Republicans keep Americans from being Happy!

Why do Republicans keep making life more complicated, unbearable, and cruel? It's crazy but Republicans have oddly targeted life's bigger events with Rube Goldberg "solutions." There's got to be a better use of our time.

So "what do Democrats stand for?"

Thanks to the United Nations 2017 World Happiness Report, Democrats can riff off the 3 biggest changes this country can make to make everyone happy again. Look, 19th place is a big drop from 2007's third-place ranking.

Let's help Americans live again:

All of the top 15 countries have progressive/socialist governments whose policies contribute to the contentment of their citizens. The three most significant policies for these countries are:

1. Universal free health care for their citizens.
2. Outstanding free public education.
3. Strong environmental standards and access to public lands such as parks and refuges for their citizens.

Simple, isn't it? But Republicans hate these things, which runs counter to polling:

Health and happiness are inextricably linked. All the top-ranked countries have socialized medicine so that the average citizen doesn’t have to worry about not being able to afford insurance and necessary medical care. The U.S. is the only developed nation in the world without universal health care. Compared to other developed countries U.S. citizens pay far more for their health care, and yet the U.S. ranks near the bottom in quality of their health care. In Costa Rica the death rate for heart disease is one-third less than in the U.S., even though Costa Rica spends one-tenth as much per capita on health care as the U.S.

Quality public education is the great equalizer. With a good education the poor can rise to the top; without it out their opportunities are limited. In Norway, university students draw a government stipend as well as free tuition. Compare that to the U.S. where middle-class students can finish college encumbered with almost insurmountable debt.

People are simply happier and healthier when they live in an environment with clean air and water; all of the top countries have tough, strictly enforced environmental regulations. The top-ranked countries also have large areas of public land set aside for the public to enjoy. Costa Rica has 25 percent of its land set aside as parks and refuges, whereas the U.S. has only 14 percent. Much of the public land in the U.S. is open to mining, oil drilling, logging and livestock grazing, which are not allowed on public lands in the happiest countries.

Again...:

In summary, the top-ranked countries have a social system that takes care of most people’s needs, leaving them feeling safe, comparatively healthy, and free of most of life’s biggest worries, while providing an environment where most people can make a living.

The U.S. is headed in the wrong direction ... Much of the change can be blamed directly on the impact of the Republican Party on government policies. If you’re still voting Republican you evidently feel that Americans are just too darn happy. If we can just increase American’s anxiety over health care, destroy our public education system, and return to the days when the air in our cities stunk and our rivers were flowing sewers, we can move the U.S. out of the top 50 happiest countries. Seems like an admirable goal for the Republican Party.

Thank you, Scott Walker: Back here in Wisconsin, where the Republican extreme is playing out under career politician Scott Walker (for god's sake he raised a family, from cradle to college, on taxpayer money):

The closest the U.S. has ever come to universal health care is Obamacare, but Republicans are enraged over the government doing anything at all to help its citizens obtain quality health care.

In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker has led the nation in attacking public education both by dismantling teachers’ security through Act 10, and through the use of vouchers to divert funding from public schools to private schools, including many for-profit schools.

Walker in Wisconsin and Trump on the federal level have been a two-man wrecking crew on environmental protection. In Wisconsin, Republicans have disemboweled our once-proud and effective Department of Natural Resources and reduced protections for the environment on every front.

Sen. Stroebel says Pollutant list Too Long, so Eliminate all State Air Pollutant Standards...

Proving that he might be the dumbest guy ever to have a seat in the state legislature, Sen. Duey Stroebel says get rid of state air pollution standards and then, start completely over. Don't review each standard, debate its merits, and then decide after all the experts have weighed in. Who would do that? 

Republican voters own this guy. Kinda makes a previous blog post title even more terrifying:

Walker has turned Wisconsin into the environmental trash heap of the Midwest!!!

WHA: Assembly lawmakers met Tuesday for a public hearing on a bill that would eliminate all of the state Department of Natural Resource’s rules for air quality. The DNR would have the option to reintroduce those regulations.

States regulate pollutants that may not be problems nationwide, but can harm health or the environment regionally, such as ammonia from food processing and chlorine dioxide from paper mills in Wisconsin, said Tyson Cook of Clean Wisconsin, which mapped pollution sources that would no longer be regulated under the proposal.

In 2014, lawmakers voted to delay for up to 20 years the full rollout of Doyle-era regulations to limit how much phosphorus could be released into waterways.

After all, the pollutants list is just too darn long...yup, that's the reason alright:

Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville cited a 2004 report from the Legislature’s nonpartisan audit bureau that said the state regulates 293 more pollutants than required by federal law. Of those, the audit found 94 of the 293 were reported in Wisconsin in 2002.

And because pollutants improve over time, becoming less dangerous chemically:

Any of the regulations approved by the Legislature would expire and be eligible for renewal every 10 years.

 Take it from Stroebel's special interest supporters and campaign contributors...

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute and the Wisconsin Paper Council support the bill.

Democratic Rep. Jimmy Anderson argued the proposal would create unnecessary work for the DNR.

"It seems that we’re sweeping away the entirety of the regulations that are above the federal level and asking the DNR to re-do the work." 

You think? 

Here's what has been rolled back since Scott Walker took office:

1. Moved to reduce the role of science in environmental policymaking and to silence discussion of controversial subjects, including climate change, by state employees.

2. A series of controversial rollbacks in environmental protection, including relaxing laws governing iron mining and building on wetlands, in both cases to help specific companies avoid regulatory roadblocks.

3. Loosened restrictions on phosphorus pollution in state waterways, tried to restrict wind energy development.

4. Walker has targeted the science and educational corps at the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), eliminated a third of the DNR’s 58 scientist positions and 60 percent of its 18 environmental educator positions.

5. WPR: Wisconsin residents can no longer challenge state Department of Natural Resources permits for a high-capacity well if state officials failed to look at what the well might do to overall groundwater in the area. Republican lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker got rid of the cumulative impacts challenge when they passed the state budget a year ago.

