Republican Thugs - Fox News

Yesterday we brought you the story of how AFP - Michigan lied about the union members bringing down their curiously placed tent outside the Michigan Capitol.

Today we have more lies from the right, brought to us courtesy of the wonders of videotape.Someday they will understand that with the wonders of videotape, we can point out their perpetual lies....

This from yesterday's Sean Hannity show, "bright conservative mind Steven Crowder"...

Now lets take a break from the heavy editing of Fox news and bring you what happened in the real world!










Yes that is the bright young hands of Fox News superstar Steven Crowder shoving that man to the ground first who then gets up and pummels Crowder. He and Hannity "forgot" to include that part in their video.
Turns out we see who the real thugs are - the right hit squad who will do anything they can to change the debate from the issues to what they pretend is happening on the left!

Paul Ryan Runs From Santa!

Rep. Paul Ryan(R-Wall St.) ran into Santa two weeks before Christmas. Paul knows he has been naughty so once he saw Santa, he dashed away faster than any reindeer! I wonder who was waiting for him in his office and what brand of wine they had?

The Ultimate Solidarity Fish Fry - Help Two Unions At The Same Time

Milwaukee is an union town and Wisconsin is still a union state.  We have a long, proud tradition dating back to the Bay View Massacre, of fiercely defending our workers rights.

In that spirit, as the gentle eater knows, we've been supporting Local 122, the union members working at Serb Hall for ten weeks now.

Management at Serb Hall is doing every dirty deed that they can think of in an effort to bust the union there.

In response, we've been going there every Friday and enjoying a fish fry, but making sure that we have a union server, and then leaving a big tip.

But sadly, the members  of Local 122 aren't the only ones who are having their rights as workers threatened, if not outright denied to them.

The workers at Palermo's Pizza has been trying to unionize for a long time.  They went on strike six months ago because they were working in unsafe conditions and because management there was actively interfering with their right to unionize.  Management has gone so far as to the point of illegally firing workers who supported the strike and the unionization effort.

I am proud to announce that the gentle reader has the chance to help both groups at the same time by supporting the ultimate Solidarity Fish Fry, which is to be held on Friday, December 21.

We want to treat the Palermo workers to a fish fry.

By donating to the Palermo Workers Union Fund, you can help send a Palermo worker to Serb Hall for a fish fry.  This way you can give a Palermo worker a good meal and still support the Serb Hall workers with the same money.

That's what make it the Ultimate Solidarity Fish Fry.  You can help two unions at the same time as they support each other and we support both of them.

After the fish fry, any left over proceeds will be used to help the Palermo workers through their general fund.

Because the Ultimate Solidarity Fish Fry is in just a week, please donate today and donate generously.

And as a note to my fellow bloggers and media types, or anyone who is interested in hearing the truth, there will be a translator on hand.  The Palermo workers have said that they are more than willing to talk about their situation and of their support for the Serb Hall workers.

Don't forget to give today to support our brothers and sisters.

And if you happen to go to Serb Hall, tell  them Cog Dis sent ya!

Solidarity Fish Fry, Week 10: We're Going To Do It Again

Just a friendly reminder that this is week #10 for the Solidarity Fish Fry.  And yes, we're going to do it again. And again and again and again.

Please show your support for the union workers at Serb Hall, who are under attack by management there in an effort to break the union.

 Just show up at Serb Hall anytime between 11:30 am and 9 pm and enjoy a fish fry.  Just make sure that you request a union server and leave a big tip.

And stay tuned on Friday for (what I hope is) a big announcement!

The Walker Agenda Is Still Working! Part CLXII

"Open for Business."

Remember when Scott Walker and Becky Kleefisch had their photo op standing by the state sign with that addition added to the bottom saying "Open for Business?"  Or how Walker wouldn't give a speech unless their was a placard with that slogan plastered on it?

Yeah, neither do the businesses Walker and Kleefisch promised would be coming to the state with all those jobs.

Forbes has ranked the states for business.  Wisconsin has come in at #42*, two spots down from last year and a lot lower than the Doyle years.

The (lack of) money quote is this:

The results have been middling at best as job growth is projected to be second worst in the U.S. through 2016.

Obviously, it's not working.

Even more telling, per the Wisconsin State Journal is how Forbes made their ratings:

Forbes said the rankings are based on data from 10 sources and focus on "six vital factors" for businesses: costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life.

Well, we already know that because Walker took a lot of our money out of circulation, that has stagnated our economy.  We also know that the quality of life has gone downhill at an accelerating rate due to his abdication of duties.  Our schools are worse, public safety is being jeopardized, mass transit is all but dead. and our infrastructure is falling apart.


And for all of this failure, we get to pay higher taxes!

In other words, Walker's agenda has never worked, isn't working now and will never work.

Wisconsin isn't open for business.  It's not even slightly ajar for business.

But do not fear, Walker and his corporate masters had a plan for such an emergency and will be putting up new signs which are all too true:

The Walker Agenda Is Still Working! Part CLXI

We got our property tax statement today.

Surprise, surprise, it went up again, despite Scott Walker's claims that his agenda is working and he did it all without raising taxes.

Of course, I, along with all of you, knew his agenda was a failure from the get go.  No matter how much Walker and the Teapublicans might wish it so, there is no pixie dust that does the things we take for granted.  Pixies don't plow the roads, teach our children, maintain our buildings - including schools or maintain public safety.

Here's how it went since Walker took office:

Taxing Jurisdiction	2011 - % tax change	2012 - %tax change
State	4.4%	-0.6%
County	9%	1.5%
Town	1.1%	2.8%
School District	-0.9%	4.5%
Tech School	5.1%	9.2%
Net property tax	4.5%	3.5%

The "savings" from the state's part of the tax amounted to a whopping six cents.

Overall, from the time Walker took office, our taxes went up 8.1%.

Our taxes probably would have gone higher, but our property value dropped by several hundred dollars.

