What Has Scott Walker Done for Wisconsin Lately?

In an update to the popular post What Has Scott Walker Done for Wisconsin, this post adds to the list of things Walker has done for Wisconsin in the last few months. Walker still hasn't created any jobs, the numbers he provides are unverifiable statistics which deviate wildly from official verified statistics, and thus can't be trusted until verified. Walker still hasn't balanced the budget, and contrary to Walker's claims, he raised taxes on the poor and middle class to support tax breaks for the very rich.

But all of that was already covered in the previous post. A lot has happened in the three months since.

Walker's Criminal Mind

In March, Walker opened a criminal defense fund, becoming the first ever governor in the United States to do so. According to Wisconsin Statutes, Walker can only legally open a criminal defense fund if he "is being investigated for or charged with a violation of campaign finance laws or prohibited election practices." However, Walker continues to say that he is not under investigation by the FBI in their John Doe probe (Walkergate) that has resulted in two convictions and four apprehensions on felony charges, all connected to Walker. So, Walker is either lying or he's breaking the law.

Walker stole millions from victims of the mortgage crisis in order to help offset his budget deficit. That's right, Walker has a budget deficit, i.e., he did not balance the budget. Not only that, he used money from the poor and unfortunate to help bolster his budget.

Walker and the Republican leadership killed any hope of jobs or mining legislation by not even compromising within the Republican party to provide what Gogebic Taconite wanted instead of an additional far-right wishlist. The Democrats had a bill that gave the mining company what they wanted without the ideological rollback of environmental protections that Walker wanted, the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act. However, the Republicans did everything they could to prevent a vote on the sure-to-pass bill, holding out for their impassable bill and thus killing the Republicans' only jobs plan.

Throughout Walker's term, particularly this spring, Walker signed into law a wide array of secretly corporate-backed model legislation from ALEC.

Policies of the War on Women

Instead of any jobs legislation, Walker amped up the far-right War on Women in Wisconsin.

To start, Walker repealed part of Wisconsin's Fair Employment Act so that women and minorities will find it even more difficult to get the same pay as white men. Republicans in Wisconsin have stated that they believe men should make more than women, and this bill helps to ensure that continues to happen.

Walker banned abortion coverage from future Wisconsin private health insurance plans that will be setup through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. So, women on those health plans, the least fortunate women and many in the middle class, won't have insurance coverage for potentially life-saving abortions.

Walker signed into law a bill that requires women to make unnecessary appointments with their doctors 24 hours before having an abortion. This forced Planned Parenthood to stop offering the morning after pill to rape victims.

Walker then allowed schools to teach the myth that abstinence is the only effective way to prevent pregnancy or STDs and not teach anything about condoms or contraceptives, because Walker doesn't like to use facts so neither should our teachers.

In a blatant sign of Walker's ignorance for women, Walker ignored the bombing of a medical clinic for women in Appleton.

Far-right and Unconstitutional Legislation

Rolling back environmental protections in mining wasn't enough for Walker, he and the Republicans successfully repealed wetland protections in the middle of the night. No jobs were created as a result of the legislation.

Nearly every one of Walker's legislative achievements were found unconstitutional including the Voter Suppression Law, the collective bargaining rights-stripping law and the Republicans' illegal gerrymandering. So, IDs are not required to vote and parts of the union busting law were struck down, but Walker refused to fix the illegal gerrymandering, costing more taxpayer money in court where new maps will now be drawn.

Collective Secrecy

In the previous post, I mentioned video that showed Walker saying he would negotiate with unions during his campaign, contrary to his statements that Wisconsin knew he was going to strip collective bargaining rights from public workers. Walker hadn't made any public statements to that effect prior to releasing the bill.

Now, recently released video shows Walker in January 2011 telling Diane Hendricks, a billionaire heiress who paid $0 in state taxes that year and gave Walker a record $510,000, that he plans to get rid of unions in Wisconsin through a "divide and conquer" plan that begins with the public employees. Walker hid this plan from the rest of us, but gladly told his rich donors who are the only people to gain from such efforts. This divide and conquer plan turned out to be the collective bargaining rights stripping bill that Walker released less than a month later.

Rich Kings and Queens

All the while Walker has been either under investigation or breaking the law, very rich donors have been donating over 25 million dollars to his campaign as well as Super PACs, billboards and TV ads. Nearly all the way up and down Highway 41, you see billboards from rich a**holes who want to buy tax breaks for themselves at our expense. What's not to like about Walker if you're rich? Well, other than the fact that his policies don't improve the economy, Walker hasn't done anything in the open and cordial Wisconsin way.

But money means way more to top Walker donors like Diane Hendricks who doesn't pay any Wisconsin taxes and wants to turn Wisconsin into a unionless state, otherwise known as Right-to-Work. They could care less what happens to us as long as their bank account gets fatter. Heck, they don't even care that Walker is either investigation or breaking the law. Most of all, the lies don't seem to bother these rich donors one bit. Many of the out-of-state donors don't care what happens to Wisconsin as long as Walker's anti-union, anti-women, anti-minority messages prevails here and spreads.

Tea Party Hero, Wisconsinite Zero

Walker is a national hero to the Tea Party crowd, and he's been using his far-right hero status with a rich donorbase by travelling across the nation to raise over 25 million dollars in campaign donations from the aforementioned rich. Compare that to the nearly 1 million that the entire effort against Walker has raised. How dare Walker complain about the "millions from out-of-state union thugs," when that's not happening, and instead he's the one brining in millions from out-of-state. "Out-of-State" Scott Walker has spent so much time travelling the nation that he refuses to tell us how much time he's been out of Wisconsin.

