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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

44 #SENATORS BEHIND #KEYSTONE BILL TOOK $22.3 MILLION IN CAMPAIGN CASH FROM BIG #OIL

Post Nov 2014 election ... so how have things changed you might ask?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From blog "Public Campaign Action Fund" ....

Washington, D.C. –Forty-four Senators who introduced legislation today backing the controversial Keystone XL pipeline received $22.3 million in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry since 1989, according to analysis by 350.org and Public Campaign Action Fund. The figures reflected data coded by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics and available on their website and include contributions through September 30, 2011. Fourth quarter filings are due to the Federal Election Commission tomorrow.

 If you have checked out the blog entry below .... you will get the dark humor ... just be glad the Senators were not paid in tokens ...

#TED : Dan #Ariely - Our buggy moral code - explains #ENRON, #Politics

 However you come to support getting money out of politics ... do it ... !


If narratives and pictures help to move you ... try this!

Senators backing Keystone XL pipeline got lots of campaign cash from fossil fuel donors



WI 1848 Forward: 44 #SENATORS BEHIND #KEYSTONE BILL TOOK $22.3 MILLION IN CAMPAIGN CASH FROM BIG #OIL #Obama

WI 1848 Forward: 44 #SENATORS TOOK $22.3 MILLION IN CAMPAIGN CASH FROM BIG #OIL #Keystone -Who owns the #Congress ?

TED : Dan Ariely - Our buggy moral code - explains ENRON, Politics

May 14, 2015 - A Politics Observation: It also explains the Wisconsin GOP/Republicans and why they feel compelled to tell "the needy" what they can and cannot eat when using SNAP as in AB 177 - just passed.

Introduced by Representatives R. Brooks, Brandtjen, Allen,Czaja, Gannon, Horlacher,Kerkman, Knodl, Kremer, Nygren, Rohrkasteand Petersen;cosponsored by Senators Marklein and Nass


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indirectly we learn what "leadership" is or why "standards" are important ... when we are "reminded" we behave better. Conversely if we identify as a member of a group do we adopt the behavior or not ... listen and see what you think! 

Learning about " Behavioral Economics " -- From nurses ripping off bandages ... the better way -- to explaining ENRON and DERIVATIVES (cheating). 

Doctors start a treatment ... get more information ... should change treatment plan but do not!!!!!

Human behavior ... personal fudge factor!  How to move it up or down!!



Another perspective on Dan ...


Ariely says the research about honesty isn't all negative. We have plenty of opportunities to lie, cheat, and steal, without getting caught. And we usually don't take those opportunities.
"There's a lot of good in us," he said. "In fact, the surprising thing for a rational economist would be: why don't we cheat more?"


Paul Ryan’s Montana Misery Continues: Gianforte May Face House Ethics Investigation


A most astute observer...Being both more systematically brutal than chimps and more empathic than bonobos, we are by far the most bipolar ape. Our societies are never completely peaceful, never completely competitive, never ruled by sheer selfishness, and never perfectly moral.

 — Frans de Waal (Primatologist)


#TED - #Ariely #Kahneman #Thaler >Our buggy #moral code-explains #Politics #47% vs #1% #Genocide - WI 1848 Forward - Is #Trump predictably irrational? Recognize a huckster? #Politics #Walker #1% #ENRON #WellsFargo ($1B)+($3B) Fines -Still in business

#Leadership ? #TED - #Ariely -Our buggy #moral code-explains #ENRON  #Tillerson #1% Violent Rep. #Gianforte -WI 1848 Forward: 

Monday, January 30, 2012

#TED : Clay #Shirky: Why #SOPA is a bad idea - #PIPA #WWW freedom #cispa

 4/16/2012 BBC

Facebook supports Cispa cyber-security bill

Who is spying on whom ... another run at it?

___________
We should all be concerned ... guilty until proven innocent! SOPA and PIPA will prevent us from sharing information with each other!

"Inversion of the burden of proof"


 "Hand out water that is not wet ... DMCA?"





So what does this have to do with Google vs NPR and Privacy ....??

In Firefox you are being tracked (approximately unless you opt-out) ... from there FAQ ...


