Health Services Sec. Kitty Rhoades asks poor to pay more for Badgercare out of their "entertainment envelopes first."

The states Medicaid program, Badgercare, is another one of those safety nets targeted by the well off elitists in the Walker administration. How dare people freeload off the state just to ease the pain or stay alive.

Heartless to the nth degree, "Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Kitty Rhoades says the state hopes to preserve access to BadgerCare for as many people as possible by increasing cost sharing." Great question from Upfront's Mike Gousha:

Rhoades: "When I was a kid, my parents budgeted by the envelope system. You cashed your paycheck, you put how much was due for the mortgage...you know when you then had to make discretionary decisions, you went to the entertainment envelope first." 

How many of you have anything that even remotely comes close to what Rhoades describes as an "entertainment envelope?" Yeah, we've got lots of money to blow on entertainment while we freeload off Badgercare.

Just more of those "tough decisions" from our Republican authorities. Next thing you know, they'll require a permission slip to protest at the Capitol....

Tommy Thompson's Tough Love on Medicare: "Republicans will have to make the necessary reductions."

It's simple isn't it; After the big banks took all our money and jobs away, they decided to send out their army of Republican politicians to take away our safety nets. Those safety nets, "hammocks," act as our reset buttons, where we have the time to gather up our strength and get back out into the workforce. Instead, banks want to create a desperate and cheap economic underclass.

Senate candidate Tommy Thompson made it abundantly clear what Republicans have in store for American families. Austerity. What the government gives up to reduce spending, increases the out-of-pocket costs to individuals who'll pay much more than they did as a group. For some reason, this makes sense to conservatives, proving once again they're lousy fiscal stewards.

Thompson: "We have to make the tough decisions now. And I believe it's the moral responsibility of Republicans to fix this, because Republicans will have to make the necessary reductions, Democrats just do not have it in the DNA to make the necessary subtractions and deductions...it's going to take the Republicans to do this."

There's nothing moral about pricing seniors out of their homes with higher Medicare costs. Thompson's threat that Republicans will do what the Democrats won't makes the choice even clearer. What isn't said is just as important; we've got to increase revenues from those who can afford to pay. That's been our tax system from the very beginning.

Republicans to Raise Taxes on Poor!!

Spread the word and make it clear to everyone, Republicans are going to raise taxes. Period.

Scott Walker to this day claims he never raised taxes when in fact, he did just that to balanced the budget. He reduced the Earned Income Tax Credit...essentially forcing the working poor to pay more in taxes. The media has given Walker a pass on this lie. 

From Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, was this story about the house Republicans move to increase taxes on the poor in a similar way. They'll tell you the poor never earned their tax credit, so it's not really a tax increase. Bull. But there is opposition, including the Catholics church and other religious groups that have clearly said it's against church doctrine. So much for our supposed "Christian based" constitution. 

BUSINESS WIRE: Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, joined other national Christian leaders today in urging Congress to continue the current Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) benefit levels.

"The food budget is usually the first thing families cut when times get tough, but tax credits like the EITC and CTC help struggling families put food on the table and make ends meet," said Rev. Beckmann. "It is morally unjust that lawmakers consider allowing tax credits that are vital to hungry families to expire, while wealthy people retain reduced rates for their income over $250,000, and estates as large as $10 million are exempt from taxation."

It’s almost mind boggling to think we would extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, knowing how much that much of what was supposed to be a temporary cut, would add to the deficit. 

Does it break the “no tax” pledge? No, not under the new definition and down the rabbit hole logic behind the increases. Why conservatives would vote for, and allow their Republican candidates to tax the poor but not the rich, is just as crazy; the tax credits take money from those who earn it, and give it away to those who didn’t.

Here’s how brutal the cuts will be:

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote soon on whether to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. If passed, HR 8 would eliminate additional EITC marriage penalty relief, prevent families from earning even $1 of the Child Tax Credit until they make at least $13,000, and reduce Earned Income Tax Credit benefits for families with three or more children.

Social engineering of the worst kind; it's population control, where American families are penalized for having more than three kids. Gee, I hope they don’t ban contraception...they what....?

