Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says Gov. Scott Walker’s budget increases property taxes by $500 billion

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From his earliest days in office, Republican Gov. Scott Walker has used Wisconsin’s southerly neighbor as a punching bag, hitting Illinois for trying to tax its way out of a big deficit.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn volleyed back when Walker crossed the border for an April 17, 2012 speech in Springfield to tout his record — and troll for businesses looking to relocate — at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

In a campaign fundraising email, Quinn bashed Wisconsin’s last-in-the nation record on job creation in 2011 and tried to poke holes in Walker’s record on taxes.

“You might have heard that the Illinois Chamber of Commerce hosted Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as guest speaker today,” the email said. “One would wonder what a governor with a terrible economic record could have to say about jobs and economic growth. While Governor Walker might be fond of anti-worker and tea party rhetoric, the facts aren’t on his side.”

Quinn’s hit list ended with this:

“Governor Walker’s budget increases state spending by over $1 billion, which is primarily paid for by tax increases on seniors, families with children, and home owners. His budget calls for raising property taxes by nearly … $500 billion.”

In an earlier item we confirmed that Walker signed a two-year budget that raised spending by more than $1 billion, a 1.8% increase over the biennium. Most of the increase was in Medicaid programs, which are entitlements.

But did the budget lead to $500 billion in property tax increases? Hasn’t Walker been touting a property tax freeze?

Right out of the gate we found a problem with Quinn’s number.

The day after Quinn’s email, we asked his campaign about the figure. Five days later we were told it was a typo that was being corrected. They meant $500 million, not billion.

By that time, the higher figure has been reprinted in a Rockford newspaper editorial and on political blogs in both states.

Scott Belsky, executive director of Quinn’s campaign organization, subsequently told us the exact figure they are referring to is $483.8 million. The figure, he said, is from Walker’s cut in two tax credits for low-income homeowners and working families, plus “increasing taxes on local levels of government.”

Sure enough, that number or something close to it was cited by various Democrats after Walker signed the budget in June 2011. They did their math using estimates published in July 2011 by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the state’s nonpartisan budget scorekeeper.

That’s a great source, but the Fiscal Bureau report didn’t actually use the $483.8 million number in estimating the total property tax increase for two years.

Fiscal Bureau official Rick Olin said their estimate is better stated as $338 million — that comes from a comparison of estimated 2012 tax levies with the pre-Walker base year of 2010.

Going for the worst-sounding math (just as Republicans have done in the past), Democrats took the estimates for each of the two Walker years and compared them to the 2010 base.

“Nobody thinks about it that way,” said Olin, a fiscal analyst on property taxes.

What about the two tax credits Quinn’s campaign cites?

One was for income taxes, so that’s irrelevant to his claim on property taxes. The other Walker change, on the Homestead credit, did in effect raise property taxes by $13.6 million, state fiscal estimates show.

So take the $338 million and the $13.6 million and you’re at more than a $350 million increase predicted under Walker’s budget.

But there’s a much bigger problem for Quinn.

The numbers were Fiscal Bureau estimates from about nine months ago.

On April 16, 2012, the day before Quinn’s campaign rolled out the unwelcome mat for Walker, the Wisconsin governor announced hard data on what local governments actually raised property taxes.

The net levy increase was $21 million (0.2 percent) in year one — far, far lower than the Fiscal Bureau projection.

Indeed, the owner of a median-valued home actually saw a slight decrease on the property tax bill.

A big reason was the tightened revenue caps Walker and GOP legislators slapped on localities — creating a virtual tax freeze, with an exception increases tied to new construction. Fewer communities than expected used even the little wiggle room Walker gave them.

So, while Quinn’s email blamed Walker for property tax decisions made by local officials, the record shows Walker actually sought aggressive controls on local increases.

Our rating

Quinn said his Wisconsin counterpart had increased property taxes nearly $500 billion. That was explained as an old-fashioned typo. But even then, the $500 million is way off.

When Walker signed the budget in June 2011, property taxes were estimated to go up $350 million under the most common accounting. That estimate held until the April 16, 2012 report — and it seems likely Quinn’s email was prepared before Walker’s announcement changed the game.

But he didn’t correct the million/billion typo in a timely way, and is still using the equally wrong $500 million claim. We think that’s ridiculous.

And that makes this a Pants on Fire!

Source:  http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2012/apr/30/pat-quinn/illinois-gov-pat-quinn-says-gov-scott-walkers-budg/

WASHINGTON — Three female Democratic leaders in Wisconsin are demanding an explanation from Gov. Scott Walker (R) of why he repealed a law that made it easier for victims of wage discrimination to have their day in court.

“We are writing today to request a written answer to a simple question on the minds of women and men across Wisconsin: Why did you sign Senate Bill 202 to repeal the 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act, and it [sic] doing so remove state legal recourse for women who are victims of pay discrimination?” wrote former Dane County executive Kathleen Falk, along with state Reps. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) and Chris Taylor (D-Madison), in a letter to Walker on Monday.

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/scott-walker-wisconsin-equal-pay-repeal_n_1445674.html?ref=elections-2012

Depending on the number of qualifying offenses, the plan could add tens of thousands of DNA profiles to the state’s database. Walker said the move would help identify suspects quickly and save money by shortening investigations. But it also could cost millions of dollars and raise new questions about government invasion of privacy in Wisconsin.

Source:  http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/walker-wants-warrantless-dna-testing-for-some-crime-suspects/article_10bf4e08-829c-11e1-88d5-001a4bcf887a.html

Madison - Gov. Scott Walker used his broad new powers to reshape a rule to lower inflation-based raises that public unions can negotiate by 30% or more for teachers in public schools and technical colleges.

The rule change would not use an individual’s actual salary as a “base salary” to calculate raises and would exclude factors such as a teacher’s higher degree.

For instance, a teacher with a master’s degree might make $45,000 a year while a teacher in the same district with a bachelor’s degree might make $35,000. A 3.2% cost-of-living raise on $45,000 would be $1,440 – or more than $300 higher than the same raise on $35,000. Under the new rule, the teacher with the master’s degree would have his or her raise calculated off the $35,000 instead of his or her actual salary.

A spokeswoman for the Walker administration said that the change was necessary to properly implement the labor legislation signed by the Republican governor last year.

Under that law, unions’ bargaining is limited to cost-of-living adjustments, and Walker’s change would limit that bargaining more than the original rule proposed by his own appointees.

Source:  http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/new-state-rule-would-limit-costofliving-increases-for-unions-8153h46-148330765.html

…Because Walker signed anti-choice laws enacted by legislative Republicans who do not believe women can or should make decisions regarding their own bodies, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has decided to suspend providing certain basic health services to women. Among other things, Planned Parenthood will stop providing drugs to women for abortions in the first nine weeks of pregnancy—a method the provider says are used in about a quarter of the abortions it provides in Wisconsin.

Why? The law signed by Walker criminalizes a physician’s failure to follow specific protocols laid out by the the anti-choice legislators—and interest groups—that drafted the legislation.

“In just one year, we have seen how women can lose ground in their health care options as a result of who holds power,” explains NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin executive director Lisa Subeck.

John Nichols, The Nation

Source: http://www.thenation.com/blog/167498/not-just-labor-rights-scott-walker-also-dismantling-womens-rights

The Republican governor of Wisconsin was accorded a hero’s welcome when he appeared Friday before the NRA’s “Celebration of American Values” forum to accept the group’s “Defender of Freedom” award.

Source:  http://www.thenation.com/blog/167407/scott-walker-goes-all-nraalec-shoot-first-agenda

MADISON, Wis. — Liberal rocker John Mellencamp wants Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to know he supports collective bargaining and union rights and says Walker should be aware of that before using his song “Small Town” on the campaign trail.

Mellencamp’s publicist Bob Merlis told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he sent Walker’s campaign an email not asking him to stop using the song, but to inform him of Mellencamp’s beliefs.

“He’s a very liberal person,” Merlis said of the singer. “He appeared at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. His wife at the time was a delegate at large. He’s very pro-collective bargaining and the fight for a living wage.”

Merlis said he sent an email to Walker’s campaign spokeswoman Ciara Matthews. She did not immediately return a message to AP seeking comment.

Walker faces a June 5 recall election that was motivated over anger related to his proposal passed last year that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers. Walker embarked Tuesday on a six-city campaign swing across Wisconsin, and Merlis said he read a news story that mentioned he played “Small Town” while in Milwaukee.

The song, a fond look back at Mellencamp’s own upbringing in Indiana, was a top ten hit in 1985. Walker was born in Colorado Springs, Colo., but was raised in the small Wisconsin city of Delavan, where about 8,500 people currently live.

Politicians for years have been using rock songs on the campaign trail, and Mellencamp has found himself crossways with candidates before.

Mellencamp contacted Republican presidential hopeful John McCain in 2008 when he was using “Our Country” on the campaign trail. Just as he did with Walker’s campaign, Merlis wrote McCain’s camp a letter explaining Mellencamp’s liberal leanings and that he supported Democrat John Edwards at the time.

McCain stopped using Mellencamp’s songs after the letter was sent.

“Small Town” and “Pink Houses” are two of the most frequently used Mellencamp songs by politicians, Merlis said.

“More often than not it’s right wing candidates who use his songs, which is somewhat paradoxical,” Merlis said.

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/john-mellencamp-scott-walker-small-town-song_n_1420361.html

As he prepares for a recall election, Republican Gov. Scott Walker is defending his record in various media appearances.

In a March 19, 2012 appearance on Fox News, Walker told talk host Greta Van Susteren that big out-of-state unions were behind the protests in Madison last spring — and are leading the recall effort against him now.

“The national unions, for them, this is all about the money,” Walker said.

