Update: WPR & WPT - WisconsinMoneyMatters (Schools Impact)

This new site, an arrangement by Wis Public Television and Wis Public Radio, is about important public policy issues in Wisconsin.  We should all follow them, encourage them, promote them (i.e.,Twitter) so that our fellow Wisconsinites and even a broader audience get a perspective about what is going on in the state.

School districts, collective bargaining being changed are a couple of recent topics.  I am afraid that you can rely on Governor Walker, the Fitzgerald boys, the Republican Party and TeaParty along with Senator Johnson and Representative Ryan and Sensenbrenner will all do what they can to prevent any message they do not like from continuing!

Click on the title to see more about them!

Watch the full episode. See more Here and Now.

Update: #WPR & #WPT - #WisconsinMoneyMatters (Schools Impact) #Vouchers #wiunion #wivote #voterId #Gogebic #walker

Hopper vs King Debate Video 7/18?

Hopper is he really anti-jobs and mostly ideological  - for the time being let's ignore his poor judgement in his life commitment choices?  What do you think?

In Milwaukee - Seeking a new life, Burmese refugees find roaches and blight

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!

Burma refugees move to Milwaukee slums May 21, 2011 by Cristalyne J Bell

This kind of "human abuse" (see the link below) in our own backyard yard reminds me that we seem to live in a "moment" that is yelling "me first" and "it's mine".  Politicians who refer to people as "thugs" only because they are taking actions (such as occupying the Capitol) that might thwart their own ambitions to prevent voting, suppress minorities, give tax breaks to wealthy individuals and corporations in the name "job growth" and "efficiency" have to be voted out of office.

JSOnline: Seeking a new life, Burmese refugees find roaches and blight

#Refugees #Burmese In #Milwaukee #WI 1848 Forward: Seeking a new life, Burmese refugees find roaches and blight

Upd - Collective Bargaining and Recalls and Budgets

Unfortunately the Republican game plan seems to be on track!  If the courts (whichever) give them a favorable ruling they are even further along.  Favorable means the "Open Meetings" laws were not violated. Governor Walker will have successfully destroyed public unions and further lowered the wage, benefits and protections that any individual in any job may be able to obtain in Wisconsin.

When GAB was accorded its plan not to hold any recall elections until July the State Senate became the only place that the new Budget could be stopped or altered.  If recalls had been executed sooner putting the "Collective Bargaining" argument back in the new budget might have been problematic. If the Democrats had regained control of the Senate, changed the make up of the JFC and consequently had leverage on the Budget we might actually have seen a stalemate (euphemism for bipartisanship).  Now with the JFC barreling along like a "high speed train" to complete its work and get the budget done ASAP before June 30th (and recalls) the FAB14 may only have one recourse.

The Fitzgeralds have the cards to help Governor Walker have his way.  Are the threats of "recalls" sufficient to cause some State Senators to either want to slow things down or put them more in a frame of mind of "going down with the ship" - after all Walker will always give me a job!  Some State Senators should keep their bags packed - this should be pretty clear to anyone watching the scene.

A recent AP story in WSJ may help anyone wanting to relive the past several months!

GOP leaders: If there's no ruling by June, union vote could come in committee 

Update: It never happens by accident.  Who was leaking to whom or who was pressuring whom or what was being traded??   The Fitzgeralds were talking to AP knowing that this was coming down - that's what I think?

Thunda Around The Rotunda- April 30th Madison WI Capitol- Video from Stills

WI 1848 Forward: #Thunda Around The #Rotunda- April 30th, 2011 #Madison WI #Capitol -Protest #Walker 's 1% #Koch

All and Part III - Thunda Around The Rotunda - April 30th - Madison WI Capitol 00003.MTS

 Thunda Around The Rotunda - April 30th - Madison WI Capitol 2:23pm

Cycles/Hogs Part III - on to Square coming up South Hamilton St - Shot from King and Main 4/30/2011 2:23pm - Supporting Workers Rights ... coming on for about 10minutes ... more with stragglers ... parked all around the square ... both sides on some blocks (Mifflin and Carroll)

Integrated version ... all three parts put together and final part separately!

Isthmus: Motorcycles ring Wisconsin Capitol for 'Thunda Around the Rotunda' (slideshow) Kristian Knutsen on Saturday 04/30/2011

4/16/2011 Photos - Rallies in Madison WI

Click to Zoom!

4/16/2011 Photos - Rallies in #Madison #WI #2011 #Walker resentment 

Feingold Watchers 4/13 JSOnline All Politics Blog

Feingold returns to DC for award, speaks out on civil liberties and union rights By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel

Washington – Making his first speech in DC since he left the Senate, Russ Feingold Wednesday chastised Democrats for failing to protect civil liberties and Republicans for going after workers’ bargaining rights.

Feingold was in Washington to receive the Ridenhour Courage Prize, an award honoring progressive figures and causes that has gone in the past to Daniel Ellsberg, Seymour Hersh, former President Jimmy Carter and Gloria Steinem.  

PBS -U.S. Labor History - Triangle Fire,1911 - No Exit

Click on Title and it will take you to PBS site and you can hear and learn about the "Triangle Fire" tragedy!

WPR has program at 3pm Monday!

Don't want this kind of information to get out --- let's kill any means by which PBS might get funds!  If you have confidence that "market systems" will perform efficiently you need to ask what efficiently means.  Standards, regulation and legal redress are all means by which we keep "markets" truly efficient!  "Market Efficiency" will bring about terrible accidents, suffering and despair ... but you have to get everyone under the same rules ... or you have a race to the bottom!

