Grow-up Glenn; you still don't know who to listen to, and who not to listen to? Or, it appears that old "I've been getting complaints in my office" excuse is nothing but phony baloney, just to push Grothman's own idiotic point of view and frigidity, as if it's someone else's.
Of course, Cardi B is somehow connected to VP Kamala Harris, a Democrat who is "contributing to the utter decline of America," as Grothman puts it, and not himself and QAnon insurrectionist Trump inflamed supremist militia's. It's hard to believe we're already 21 years into the 21st century:
It's getting national attention now that gerrymandered Republicans are no longer held accountable by their voters, so they can use the Senate filibuster to obstruct anything:
Republicans didn't run on anything, but they did run AGAINST everything. And that's all they have left. Authoritarian much?
Punishment or Comply: It's so bad that if you don't comply with Trump-Republican memes, lies, and party Neanderthals, expect to be penalized harshly and minimized as an American.
States proposing similar penalties are having one big problem though...
Plus, there are rules in place...
The legislation would go against guidance from high school and collegiate sports associations. The NCAA has allowed transgender athletes who have undergone hormone treatment to be able to compete for a decade …"Transgender girls who medically transition at an early age do not go through a male puberty, and therefore their participation in athletics as girls does not raise the same equity concerns that arise when transgender women transition after puberty," the association wrote.
Women are Weak and Can't Compete? Without saying a woman's place is in the kitchen, one female Republican state legislator made that point very clear:
Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, said, “That’s the biology, the reality. And honestly, you’ll ruin women’s sports forever. Why would you compete if you knew you couldn’t win?
Punishment #2: Schools that opted out of In-person classes: This is just weird. Besides ignoring local control, they are also ballsy enough to deny the obvious, while arrogantly demanding things be done the "right" way:
Republicans rejected the notion they were punishing anyone, saying they were simply providing an incentive to return to in-person learning. “I get the spin. I get the politics. That's what we do here,” said Republican Rep. Mark Born, a committee co-chair. “(But) this is for the folks who are doing the right thing to educate our kids in the classroom.”
Punishment #3: High Voter turnout must be Suppressed: Even after 10 years of Republican written voter suppression laws, we still don't have it right, and people still don't have confidence in the election?
Sen. Alberta Darling said far too many people have sincere concerns about our electoral system. These bills will help restore trust and make sure our elections are handled fairly for everyone." Sen. Duey Stroebel argued public confidence in election is "at a crisis point."
Besides limiting voting drop boxes to just one per community, requiring them to be attached to the municipal clerks office, absentee voting would be restricted for "election integrity" of course:
Urban Milwaukee: Republicans like Scott Walker and Reince Priebus, each with robust histories of absentee voting, now oppose it in the name of “election integrity.” Their real concern seems to be that absentee ballots will increase Democratic Party votes at the expense of Republican.
…despite...
And nationally, out of Georgia:
Jennifer Ruben: It was a blunder, a gratuitous act that revealed not only
their animus toward democracy but their lack of simple human decency. The Georgia bill threw in a provision to ban anyone from giving
water or snacks to people standing in line to vote. It was a political error
born of Republicans’ own arrogance and inhumanity. And it may cost them greatly
in the battle over voting rights. President Biden declared, “It’s sick. It’s sick. You don’t need anything
else to know that this is nothing but punitive designed to keep people from
voting. You can’t provide water for people about to vote? Give me a break.”
The water provision is mean-spirited and blatantly punitive,
instantly recognizable as a Jim Crow tactic designed to make people miserable.In the effort to show
the law has nothing to do with voting security, Exhibit A may be the water
provision.
Punishment #4: Unmasking/Bullying: Don't be fooled when Vos Republicans say they recommend CDC guidelines for wearing a mask, it's total BS judging by their own actions. Bullying Democrats into a room full of unmasked Republicans is sweet revenge:
"So just to be clear, you're going to enforce somebody to wear a jacket in their office, but not have somebody wear a mask in the chamber. Is that correct?" Larson said.
"That is correct, senator. Those are not in the rules. Wearing of a coat is," Kapenga said.
"Do you feel safe on the Senate floor?" WISN 12's Kent Wainscott asked Larson.
"No, no. And that is the only time since the guidance came out that I had been inside a place where there was folks without masks," Larson said. "I would much rather turn in our jackets for masks and things that actually make sense to keep each other safe."