Location-Aware Browsing is always opt-in in Firefox. No location information is ever sent without your permission. If you wish to disable the feature completely, please follow this set of steps:
  • In the URL bar, type about:config
  • Type geo.enabled
  • Double click on the geo.enabled preference
  • Location-Aware Browsing is now disabled
In Google Search you are being tracked ... you can supposedly generalize it ... but given what they use to approximately locate you ... I really do not believe them?!

To provide you with the most relevant results, Google attempts to automatically detect your location and customize results based on that detected location. A location that's labeled "Auto-detected" is chosen based on the following factors:
  • Your IP address .
  • Google Toolbar's My Location feature. If you have Google Toolbar installed and have the My Location feature enabled, your approximate location (if detected) will be used to customize your search results. If you don't want Toolbar to attempt to determine your approximate location, you can turn off My Location



IS THIS THE WAY YOU WANT IT?  Fess up ... this all about competing for advertising and marketing $$$$$$$.

1/30/2012 OccupyAir in OccupyDC Live - video

posted 3:15pm Madison WI   ... the link ... http://ustre.am/G1Qt

Thoughts - #Google vs #NPR

Privacy ... what privacy ? I think Google is messing with NPR links. I followed the instructions and clicked the link ... up pops ...

"
Cookies are disabled
Your browser's cookies seem to be disabled. Ads Preferences will not work until you enable cookies in your browser. How do I enable cookies?"

Which I know is not true unless they just turned it off!


This all got me thinking about Isacc Azimov.  Although the original "Three Laws of Robotics" are not considered adequate or complete, more minimally necessary rather than sufficient they are a starting point for thinking about Corporations as "humans" or "robots".  It might be a better world if Corporations subscribed to the "Three Laws" ... but alas they are run by humans who want their corporate entity to be unaccountable and able to change the rules to their benefit w/o much regard for external impact or effects.

Three Laws of Robotics



Sunday, January 29, 2012

#OLA - How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’

New ideas are seldom new but do need to be re-invented .... From Occupy Los Angeles ...

"... Sweden and Norway, for example, both experienced a major power shift in the 1930s after prolonged nonviolent struggle. They “fired” the top 1 percent of people who set the direction for society and created the basis for something different.

Both countries had a history of horrendous poverty. When the 1 percent was in charge, hundreds of thousands of people emigrated to avoid starvation. Under the leadership of the working class, however, both countries built robust and successful economies that nearly eliminated poverty, expanded free university education, abolished slums, provided excellent health care available to all as a matter of right and created a system of full employment. Unlike the Norwegians, the Swedes didn’t find oil, but that didn’t stop them from building what the latest CIA World Factbook calls “an enviable standard of living.” "

#Elites WI 1848 Forward: #OLA - How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’ #1% #99% #OWS

Friday, January 27, 2012

2/17/12 Rough Cut - WI Assembly GOP Sells Environment To Mining 20120126

Legislative Hearing Notice ... removed ....HMMMMMM!

Bill History: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2011/data/SB488hst.html
      Relating to: regulation of ferrous metallic mining and related activities, procedures for obtaining ...
  A public hearing scheduled by Joint Committee on Finance was changed.  Date/time: February 17, 2012 at 10:00 AM.  Location: 412 East.  Items: LRB - 4045/1 was removed from the list of items to be heard.
_____________________________________
WTDY reported yesterday ...2/15/2011
Sen. Scott Fitzgerald has disbanded the Senate Mining Committee and is now urging passage of the Assembly's version of the bill.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/WTDY-News/180229452050505
______________________
A rough cut of video from Thursday evening 1/26/2012 spanning, roughly 6:30 to 7:30pm. This rally occurred outside the Assembly Chambers in the State Capitol, Madison WI. An arrest for playing drum happens about 5mins into video.

It sounds so innocuous ...Assembly Bill 426, relating to regulation of ferrous metallic mining and related activities, making an appropriation, and providing penalties.


#Wetlands #Water #DeepWells #Foxconn WI 1848 Forward:v2 Rough Cut- #WI Assembly #GOP Sells #Environment To #Mining 20120126 - #Walker #1% #Elites vs #47%

WI1848Forward: Rough Cut- #WI #GOP Sells #Environment To #Mining 2/6/12 - and to #FOXCONN 8/2017 always for #JOBS ?

