PR Watch ...Converge on #ALEC Headquarters Demanding Justice for #Trayvon Martin

Center for Media and Democracy 3/30/12

The killing of Trayvon Martin brought hundreds of people to the headquarters of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Thursday to rally against the extremist legislation that the organization pushes, and the deadly real-life consequences it has. George Zimmerman, who shot and killed 17-year-old Martin in February, could be protected by Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which was later ratified by ALEC as a model for other states and supported in over two dozen legislatures by numerous ALEC politicians.

...Leaders of the groups attempted to deliver a letter asking the ALEC chairmen of the public and private boards to "fully disclose ALEC's financial relationship with all NRA entities, including any contributions, sponsorships, in-kind support or other support ALEC has received, and we ask your joint board to pledge to desist from supporting and promoting lethal 'Shoot First' legislation." (ALEC's board chairs are Indiana Rep. Dave Frizzell and the head of the lobbying firm CenterPoint 360, W. Preston Baldwin.) The leaders were locked out of ALEC's headquarters.

Why Are State Papers Silent About ALEC Ties to VoterID? | CMD | Fact Chk Milw. MJS

Are we paying attention ... how can we we change this lack of coverage ... make it visible!!  Click title!

News

Why Are State Newspapers Silent When It Comes to ALEC Ties to Voter ID?

by Sara Jerving — March 22, 2012 - 10:35am

Topics: Corporations

Projects: ALEC Exposed

The links between the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and "voter ID" legislation have been well-documented, but newspapers in the states impacted most severely by the voter suppression legislation have been largely silent on this connection. A new analysis by Media Matters finds that "the largest newspapers in the seven states that enacted voter ID laws in 2011 have largely ignored ALEC's influence." ALEC is a group that brings together right-wing state legislators and corporations to vote on cookie-cutter "model" bills behind closed doors. The bills largely benefit corporations and Republican political interests.
As CMD has previously reported, ALEC began to focus on voter ID shortly after 2008, when the highest general election turnout in nearly 60 years swept America's first black president into office with strong support from college students and African-Americans. Soon, "Preventing Election Fraud" was the cover story on the Inside ALEC magazine, and ALEC corporations and politicians approved "model" voter ID legislation in 2009. Around 34 voter ID bills modeled after the ALEC template were introduced in 2011.

WI 1848 Forward: Why Are State Papers Silent About #ALEC Ties to #VoterID? | #CMD | Fact Chk #MJS  EX - #Walker #Einhorn #1%

EX- #Walker #Einhorn #1% WI 1848 Forward:Why Are State Papers Silent About #ALEC Ties to #VoterID? | #CMD | Fact Chk #MJS

WI #MacIver Institute is Not working ... neither is #Walker

The next time you see anything MacIver Institute produces remember this video ... wonder what they think about Global Warming? 

I traced this back from an ad placed on  sciencedaily.com probably tracking me with Koch money since I live in Wisconsin.  I could vote YES or NO (yes meaning I liked Walker)!  First the links took me to ItsWorkingWisconsin.com.  That looked rather smooth so ... before I noticed the "Americans for Prosperity Foundation" and MacIver Institute ... I went directly to YouTube.

I embedded it so you can remember what is going on with Walker and the KOCH brothers and ALEC ... keep in mind that MacIver Institute right now has 344 videos up!

Did I mention I clicked the dislike button on YouTube not the voting button on the ScienceDaily.com site.

NYT : Groups Blanket Supreme Court on Health Care

With the Supreme Court like an out-of-balance teeter-totter let's hope the high-minded justices are pragmatic and realize that sometimes flip-flops are just that.  Justice seems arbitrary and capricious ... who lobby's for what and why?


From the NYT -

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has helped lead opposition to the health care law, has been hosting moot court sessions to prepare lawyers involved in the case. Advocates on all sides of the issues, including Tea Party leaders who are against the law and health care professionals who favor it, are planning rallies. Many groups, like the American Constitution Society, liberal backers of the law and of Congress’s power to regulate commerce, are setting up war rooms and daily briefings on the Supreme Court steps...

...But does the cajoling from outside groups have any real impact on the court’s decisions? At least in the case of the formal amicus briefs filed with the court, research suggests that the answer, increasingly, is yes.

A study published last year in The National Law Journal by Mr. Franze and R. Reeves Anderson, his colleague at the law firm Arnold & Porter, found the Supreme Court justices not only receiving more amicus briefs than ever before, but also citing them as support for their opinions far more often as well.

Romney On ObamaCare: I was for it before I was against it !!!!

Enough said!

VP #Cheney vs Howards -Parallel- Justice Bradley vs #Prosser

If Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Prosser needs a role model he should talk with Steven Howards ... walk up, tap someone (VP Cheney) on the shoulder, express your opinion and leave ...  however, this Secret Service officer would have arrested Prosser ... and now the United States Supreme Court will rule ...