WI 1848 Forward: U.S. #Labor History - #TriangleFire,1911 - No Exit: #Union #WiUnion #47% vs #Walker #Elites #Koch

WI 1848 Forward: U.S. #Labor History - #TriangleFire,1911 - No Exit: #Union #WiUnion #PBS vs #Walker #Elites #Koch

WI 1848 Forward: U.S. #Labor History - #TriangleFire,1911 - No Exit:  #Walker and #Koch World #Elites #1%

WI 1848 Forward: U.S. #Labor History - #TriangleFire,1911 - No Exit:  The world #Walker and #Koch #Elites prefer #1% http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/2011/04/us-labor-history-triangle-fire-1911-no.html?spref=tw

WI 1848 Forward: U.S. #Labor History- #TriangleFire,1911 -No Exit:  #Walker & #Koch World #Elites #1% #Morality $

WI in the State of Washington Capitol Rally

At least one of Wisconsin's State Senator's is helping out in person!

Headline :

Thousands protest in Olympia over proposed budget cuts

From the source ... click Title to see ...

The number of protesters grew from hundreds at the beginning of the week to thousands by Friday. The State Patrol estimated 7,000 people gathered outside the main legislative building, while labor-group leaders put the figure at thousands more.

In earlier protests and rallies, demonstrators have been sleeping overnight on the hard marble floor of the Capitol, and more than a dozen protesters were arrested on Thursday after trying to storm Gov. Chris Gregoire's office. A handful of young protesters were still in the Capitol rotunda Friday night with sleeping bags to stay overnight.

CapTimes: Mailbag - Bill Gates: Dem whoppers not what they might appear to be 4/2/2011

Click the Title to see the "Opinion Piece" as it appears in the CapTimes -- they are good editors ;-}

The original as submitted is below ...

In a recent CapTimes:Mailbag (3/27) three examples were given as to how “Democrats tell whoppers!”. As rhetoric it is a very good piece. You must read it very carefully!

In example one the point is made that public workers are only a small part of the middle-class, etc., and that somehow elected officials and unions bargaining with each other is corrupt. This would require all elected officials to be Democrats (or union members themselves) and thus unions are being served by those they elect and that the non-union voters or other issue voters have no impact on elections, either that or some Republicans and independents are corrupt too, or at least in a marginalized minority.

In example two the point is made that Democrats claim collective bargaining represents a basic right. Basic right seems to mean different things, sometimes associated with constitutional or human rights or labor rights, etc. What does it mean in this case – probably more akin to something like a right established by tradition or generational wisdom, such as in British Common Law. The example goes on to say that public and private unions require a fee to be paid to get or maintain a job (I'm not sure which is meant, probably the latter in terms of dues?) and that it is unsavory. That is just not an accurate way to characterize the situation – but the short-hand is comprehensible anyway! Please take note that in example one union members by default logic are either members of the upper-class or the lower-class (or perhaps neither) but an insignificant part of the middle-class.

In example three the point is made that JoAnne Kloppenburg is not an independent but a Democrat and thought to be by Democrats an antidote to Walker's policies. Has JoAnne Kloppenburg said she was a Democrat? A rhetorical question – If you are an independent and do not favor Walker's policies who would you vote for? If you are a Democrat and do not favor Walker's policies who would you vote for?

Was it perhaps all tongue in cheek?

#Union CapTimes: Mailbag - Bill Gates: #Dem whoppers not what they might appear to be 4/2/2011

WI - Another Lawsuit - Asserts Budget Repair has Fiscal Items

WSJ  3/25 - two unions file to have law declared null and void - no quorum!

Click on Title to see article!

AFL-CIO Laborers Local 236 and Firefighters Local 311 allege in a lawsuit filed in Dane County Circuit Court that despite claims to the contrary, the bill contains provisions that have fiscal impacts on the state and required a quorum of three-fifths of the Senate to vote on it.

WI - Open Meetings lawsuit, Prosser in a bind???

Click here to see Court rulings in PDF

March 24, 2011- Wisconsin Court of Appeals declines to rule on "Open Meetings" lawsuit - go to State Supreme Court

So when and which way will Prosser vote on "Open Meetings" - even sitting on his hands he probably loses - will the real justice stand up!!!

It  is  appropriate  to  certify  to  the  Supreme  Court  appeals  raising issues  which  that  court  might  otherwise  ultimately  consider  on  a  petition  for review, in order to reduce the burden and expense of the appellate process on both the parties and  the  judicial  system.   See Wisconsin Public Serv. Corp. v. Public Service Comm’n of Wis., 176 Wis. 2d 955, 958 n.1, 501 N.W.2d 36, 37 n.1 (1993) (Abrahamson, J., concurring).  Because this appeal presents significant issues, we believe that the Supreme Court is the proper forum for it.

In the blog: WI - Dane County latest filings on Open Meetings violations - Budget Repair from 3/22

A - WI - Where does the political money come from - WIDC report / audio!

More reasons some do not want contribution to be public!  Click link for audio!

3/17 : Mike McCabe - Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
http://www.wisdc.org/index.php?rw=podcast.html&CTGTZO=-300&CTGTZL=-360

$12 : $1 - Business versus Unions

Posted 3/17 Published In Paper CapTimes 3/23 :Biz Beat: Business outspends labor $12 to $1, state campaign records show