Rep #Issa new #GOP WI Joe #McCarthy ... Fast & Furious #NRA - #MotherJones via #Fortune

From Mother Jones ...

According to Fortune, though, almost everything about the story that Republicans have been flogging is wrong. And the magazine makes the case that the GOP's allegations against Holder and the Obama administration aren't just inaccurate—rather, they distract from the possibility that GOP's politics are actually to blame for the deluge of three-quarters of a million American guns per year into Mexico. "Republicans who support the National Rifle Association and its attempts to weaken gun laws are lambasting ATF agents for not seizing enough weapons—ones that, in this case, prosecutors deemed to be legal," the report states. ...

A couple of summary points ...

• Seven ATF agents based in Phoenix were tasked with trying to stop the "river of iron"—2,000 American guns crossing into Mexico every day. (Those sales represent millions of dollars a week to gun manufacturers—who are major donors to the NRA's lobbying efforts.)

• Their job was hard, because there's no federal law against gun trafficking, there's no electronic database of gun purchases, and you can buy as many guns as you want in Arizona, and resell them to anyone, anytime—all thanks to the NRA and pro-gun lobbyists. "In Arizona," says Dave Voth, the ATF agent who ran the Phoenix operation, "someone buying three guns is like someone buying a sandwich."

#WRS : #Walker wants to destroy the best!

11/23/2014 ... Governor "Hidden Agenda" at it again ... using front groups to coordinate and push his agenda

From Cap Times

Beil said he believes the conversation is designed to create momentum for a movement to create a 401(k)-style alternative to the pension system. 

MacIver Institute communications director Nick Novak said the reports released by the think tanks are not legislative proposals. 

"We simply identified problems facing Wisconsin's Long-Term Care services and retiree pension and health care benefits and have outlined why they are problems," Novak said in an email. "The experts at NCPA also outlined possible solutions to address these challenges. Our goal is to educate the public about these and many other important policy issues facing our state."

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/writers/jessie-opoien/unions-skeptical-of-discussed-changes-to-wisconsin-employee-health-insurance/article_e8483753-48c7-5691-a73c-8e4523ffd996.html#ixzz3Ju9uAVVL

_______________
7/25/2012 ... Geez! This morning Walker is on Morning Joe and mentions how great the WRS (WiRetSys) and acknowledges the PEW study essentially saying so... then why the big study of what was obvious ... which lobbyists was he paying off!
_________________
Let's see ... the Governor of Hidden Agendas goes to Chicago, Illinois to talk about Wisconsin.   Who does he talk to - "Commercial Club of Chicago".  What does he talk about?  How he is "open" to changing the Wisconsin Retirement System, but has no plans.  He mandated a study in his 2011 budget.  He mandated unstudied changes to contributions in 2011.  So should we believe he has no plans?  How many people in this audience made contributions to his political ambitions?  How many business interests in this audience would benefit from disrupting the WRS?  They are just rubbing their hands together thinking about all those fees they can collect when the WRS is compromised by Walker from a sound system to one that if not immediately to one that will fail.

Is #Walker really going to ruin the #WRS system

Every Governor for decades has attempted to use or manipulate the WRS for political purposes.  Somewhere back in the past some wise Legislators and Governors created an institutional structure that has survived to be the best retirement system in the country.  What does "political purposes" mean ... "divide and conquer" or "drop the bomb".

Biz Beat: Walker touts pension reforms to Illinois business group

According to a new study from the Pew Center on the States, Wisconsin’s pension system is the only one in the nation 100 percent funded. The same study showed the Illinois pension system just 45 percent funded.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/business/biz_beat/article_eb87b4d4-bef2-11e1-a784-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz1yuAT2000________________________________________

_________________________

Read more: http://host.madison.com/business/biz_beat/article_eb87b4d4-bef2-11e1-a784-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz1yu9wvqPv

____________________________________________

WI 1848 Forward: Walker's War on Safety Net - Public pensions face ...