“It’s not just about the budget or collective bargaining. We gave nearly every, well, we gave every public employee in the state the freedom to choose whether or not they want to be in a union or not and I think that’s really why this is a Waterloo for them.”

That caught our attention.

One of the most controversial aspects of Walker’s law stripping collective bargaining for public workers was who the bill did not cover: Police and firefighter union members.

The law limits the ability of public unions to bargain collectively for anything except raises controlled for inflation. It ended bargaining over benefits, overtime and work conditions. It also required annual union recertification votes and made payment of union dues optional.

The governor got the crux of the new law right — that state workers could opt out of paying dues and each year the unions would face a recertification vote. Some unions chose to fold rather than be subjected to the annual effort.

But Walker said the new law applied to “all” state workers.

The law also mandated that local employees participating in the state pension and health systems contribute at least 12.6 percent of their health care premiums and at least 5.8 percent of their salary toward their pension. Again, this did not apply to police and firefighters.

At the time the law was passed, Walker said he did not include police and firefighters in the changes so there was no question that law enforcement would be available in the event of strikes or work stoppages.

We asked Walker campaign spokeswoman Ciara Matthews about the governor’s characterization of the law.

She acknowledged Walker did not mention the police and firefighter exemptions and said the governor was speaking in generalities for a national audience and didn’t have time to be more specific.

“He was attempting to give the viewers outside of the state of Wisconsin an idea of how things shaped up here,” Matthews said.

Matthews added that Walker might have given a shorthand answer because he felt rushed: “I think from a contextural standpoint, Greta tends to be a quick interviewer.”

Walker was interviewed by Van Susteren in person in a Milwaukee studio. It lasted 16 minutes and included asking him respond to a previously recorded interview with Madison firefighters union president Mahlon Mitchell, who is running for lieutenant governor in the recall election.

What about Waterloo?

Walker’s statement also prompted us to dust off our history books. He’s not the first politician to refer to this 200-year-old European battle when it comes to an important election.

But does that match up to history?

The Battle of Waterloo took place June 18, 1815, at the border of France and Belgium and it was Napoleon’s final defeat by a coalition of British, German, Belgium, Dutch and Prussian forces, and the end of his role as Emperor of France. Napoleon attacked the combined forces but wound up losing.

“Waterloo decisively saw the end of 26 years of fighting between the European powers and France. The French star was eclipsed and the German began its ascendancy.  For Britain, Waterloo is not just a battle. It is an institution,” according to Britishbattles.com.

So what does this bloody battle have to do with Wisconsin politics? Not much, according to Matthews.

Walker, she said, was trying to say that the election was an “all or nothing” proposition for the unions. The Waterloo details aren’t as important, she said.

Our conclusion

Walker appeared on national TV and discussed the state’s repeal of collective bargaining rights for most public employees. The governor knows the extent of the law, and that it does not cover police and firefighters. Indeed, he started his answer apparently with that in mind: “We gave nearly every, well, we gave every public employee in the state the freedom to choose whether or not they want to be in a union or not,” he said.

Walker almost got it right. But he then backed away. And in the course of doing so, he got it wrong. We rate his statement False.

Source:  http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2012/apr/09/scott-walker/gov-scott-walker-says-wisconsin-gave-every-public-/

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is feeling the heat of the recall election he faces in June. In an exclusive interview with CBN’s David Brody, he said that the vitriolic campaign against him has gotten so bad that people are harassing his kids and mom.

“Last year, my 16 year old and my mother in her 70s were at a grocery store and got yelled at,” he said. “I’ve had my kids targeted on Facebook; we’ve had all those sorts of things. Now, thankfully for every one of them, there’s ten fold people that come up to me at a factory or a farm or small business and say, hey Governor, me and my family are praying for you. That never makes the news.”

Walker’s supporters aren’t the only ones turning to God. The embattled governor told CBN that he trusts that the recall election is part of God’s plan and prayer has helped him and his family get through a difficult year.

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/05/scott-walker-god-prayer-family-_n_1405340.html

Madison - State elections officials ordered a set of historic recall elections Friday, making Scott Walker the third governor in the nation to face a recall and Rebecca Kleefisch the first lieutenant governor to face one.

The Government Accountability Board, voting unanimously Friday, also set recall elections for four Republican state senators. One of those senators, Pam Galloway of Wausau, resigned earlier this month, but the recall election will be held anyway; one or more Republicans can run in her place.

Primaries will be held May 8 and general elections June 5. For races that do not require primaries, the general elections will be May 8 – less than six weeks away.

Primaries are expected in most races, but which ones have primaries won’t be clear until April 10, the deadline for candidates to file their nomination papers.

Just two other governors have faced recall elections in the country’s history: North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier in 1921 and California Gov. Gray Davis in 2003. Both were defeated.

Source:  http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/gab-sets-historic-recall-elections-for-walker-kleefisch-t04q7k6-145152265.html

LACROSSE, Wis. — Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is attacking rival Rick Santorum as a friend of “big labor” as they campaign in Wisconsin, where a fight over labor unions is fueling a bitter recall effort aimed at Gov. Scott Walker.

Santorum, in turn, is aligning himself with the embattled Republican governor, a play for a party base that he hopes will carry him to victory in the GOP presidential primary on Tuesday.

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/rick-santorum-scott-walker-_n_1387530.html?ref=elections-2012

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says his upcoming recall election is a “Waterloo” moment for national unions that will “invest everything possible to try and take me out to send a message.”

Walker told Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren on Monday night in Milwaukee he believes the vast majority of money that will pour into the June recall will come from out of state. And the unions, the Republican governor said, will be leading the charge against him in the new few months.

“The national unions, for them, this is all about the money,” Walker said. “It’s not just about the budget or collective bargaining. We gave nearly every, well, we gave every public employee in the state the freedom to choose whether or not they want to be in a union or not and I think that’s really why this is a Waterloo for them.”

Mitt Romney used a Wednesday tele-town hall with Wisconsin voters to give a strong endorsement to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican who is fighting off a recall effort led by Democrats.

“Gov. Walker is, in my opinion, an excellent governor,” Romney said. . ..

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/28/mitt-romney-scott-walker-wisconsin_n_1386075.html?ref=politics

Wisconsin is watching closely this week as the U.S. Supreme Court hears an extraordinary three days of oral arguments on the constitutionality of the federal health insurance reform law.

Any court decision that effectively rolls back or repeals the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be a double-whammy for Wisconsin health care consumers.

Not only would everyone who is helped by the law lose their hard earned benefits, many would also still be left to rely on a safety net that Gov. Scott Walker is relentlessly tearing down.

Millions of Wisconsin residents have already experienced firsthand the benefits of the ACA, including preventive care with no out-of-pocket costs for 1.6 million people, no lifetime limits on coverage for 2.1 million people, cheaper medications for 59,000 seniors and guaranteed coverage for 300,000 children with preexisting conditions.

Consumers will see even more protections and benefits soon.

Starting in 2014, insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against anyone with a preexisting condition such as asthma, breast cancer or diabetes. Women and girls will not be able to be charged higher premiums or otherwise discriminated against by an insurer just because they are female.

Annual limits on health coverage will no longer be allowed. And affordable insurance marketplaces will give small businesses and individuals the same purchasing power as big businesses, which will drive down costs for everyone.

Opponents of the health care law like Gov. Walker and Wisconsin’s Attorney General want to take these patient protections and rights away.

The Walker administration has bet the store on this week’s court case, choosing to shut down work on building the state’s affordable insurance marketplace and rejecting $37 million in “early innovator” grants to build computer system infrastructure.

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-richards/wisconsin-watches-nervous_b_1383825.html

WASHINGTON — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) pledged to add 250,000 private sector jobs in the state by the end of his four-year term, and as Democrats try to recall him and throw him out of office, a central part of his message to voters has been that he has made progress in that area. But with new employment figures showing sluggish growth, Walker is placing the blame on an unlikely culprit: federal health care reform.

Recent federal data show that although the state’s unemployment rate has gone down, Wisconsin has lost more jobs than any other state since Walker took office.

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/27/scott-walker-health-care-reform-wisconsin-obamacare_n_1383109.html

RACINE — Confronted with the latest details in the ongoing John Doe investigation into several aides that served under Governor Scott Walker while he was Milwaukee’s county executive, Walker spoke exclusively with FOX6 News Monday.

FOX6 News obtained court documents relating to the John Doe investigation, and one page shows the Milwaukee County District Attorney subpoenaed human resources files for seven members of Walker’s staff when he was county executive.

The first three of the people named in the documents have already been charged. Darlene Wink, Walker’s former constituent services coordinator faces two misdemeanor charges. Timothy Russell, Walker’s former deputy chief of staff faces charges for embezzling money meant for military veterans. Kelly Rindfleisch, Walker’s former deputy chief of staff, faces four felony counts of misconduct in office.

The next name on the list is that of Fran McLaughlin. McLaughlin is Walker’s former spokeswoman. The documents obtained by FOX6 News show she may have been working for Walker’s gubernatorial campaign while she was on the county payroll.

The court file includes transcripts of online chats involving Rindfleisch. Rindfleisch writes: “I got Fran highlighting all the mistakes in the press releases that the campaign does.”

No other Fran worked in Walker’s office while he served as county executive.

Source:  http://fox6now.com/2012/03/26/walker-responds-to-latest-details-in-ongoing-john-doe-investigation/

So far this year, the AFP Foundation has spent about $1.4 million on ads that will benefit Wisconsin’s GOP Gov. Scott Walker, who is facing a recall election. The ads don’t mention Walker, but feature individuals proclaiming that controversial policies he has put in place are “working.” In fact, last year AFP helped push some of those same policies, the most prominent of which curtails benefits for unionized public employees. (Not surprisingly, perhaps, Koch Industries was one of Walker’s biggest contributors in his gubernatorial race).

