Walker...the Grinch that Stole Recess? Attacks Seattle teachers and union for demanding "More recess, less teaching."

With his poll numbers dropping off the chart, Scott Walker's going back to what made him a household name among low information tea party voters: bashing teachers. 

Clueless and uninformed, Walker's latest dig at teachers is coming across like a detached disciplinary 50's father, who never had any curiosity in his son's schooling. If he did any research at all, he'd know what his sons needed most besides great teachers in school, was a decent recess. 

Time for students to let loose has declined over the decades. Many educators feel the loss of recess effected boys the most, resulting in bad grades and low test scores. That's especially true if you compare rural/affluent districts with inner city schools. Why am I not surprised there's a racial component:

Proving he has no business shredding public education, Walker is now making fun of recess, blaming the teachers and their union for demanding more time in the school yard. Here's his bizarre tweet:

I went to Walker's link, where I came across his opinion piece on recess:

"More Recess. Less Teaching: You might expect to hear that from kids as they go back to school.  You probably don’t expect to hear that from their teachers.  But that’s exactly what we’re hearing out of Seattle as union bosses have called an illegal strike.  

The demands? More recess, less teaching." 

Besides asking for a cost of living increase after 6 years of nothing in the Seattle area, teachers want to help their students learn by increasing their recess time. Research backs up the policy as you can see by the charts above, but damn the brainy science behind education. We want politicians to make those decisions now.

Recess really? Talk about picking the wrong issue. Teachers are not walking around with their heads floating in some kind of union bubble, they're too busy feeling responsible to their students. I saw that last night when I met my sons 11th grade teachers. I was envious in fact. Times have changed. Teachers are nothing like the image Walker has created to advance his career.

Walker: "The union bosses are betting that if they can make parents and children suffer, they can get what they want."  

Bizarre. Walker can’t get the idea of trashing teachers and squashing labor out of his heads for even a second.

He continues to brag about the great test scores coming out our public schools, as if his short time in office has inspired students to do well just for him, our charismatic unintimidated leader. Of course Walker won't credit 5 years of Common Core standards and the whole 12 years it takes to actually turn out great students. Sadly, all of that is about to change, slowly, unless something is done soon.

A quick Google by Walker's team might have changed their message, ya think?

Children today are likely to have 10 to 15 minutes of outdoor playtime during the school day, if they are lucky. No wonder there is an upswing in childhood obesity and an increase in childhood heart disease and type 2 diabetes. No wonder teachers are concerned about a generation of children who can’t entertain themselves, have social difficulties, and are fidgety and off task in class … there is considerable research to suggest that recess has many benefits for children in the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical domains. 

Or this:

In Minnesota, for example, lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit schools from withholding recess time as a form of punishment. At least 11 states have similar prohibitions, according to the Reston, Va.-based National Association for Sport and Physical Education. in 2012, when the American Academy of Pediatrics released a position paper saying recess "should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons." 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all elementary school students get at least 20 minutes of recess time each day. The American Academy of Pediatrics position paper highlights research that shows young students have improved literacy scores and better cognitive functioning when they get breaks for physical activity.

And it was Republican George W. Bush who cut recess times while dramatically increasing the amount of testing. Want to complain about too much testing? Blame Bush's No Child Left Behind for starting all this.  

Walker's inner sociopath rejects idea of helping Syrian Refugees as president: "Everybody wants to talk about hypothetical's, there is no such thing as a hypothetical.”

Scott Walker's sociopathic behavior has never gotten the kind of media attention it should have statewide or nationally. That I'm hoping will now change.

In one of the clearer examples of non-answer word salads, Walker's embarrassing and brutal disconnect concerning the plight of fleeing migrant families from Syria should scare the daylights out of every American voter. Imagine how he'll respond someday after a natural disaster, or when all our social safety nets have been repealed and the nation is faced with a dramatic increase in human suffering. Oh, sorry about that, hypothetical's don't exist, as Chris Hayes sarcastically laments following the clip below:

Reporter: “What would you do to address the migrants who are currently fleeing into Europe? Does (sic), should the U.S. accept some of those migrants into the country?”