Of course, I should also mention that thanks to Walker and his cohort in austerity, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, my pay dropped by 10%, which does not include the additional gouging to come in 2013.*

And what do we get for our paying more money?

Less jobs, worse schools, an infrastructure that is crumbling, a stagnant economy, less rights, a corrupt government and a governor with a legal defense fund.

Tell me again how it's working.  I keep forgetting.

*Has anyone else noticed that Walker's and Abele's claims of surplus tends to be almost exactly the same amount that they took from the workers?  That means not only were the cuts unnecessary, but they have put their respective jurisdictions in economic harm's way for nothing but a political sound bite.

Bro Rules

Courtesy of Sarah Silverman:

Be Bro-Choice: A Public Service Announcement from Sarah Silverman from Sarah Silverman

AFP Cries "WOLF" (again)!

We know that Americans for Prosperity likes to celebrate, when the majority of American people are feeling pain.    They also(like all of our friends on the right) love to play the victim.  

We all know the mess that's happening in Michigan at the moment as a lame duck legislature has to ram through right-to-work(for less) legislation quickly before the new Legislature comes in and they no longer have the votes to pass it..  

Well AFP has on their website how upset they would be if Congress tried to pass something major in their lame duck session. 

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) has released an entertaining computer game called Lame Duck Hunt based on the old-school Nintendo ‘Duck Hunt’ game to inform the public about the bad economic policies retiring and defeated members of Congress could push through in December, the final month of the 112th Congress.

Yet a bunch of right wing extremist republicans, who were voted out already, have decided to use the lame duck Michigan legislature to ram through Right to Work for less legislation IN an hour and half discussion.    Of course if this was a bill that actually helped the people of MI, AFP would be besides themselves upset, instead they celebrate.    This bill brought such incredibly anti democratic thug tactics to the  Michigan Capitol as

 This is how republicans ram through bills in America these days(h/t Randy Bryce for the pic). 

To be fair, its not like the Michigan republican party knew what they were passing as they certainly did not write the bill.   If they were not smart enough to write the bill themselves, I doubt they were smart enough to actually read and comprehend it. 

All of this politics going on that would make Fidel Castro and Joseph Stalin proud also appeals to Americans for Prosperity so much they set up tents to party!   The problem is they did not use Union Labor to put them up correctly. 

Luckily, most people who are paying attention, know that when the republicans cry wolf, there is usually not a wolf in sight!  Thanks to Capper for this catch!

When you have an organization run by someone as vile as Tim Phillips, what would you expect I guess.  Americans for Prosperity/Freedomworks has become so extreme it has even chased far right ex horrible congressman Dick Armey away! 








Unfortunately in Wisconsin we are used to these tactics, as they will use their own kids as pawns to score political points.  We also know that the republican minority,  has "right-to-work" (for less) legislation ready to go here.   

Now we will see if the Wisconsin republican minority in the legislature wants to "out right wing", or if they will slow their take down the Wisconsin middle class agenda.  

Capper has much more detail here!

Quote of the Half Century

...where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost.

Ronald Reagan, September 1, 1980

Walkergate: Do Tell

Ah yes, the tell.

When people are lying or trying to conceal something, there is a thing call "the tell," which is a change in behavior which is a dead giveaway that they are indeed lying or trying to hide something.

Two recent reports regarding Walkergate reveal the tell of some of the participants.

One person is Keith Gilkes, Scott Walker's former campaign manager and former Chief of Staff. Gilkes, as the gentle reader might recall, claimed that he was cooperating with the DA's Office's investigation into Walkergate.

One of Gilkes' defenses is that he claimed that his contact with Walker's county staff was routine and simple logistics as far scheduling events and whatnot, which we know to be a complete fabrication.

Lisa Kaiser, reporting for the Shepherd Express, reveals a tell by Gilkes, further implicating himself and increasing the likelihood that his name will be as well known as Tim Russell's or Kelly Rindfleisch's:

Landgraf’s emails also showed that Gilkes, working for the campaign, edited an op-ed column allegedly authored by Geri Lyday, who took over the county’s health and human services department after serious safety issues were found at the mental health complex in 2010.

“Call me with questions” about the edits, he emailed Rindfleisch on Aug. 26, 2010.

It appears that the Gilkes-vetted op-ed was published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug. 28, 2010.

Last week, however, when confronted by the Shepherd, Gilkes said, “We [the campaign] weren’t involved with any official county duties.”

The Shepherd then asked him about the emails released by Landgraf in court.

“You’ve seen pieces of elements of emails,” Gilkes said, then explained that he couldn’t discuss the contents because of the secret nature of the John Doe investigation.

Notice how he clammed up, just like he did when he was asked about a secret router in the Capitol Building?

But as easy as it was to spot Gilkes' tell, Scott Walker's tell is even easier to pick up in this video found by Jud Lounsbury. See if you can spot the tell:



Did you spot the tell?

Walker's voice was cracking more than a teenage boy going through puberty.

Another tell is the way that Walker has changed his tune, starting to throw his former aides, advisors and best friends under the bus.  That's a lot different than this:

"Anything that happens in the county, the buck stops with me."

Do tell.  As in, do tell it to the John Doe judge.

Michigan: Malfeasance, Malarkey and Motivation

By now, I'm sure the gentle reader has heard the tragic news that Michigan is no longer a free state. Through an act of great malfeasance, the lame duck state legislature passed the Right to Woe law. Within hours, the feckless Governor Rick Snyder signed this odorous piece of legislation into law.

It's not a law that the people wanted. This is evident by the fact that many of the reprobates who did this vile deed had lost their election in November after the voters rejected their malevolence. It is also evidenced by the fact that Michigan's Right to Woe law is written verbatim from ALEC's playbook.

But the madness didn't end there.

Shortly after the legislature did their nefarious deed, this video appeared and went viral among the RWNJ community:



Holy mayhem!

Of course, the likely suspects, aka the paid propagandists like Charlie Sykes and James Wigderson ran with it. I really got a chuckle from Wigderson's bluster about the video:

I’m looking forward to reading on leftwing blogs a) it never happened, b) Americans for Prosperity deserved it, and c) the Koch brothers faked the whole thing to make unions look bad.