Punishment #5: Whitesplaining Black History Month Honorees: Republicans refused to recognize the month if they didn't get their way. They showed them:
JSOnline: Rep. David Bowen, Sen. LaTonya Johnson, Rep. LaKeshia Myers and Taylor said white Republican legislative leaders again sought changes to a resolution proposed by the Black caucus before allowing the measure to be put on the Assembly's calendar. Myers said GOP leaders wanted to remove names from the list, including Stacy Abrams, and add names, including Sen. Julian Bradley, who is the first Black Republican in the Wisconsin Senate.
UPDATE: 3/16/2021: Then this happened:
Punishment #6: Democrats are Marxists, Defeat their Agenda: But nothing Democrats want to do is good, so Republicans must block and destroy their attempts to destroy America. Rep. Glenn Grothman explained the twisted thinking of QAnon believers everywhere. WKOW:
I'm watching in stunned horror how this government shutdown is ruthlessly dismissing federal workers financial responsibilities, destabilizing their lives, families, and living arrangements.
I asked my Trumpian friend in Milwaukee; "What do you think about Fed workers and families with rent, mortgage and car payments, not being able to pay them because of shutdown?"
This was his answer:
"You know why you and all the other people aren't getting paid.. you know who is getting paid? Illegals 5500 a month they don't miss a check how do you feel about that?"
His answer, Trump's behavior and the whole Republican Party's disinterest, have finally brought clarity to the hard truth; That one grand moment where things will get so bad conservatives will finally see the light...will never happen. There is no misunderstanding their message.
Full disclosure, I work part-time for the federal government, mostly just to stay busy. My friend echoed the same insult that other Trumpian losers are saying to all dedicated public servants making a living...
"Find a different job and not one from the government. There are jobs out there that pay you more but let's be honest none like you want to work at."
Like that? It's like saying government jobs don't mean anything. And that Republican voters know what I and every other government workers should be doing. Yet everything would be so much better with an open free market? Than why the "government" tariffs for protecting intellectual property?
Earlier moments came and went...
1. They were willing to throw 20 to 30 million people off insurance repealing the ACA.
2. They are willing to do nothing at all about the 40,000 gun deaths a year.
3. They are willing to let tens of thousands of people die from preventable diseases a year so cars and businesses pollute more.
And now captive federal workers are in Trump's crosshairs, just so he can prove how a tough a negotiator and business man he can be. This is a guy who's stiffed his own contractors just to prove he can do it and save a little money. And now its government labors turn.
No, even typically Republican voters in Rep. Glen Grothman's district won't blink an eye at his opposition to federal employee back pay. Seriously, Grothman's brutal backhand to everyday working stiffs might have been unthinkable once, could have even gotten him some bad press. Not anymore. From Upfront with Mike Gousha:
Grothman: "The bill also guarantees pay to the federal employees not working. Now I understand they went through a lot, but it creates the unusual situation given that every employee has expenses, that the employees who are working are not as in good a position as the employees laid off. Which makes no sense at all."
Gousha: "If you are not working, and through no fault of their own, but they still have a mortgage payment, a student loan payment, bills to pay, is it fair to them to not be insured back pay?
Grothman: "It is never...fair. But I think, if you work out some kind of compromise and say, look, you are not working for three months, we will give you 60 or 70 percent of your pay, but to give you 100 percent of your pay if you do not work for 3 or 4 months, seems a little bit not right.
Gousha: "You feel like you are not being empathetic enough?"
Grothman: "I said we could compromise and pay them 50 percent of their pay for not working. I suppose I could vote for that as part of a compromise. A lot of other people out there remember get laid off and they don't get anything, so..."
Oddly, the day after the election, media coverage of the primary made no mention of long lines and waiting periods to vote.
Thankfully, the national coverage still thinks it's an important issue, especially after the disaster in Arizona that still boggles the mind. Here's a collection that includes Chris Hayes, Glenn Grothman, Todd Allbaugh, and WKOW's Greg Neumann's reporting:
Voter ID suppression is back, thanks to Glenn Grothman (growth-men). CNN noted TMJ4's reporter didn't somehow red flag that statement, and ask a followup question:
Grothman pivoted back to praising Cruz and the interview moved on without any follow-up.
Voter ID law is the fraud. I wonder how "stand with Walker" dupes now feel having bought into the "voter fraud" con? In the weekly Isthmus, chief of staff for former state Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center), Todd Allbaugh blasted the ID law:
"I was in the closed Senate Republican Caucus when the final round of multiple voter ID bills was being discussed. A handful of the GOP Senators were giddy about the ramifications and literally singled out the prospects of suppressing minority and college voters."