Walker's Wisconsin, no longer safe for people...

Check out this Journal Sentinel story...

Wisconsin, under Scott Walker, no longer leads in conservation

Trump horrors to the Environment you won't believe, again, and again!!!

She's not a scientist. 

Did I say she wasn't a scientist? Yes, that's right, Kathleen Hartnett-White is not a scientist, but that won't stop Trump seeking her special expertise to oversee all things environmental in the U.S. You have to wonder who slipped her name into the nominating process anyway.

I've been documenting just how f**ked up the government is now that our sociopathic malignant narcist became president. But like Americans everywhere said, "heck, let's try something different, you know, blow up the old system and start over." Granted. From NPR's Marketplace:

If appointed to the president's Council on Environmental Quality, Kathleen Hartnett-White would coordinate environmental policy across the administration. But since her nomination, some controversial statements she's made have been circulating on YouTube. Here are few quotes:

KATHLEEN HARTNETT-WHITE: The book has all kinds of examples of the really beneficial impacts of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.

HARTNETT-WHITE: Fossil fuels are the remains of life - plant and animal life … They come back, through burning them, to amplify our lives - to do work that we otherwise would have to do yourself.

The logical extension of the old line “government is bad” is that now we can honestly say it is, and that even its unbiased government researchers are can’t be trusted, which is now true too. Of course special interest for-profit companies that have a lot of money to lose...they can be trusted:

KATHLEEN HARTNETT-WHITE: “Environmental regulators almost entirely don't know about every technological means that you might be able to do this or do that. Industry does know that. They're the ones that develop the emission-control technology and methods of using it that still allow even some growth but yet emissions are reduced.”

Here's NPR's coverage:



You'll shudder at this one....Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse laid out a few easy questions. The undisputed facts below counter what "not a scientist" White anecdotally thinks:

NOAA: More than 90 percent of the warming that has happened on Earth over the past 50 years has occurred in the ocean. Recent studies estimate that warming of the upper oceans accounts for about 63 percent of the total increase in the amount of stored heat in the climate system from 1971 to 2010, and warming from 700 meters down to the ocean floor adds about another 30 percent. Though the atmosphere has been spared from the full extent of global warming for now, heat already stored in the ocean will eventually be released, committing Earth to additional warming in the future.

In the present, warming of ocean water is raising global sea level because water expands when it warms. Combined with water from melting glaciers on land, the rising sea threatens natural ecosystems and human structures near coastlines around the world.

Walker's Wisconsin, no longer safe for people...

It's almost impossible to pin point what exact era, free from science, Republicans want to take Wisconsin back to.

Sure, the lakes, rivers, wetlands, and geological makeup of Wisconsin differs greatly from other states, that goes without saying. But Republicans, who can't stop complaining about one-size-fits-all big government regulations, are now demanding a one-size-fits-all federal approach to environmental regulation. Never-mind that Trump is targeting those same federal regulations for termination too. That would take us back to the anything goes rough and tumble 19th century.

...and it only took 7 years...

And you can bet their loyal rural voters won't give a damn, as long as they keep getting tax cuts. Again, Republicans are dismantling the EPA, and state Republicans that know that, but are still assuring us the EPA will be there. And it doesn't matter how different geographically our state is. This is what they call "balance," a bullshit feel good word that tips the scale dramatically away from the public good, and life sustaining clean water and air.

Republicans want to eliminate state protections for wetlands and air quality except when mandated by the federal government, saying they are costly for businesses.

About a million acres of wetlands could be left vulnerable and as many as 300 hazardous air pollutants could become unregulated.

The proposal’s backers point out that it would preserve the current legal requirement ... “Wisconsin is one of just a small handful of states that recognizes a class of wetlands beyond what is defined by the federal government,” state Sen. Roger Roth ... “It is with this smaller portion of total wetlands where our bill seeks to strike a balance.”

The wetland association’s Erin O’Brien called it a “pay to pave” plan. “They are eliminating a permit system in favor of just writing a check for permission to fill in a wetland,” O’Brien said.

Air pollution bill: Republicans Rep. Jesse Kremer of Kewaskum, Rep. Cody Horlacher of Mukwonago and Sen. Duey Stroebel of Saukville were seeking co-sponsors for a bill to require the DNR to repeal state rules limiting pollutants not regulated under federal law. “Currently, the DNR regulates nearly 300 more hazardous air pollutants than what is required by federal law, and of those regulated less than a third are actually emitted ... This creates an undue burden on Wisconsin businesses...”

States regulate pollutants that may not be problems nationwide, but can harm health or the environment regionally, such as ammonia from food processing and chlorine dioxide from paper mills in Wisconsin, said Tyson Cook of Clean Wisconsin, which mapped pollution sources that would no longer be regulated under the proposal.

Why does this sounds so wrong, yet so acceptable to Republicans Kremer, Horlacher and Stroebel:

 "(Who) are also seeking support for a bill to stop DNR monitoring of air quality in Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan County, and to seek an EPA waiver of penalties. Republicans and the DNR say some of the ozone pollution there comes from Illinois and Indiana.

The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters said the proposals needlessly undercut protections for public health.

Kremer’s research director, Nik Rettinger III said,“All the bills have been receiving solid support among southeastern Wisconsin legislators (whose) constituents and job creators are directly affected by these burdensome policies, as well as legislators from throughout the state who believe these common sense reforms are important to take up to help everyday folks do business in Wisconsin.”

Air quality problems in southeastern Wisconsin have led to monitoring and alerts when pollutants reach unhealthy levels.

Need I bring up all the other Republican proposals to take out public lands and trash em:

• Limit public opportunities to contest DNR decisions, eliminate an automatic hearing with an administrative law judge and rolls back a judge's authority to halt mining activities if such a hearing was granted.

• Ends DNR authority to require a mining company to provide evidence that its solid waste disposal process will protect ground water indefinitely.