But as one might expect, there is a problem with this scenario. A couple of problems really.

As the blogger emptywheel adroitly points out:

All this, in spite of the fact that witnesses say the Americans for Prosperity people were trying to provoke union members to violence, and witnesses reportedly saw AFP people loosening the ropes on the tents so they would come down. And in spite of the fact the place was crawling with cops (shipped in from around the state) who didn’t do see anything amiss. (Cops are as we speak arresting people engaging in civil disobedience at the Romney Building, where the Governor’s office is.)

And we know all too well that the state police has not been hesitant to abuse their authority and use force even when it's not needed. If there was something criminal happening, does anyone thing that the police would idly stand by?

They also have another problem - eye witnesses:



At the same time this is going on, some putz from Faux News was going around trying to agitate union protesters. He finally got someone to go after him. Funny thing is, even with all the police around, he never reported it and they never responded to it.

It's pretty safe to say we can chalk this one up in the same category as Sean Kedzie and Kyle Wood - playing the false victim. I can't wait for Christian Schneider to tell us he interviewed and verified everything before taking his post down and trying to bury it.

And as for the faux Faux News story, well, I'm also waiting to see if they show Lansing's palm trees:



The ALEC zombies think that they have it all sewed up in Michigan. They even added a fiscal note to the bill to keep the new legislature from overturning the law next year.

But things aren't as airtight as they'd like to think.

One, the Michigan law exempts police and firefighters. That's the same mistake that Walker and the Wisconsin Republicans made and which got Act 10 overturned.

Secondly, even though the legislature might have their hands tied, the people don't. They will have to ride it out for a year, but they can do for themselves what the government can't (emphasis mine):

However, labor unions believe they have found a way to challenge these bills at the ballot box, even if they would be allowed to remain in place for a while in the interim. As first reported by NBC News, an analysis by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan shows that labor would have recourse to put the right to work laws up for a citizen initiative. Republicans thought they short-circuited this by including an appropriation of funds in the legislation. By virtue of a state law, this means that the legislation cannot be challenged at the ballot box, they contended. However, the CRC of Michigan analysis shows that this is only true for one type of initiative. Here’s the full language of the analysis.

There are four methods whereby a proposal can be placed on the statewide ballot in Michigan: (1) statutory initiative, (2) voter referendum, (3) legislative referendum, and (4) constitutional amendment.

STATUTORY INITIATIVE is defined by Section 9 of Article 2 of the Michigan Constitution as the power which the people reserve to themselves “to propose laws and to enact and reject laws.” The power of initiative extends to any law the Legislature may enact and is invoked by filing petitions containing signatures of registered voters equal in number to at least eight percent of the total votes cast in the last election for governor. The Legislature is required to enact, without modification, or reject any proposed initiative within 40 session days. An initiative not enacted by the Legislature is placed on the statewide ballot at the next general election. A law that is initiated or adopted by the people is not subject to gubernatorial veto and one adopted by voters cannot subsequently be amended or repealed except by the voters or by a three-fourths vote of the Legislature.

VOTER REFERENDUM is defined by Section 9 of Article 2 of the Michigan Constitution as the power “to approve and reject laws enacted by the legislature.” Referendum must be invoked, within 90 days of final adjournment of the legislative session during which the law in question was enacted, by filing petitions containing signatures of registered voters equal in number to at least five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the last general election. The effect of invoking a referendum is to suspend the law in question until voters approve or reject it at the next general election.

LEGISLATIVE REFERENDUM is authorized by Section 34 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution, which provides that “[a]ny bill passed by the legislature and approved by the governor, except a bill appropriating money, may provide that it will not become law unless approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon.”

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT is authorized by Sections 1 and 2 of Article 12 of the Michigan Constitution and may be proposed either by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature or by filing petitions containing signatures of registered voters equal in number to at least ten percent of the total votes cast for governor in the last general election.

The question of CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION is required by Section 3 of Article XII of the Michigan Constitution to appear on the ballot automatically every 16 years after 1978.

Only the legislative referendum is short-circuited by the appropriation of funds. Labor could use the voter referendum or the statutory initiative to put right to work on the ballot, for example. This will take more signatures than the legislative referendum, but that just represents an organizing opportunity.

I hope that the good people of Michigan don't make the same mistake we made. Instead of marching in circles or yelling a building, they need to get all boots on the ground now to start collecting signatures.

The corporate special interests might have one this round in Michigan, like they did in Wisconsin, but they have in no way won the war.

POSTSCRIPT: I keep seeing comparisons between Michigan and Wisconsin and how similar they are. Does this mean that Snyder has a secret router and a legal defense fund too?

These Guys are Ding Dongs!

Recently, Hostess brands declared bankruptcy and quickly pointed their finger at the unions.   The extremist on the right,  which includes the hate talk radio, fox news and the numbskulls who blog were giddy with excitement that thousands of unions members(IE Americans....) would be losing their jobs! 

Here from 2 of our very own WI blogs:

1.  Kevin Binversie wrote this(emphasis mine): 

pos­si­ble suit­ors for the brands of Host­ess are already cir­cling ready­ing their builds after the company’s 3,000 union bak­ers sank the other 15,000 employ­ees last week.

2.  Owen from the Boots & Saber blog(which is just a generic parody of the Boots & Kittens blog), had this to say?

Nice work, bakers union. You just cost 18,000 people their jobs.

The problem with both of their blogs(besides being boring) are just flat out untrue.   Far be it for anyone on the right to do any actual research on a topic,so let me give them a freebie.

The actual reason that Hostess went bankrupt was ...(Drum roll please) Mismanagement!!

 According to a report by the Wall Street Journal , Hostess’ CEO, Gregory Rayburn, essentially admitted that his company stole employee pension money and put it toward CEO and senior executive pay (aka “operations”). While this isn't technically illegal, it's another sleazy theft by Hostess executives - who've paid themselves handsomely while running their company into the ground. Just last month, a judge agreed to let Hostess executives suck another $1.8 million out of the bankrupt company to pay bonuses to CEOs. 