Apr 27, 2011

Mike Ivey, who writes the Biz Beat column for the Capital Times in Madison, recently wrote Public pensions face changes (4/27). It is a short piece with some interesting references. It also scratches the surface on a good ...

http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/

WI 1848 Forward: PolitiScoop : Walker's Plot to Plunder Pensions 5/15

May 15, 2011

PolitiScoop : Walker's Plot to Plunder Pensions 5/15. A few of the earliest entries in this blog were on this topic! Just what were Governor Walker's intentions in regard to state annuitants and current state employees benefits?

http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/

WI 1848 Forward: Why SocSec and Public Pensions Need Support ...

Jun 09, 2011

Why SocSec and Public Pensions Need Support - NPR 401(k) Fees Can Shave Thousands From Nest Egg. Everyone should have access to a "public pension" system. They are far more efficient in terms of cost and an ...

http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/

WI 1848 Forward: Public Employees' Contributions To Pensions

Mar 01, 2011

First it says that all contributions to state pensions is taxpayer money. You do leave wiggle room by saying most state employees! Consider those staff or faculty at the UW-Madison funded entirely by private foundations.

http://wi1848forward.blogspot.com/

Retirees worry WI 1848 Forward: #WRS : #Walker wants to destroy the best! WI Retirement System

#WRS Retirees worry WI 1848 Forward: #Walker wants to destroy the best! WI Retirement System > Privatize the profits

VoterID is a Fraud WI PollTax Discrimination? PEW

CBS News:
Wisconsin voter ID law proved insurmountable for many voters MAY 9, 2017 / AP

MILWAUKEE -- State Sen. Mary Lazich was adamant: The bill Republicans were about to push through the Wisconsin state Senate, requiring that voters present identification at the polls, would do no harm.

"Not a single voter in this state will be disenfranchised by the ID law," Lazich promised.

Five years later, in the first presidential election held under the new law, Gladys Harris proved her wrong.

• Milwaukee voter ID law hurt turnout, elections chief says

By one estimate, 300,000 eligible voters in the state lacked valid photo IDs heading into the election; it is unknown how many people did not vote because they didn't have proper identification. But it is not hard to find the Navy veteran whose out-of-state driver's license did not suffice, or the dying woman whose license had expired, or the recent graduate whose student ID was deficient -- or Harris, who at 66 made her way to her polling place despite chronic lung disease and a torn ligament in her knee.

The Pew Charitable Trusts

Pew Center on the States Good policy depends on good information.  6/14/2012

Voters Without ID in Wisconsin

From the article ....

The findings also revealed the rates of inadequate identification were significantly higher than the countywide figure among minorities but lower among white voters:

• 14.9 percent of eligible and 11.3 percent of registered Latinos.
• 13.2 percent of eligible and 15.3 percent of registered African-Americans.
• 7.4 of eligible and 6.0 percent of registered Whites.

It seems to me our Republican Legislators knew exactly what they were doing.

WI 1848 Forward: #VoterID is a Fraud #WI #PollTax #Discrimination ? #PEW : #47% #WiVote #WiUnion vs #1% #Elites #GOP

WI 1848 Forward: #VoterID is a Fraud #WI #PollTax #Discrimination ? #PEW : #47% #WiVote #WiUnion vs #1% #Pridemore (he is gone) 

Exposed: The Other ALEC s' Corporate Playbook - 6/21/12 - Horn & Blaskey, Truthout

A good article that should be a continuing series.  What it shows and tells is not really surprising but in truth it all needs to said again and again and again.  Finding or knowing about these kind of linkages and questionable connections is too difficult for most of us to figure out.  We need public access to the information, if for no other reason, to help the lazy journalists (or should I say unemployed/fired) seeking new careers as expert Googlers for background information.   If you are reading this you can encourage Truth-Out.org  to keep the "flashlight shining".

Our instincts tell us something is up ...when someone or groups seek to make it difficult to find out how they are supported or by whom.  I would like to see much more comprehensive illustration of connections.  I thank the sites/organizations that are already doing this.

From the article (click title for full article) -

How is it that no matter whom we elect as our state representatives - Democrat, Republican, or other - we most often end up with policies that privilege the corporate agenda over the public interest? ...