• Repeal a law requiring the DNR to deny a mine's request for a high-capacity well that would unreasonably harm the ability of others to have drinking water or enjoy lakes and streams. Instead require the mine to replace a dried-up water supply or temporarily shore up the water level in an affected lake or stream.

•  Eliminate rules that address the specific problems that a mining project can cause by disturbing the flow of water above and below the surface.

Here's something that ignored and affected a whole bunch of local communities:

WPR: Wisconsin residents can no longer challenge state Department of Natural Resources permits for a high-capacity well if state officials failed to look at what the well might do to overall groundwater in the area. Republican lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker got rid of the cumulative impacts challenge when they passed the state budget a year ago. 

WKOW took a look at Wisconsin's problem with climate change, something that will make everything worse above...

"latest installment of the award winning documentary series, "Our Wisconsin: The climate change effect," examines the environmental, social and political impacts of climate change in Wisconsin."

Ryan Plunders Air and Environment endangering Children, Pregnant Women, Seniors, Minority and Low Income Communities for Big Energy!!!

The Paul Ryan congress is now rerunning a whole bunch of outrageous previously passed anti-American, anti-job creation, anti-environmental bills that turns "good old American values" inside out for big energy. Roll Call:

DELAY OF AIR-QUALITY STANDARDS: The House passed a GOP-sponsored bill (HR 806) that would extend from 2017 to 2025 stricter standards under the Clean Air Act for reducing ground-level concentrations of ozone, or smog. The bill also changes from five years to 10 years the frequency of EPA reviews to ensure that National Ambient Air Quality Standards reflect the latest scientific and medical information.

Voting yes on this danger to public health?  James Sensenbrenner, R-5, Glenn Grothman, R-6, Sean Duffy, R-7, and that independent rebel newcomer Mike Gallagher, R-8.

Democrats Counter: Well, you won’t hear the Dems talking about it much, and the press won't make any value judgments, but an important Democratic motion exposed how irresponsible and reckless the Republicans are right now. You'd think human life could stand in the way of big energy?

The Republican House defeated a bid by Democrats to prevent HR 806 (above) from fully taking effect if an EPA scientific advisory committee concludes it would raise health risks to vulnerable populations such as outdoor workers, children, seniors, pregnant women and minority and low-income communities. 

Democrats voting yes to protect children and pregnant women? Mark Pocan, Ron Kind, Gwen Moore.

More Recycled Republican Recklessness: Thanks to Wisconsin's Paul Ryan, big oil just got a pass to take public and private land. There is no going back on this stuff either:

NATURAL GAS PIPELINE PERMITS: The House passed a GOP-sponsored bill (HR 2910) that would set tight deadlines for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other federal and state agencies  …  the bill would streamline an overly bureaucratic process. Critics said it would trample on private and tribal property rights and undercut environmental laws. In part, the bill would allow conditional permits to be granted on the basis of aerial data collected by drones that critics said would fail to detect historical sites, endangered species and wetlands.

Republicans voting yes...you guessed it: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, and that real independent newcomer Mike Gallagher.

Democrats tried an American Made Steel motion, but Failed: Pointing out the error of their ways, in the most stark terms possible:

AMERICAN-MADE IRON AND STEEL: Voting 193 for and 232 against, the House defeated a Democratic motion requiring all iron and steel components of cross-border pipelines approved under HR 2883 (above) to be made in the United States.

Voting yes to adopt a made-in-America requirement: Pocan, Kind, Moore

Voting no for American Job Creation in the Steel Industry: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Gallagher

Walker lapdog AG Brad Schimel's all out attack on Wisconsin's Environment.

When Brad Schimel ran for the AG spot, he came across as an ass kissing flunky just dying to serve his party. He promised to uphold Republican passed laws because they represented the will of the people. The idea anyone would challenge their legality in court was not even in the cards. To Schimel, the judicial branch had no business telling legislators how to govern. From Upfront with Mike Gousha:

He made it clear over and over. His challenger Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ, a Democrat, brought it up so much that Schimel's campaign bashed her for her "wacky" left wing agenda; protecting the environment:

Without one legal reason why Wisconsin should sue the EPA, Schimel went on this partisan special interest rant about the wonders of coal:

Today, we’re on the verge of plundering Wisconsin’s grand environmental resources again, thanks to Scott Walker's lapdog. In another breathtaking Schimel move. SJ:

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel announced Monday that he has demoted the

longtime head of the Department of Justice environmental protection unit, Thomas Dawson. Dawson announced he will retire in January.

Get a load of the guy Schimel put in charge:

Schimel named Assistant Attorney General David P. Ross as director of the environmental unit. Keith Reopelle, a senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin. “It’s pretty difficult to view this as anything but a continuing softening of that office of environmental protection.”

In announcing Dawson’s replacement, Schimel said DOJ cares about environmental protection. “As I’ve said before, we are ‘stocking the pond’ at DOJ with some of the very best legal minds in the country, and Dave Ross is certainly no exception.”

Wow, that’s an understatement:

1. Working for a series of law firms, mostly in Washington, D.C., Ross helped developers, businesses and trade associations determine how to comply with environmental regulations.

2. Ross defended major homebuilders accused of violating storm water regulations, and represented clients involved in litigation over the Clean Air Act and over water quality standards for Florida, the Chesapeake Bay and the Mississippi River Basin, according to his profile.

3. Schimel’s announcement noted that Ross had represented green energy developers and investors. Ross’ LinkedIn profile indicated he defended a permit allowing a wind-energy facility to impact endangered species habitat...

Schimel is shameless:

This year, he issued a formal opinion that had the effect of rolling back state powers to protect water from high-capacity wells.
At Schimel’s urging, the Republican-controlled Legislature last year created a new five-lawyer office at DOJ to defend state laws from court challenges and to fight the federal government on issues such as climate change and water pollution.

Meanwhile, the environmental protection unit’s staff this year shrunk to its smallest size in 25 years, continuing a long-term trend as state regulators sought fewer fines from polluters.

Does a Republican S**t in the Woods...and so much more Part 2!!! The DNR Blacklist!