Haven't we had enough of Walker's lies, secrecy and damage to Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Broke the Law

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker broke the law when he opened his historic criminal defense fund, the first ever in Wisconsin for a sitting governor. Either that, or "Out-of-State" Walker is lying and he is under investigation by the FBI in their John Doe probe (Walkergate) for using taxpayer money for his political campaign. Because that's the only legal purpose for creating a criminal defense fund, according to Wisconsin Statutes. The statutes say that Walker can only set up a criminal defense fund if he "is being investigated for or charged with a violation of campaign finance laws or prohibited election practices." However, Walker continues to say that he is not a target of the investigation by the FBI (maybe he's under investigation by someone else?). But then, Walker must have broken the law in March when he opened his criminal defense fund.

We don't know whether Walker is a criminal or just under investigation for being a criminal, because Walker refuses to tell us the truth about his legal defense fund which currently holds $160,000 in donations to pay two big-time criminal defense lawyers from Chicago and Milwaukee. Why would Walker need to set up a criminal defense fund if he isn't under investigation? Walker even lies about who started the investigation, Walker did not ask to start the investigation as he said in the first debate last Friday.

The answer clearly isn't good for Walker's recall campaign, but the answer is critical in light of his coming recall. The FBI probe has already resulted in conviction of a Walker aide and apprehension of four other close associates, as well as the conviction of a top donor to Walker's 2010 campaign. More arrests are expected in the continuing investigation, and Walker is suspected to be John Doe.

Wisconsin deserves to know what Scott Walker knew about the corruption surrounding him and whether or not he's breaking the law by funding his criminal lawyers with donations. We also deserve to know who's funding Walker's criminal defense, but he refuses to provide any information after countless attempts from the media, Tom Barrett and others.

Scott Walker's secrecy stinks, and it's time Wisconsin citizens and media demand answers from Out-of-State Walker. The media really makes this way too easy for Walker. What happened to journalists who asked follow-up questions? I guess the far-right media corporations Gannett, Journal Communications and Lee Enterprises have forced their bias on their employees.

There's no ethical way to vote or endorse Scott Walker's re-election without knowing whether his criminal defense fund is legal and Walker is lying or not. Here's looking at you far-right Journal Sentinel...

How Much Time Has "Out-of-State Walker" Spent Outside of Wisconsin?

Tom Barrett's piercing question to "Out-of-State Walker" Scott Walker during the first debate between the two clearly made Walker uncomfortable. Barrett asked Walker if he would publicly release the amount of time he's spent outside of Wisconsin fundraising and trying to increase his national image. Walker made absolutely no attempt to answer the question, even though he responded twice. It was particularly telling when Walker responded a second time and offered absolutely nothing new.

Tom Barrett was referring to the investigation into Out-of-State Walker's time conducted by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. We need a governor who works for Wisconsin in Wisconsin.

So, how much time has Walker spent outside of Wisconsin since he took office? It's clear that Walker really doesn't want us to know.

Let's add this to the list of questions Out-of-State Walker must come clean to Wisconsin about.

U.S. Congress Requests Answers from Walker About Validity of Sworn Testimony

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government sent Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker a letter today, asking him to answer their questions regarding the validity of his sworn testimony by June 1. Tuesday, Walker told a local Fox affiliate that he was upset members of the committee wrote to the chairman instead of Walker directly. So, today, the members fulfilled Walker's request, and now it's time for Walker to provide some answers.

Last year, Walker told the committee under sworn testimony that he never "had a conversation with respect to [his] actions in Wisconsin and using them to punish members of the opposition party and their donor base.” This recently released video of Walker talking to billionaire heiress Diane Hendricks, who later gave Walker $500,000 and pays $0 in income tax, about his plan to "divide and conquer" unions blatantly contradicts Walker's sworn testimony.



The committee wrote,

"It is critical for Congress to obtain accurate information from witnesses who testify before the Committee in order to help inform our policy decisions. Your videotaped conversation with Ms. Hendricks not only raises serious concerns about the accuracy of your testimony before the Committee, but it undermines the entire rationale put forward for your unprecedented campaign against public sector workers."

The committee asked Walker, "Do you now wish to withdraw your sworn testimony?"

Walker has until June 1 to respond...

Gannett Is Far-Right Walker-Supporting Media

Most of Gannett's reporters didn't sign a recall petition. Therefore, Gannett is clearly far-right Scott Walker-supporting media, because not signing a recall petition is clear support for Walker, while signing a recall petition isn't express support for or against Walker. Gannett has gone so far as to discipline those reporters who didn't follow their political bias and signed the petition. So, Gannett can't possibly report unbiasedly with so many people supporting Walker.

One could easily have signed a recall petition and then vote for Walker in the recall election. You can support Walker and be a petition signer. You may just want to give others a chance to elect someone else. My step-father is one of these people. Gannett is making sweeping claims that these people don't support Walker and then disciplining their employees based on their claims.

Signing a recall petition doesn't remove an elected official from office, the desire of the petition filers. It only gives Wisconsin a chance to remove the official through a recall election. However, not signing a recall petition keeps an official in office, the desire of the elected official. Therefore, there is no other way to interpret not signing a recall petition other than clear support for the current elected official.