Here’s what the cuts will do;

If families are no longer able to count earnings below $13,000 towards the child tax credit, 8.9 million families would be harmed, including 16.4 million children. If the CTC credits are allowed to expire, 3.7 million families would lose the child tax credit entirely, including 5.8 million children.

So much for these families having any extra spending money, creating demand, and boosting the economy. 

We’re there, Americans are giving up; ‘Just be glad you have a job!!!’

For a while, collective bargaining gave workers  a little skin in the game, and an important voice in their workplace.

But the Republican and corporate campaign to vilify and belittle unions and labor has turned the public against those profit draining employees.

Breaking the American workers spirit appears to be working, as demonstrated below by the average working family’s comments below.

I’m hoping this heartbreaking example isn’t becoming the prevailing attitude by many.

WSJ: REEDSBURG: As a bagger at the Viking Village Foods grocery store here, Thane Rogers sees firsthand the importance of a job. In less than a year, the 17-year-old senior-to-be at Reedsburg High School has seen his hours reduced, meaning he doesn't have as much money for gas and spending money when he's hanging out with friends.

But it's better than nothing, and he cherishes his job where he works 10 to 12 hours a week for $7.25 an hour. "Some of my friends aren't able to get a job," Thane said. "So I make do with what I've got."

That's an attitude Thane's parents, Phil and Emily Rogers, wish more Americans would adopt … "We have this idea that we'd rather be unemployed and promote our master's degree and tell them we're worth $70,000 a year and we'll wait till we make that salary," said Emily Rogers. "Let's hire the whole group of people in between and have them help out with services we need," she said — even if it's bagging groceries. "We need people to get back to work doing something."

If Americans don't catch on and see what's happening, that it doesn't have to be this way, than I feel horrible for my young sons. This wasn't what I picture for them and their future families.

Marc Levin's HBO documentary Hard Times shows us people trying to find work and the crushing consequences of joblessness. Michael Smirconish:

Republicans Turn Early Voting Upside Down, give Military extra Days taken away from Public.

This special treatment of the military and veterans has got to stop.

For whatever reason, they're always more patriotic, more prone to hero worship than the hard working stiff raising a family and battling day to day life.

I don't know about you, but not only do I have to defend this country from self destructive Republicans everyday, but I'm doing my part to raise the next generation of hard working Americans. How about police officers or firefighters? Guess that doesn't measure up when it comes to voting in Ohio.

Check out the bizarre and utterly lame defense of this Republican attempt at voter suppression, from Steve Hayes of the Weekly Standard, like; military "deserves" 3 extra days, if you give preference bailing out GM you can give preference to the military voter; it's not that other people aren't going to be able to vote but they can't 3 days before the election; giving the military "another" special exception if fine.  Funny, the military is more conservative too...I wonder if that had anything to do with it?

ThinkProgress: Today on Facebook, Mitt Romney claims that the Obama campaign is trying to “undermine” the ability of members of the military to vote in Ohio: I stand with the fifteen military groups that are defending the rights of military voters, and if I’m entrusted to be the commander-in-chief, I’ll work to protect the voting rights of our military, not undermine them.”

Since 2005, Ohio has had in person early-voting in the three days prior to the election. This year, however, the Republican legislature in Ohio eliminated early voting during this period, except for members of the military. The Obama lawsuit is attempting to restore voting rights for all Ohioans, not restrict them for the military or any other group. 

From the Brennan Center for Justice, Michael Waldman had this to say voting with Rachel Maddow.

"We did build this," with federal dollars, Romney ad Business Owners!

I'm still amazed at how Republicans have successfully pulled off the "We did build this" lie. Even my conservative friend, who claims he listened to the clip over and over, said that's what Obama meant.

There's a very serious mental disconnect here from what is real, and what is fabricated for purely political reasons. Can ideology really make people hear something that's not there? Apparently.

Here Lawrence O'Donnell with a few more Romney ad spokespeople who didn't build it themselves without a little...government money:



And just for fun, more revealing paranoia from the twisted minds of conservative Americans. It's important to remember; if conservatives can come up this kind of stuff so easily now, think what it would be like with them in power, with the ability to act on these theories.