DNR Collapsing under Walker Deregulation, Anti-Science Politics, and Stepp Appointment as Secretary: After dramatic cuts to the DNR's science staff and employees, along with “a major reorganization that could send duties to other agencies and streamline regulatory work including an experimental plan to allow some businesses to draft their own environmental permits,” we’re now finding out the DNR started a blacklist against those effected by DNR environmental incompetence and non-responses. JS-Stein/Marley:

The state Department of Natural Resources blacklisted a group of 16 citizens and activists with complaints about how the agency managed wildlife and administered clean water and other rules. Being put on the "do not respond" list was supposed to mean that going forward agency staff would not respond to the complainants except for those responses required by the state's open records law.

While Scott Walker talks about saving Wisconsin taxpayers money, he really isn't, since the cost is shifting to individual taxpayers who don't get any media coverage at all...until now:

One of the people on that list was Owen Buske, a 78-year-old Franklin man who said that he had ended up paying more than $16,000 to install a new well on his property after problems with contamination of another well that he shared with two other parties.

Buske said he called about 20 different DNR employees for a total of 40 times in an unsuccessful attempt to improve the well and his drinking water.

The presence of a DNR enemies blacklist (that will only grow over time) is just part of Republican efforts to privatize or exploit state and national park land, exemplified by the militant takeover of federal property in rural Oregon. Remember, they wanted the government to give back "their" land. Of course the DNR blacklist didn't come from any of the administrators, just some "unnamed" rogue assistant...oh, that's not true either:  

The do-not-respond list, which is marked "confidential" at the top of it, was released to the newspaper under the open records law. DNR spokesman George Althoff said in an email that the list was created in around 2013 by an unnamed administrative assistant to help track contacts from people who were deemed either very repetitive or abusive. 
Names were referred to the list by a variety of DNR officials, including Mike Bruhn, then the No. 3 official at the agency, and by the office of Secretary Cathy Stepp. The last name was added to the list in early 2015, Althoff said. Stepp was appointed by Walker and she in turn appointed Bruhn.

The DNR has found itself under criticism … Environmentalists have sued the DNR twice since December over the length of time they must wait for records they have requested. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Feb. 5 that the DNR screens and shepherds records requests deemed politically sensitive by running them past political appointees before the records were released.

In the comments section, resident right wing scattershot media pundit David Blaska (MrBluster) gave us an insightful glimpse into party thinking; citizen dissatisfaction is a nuisance and should be ignored if it doesn't advance the party goal. We saw that when hundreds of thousands protested Act 10, resulting in no give-and-take, no compromises. Pedro the Good's response nails it:

Does a Republican S**t in the Woods...and so much more!!!

Nothing irks Republicans more than to see state and national parks just sitting there, off limits to anyone who wants to take the oil, minerals and timber God gave us.

Now in control, there's nothing stopping Republicans. After reading the story below, I was beginning to think this was it for Wisconsin. I still feel sick. JS:

The state Department of Natural Resources is closing in on a major reorganization that could send duties to other agencies and streamline regulatory work, including an experimental plan to allow some businesses to draft their own environmental permits.

Oh it gets worse...they're like the bully at the beach kicking down everybody's sandcastles:

Officials said the goal is to increase efficiency ... "We can't nibble around the edges," Deputy Secretary Kurt Thiede told employees last week. "...we are going to focus and be brave enough to say we are going to give certain things up."

...a GOP-led Legislature has been critical of an agency that it thinks has tilted too far toward protection ... Lawmakers have cut the agency's funding and ... limit DNR powers in recent years ... The parks system is expected to undergo significant changes, in part, because the Legislature cut funding last year that will require it to rely on user fees for support.

You won't even believe the following statement by DNR Sec. Cathy Stepp:

Stepp, who was appointed secretary in 2011 by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, spoke at a forum in Florida in January 2015 and expressed frustration in trying to spark a cultural shift with employees who hold strong environmental convictions ... Stepp, a former home builder, recalled at one agency listening session how an employee told her that the "deer and the butterflies and clean air and clean water, that those were our customers. And I said, 'Well, the last time I checked, they don't pay taxes and they don't sign our paychecks.'"

If you haven't gotten that empty, sinking feeling in your gut yet..oh, Wisconsin  Manufacturing and Commerce likes the plan:

"DNR should be commended for their efforts to ... allow them to continue to align DNR's resources to our state's needs," Lucas Vebber, director of environmental and energy policy for WMC.

Or the needs of the special interest donors:

In some cases, the DNR is contemplating turning over the brunt of permit writing to businesses. Most notable: Highly technical air pollution permits that regulate emissions at utilities, paper mills and chemical plants. Officials say the true expertise resides with the engineers and technical staff of the companies. 

On a federal level it's been just a brutal, lead by our own political pirates, including Paul Ryan (search "Roll Call" on this blog for a complete list). Republicans now want taxpayers to pay for shooting ranges on state and federal land:

HUNTING, FISHING ON FEDERAL LAND: The House passed (HR 2406) that would authorize federally funded shooting ranges on state and federal lands, limit Environmental Protection Agency regulation of ammunition and fishing lures as toxic substances and open all National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land to hunting, fishing and other public recreation.

Voting yes: Democrat Ron Kind, Republicans James Sensenbrenner, Glenn Grothman, Shawn Duffy, Reid Ribble. Voting no: Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore.

Democrats tried to save us all from lead pollution but…

LEAD CONTAMINATION FROM FISHING TACKLE: The House defeated a Democratic bid to require research into the extent to which lead from fishing tackle is contaminating ponds and streams used for recreation … manufacturers would conduct research into their products and make their findings available for public review. A yes vote was to require industry research into lead contamination from fishing tackle.

Voting yes: Pocan, Kind, Moore. Voting no: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Ribble

Minnesota is pushing this: 

Found in most fishing jigs and sinkers, this metal is poisoning wildlife such as loons and eagles.