That damm union, allowing the executives to steal money from the company like that!    I wonder if it was the collective bargaining agreement that let the executives keep cashing out!   If only the unions had agreed to even MORE concession, then maybe the executives could have had a real Merry Christmas! 

So boys & girls, the moral of the story is:

Never believe a word you read on the right wing blogosphere!  

PSS: Do not hold your breath waiting for a retraction or correction.   

Twenty Questions for the Kedzies!

We ll know the story of Senator Kedzie's son getting beat up for having a Romney/Ryan sign in his yard!  How could we not really, since Senator Neal Kedzie was announcing it to anyone who would listen! 

Heck the good Senator Kedzie even coordinated with the Romney Campaign to make sure everyone knew how dangerous liberals could be. 

The problem with the whole story, besides the fact that Senator Kedzie saw his injured son as a political prop, is that the story just was not true! 

Here is the Whitewater Police Report:

WOW does that leave us open to some questions!  

1.  Has Paul Ryan called since to check and see how Sean is?

2.  Why did the Whitewater police never take the political motivation serious?

3.  Why would Sean kedzie drop the case after being beaten up so badly?

4.  Since Sean dropped the case on 12/4 and it is 12/11 where is the press release from Senator Kedzie saying that the case was dropped?

5.  Where is the apology to the liberals of WI for being falsely accused?

6.  Where is the public apology to Max Hey, who is innocent?

7.  Why was Max Hey the first "Max" that came up when he typed his name into facebook?  When you type a name into facebook the names that you are using the most, come up first!  

8.  Why was Kedzie adamant that Max Hey was the one, when there was no evidence and he admitted to not seeing the person who did it?

9.  Why was Kedzie stalking Max Hey at his job?

10.  Are there any similarities between Sean Kedzie and Kyle Wood?

11.  Will anyone on the right issue a retraction? 

12.  Seriously will they? 

13.   Who gave Sean his haircut and shave?  why? 

14.  Has Sean pissed people off on campus? 

15.  Had Sean been drinking?

16.  Why would someone who "cracked the case" on facebook, suddenly disappear from facebook?

17.  What was in it for Senator Kedzie?

18.  What was in it for Sean Kedzie?

19.  In the end between wasted police investigations, and sneding out press releases on the taxpayer dime, how much did the Kedzie family cost the taxpayers?

20.  What the hell happened?

Early Endorsement: Fallone For Supreme Court

I knew about this for a few days and couldn't be happier:

Ed Fallone, an expert on constitutional and corporate law and a widely respected attorney, has announced he will run for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

“Attorneys, judges, elected leaders and citizens from around the State have urged me to run because they, like me, believe we need a change in the Supreme Court,” Fallone said. “The increased politicization of the court and the court's dysfunction exemplified by its inability to credibly handle allegations of inappropriate behavior by Justice Prosser are clearly damaging the court’s ability to deliver justice and serve the people of this state.”

Fallone has a broad base of legal experience. He has taught at Marquette University Law School for two decades, focusing on constitutional law, immigration law, securities regulation and corporate law. He also practices law with Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan specializing in complex civil litigation including corporate law and contractual issues.

“The Wisconsin Supreme Court is dysfunctional and the only way to fix it is to change the personalities on the bench,” said Fallone. “I am not beholden to any political party or faction on the court or any special interest group. The people of Wisconsin expect -- and deserve -- judges who respect the importance of an independent judiciary and who are impartial and fair. That is the kind of Justice I will be.”

“The re-election of Justice Roggensack who is now a part of this dysfunctional court, will not help matters. The Wisconsin Supreme Court cannot police the legal profession if it refuses to police itself. When serious disciplinary charges are brought against a fellow Justice, the people deserve a Justice who will face the issue head on, not run away from it,” Fallone added.

Fallone would be the first Latino Justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His mother immigrated to the United States from Mexico and Fallone grew up in a family equally proud of both its Italian and Mexican heritages. Fallone is married, with two children and lives in Whitefish Bay.

Fallone is active in the greater Milwaukee community. He has worked extensively with several nonprofit organizations serving at risk populations including Centro Legal Inc., The Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Assistance Program and The Latino Community Center. He has also been active in promoting education and support for stem cell research in the state as the President of Wisconsin Stem Cell Now. Fallone was recognized with the President’s Award from Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee in 2010.

Fallone will begin circulating nomination papers which are due to the Government Accountability Board in early January. The non-partisan election for the Supreme Court is in April 2013.

I first met Professor Fallone early in the year when I appeared in a panel to discuss the worth of recalls. I was impressed with Fallone's knowledge during the debate and even more impressed with him after the debate, when we joined our host in his home for some post-debate cocktails.

Fallone's knowledge is formidable. He is also an engaging speaker but is, well, judicial in the words he uses. He does not use inflammatory rhetoric and is truly only interested in what the law says and not the political aspect of things. This is evident in the way he reacted to questions the local paper put to him about his primary opponent, Vince Megna:

In an interview, Fallone agreed with Megna that Supreme Court races have taken on partisan overtones in recent years, but he eschewed Megna's political rhetoric.

"I think the elections for Wisconsin Supreme Court have become increasingly partisan, but I don't believe making them more partisan is helpful," Fallone said.

Another asset of Fallone's is that he knows exactly what he is going up against. He knows all about how the corporate backers who support Roggensack operate. And he's not afraid to call them out on their falsehoods.

When I handicapped the race a few weeks ago, I pointed out that the Honorable Maryann Sumi was considering a run. I thought that she would also make a fine Supreme Court Justice. I still do. Apparently so does Roggensack, since she support Sumi's decisions 12 out of 13 times.

But if she does chose to run, she will have the corporate special interests going after her for her Act 10 ruling, even though she was absolutely correct in her ruling. This will distract from her true qualifications.