To the extent there has been any discussion of this playbook at all, it has centered almost exclusively on the role of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its model legislation process.

But a closer examination reveals a well-coordinated network of many corporate-sponsored organizations - not ALEC only - that are influential in state politics. "Stealth lobbyists" use this network to advance their clients' agendas in statehouses nationwide.

"Houston we have a problem."  


The introductory paragraph reminds me of the new book by Chris Hayes, "Twilight of the Elites."  He may have the answer postulated 100 years ago and refined(?) by Chris.


WI 1848 Forward: Exposed:The Other #ALEC s Corporate Playbook - 6/21/12 - #Horn & #Blaskey, #Truthout :  #47% #99% #ows

#PBS #Moyers -T. #Frank : Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle ...

 ... full-show-dark-money-in-politics

 Now playing ... from the web blurb ...

Alternet - Bill Moyers & Thomas Frank Go Deep on "Dark Money in Politics"

We gave you a preview of Moyers and Frank's convo earlier this week, in which they real-talked their way through the Congress/lobby "revolving door" (in case you couldn't tell by Jamie Dimon's cheerful welcome into his own Senate hearing: it exists). Now, you can watch the full show, wonderfully and ominously titled "Dark Money in Politics," they spoke revealingly about Scott Walker, Wall Street cronyism, George W Bush and so much more. A must-watch:

WI 1848 Forward: #PBS #Moyers -T. #Frank : Pity the #Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle : #KOCH #adelson vs #47% #99

#elites WI 1848 Forward: #PBS #Moyers -T. #Frank : Pity the #Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle : #KOCH #adelson

Women Under Siege - Where? Current State Pro-Life ( Anti-Choice ) Legislation

6/4/2015                      

In Debate Over 20-Week Abortion Ban, Both Sides Claim Science Is On Their Side

LISTEN

Paul Ryan Cosponsors New Fetal Personhood - Bill Posted: 01/09/2013 12:34 pm EST  |  Updated: 01/09/2013 12:48 pm EST - HuffingtonPost

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAP TIMES -Capitol Report: Anti-abortion groups, emboldened by successes, ready for next legislative session  6/17/2012

If Republicans do pull off an Election Day comeback, Lyons says there are several bills Wisconsin Right to Life is interested in having introduced at the start of the January session.

Chief among them are a ban on birth control coverage for public employees with state health insurance plans.

From the site header -

Current State Pro-Life Legislation

State lawmakers across America are considering legislation on many life- and family-related measures in 2012. In an effort to keep our visitors aware of such legislation, below is a state listing of many bills of interest that we are tracking. Links are provided regarding each particular measure.
For a complete state-by-state listing of 2012 legislative sessions, click here.
Those items listed in CAPS are measures that passed into law.
NOTE: Referrals to websites not produced by Christian Life Resources are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of the sites' contents.

WI 1848 Forward: #Women Under Siege - Where? Current State #Pro-Life ( #Anti-Choice ) Legislation : #NOW #NARAL #WOW

#Ryan  #Janesville WI 1848 Forward: #Women Under Siege - Where? Current State ( #Anti-Choice ) #NOW #WOW  

#Walker #Ryan #Grothman #Pridemore WI 1848 Forward: #Women Under Siege - Current State #Pro-Life ( #Anti-Choice )

#Malkin : False progressive narratives ... defeat by crushing them

http://rightonline.com/beta/

Americans for Prosperity Foundation

Malkin via cspan RightOnline Conf 2009

Be patient ... she shows up

At about 8 minutes she starts with the # hashtags 

#obamaeatsdogs ... her sign 12:10

" the other side is united by their treacherous agenda to tear down everything "

"an army of Davids"

"George Soros funded monkeys"

"This is war ... tweet truth to power"

Michelle Malkin - RightOnline - (Day 2) Twitter #Hashtag Speech - CSPAN - 6-16-12

#MSNBC #CSPAN #TED #PBS - #Moyers -How do #Liberals & #Conservatives View World - #Haidt

2012.02.21  ...I have been reflecting on these programs and especially a couple of charts depicting social traits of liberals vs conservatives.  Liberals were ranked very high on NOT liking to see harm done to others, animals, etc.  Conservative's traits were pretty much at the same level across the board (Fair and Balanced?).  Haidt makes the general point that we (whichever we are) need to understand these differences or we may slip into demonizing the other people/tribe and thus develop an "ends justify the means" treatment.