Felony charges against Walker Thug's Bomb Threats.

Federal charges have been filed against a Walker thug who called in over 100 bomb threats to the Democratic Party's headquarters. Yeah right, it's both sides.... Channel3000:

Wisconsin Democrats Fail at Collective Bargaining, drop it from Agenda, whine it’ll only get Vetoed.

Sly in the Morning all last week highlighted the fatal flaw, the one big problem within the Democratic Party; pushing their agenda and energizing their voters. Is it cowardice and incompetence? Yes.

Below, Sly asked listeners to call their lawmakers and ask them why collective bargaining wasn't even on their legislative agendas.

The main reason; Scott Walker would veto it. And that's all it took for Sly to rightfully go off the deep end.

Never taking a few marketing tips from the Republican masters of spin, Democratic lawmakers have ignored every opportunity to push their own agenda, even if it means getting vetoed for years on end. 

Democratic voters have to direct their energy for change at their own elected lawmakers, those weak kneed losers who don’t seem to have a clue about how to lead a movement.

In Sly’s own words (audio  below):  

Last week, we learned that not a single Democratic State Senator had put the restoration of collective bargaining in the upcoming legislative session's agenda.  The Fabulous 14 are no more.

Keep calling labor traitors.  For those who say I won't call out my side of the aisle when things go wrong, this should be proof of the contrary. Jon Erpenbach is a labor traitor whom was used by Tom Barrett as a shield, the most prominent Democratic that fled to Illinois.  Now, Erpenbach's office staff is being genuinely untruthful, aggressively fending off those of you who called him along with Mark Miller and Fred Risser. 

This is a national problem too, having seen the same lack of effort directed at the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Al Franken on Ron Johnson....

According to Foreign Policy:

Your humble Cable guy roamed the hallways of the Capitol today asking any Republicans we could find the same question: What are Mitt Romney's qualifications to be commander-in-chief? When The Cable asked that question to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) in the elevator, who was standing alongside Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Franken started laughing and said, "I gotta hear this."

That's pretty much it. Love the comment, and love Franken's revealing peak at just how respected Johnson is in the senate.    

Private sector, for-profit Colleges love Taxpayer money.

Here's another look at how for-profit, private colleges are draining taxpayer dollars to become filthy rich, and a likely harbinger of where K-12 is headed with vouchers.

EPI: In 2009, 86 percent of revenues for the 15 publicly-traded for-profit colleges came from the Department of Education federal student aid and U.S. military educational benefit programs.

These taxpayer dollars do not primarily go toward the education of students. As the figure shows, for-profit education companies take away more in profits than they spend on education. A large share of the revenue is also used to recruit new students, most of whom get deep into debt. The committee described typical recruiting practices as “aggressive,” and “deceptive.” And, this too is paid for by taxpayers.

Republicans say call for Romney's Tax Returns Red Herring, a distraction, but still want to see Obama's passport, term papers...

Democrats would be better served if we understood the convoluted pretzel logic of Republican politics, used that information, and campaigned against it to some degree.

The sad truth is; Republicans have made it so easy to vote, that all you need now is an (R) after your name.

Case in point: While Democrats get all worked up over Romney's tax returns, Republican voters don’t give a rat’s ass.

This interesting Patch poll says it all:

The Patch's latest "Red Wisconsin" Survey: More than 80 percent of party leaders and activists surveyed made it clear that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has no reason to release more of his personal income tax returns than he already has. Tax returns may be serious business for the Internal Revenue Service, but in the realm of politics they’re irrelevant to political discourse — so long as there is no wrongdoing.

Remember, conservatives are convinced of one simple truth; it’s their money! If someone can afford to offshore their wealth and not pay taxes, so be it, it’s their money. It’s the “freeloading through life” mantra of the Republican tea party.