There are alternatives to traditional lead tackle. Anglers can now use sinkers and jigs made from non-poisonous materials such as tin, bismuth, steel, and tungsten-nickel alloy — and they can find them at established sporting goods retailers and on the Internet.

Republican Rep. Jarchow not happy with uncluttered pristine Shorelines not making someone a big profit.

Rep. Adam Jarchow either lied or changed his mind dramatically about protecting Wisconsin's waterways for future outdoor enthusiasts. Who knew he would be protecting developers from the public's use of our lakes and rivers. On an ironic note, Jarchow is a graduate of Clear Lake High School.

In and act of Bizarro World logic, Jarchow said he would defended Wisconsin's outdoor heritage, all the while making numerous attempts to trash it:

Many of us love living here because we love hunting, fishing, boating, canoeing and just spending time outdoors. As an avid hunter and fisher, Adamunderstands that we must protect and defend our unique rural character. This means protecting our woods and protecting our waters.

I caught this interesting audio quote by Jarchow on WPR this morning, a moment the public might be shocked to hear from someone "protecting our waters:"

Democratic Rep. Gary Hebl: "We've got every single environmental organization against this bill, doesn't that say something to you?"

Republican Rep. Adam Jarchow: "Doesn't!"

Democratic Rep. Gary Hebl: "Ok."

Now that's a real public servant. Jarchow's bill to plunder Wisconsin's waterways is backed by lobbyists and outside corporate special interests like Americans for Prosperity, Wisconsin Realtors Association, and the Wisconsin Builders Association. It's crazy not to steer business profits to the few developers who want the shoreline properties to themselves, and to the real estate agents who can sell it for fat commissions.

The Wisconsin Wetlands Association says the bill would allow too much dredging of wetlands along the edge of a lake and reduce protection of wetlands not under federal control. Pam Biersach, director of the bureau of watershed management, said some language appears to conflict with federal regulations concerns and others raised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers... 

Here's WKOW's report:



Check out Jarchow's relentless advocacy for the Realtors, builders and Koch sponsored AFP.

Walker's Wisconsin now comes in dead last in Business Startups.

Scott Walker's "Open for Business" state slogan has perception issues, according to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Foundation president Jim Morgan.  

That's the excuse now being given to explain Walker's Wisconsin coming in dead last in attracting new entrepreneurs. And it has nothing to do with the Republican majorities anti-education, anti-science, anti-Milwaukee, anti-clean energy positions, right. And hell, they're not done dragging Wisconsin's reputation into the ground with the continuing Walker disaster known as the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. 

Yea, people are getting the wrong impression, that's the ticket. Blame the people objecting to one bad bill after the next, from abandonment of environmental safeguards to dumbing down education, not Scott Walker:

WPR: Studies show people stay in Wisconsin because of the cost of living and natural beauty. Morgan said making that perception of the state mainstream is seriously needed.

That would seem near impossible to do, when you consider we're seeing declining incomes and increased levels of water pollution in our state. If we could just keep that bad news off the front pages:

Research Finds Wisconsin Is Home To Fewest Startups In The Nation: Ask WMC Leader Jim Morgan why Wisconsin comes in dead last in the race to attract new entrepreneurs, and he'll tell you it all comes down to perception.

"We see people often leaving because they don't think there are opportunities here, when actually we have a pretty diverse economy here and may have 60,000-70,000 open jobs. But if you're 16 or 17 years old, you don't see it."

"People in that 50 to 65 to 70 year range leave Wisconsin, and so they take their wealth with them, and so you don't have that investment," he said.

Watch out!!! Republicans to "strike balance between Property Rights and Protecting the Environment."

You know you’re in for trouble when Republicans "struggle" to “strike a balance” between business and the environment. Sure, let's balance health with business profits. What is “balanced” pollution - dirty water - air?

JS: "In general the speaker is supportive of efforts to strike a balance between private property rights and protecting the environment,” Vos spokeswoman Kit Beyer said.

Our one-size-fits-all big government Republicans are about to add reams of new regulation to out already bloated Walker government. But the new laws protect business special interests...from the public. Out with the old and in with the more conservative replacement maze of anti-government bureaucracy. 

Here's what Republican lobbyists want to do next:

The rights of property owners would expand and state and local governments would lose some powers to regulate lands to protect other interests such as clean water … the changes would affect lake beds, wetlands, piers, boathouses and beaches — an often stormy nexus between water and private property.

It’s about time we allow property owners the freedom to dirty up other people’s water. Anti-clean energy Sen. Frank Lasee, who also wants to stop public schools from going green, is leading the charge for his corporate special interest lobbyist:

The Sen. Frank Lasee (R-DePere) and Rep. Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam Lake) bills have the support of influential groups, such as the business lobbies for Realtors and builders in the state.

Republicans want this so bad that they’re going back to the long forgotten “job creators” well again:

"In Wisconsin, we have seen an increasing number of homeowners and job creators mired in court battles over permit and regulatory disputes because Wisconsin statutes are unclear and our regulatory environment remains uncertain," the legislators said in a memo to fellow lawmakers. "Wisconsin can and should do better."

Helen Sarakinos, policy and advocacy director for the River Alliance of Wisconsin, described the changes and those before it as "death by thousands of paper cuts in clean water protection."

Washington and Wisconsin corporate special interests drag out failed Doom & Gloom "end of the U.S. economy" Warnings about EPA rules.

It's a marvel to watch grown adults in the business community act like whiny victims of a "bully" government unfairly looking out for the health and welfare of the American public.  

Industry and big energy even have the balls to use the same half century old failed arguments against the EPA's new standards. The heck with saving lives and keeping our food supply plentiful. And isn't it about time we question their corporate patriotism every time they threaten to leave and relocate offshore, running from their responsibility to pay for infrastructure, an educated workforce and maintain a healthy work environment? Heck, even in conservative circles, they would be called freeloaders. 