Source:  http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/03/energy-industry-trade-groups.html

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s largest medical association asked Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday to veto a bill that would add new requirements for doctors to ensure a woman isn’t forced into an abortion. Walker’s office said the governor is still evaluating the bill.

The Wisconsin Medical Society’s letter said the bill passed by the Republican-controlled state Legislature earlier this month would infringe on the physician-patient relationship. The doctors’ group also expressed concern that physicians who fail to follow the bill exactly will face a Class I felony charge.

Walker’s spokesman Cullen Werwie said the governor is still evaluating the bill, as well as others passed in the legislative session that adjourned last week. They include a bill that would make teaching about contraception use optional and emphasize abstinence in public schools’ sex education classes.

“We’re still evaluating all those bills,” Werwie said.

At a bill signing event Monday in Milwaukee, Walker said he hasn’t looked at the abortion and sex education bills because he’s been focusing on mining legislation.

Walker’s spokesman Cullen Werwie says the governor is still evaluating the bill as well as others passed in the legislative session that adjourned last week.

The abortion bill would specify what physicians can legally say to women seeking abortions. Supporters of the bill say it tightens language so women are not coerced into getting an abortion by a partner or family member. They say the bill would also make sure doctors aren’t doing abortion consultations remotely via webcams. But opponents argue that webcam consultations aren’t currently done in Wisconsin, and the bill’s true intent is to make it harder for a woman to get an abortion.

Supporters of the sex education bill say it gives school districts control over how they teach children in their local communities. Opponents say it would increase the risk of more sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancies for young people. Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D- Madison, released a letter Tuesday asking Walker to veto the bill.

Democrats have criticized the GOP-led Legislature for what they say was an “anti-woman” agenda during a session that should have focused more on jobs. The legislation also included a bill that would ban abortion coverage from policies obtained through a health insurance exchange that is to begin in 2014. The exchange will be a marketplace for small businesses and individuals to shop for health insurance coverage.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, sent Walker a letter Tuesday seeking vetoes on the bills.

“Governor, I think you and I can both agree that politicians should focus on legislation that puts Wisconsin back to work, not laws that oversteps the state’s role in a woman’s very personal and very private medical decisions,” he wrote in the letter.

Walker has until April 12 to sign or veto any of the bills before they automatically become law.

Source: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/355edd039b1648f3bd4a4c2f3541872c/WI–Abortion-Bill-Veto/

Twenty-nine circuit court judges in Wisconsin were among the thousands to sign recall petitions against Gov. Scott Walker, according to a Gannett Wisconsin Media analysis.

Source: http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20120318/OSH0104/203180315/29-Wisconsin-judges-signed-Governor-Scott-Walker-recall-petitions

Madison - Schools that teach sex education would have to tell students that abstinence is the only reliable way to prevent pregnancy under a bill headed to Gov. Scott Walker.

The Assembly approved the measure early Wednesday, after approving a bill putting restrictions on some insurance coverage for abortions. Lawmakers were also to consider new limits that would prevent doctors from providing abortion drugs remotely through the use of web cameras.

The moves on two hot-button social issues come after legislators, in a session touted for its focus on creating jobs, failed to pass a bill last week to streamline iron ore mining that supporters said would create thousands of good-paying jobs. Earlier this year, efforts to pump money into venture capital to spur the economy fizzled out.

The mining and venture capital legislation had been the top jobs bills this year for Republicans who control the Legislature.

Now, they have turned their attention elsewhere, and the abortion and sex education bills were among the crush of bills they debated Tuesday into early Wednesday. State representatives plan to return Thursday for a final — likely overnight — session

Source: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/assembly-to-deal-with-abortion-issues-today-mp4hs9t-142469195.html

Wisconsin election officials will have 11 more days to review petitions seeking the recall of Governor Scott Walker, according to a copy of an agreement provided by the state attorney general’s office.

Walker, a first-term Republican, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four state senators including Republican Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald are the targets of the recall drive started after Fitzgerald secured the passage of a bill limiting public employee collective bargaining rights, signed by the governor a year ago.

Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board sought an extension of the March 19 deadline so that it could complete its review of petition signatures.

“The board will meet March 30 to certify the results,” Reid Magney, a board spokesman, said in a telephone interview.

Source:  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-13/wisconsin-officials-get-more-time-to-study-recall-petitions

Texas and Wisconsin officials were barred from enforcing laws requiring voters to produce a government-issued photo identification before casting ballots.

The U.S. Justice Department yesterday told Texas officials the state failed to show that the statute signed into law by Governor Rick Perry last year won’t have a discriminatory effect on Latino voters while a Wisconsin state court judge held that an ID law enacted by fellow Republican Governor Scott Walker last year, unconstitutionally burdens the rights of eligible citizens.

Source:  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-12/wisconsin-voter-identification-law-is-blocked-by-second-state-court-judge

The Government Accountability Board has given the go-ahead to start the Recall elections for four Republicans at a date to be determined. determined that at least 18,282 valid signatures were submitted to recall Fitzgerald. Recall organizers for State Senator Scott Fitzgerald needed 16,742 signatures and submitted 20,735. Recall organizers for State Senator Scott Van Wanggaard needed 15,353 and submitted 23,712. Recall organizers for State Senator Scott Terry Moulton needed 14,958 and submitted 20,907. Recall organizers for State Senator Scott Pam Galloway needed 15,647 and submitted 18,511.

Here are the matchups so far with information on Democratic challengers:

Senator Scott Fitzgerald 13th Senate District Republican

Juneau

Lori Compas Web site Democratic Challenger

Senator Pam Galloway 29th Senate District Republican

Wausau

Rep. Donna Seidel Web site Democratic Challenger

Senator Terry Moulton 23rd Senate District Republican

Chippewa Falls

Rep. Kristen Dexter Web site Democratic Challenger

Senator Van Wanggaard 21st Senate District Republican

Racine

Former Sen. John Lehman Web site Democratic Challenger

Support all of the Democratic challengers so we can reclaim Wisconsin!

Source:  http://scottwalkerwatch.com/2012/03/12/support-the-democratic-challengers-in-upcoming-state-senate-recall-elections/

Under Wisconsin law, public officials are only allowed to create a legal defense fund if they are being investigated for or charged with a violation of campaign finance laws or prohibited election practices.

A spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what justification he used for establishing the fund. He announced previously this year hiring two defense attorneys to help him deal with the probe.

The Government Accountability Board has an overview of the regulations for legal defense funds. According to the document, legal defense funds can only be used for expenditures stemming from an investigation, being charged or a conviction.

Officials cannot solicit direct contributions to their legal defense funds. Instead, they are allowed to transfer contributions from their campaign accounts to the legal defense fund if a donor consents.

Lobbyists cannot contribute, and their past contributions cannot be transferred to the legal defense funds. The official creating a legal defense fund has to file a report with the GAB to identify each person who contributed more than $50 to the legal defense fund during the past year.

UPDATE, 6:05 p.m.: A Walker spokeswoman said the fund was established under the guidance of the GAB but she had no other information on the rationale for establishing it. She reiterated that Walker has been told he’s not a target of the John Doe probe.

Source:  http://elections.wispolitics.com/2012/03/state-regs-on-legal-defense-funds.html

Source: http://www.factcheck.org/2011/03/walkers-tax-cuts/

Source: http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/article/2012/mar/09/digging-claims-new-walker-ad/

Gov. Scott Walker recently launched this ad in anticipation of an all-but-certain recall election

Gov. Scott Walker has a new campaign TV ad, “Promises Kept,” but much of the ground it covers is familiar to PolitiFact Wisconsin readers.

The ad is the first since Walker declined to challenge recall petitions against him. Those petitions must be reviewed by the Government Accountability Board, and already there are Democrats who say they will run against him — and some others who are considering it.

In the ad, Walker introduces himself and speaks directly to viewers while leaning forward on a black couch. Over his shoulder, various words are used to drive home his point.

Let’s take a look at the ad from the top, relying mostly on our past Truth-O-Meter ratings and some new reporting:

Claim: “In the three years before I was elected, Wisconsin lost 150,000 jobs.”

This is accurate based on official figures at the time of the ad. There are a couple important notes, though.

One: the trend was not three straight years of losses.

In 2008 and 2009, amid and immediately after the Great Recession, net job losses totalled 164,000, a drop of 5.7 percent. But in 2010, the year before Walker took office, the state’s economy slowly began adding jobs (+12,000 jobs, up 0.4 percent) under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.

By comparison, in 2011, Walker’s first year, 3,200 overall jobs were added (+ 0.1 percent).

That’s all according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures at the time Walker released his ad.
Revised employment figures for 2010 and 2011 came out on March 8, after the ad was up.

They change a lot of the relevant math. They show Wisconsin actually lost 21,000 public and private jobs in Walker’s first year.

For the comparison in his ad, Walker uses figures that include government jobs as well as private-sector employment. By contrast, for his promise to create 250,000 jobs in four years, Walker uses only private sector tallies.

Looking at private sector only, and the figures available when Walker did his ad, Wisconsin added 13,500 jobs in Walker’s first year, with gains the first six months and losses the last six.

But the revised figures show a different trend: the loss of 9,700 private sector jobs in 2011.

Claim: “We promised to help employers create jobs. Today, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate, it’s the lowest it’s been since 2008.”

Walker’s centerpiece campaign promise was on creating more jobs, not the unemployment rate — two distinct measurements.

But Walker is correct that December 2011’s unemployment rate of 7.0 percent was the lowest in three years. The rate peaked at 9.2 percent in mid-2009 and early 2010 before starting to fall, and was at 7.7 percent when Walker took office in January 2011.