For (the) Patch’s group of Wisconsin Republican Party insiders, the hullabaloo surrounding Romney’s tax returns is just a red herring distracting citizens from the real issues at hand in November's election. A resounding 83 percent of respondents said Romney shouldn’t release additional years of tax returns to the public. Just 11 percent claimed he should release additional returns, and 5 percent were undecided.

While the GOP is always projecting their fears and conspiracy theories onto others, Democratic projection dangerously assumes conservative voters will wise up someday. Forget that.

Patch sent questionnaires to 93 key party activists, elected officials, conservative bloggers and talk show hosts who agreed to anonymously give their opinions in a series of surveys between now and November …  (including) state Reps. Jeff Stone, Dan Knodl, Mark Honadel and Don Pridemore; Mark Green, former congressman and U.S. ambassador; Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas; and conservative radio talk show hosts Charles Sykes and Jeff Wagner.

Here's the horrifying truth:

For the Wisconsin Republicans surveyed, the debate over Romney’s tax returns is just another political game of gotcha before November … another tactic to distraction voters and mask Obama's own inadequacies. Wisconsin Republican influencers say those foreign policy and economic mistakes by Obama are the issues that matter — not tax returns.

Republican “gotcha’s” and conspiracy theories are so much more relevant:

Another revelation from the latest Red Wisconsin Survey is that most GOP insiders are quite familiar with the definition of hypocrisy. Many asked why Obama isn’t transparent about personal matters himself (as) one insider pointed out: “Maybe when Obama releases his academic records, passport, and other records we can talk about it. The Obama administration will not comply with releasing records from the Obama’s past, why should Governor Romney or the Romney campaign comply with his request?”  

It's odd Republican voters aren't calling for the academic records, passports, birth certificates and other personal details of Romney and the other senate or house candidates. Hmm, what makes them different from Obama? I'm stumped.

Grover Norquist, radical Islamic fundamentalist? Finally someone noticed...?

It was just a matter of time before the paranoid right wing would start suspecting their fellow Republicans of plotting to destroy the country.

I've always wondered how any credible news network would entertain the madness spewed by Frank Gafney, head of the American Center for Security Policy. His ten part web course "The Muslim Brotherhood in America," Gaffney goes after Grover Norquist of all people. I'm hoping we see more conservative groups targeted by other conservative groups in the future. Let's face it, nowadays, who can you trust. It's fun too.

Tea Party Ron Johnson helps hold up Farm Bill so he can starve Americans.

It’s official, conservative rural voters are getting just what they deserve from Ron Johnson.

It’s not like the one major part of the farm bill, the food stamp program, needed any real changes.

But during this time, when jobs creation has slowed and we’re still pulling ourselves out of a Great Recession, it seems odd to go after and propose cutting food stamps. But that’s how dumb Johnson is. Thanks to RoJo the Clown, his tea party contingent are now salivating over large draconian cuts to a program that helps feed American families who are out of work, or stuck in low wage jobs.

Journal Gazette: A proposal by Sen. Ron Johnson, D-Wis., to separate food stamps – officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – from the farm bill was voted down by the Democratic Senate in June.

The five-year renewal of commodity and nutrition programs is stalled in Congress in large part because of disagreements over how much money, if any, should be cut from food stamps. SNAP accounts for about $80 billion in federal spending a year, or roughly 80 percent of farm bill appropriations.

The Senate passed an ag bill in June that would trim $4 billion from SNAP over 10 years. The House Agriculture Committee approved $16.5 billion in cuts last month. Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman voted against the House plan and said Wednesday he favors $33 billion in SNAP reductions.

Thank you Ron Johnson. Maybe a little starvation will get people off their asses so they can find a few nonexistent jobs. 

Check out the Obama vs Romney Tax Calculator.

Here's a screenshot of your typical American family's calculation:

So much for the Republicans No Tax Pledge!!!

The calculations are based on the Tax Policy Centers numbers. 

Chick-fil-A customers: "It's like seeing someone coming out of a porn shop all sweaty, with a box of goodies. Yuck."-me

Does the Constitution protect bigots from looking like lousy Americans? Nope. Hate and seething homophobia may produce long lines at Chick-fil-A, but it's bad PR, and makes every customer look grotesque.