Fallone won't have those problems, and is just as qualified as Sumi, if not more so.

It is because Fallone is highly qualified, extremely knowledgeable of both the Constitution and the law, and does not have any real or perceived ties to either party, nor the unions or corporate special interests which makes him the obvious choice to be on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

And that is why I am going to support him any way I can, including giving him my vote.

If There Was Ever a Business Worthy of Being Boycotted...

It is this one! 

Springdale Drycleaners of Cincinnati, Ohio, has been etching “Choose Life” ads on wire coat hangers used to hang dry-cleaning.

Seriously!

Freedom To FreeLoad!

"Unions have not only helped build a stronger middle class, but a stronger America." -President Obama

Michigan state Rep. Tim Greimel (D) explains the "right-to-work" laws better than anyone I have heard in this current battle!

While supporters of the bill say it will make for a fairer workplace by making union fees voluntary for non-union workers, Greimel told MSNBC host Chris Jansing that such dues are already voluntary, alluding to provisions in the National Labor Relations Act saying that non-union members who are covered by a collective barganing agreement either join a union or pay what’s called an “agency fee.”

“What this law would do is, it would allow those who benefit from a collective bargaining agreement to avoid paying their fair share,” Greimel said. “That’s why I don’t call it this ‘right-to-work,’ I call it a freedom to freeload law.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tim Greimel,

Don Pridemore III

We know that Don Pridemore has decided to run for State superintendent of Department of Public Instruction(DPI). 

To announce this good news, Don Pridemore recently went on an I am running for yet another office tour.   One thing you can say about Pridemore, at least he knows how to draw a crowd...

To be fair though, he and his staff, historically butcher press releases so badly that maybe no one knew he was coming!  Makes one wonder if his campaign manager, Bill Savage, graduated elementary school.   

It is probably good that no one showed up, because if they did, they would have reported on Pridemore's ignorance.

Here is Don Pridemore explaining why he is running(emphasis mine):

I’ve thought about it for a while now,” Pridemore said Wednesday. “I’m not real happy with some of the MPS (Milwaukee Public Schools), and not only MPS but the state public schools.”

He was especially not happy that Evers approached Gov. Scott Walker in November to ask for an additional $615 million in next year’s budget to fund Milwaukee Public Schools, money that Pridemore said is a waste since previous spending increases, in his opinion, did nothing to improve education.

Here is life outside the bubble:

 State and local funding for general Wisconsin public school operations would drop 5.5% in 2011-'12 while Milwaukee's private-school voucher program could be poised for a massive expansion under Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal, one that slashes $834 million in state K-12 education spending over the next two years*.

Finally  we know, that if Don was feeling bad that no one cared that he was announcing his run for the State's top education job,  Pridemore can always take solace and remember when times were good! 

Stay tuned, I am sure that Don Pridemore will be giving us plenty of material to be writing about through the April 2nd election!

Compromise???

How is that possible when the republican party has this attitude over negotiations in Congress?  

Republican Obstruction is a much greater threat to everyday Americans than the "fiscal cliff".  

One Would Think Walker Would Be Better At Pay For Play Schemes By Now

Over the weekend, the news reported yet another pay for play scheme involving Scott Walker. This time it involved Stephen and Nancy Einhorn, the people that acted as the money launderers when the Bradley Foundation wanted to put up racist billboards aimed at causing voter suppression.

Now they're embroiled in an sordid attempt at pay for play:

Conservative Milwaukee financier Stephen Einhorn and his wife, Nancy, donated $25,000 to Gov. Scott Walker a month before Einhorn's firm won a contract to manage $1 million of taxpayer money, potentially triggering federal "pay-to-play" conflict of interest rules.

Einhorn's Capital Midwest and two other companies were chosen by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority from a field of six applicants to invest $7 million of federal money in state businesses, particularly those in low-income communities. After an inquiry by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the two $12,500 contributions from the Einhorns, a WHEDA official said the agency is holding off on releasing the money to Capital Midwest until the firm resolves questions about the federal rule.

"They've got to get this answered before anybody's comfortable making any kind of final release," said John Hogan, WHEDA chief operating officer.

Hogan said WHEDA kept the selection process free from political influence. His comments were echoed by others who sought the money - including those from firms that didn't win. But some of the fund managers also said they had explicit policies in place to prevent political donations from creating a real or perceived conflict of interest.

[...]

The Einhorns' contributions to Walker could trigger a rule enacted in 2010 by the SEC, the federal agency that regulates financial firms. That's because Walker effectively appoints the executive director of WHEDA as well as eight of the 12 members of the board of the quasi-governmental authority. The rule could prevent Einhorn from collecting compensation on the $1 million for two years after the contributions were made. U.S. Treasury Department conflict of interest rules might also apply.

The "pay-to-play" rule is the first far-reaching effort by the SEC to limit outside investment managers' ability to steer business their way through campaign contributions. The rule could apply in this case and the matter should be looked at further, said Robert Hockett, a professor of financial law at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

"I can't think off the top of my head of any strong arguments why this (rule) would not be at least applicable here, even if not actually violated," Hockett said.

So, the people that acted as a front group for the racist Bradley Foundation to scare off minority voters gave Walker a ton of money just before being given a very lucrative contract.

It's just like the bad old days when Scott Walker was having Tim Russell direct WHEDA funds to places not allowed by law. That was another fine cost Walker left Milwaukee County taxpayers with.

I have to admit, when I first story, my first reaction was "Meh. What else is old?"

Walker is no stranger to pay for play schemes.

I can think of four different pay for play stunts Walker pulled as county executive, not counting the one mentioned above.

One of Walker's long time campaign donors is the Kujawa family, who own a landscaping company in Milwaukee. The gentle reader might remember them from their connection to Walkergate. Darlene Wink used to work for them and so they were a go to place when Walker needed a place to grandstand or some campaign cash.

In exchange for all the favors done for Walker and all the money donated to him, Walker gave them contracts for taking care of county parks which were being neglected due to his laying off so many parks workers. Walker even went so far as to return the campaigning favor and endorsing Chris Kujawa when he tried to run for a county supervisor seat.