Allbaugh saw the suppression first hand:
The truth? There was almost no fraud. Oh wait, GOP Speaker Robin Vos' estranged wife allegedly voted in both Idaho and Wisconsin, and a GOP staffer was caught voting twice. But it was good rhetoric. Yesterday, one of my employees, born in California, went to get a Wisconsin ID. He was told he couldn't use his California ID to get a Wisconsin ID without his birth certificate, which is back in California. The result? He's not able to vote. Here's a young man in his early 20s, who is interested in voting for the first time in his life. He was excited to go to the polls. What kind of a state, a legislature, a political party is it that denies this young man his right?
All In's Chris Hayes interviewed an energized Allbaugh who made it amazingly clear:
Allbaugh: "These people in the Capitol, forget about Robert M. "fighting Bob" La Follette, dhe was a Republican. His wife Belle Case La Follette moved women's suffrage forward in this state. Republicans used to fight for voting rights, and here they're taking it away."
Lines, Lines and More Lines: Dripping with Democratic suppression in Arizona, Helen Purcell fell on the party sword acting surprised there would be lines after going from 200 polling places to 60. Stunning and transparent, you can't help but feel embarrassed for Purcell:
Maricopa County's top elections official, Recorder Helen Purcell, cut the number of polling places in the presidential primary from 200 in 2012 to just 60 on Tuesday, although those were larger voting centers where any registered voter could cast a ballot. During the last high-turnout presidential primary, in 2008, there were 400 polling places in the county of 4 million residents. Purcell took responsibility for Tuesday's foul-up and acknowledged she made a mistake. She said she relied on voter turnout expectations, the fact independents could not vote in the primary, and that most Arizonans are mailed early ballots. But she said the problems at the polls were in no way intended to suppress participation. "When you see people who are still willing to cast that vote and wait in line until well after the polls close, I don't think that's voter suppression," Purcell said.
Just like what we're seeing in Wisconsin, our one-size-fits-all Republican Party agenda is taking aim at our clean water and air, getting it ready for privateer plundering. Roll Call:
SCALED-BACK ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS: The House passed bill (HR 348) to scale back the National Environmental Policy Act as a regulator of large construction projects in the U.S. The bill disavows the social cost of carbon emissions; sets a two-year deadline for completing environmental reviews; requires lawsuits challenging reviews to be filed within 180 days; limits the number of reviews per project; authorizes states to prepare alternative environmental assessments and allows agencies to accept secondary rather than original analyses of environmental impacts. The CBO says the bill would apply mainly to the three federal agencies with the largest construction budgets -- the Department of Transportation for road and transit contracts, the Department of Defense and Army Corps of Engineers.
Every Wisconsin representative voted to ignore the devastating health effects and premature deaths caused by carbon emissions, actually writing it into law. Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner, Glenn Grothman, Sean Duffy, and Reid Ribble.
Even worse? They rejected attempts by Democrats to again include the social cost of pollution:
SOCIAL COST OF CARBON: The House defeated an amendment to HR 348 (above) allowing agencies to include the social cost of carbon-dioxide emissions in environmental reviews conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act. Voting to save lives and keep our air and water clean: Mark Pocan, Ron Kind, and Gwen Moore. Rubbing it into the face of their own constituents: Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Ribble
No wonder conservative voters pick one or two easy issues to
focus on, generalities like “freedom and liberty” and “cut taxes.” If they tried to make sense out of the party’s
actual direction and basic principles, they’d go crazy, maybe even vote
Democratic.
While cookie cutter republicans across the country push their one size fits all nutritional food stamp check list they say protects against
wasting taxpayer money on junk food, they’re gleefully doing just the opposite
with school lunches, pushing taxpayer spending on whatever mush
they want to dish out to our kids. The Northwestern:
(Rep. Glenn) Grothman, who serves on the House Education and Workforce
Committee, got the chance to solicit feedback about federal nutrition
guidelines and funding for school lunches. “I think the people here believe — and I agree with them —
that we shouldn't have those rules,” he said. “We should just be able to give
the money to the state or give the money to the schools, and they would know
what to give the children for lunch. We don’t have to pay a bunch of
high-priced people, complete with paperwork, in Washington to micromanage what
you’re having for lunch.”