Malkin is over the line!

Excuse Me: Palin the Phoney .. cspan again ... lying unchallenged

Talking about 2011 ... WI ... freezing snow ... baloney ... I was there she is lying!

"socialism has failed again ... work is an option"

"just tell the truth"

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/OnlineConf 

She was here ... but she did not get the weather right or much else!

Upd -Purposeful Confusion - Farmer's Market during Tea Party and Palin Sat 4/16

Excuse Me: #walker the phoney

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/PGo
 06/2012
I would embed the Walker video but I can't C-span ... so watch it

... remember this ...

Found another source ...

WI 1848 Forward: Excuse Me: #walker the phoney #1% #elites vs #99% #47% #WOW #wiunion #WiVote 

TheNation - Chris Hayes : The Twilight of the Elites -Colbert Report

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Promo for his book ... Chris Hayes ...

The Twilight of the Elites 

"Destructive Intelligence" 

"Oligarchy was inevitable"

From the YouTube intro ... hope you don't mind the ad ...

Have the elite leaders of our meritocratic society failed us? Nation Editor-at-Large Chris Hayes speaks with Editor and Publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel about the ways intelligence is used to detrimental ends, and how we can ensure it is used for good.

Hayes essay from 6/25 The Nation

Sources:

Robert Michels - 1911 "Political Parties"

WI 1848 Forward: #TheNation - Chris #Hayes : The Twilight of the #Elites #Colbert Report : #47% #99% #AARP vs #1%

#Obama #edu - Student Loan Payback Caps & Low Interest Rates

6/20/2012

President Obama held an afternoon event on the "countdown" regarding Congressional inaction on "student loan interest rates"

6/13/2012

How many "students" and how many "parents" of college age students are aware of these important policies and policy intentions.  In the end you might think these are bad or good policies.

Who is going to get in the way ... Congress, banks, Jamie Dimon, loan services? Why? The former because no one pays attention.  The later group because they can't make as much money.

Another group is the 1% because they can afford to pay for their kids education out-of-pocket and they do not want you to compete with them on entrance exams.

Student loan payback gets White House attention direct from CNN site

An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect current student loan rate. The correct rate is 3.4%, which would become 6.8% if Congress does not extend the lower rate.

From CNNMoney via http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=659122 end of the article

Some 35 million graduates have student loan debt, which at $904 billion nationwide, stands bigger than outstanding credit card debt.

The terms of the income-based repayment program are about to get more generous for loans that will be originated this school year. Thanks to past laws that the Obama administration fast-tracked, monthly payments will be capped at 10% of discretionary income and loan forgiveness kicks in after 20 years on loans taken out this year for future graduates.

The White House announcement came the same day Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid offered a new olive branch to Republicans. He suggested a bipartisan way to pay the $6 billion cost of extending 3.4% interest rates for federal student loans to undergraduates another year. Congressional negotiations are ongoing, aides say.

From CNNMoney via http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=659122 early in the article

The deadline for Congress to extend the low 3.4% interest rate on student loans is fast approaching. But the Obama administration, eager to make college debt a re-election issue, is looking for a way to lessen the burden on graduates.

Last week, the White House rolled out a plan to make it easier for graduates to enroll in a special program that caps loan repayment, based on income.

Under the present terms of the 4-year-old Income-Based Repayment Plan, graduates who enroll get charged 15% of their monthly discretionary income to pay off loans. All debt is forgiven after 25 years.

At least food for thought ... don't believe everything you hear ... but not too bad !

WI 1848 Forward: #Obama #edu - Student #Loan Payback Caps & Low Interest Rates : #47% #99% #edu #Pell vs #1% #elites

#Obama #edu #47% #99% #Pell Grants WI 1848 Forward: Student #Loan Payback Caps & Low Interest Rates vs #1% #elites

Lori #Compas is in a class way above #Fitzgerald

I 'm glad to have met you and this is my thank you to you and your family !