January 2012 figures released March 8 put the latest unemployment figure at 6.9 percent.

Claim: “We kept our promise to balance the budget without raising taxes, and without massive layoffs, protecting jobs, and eliminating a $3.6 billion deficit.”

In 2011, we gave Walker a Promise Broken on his pledge to “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.”

In his first budget, Walker proposed tax increases in the form of reduced tax credits for low-income homeowners and renters, and low-income working families. In the budget he signed, the increases totaled about $70 million over two years, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Walker notes that his tax cuts totaled more than those increases in the credits.

The governor did, as required by the state constitution, submit and sign a balanced budget. And Walker is, we said in February 2011, on generally solid ground in using $3.6 billion as the size of the deficit he faced going into his first budget.

(As we’ve noted, Walker broke a separate promise to balance the budget by a more stringent method that uses generally accepted accounting principles favored in the private sector.)

Claim: “We promised to hold the line on property taxes, and after years of tax increases, school property taxes actually went down.”

Under the tighter caps Walker and Republican lawmakers put in place, statewide property tax levies were basically flat for 2012 (up 0.3 percent), the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance reported. School levies dropped 1 percent, while municipal taxes went up mainly due to borrowing not covered by tightened tax limits.

Claim: “Because public employees now contribute to their health and pension benefits, we were able to put more money back into the classroom, increase funding for health care for our seniors, and keep thousands of firefighters, police officers, and teachers on the job.”

We’ll save most of that for another day, but there is an important note:

The first phrase — “now contribute” — suggests public employees were not already contributing toward their pension and health benefits before Walker’s budget. In fact, almost all were paying a share of health-insurance premiums. And many already were giving part of their pay to both pension and health — just not nearly as much as Walker’s budget required.

Most state employees were paying a share of health insurance premiums that was far below the national average, we found in February 2011.

Walker makes one final claim in the 60-second spot (there’s a 30-second version too).

Claim: “We can’t go back to the days of billion dollar budget deficits and double digit tax increases. ”

Wrapped in his admonition are some factual assertions, about the deficit and tax increases.

Multi-billion deficits heading into a budget year have become common in the last decade, we noted in February 2011. Doyle estimated a $3.2 billion deficit heading into 2003-2005, and at least $5.4 billion heading into 2009-2011 as tax collections sagged with the economy.

In January 2012, we rated Mostly True a Walker claim that Wisconsin Democrats during the previous administration had adopted “double-digit” tax increases on some types of income, services and products.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is fond of pointing out that he was voted into office based on his promise to take on state employee union collective bargaining rights so that he could get on with balancing the state’s budget.

Indeed, shortly after introducing his controversial ‘beat down’ of collective bargaining in the Badger State, Walker claimed that nobody should have been surprised by his actions because he had campaigned on the issue.

Image via WikipediaWalker claimed that nobody should be surprised by his actions because he had campaigned on the issue.

We introduced a measure last week, a measure I ran on during the campaign, a measure I talked about in November during the transition, a measure I talked about in December when we fought off the employee contracts, an idea I talked about in the inauguration, an idea I talked about in the state of the state. If anyone doesn’t know what’s coming, they’ve been asleep for the past two years.

Via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

While there have been continuing efforts to show that Scott Walker never did reveal his plans for collective bargaining in the state during the campaign, definitive proof has now emerged via a video tape of Candidate Walker being interviewed by the editorial board of the Oshkosh Northwestern— just one week before the election.

The smoking gun video was recently unearthed by Judd Lounsbury, and published on his Uppity Wisconsin blog, and reveals that Scott Walker was singing quite a different tune before winning his gubernatorial race. While you can watch the entire video at the Uppity Wisconsin website—and I recommend you do so—here is the relevant dialogue which takes place at 7:50 into the conversation -

Editorial Board Member: Before, we were talking about state employees contributing to their plan, paying their share of the pension plan. Collective bargaining come into that?

Walker: Yep (nodding yes)

Editorial Board Member: How do you get that negotiated and accepted by the state employee unions?

Walker: You still have to negotiate it. I did that at the county as well.

Walker went on to indicate that he was willing to work with the unions, pointing out that he had used furloughs as a bargaining tool when negotiating with unions as Milwaukee County Executive and that he would “approach a similar strategy for the state.” Walker further noted that he was open to compromise and that if the unions had ideas as to how to save money, he would be willing to explore what they might have to say.

Sounds reasonable to me—except that it turns out that Governor Walker had no interest whatsoever in what the unions had to say. In fact, we know that the state employees’ unions attempted to agree with Walker’s proposals to modify their collective bargaining agreements before the Governor introduced his legislation placing severe limits on collective bargaining.

So, Governor Walker fibbed. The question now is will Wisconsin voters care?

While it seems difficult to ignore that Walker very much sought to mislead Wisconsin voters on a very important issue, there remains considerable support for his anti-collective bargaining position in Wisconsin. Still, polls reveal that a majority of Wisconsinites disapprove of Walker’s anti-collective bargaining stance, calling into question whether or not the Governor would have emerged victorious in his race had he been more forthright with the voters of his state.

Certainly, Governor Walker is not the first politician to fudge the truth during an election. There are ample examples on both sides of the political divide where dishonest campaigning is the norm.

But will Wisconsin voters punish their governor for putting his state through the political turmoil that might have been avoided had he warned them of his plans? According to the most recent PPP survey, while Walker’s approval numbers in his state are upside down — 52 percent voice disapproval with their controversial governor— he fares better on the question of returning him to office. His fate, however, remains a toss up with 49 percent of Wisconsinites saying he should stay and 49 percent saying he should go.

Clearly, this is going to be a very interesting election and I cannot imagine a better opportunity for voters to voice the opinion that we would prefer our candidates to be honest about their plans before we elect them to office rather than surprise us after they’ve got the job.

Source:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/03/05/scott-walker-caught-in-pre-election-lie-on-collective-bargaining-plans-will-wisconsin-voters-care/

In the face of an expected recall election targeting Gov. Scott Walker and four Republican state senators, Wisconsin lawmakers were to consider a proposal Tuesday that would amend the state constitution to make it more difficult to toss an official from office.

The measure would only allow officeholders to be recalled if they have been charged with a serious crime or if there is a finding of probable cause that they violated the state code of ethics.

Under current law, no grounds are needed to seek a recall.

Republican supporters, including the amendment’s sponsor Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, say changes are needed to limit recalls given the flurry of such efforts over the past year. Republicans say Walker and the others are being unfairly targeted simply for doing their job.

The recalls are largely motivated over anger related to Walker’s proposal that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers. It was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature last year.

Last summer, six Republican and three Democratic state senators stood for recall. Two Republicans were tossed from office, leaving the GOP with a slim 17-16 majority in the Senate.

This year, four more Republican state senators, Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch could face recall elections as soon as May. Election regulators are in the process of verifying recall petition signatures and calling the elections.

It’s not surprising that the proposal has come up in Wisconsin given last year’s recalls and the ones pending against Walker and others, said Joshua Spivak, a recall expert and senior fellow at Wagner College in New York.

“Any time there’s a controversial recall, there’s discussion of changing the recall,” he said.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/wisconsin-recall-rules_n_1325254.html

Ever since the Florida-based mining company Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) mining project legislation was clumsily launched by Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald doing the bidding of Scott Walker’s campaign pay-for play antics for Florida fatcat billionaire Chris Clines, the usual suspects within the Fitzwalkerstan Cult have tried to appease Walker’s intentions to have Wisconsin environmental standards to protect its citizens stripped and possible legal litigation evaporated.

Trying to rush through legislation that was ghost-written by Koch Brothers-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the legislation has been almost left for dead with some possibilities of survival, thanks to ALEC puppets Representative Robin Vos and Senator Alberta Darling.  The latest steps include trying to privatize the environmental impact studies, which surely would be done by dubious means:

Rep. Vos and Sen. Darling have proposed to make the bill even worse in two ways: First, by inserting a “poison pill” by requiring DNR refund all costs for review of a permit application if the permit is not issued in 360 days. Second, they propose to privatize the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to an outside third party to be chosen by competitive bidding. The EIS is designed to be the objective scientific document used to both determine impacts from proposals and as the basis for permitting decisions.

“Rep. Vos and Sen. Darling want to outsource the most important document related to mine permitting – the EIS – to the lowest bidder, then eliminate oversight of the EIS by prohibiting contested case hearings, and hold the entire process hostage by making DNR return all permitting costs to the company if they’re not awarded a permit. The result would be a mine permit based on possibly fraudulent or false information with no way for the state or the public to determine its accuracy. Rep. Vos and Sen. Darling are demonstrating unequivocally that they value the demands of private mining companies over the state’s responsibilities to protect public resources,” said Blouin.

More from Sierra Club press release

Appearing to want to rush through the environmental impact studies, which combine environmental, social and economic aspects to a project, it surely seems like the only intention is to hide information about what would happen in the future regarding the massive mining project. When the legislation mentions that it doesn’t “provide for citizen suits related to iron mining”, there is no doubt that ill intent is the strategy behind Walker and those who support this legislation.

There is still a chance of last-minute “bipartisan” legislation where Gogebic Taconite management may wave a golden carrot to some unions in the state in upcoming deals, but it all may finally lead to a legal fight with Bad River Chippewa land treaties as a reason where the mining project finally dies. Time will tell.

Source:  http://scottwalkerwatch.com/2012/03/05/alec-written-gogebic-taconite-mining-project-legislation-many-include-privatizing-environmental-impact-studies/

With his job on the line, Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., has now taken steps to soften his image. Salon.com’s Josh Eidelson reports.

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

Though former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold would win big, a new Public Policy Polling survey finds it would be a close race when Walker is matched up against just about any expected Democratic challenger.