Let's not beat around the bush; the Republican food stamp guidelines are more
about reinforcing stereotypes of the poor than any real concern for the cost or
nutrition.
Personal NOTE: The banned food makes up over half of my own weekly
dinner offerings. And when I was struggling early on in my youth, the banned
items made up almost all of the items. But foods are better now. All the things I buy to make our families meals have at least one ingredient banned by republicans.
So why can't you buy food cheaply in quantity, choose to eat
healthy pizzas, try to make decent spaghetti sauce (spices are banned), enjoy different flavored canned beans, what’s
wrong with this picture. And what about potatoes? Heck, I eat one daily for
breakfast mixed with other vegetables…they’re called home fries for gods sake.
This was a list put together by politicians who haven’t
cooked or shopped a day in their lives.
I think I could listen to Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris, a Democrat from Oshkosh, talk all day about his solutions to today's problems. He was the adult in the room, with Republican State Sen. Glenn Grothman down the table from him.
Grothman looked uncomfortable, irritated and inconvenienced, throwing off answers only because he had to.
The highlight was Harris' answer on drug testing. It was the only major applause line that prompted a warning from the moderator. This is gold:
Harris: "But there's a presumption here that people that are poor are more likely to be abusing drugs, and I'm not sure we have any evidence to support that. I think it's a little insulting that we jump to that conclusion. I bet you none of the business men that are going to get your manufacturing tax credits are going to have to pee into a bottle before they get it."
The flat-out arrogance we're seeing from Senators Glenn Grothman and Scott Fitzgerald should see some kind of voter blowback, if just to send a message the electorate still counts in this representative democracy.
But the breathlessly angry Borg-like "stand with Walker" base, who have been herded into the fantasy bubble world of know-it-all "leaders" and mounting Ebola threats, don't seem to care.
In today's get-to-know your candidates profile in the 6th District, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald refused to participate:
Michelle Zahn, the owner of a mail-order specialty soap company, is challenging five-term incumbent Scott L. Fitzgerald for his state Senate seat … Fitzgerald’s campaign declined to supply information for this article.
And why should he, he's a leader?
Even more egregious is the sudden complete disappearance of media darling Sen. Glenn Grothman, running for a congressional seat against Democrat Mark Harris.
Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris has participated in two debates that Grothman declined to attend. Staying out of the spotlight is an unusual approach for
Grothman, who's known for making bold, often polarizing statements. But in
addition to declining debates, he's also been unusually unavailable to
media. "Grothman has largely gone quiet, taking a low-key approach to
campaigning and avoiding making any eyebrow-raising statements," wrote Amanda Terkel for the Huffington Post.
The less you know, the better? Grothman's strategy says more about the partisan and irresponsible nature of conservative voters. Republican constituents don't need anything but and (R) next to the candidates name.
The wonkish fiscal brilliance of Mark Harris doesn't hold a candle to Grothman's vision on the real issues:
Glenn Grothman on Equal Pay Rights: "You could argue
that money is more important for men. I think a guy in their first job, maybe
because they expect to be a breadwinner someday, may be a little more
money-conscious. To attribute everything to a so-called bias in the workplace
is just not true." Source: The Daily Beast Glenn Grothman on Single-Parenthood: "A controversial
bill targeting single parents came to the table at the Senate Committee on
Public Health, Human Services and Revenue public hearing in Wisconsin this
week. State senator Glenn Grothman, an admitted opponent of the social welfare establishment that he believes
encourages women to have children out of wedlock, introduced Senate
Bill 507, which would formally consider single parenthood a contributing factor
to child abuse, if passed into law. SB507 would require the Child Abuse and
Neglect Prevention Board to emphasize that non-marital parenthood is a
contributing factor to child abuse and neglect." Source: The Huffington Post Glenn Grothman on women in the workforce: "Also, and
any big company will tell you this, they're doing what they can to promote the
women ahead of the men. Now in addition to the fact that that leads to a little
bit of chicanery as people pretend the woman's owning the company when the
guy's owning the company. In the long run a lot of women like to stay at home
and have their husbands be the primary bread winner. You have to ask yourself
in this country can we continue to exist if we have a government that is
actively discouraging the government or the businesses from hiring men? And
that's a very sensitive iss ue but that's what's going on in America today.