Gannett publishes many Wisconsin newspapers including The Green Bay Press Gazette, The Post Crescent, The Fond du Lac Reporter, The Oshkosh Northwestern and Manitowac's Herald Times Reporter. All of these newspapers are in the bag for Walker since most of the reporters are. That's a significant portion of Wisconsin's newspapers that are far-right Walker supporters.

If Gannett is worried about the perception of their bias. They should make sure that half of their reporters sign a recall petition and half don't. Or they can report on what signing a recall petition really is.

Defend the Recall!



(In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't really believe that Gannett is far-right Walker-supporting media or that they should have half of their reporters sign recall petitions. However, they can't claim that signing a recall petition is "political activity" and has any bearing on reporting.

The main point is: one cannot infer someone's political bias based on their signing or not signing a recall petition.

Gannett, and all other companies, must not prohibit their employees from signing recall petitions, and they must not discipline employees for signing recall petitions. Now that they know, Gannett must come clean and admit what signing a recall petition really is in all of their Wisconsin publications or face the moniker of far-right Walker-supporting media.)

Recall is a Constitutional Right - Defend It!

The recent and increasing recall signature demonization and prohibition is an attack on our rights and democracy, and it must be called out and stopped. Recalling elected officials is a right defined in the Wisconsin Constitution. It's not "political activity" as Gannett recently tried to label it as an explanation for their outrage and reason for disciplining their employees for not following Gannett's political views. No one in Wisconsin should be denied the right to sign a recall petition, because not signing a recall petition is the same "political activity" as signing one.

See that's the problem. Gannett can cloak their political motives in "ethics," but it's the same as disciplining someone for voting or not voting for someone. Gannett could use the same reasoning to discipline everyone who didn't sign a recall petition, because signing or not signing a petition are answers to the same electoral question that is answered based on proportions of the electoral population.

As with elections, you're offered a choice. When you are informed that recall petitions are being circulated, you have the choice to either sign a petition or not sign a petition. You express your support for giving Wisconsin a chance to remove an elected officer by signing a petition, and you express your support for keeping an elected official in office by not signing a petition. And yes, people abstain from both for various reasons, that's the third answer to such an electoral question. Well over a million people in Wisconsin made this conscious decision this past winter. It's the same decision you make during an election with an incumbent. Prohibiting someone who wants to sign a recall petition is forcing them to take a stance they don't support.

As with elections, a recall requires the support of a certain proportion of the people. There are a finite number of eligible voters in Wisconsin. The proportions set forth in the Wisconsin Constitution recognize this and do not take into account citizens who are "prohibited" from signing a recall petition. Therefore, by prohibiting people from signing recall petitions, recalls become more difficult than intended, requiring a higher proportion of the electorate than specified in the Wisconsin Constitution. The increased demonization only seeks to increase the number of people who are "prohibited" from signing a recall petition in order to make it more difficult for citizens to recall their elected officials without going through the work of changing our constitution.

Recall petitions have less power than elections. Signing a petition does not mean that you want to remove an elected official, it just means that you want Wisconsin to be given that choice. Recalling an elected official doesn't remove them from office, it only allows for Wisconsin to hold an election to choose whether or not they want to remove the official. Signing a recall petition is not express support for or against any elected official or candidate. You may sign a recall petition but then later vote for the current elected official during the recall election.

However, not signing a recall petition is expressing support for an elected official, because you become part of the proportion that keeps the official in office. No matter how many people sign a recall petition and want an official removed, the official stays in office. The people in support of the elected official get what they want simply by getting enough people to not sign a petition. So, not signing a recall petition has more power than signing one. One answer is in clear support of an elected official, while the other answer is only support of a recall election.

Demonizing people for signing recall petitions, or prohibiting people from signing them, will make people think about whether or not they want to go through that next time a recall petition is circulated. No matter which party the elected official may belong to. The decision about whether or not to sign a recall petition will no longer be just about the elected official. It'll be about a job, a career, and even one's safety and the safety of their family. A right defined in the Wisconsin Constitution to receive proper representation shouldn't come with such heavy personal considerations. The demonization will force people to take stances that they don't support.

For these reasons, no one, not judges, not political appointees, not journalists, not anyone should be prohibited from or demonized or disciplined for signing a recall petition. In addition, judges shouldn't need to admit to signing a recall petition before or during any case, because recall decisions should be irrelevant to a judge's ability to be fair, just as their votes are. And if anyone wanted to know, it's public information. So, really, what's the point other than to demonize them?

A recall is not political activism, it's democracy, and Gannett may be violating the Wisconsin Constitution by disciplining their employees for signing recall petitions.

The next time someone attacks a recall petition signer, the attack should be redirected with a strong defense of democracy and the rights defined in the Wisconsin Constitution.

Barrett Don't Run: Pass the Ball and Endorse Doug La Follette

You are not listening.

Tom Barrett spent yesterday with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel raising funds from lobbyists. That's right, yesterday Barrett cozied up to out-of-state lobbyists with big pockets to get financial support for a potential run for governor. The likely reason Barrett hasn't announced a run for governor yet is so that he can rake in the special interest dough using this loophole.

Enough with the special interests! It's not just Walker's special interests we don't like, it's your special interests, too. Wisconsin is sick of our politicians listening to special interests instead of their constituents, and that's one of the reasons many people are fighting to recall Walker. We need campaigns that are run for the people funded by the people.

You're not listening!