• By Adam W. McCoy

• Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett leads Walker 49 percent to 46 percent;

• Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk wins against Walker 48 percent to 47 percent;

• U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse comes out ahead of Walker 46 percent to 45 percent;

• Walker beats former U.S. Rep. Dave Obey of Wausau 47 percent to 45 percent;

• Walker beats state Sen. Jon Erpenbach of Middleton 47 percent to 44 percent;

• Walker leads state Rep. Peter Barca of Kenosha 48 percent to 46 percent;

• Walker leads Secretary of State Doug La Follette 46 percent to 45 percent;

• Walker tops state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout 46 percent to 44 percent

Source:  http://shorewood.patch.com/articles/walker-vulnerable-to-three-democratic-challengers-poll-says

Veteran Gil Paar holds his Department of Veterans Affairs identification card on Tuesday, February 21, 2012. Paar tried to use the card to vote on Tuesday, but was by election officials. / Gregory Shaver gregory.shaver@journaltimes.com

MOUNT PLEASANT — A local man wasn’t allowed to use his veteran’s card to vote in Tuesday’s primary and he’s pretty steamed about it.

Gil Paar, 69, of Mount Pleasant, said he went to his polling place, Peace Lutheran Church, and when asked by poll workers to provide the ID, he handed over his U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs card. The poll workers said the ID, which includes Paar’s photo, wasn’t considered an acceptable form of identification under the state’s new voter ID law, Paar says. They asked him if he had a driver’s license he could offer. He did, he said. But he refused to show it and didn’t vote.

“Basically I was trying to make a point,” Paar said. “I gave them four years of my life, why shouldn’t I be able to use my vet’s card?”
Read more: http://www.journaltimes.com/article_03e78de0-5cf8-11e1-a5e2-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1npOl3DI8

Gov. Scott Walker will not challenge any of the signatures filed against him because his campaign did not have enough time to review the more than 150,000 pages filed seeking his recall, a spokeswoman said.

Walker faced a deadline today to file challenges after a Dane County judge granted him a 20-day extension beyond the 10 days allotted under state law. Walker also sought an additional two weeks but was turned down.

“We faced an impossible timeline,” said Walker spokeswoman Ciara Matthews.

Matthews declined comment when asked if the campaign would appeal the ruling denying additional time beyond the original extension.

She said the campaign will rely on the GAB to strike fraudulent signatures instead of filing any challenges.

Matthews said recall organizers were given 60 days to collect signatures, twice the time the campaign was given to review them.

“It obviously takes more time to verify signatures than it does to collect them,” she said.

The campaign planned to release a statement this afternoon about its decision.

State Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate responded this morning that the Walker campaign had gathered millions of dollars and thousands of volunteers to look over the signatures in a timeframe already three times longer than the window allowed under state law.

“It’s bordering on the absurd,” Tate said of the campaign’s statement in a conference call with reporters. He added that the campaign’s decision reflects that “they can’t give us one example of a fraudulent signature.”

Source:  http://elections.wispolitics.com/2012/02/citing-time-crunch-walker-camp-wont.html

Billionaire campaign donor David Koch, heir to a fortune and a political legacy created by one of the driving forces behind the John Birch Society, makes no secret of his enthusiasm for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

“What Scott Walker is doing with the public unions in Wisconsin is critically important. He’s an impressive guy and he’s very courageous,” Koch explained in a recent conversation reported by the Palm Beach Post. “If the unions win the recall, there will be no stopping union power.”

Read more:  http://www.thenation.com/blog/166385/david-koch-admits-were-helping-scott-walker-big-money

MADISON- The I-Team confronts a state representative after he’s caught breaking a rule and that state representative was caught on tape!

The issue is caught on, what appears to be, cell phone video.  Whoever posted it online is trying to prove there’s voter fraud in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Representative Joel Kleefisch can be seen in a video, now on You Tube, voting for an absent member.

Rob Koebel: “Did you break a rule?”
Joel Kleefisch: “It depends on how you interpret the rule.”

And here is the rule: only the members present in the Assembly Chamber may vote.
So what is going on with Kleefisch — who admits he voted for another rep?

“The rule says you have to be present in the chamber.  The bathroom counts as the chamber.  And the parlor counts as a chamber if you are going to eat,” said Joel Kleefisch.

In fact, Representative Jason Fields says it happens all the time with both sides — Democrats and Republicans.

“Yeah, it’s done when you have a conversation with your seat mate to know where they are at,” said Rep. Fields.

Both lawmakers claim it’s not breaking the rules, because technically the representative is still in the chamber.

The I-Team has confronted the state on this issue before, back in 1996 — back when Governor Scott Walker was a state representative, wanting the behavior to stop and the rules to change.

“Change the rule to apply to people we are talking about who aren’t in the chamber and aren’t aware of what is going on,” said Scott Walker.

Kleefisch has seen the video and calls it another attempt at character assassination.

“We are targets.  My wife is under recall.  We are targets.  He shoots specific video of me when he could have shot 24 to 50 people at that time,” said Kleefisch.

Source:

http://www.todaystmj4.com/features/iteam/140096183.html?action=editcomment&cid=82055052&page=3

A Wisconsin judge Friday denied Governor Scott Walker extra time to review the estimated one million signatures submitted last month to the state in an effort to recall him.

Dane County Judge Richard Niess refused to give Walker ’s campaign the two extra weeks it requested to examine the signatures on the estimated 152,000 pages of petitions recall organizers turned into the Government Accountability Board (GAB).

Walker and other Republican lawmakers were targeted for recall by Democratic organizers after he led a successful effort to limit public worker collective bargaining rights.

“We hope today ’s ruling, where a judge found that all recall elections likely will proceed, will end his heinous attempt to avoid accountability,” said state Democratic Party chair Mike Tate in a statement .

A spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin called the decision “concerning”.

“The court ’s decision to deny Friends of Scott Walker an extension to verify these recall petitions is concerning, given that it has become apparent that an adequate review of recall signatures could not be met within the current time limit,” said state Republican spokesman Ben Sparks. He said the state Republican Party and Friends of Scott Walker will continue their efforts to verify the signatures.

The deadline remains February 27 for Walker ’s campaign to review signatures and file challenges with the GAB. Recall organizers needed to collect 540,208 valid signatures to force a recall of the governor.

According to the motion Walker ’s lawyers filed with the court, the campaign has examined about 25 percent of the petition pages and have found problems with up to 20 percent of them.

At that rate, given the estimated one million signatures, Walker ’s campaign would not have enough challenges to thwart a recall election.

The campaign originally had 10 days to examine the signatures. On January 25, Niess granted the campaign 20 extra days.

http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/227352.html

Facing a near-certain recall election, Walker that day used his Twitter account to highlight the story as a failure of the previous administration, that of Democrat Jim Doyle. (Other tweets included the fact he stopped for ham and rolls after church.)

His tweet: “Headline ‘State spends millions for 202 jobs’, missed rest of sentence: ‘under program approved by Gov Doyle.’”

In other words, the poor performing program was created under Doyle. And that’s where the blame should fall, Walker says.

Did Doyle approve the plan?

The legislation creating the program was introduced in 1997 and passed and signed into law the following year — not by Democrat Doyle, but by then-Gov. Tommy Thompson, a fellow Republican now running for a U.S. Senate vacancy.

Doyle didn’t take office until 2003, five years after the CAPCO bill was signed.

Indeed, the proposal had bipartisan support. It was authored by Democratic state Sen. Gwen Moore, now a congresswoman from Milwaukee. Among the 89 members of the state Assembly who voted in favor of the bill March 25, 1998: Walker himself.

Walker’s tweet gained a broader audience the following day. WTMJ radio talk show host Charlie Sykes picked up on the topic and in a three minute segment linked Doyle to the CAPCO program five times. He called it “a Jim Doyle idea,” and said the program was “one of Jim Doyle’s signature venture capital bills.”

In an email, Sykes acknowledged that the program was created under Thompson. And he pointed out that Walker had tweeted on the subject the day before.

We asked Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie to explain the tweet, but he didn’t respond.

Our conclusion

In the wake of a story about poor jobs results of a state-sponsored program, Walker sought to pin the blame on his predecessor, Jim Doyle. But he was off by five years, two governors — Thompson and successor Scott McCallum — and one political party.

As governor, Doyle didn’t have anything to do with approving the CAPCO bill. But as an Assembly member, Scott Walker did. Pants on Fire.

Gov. Scott Walker said Thursday that he doesn’t bear responsibility for the actions and activities of his former county aides who are now facing criminal charges as part of a John Doe investigatio

The head of a state agency late last year gave a political appointment – and a nearly $27,000 annual raise – to the wife of a Republican Party official without considering any other applicants, state records show.

In December, Angela Herl took over a state division with 40 employees that processes credentials for dozens of professions such as doctors, even though she had no direct experience in that area. Herl had not previously managed any staff during her 20 years working for the state as a payroll and benefits specialist.

With the new job, Herl received a 49% pay boost, raising her annual salary from $54,378 to $81,265.
Herl is married to Mike Herl, chairman of the Dane County Republican Party, and she landed her new job less than a year after GOP Gov. Scott Walker faced an uproar over the hiring of a campaign donor’s son with few qualifications.

“It appears almost the only credentials you need is to have the right connections,” said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). “They don’t seem to mind what the public perception is when they provide people with these huge pay increases.”

But Dave Ross, Walker’s secretary of the Department of Safety and Professional Services, said Angela Herl was hired on merit alone.

He said he gave her the job because he had been impressed by her work in payroll. He believed she had a good understanding of the agency and so could run the credentialing division even though she had not worked in that area before, Ross said.

He said he did not consider anyone else for the job and did not ask for Herl’s resume.