Thursday, January 26, 2012

v2 1/27/12 Done - GOP sells WI to Mining Interests - 1st Step - Assembly

It is now about a year later and here we go again (1/3/2013).

1/27/12 9:15am ... rough cut video of some of the action coming soon

Who wrote the environmental destruction bill?
Earlier in the process ... day(s) ...

Outside Assembly Chamber - Chants

The Message


A friendly discussion .... drummer gets arrested later ... had to be quiet compared to chants!
Now to see if video is any good ...

WI 1848 Forward: v2 1/27/12 Done - #GOP sells WI to #Mining Interests - 1st Step - #Assembly - #Walker #wiVote #Koch ?

Walker Spin: State of the State (1/25/12) - Topic: Unemployment (w/video)

Walker: State of the State - Topic: Unemployment

Walker said ...
When I addressed you in this chamber last January, Wisconsin had suffered through three years of 150,000 of our fellow citizens losing their jobs. The unemployment rate was 7.5%. (min 11)
20 minute intro ...


Be cautious, we really cannot be sure what he is saying. There are only forecasts for January 2012. So what has changed? Public data reports (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) are available to everyone. So, again. what has changed?

Professor Bruce E. Hansen has a report out that we can look at Wisconsin Unemployment Rate Forecast.  It appears from public data and that of Professor Hansen that the only reasonable number to compare then and now is the January 2011 number and the November, 2011 (7.3%). I guess the bottom line is that nothing has changed! It is hard to imagine that 7.5 vs 7.3 is more than noise. Compound that number with those seeking jobs and those in/out of the job market for various reasons.

Professor Hansen writes ...
The unemployment rate in November 2011 was 7.3%, a major one-month fall, after holding roughly steady for 4 months and increasing in the first half of the year, following a steady fall during 2010.
So 2010 saw major improvement in unemployment rate (Doyle Administration) and 2011 saw no significant improvement but Walker's remarks go on ...
Now, our unemployment rate is down from a year ago. In fact, it's the lowest it's been since 2008.


We are turning things around. We are heading in the right direction.


During the past year, we added thousands of new jobs.
This kind of spin is beyond egregious!

Sources


Bruce E. Hansen,T. Haavelmo Professor, Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin, 22 December 2011, Wisconsin Unemployment Rate Forecast - http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~bhansen/forecast/

________________________________________
I left the following comment on WI PBS "Here and Now" ....


I watched the program (mostly) and did appreciate the topics.  Governor Walker has made employment/development/unemployment key agenda items.  But all governors seem to do that!

Usually it is more a pretext for other policy items, like roll back environmental protection or positioning for what will happen anyway (economic recovery - so far down anything looks up).

The State of the State perpetuated the Governor's "jobs" spin and your program could have been a little more clear (hard) on the issue ... but thanks.

I might have asked this question the way I phrased on my blog ...

"So 2010 saw major improvement in unemployment rate (Doyle Administration) and 2011 saw no significant improvement but ..." 


EX-Gov  : State of the State (1/25/12) - Topic: (w/video) : The Gov :vs #47% - WI 1848 Forward

#PolitiScoop : Wisconsin Senator #Ellis Calls School a Sewer :1/25/12 #vos

Assembly Vos on the left, Senator Ellis on right ... Politiscoop provides the background ... the way GOP does politics ...





Robin Vos "I can find $200 million in venture Capital"
Last night at Best Western PLUS Inn on the Park Hotel Rep. Robin Vos, Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, Sen. Mike Ellis and Sen. 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 vouchers came up and Robin Vos states "Well, there is a way to find $200 million in venture capital" with Sen. Mike Ellis responding "I'd like to hear this". But wait a minute, he can find $200 million for school vouchers but can't find money for public education? The duo continued in the conversation which included a pronouncement that Jeff Fitzgerald and Scott Fitzgerald are basically inept. Neither Vos nor Ellis appeared to be concerned where they were discussing political strategies. Perhaps they believe they live in a bubble or are surrounded by an invisible Cone of Silence.