This is not what thousands of us stood vigilant inside and outside the Capitol and later collected recall signatures in the cold, snow and rain for last year. This is one of our strongest nonpartisan critiques of Walker, i.e., one of the ways we can win over independents and defeat Walker. How do you propose fighting Walker on these issues when you're doing the exact same thing? You can't!

I wrote about Kathleen Falk's troubles with special interests two weeks ago, and two days ago the respected and witty blogger Giles Goat Boy, for the same reasons, asked Falk and Barrett to "pass the damn ball!"

As Doug La Follette said yesterday, "I am very saddened that this magnificent effort, this historic effort, this real people’s democracy was hijacked by the same-old, same-old big money politics that we thought we had rejected."

Russ Feingold's Progressives United feels the same way. “Up until now, the only beneficiary of ominous super PAC support was Gov. Scott Walker. Regrettably, as well intentioned as Wisconsin for Falk no doubt is, the impact it will have on the recall election will almost certainly be to undermine, not bolster, the chances of successfully replacing Scott Walker as governor.”

What's worse is that Rahm Emanuel has his own public education controversy in Chicago, potentially severely degrading the quality of education in poor districts. We want a governor who will listen to the people of Wisconsin, not simply make drastic changes without the knowledge and support from those who know most. Does Barrett agree with Emanuel's actions?

It only gets worse for those two. Falk is heading to Chicago on Friday for a fundraiser called “Chicago Stands with Falk." We don't need Chicago politics in Wisconsin. We need Wisconsin politics in Wisconsin.

What do you offer that Kathleen Falk doesn't? There doesn't appear to be anything after yesterday. Do everyone a favor and stay out.

We already have the "not in bed with unions" candidate, and that's Doug La Follette. He's a much stronger sell because he doesn't take any money from corporations or special interests. You clearly do, just as Walker and Falk. Where you split with unions, you split for other special interests.

We can win this and take Wisconsin back for the people with a campaign funded solely by the people, because we won't be able to compete with Walker's over $12 million war chest and his out-of-state Super PAC friends. Neither Falk nor Barrett's Super PAC and special interest friends have anything close to that amount of money. So, why bother with all of the trouble?

Feingold argues that Democratic candidates can win by rejecting special interest money and building more energy and support by being the people-funded candidate. We can have enough money to run a viable campaign if everyone who signed a petition gave $20 to such a gubernatorial candidate. The Wisconsin People's Legislature also supports this idea as part of their Tin Cup Platform, and they are pushing all recall candidates to run on it.

Start listening.

You clearly don't want this bad enough, or you would have jumped in long ago. Instead of jumping in and muddying the waters, most likely resulting in at least two negative primary campaigns, I implore you to endorse Doug La Follette. His platform appears to be the most inline with yours, and I believe La Follette is our best chance at defeating Walker and then moving Wisconsin forward as quickly as possible. I suspect that Feingold will endorse La Follette before too long for his stance on special interests, if he endorses anyone before the primary.

The time to get in has passed. Those with the confidence and motivation to run have already announced, and you don't offer anything new. It's time to choose who you will endorse. If you run, the grassroots of Wisconsin will fight you and Falk, because you're not what we're fighting for. But with your support, we can defeat Falk and Walker. Do Wisconsin a solid and endorse Doug La Follette - Governor.

Anyone who's been following this blog knows that I believe Doug La Follette is the candidate most able to defeat Walker and then move Wisconsin FORWARD. It was the first Governor La Follette that gave us the ability to recall politicians, now Wisconsin needs another Governor La Follette to give the state back to the people. (Clearly they're different people, and Doug doesn't necessarily have the same views as Fighting Bob, it's just name play.)

If you don't know much about Doug La Follette, or even if you think you know him, I urge you to look into the candidate. You can read more about our Secretary of State Doug La Follette on his website douglafollette.com and Meet the Walker Recall Candidates: Doug La Follette by Dane101. There is also a recent WisEye interview that really gives you a sense of La Follette and what he stands for.

Unlike Scott Walker, Kathleen Falk, and Tom Barrett; La Follette doesn't take money from corporations or special interest groups. He runs a campaign for the people funded by the people. So your support in this effort is all the more essential, and as always, he greatly appreciates it. If you'd like to contribute to his campaign, you can donate online at ActBlue or send donations to his office at 1211 Rutledge #3, Madison, WI 53703. I include this because I personally believe Doug La Follette is what Wisconsin is looking for, and I want him to get as much support as possible, as soon as possible.

Republicans Found Guilty of Partisan Unconstitutional Gerrymandering - Refuse To Fix

The Federal panel of two Republican-appointed judges and one Democrat-appointed judge overseeing the gerrymandering case against the Republicans found that they unconstitutionally gerrymandered Wisconsin districts strictly for partisan gain, and they have ordered at least a portion of the maps fixed before any of the new maps can be used. The Republicans had already been ordered by the court to reveal their secret emails which showed they signed agreements to keep secret the maps and discussions that took place at a private attorney's office through intimidation, and the emails also showed that the Republicans orchestrated public testimony in favor of the maps. The judges had already given the Republicans a chance to fix their gerrymandering, but Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald refused.

The Republicans have already wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money trying to protect their illegal gerrymandering. The panel said, "Regrettably, like many other states, Wisconsin chose a sharply partisan methodology that has cost the state in dollars, time and civility." And Fitzgerald wants to waste far more by refusing to fix their gerrymandering. He said there is "not a chance" they will be willing to fix their gerrymandering.