Really enjoyed the video so I embedded it!

Bill

http://www.loricompas.org
Thanks to everyone who worked so hard and gave so much to make this campaign an incredible example of citizen-led democracy.

(Background info: This video is a tribute to everyone who worked to recall Wisconsin's Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. The leader of the petition drive, Lori Compas, ended up challenging him for the seat he has held for 17 years.)

Paid for by Committee to Elect Lori Compas, Susan Wenger Treasurer

#AP - Opposition #rally in #Moscow draws tens of thousands 6/12/12

MOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of Russians flooded Moscow's tree-lined boulevards Tuesday in the first massive protest against President Vladimir Putin's rule since his inauguration in May — a rally that came even as police interrogated key opposition leaders.
Since embarking on his third presidential term, Putin has taken a stern stance toward the opposition, including signing a repressive new bill last week introducing heavy penalties for taking part in unauthorized rallies.

Police on Monday searched opposition leaders' apartments, carting away computers, cellphones and other personal items. They also demanded that opposition leaders come in for questioning Tuesday just an hour before the rally began — widely seen as a crude attempt by the government to scare the protesters.

The march was being held on Russia Day, a national holiday that honors June 12, 1990, when Russian lawmakers decided that Russian laws should take priority over Soviet Union laws. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/12/2845126/opposition-rally-in-moscow-draws.html

Just a few ...

1. Video: Violent clashes erupt at Moscow opposition rally

   COURTESY: Minaev Live minaevlive.ru Demonstrators have clashed with police at a rally organized by the opposition on Bolotnaya Square after ...

   by RussiaToday | 1 month ago | 61,138 views
2. 2:20

   Moscow rally video: Tens of thousands protest 'rigged vote'

   Just two weeks after the Russian capital saw its biggest opposition rally in nearly twenty years, Russians unhappy with the results of the ...

   by RussiaToday | 5 months ago | 14,987 views
3. 4:20

   Video: 160000 in Moscow for mass rallies despite -20C freeze

   According to police, more than 160000 gathered for rallies in Moscow on February 4, both pro- and anti- government. Read the full story on.RT.com ...

   by RussiaToday | 4 months ago | 11,551 views
4. 1:49

   Hundreds detained at anti-Putin rally in Moscow

   Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Moscow one day before Vladimir Putin is sworn into office as Russia's new President. The ...

   by AlJazeeraEnglish | 1 month ago | 7,233 views
5. 1:21

   Ring Rally Video: Human circle surrounds Moscow

   Thousands hit Moscow streets on Sunday in a flashmob, the Big White Ring, supporting fair elections. Activists were standing in a circular human ...

   by RussiaToday | 3 months ago | 6,690 views
6. 2:15

   Video: Mass arrests at Moscow rally protesting vote results

   Around 600 opposition supporters have been detained at an unsanctioned rally in the heart of Moscow. Supporters of both the government and the ...

   by RussiaToday | 6 months ago | 18,125 views
7. 1:24

   Raw Video: Anti-Putin Rally in Moscow

   A protest rally against Vladimir Putin drew more than 20000 people on Saturday, far fewer than those in past months as the opposition movement ...

   by AssociatedPress | 3 months ago | 1,845 views
8. 3:26

   Freeze Frame: Tens of thousands rally in -20C Moscow

   Tens of thousands have gathered in Moscow on Saturday for a day of protests - the largest seen in the capital so far. One group was demanding fair ...

   by RussiaToday | 4 months ago | 8,277 views
9. 2:26

   Wheeled Rally: Hundreds join 'White Ring' Moscow protest

   Full story on.rt.com Hundreds of cars with white ribbons have made a full circle around the ring road in Moscow to attract more people to the ...

   by RussiaToday | 4 months ago | 14,919 views
10. 2:39

    Rival Putin crowds rally in Moscow

    There has been a massive show of force against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday.