WI 1848 Forward: #PolitiScoop : Wisconsin Senator #Ellis Calls School a Sewer :1/25/12 #vos #Walker #GOP vs #Dems #47%

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

v3 WiConservation : Scrap the Open-Pit Mining Bill

Update 1/4/2013 ... here we go again led by Walker and Vos

Update 2/1/2012: About to attend a talk which considering the long term consequences of "mining" on the environment and people should be spot on ... brought to us by

The Focus on the Humanities Distinguished Faculty Lectures series presents the work of outstanding UW-Madison humanities faculty to the broader Madison community. Made possible by the Anonymous Fund of the UW-Madison College of Letters and Science.

ROB NIXON
Rachel Carson Professor of English
Slow Violence and Environmental Storytelling
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1
5:30 PM
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
330 North Orchard Street
Free and Open to the Public
Rob Nixon will discuss "slow violence" -- environmental threats "that patiently dispense their devastation while remaining outside our flickering attention spans." Underrepresentation of slow violence in the media exacerbates the vulnerability of ecosystems and injustices of class, gender, race, and region. Nixon will track ways that writers and filmmakers have faced the storytelling challenges posed by attritional environmental degradation. 


*********************************************************************




WI 1848 Forward: v2 #WiConservation : Scrap the Open-Pit #Mining Bill #GOP - #Walker #Elites #1% vs #WiVote #47% #99%

WI 1848 Forward: v3 #WiConservation : Scrap the Open-Pit #Mining Bill #GOP - #Walker #Elites #1% vs #WiVote #47% #EPA 

NYT Ed: A #Wisconsin #Judge ’s ( #Gableman ) Refusal to Recuse

It's too sad ... Gableman was bought and paid for by WMC .  Do you see how these things turn out?  Look at what WMC thinks are "business interests".  If you have a Briggs & Stratton small engine ... think twice ... he is the new chair of WMC!

From the New York Times editorial ... click title for link ...


In a 4-to-3, right-left vote last June, the court overturned a trial court’s stay of the Republican-backed state law curbing bargaining rights of public employees. A brave county prosecutor made a motion for the justice to recuse himself last month after The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that, secretly and outrageously, the justice received free legal counsel for two years beginning in 2008 from the Wisconsin law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich, which represented the state in defending the law.
The justice has a blatant conflict of interest: He owes money to a firm that got his vote in this and other cases. He should have agreed not to sit on any case where the law firm is involved until he pays what he owes.
 Get Corporate Money Out - NationalIntervention.org

WI 1848 Forward: 2/25/12 #NYT Ed: A #Wisconsin #Judge ’s ( #Gableman ) Refusal to Recuse - as 2/19/13 election nears 

9/24/2021 -WI 1848 Forward: 2/25/12 #NYT Ed: A #Wisconsin #Judge ’s ( #Gableman ) Refusal to Recuse - as 2/19/13 election nears -& now #Trump #BigLie

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Can we save WRS - WI Retirement System

30,000 signatures--We Did It!

Politics
Kathleen Marsh

8:06 PM (7 minutes ago) to me (and 30,000)

Great news! We are 30,000+ strong and growing! At this point I am still gathering signatures, but for this effort to have the biggest possible impact, I need to choose the optimal time to turn it in. For now, just keep forwarding the link to friends and relatives you think may be affected. Sign the petition at: http://signon.org/sign/save-the-wisconsin-retiremen?source=s.em.cr&r_by=1898530&mailing_id=1785.


Update: Despite protestations to the contrary, Pat Strachota (R-West Bend) is ready to file Bill 3202/1. This legislation was written last year and would take effect January 1, 2012. It gives the UW Board of Regents the power to allow new hires to opt out of WRS. While this proposal is quite limited in scope, it can be easily amended to reach a broad swath of public employees. Those of us who are following the issue closely can see this is indeed the camel nudging its nose under the tent. It is worth noting that Strachota is a member of ALEC, and one of ALEC’s top goals is to privatize public pensions. These people are not stupid. After what has happened in Wisconsin during the past year, they aren’t foolish enough to attempt it all at once.

On a related note, I have received dozens of legislators’ responses to the petition. Republicans are offering almost identical talking points: “There has been a rumor that WRS is going to be turned into a defined contribution system. This is not true. A study was commissioned to look at alternative contribution methods, such as offering an optional defined contribution plan and/or allowing employees to opt out of making their employee required contributions. The study will examine how such changes might affect the solvency, funding, mission, and structure of the WRS. The study will provide information and may include recommendations related to the alternatives mentioned above. Additionally, researchers may find that no changes would improve the system and everything should remain as is.” (Tom Tiffany R-35).