The Democrats are pleading on the side of Wisconsin citizens to fix the gerrymandering. Senate Democrat Leader Mark Miller said, "It is ridiculous that Republicans would ignore a court order to fix an unlawful map. Maybe they should sleep on it," and Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said, "We need to immediately begin to redraw the maps in a manner that is fully open and transparent and does not, in the words of the court, 'needlessly move' more than a million citizens of Wisconsin."

If the Republicans are unwilling to fix their gerrymandering, Wisconsin taxpayers will likely pay millions of dollars to get maps through the courts. Tell the Republicans to stop wasting taxpayer money and fix their illegal gerrymandering!

The judges began their decision with, "There was once a time when Wisconsin was famous for its courtesy and its tradition of good government."

Doug La Follette can help get us back to those traditions as Governor of Wisconsin by renewing the Wisconsin Idea.

Scott Fitzgerald Reveals That Corporations Wrote Mining Bill

A friend of mine pointed me to this video of Scott Fitzgerald talking about "when the corporations started building that bill," referring to the mining bill AB 426, which the Republican leadership held steadfast to instead of passing the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act. The clip takes place during Fitzgerald's press conference after the Senate failed to pass their industry-written bill.



The entire video is here



The Republican leadership say they're against government regulation, but when it comes to women's bodies, the Republicans in Wisconsin want more government regulation. They're pushing several bills in the Assembly today. I guess it all depends upon who's lining their pockets.

Wisconsin Supreme Court is FUBAR

Secret discussions, lack of ethics, and blatant conflicts of interest make for a FUBAR Wisconsin Supreme Court.

State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman refuses to recuse himself from at least three cases of blatant conflict of interest. He received free legal services from the same Wisconsin law firm that has argued three recent cases in front of him. That is, he received tens of thousands of dollars in professional legal services without having to pay for them. And now these lawyers are arguing cases in front of him, asking him to side with them, which he has all three times. He's been asked several times to recuse himself, but he refuses saying the free legal services aren't "a gift as defined under law."

Free is free, and a gift is a gift, buddy. Any other justice would be removed from such a case by someone like...um...you Mr. Gableman. Just because you sit on the highest court in Wisconsin doesn't mean you get to do what you want. Well it kinda does, as we can see, but it shouldn't and that's one reason the Wisconsin Supreme Court is FUBAR.

Gableman received the free legal services during the ethics trial against him. He was exonerated of the charges, but it appears to very many people that Gableman is severely in violation of ethics. A sitting justice in clear violation of ethics is another reason why the Wisconsin Supreme Court is FUBAR.

Earlier this week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted on ideological lines to end a long Wisconsin tradition of public discussions by the court, making the discussions private instead. The conservatives on the court are following the lead of the Republicans eroding open government to keep things secret. Of course they did it because the conservatives are sick of looking bad in public. They may have even done it because they plan to make some moves on a case soon, and they want to keep their discussions private. Who knows why, either way it can't be good for Wisconsin, and it's another reason why the Wisconsin Supreme Court is FUBAR.

Secret Republican Documents Reveal They Orchestrated Public Testimony in Gerrymandering

The Journal Sentinel has inspected the 84 documents that Republicans fought tooth-and-nail to keep secret, now that they were made public today when the Republicans were "slammed" by three judges for their secrecy.

The Journal Sentinel's inspection of the documents shows "among other things, that those who drew the maps orchestrated the testimony in favor of the maps for a public hearing that occurred just after they were made available publicly."

"The records provide an inside view on the process Republicans used to draw the maps and show the testimony in favor of the maps was largely orchestrated by those who drew the maps. They recruited people to testify and supplied them with talking points."

Wisconsin Republican leadership was able to keep these secret in part through intimidation of their peers.

Last year, Republicans rudely denied any plans to draw new maps in secret.

'“You talked to Democrats who ‘think’ that Republican leaders have these grand plots,” Andrew Welhouse, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, says in an email response to questions about GOP plans. “I guess I’ll leave it up to your journalistic standards if their motivated speculation is worth reporting on.”'

Update: (7:16pm) The Journal Sentinel has updated their page with additional information.

From the Journal Sentinel, "The redistricting team considered forcing some senators who were not up for re-election in 2014 to go through special elections in 2012, the emails show. They did not pursue that plan after determining it might violate the state and federal constitutions."

Scott Walker Doesn't Care About Victims, Willfully Stealing

Repeated and passionate calls by many prominent people and organizations for Walker to reverse his decision to steal money from victims have fallen on deaf ears. It's become quite evident that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker doesn't care about victims of document fabrication, forgery and other financial service abuses. Walker announced plans last week to steal that money to help fix his budget deficit of over $3 billion.

Walker has also shown how little he cares about getting Wisconsin moving forward again. Wisconsin will continue to suffer as long as the families and communities in need of this money continue to suffer. Milwaukee itself has large swaths of affected areas, and the $31.6 million Walker plans to steal won't even be enough for a full recovery. The settlement money is desperately needed, but Walker doesn't care.

Walker is supposedly one of those governors who doesn't use "one-time fixes" such as settlement money. In Walker's Budget Repair Address nearly a year ago, he criticized previous governors for taking money from the tobacco settlement.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has called on us to contact both Walker and Attorney General Van Hollen to try to convince them to not steal money from victims to solve Walker's budget problems.