On WKOW's Capitol City Sunday, Greg Neumann's guests offered up a comparison; Tyson Cook of Clean Wisconsin pitting history and science against whiny Washington corporate special interests who wouldn't look out of place yelling from a city street corner about the end of the world. Take special note of these obvious contradictions:

1. While corporate opponents of the EPA's new regulations claim they want sensible cost/benefit considerations, behind the scenes in Washington, they're very close to a Republican majority that will eliminate the EPA and regulatory oversight of our environment. Snakes.

2. While warning how manufacturing will move overseas or go out of business with the new EPA rules, WMC's Kurt Bauer bragged about a company relocating from Mexico to Wisconsin. Huh?

3. While both Bauer and Jay Timmons of the National Assoc. of Manufacturers appreciated our cleaner air and environment, they also still oppose the decades of EPA rules and regulations that gave it to us. 

4. When confronted with their past failed doom and gloom predictions, both Timmon's and Manley changed the subject.

5.There's No Technology? "The EEI study proved false because it ignored the innovation and savings that occur … The EPA found that the Clean Air Act 19 prompted the deployment of new technologies to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, which are ingredients in acid rain and smog."

A few details from a quick Google search:

When it comes to air-pollution reductions, coal and utility companies’ objections to government protections feel like “Groundhog Day” moments. Recently, these industries have again predicted that government pollution limits would result in skyrocketing electricity prices. Their past predictions of doom were wrong, and so are their current claims that the EPA’s first carbon-pollution cuts for power plants would be disastrous.

Over the past 40 years, experience has taught us that industry predictions of apocalyptic costs from pollution-control requirements do not occur. In the 1970s, electric utilities and other industries forecasted huge utility rate hikes from the new clean air law, but in 1982, the CBO concluded that the changes in cost were actually low.

…helped safeguard millions of people from smog, acid rain, and soot particles. These contaminants can lead to respiratory ailments, trigger asthma attacks, and even cause premature deaths. The recent hyperbolic rhetoric around EPA proposals to finally control carbon pollution from power plants is simply a repeat of past hysteria.

An EPA assessment found that there were “net, direct, monetized benefits ranging from 5.1 to 48.9 trillion dollars, with a central estimate of 21.7 trillion dollars, for the 1970 to 1990 period,” due to reductions in diseases, learning impairments, and premature deaths … lower electricity rates in 2009 than in 1990—in 2009 dollars—even after complete implementation of the acid rain provisions of the Clean Air Act. 

Here they go again: Coal and utilities predict huge rate hikes from carbon cuts … keep in mind that utility rates will rise regardless of whether or not the EPA limits carbon pollution from power plants because utilities must invest in revitalizing their electricity delivery infrastructure. The National Journal recently reported that “Your Utility Bill Is Going Up (and There’s Nothing You Can Do About It).”

In fact, back in 1972 one economist predicted the fossil fuel industry’s plan of attack:

At a Senate Public Works Committee Clean Air Act hearing in 1972, Robert J. Rauch warned that polluting companies’ strategy: “An industry confronted with environmental regulations commissions an “expert” study to show that the costs of complying with the regulations would be prohibitive. These cost estimates are then highly publicized and used to generate public demand that the standards be relaxed. Once publicized these cost estimates take on a life of their own—mere repetition assures their acceptance.

[EPA press release - November 29, 1990]: The deplorable state of the environment enabled EPA to successfully argue that cost was not an issue. "Pollution was egregious. It would have been difficult to spend dollars unwisely.” The Agency's strong stand led to strict enforcement of the Clean Air Act … refused to grant extensions requested by automobile manufacturers to meet hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide standards … forcing the adoption of the catalytic converter. Many efforts to trim EPA's authority--to kill requirements for tall stacks, to curtail efforts to prevent significant deterioration of air cleaner were beaten back.

I wonder how many Republicans would react to this outrageous attack on the energy industry by…Reagan:

President Reagan in 1983 … established task forces to deal with such issues as ground water, risk assessment, dioxin, and acid rain. Enforcement was reinvigorated. Civil penalties increased in number and size. And 2,000 new employees were hired. President Bush in 1989 … the Montreal Protocol agreed to a full phase-out of CFCs. Most uses of asbestos were banned. Enforcement figures have been the highest in the Agency's history. Wetlands protection was significantly strengthened. Polls continuously affirm popular support for environmental protection and a willingness to pay for it.

Republicans Push One-Size-Fits-All Party Dominance.

Republicans hate one-size-fits-all laws that take local control away, right?

Nope! Remember when Republican Sen. Tom Tiffany tried to take away local control from communities effected by sand mining? It follows a pattern; they did that with billboards, cell towers, water quality in Dane County, and paid sick leave. So why not mines? Despite being tabled, it'll come back and become law, count on it.

Like our rental laws and lowered statewide building code standards, shoreline development is next on the list of one-size-fits-all laws trashing local control.

jsonline: The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee wants to weaken provisions in state law that have allowed counties to adopt stricter regulations to protect lakes, rivers and streams ... county officials also say the restrictions would limit counties' ability to tailor zoning laws to fit local situations. Instead of county-by-county limits, the committee changes adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Supporters say limits on the counties would give uniformity to what they see as a hodgepodge of rules governing shoreland development.

Surprise, look who's in the middle of destroying Wisconsin's environment...again and again and again...:

Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) emphasized ... balance competing goals of environmental protection and property rights. "We are returning property rights to people."

...at the expense of the public. This is also an example of the GOP's growing disdain for science and research:

In 2009, the Natural Resources Board rewrote shoreland zoning regulations for the first time in 40 years ... after seven years of study ... a compromise between environmentalists and builders and the real estate industry ... updated in 2013. "Everyone was ambushed by these major changes without public input," said Helen Sarakinos of the River Alliance of Wisconsin. "Everything has been working well. People are used to it and we are keeping our water clean," said Dawn Schmidt, zoning administrator in Vilas County, which has more than 1,300 lakes — one of the largest concentrations of lakes in the world.

Even Republican stronghold Waukesha County, who all but destroyed their own water table with over-development, is having a problem with this:

Waukesha County is planning to write new zoning regulations later this year. "I'm a little nervous that the action might have taken away some of our options," Dale Shaver, director of parks and land use said.