It’s like seeing someone coming out of a porn shop all sweaty, with a box of goodies. Yuck.  Here's what you'd expect to see from the Fox News coverage:

An Op-Ed in the NY Times by Steve Salbu, who says he’s gay, supports Dan Cathy’s right to be a big business bigot. Don’t you love tolerance? But tolerance is the weapon of the right, because it’s an invitation to push the envelope with little or no blowback. I’m thinking “tea party.”

When Republicans target Planned Parenthoods, is it big government discrimination? They’ve even threatened boycotts of businesses that ban firearms. But ASKING Chick-fil-A to go away because they’re homophobic losers? That’s going too far?

(What was) troubling was that officials in a number of cities expressed not only their ire but also their desire to keep Chick-fil-A out of their towns. In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino urged Chick-fil-A not to open a restaurant, explaining to The Boston Herald: “You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population.” In Philadelphia, the City Council member James Kenney wrote to Mr. Cathy, instructing him to “take a hike and take your intolerance with you.” A Chicago alderman opposed the opening of a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in his ward. And Speaker Christine Quinn of the New York City Council endorsed a movement by students at New York University who are pushing for the removal of Chick-fil-A from the school’s campus.

As a gay man, I’m disheartened. A society that truly believes in individual freedom will respect Mr. Cathy’s right to his views. Those who disagree with him are free to boycott Chick-fil-A in protest. But if our elected officials run Chick-fil-A out of town, they are effectively voting for all of us, regardless of our respective beliefs, and eliminating our individual freedoms. And freedom, after all, is at the heart of the controversy over same-sex marriage.

We made this happen, by never showing outrage over bigoted comments like those from Dan Cathy. Cathy’s religious freedom allows him to vilify and belittle others who have the same First Amendment rights as he does, but unfortunately for them, aren’t allowed to enjoy them.

Yet the comments above were opinions, and not a governmental efforts to stop the chain from opening their rancid sandwich shops. It'shard to disagree with any of the viewpoints:

In a statement to FoxNews.com, Sarah Hamilton, a spokeswoman for Emanuel, said that the mayor said that Cathy did not share Chicago’s values. “He did not say that he would block or play any role in the company opening a new restaurant here,” Hamilton said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “If they meet all the usual requirements, then they can open their restaurant, but their values aren't reflective of our city.”

And in a letter Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney wrote a letter to Cathy criticizing him for his comments. "As an American you are legally entitled to your opinion, regardless of how insensitive and intolerant it may be, but as a fellow American and an elected member of Philadelphia City Council; I am entitled to express my opinion as well," Kenney wrote. "So please – take a hike and take your intolerance with you. There is no place for this type of hate in our great City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection."

Did you know that businesses have constitutional rights that gay Americans don't? It's true:

"We heard about the protests against Chick-Fil-A, so we came over to support the rights of small business owners and the rights of business owners to say what they believe," said Keith Chillquist. "There's this thing called the Constitution, and Democrats try and take it and do whatever they want with it but we think that's wrong." 

We did nothing to it but object, but the authoritarian nature of conservatives won't stand for our free speech rights. And just to make sure enough people showed up, free gift cards from a right wing fringe group:  

The Wisconsin Family Council purchased 300 $5 gift cards as a "thank you" to those stopping at the restaurant to eat. Julaine Appling, president of the group, said with the turnout so much greater than anticipated, they had to buy more gift cards to try and keep up.

What a con.

Chick-fil-A boycott has nothing to do with Free Speech, everything to do with Bigotry, Homophobics.

I don’t get the free speech crap these whack-a-do’s profess to be supporting when they go out and buy their chicken sandwiches for gay bashing.

The boycott against Chick-fil-A is the ultimate in free speech, and the owners of the chain have every right to freely and publicly hate gay people. Their religious freedom is also on full display, using God to support their ignorance, intolerance and bigotry.

The gay community and their supporters are free to boycott and not encourage bigoted businesses.