Contact Scott Walker:

• Phone: (608) 266-1212
• Contact Form: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/Contact-Us
• Email: govgeneral@wisconsin.gov

Contact Attorney General Van Hollen:

• Phone: (608) 266-1221

Scott Walker Supporters to March on Wisconsin GAB

Rachel Maddow broke the news that Scott Walker supporters are planning on protesting at the Government Accountability Board office this Friday. According to this note on Facebook, the group Let's march for Scott Walker is asking people to "March on the GAB! Protect your vote!" They say the recall process isn't fair, and their vote is "watered down" by the recall process. What they clearly don't understand is that they can simply vote again, that's fair.

Nearly as many people stood out in the cold to recall Walker as voted for him in a warm polling building, and until the Voter Suppression Bill goes into effect, voting for one candidate is easier than signing a recall petition. I'd say that's more than enough to suggest he should undergo another election and so does the Wisconsin Constitution.

Here are some choice statements from the note:

• The GAB and the system are failing to protect the citizens of Wisconsin who voted November 2010.
• Signatures on the recall petitions out weigh the voter
• GAB does not have the ability to verify over a million signatures!
• GAB Will you listen to the registered voter who voted Nov 2010?
• GAB does listen to signatures that cannot be truly verified!
• Tell the GAB we do not want our vote watered down.
• GAB, FORGET the lawyers. Use common sense. Our state and Country's future is at stake! You MUST do your mission. Protect the vote! Do NOT protect all the signatures!

These people are called uninformed voters, and they are the main reason people like Scott Walker get elected. Help everyone by doing your best to politely inform.

However, there's a very scary statement in there. "Do NOT protect all the signatures!" Republicans, in particular the Scotts (Walker and Fitzgerald), need to publicly denounce such notions and confirm the credibility of the recall process. You tried recalling Democrats, but just because you couldn't get enough signatures doesn't mean the process for which you sought is somehow now flawed.

Scott Walker Stealing Victims' Money to Repair Budget Deficit

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker lies when he says he balanced the budget. Using accounting tricks, Wisconsin has a deficit of $216 million. Using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which we demand of every other business and government in Wisconsin, we have a deficit of about $3 billion.

Wisconsin was awarded $31.6 million from the Wall Street mortgage fraud settlement. This money is supposed to go to Wisconsin taxpayers who were victims of fraud and abuse by banks. However, Walker is planning on stealing most of the money to help repair the budget deficit he tells us he fixed. Walker is stealing from middle-class taxpayers, because he can't be truthful about his incompetence, and he can't make the tough decisions such as appropriately taxing the rich corporations and individuals who fund his campaign.

These people are really hurting, but Walker has no problem taking from them to keep the millions of fundraising dollars pouring in from outside Wisconsin. The settlement money isn't meant to help Walker do his job. It's meant for people who work hard doing their job and were victims of illegal financial practices or negligence. Walker used to say he was against things such as accounting tricks and stealing settlement money. Like during his Budget Repair Address nearly a year ago.

"The facts are clear: Wisconsin is broke and it's time to start paying our bills today — so our kids are not stuck with even bigger bills tomorrow. This deficit did not appear overnight. Wisconsin got here through a reliance on one-time fixes, accounting gimmicks and tax increases. Previous governors and legislatures from both parties took money from our tobacco settlement."

Please, Mr. Walker, don't steal from those who are down, those victims and taxpayers. Where's your Christian heart when you need it?

WI Attorney General Van Hollen Declines Work - Deserves An Investigation

Apparently J.B. Van Hollen is too busy for real AG work, because he's declined to investigate potential election fraud in Waukesha County and former Walker aides who may have violated law. Van Hollen declined to help the FBI with their secret Walker investigation after they requested his assistance. The FBI doesn't waste time, there's definitely a fishy smell emanating from the Walker camp. Yet, Van Hollen spent years investigating voter fraud when no rational mind suspects an issue of any real significance, and the results were what we expected, no significant voter fraud.

Tens of thousands of Wisconsinites and several high-profile people asked Van Hollen to investigate the glaring election issues in Waukesha County after the Supreme Court election in which David Prosser won by a very small margin, where significant election fraud may have occurred. However, J.B. Van Hollen declined to make any effort to investigate. Instead, the Government Accountability Board appointed a special investigator, Timothy Verhoff. Verhoff has now completed his investigation, only a few months later. Was the office of J.B. Van Hollen really so busy that they couldn't investigate?

Now, the FBI has asked J.B. Van Hollen to assist in their previously secret investigation of former Walker aides. What could possibly make Van Hollen believe the FBI is wrong in investigating these aides? If the FBI is wrong, shouldn't Van Hollen assist the FBI in coming to that conclusion?

Putting this all together what picture do we paint? Van Hollen has a very selective bias when it comes to what he chooses to investigate, but a very simple threshold. Will the investigation help Republicans? Yes, then investigate. No, then keep as quiet as possible. The investigations into voter fraud created a buzz around the words "voter fraud," most likely enabling the passage of the Voter Suppression Bill, which helps Republicans win more elections by suppressing votes for Democrats. Investigating election fraud in Waukesha County during the Supreme Court election could have resulted in a win for Kloppenburg, hurting Republicans, but keeping quiet left the status quo. Assisting the investigation of former Walker aides could potentially bring light to areas the FBI is dark on, potentially incriminating more aides and Walker himself. That would for sure hurt the Republicans, but keeping quiet can only help.

I'm sorry Mr. Van Hollen, but the people of Wisconsin, your employer, want you to do your job! You don't get a big fat paycheck to investigate only the things you're interested in. J.B. Van Hollen, you are a disgrace to your position and the State of Wisconsin. I think it's time for an investigation of J.B. Van Hollen's office, if there isn't already an ongoing secret FBI investigation. Tell Wisconsin why you won't investigate these very serious allegations when you'll investigate frivolous claims for years.