The Republican agenda ignores the cost savings of the large statewide pool of taxpayer money funding our public services and environmental protections. Minus group buying power, the GOP model simply puts a higher financial burden on individual users, like we'll see soon at our public universities and state parks.

Republicans have made a conscious effort to make sure their kind of government is free to serve the individual. I think the next comment says it all:

But Rep. Adam Jarchow, a first-term lawmaker, said the focus should be on those who live next to water. "There are a lot of property owners who really get the shaft, frankly, from counties," he said.

Check out the list of destructive environmental actions taken by Walker and the Republicans. It will boggle your mind. And Democrats, bookmark the page and repeal everything in the list when these cockroaches are finally removed from the Capitol. Visit the Political Environment.

Big Government Republicans turning Dane County Red, by first taking control of their water quality.

Scott Walker Republicans aren't just calling all the shots statewide from Madison's Capitol, like they once whined Democrats did, they're now quickly taking control of liberal Dane County, possibly turning it to a deep red.

In another big government republican power grab, the DNR will now over-develop Dane County at the expense of their water quality standards.

Republicans approved a newly introduced proposal to prevent Dane County from making decisions about its own water quality standards … require(ing) the Department of Natural Resources to handle water quality management decisions that cover issues like wastewater and sewage treatment, while banning the department from working with Dane County.

Just to be clear, according to republican Sen. Marklein, businesses have been suffering costly delays just to protect clean drinking water and the pristine lakes that make this a destination city:

Sen. Howard Marklein, whose district does not include Dane County, said the move was about speeding up decisions that affect economic development. "In the economic development business, the unknown costs a lot of money. Waiting months and months and months for a decision is expensive," he said.

Business complaints from who? Well, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants Marklein didn't know:

Marklein (R-Spring Green), said he put forward the measure at the behest of developers but claimed he couldn't recall their names. "I don't even remember who they were," he said. "We had a couple meetings with a couple people."

Now that's what I call good government. 

Yes, republicans are only doing this to Dane County because liberals are destroying the business climate here, unlike the rest of the state?

Fourth Economy, which refers to the newest phase of economic investment nationwide that combines agrarian, industrial and technology, announced it selected Dane County for its Economy Community Index for Mega-Sized Counties for 2015. The report highlights “communities ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.” Dane County was ranked #2 in the top ten.

Dane County is among the strongest counties in the U.S. in terms of increasing jobs in information technology and related sectors during the five years ending in 2012, according to a report published this month ... Identified as one of the ten best places to live in the United States for three consecutive years in a row by Money Magazine (2007-09). In addition, CNNMoney.com ranked us among the top 20 places to launch a business in the United States (2009). 

Home to the fastest growing population of any county in Wisconsin … consistently rank among the top communities for work and play.

If the Name Fits - Big Government Republicans - Wear it...: 

The move caught Dane County lawmakers like Middleton Sen. Jon Erpenbach by surprise. Democrats bristled at the idea of Republicans writing a separate set of rules that target the most liberal county in Wisconsin while leaving the rest of the state alone.

"I know you don't like Madison, but this is no way to show it," Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) told Republicans on the committee."For the big government legislators out there who say state government's too damn big, this is why."

Here's coverage from WKOW and WPR:

Scott Walker makes cuts that will kill our lakes and rivers...and he's worried about the world Democrats were leaving his kids?

Here's a second story that expands on my post:

Walker's DNR overseeing the end of our lakes...."There's just too many cows in Brown County..."

...so I will say little here. I think this short excerpt tells you how Walker is taking care of the state:

jsonline: As worries grow about water pollution caused from runoff from streets, yards and farm fields, Gov. Scott Walker's next budget calls for nearly 16% in spending cuts in programs that attack the problem.

The reductions have gone virtually unnoticed until now, overshadowed by Walker's higher profile environmental initiatives to freeze land purchases and strip the Natural Resources Board of its policymaking power.

Runoff is the state's most serious water pollution problem.

In Green Bay, pollutants from farm fields and other sources have helped create a dead zone, an area so low in oxygen that it can't support most aquatic life.

We were warned about this guy....

Walker okay with failing septic systems contaminating groundwater!

When Scott Walker proposed downsizing the DNR at a time when the state couldn't keep up with sand mine inspections, and defunding our state parks, you knew something was up right?

Could Walker be the most anti-environmental governor in state history?   

The answer is a resounding yes. Small government is one thing, but cutting a program that stops groundwater contamination (drinking water) to achieve that ideal is crazy irresponsible:

WPR: Walker Budget Ends Program That Helps People Update Septic Systems, Close To 500 Low-Income People Have Applied To Grant Program This Year: Low-income property owners who make under $32,000 a year would not be able to receive financial assistance for replacing their aging septic systems under Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget.

"It’s one of the best funding sources for low-income people to replace these systems that are an environmental concern and a health concern," said Terri Dopp-Paukstat, president of the Wisconsin County Code Administrators ... the grant money goes toward replacing older systems that are shown to contaminate groundwater or drinking water. She said close to 500 people have already submitted applications for assistance this year. "They would not get funding or reimbursement if this budget were to pass the way that it’s written now," she said.

Last year, the program awarded around $2.3 million to 654 low-income property owners.

Jobs Plan Failure again: Walker's big bet on Mining...Gone!!!

One of Scott Walker's major jobs plans hinged on the iron Ore mine in northern Wisconsin. The debate was brutal:

jsonoline: The Wisconsin Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy organization, (said this about) Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) for his efforts to alter proposed mining regulations: "Let’s get straight to the point: If the opportunity for iron mining, more than a billion dollars in private-sector investment, and thousands of quality jobs in mining, manufacturing, and ancillary businesses that would last for decades, go swirling down the drain in Wisconsin, you can chalk up the entire fiasco to the efforts of one man: State Senator Dale W. Schultz, R (for RINO), Richland Center."Schultz retired, and can't be blamed this time, or anytime. 