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin elections officials disclosed Monday that a 100-year-old white brick building two miles east of the state Capitol is the previously secret location where petitions seeking the recall of Gov. Scott Walker and five other Republican officeholders are being stored, checked and processed.

While the location of the building had been kept from the public for security reasons, a webcam that broadcast, without sound, the work being done attracted tens of thousands of visitors in the opening days.

The 147,000 sq.-foot building serves many government functions, including housing the state’s motor pool and printing and mail services, so it’s familiar to many state workers.
“This has been a catchall facility for the state for a long time,” said Kevin Kennedy, director of the Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections and is in charge of the work being done. “When I described this as gated with barbed wire, a lot of state employees knew what I was talking about.”

For the past month, about 50 temporary workers earning about $10 an hour have been poring through roughly 1.9 million signatures on the recall petitions submitted Jan. 17.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/wisconsin-recall-scott-walker-petition-site_n_1274042.html

Wisconsin plans to use part of its $140 million share of the national foreclosure settlement to fill a budget hole. Missouri would devote $40 million for education. Ohio wants to tear down vacant homes.

Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) announced that he would use the funds his state received from a $26 billion mortgage settlement between 49 states and the nation’s largest banks to help balance the state’s budget, even though the settlement money was marked to help homeowners.

In all, Walker will use $25.6 million of the $31.6 million Wisconsin’s state government receives to help close a budget shortfall.

Though Walker’s move to push struggling homeowners aside may seem radical, it is now being followed by at least one other state. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) and Attorney General Chris Koster (D) have pledged to put $40 million of the state’s $196 million share of the settlement into the state’s general fund to boost its higher education budget, Stateline reports:

Koster, a Democrat, told reporters on Thursday that he agrees with the governor’s call for more higher education funding and will transfer the $40 million Nixon has requested into the general fund, citing the “severe budget shortages” the state faces.

Though specific terms of the settlement have not been released, states have been given significant leeway on how to spend the money from it. According to the National Mortgage Settlement website, however, the money is supposed to “help fund consumer protection and state foreclosure protection efforts.”

The full $26 billion, though, is already woefully short of what is needed to ameliorate the nation’s housing crisis, and diverting funds from it to other problems will only exacerbate that fact.

Yesterday, 49 states joined the federal government in announcing a $26 billion settlement with five of the nation’s biggest banks over the banks’ foreclosure fraud abuses. The money from the settlement is meant to aid homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure or who find themselves underwater, meaning they owe more on their mortgage than their home is currently worth.

However, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) — whose high profile assault on workers’ rights has prompted a recall effort against him — isn’t planning to use the money to help homeowners. Under the terms of the settlement, Wisconsin is set to receive $140 million, $31.6 million of which comes directly to the state government. And Walker is planning to use $25.6 million of that money to help balance his state’s budget. . .

The cost of new legislation, a substantial reduction in tax revenues and a series of outstanding debts has the state facing a budget shortfall of more than $143 million in 2013.

An analysis of the state’s budget released Thursday by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau says lower-than-expected tax revenues generated by employment, consumption and home sales have hit Wisconsin hard, costing state coffers more than $272.8 million.

Unless Gov. Scott Walker finds some way to save at least $71.4 million by the end of the two-year spending plan in June 2013, he will be forced to author another budget repair bill, a move on Thursday he said would not be necessary.

Two days after Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Gov. John Kasich’s anti-labor agenda by 61 percent to 39 percent in a referendum, the nation’s primary proponent of the war on worker rights opened a new front. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker jetted to Arizona, where he huddled with policymakers at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale. After a series of closed-door sessions, he briefed a thousand Arizona conservatives on how they could attack “the big-government union bosses.”

“We need to make big, fundamental, permanent structural changes. It’s why we did what we did in Wisconsin,” declared Walker, who at the annual dinner of the right-wing Goldwater Institute said that compromising with unions was “bogus.”

Comparing governors who have been attacking the collective bargaining rights of public employees with the founders of the American experiment — “just like that group that gathered in Philadelphia” — Walker told his listeners: “We need to have leaders not just in Wisconsin but here in Arizona …”

If anyone missed the point, Walker said: “Tonight, you might say I’m preaching to the choir with a bunch of fellow conservatives. … I preach to the choir because I want the choir to sing. So tonight I’m asking you to sing. Tell the message in Arizona and all across America that we can do things better.”

Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/john_nichols/john-nichols-walker-alec-take-war-on-workers-national/article_c73b91a0-11a1-5280-8979-08c7d444157a.html#ixzz1lqDVEA68

MILWAUKEE — A staffer who worked for Gov. Scott Walker when Walker was the Milwaukee County executive has pleaded guilty to two charges of posting pro-Walker messages online on county time.

Darlene Wink of Cudahy was charged with two misdemeanor counts of political solicitation by a public employee. The charges carry a maximum combined penalty of one year in prison and a $2,000 fine.

The 61-year-old Wink reached a plea agreement Tuesday, under which prosecutors agreed to recommend only a fine. She will be sentenced May 15.

Defense attorney Peter Wolff says Wink has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in related investigations involving people near Walker.

Wink resigned in May 2010 after admitting to posting anonymous pro-Walker comments on websites and blogs.

Tomorrow the Arizona State Legislature will announce new laws gutting the ability for public sector unions to do pretty much anything, going beyond moves made by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to limit collective bargain rights of unions in his state.

Feel free to not support those in this list who supported Scott Walker in the 2010 election with contributions of over $5,000 or more. If you want to use this list to support these businesses, no one is stopping you. If you want to support some businesses and not others, that’s your judgment call.  Consider it a bit like collective bargaining where everyone gets to contribute to the discussion. Scott Walker and the Fitzwalkerstan Cult, hate that idea.

Some of the businesses who were on this list have been taken off, but there certainly is a great list that contains everyone.

While some may complain that their business is hurt by a boycott, they need to understand that the Walker War on the Working Class takes a LOT of money out of the pockets of the people and customers who would support their businesses if the PACs and their lobbyists hadn’t sucked up to the Fitzwalkerstan Cult. Those who think a boycott is affecting their business need to contact the PAC related to their business that is feeding the Walker Machine behind their backs and express their outrage.

It’s your choice to not give any of those on this list a dime or any business. Tell your friends. Please don’t put labels on store products since it’s illegal and not really effective anyway. If you want your name removed from the list, follow these two easy steps.

More information is on Facebook.
Note: What’s been great about this page is that the more the right-wing stooge web sites link to it, the higher the page goes into Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines, hence making the page even more popular! These bankster-apologist web sites generally have about as much of a clue about technology as they do about what’s going on politically, since they get their opinions from college dropouts like Beck, Hannity and drug-addled gasbag Rush Limbaugh. So all you right-wing web sites, please link to this page as much as you can. Search bots love web traffic and this page gets even more traffic. Additionally, please note that this web site is not affiliated with any union or official organization.

Emails: Firm hid identity in site search

Spectrum Brands began its successful quest for a $4 million award from the state without revealing its identity or that it was already based in Wisconsin, public records show.

Initial overtures were made by Harry J. Joseph, an Atlanta-based real estate consultant. Joseph did not disclose which company he represented when he asked in January 2011 “what incentives might be available to our client should they decide to consolidate in Wisconsin.”

Emails obtained through an open records request by WTDY Radio in Madison and shared with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism show that Joseph suggested that the backlash over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill made his unidentified client reluctant to pick Madison — where it was already located.

The Wisconsin Realtors Association has endorsed Gov. Scott Walker in a possible recall race, but some members question the decision since a challenger hasn’t been selected.

Some members feel it’s just the latest, increasingly partisan move the Realtors Association has made. Many would like to see the group get out of the public politics business altogether.

Troy Thiel can’t quite figure how backing Walker will help Wisconsin Realtors sell homes.

“One-hundred percent of Wisconsin is our consumer,” said Thiel. “Not supporters of this party and that party, but 100 percent of Wisconsin.”

Two former aides to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker were charged Thursday with allegedly doing political fundraising while working on taxpayer time in the Milwaukee County Executive’s office when he ran it.

The Milwaukee County district attorney announced Thursday that Kelly Rindfleisch and Darlene Wink, who both worked for Walker, who may face a recall election later this year, when he served as county executive, engaged in campaign fundraising during work hours.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72039.html#ixzz1kbaRLZT6

With January 17, 2012 finally here, it seems fitting somehow that Scott Walker would not actually be in the state where he is supposed to govern. He’d rather be partying it up on Park Street in New York City. Maurice Greenberg is hosting the swanky party, where $2,500 gets you a ticket to get in.  The location of the event is 399 Park Avenue, NYC from 4-5:30pm.

So who is Mr. Greenberg?

Maurice R. “Hank” Greenberg, “ranked 132 in the world and 59th in the US with assets of $3.1 billion,” was forced out as Chairman of top insurance company American International Group (AIG) after the company “admitted to $1.7 billion in improper accounting.” In Spring 2005, “two of Greenberg’s sons, both executives in the insurance business, have also been tarnished by scandal.”

Walker would rather be begging for cash with Wall Street swindlers and banksters who cost the American people billions of dollars in bailouts that perhaps being in the state where he is governor.

The state will turn down $38 million in federal money that could have gone to implementing the federal health care law in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday.

The Republican governor said that he was returning the money because he won’t seek to create a health care marketplace that is called for under the federal law. The move followed sustained criticism of Walker by conservatives who oppose the health law passed by President Barack Obama and Congress in 2010.