Want more reason to suspect politicizing by Van Hollen, check this out:

Ron Johnson Thinks The Budget Deficit Is Your Problem, Not His (Part II)

Last week, Senator from Wisconsin Ron Johnson voted against even considering raising taxes on himself and other millionaires in the future, not even a cent. Mr. Johnson would rather kill Medicare than even consider raising taxes on himself. Fortunately, a majority of Republicans voted with the Democrats to consider a non-binding resolution that says those who make $1 million or more "make a more meaningful contribution."

Today, the resolution was considered, but Mr. Johnson and the rest of the Republicans voted against bringing the resolution to a vote. Mr. Johnson and the Republicans didn't want to have to vote against the actual bill, because it's such a ridiculous stance, but most of them have signed onto Rover Norquist's no-tax pledge and can't raise revenue in any way.

Why would Ron Johnson vote against even considering the bill when so many Wisconsin families are struggling and all Johnson can talk about is holding up the Senate in order to reduce the deficit?

Here's the content of the very short bill (S. 1323):

(a) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:

1. The Wall Street Journal reports that median pay for chief financial officers of S&P 500 companies increased 19 percent to $2,900,000 last year.
2. Over the past 10 years, the median family income has declined by more than $2,500.
3. Twenty percent of all income earned in the United States is earned by the top 1 percent of individuals.
4. Over the past quarter century, four-fifths of the income gains accrued to the top 1 percent of individuals.

(b) Sense of the Senate- It is the sense of the Senate that any agreement to reduce the budget deficit should require that those earning $1,000,000 or more per year make a more meaningful contribution to the deficit reduction effort.

One may remember that Mr. Johnson received ten million dollars in compensation from his company, Pacur, earlier this year. If Mr. Johnson voted for this bill, later he would have to vote to increase his own taxes (unless he flip-flops) since the bill says those making at least a million dollars should pay more taxes.

Ron Johnson is perfectly happy to vote to eliminate Medicare, but he won't even vote to agree on a motion to consider a non-binding resolution that says at some later time he'll vote to increase his own taxes. Mr. Johnson thinks the budget deficit is a big enough problem to halt all other Senate business, but he doesn't think it's a big enough problem to require a little bit more of his $10,000,000.00. He'd rather take money from the poor, elderly, disabled and from the programs every middle-class American pays for and counts on.

It's your big problem, not his.

Ron Johnson Thinks The Budget Deficit Is Your Problem, Not His

Today, the U.S. Senate voted to consider a non-binding resolution (a bill that says something but does nothing) to say that the budget deficit should be fixed through shared sacrifice, not just on the backs of the poor and middle-class. The motion was agreed to with 74 yes votes, but Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin voted no.

Why would Ron Johnson vote against even considering the bill when so many Wisconsin families are struggling and all Johnson can talk about is holding up the Senate in order to reduce the deficit*? Even a majority of Republicans voted to consider the resolution. So why not Mr. Johnson?

A read of the very short bill (S. 1323) may provide some insight.

(a) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:

1. The Wall Street Journal reports that median pay for chief financial officers of S&P 500 companies increased 19 percent to $2,900,000 last year.
2. Over the past 10 years, the median family income has declined by more than $2,500.
3. Twenty percent of all income earned in the United States is earned by the top 1 percent of individuals.
4. Over the past quarter century, four-fifths of the income gains accrued to the top 1 percent of individuals.

(b) Sense of the Senate- It is the sense of the Senate that any agreement to reduce the budget deficit should require that those earning $1,000,000 or more per year make a more meaningful contribution to the deficit reduction effort.

This appears to be the critical sentence - "It is the sense of the Senate that any agreement to reduce the budget deficit should require that those earning $1,000,000 or more per year make a more meaningful contribution to the deficit reduction effort."

One may remember that Mr. Johnson received ten million dollars in compensation from his company, Pacur, earlier this year. If Mr. Johnson voted for this bill, later he would have to vote to increase his own taxes (unless he flip-flops) since the bill says those making at least a million dollars should pay more taxes.

Ron Johnson is perfectly happy to vote to eliminate Medicare, but he won't even vote to agree on a motion to consider a non-binding resolution that says at some later time he'll vote to increase his own taxes. Mr. Johnson thinks the budget deficit is a big enough problem to halt all other Senate business, but he doesn't think it's a big enough problem to require a little bit more of his $10,000,000.00. He'd rather take money from the poor, elderly, disabled and from the programs every middle-class American pays for and counts on.

It's your big problem, not his.

*The first effort Johnson's put forth is to further slow a Senate which is on track to be one of the least productive Senates in decades.

Walker Administration Says Convicted Felon Reflects What He's All About

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was planning to sign his radical budget in Green Bay this Sunday at a company whose CEO has been convicted of 8 counts of tax evasion. Walker's administration said that the company "reflects really what this budget and what Governor Walker's first term here is all about."

Exactly. Walker and the Republicans are all about the rich and powerful bending the rules for themselves and letting others' foot the bill. The company, Badger Sheet Metal Works, was hand-picked by the Walker administration, and they certainly picked the perfect company to trot out as an example of what their budget and policies are all about.

