taxpayers of Wisconsin,when he rejected the Medicaid expansion allowed under the Affordable Care Act!


Wisconsin could have saved $206 million in 2013-2015 if the state had accepted the Medicaid expansion allowed under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
The potential savings is up significantly from the fiscal bureau’s estimate last year of $119 million, largely because more childless adults with incomes below the poverty level have signed up for coverage than expected.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature rejected federal funding to fully cover people with incomes up to 133 percent of the poverty level, or $26,321 for a family of three, through 2016.
The federal government says it would later cover at least 90 percent of the costs, up from its usual share of 60 percent for the state-federal Medicaid program.

Tammy Baldwin is not happy about it!

 "As you are aware, for over a year I have communicated my belief that you have taken our state down a fiscally irresponsible road by pursuing a plan that has not only created a gap in coverage and newly uninsured Wisconsinites, but also covers fewer people at a higher cost to taxpayers," Baldwin wrote in a letter to Walker on Wednesday.
"Wisconsin is paying a steep price for your insistence on putting politics ahead of progress," Baldwin wrote.
Walker's plan was for the 63,000 adults terminated from the state Medicaid program, BadgerCare, to obtain health coverage on the federal health care exchange. But about 38,000 are unaccounted for and may remain uninsured.
"I respectfully request that you take full responsibility for the consequences of your plan and determine how many of the 38,000 individuals remain uninsured, and immediately develop an action plan to guarantee that uninsured, former BadgerCare recipients enroll in marketplace coverage moving forward," Baldwin wrote.

Naturally, Scott Walker lied!


Explaining his rejection of federal money to fully expand Medicaid coverage, Walker said on Fox News Sunday that "federal government reneging" on Medicaid payments to Wisconsin caused more than $200 million in extra costs in the 2013-’15 state budget.
But typical cost-sharing fluctuations, based mainly on a longstanding formula, explain the extra state burden -- not any reversal of course or pulling back on a commitment by Washington.
We rate Walker’s claim False.





False


Scott Walker's blind ambition to be President is very costly to the people of WI!  

 


 

Why The Abele Party Failed

In last week's primary election, all four of the candidates that Boss Abele had supported - including the two he hand-picked to represent the Abele Party (Motto: For a more perfect plutocracy) -   ended up losing.  In the most egregious loss, in which Chris Moews lost to David Clarke, I had attributed the outcome to Abele getting the right wing fired up enough to come out in droves to cross vote.


It appears that was only part of the reason.  Another huge issue that affected all of the races was Abele himself, per the Shepherd Express:
An informal exit poll in both districts found that Abele’s strong and visible support was one of the main reasons why many voters rejected each of these candidates. Had these individuals run without Abele’s support and all of his resources, we are not saying that they would have won, because no one can know what would have happened. But according to the sample exit polling, these candidates would definitely have done much better. These two individuals are good people, but they just violated one of the tenets that most mothers tell their children: Be careful who you associate with because there are some people out there who will definitely end up getting you in trouble. 
What makes this really bad news for Abele is that he is up for reelection in a year and a half.  If people are already rejecting him through his candidates, it does not bode well for him.

Sadly, judging by his upcoming 2015 county budget, he hasn't learned the lesson yet and is continuing with his very unpopular agenda of ripping off taxpayers and county workers alike.

How MacIver Institute Came To Be

Sums it up pretty well, I'd say:


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Chicken!

By Jeff Simpson

Remember when everyone in politics, could not get to a microphone/computer/camera quick enough to call Brett Hulsey crazy when he said he was going to send someone with a chicken suit to follow Mary Burke because she ducked debates with him? 

Republicans would never do that


Scott Walker Sucked Some $3 Billion From Wisconsin's Economy

By Jeff Simpson

Politifact looked into the claim and rated it mostly true.   In an economy that runs on supply and demand, Scott Walker's policies have taken some $3,000,000,000 out of the Wisconsin economy!

Wisconsin has paid, and paid, and paid, and paid the price! 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Paul Ryan Re-Writes Current Events

By Jeff Simpson

Paul Ryan wrote a book, surprisingly not called Unintimidated The Sequel, where he also rewrites current events.  


Q.Does immigration reform have to pass before Republicans can improve their standing with Latino voters?
A. I think it is in some ways a gateway issue, and I think Latino voters need to know Republicans have solutions. I wouldn't say it has to pass, but I think we have to be seen as part of the solution.

Umm Paul, are you ignoring reality or ignorant of it



Of course, the reality on the ground is republican policy and ideology can be deadly.  

At least some people see through Pink Slip Paulie's charade

But such bald revisionism (or honest confusion, take your pick) is just a warmup for Ryan’s broader, fevered critique. Ryan asserts that Obama’s policies “represent an ideological mission to reorder the human condition through state action,” part of a liberal scheme in which “government defines success, strictly prescribes roles and outcomes, [and] tries to replace our civic institutions.” The telling thing is that such rants, repeated like a tic throughout the book, never get specific. How could they, when Ryan would then have to explain how a modestly higher minimum wage or voluntarily adopted state math standards amount to some evil communist plot?

As I read I couldn’t help wondering: Does anyone outside the echo chamber of the right believe this nonsense? Someone, please, pry the drooled-upon pages of Ayn Rand from author Ryan’s sleeping grasp.