What do you bet ... it's not ok to tap on shoulder (in Colorado) but it is ok to choke (in Wisconsin) ...

NPR: Confronting The VP May Be Impolite. Is It A Crime?

... Agent Reichle of the Denver office went over to Howards and asked if he would answer a few questions about his conversation with Cheney. Howards said no and told Reichle that if he didn't want people accosting Cheney, he should "keep Cheney out of public places."

"The Secret Service agent got furious," Howards says, adding that he quickly found himself handcuffed "with my hands behind my back and I was being charged with felony assault of the vice president."

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser wants recusals in discipline case

The Wisconsin Judicial Commission filed a complaint against Prosser last week asking the six other justices to discipline him for allegedly choking Justice Ann Walsh Bradley during an argument last June. Prosser contends Walsh Bradley charged him and he defended himself. 

2033 Now - #Medicare Facts/Projections vs #PaulRyan

As you read headlines, hear the reports the one thing that strikes me is "these projections jump all over from year to year" - which leads me to remind you they are projections and that "small tweaks" can usually fix what problems exist.  However media loves a headline or soundbite, and some ideologues have a very severe agenda ... and like to yell "fire" and start a stampede.  Looking long term the ideologues (Ryan, GOP) that would destroy Medicare and Medicaid are more concerned about a future coming about where people look at the distribution of income and wealth and change the system. These severe ideologues are very fearful but will keep their true agenda hidden.  If they can alter or destroy the social safety net soon ... it may be impossible to put it back together ... that is what they really want!

Pick the facts you like ... I guess ...

The link above is from Kaiser Family Foundation which gets its data mostly from Trustee Boards (see the fine print) ...as well as the excerpts below ...

Description: In almost every year to date since Medicare’s inception, total income to the Part A (Hospital Insurance) Trust Fund exceeded expenditures, until 2008.  Under current law, Medicare spending is projected to exceed income to the Part A Trust Fund until 2014, when income will again exceed spending through the remainder of the projection period.

I think this says Medicare Part A is now good until 2029 vs 2019 thanks to ObamaCare?

Title: 2009 and 2010 Projections of the Medicare Part A Trust Fund Balance, 2010-2019

Description: Medicare’s financial condition is measured in a number of ways, including assessing the status of the Part A Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (i.e., the number of years to depletion of the trust fund).  The Part A Trust Fund is projected to be depleted by 2029, 12 years later than the 2009 projection of 2017.  This is largely due to reductions in the growth rate of Medicare spending as a result of provisions in the 2010 health care reform law, as well as a provision to increase the payroll tax paid by higher-income people.  As a result, the Part A Trust Fund is projected to have a positive asset balance of $317 billion at the end of 2019.

Now remember this is part A and there are other parts ... so what is Paul Ryan really doing ... trying to save Medicare or just "pandering" to special interests or his ideology (Ayn Rand).

http://www.medicare.gov/navigation/medicare-basics/medicare-benefits/medicare-benefits-overview.aspx

4/24/2012 Update - The Trustees are out with a new report ... gather your facts, look at past projections and history ... express yourself.

WIStateJournal Social Security heading for insolvency even faster ... watch the tricky language!  How was the cut enacted ... lower payroll tax or cap on service payments ... reduction in general fund allotment?  It makes a difference.  The first two would be policy to stimulate the economy to create job growth.

Congress enacted a 2 percent cut for Medicare last year, and that is the main reason the trust fund exhaustion date did not advance.

I would add ... not really!!!!

Paul Ryan & Ayn Rand ... Shrug

WI 1848 Forward: 2033 Now- #Medicare Facts/Projections vs Paul #Ryan : #Obama #AARP #47% #99% vs #1% #elites #Boehner

WI 1848 Forward: 2033 Now- #Medicare Facts/Projections vs Paul #Ryan : #Obama #AARP vs #1% #elites keep yelling fire

Illegal Possession Of A #Camera, Disorderly Conduct In The #WI #Assembly - Conspiracy

4/11/12 And now Arthur is (was?) running for Governor

I lost the link but as I recall from what I read (3/28) ... our friend just got his camera back ... profiling, piling on and harassment comes in many official forms ... doesn't it?

Found it ...

Camera Returned, Civil Rights Still Missing from Wisconsin Citizens Media Co-op

____________________
There is a woman officer ... anyone know her ... I have seen her twice telling officers what to do ... even when Tubbs was present ... she did it 1/26 during the Gogebic protest at the Capitol.

By 3/18 this video has been viewed at YouTube channel over 17,000 times ... anybody paying attention!

From 7:12 into video ... who is in charge ... arrested for carrying a camera

I'm speculating ... is she in charge ... who is she ...what is going on .... look at 7:12 .. she is clearly in charge ... sorry I don't have my image capture software up (got it) ... maybe later!!! Is Tubbs just a front now???