The irony hasn't evaded the local media, as even the Journal Sentinel is running a story (though with a completely unrelated story at the end about Democratic recall candidate Shelly Moore), and the Walker administration has moved the budget signing to another Green Bay company, Fox Valley Metal-Tech Inc.

The budget signing Sunday is still being closed to the public, as Walker doesn't want his photo-op ruined by truthful signs of protest. He'd rather the imagery make it appear as though he's working for Wisconsin's interests. Instead, protesters will be relegated to the other side of the street.

That hasn't stopped calls for protesters to come to Green Bay and show their support for Wisconsin education, beer and other ideals. In fact, while in the Fox Cities visiting my family and preparing to join the protest in Green Bay this Sunday, we received a phone call from an activist group asking us to join the protest. So, hopefully we can expect a good showing at the corporate photo-op.

It's time to rally the troops and head North!

Wisconsin Republicans Pass Budget So Fast That Errors Remain

Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate were so concerned about getting their radical budget passed as quick as possible that they inadvertently left a few provisions that they had intended to remove. Or so they say.

Seriously?! They were that careless in crafting and voting for the budget that they voted for provisions that they didn't know were still there? Yup, because now they're begging Governor Walker to save them by removing those items with his veto.

So, what did the Republicans vote for that they didn't mean to vote for?

1. Expansion of independent charter schools to all counties, not just Milwaukee and Racine
2. Reduced disclosure of financials statements for legislators

I find it interesting that they just happened to forget to remove Item (2) which personally benefits the Republicans. It will be even more interesting to see if Walker vetoes this item. I don't have much hope for removing the first item, because Walker is dead-set on running Wisconsin's public school system into the ground in favor of private schools.

Other items the Republicans voted for but now want removed:

• Craft beer-killing provisions (fought heavily for by MillerCoors who is headquartered in Chicago)
• Legalize bail bondsmen
• Legalize auto title lenders
• Provisions allowing credit unions to convert to banks while taking members' assets
• Allow liquor licenses for movie theaters

Why vote for something if you don't want it to become law?

Thank God the Republicans are coming to their senses now, but where were these senses last week when Wisconsin needed them?

Rep. Peter Barca sent out an email asking Wisconsinites to send a citizen veto, where you can select which provisions you'd like Governor Walker to veto.

Dear Friend,

Governor Walker and his cronies in the state legislature hoped that by passing the state budget at 3 a.m. last Thursday that you would be asleep and that you wouldn't notice their attacks on Wisconsin's working families, seniors and schoolchildren.

But we are not sleeping and we are not going to stop fighting.

That's why I sent Governor Walker a veto letter today to urge him to veto some of the items that are so egregious that they undermine the core values of our state.

Will you join me in urging Governor Walker to veto items that attack Wisconsin's middle-class working families by sending your own citizen veto letter?

http://www.wisdems.org/citizenveto

We simply can't allow Governor Walker to sign a state budget that rewards the wealthy and elite with $2.3 billion in corporate loopholes and giveaways while raising taxes on our seniors and cutting $1.6 billion from our schoolchildren.

We need to send Governor Walker a clear message that our state budget is not his personal piggy bank -- it is Wisconsin's budget.

Please visit http://www.wisdems.org/citizenveto now to read my veto letter and to send your own.

With your help and support, we'll show Governor Walker that we'll never stop fighting for our shared Wisconsin values.

Thank you,

Rep. Peter Barca

Refuse To Show Photo ID When Voting During Recall Elections and Still Vote

Update: (March 21, 2012) This post is no longer relevant. The Voter Suppression Law "is no law at all" according to Wisconsin Judge Richard Niess who placed a permanent injunction on enforcement of the law. Photo IDs are NOT required just as usual.

It won't be required, but poll workers will be asking for specific photo ID when you go to vote during the recall elections this summer. The Republicans in the Assembly and Senate have already swiftly passed the Voter Suppression Bill (Assembly Bill 7) by cutting off debate, and Governor Scott Walker likely won't find a conscience before signing it into law.

The bill includes a provision requiring that poll workers request to see specific photo ID before voting, but not requiring the ID to vote. The provision was added to confuse voters into believing they must show ID to vote in the recall elections, hoping to suppress Democratic voters in order to keep the radical-right stranglehold on Wisconsin. Don't be fooled, you don't have to show ID to vote until 2012!

The provision was added as part of the adopted Assembly Substitute Amendment 2 in section 144 (2) Special Procedure at Elections Held Prior to 2012 Spring Primary. The relevant text is:

"...an elector who votes at a polling place at an election held prior to the date of the 2012 spring primary shall be requested by the election officials to present proof of identification, but if the elector does not present proof of identification, and the elector is otherwise qualified, the elector’s ballot shall be counted without the necessity of presenting proof of identification and without the necessity of casting a provisional ballot."

Please help ensure that every voter in Wisconsin knows that even though they'll be asked, they don't have to show photo ID to vote in the recall elections.

In support of Wisconsinites who will find it difficult or impossible to vote and in protest of the Voter Suppression Bill, voters who have the requested photo ID should refuse to show it when they vote in the recall elections. Don't take more time than is necessary. Politely say that you forgot your ID or don't want to show it in protest of the new law. Then, cast your ballot as is your right.

Voters who don't have the requested photo ID should tell the poll worker how difficult or impossible it will be to vote in the next election. It's a simple act of legal protest, which may actually provide empirical evidence of the unconstitutionality of the bill.

Let's show the Republicans and the Supreme Court how unnecessary, unconstitutional and inconvenient the Voter Suppression Bill is!