It's another issue that nobody is tackling." Source: Washington County Tea
Party Rally, August 2010 Glenn Grothman on sex education: "Why sit down with 7th
graders and say to some you will be heterosexual, some homosexual? Part of that
agenda which is left unsaid is that some of those who throw it out as an option
would like it if more kids became homosexuals," he said. Source: Madison Capital Times
Major donors get to hide their political affiliations all
the while influencing local elections and public policy. It’s all about free
speech. But those citizens who participate in the actual electoral process,
like deciding to have a recall, have their political affiliation publically exposed and are retaliated against by the Republican Party.
A brief line covering the recent private “debate” between Glenn Grothman and Mark Harris pretty much says it all. Harris had a nice comeback, as seen below, despite Grothman's insinuation that the recall signature all by itself should disqualify Harris from public office. Dissent will not be tolerated. Also note the interesting purpose for voter ID bluntly stated in the picture:
WPR: Republican State Sen. Glenn Grothman, and Democratic Winnebago
County Executive Mark Harris, competing in the 6th Congressional District, sparred
over topics … Grothman also criticized Harris for signing the recall petition
against Gov. Scott Walker.
Harris destroyed Grothman's smug suggestion that Act 10 helped Harris' county. There's a reason why I thought Harris should have run for governor; he's quietly smarter and more confident than most every politician in the state.
Harris said he did so because Walker's policies hurt the county and its many public employees in and around Oshkosh.
Harris' answer to signing the recall petition and dealing with Act 10 was right on the money:
I love seeing the candidates whine about dirty tricks and cheating
in their own Republican primaries.
Guess we’ll never have the integrity we want, or
the confidence we need in our elections. Sigh!
WSJ: Only 214 votes separate state Sens. Glenn Grothman and Joe
Leibman … putting Grothman's initially-declared victory in doubt, unofficial
election results show. The Associated Press had called the race for Grothman on
Tuesday night, but then uncalled it Wednesday after more votes came in for
state Sen. Joe Leibham from “late-reporting Sheboygan County.”
It takes a while to rig an election you know.
Free? Paid for by Taxpayers: Let’s see if Leibham will opt
to save money for his constituents:
Any candidate can request a recount in Wisconsin. And the
recount in the 6th District Congressional race would be free because the margin
appears to be one-half a percentage point or less.
Republican State Sen. Glenn Grothman is wonderfully open about what really bothers conservatives most. He's a giant picture window into their despair, their envies, their paranoid fantasies and mean spirited disciplines.
Despite what public opinion polls are telling them, Republicans like Grothman aren't too bothered by what Americans really want. Like Paul Ryan recently explained, they have an even better plan.
Like Ryan, Grothman has plans for single parents gaming the system. I have yet to hear one reporter ask them what they would do; mandate marriage to the father; cut off all support to teach them a lesson; round them up into labor dormitories. As always, it's the woman's fault for everything, including taking money from our middle class nuclear families.
Cart Before the Horse: And instead of fixing policies that contribute to these supposed social ills, they want to attack the victims.
Grothman's sick rantings sound like rejected pages of Scrooge's dialog from A Christmas Carol's.
State Sen. Glenn Grothman wants your vote for him as your next Congressman because
he hates America and homosexuals. Summing it up, he said:
"Now America, supposed to be the light of the world, instead
we’re the light going in the opposite direction.”
Grothman is talking about the U.S.'s sick embrace of the gay
life style. In this Cap Times Steve Elbow piece, Grothman would rather have gay Ugandans locked up for life than help change their policies, as Sec.
John Kerry suggested:
State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, has a message
for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry: Send missionaries to Africa,
not scientists to tell leaders “how normal homosexuality is.” In February, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a
bill that could put people in prison for life for
committing “aggravated homosexuality.” Museveni said he was prompted to
sign the law after a report by Ugandan scientists concluded that homosexuality
has no genetic basis. Kerry called the law “tragic” and later said he
would send scientists to Uganda to help them understand homosexuality.
Grothman wants everyone to know just how he'll handle things if he were sent to congress:
“I mean, what must God think of our country if now … rather than sending people
to Uganda to explain better agricultural techniques, sending missionaries to
Africa, educating people on Christianity, we send scientists to Africa to say
how wonderful the homosexual lifestyle is?” Grothman told Voice of Christian Youth America. “It is just unbelievable
what has become of our country.” Grothman has made headlines in the past for, among other
things, saying single parenthood is equivalent to child abuse, calling Kwanzaa
a “fake holiday,” opposing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and calling for a
roll-back on restrictions to a seven-day work week.