WI 1848 Forward: Illegal Possession Of A #Camera, Disorderly Conduct In The #WI #Assembly - #Conspiracy : 47% vs #1% #GeorgeFloyd

WI 1848 Forward: Illegal Possession Of A #Camera, Disorderly Conduct In The #WI #Assembly - 47% vs #1% Robin #Vos #GeorgeFloyd 

St. Sen. Glen Grothman ... quite a guy

These are stories from my blog

http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/ ... search by date



WI 1848 Forward: St. Sen Glen Grothman commits another "grosse ...
10 minutes ago
Yesterday the legislative attack on MATC, SB 275, that dissolves the MATC board and gives board appointment power to two counties that represent less than 8% of the colleges' students and less than 18% of its funding ...

WI 1848 Forward: Education War : Grothman and Alternate Reality
May 16, 2011
Grothman has announced another subsidy for private schools (3/24). This is on his State Website - you can click title to see it all. Even more questionable is the over generalization and problable mis-statement (and that is ...

WI 1848 Forward: 5/2 Upd- Recall Grothman Ozaukee County ...
Apr 24, 2011
Recall Grothman seeks volunteers to canvass in Cedarburg, Grafton, and Port Washington, Thursday Apr 28 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday April 29, 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 30, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. If you ...

WI 1848 Forward: Grothman recall effort --- action!!! upd 4/21 et al
Apr 15, 2011
The traction the recall effort has gained in the conservative district, which includes most of Ozaukee County and parts of Washington, Sheboygan and Fond du Lac counties, is not lost on Grothman and area Republicans, who ...

WI 1848 Forward: Wisconsin State Rep. Grothman ... called ...
Mar 11, 2011
Grothman ... called protestors thugs (image) 5:30pm. Grothman is up for RECALL! What do you bet? A Mom and her thugs ... they used to be good kids but now that they can't get an education ... you know what happens!

WI 1848 Forward: #PolitiScoop : Wisconsin Senator #Ellis Calls ...
Jan 26, 2012
Glenn Grothman sat down at the hotel's bar and decided to hold an open caucus.The group of republicans started speaking loudly. What was being discussed prompted a citizen to turn on their cellphone. The issue of school ...

WI 1848 Forward: In Milwaukee - Seeking a new life, Burmese ...
May 22, 2011
The context of understanding - what do Burma, the Karen people, Milwaukee, Grothman and Walker, human rights, collective bargaining, unions and recall elections have in common. You will need to examine both links!

WI 1848 Forward: Walker's War on Education - Property Tax Break ...
May 06, 2011
Note: Darling and Grothman are on JFC, Darling and Olsen up for potential RECALL. Expanded school voucher bill passes legislative committee - Enrollment cap would be erased; schools countywide could join By Patrick ...

http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/

WI 1848 Forward: WI St. Sen. Glen #Grothman ... quite a guy : #Pridemore fellow traveler!

WI 1848 Forward: WI St. Sen. Glen #Grothman ... quite a guy : #Pridemore fellow traveler! vs #47% #NARAL #WOW

St. Sen Glen #Grothman commits another "grosse" act ... Search YouTube

Search YouTube on "Grothman" ... lots of clips ... most not favorable ... what a guy!  I was going to list them here ... just way too many!

Old Fashioned Families or governmental intervention?

I'm not totally up on this issue ... but anything about State Senator Grothman gets my attention ... from an email from United Wisconsin ...

WI 1848 Forward: St. Sen Glen #Grothman commits another "grosse" act ... Search YouTube #Pridemore fellow traveler

Yesterday the legislative attack on MATC, SB 275, that dissolves the MATC board and gives board appointment power to two counties that represent less than 8% of the colleges’ students and less than 18% of its funding  passed the Wisconsin Senate.

It is a power grab that will lead to dismantling important functions and programs at the state’s only minority majority college. Just last week Mark Belling said MATC shouldn’t have a nursing program. Critical programs like child care, the bilingual program, public safety, food service, and IT are at risk as are academic programs like the Adult High School, professional development and Early Childhood Education.

Glen Grothman is smearing our students to justify his hostile takeover.

We need YOU to join us in tomorrow when the bill will be voted on in the Assembly. We will rally at the Capitol at 6:30 pm.  (3/15/2012

Email mrosen@local212.org to confirm that you will come to Madison to defend MATC.

 ... so with that said I am forwarding this for consideration ... short time frame!

Wisconsin State Rep. Grothman ... called protestors thugs (image) 5:30pm (3/11/2011)

WI 1848 Forward: St. Sen Glen #Grothman commits another "grosse" act - now in US House ... Search YouTube #Pridemore fellow traveler #timecapsule