    by AlJazeeraEnglish | 4 months ago | 2,456 views
11. 1:32

    Rally at Moscow's Sakharov prospect in detail

    Civil protest "For fair elections" took place on Moscow's Sakharov prospect on 24 December. This rally follows protests at Moscow's Bolotnaya ...

    by rianews | 5 months ago | 166 views
12. 2:11

    Video of 130000-strong pro-Putin rally in Moscow

    Ten days ahead of presidential elections in Russia, the population's political activity is reaching levels unseen before, with tens of thousands ...

    by RussiaToday | 3 months ago | 12,515 views
13. 1:54

    Police Break up Anti-Putin Protest in Moscow

    For more news and videos visit ☛ english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ☛ http Add us on Facebook ☛ on.fb.me Police arrest protesters against ...

    by NTDTV | 3 months ago | 377 views
14. 1:02

    Protesters Clash With Moscow Police at Anti-Putin Opposition Rally 4/6/2012

    Demonstrators have clashed with police at a rally organized by the opposition on Bolotnaya Square after several dozen protesters, including ...

    • hd

    by newsudontsee | 1 month ago | 1,501 views
15. 4:08

    Aleksey Kudrin on rally in Moscow 24.12.2011

    Ex-minister of finance in Russian government Aleksey Kudrin gave an exclusive interview to the independent Russian TV channel DOZHD just after the ...

    • cc

    by tvrainru | 5 months ago | 1,167 views
16. 4:38

    50000 Strong: Massive 'vote fraud' rally in Moscow

    Tens of thousands gathered in central Moscow to protest against this month's Parliamentary election results. The mass rally was organized by ...

    by RussiaToday | 5 months ago | 8,343 views
17. 1:05

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/12/2845126/opposition-rally-in-moscow-draws.html#storylink=cpy

#Romney 's Logic: #cops & #firemen & the people they save are worthless?

Mitt Romney by not supporting public servants sorely misses the point.  They do contribute or pay back their income to the people they serve.  The lives of the people they "SAVE" also go on to make contributions to all of us and the economy for many years beyond what might have been the case if they had died in that fire or car crash.  Their value and contribution has to be counted in this equation.  I do not know how you value or judge the lessened "pain and suffering."

... and don't forget, "Corporations are people ..."

#Women Under Siege - Where? Syria or U.S. State Pro-Life Legislation

CAP TIMES -Capitol Report: Anti-abortion groups, emboldened by successes, ready for next legislative session  6/17/2012
__________________

... I am tempted to write something about the GOP and state legislatures of recent times ... but it would be far too cynical as a preface to the excerpt from the blog which says it all too clearly ... (click title)

When we hear about conflicts in foreign countries and imagine terrible acts, our thoughts don’t turn immediately to rape. We think of bombings and refugees and government suppression. If we think of sexualized violence at all, we may imagine a faceless, powerless woman, one unfortunate person who will eventually become a statistic—400,000 raped in Rwanda, 100,000 in Guatemala. When we hear about conflicts, we don’t imagine these stories. Or we consider them to simply be part of a larger horror.

But at Women Under Siege, our mission is to show the world that each woman raped is a person who has been illegally brutalized against her will, that she is part of a family and a community that may now be shredded. We aim to show that this woman, wherever she is, matters.

As part of this mission, we’re trying something new: telling egregiously underreported stories from Syria as they happen, with as much accuracy as possible. The blurred suffering of women who have been sexually violated in the raging but opaque Syrian conflict is now being made visible on our site, WomenUnderSiegeSyria.crowdmap.com.

Static Images 6/11/12

Current State Pro-Life Legislation

do we need a U.S. Map? 

WI 1848 Forward: #Women Under Siege - Where? Syria or U.S. State #Pro-Life Legislation #AntiChoice #NOW #NARAL #WOW

#Political Heat: We were duped: #Walker fooled us all on #jobs in #2011 - 6/8/12

From the blog -

So the unverified data showed that Walker's assessment of 2011 was off by around 4,000 jobs.

"But so what?" you might be asking. "19,000 jobs is still a significant growth in jobs." (Actually, it pales in comparison to the last year of Gov. Jim Doyle's job numbers, but let's go with it.) "You shouldn't be so critical of Walker for having a full year of job growth."