You’re always hearing Republicans talk about that state’s rights thing, and how every state is different, so who needs the federal governments overbearing one-size-fits-all interference?
Thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision today, the more things change, the more they stay the same in Republican world. Add banning affirmative action to the list.
Let’s face it, Republican have a national one-size-fits-all agenda that includes trashing Common Core, wiping out teachers unions, killing public education, promoting vouchers, defunding higher education, deregulating business, corporate tax cuts, corporate welfare, streamlining DNR permitting, vaginal probes, activist conservative judges, voter suppression…what part of that makes each state different?
It doesn't. It’s a national policy duplicated in every red state.
Take State Sen. Glenn Grothman’s latest idea, stolen from Michigan’s own constitutional law banning affirmative action:
jsonline: In the wake of Tuesday's U.S. Supreme Court decision, one Wisconsin lawmaker is pledging legislation to ban affirmative action policies in the state. State senator and congressional candidate Glenn Grothman, a Republican from West Bend, said he would seek to bring back such legislation, which he has proposed in the past without success. Grothman pointed to state and federal contracts going to businesses owned by women and minorities or to businesses with certain hiring or subcontracting practices for those groups. Those kinds of requirements and targets are "divisive."
You know something is wrong when Glenn Grothman is giving us the same argument as Justice John Roberts. You read that right:
Justice Roberts: "...it is not “out of touch with reality” to conclude that racial preferences may themselves have the debilitating effect of reinforcing precisely that doubt, and—if so—that the preferences do more harm than good."
With large number of Republicans retiring, you'd think there would be more stories about the party being in trouble...oh yea, guess gerrymandering gave our elections GOP "certainty."
“The Republican Party of Wisconsin applauds Congressman Tom Petri for his service and dedication to the voters of the 6th Congressional District.
State Sen. Glenn Grothman (growth-men) is a throwback to a time best forgotten, and an absolute media whore. He's decided to challenge long time Rep. Tom Petri, who isn't conservatively bizarre enough. The idea that Petri is a more moderate Republican is ridiculous except for the fact we are comparing him to Grothman. Just type "Petri" in the search bar on the top left, and you'll see why. I've been featuring all the bigger House votes by our state congressmen (yes, all men) for some time, and it's really really ugly.
Just recently in a Post Crescent article titled, "Petri at odds with constituents...," Petri was asked about public opinion polls that directly contradicted his voting record in Congress, and here's his response:
The survey results haven’t changed his mind. Petri said in
an interview that he listens to constituents’ opinions and takes them into
account, but he also factors his own knowledge into
the equation Petri said if voters are unhappy with that or want him to
disregard long-held beliefs …well, “then they’ll have to hire someone else.
Again, it doesn't matter what the public thinks, Republicans always know what's best for us.
But back to Grothman. Here’s Big Ed with the Progressive's
Ruth Conniff, who relished the chance to introduce Grothman to the rest of country.
It was fun watching Conniff relentlessly rip into Grothman for just being…himself:
jsonline: "I don't think Congressman Petri in particular or the
Republicans in general have been aggressive enough at all in (addressing) the
increasing culture of dependency in this country and that culture has led to
the breakdown of the family and this huge deficit." Grothman conceded he
did not live in the district. Grothman said he plans to move to Campbellsport
in Fond du Lac County. He keeps his state office open on the federal holiday
honoring Martin Luther King Jr., saying in 2011 that giving state employees the
day off insulted private-sector workers who had to remain on
the job. In 2012, Grothman issued a statement claiming Kwanzaa was celebrated mostly by
white liberals "in an effort to divide Americans." Grothman said he would campaign against the Affordable Care Act, arguing Petri "implied he didn't mind a bigger government role in health care." Petri voted against the legislation now known as Obamacare.
It’s true, Republican voters go to the polls just like
Democratic voters. And when Republican legislators make it harder to vote, it
affects everyone…including Republicans.
OnUpfront with Mike Gousha, Glenn Grothman blames Milwaukee as the most abusive county when it comes to the early voting law, with long
hours and weekends. He was way off, which is explained below:
So who was the bigger abuser, and loser with Grothman's bill? Republican stronghold Waukesha
County!!! Doh!
jsonline: Milwaukee and Dane counties, which consistently vote Democratic,
accounted for more than a quarter of all early in-person votes cast that year,
according to Government Accountability Board data. But as a percentage of total ballots cast, no county topped
Waukesha County, a bastion of Republican support, where 28.1 percent of voters
cast ballots in person before Election Day. Other conservative counties also
went for early voting in a big way. Overall, 16.7 percent of state voters cast ballots early. Despite the popularity, or perhaps because of it, Republican
lawmakers are scaling back early voting for the second time in as many
sessions.