But Racine’s homophobic losers turned out in force, and weren’t afraid to parade their petting hatred in public. See the picture, and remember the faces.

jsonline: Hundreds of people participating in a national effort to support the fast food chain Chick-fil-A are gathered at its only Wisconsin restaurant, in Racine's Regency Mall, Wednesday. Wisconsin Family Council is handing out 200 to 300 gift cards of appreciation at Chick-fil-A as part of the show of support.

Free food...no wonder so many turned out.

Chick-fil-A has been at the center of a nationwide controversy because Dan Cathy, president of the chain has been public about his opposition to gay marriage - and to political efforts to recognize same-sex marriages.

Customers are saying they are not affiliated with any specific group - some say they're here to show their support for the company's view on gay marriage, younger customers say they are here to in support of free speech. 

This show of chicken sandwich strength isn't in support of free speech, it's in support of bigotry.

Hey, Republican Voters in the Town of Jackson, still think Environmental concerns over the Keystone Pipeline were Ridiculous?

I hate to politicize the horror many in the Town of Jackson are experiencing right now, knowing their drinking water isn't safe, but this is what can happen when energy independence comes at the expense of the environment.

I wonder how many conservative voters at the Jackson meeting were in full support of building the Keystone Pipeline through the Nebraska aquifer. It's not so much fun drinking bottled water now, is it?

Journal Sentinel Picture

jsonline: Town of Jackson - More than 800 people packed a meeting Tuesday night to hear West Shore Pipe Line Co. representatives explain how they are cleaning up gasoline spilled in a July 17 pipeline break and testing private wells.

Several homeowners at the meeting in the Jackson Area Community Center shouted objections to the pace of testing wells. Others questioned whether the Village of Jackson municipal well could be contaminated.

One dozen private wells have been contaminated with gasoline since the break … Residents of the area are urged not to use water from private wells for drinking, cooking and food preparation. The area encompasses 230 properties … Gasoline from the spill is moving through fractures in the dolomite, so groundwater is susceptible to contamination … The top of the aquifer is only 120 feet beneath the surface. Residents of those subdivisions should use their water only for flushing toilets. "This means no skin contact, no laundry, no bathing and no lawn or garden watering," the advisory said.

UPDATE: Good news, these folks are getting help:

Each of the private wells at 43 Town of Jackson homes where residents have been advised to limit their water use to flushing toilets only will be equipped by this weekend with special filtration units capable of removing gasoline contaminants, a state environmental official said Wednesday.

Romney Plan: Poor and Middle Class would love to pay more so they can save the rich money.

It looks like my hypothesis appears to be right on the money, so to speak. The idea that Republicans care about saving taxpayers money, is bogus. Republican policy will cost the bottom 95 percent more, whether in the form of lost tax breaks or money out of pocket in premiums or fees.

Take their dire predictions that employers will drop employee coverage once “Obamacare” is in place. That's factually wrong. But Romney’s plan will do away with the tax break for employer-provided health care. Without that deduction, an important business expense, employers will drop employee coverage immediately.  

Even my conservative friend goes ballistic defending the rich for the simplistic upside down concept, "it's their money, not the governments." 

So I have to assume, my friend will love the following Romney plan:

Mitt Romney’s plan to overhaul the tax code would produce cuts for the richest 5 percent of Americans — and bigger bills for everybody else, according to an independent analysis set for release Wednesday. The study was conducted by researchers at the Brookings Institution and the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, who seem to bend over backward to be fair to the Republican presidential candidate.

They even look at what would happen if Republicans’ dreams for tax reform came true and the proposal generated significant revenue through economic growth.

None of it helped Romney. His rate-cutting plan for individuals would reduce tax collections by about $360 billion in 2015, the study says. To avoid increasing deficits — as Romney has pledged — the plan would have to generate an equivalent amount of revenue by slashing tax breaks for mortgage interest, employer-provided health care, education, medical expenses, state and local taxes, and child care — all breaks that benefit the middle class.

Even if tax breaks “are eliminated in a way designed to make the resulting tax system as progressive as possible, there would still be a shift in the tax burden of roughly $86 billion [a year] from those making over $200,000 to those making less” than that.