The governor has consistently opposed the federal law, but for a time last year Walker had said that he wanted the state to develop its own plan for the marketplace so Wisconsin would have more control over how the law is implemented.
“I have directed the Department of Health Services to notify the federal government that we will discontinue any development on a health exchange and that Wisconsin will turn down funding from the (federal) program,” Walker said in a statement. “Stopping the encroachment of ObamaCare in our state, which has the potential to have a devastating impact on Wisconsin’s economy, is a top priority.”

The so-called health exchange is a marketplace for individuals and small businesses to buy insurance coverage under the federal law.

The state will turn down $38 million in federal money that could have gone to implementing the federal health care law in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday.

The Republican governor said that he was returning the money because he won’t seek to create a health care marketplace that is called for under the federal law. The move followed sustained criticism of Walker by conservatives who oppose the health law passed by President Barack Obama and Congress in 2010.

The governor has consistently opposed the federal law, but for a time last year Walker had said that he wanted the state to develop its own plan for the marketplace so Wisconsin would have more control over how the law is implemented.

“I have directed the Department of Health Services to notify the federal government that we will discontinue any development on a health exchange and that Wisconsin will turn down funding from the (federal) program,” Walker said in a statement. “Stopping the encroachment of ObamaCare in our state, which has the potential to have a devastating impact on Wisconsin’s economy, is a top priority.”

The so-called health exchange is a marketplace for individuals and small businesses to buy insurance coverage under the federal law.

WASHINGTON — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is facing a backlash from his attempts to consolidate his power over a veterans agency that traditionally remained nonpartisan and relatively free from political meddling.

On Tuesday, Marvin Freedman became the third member of Wisconsin’s state Board of Veterans Affairs to resign, citing Walker’s attempt to gain greater control over the Department of Veterans Affairs. The objections by Freedman and others stem in large part from AB 96, a law passed last year, that allows the governor to appoint the VA secretary. The secretary was formerly appointed by the Board of Veterans Affairs, whose members are appointed by the governor.

“When you signed AB 96 into law last summer, you relegated the Board into irrelevance and ensured the politicalization of the position of Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Freedman wrote in a resignation letter addressed to Walker.

Freedman, a Vietnam veteran, has two bronze stars and has served as an advocate for Wisconsin veterans since 1982. In 2000, he received the United States Army Commander’s Award for Public Service for his work with veterans. He was appointed to the VA board in 2004 by former Democratic governor Jim Doyle and was supposed to serve until 2015.

The 1 million signatures will ensure that a recall election will take place later this year.

Organizers behind the recall of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker collected 1 million signatures to be submitted to the state’s Government Accountability Board on Tuesday, dwarfing the required number of names and virtually ensuring that a recall election will take place later this year.

Organizers needed to gather 540,208 valid signatures, or 25 percent of all of the votes cast in the election that put Walker in office last January, to force a recall election, but they had aimed for hundreds of thousands more than the minimum requirement to ensure that they met the threshold even if some signatures are disqualified.

As the months-long campaign to force a recall election of Walker neared its end, State Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate predicted Tuesday’s outcome earlier this week, telling POLITICO he was confident that the final tally would “hit or exceed” their goal of 720,000 signatures and saying the message he hoped would resonate with Wisconsin voters was that “help is on the way.”

“An incredible number of Wisconsinites have stood up to be counted and say, ‘We can’t wait for the next election. We absolutely must get Scott Walker out of office right now,’” said Tate.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71548.html#ixzz1jkNw2Gx6

We all get by with a little help from our friends.

But this week Gov. Scott Walker was probably hoping for a little less help from his friends at the conservative business organization, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

WMC has generously started buying billboards to show its support for Walker, who is facing a massive statewide recall effort. Trouble is, a big WMC billboard reading “Governor Scott Walker Creating Jobs for Wisconsin” was set up right in front of Janesville’s shuttered General Motors plant, one of the most painful symbols of job losses in the state.

The sign’s small print also encouraged people to call Walker and say, “Thanks.” Ouch.

In an interview with a reporter at the Governor’s Mansion just before Christmas, Scott Walker announced an abrupt change in Wisconsin’s approach to national health care reform. The timing and manner of the revelation was designed to limit publicity for a policy shift that needlessly delays action on one of the most pressing problems facing the Wisconsin.

It had been the position of both Governor Doyle and Walker that Wisconsin should vigorously plan the new competitive health insurance marketplaces (so called “health insurance exchanges”), which are a centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act, the new national health care reform law. The goal is to establish greater competition on cost and quality between health insurance companies, consumer standards that outlaw the worst insurance abuses such as the denial of coverage based on preexisting conditions, and to guarantee more consumer options for high quality affordable health coverage.

Walker has now suspended planning for implementing the new competitive health marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act until the U.S. Supreme Court decides legal challenges next summer. This will leave Wisconsin unprepared to meet the end of the year deadline for submitting its plan. This position is inconsistent, as Walker continues to vigorously implement a number of his own initiatives which are under legal challenge.

MADISON — A legislative committee was scheduled to take up a bill Thursday that would roll back transparency for those contributing to political campaigns.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, would do away with a provision in state election law that requires those who donate more than $100 during a calendar year reveal their employer.

The disclosure law is meant as a way of preventing business owners from secretly donating money to campaigns through their employees. But this year, during the heated protests over collective bargaining, those same reports were sometimes used to protest or boycott businesses that supported Gov. Scott Walker and other Republicans.

“To restore civility and help our business climate, we have to leave businesses off these reports,” Grothman said.

Grothman’s bill would strike the employer requirement, leaving only the need for a donor to list their occupation. Grothman said the proposal is necessary because the “mean public unions don’t care about business, they only care about creating friction.”
Grothman said he had only “anecdotal” evidence of this being a problem.

Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said Grothman’s bill would be a big step back for the state. McCabe’s organization tracks money in politics and uses the campaign reports to give a fuller view of the forces behind politicians.

“It would be a dagger to the heart of our disclosure laws,” he said.

Since February of 2011, there has been a huge push in Wisconsin to recall Governor Walker. In November, Wisconsin citizens were given the chance to collect enough petitions to force a recall election of the governor. It has been reported by some the recall effort is only coming from certain areas of the state.

To find out the truth, this reporter drove 200 miles from La Crosse to Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee, to document pro-Recall and pro-Walker signs along the way. One of the most innovative signs was at mile 200, near Brookfield were a series of Wisconsin license plates saying “Recall Walker” were used by volunteers waving to honking motorists on Bluemound Road. But, it was at the rural locations and highways that provided a more personal and insightful view of the recall issue.

Mile 25- Viroqua, WI Population 4400. Found a large recall sign petition signing location at the Democratic headquarters. Petitioners walked the downtown streets to find potential recall signers.

Mile 36- Readstown, WI Population 395. Found a “Stand with Walker” sign and 4 “Recall Walker” signs.

Mile 40- Outside Readstown in a rural area, I found a two-sign display, one professionally printed, the other hand stenciled. The recall signs gave the impression that perhaps they were the work of a Wisconsin hunter. It was merely speculation.

Mile 41- A few miles further I found a typical Wisconsin farm with a sign prominently displayed saying, “Keep Walker.” The sign suggests there was some farm support for the Governor.

Mile 43- Just ahead another reminder that some citizens see the recall as a “power grab” for money and power as it read, “Recallers want your money and their power.” A somewhat ominous message.

Mile 83- Spring Green, WI Population 1444. A ranch proudly states, “Keep Walker, No More Recalls.” Evidently this sign supports the Governor, but also suggests the owner does not like the idea of recalls.

Mile 90 Arena, WI Population 685. A large red sign tells motorists that a Recall Station is ahead.

Mile 91 Bob’s BBQ Emporium serves as a Recall Walker site. I think ribs were still on the menu.

Mile 97 Mazomanie, WI, population 1485. A group of petition gatherers stopped to talk about why they were working for the recall effort. Jim Schroeder, a retired educator said, “We are getting closer to our goal.  So far we’ve got 100 signatures this week.” When another volunteer was asked about gathering petitions, Joanne Ellarson said, “People have been honking their horns in support. A few people have been giving us “thumbs down”, and some have been giving us “the bird.” Joanne stood there undeterred as more cars drove by, still honking. She held up her clipboard with petitions ready for the next petition signer.

Mile 105- Black Earth, WI Population 1320. Another recall center was set up with pink flamingos and palm trees. The palm trees were an obvious reference to a national Fox News report that used violent protest footage from California when talking about the Madison protests. This recall group was upbeat, and had a sense a humor.

Mile 200- Brookfield, WI Population 37,920. This is where the trip ended, with several people holding up life-sized Wisconsin license plates saying, “Recall Walker.”
What can we learn from this cross section of 200 miles of Wisconsin? First, it clearly shows the recall effort is not an isolated event but a state-wide issue. If we tabulate the number of signs found, it would show approximately 70% for the recall, 30% for Walker. However, yard signs are not an accurate measurement of how people vote. In the end, 200 miles tells us that is a divided state, a polarized state, and a state under siege by an unprecedented recall event. In less than a week Wisconsin and the U.S. will know if enough recall signatures will be collected to force the state’s first Governor recall election. If successful, we will know two things, an upcoming election, and many, many more signs.

In November, Gov. Scott Walker released a press release titled “Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators survey shows Walker’s reforms are working.” The survey did not ask if the administrators enacted the reforms. How can this conclusion be made without this vital question?

The press release did not indicate that half of the responding districts accepted federal stimulus funds to deal with budget shortfalls. What will happen next year?

Wisconsin police and firefighters are calling blackmail over the actions of local governments under Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial collective bargaining law.

Officials with the state’s biggest police union, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, told the Associated Press that its members are being threatened with health insurance cost hikes if they don’t pay into their retirement funds—an ultimatum the WPPA said is tantamount to blackmail.

“These employers tell their officers that unless you agree to pay this, we will make health insurance nearly unaffordable for you and your families,” said WPPA executive director Jim Palmer.