After seeing the graphic of the Sen. Glenn Grothman e-cigarette bill (bottom of page) at Paul's Newsline, I wondered how long it would be before we see a resurgence of candy cigarettes...I mean candy e-cigarettes.
What Grothman doesn't get is how similar e-cigarettes are to the more deadly real ones. Making it "cool" again to hold and puff on a cigarette was one of the big problems and attractions to smoking.
Despite doing away with tar, nicotine is still a toxic substance, and a part of most e-cigarette "filters."
Like everything else, Wisconsin Republicans are taking the state in exactly the opposite
direction. E-cigarette smoking in public? Why not?
Add e-cigarettes to the growing list; medical marijuana, gay
marriage, wind and solar energy, sex-Ed, women’s health, work hours, minimum
wage, Common Core, Medicaid expansion…etc.
Returning to our restaurant countertops and coffee tables...
jsonline: Even as the nation's second-largest city is moving to ban
electronic cigarettes where tobacco smoking is prohibited, Wisconsin lawmakers
are considering doing just the opposite. A Republican-sponsored bill to clarify
that using e-cigarettes indoors is legal, despite a statewide ban on indoor
smoking, drew opposition Wednesday from doctors, scientists and others who
cited concerns over the product's safety. "If this bill passes, Wisconsin's children with their
young brains so sensitive to nicotine may be put at risk. Why would we do
that?" said Dr. Michael Fiore, a University of Wisconsin professor who
also founded the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention … five states
and dozens of cities — including the nation's three largest — have moved to
treat the newly popular e-cigarettes nearly the same as conventional
cigarettes. The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted to ban the use of electronic
cigarettes in workplaces and public areas.
Media whore and policy troglodyte Sen. Glenn Grothman hatched
another bill in the hopes of reeling in another campaign donor industry:
USB rechargeable...
Sen. Glenn Grothman's bill would do the opposite, explicitly
allowing e-cigarette users to inhale the nicotine-laced vapors indoors despite
the state's 2009 law that prohibits indoor smoking. "Why should we compare e-cigarettes to cigarettes when
we should be comparing them to clean air?" said Murray Katcher, a Madison
pediatrician. Katcher said studies have shown the vapors can contain heavy
metals and other toxicants.
So what are e-cigarette smokers pumping into their lungs now, that they don’t mind sharing with the rest of the public?
Don Muehlbauer, owner of DuraSmoke, the largest e-liquid
company in the country, said his products are safer than conventional
cigarettes. He said the flavored liquid, which is heated by a coil in the
devices and turned into a vapor, contains four ingredients: nicotine,
flavoring, vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol.
I liked this letter to the editor of the Wisconsin State Journal a lot:
Republican lawmakers should do as they say -- Mary Maronek
Republicans Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend and Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam,
have introduced legislation to go to a seven-day workweek.
They should set an example for Wisconsin workers by working
seven days a week for a year, without using time for campaigning or
fundraising, and report back how successful they found this opportunity to
"boost production." They need to walk their talk.
Glenn Grothman continues to offer us insight into how conservatives
think, and where they might want to take us as a nation. He’s not that outrageous, or a
loose cannon, as some like to portray him. He’s a real conservative with a
unreal and frightening appreciation for a more Dickensian time. Like the work
week:
Huffington Post: Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) is attempting to
roll back one of the state's progressive labor laws, arguing that workers
should be allowed to work without a day off if they so choose. “…all sorts of
people want to work seven days a week," he told The Huffington Post in an
interview. Wisconsin … businesses "must provide employees with at
least one period consisting of 24 consecutive hours of rest in each calendar week." Grothman
said he finds this law "a little goofy," and he argued that rolling
it back is a matter of "freedom." He's proposing legislation that "would allow an
employee to voluntarily choose to work without one day of rest in seven." Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy
Institute, said Grothman's proposal is problematic because it may lead to
employers forcing their staff to work overtime. Grothman replied, "Well,
they're not supposed to ... Maybe somebody will try to break the law."