That might make sense -- were Walker actually responsible for those jobs created. As I've pointed out on this blog on countless occasions, Walker's budget wasn't implemented until the end of June 2011. In those previous posts, it was clear that Walker's budget stagnated the growth that had occurred at the beginning of the year -- which was created by an entirely different (and Democratic) administration.

 ... and Romney is on TV telling us that the Walker minority population tells us we don't want teachers, police officers or fire personnel in Wisconsin ... neither does Walker I guess.

WI 1848 Forward: #Political Heat: We were duped: #Walker fooled us all on #jobs in #2011 - 6/8/12 : #WiUnion #47% #99%

#CapTimes #Madison : Call special session on #campaign reform

From the 6/6/12 Cap Times Editorial -

The legislature itself is what I have lost confidence in.  It may be because of the money or ideology.  I am still not certain.  If you bring these "people" together again who is to say the session will not be hijacked and we will find it more difficult to vote in the future or recall extreme politicians with hidden opportunistic ideologically driven agendas.

The legislative tactics -

• Public Hearings - rush them, hold them in inconvenient irrelevant locations, at impossible times
• Legislation - do not disclose origination anymore than you have to
• Allow the legislature to play fast and lose with it's own rules - allow majority party to change them overnight
• Do not require disclosure of Legislative agencies docket (what bills may be in draft)
• Abdicate rule making review and authority to the Governor and/or committee so that changes become even more clouded and obscure and happen out of sight
• Use "studies" and have them report at obscure times so it is easier to serve "non-public" special interests (e.g., WRS)

Well ... one more time ... and if it does not work ...

“Après moi le déluge”,

But there is one thing that Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, should be able to agree on.

The two cycles of recall elections that Wisconsin worked its way through in the summer of 2011 and again in the spring of 2012 were dominated by special-interest group spending. Gov. Scott Walker and his allies kept complaining about big money coming in from “out-of-state labor bosses.” But the even bigger money came from out-of-state — and sometimes in-state — millionaires and billionaires.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/article_cd499a2a-af23-11e1-8d9d-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1x1coekVA

So let’s get cracking.

A special session of the Legislature this summer could and should enact policies that would bring Wisconsin closer to transparency and accountability. The groups seeking a special session propose that the Legislature:
1. Enact new disclosure laws ensuring that the public can see where every single penny spent on state elections comes from.
2. Close the loophole in Wisconsin law allowing public officials targeted for recall to engage in unlimited campaign fundraising.
3. Require corporations to notify and get permission from shareholders in order to use their money for election spending.
4. Require that television, radio and newspaper outlets keep an online public record of advertising purchased for electioneering purposes.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/article_cd499a2a-af23-11e1-8d9d-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1x1eoQvqz

The #Walker Wars continue it seems!

We were in CA when Schwarzenegger ended up defeating Gray Davis.  We all know how that ended up!

Recall NOT deja vu we hope #wiunion #wivote #wirecall #walker #fitzgerald #vos

Do get out and vote!  Only 3 governors ever up for recall and one was way before our time but we have now voted in 2 out of the 3 - CA and now WI.  ENRON was the real culprit in CA not Gray Davis.  The villains are unfortunately still the same.  We don't want to lose this one!  This time it is Walker, ALEC, Koch, Hendricks, ABCSupply, Vos, Fitzgerald, etc.

Tipping a #SocialNetwork - Anybody's Game!

Online Social Networks can be Tipped by as Little as 0.8% of their Population

With tipping, an individual in a network adopts a trend if at least half (or some other proportion) of his or her friends have previously done so.  An important problem in viral marketing is to find a “seed set” of individuals in the social network.  If all members of a “seed set” in a social network initially adopt a certain trend, then a cascade initiates through the tipping model which results in the entire population adopting that trend.  So, if a viral marketer wants to provide free samples of a product to certain individuals, a seed set is likely a good place to start.

#TED - So you want to bring about change!? #ows

WI 1848 Forward: Tipping a #SocialNetwork - Anybody's Game! #47% #99% #ows #Union