I truly wish this issue would transcend politics because so many many lives are directly affected. However, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that all the Democrats I have heard from say they do not support any changes to WRS. Use that information as you will.

Kathleen

#HiddenAgenda #Walker WI 1848 Forward: Can we save #WRS - WI Retirement System  ... now #HealthCare

Costa Rica near Las Tumbas and Rio Diamante 2012 ... Life outside blogging

Click Title to see related page -

... YouTube ... Casa de Piedra

... Google Sites ... CR Slides and Videos ... in progress

... also Panoramio

 

 

 

 

 
Posted by Picasa

Corporations Write Tax Law to Advantage Investors and CEOs

... and it is not so bad as the really bad.   Corporations will write tax laws/policy to give themselves advantages in the marketplace and discourage others from entering in the first place.  In many cases they are taking tax dollars directly from you and I to subsidize what would otherwise be an unprofitable business.  The tax dollars they take go to investors and CEOs and many other management members.  To be sure there are "public goods" which we want produced and we should subsidize private or public entities to produce ... like hospitals, public safety, retirement and healthcare safety nets to name a few.

So sometimes the lobbying that businesses, academics and citizens do make a lot of sense in some cases even all cases.   However it should be done in the open, transparently and without the quid quo pro of money or gifts for "favors".

This controversy of politicians being for sale, by many clever means, is a problem we must address.

... Cure for Addiction to Corporate Power & Money in #Politics 

... highlights the advantages that corporations have created for themselves.





#TaxReform -WI1848Forward: Corporations Write Tax Law to Advantage Investors and CEOs vs #47% #99% #OWS #inequality

Monday, January 23, 2012

Badger Blue, Times Two ... All Public Employees Deserve Our Support

From the blog ... click the title and let the GOP Legislative Leadership know what you think ... there is a RECALL coming up ... right?!

There is a contract you enter into with society when you become a police officer.  You sign up for the job with the full understanding that you will never be wealthy.  You accept the fact that you will work nights, weekends, and holidays.  You will work in the blistering heat of the summer and the Arctic chill of the winter. You understand that there will be family events cancelled at the last minute due to a chaotic work schedule.  Little League games and piano recitals will be missed.  You will consistently see the worst that human existence has to offer.  You know that, statistically, you will die younger due to heart disease and stress-related illnesses than the average person (the most generous study has police officers surviving to an average age of 66, compared with 73 for the average US male population).
... To the people who blocked this bill:  It isn't enough to attend the funerals of fallen officers in your districts, or memorial services during Police Week.  It isn't enough to get teary-eyed when the bagpipes play, and to talk about how grateful the citizens of Wisconsin are for this ultimate sacrifice.  Your words are hollow, because your actions have broken the contract.  These families are trying to put their shattered lives back together, yet all you can talk about is fiscal responsibility.  For the sake of decency, please do not attend another officer's funeral, or another police memorial service, until you make this right.  You are not welcome to share in our grief until that happens.

Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald: Rep.Fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov
Representative Bill Kramer: Rep.Kramer@legis.wisconsin.gov
Representative Dan Knodl: Rep.Knodl@legis.wisconsin.gov
Representative Joan Ballweg: Rep.Ballweg@legis.wisconsin.gov
Representative Mary Williams: Rep.WilliamsM@legis.wisconsin.gov
Representative Samantha Kerkman: Rep.Kerkman@legis.wisconsin.gov


Tell them it's part of the contract.
[The black lettering is symbolic in so many ways ...]
As a related item you have to wonder if it is greed or ideology that influences these politicians the most .... make a commitment to the CURE ...


... Cure for Addiction to Corporate Power & Money in #Politics

Sunday, January 22, 2012

... Cure for Addiction to Corporate Power & Money in #Politics

Easy to understand the message ... can it be done? Click title to see more!

Another Path ... get an account at Reddit and LIKE this



ALEC should stand for "Awful Legislators Exhibiting Cure"!  Organizations like ALEC are fundamentally a corruption of "public interest".

WI 1848 Forward: ... Cure for Addiction to Corporate Power & Money in #Politics :47% %99% vs #Lobbyists #Koch #adelson