I wonder if Mr. Kujawa is still as fond of Walker after it turned out that Walker's best friend, Tim Russell, stole from him.

Walker did it again with Wackenhut, now known as GS4, also known as Walker's Imperial Guard.

Wackenhut has long been a supporter of Walker's, hence his Truth in Sentencing law and attempts to privatize the state's prison system. They stuck with their lackey when he was county executive.

In exchange, Walker did one of his infamous "fiscal emergency" routines and laid off all of the county's security staff and gave the contract to Wackenhut. The catch came in when it turned out Walker didn't follow the rules when he laid off the county workers and they had to be hired back, even though the county still was contracted to Wackenhut. The end result included Wackenhut guards and county guards standing sentry at the same areas. On top of that, Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke had to post his deputies to make sure the two sets of guards didn't go after each other. The cost of back pay for the wrongfully laid off workers was $430,000 alone. No one has ever reported the cost of having the same doors triple guarded.

Walker repeated the "fiscal emergency" stunt again the next year when he privatized the last of the housekeeping staff. This time, he gave the contract to campaign donor Edward Aprahamian, owner of MidAmerican Building Services.

For what it's worth, I have recently learned that Aprahamian's company, which has never done a good job, was told that their contract would not be renewed. Current Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, again imitating his predecessor, has put out bids to for a new agency. How much you want to bet it ends up being with one of his cronies?

Perhaps the most egregious example of Walker's pay for play that's come to the surface so far involves the now defunct Air Tran, who had paid for Walker's campaign Harley Davidson ride around the state in 2009 and 2010:

Sometime between March 21st and May 21st, when Air Tran announced their expansion at Mitchell International Airport, it had crossed Walker's desk and he signed off on it.

Now, just weeks after Air Tran's announcement of their benefit from their business with the county, it is also announced that they are picking up the tab for Walker's campaign ride.

That little stunt flies in the face of the Milwaukee County Code of Ethics. In fact, from the Milwaukee Code of General Ordinances, section 9.05(2)(a) strictly forbids an elected official to gain from or accept any financial gain or anything else of substantial value for personal benefit or for the benefit of any family member or organization they may belong to. That would include Walker and his governor's campaign.

Unfortunately, the entire Ethics Board were Walker's political appointees, and thus they never did any serious investigations into the multiple complaints filed against Walker.

The most surprising thing is that with all the times that Walker's done pay for play stunts like those listed above, you'd think he'd be better at hiding his misdeeds. He's not only incompetent as a leader, he's incompetent as a crook.

Who are the real takers?

Swiped from Facebook:

Walkergate: The Next Wave

OK, now that we've reviewed what has already come out of the ongoing Walkergate investigation, it's time to see what might be coming down the pike, some of which is already happening.

When Kelly Rindfleisch was sentenced last month, we gained a greater glimpse of the extent that the corruption that was the rule of thumb for Scott Walker and his motley crew. I then expanded on that, giving the gentle reader a reminder of who's who in the Walker syndicate.

As I had just mentioned, some of it is already happening:

Keith Gilkes, Gov. Scott Walker's former chief of staff and campaign manager, told reporters Thursday after a forum at Marquette University that he is cooperating with prosecutors investigating Walker's tenure as Milwaukee County executive, WisPolitics reported Friday.

Gilkes did not return a phone message left on his cellphone Thursday.

Gilkes is the latest former top Walker aide to provide information in the ongoing John Doe investigation that has resulted in convictions for four former Walker associates for illegal campaign activity and embezzlement.

Also cooperating are Walker's current spokesman, Cullen Werwie, and past spokeswoman, Fran McLaughlin; and his former chief of staff in Milwaukee County, Tom Nardelli.

Keith Gilkes

I wonder if Gilkes' supposed cooperation is the Darlene Wink type where he's singing like a bird or the Scott Walker type where he's stonewalling the investigation as much as he can.

My guess is that it will be more of the latter type, based on this:

Gilkes told reporters that he "had no knowledge" of a private wireless router system that allegedly was part of a secret email system in the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Asked if a similar router exists in the state Capitol, Gilkes became angry.

"That's just absurd, I'm done," he responded and walked away.

Is it really absurd?

Remember that when Gilkes was Walker's Chief of Staff, he had lobbyists contacting him via his consultancy group's email address instead of through official channels. It would seem that there were trying to circumvent the open records laws in order to put the strong arm on people and companies wanting things from the Governor, such as Gogebic Taconite.

Gilkes also went on with the claim that the large amount of contact between the campaign and the county staff was just routine type of stuff.

For some reason, I don't see the advocacy of destruction of legal documents as being routine:

Gilkes, in an email written the day of the accident, advised Walker's county staff to "make sure there is not a piece of paper anywhere that details any problem at all." News organizations and lawyers representing victims and others filed numerous open record requests after the O'Donnell Park accident for inspection reports and other documents on its construction.

Then again, maybe destruction of documents is normal...for Republicans. I wonder how much they spend on paper shredders each year.

It should be noted that Gilkes was recently engaged, so that might give him some incentive to stay out of prison.

I recently wrote that Cindy Archer is also cooperating with the investigators, but to what extent is anyone's guess:

I have recently heard that Phase II of the Walkergate investigation has already commenced. Apparently Kelly Rindfleisch did give some information after all and gave up Cindy Archer.

Archer had been Walker's Director of Administration during the time Walker was Milwaukee County Executive. Criminal complaints and other documents from Walkergate show that Archer was deeply involved with the illegal campaigning and the collusion between county personnel and campaign staff.

Cindy Archer

Word is that Archer is already working on a plea deal even though she hasn't been arrested yet, much less charged. It's a maneuver called a negotiated issuance.

Interestingly, it's also been noted that Archer is selling her house, which she's owned for a long time. Speculation would be that she is selling it to pay her legal bills, but it should also be noted that she is reported to have a serious illness.