What would that mean for the average tax bill? Millionaires would get an $87,000 tax cut, the study says. But for 95 percent of the population, taxes would go up by about 1.2 percent, an average of $500 a year.

And remember, some don't pay any taxes:

Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid suggests Romney didn't pay any taxes for 10 years. HuffPost: "A month or so ago, he said, a person who had invested with Bain Capital called his office. 'Harry, he didn't pay any taxes for 10 years,' Reid recounted the person as saying. 'He didn't pay taxes for 10 years! Now, do I know that that's true? Well, I'm not certain,' said Reid. 'But obviously he can't release those tax returns. How would it look?'"

Redistricting for GOP advantage only. What else is new?

Assuming not all the documentation has been reviewed yet, it's beginning to look like the state Republicans were lying when they said redistricting had nothing to do with politics. Hell, they've been upfront with everything else, why not admit openly they did it all for politics:

WSJ: Wisconsin's Republican legislative leaders have said the voting district maps they drew last year were not aimed at political advantage, but new documents made public Tuesday show they discussed ways to increase the number of "safe" and "leaning" GOP districts and to protect conservative incumbents.

State Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa: "Western Wauwatosa — yes (more GOP)," "West Milwaukee — No (forgot to mention this part of current district — VERY Dem" and "Milwaukee — cop wards if needed."

Besides the outrageous way they gerrymandered in secrecy, having Republicans sign actual secrecy agreements, now we're told it's really what they "didn't say."

Sen. Scott Fitzgerald said political advantage was not the goal of the redistricting process. "My criteria was creating maps that met all of the federal requirements and I could get the votes for," he said. "I have never said there was not a consideration given for incumbents."

Oh, he never said that. Nothing to see here. For Rep. Robin Vos, it wasn't the "main criteria:"

And state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said potential benefit to the GOP was not the main criteria.

But Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said the documents show Republicans were lying to the public. "To me, it's sort-of the smoking gun that shows that all of their efforts were political, partisan and about protecting their power. It shows their deceitfulness.

Manufacturers Whine, Whine, Whine. Politics is hurting business, and not Austerity or DEMAND?

Manufacturers are whining about the political environment and the uncertainty around the well-defined benefits of the Affordable Care Act and a return to Clinton level taxes.

Really, that’s why demand is low? In the article below, Manufacturers continue blame “someone else” for the austerity agenda that has taken money out of the pocketbooks of small businesses and consumers. Demand. Simple.

But the article itself even lists the actual reasons for the slowdown, and not the spin;

jsonline: Economic shocks from the rest of the nation and overseas … Higher energy prices also produce an "automatic drag" on the economy … economic growth is weakening amid the recession in Europe and a slowdown in Asia … economic uncertainty - and in some cases the drought - have taken a toll on manufacturers. "We have seen dealers in our industry close their doors as a result of the dry weather," said Dan Ariens, president of Ariens Co.!

Even the Financial Times report on China's slowdown destroys the idea it has anything to do with
U.S. politics:

China’s manufacturing sector deteriorated slightly in July, confounding expectations for a recovery as the government steps up support for the weakening economy.

But instead of the above actual reason’s for the economic slowdown, all logical, big business is playing up the political angle and the free market "uncertainty."

Manufacturing slows amid political uncertainties: Manufacturing in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois shrank in July for the first time in three years, with orders from the United States, Europe and China dropping as business seems almost paralyzed until the fall election is over and economic policies are addressed.

Economic policies aren’t being addressed because Republicans are refusing to include tax increases with spending cuts. But it’s not the reason for a slowdown in business.

That's according to data from a monthly survey of manufacturers released Tuesday by Marquette University and the local chapter of the Institute for Supply Management. "We are distracted by a very uncertain political environment," said Doug Fisher, director of the Center for Supply Chain Management in Marquette University's College of Business Administration. "Whether it's health care or tax law, people just don't know what to expect." Doug Fisher, director of the Center for Supply Chain Management  said. "Companies want to know more if they're going to make investments." 

They can't make "investments" if they don't have demand and a reason to expand. Let's start making sense.