But like everything else Walker touches, those jobs never materialized either. Excuse my mixed metaphors, but Walker's pathetic batting average has resulted in a few Hail Mary passes that include right-to-work and doing away with prevailing wages.

And when Gogebic Taconite mining lobbyist Bob Seitz left to become executive assistant on the Public Service Commission, we kind of knew something was terribly wrong.

Gogebic Taconite said Friday afternoon that it was closing its office in Hurley after concluding that the expanse of wetlands at the site made the prospects of constructing a massive iron ore mine unfeasible. "We are not pounding the final nail in the coffin," said Bill Williams, president of the company. "But we don't want to leave false hopes with people up here."

Goodbye to those wildly inaccurate predictions... 

...700 mining jobs ... spinoff employment of more than 2,800, according to the company's economic estimates. 

Even G-Tac couldn't ignore the obvious:

Williams said the forested hillside that runs along Highway 77 contained far more wetlands than the company had anticipated. That posed major problems because wetlands generally must be avoided. 

"But there is probably still a subculture at the DNR, for lack of a better word, that is green," Williams said.

Yuck, "green." Or at least that's the impression I got from the governors office:

Walker's spokeswoman, Laurel Patrick, said in a statement: "It's unfortunate that the federal requirements for mitigating wetlands make it cost-prohibitive for Gogebic.

Yea, too bad Walker isn't president...uh oh.

Walker's attack on DNR endangers Hunting, outdoor recreation and forestry...that's a jobs plan?

All the pieces are fitting neatly together now, with this plan:

jsonline: Walker is calling for a thirteen-year suspension of Wisconsin's popular, bi-partisan program to acquire important habitat, wetlands, trails, and forests for public recreation.

This piles on what Walker put in place his first year in office:

A law Walker has signed ordering the DNR to sell 10,000 acres of public lands (by 2017).

So we should have seen this coming. Welcome to my epiphany:

LODI WI INFO Apr. 2012: According to Wisconsin’s White-Tailed Deer Trustee Dr. James Kroll, people who call for more public hunting opportunities are “pining for socialism.” He further states, “(Public) Game management is the last bastion of communism.” These are just two insights into the man who has been asked to provide analysis and recommended changes to Wisconsin’s deer management program.
 People who call for more public lands are “cocktail conservationists,” he says, who are really pining for socialism. He calls national parks “wildlife ghettos” and flatly accuses the government of gross mismanagement. 

So to fight socialism, it makes sense to call for a moratorium on the states Stewardship Program. Walker doesn't want these commie, cocktail conservationists wildlife ghettos all over the state.

And for those tweeting trolls who've blasted me for my heavy criticism of Walker's anti-science, do
what feels good public opinion driven deer management disaster, he just took the "public" out too. Serves them right:

The budget calls for ending the department's oversight by its long-standing public body, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board. his budget ends as well the authority of two DNR-related panels of citizens and local officials.

Yesterday, Sen. Tom Tiffany deferred to the expectations of his "constituents" desires, not those pesky scientists. Tiffany seems to think his constituents aren't that smart:

Tiffany: "If you talk to my constituents here in northern Wisconsin, there's probably not one in a thousand that know what the Bureau of Science Services does, and doesn't bring value to the taxpayers."

So get rid of it? For those conservative trolls who thought Walker was doing a great job, Tiffany's got bad news for you, going back two years; "In northern Wisconsin, the deer hunt has been a disaster." Thanks for making my point.

In one of the most jaw dropping interview disasters ever, Tiffany let's it all hang out. WPT's Here and Now:



I liked this insightful comment left on my YouTube page:

You know, there is probably not one in 100,000 of your constituents who know what the hell a heart surgeon "actually does" either. I say let's get rid of them too. Tom you dumb bastard, this is what is called a "race to the bottom." Just breathtakingly stupid. 

And could we do away with this "unelected bureaucrats" BS? Those bureaucrats are approved by ELECTED politicians and the governor, so in fact, someone is accountable.

Walker's lack of action last year was evident:

WPR news: DNR Is Unlikely To Act As Deer Herd Faces Possible Starvation: Minnesota Starts Emergency Deer Feeding Fund, But Wisconsin's DNR Can't Follow Suit Without Legislative Approval.

Or this brilliant irresponsible unnecessary move:

The state Department of Natural Resources proposes moving to online and telephone reporting as soon as this fall.  DNR officials warn they could lose detailed biological data on the state’s herd and tissue samples used to test for chronic wasting disease.

Even against overwhelming opposition, hunting in some parks was allowed, based on this Walker lackey, Cathy Stepp:

AP: A state board voted to limit a new law expanding hunting rights in state parks ... after Wisconsin residents said they wouldn't feel safe visiting parks where hunters might be active. The Sporting Heritage Bill (would have) allowed hunting in virtually all state parks and state trails. DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said the board should remember that lawmakers passed the law with the intent that hunting be expanded. “Ours is not to debate what the elected officials decided,” she said.

Or this post:

Sen. K. Vinehout-Uppity Wisconsin: Deer hunters taking to the woods in Wisconsin are facing a slew of new hunting rules … the new rules change the “season framework, management units and antlerless deer hunting permits.”

Gone are “management zones,” setting deer overwinter population goals. Gone are free tags & $2 tags in highly populated or CWD areas; gone are landowner deer tags. Soon-to-be gone is registering your deer at the local bar or convenience store. Next year all registration will be on-line. Tags are more expensive (6 times more expensive), limited, and depend on whether you hunt a private or public area.

Hunters whom I've spoken with wonder if all we’ll have years from now is the fond memory of what used to be Wisconsin’s very equal deer hunting tradition. Hunters tell me: change the rules, make it hard to get public tags, expensive to hunt in private land and leave folks on their own to register a deer? Isn’t this asking for trouble?

This comment:

Steve Hanson: I'm not a hunter, but I own property on which others hunt. I have to admit to being TOTALLY bamboozled by how complex the new rules are. And the folks hunting here are just as bewildered.