There's a couple of other things that I have heard about Archer. Besides raiding her home in Dane County, the authorities also did a search of her Milwaukee County home. Neighbors have reported that just days before the raid, they saw Archer and other moving a lot of boxes out of her home to another house just down the block.

Could there be a mole in the county somewhere that was giving the heads up on the potential searches. But who would have knowledge of the impending searches and have the ability and the interest to get in contact with Archer?

Well, let's not forget that Fran McLaughlin, who was eventually granted immunity in Walkergate, became the spokeswoman for Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. She would have the the knowledge of the search warrants before they were executed, the ability to contact her friend Archer and an interest in keeping things on the hush, since she was also doing campaign-related activities on county time.

The other thing about Archer is that she had a major argument with the director of Milwaukee County's IT Department. He quit shortly thereafter and moved out of state. I have long wondered if that argument might have had to do with secret routers, secret email systems and open record requests.

But methinks that the person who could be the most interesting to watch is Tom Nardelli. Nardelli has long been known to be rather unsavory and untrustworthy. Nardelli has denied knowing anything about anyone, even denying he knew who hired Rindfleisch to be his Deputy Chief of Staff (we all know it was Walker). But the emails released during Rindfleisch's sentencing shows that he was in the thick of things as much as anyone else.

And Nardelli is no stranger to pay for play and strong arming tactics:

Nardelli had effectively neutered the Milwaukee Public School Board with his threat. The message was clear — do what I want or you’re screwed and I’ll make you look like idiots.

But there was something else. Why was Nardelli so adamant about this developer getting a slice of the city?

It turned out that the same family who had contacted me to work on their behalf had also contacted a reporter. I don’t recall the reporters name but he had uncovered that Nardelli had received fat campaign donations from the developer. Amazingly, it was swept under the table.

Also of interest is the fact that Nardelli's house is or was up for sale.*

It's also been reported that Nardelli has been looking pretty rough. Stress will do that to a person.

But I think Nardelli might be the most interesting to watch since he has the most to lose. He's closing in on being 70 years old and any lengthy sentence could be a life term for him.

Tom Nardelli

However, what is probably more important to the money-grubbing Nardelli is the fact that he is collecting three pensions - one from the military, another one from the City of Milwaukee and one from Milwaukee County. The ones from the city and the county add up to around $40,000 a year alone.

If Nardelli is convicted of a felony, he loses his pensions.

The loss of all that free income and health care, as well as the prospect of potentially facing the rest of his life in prison, is a pretty strong incentive for him to turn on whoever was above him in the food chain.

And the only person that is above Nardelli - and Archer, McLaughlin and Gilkes for that matter - is Scott Walker.

And let's not forget there are also many other unanswered questions and issues that need to be addressed.

There is the bid rigging and pay for play that was involved with county contracts for rental space.

Although if the DA's Office is following the trail of the illegal campaigning, the other stuff might be left to the feds for wire and mail fraud charges, or even RICO charges when one considers the apparent collusion between Walker's campaign, Walker's county office and the Koch/Bradley Foundation-funded groups like Americans for Prosperity and the other various propaganda groups.

Which leaves only two questions.

One is when - no if - Walker will meet John Doe.

That really depends on how cooperative Archer, Nardelli, Gilkes and the rest are. If they are able to reach plea deals with each of them, it could happen relatively quickly. If they try to fight it the charges out, like they did this year, that would obviously stretch things out, but would still be only delaying the inevitable.

And the other question which has been asked more and more often lately is whether this will also ensnare Reince Priebus, who was the chair of WISGOP during the time the scandal was occurring.

To be frankly honest. I have no idea. We do know that he was exchanging emails with Walker's county staff during the campaign. We also know that there were some events, such as Senator Scott Fitzgerald sharing his donor list with Walker, which would have been very difficult, if not impossible, without a high level of influence.

But no matter when it finally happens, or who else gets dragged down because of Walkergate, there is one thing that is undeniable. something that conservatives are starting to realize, which is making them exceptionally ornery.

That thing is that with Walkergate, there is always more. And no matter which arm of the investigation you follow, the path always leads to one person - Scott Walker.

*Perhaps so many people being dragged down in Walkergate accounts for the uptick in home sales this year.

Walkergate: A Legacy of Corruption

I can't say that I always agree with Mike Tate, Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. But when he's on target, he's really on target, as with this press release:

Following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate in response to the two years prison time given to a Scott Walker appointee on Friday, as well as breaking news that Walker's former campaign chief has been cooperating with criminal prosecutors in the ongoing John Doe corruption probe.

"Scott Walker's legacy will not be one of reform, since it's business as usual for special interests in Madison. It will not be a legacy of job creation, since Wisconsin has been dead last under Scott Walker's watch.

"Likewise, Scott Walker will not be remembered for investment in infrastructure, advances in education or for advancing small "d" democratic values. He's been on the opposite side of all that.

"As it stands, the calling card for Scott Walker has been criminal corruption.
"Wisconsin never has had a governor so closely tied to criminals.

"Today, another of his associates was given prison time for schemes committed under Scott Walker's banner. Most of crimes committed thus far have been committed for Walker's personal benefit, and recently released emails show that Walker himself clearly was involved in the commission of crimes.

"Walker's response has been evasive and self-serving. He wants to be congratulated for starting this investigation yet has to this point offered not a single concrete explanation for his central role in the conspiracies committed.

"Walker may never have to stand trial for his actions. But, as another of his associates heads to prison, the public has every right to fear that they have a governor who not only enables corruption, but may be practicing it."

The Effect of Money in Politics!

There are two very strong monied lobbies in politics nationally that both made the news yesterday, and I think we are going to find two very different results:

1.  Dallas Cowboys Nose Tackle Josh Brent was in an accident where he was drunk and ended up killing a passenger in his vehicle.  

Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent has been arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter stemming from a late night crash that resulted in the death of a teammate.
CBS Station KTVT reports that Jerry Brown Jr., a 25-year old currently on the Cowboys' practice roster, was killed in the accident.
Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz said the accident happened about 2:20 a.m. Saturday in the Dallas suburb, hours before Brent was to be on a team flight to Cincinnati for the Cowboys' game Sunday against the Bengals.
When police arrived, Brent was responsive and able to speak with officers. Brown was unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Officers conducted a field sobriety test on Brent and arrested him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, Argumaniz said. The charge, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison, was upgraded after Brown was pronounced dead.

 The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) lobby has proven very powerful and has worked successfully to increase punishments for drunk drivers.    Obviously Josh Brent was acting very irresponsibly and his actions caused death to another human being.  He is in much trouble and will be forced to pay for his mistake.  

Our second story comes from Pennsylvania:

 Police said the gun went off as Joseph Loughrey, 44 (pictured), and his son Craig were getting into their car outside the Twigs Reloading Den in Mercer, PA.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Loughrey told police he had emptied the magazine of his 9-millimeter Taurus handgun, and he didn’t know there was a bullet in the chamber. The gun discharged and his son was struck in the chest.

State police said Loughrey was cooperative and distraught during questioning, the newspaper reported.

“I know that little kid was everything to him,” Mark McLaughlin, Loughrey’s friend and co-worker, told the newspaper.

The National Rifle Association(NRA) has also been one of the very strongest lobby organizations in Washington.  Unfortunately, instead of making people more responsible who own guns, they have focused on making it easier to own guns with less responsibility.    Joseph Loughrey also acting very irresponsibly and his actions caused death to another human being.  We will see what his punishment is.  

 It will be interesting to follow these two stories to completion and see how each is treated in the courts and in the press!  

Walkergate: The Year In Review

There are many things starting to come to a head in regards to Walkergate.  But before we can go into all that, I felt it would be useful to look at what we already know, so that what comes can make more sense for the gentle reader.

In May 2010, Darlene Wink, who was Director of Constituent Affairs for then Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, was caught leaving comments on JSOnline and other blogs. The comments were either to support Walker in his gubernatorial campaign or to rip into his opponents.

The following week, Tim Russell, formerly Walker's Deputy Chief of Staff and then Director of the Division of Housing, was filmed doing campaign work while traveling the state with Walker, supposedly to promote tourism in Milwaukee County.

It was at this same time that the first conviction of Walkergate came. William E. Gardner, president and CEO of Wisconsin and Southern Rail admitted to giving illegal donations to Walker's campaign.

In August 2010, Russell's county office was raided, with Sheriff Deputies removing boxes of papers, his computers and his county-issued Blackberries.

In September, deputies from Milwaukee County and Dane County, as well as FBI agents, executed search warrants on several people's homes. Some of these people include Cindy Archer, Walker's head of Administrative Services and Fran McLaughlin, his spokeswoman.

For a more detailed accounting of the early days of Walkergate, I would refer the gentle reader to "An Introduction to Walkergate" and "Scott Walker's Other Big Problem."

The day after my story in the Shepherd Express was published, Tim Russell, Brian Pierick and Kevin Kavanaugh were arrested and charged with various crimes which stemmed from the investigation. Three weeks later, wink and Kelly Rindfleisch were also arrested and charged.

During the year, there were many twists and turns which revealed many things, not only about the five people who were arrested, but about others who were implicated in various crimes.

Tim Russell was charged with embezzling money from a veterans fund, Operation Freedom, which in turn turned out to be a thinly veiled front for a campaign stunt.

Among the things that were revealed during his stalling tactics was that not only was he stealing money, but he was also active in campaigning for Walker, including the installation of a secret router in the executive's suite, in order to avoid having anything disclosed via an open records request.

It also came out that even if one were to give Walker credit for starting the investigation by reporting missing money from the veterans campaign fund, Walker quickly became uncooperative and was stonewalling the investigation. I can't help but wonder if Walker hadn't done that, if he might have gotten away with all of the corruption.

Russell eventually took a plead deal and will sentenced in January.

Kelly Rindfleisch was charged with illegal politicking while on the taxpayer dime, in a government building, and using government resources. In her thousands of emails, she boasted about how half her time was spent working on the campaign.

During her trial, we gained a larger sense of just how far the corruption spread. It was very much like the caucus scandals that rocked the state a decade earlier, but worse.

It turned out that not only was Walker's county staff doing campaign work on county time, but that the campaign was actually running his county executive office. The campaign staff were calling the shots, even to the point of telling the county staff to destroy legal documents that might have reflected poorly on Walker, such as the records regarding the tragedy at O'Donnell Park.

It was from her case that we learned that there was not just collaboration and collusion with the campaign staff, but that there was a statewide network of contacts with most of the state's Republicans, including Brett Davis, Scott Fitzgerald, Robin Vos and others.

It was also from Rindfleisch's case that we learned that there was going to be more. There's always more, such as the fact that not only was Walker aware of what was happening, he was an active participant and directing things.

Rindfleisch also took a plea deal and was sentenced to six months jail time and two years parole, but that order was stayed while she appeals the plea deal.

Darlene Wink was also charged with illegal campaigning while on county time. She quickly entered a plea deal and was ready and willing to testify against her cohorts in crime. Her sentencing date has been delayed a number of times as her friends kept stalling their cases. Her sentencing date is now in January.

Kevin Kavanaugh, who Walker appointed to the board of Veterans Affairs, was convicted of stealing money from the same veterans fund Russell stole from. He was recently sentenced to do 30 months in jail and 30 months parole.

Brian Pierick was Russell's domestic and business partner. He's been charged with child enticement, which was discovered only because of the investigation into Russell's crimes. He goes on trial in late January.

While the bulk of the investigation and subsequent court cases have been focused on illegal campaigning, it should be noted this is nowhere near the only part of the investigation that involves Walker and his staffs.

Walker and his crew are known to have engaged in bid rigging and pay for play types of stunts.

These, along with the illegal politicking, leaves room for many more charges against many more people.

Walkergate is far from being over, as we shall soon learn.  Just as we will learn who is John Doe...