Illinois is gung-ho on trains. With hundreds of millions of federal dollars, the state is putting in place a rail network to connect St. Louis to Chicago, and all points in between. Michigan is pouring its federal dollars into a Detroit-Chicago line. In Minnesota, state officials, with the backing of the Federal Railroad Administration, are longing for faster, more frequent rail service to Chicago. It’s all part of a vast, ambitious plan to connect the country on a scale not seen since the U.S. Interstate System was proposed in the 1950s.

But Wisconsin’s in the way.

The Waukesha County Republican Party hosted a “Who’s Who” of GOP officials from around the state on Wednesday evening as the GOP “Victory Center” officially opened its doors January 4.  The re-election effort of Governor Scott Walker kicked off exactly one day after the 1-year anniversary of Walker’s inauguration on January 3, 2011.

The GOP cohort included: Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, State Senator Scott Fitzgerald, State Senator Leah Vukmir, State Senator Van Wangaard, State Senator Mary Lazich, and State Senator Rich Zipperer, among others. Longtime Waukesha County GOP Chairman, Don Taylor and Wisconsin State GOP Chairman, Brad Courtney were also on hand to fire up the crowd of about 250.

State GOP Chair Courtney urged volunteers to stay focused and to stay on message, and highlighted the intensity of the public employee union opposition: “Wisconsin has set the blueprint for the rest of the nation and the other side in Madison is angry and well-funded. It’s going to be a knife fight for the next 4 to 5 months.” He added, “While Waukesha County always performs better than any other part of the state, it has to do even better this time.”

MADISON — Gov. Scott Walker says he plans on winning if there is a recall election against him, but he’s not afraid of losing.

Walker made the comments Thursday during an appearance at the Washington-based conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute.

Three people with ties to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have been arrested.

Three people, including a former aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, were arrested Thursday as part of a secret criminal probe that found two of the men stole funds intended for wounded vets and families of U.S soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By MACKENZIE WEINGER

A recall of controversial Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker now appear inevitable. In just 28 days, activists collected 507,533 signatures. Organizers have until January 17 to collect 540,208 signatures, which is equal to 25% of the state’s 2010 general election turnout. To be safe, recall advocates have set a new goal of 720,277 signatures by the deadline.

The recall efforts success has prompted the Scott Walker’s campaign to take aggressive action to invalidate signatures. Walker sued his own Government Accountability Board, arguing the procedures adopted by the board to review signatures aren’t aggressive enough. Without citing any concrete evidence, Walker alleged to Fox News that there was massive fraud in the signature gathering effort. The case is still pending.

Nevertheless, Walker has changed his tone in recent days and acknowledged making mistakes in pursuing his an anti-union effort in his first few days in office.

Walker told the Lacrosse Tribune that “that he’s made mistakes in how he’s gone about achieving his agenda” and “he regretted not having done a better job of selling his changes to state government.” Walker also said he regretted his statements on a phone call with a man pretending to be billionaire David Koch. He said his comments on the call, where he referred to his plan to undermine collective bargaining as “dropping a bomb” and admitted he considered planting troublemakers among the protesters, were “stupid.”

Assuming the final signatures are collected and verified, a recall election is expected in the late-Spring or Summer.

By Judd Legum on Dec 31, 2011 at 12:57 pm

MADISON — Federal health officials have quietly ordered Gov. Scott Walker to lift an enrollment cap and expand state programs designed to keep elderly and disabled people out of nursing homes.

Walker made no mention of the order at a news conference he called Wednesday morning to announce he wants to lift the cap. He told reporters only that health officials in his administration have been talking with Family Care providers for months. Together, they have identified $80 million in efficiencies over the next two years that will enable his administration to end the enrollment cap and expand the programs to the 15 counties that currently don’t offer them.

The move could open the door for thousands of people to join the programs — but it also represents a stark reversal for Walker. The Republican governor has been pushing to rein in Medicaid costs for months and imposed the cap in Family Care enrollment in the state budget.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported hours after the announcement that the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare ordered him to lift the cap in a Dec. 13 letter. Before the newspaper reported the letter, state Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Kitty Rhoades was vague and made no mention of the order when asked by The Associated Press whether the federal government had denied the state permission to impose the cap.

Messages left late Wednesday night with a state health department spokeswoman and with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were not immediately returned. Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said he didn’t have a copy of the letter.

The Associated Press

TUCSON, Arizona – Less than a week before classes are set to resume after the Christmas break, the future of Tucson’s Mexican-American studies program has been cast into doubt by a judge’s finding that it violates Arizona law.

The Tucson Unified School District could lose up to $15 million in state funding annually unless it drops or substantially modifies the program.

“This decision was not a surprise for us; in a way, we expected it,” school board member Adelita Grijalva told Efe Wednesday.

The board – itself divided on the issue of Chicano studies – must now decide how to respond to Tuesday’s finding by state administrative law Judge Lewis D. Kowal.

Tucson’s program violates a new Arizona law barring ethnic studies courses that promote “the overthrow of the United States government” or “resentment toward a race or class of people,” Kowal concluded.

That law likewise excludes curricula “designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group” or that seek to “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”

The judge rendered his opinion in the form of a non-binding recommendation to the Arizona education department, which has 30 days to decide whether to pursue legal action against the TUSD if it refuses to bring its program into compliance.

State education superintendent John Huppenthal, who launched the initial challenge to the Chicano studies program, welcomed Kowal’s finding.

“I made a decision based on the totality of the information and facts gathered during my investigation – a decision that I felt was best for all students in the Tucson Unified School District. The judge’s decision confirms that it was the right decision,” Huppenthal said in a statement.

Eleven TUSD teachers filed suit in federal court to challenge the Arizona law as unconstitutional, but the case is still pending.

The attorney representing those plaintiffs, Richard M. Martinez, told Efe he was surprised that Kowal did not even address the constitutional aspect of the law.

The federal lawsuit contends the Arizona measure is discriminatory toward the Hispanic community and that it violates the right to freedom of expression.

Defenders of the Tucson program say it informs students about the history and contributions of Latinos in Arizona and the United States.

The program is more than 40 years old.

Hispanics make up 61.4 percent of the TUSD’s 51,866 students.

Critics of the new say it was specifically crafted to end the TUSD’s ethnic studies programs, long a target of former Arizona education superintendent Tom Horne, now the state’s attorney general. EFE

-Latin American Herald Tribune

…Walker also admitted on Fox that he didn’t do enough to make the case for his controversial reforms, which he pushed after entering office earlier this year.

“I looked at it kind of like a small business owner. I said, ‘Here is a problem. Here is a solution. Now just go out there and fix it.’ And what I probably should have done is spend more time laying the ground work, making the case over and over again about how school districts prior to our reforms would have to pay tens of millions of dollars more for things like their health insurance,” he said.

Walker was also frank about how the state was not on track to meet his promise of 250,000 net new jobs by 2015.

“We had 16,000 net new jobs, versus 150,000 lost [over the three years prior]. If you break that down every month, no, it’s not on track. But if you look forward, we figured it would compound. Go back to that sports analogy – if you take over a 1-15 team, they’re not going to the Super Bowl the next year, but if you have a four-year plan, they are. Same thing is true with us,” he said.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70872.html#ixzz1hr1hh9Vu

Members of Congress have historically been wealthier than the average American, but the net worth of lawmakers on Capitol Hill has jumped considerably in recent decades, two new analyses show.

From 2004 to 2010, the median net worth of members of Congress jumped 15 percent, the New York Times reports. In that same period, the net worth of the richest 10 percent of Americans held steady while Americans overall saw their median net worth fall 8 percent.

By Stephanie Condon

Sears Holding Corp., the parent company of Sears and Kmart stores, said Tuesday it will close 100 – 120 Sears and Kmart stores due to poor performance.
The company, which operates 4,000 full-scale and specialty stores in the United States and Canada, has not yet announced which stores it plans to close.

The retailer, which is based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, operates a half-dozen Kmart stores in Cromwell, Milford, Southbury, Torrington, Vernon and Waterbury and more than 30 Sears-branded full-size and specialty stores around the state. The retailer will post the list of stores it plans to close at http://www.searsmedia.com

By JANICE PODSADA, The Hartford Courant

The Obama administration entered the fierce national debate over voting rights, rejecting South Carolina’s new law requiring photo identification at the polls and saying it discriminated against minority voters.

Friday’s decision by the Justice Department could heighten political tensions over eight state voter ID statutes passed this year, which critics say could hurt turnout among minorities and others who helped elect President Obama in 2008. Conservatives and other supporters say the tighter laws are needed to combat voter fraud.

Justice Department lawyers, facing intense pressure from civil rights groups to act against the new laws, are still reviewing Texas’s statute.

In its first decision on the laws, Justice’s Civil Rights Division said South Carolina’s statute is discriminatory because its registered minority voters are nearly 20 percent more likely than whites to lack a state-issued photo ID. Under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, South Carolina is one of a number of states that are required to receive federal “pre-clearance” on voting changes to ensure that they don’t hurt minorities’ political power.

By Jerry Markon, Published: December 23

Republican Gov. Scott Walker announced a new policy requiring all groups of four or more people to apply for a permit 72 hours in advance before engaging in any activity expressing their opinions in the state Capitol.

Outside the Capitol, groups of 100 or more would have to apply for such permits 72 hours in advance. That should certainly nip in the bud all those enormous demonstrations by tens of thousands of people protesting Walker’s destructive policies—especially since Walker says he’s also going to start charging citizens who want to publicly criticize his administration.

Walker’s new policy will require demonstrators to pay $50 an hour for each Capitol police officer assigned to protect the governor from the hurtful words of those crowds.

-Shepard Express, December 8 2011