Scott Walker: "Well, again the problem is we're ignoring the basis of the core of the problem. The problem is this president has had a weak stance in terms of taking on ISIS."

Reporter: “But to follow up, if you were president today, what would you do?”

Scott Walker: "I'm not president today, and I can't be president today. I'm going to be president in January of 2017 and I'm telling you what people need to do. Everybody wants to talk about hypotheticals. There is no such thing as a hypothetical."

Reporter: “Governor, the fact that these refugees need a place to go is not a hypothetical, and Pope Francis has even come in and said that countries need to help them. I mean, should the U.S. play an active role?”

Scott Walker:  "Again. I'm taking about what I'll do as president ... that will be a year and half from now."

New York Magazine wasn't about to let Walker's comments go unanswered, unlike the pass Wisconsin media would have given him:

Walker has avoided answering questions with similar evasions before — although "I'm not president, so I can't answer that" is the closest he has come to finding the secret cheat code that will allow him to advance to the convention without having to provide much insight into how he might deal with the types of difficult decisions a president has to make. 

When asked if he would have done the same thing as Obama during the auto crisis in May, he replied, “That’s a hypothetical question in the past. We’re going to talk about the future." 

You really can't make this stuff up.

Walker's campaign admits, "Gov. Scott Walker made a name for himself for wreaking havoc in Madison..." What a plan for America?

Holy crap, can Scott Walker's campaign for president be any more incompetent? According to Cap Times Jessie Opoien: 

Walker is scheduled to speak at Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, unveiling his plan to wreak havoc in the nation's capital. Yes, you read that correctly.

"Gov. Scott Walker made a name for himself for wreaking havoc in Madison, and he has a plan to do so in Washington. He'll discuss his plans during a speech at the alma mater of President Ronald Reagan, Eureka College," according to a press release from the campaign.

Power hungry Vos wants secretive, unaccountable one party Rule, no matter what the people want!

Bad ideas don't die in the legislature, they live on and get passed in secret by arrogant majority Republicans who keep grabbing for more and more power. 

Which immediately brings to mind Republican Assembly leader Robin Vos. Public opinion and the Fourth Estate be damned when it comes to being accountable to the voters. Republicans are redefining and expanding on the idea that power corrupts.

Conservative voters really have to start taking notice, and soon. jsonline:

Just weeks after being forced to retreat from wholesale reductions to Wisconsin's open records law, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos put his aides back to work on elements of the same controversial proposal, new documents show.

The records released Tuesday by the liberal Center on Media and Democracy in Madison showed that an aide to Vos requested a new legislative draft on July 23, seeking a bill to give the Legislature a different status on open records from other government bodies in Wisconsin.

Give Vos credit for creativity coming up with an idea that boggles the mind:

Under the proposal, lawmakers could change the open records rules applying to them with a public vote but without the necessity of a public hearing or approval of the governor. That's because going forward legislators would only have to change their own rules to change their open records requirements rather than change state law, which is currently the case.

Blame Obama Syndrome: GOP Gov's failure to treat their mentally ill/enforce gun laws on the books reason for rise in attacks on Police?

The current crop of infallible “almighty Republican governors” is now blaming President Obama for the highly publicized attacks on police officers. 

It’s not about better treatment for the mentally ill, an excuse they always give when kids in school or people in theaters are massacred. 

And it’s not about their great leadership enforcing the laws that have now made it easier anyone to get guns. 

It’s certainly not about showing Obama how their state doesn’t need him or the federal governments intrusive mandates. No, it’s all about Obama effecting a select number of GOP states!

It's also all about race baiting:  

Recent violence against law enforcement is President Barack Obama's problem, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday, blasting the president for failing to lead and uphold the rule of law.

"This is the president's problem, because he has not allowed law and order to be the rule of the day in the United States. Lawlessness has been the rule of the day. And now the president says little or nothing about these police officers that are being hunted."

So how has the other 3 GOP governors tough talk and leadership prevented the "killings of police officers in Illinois and Texas, and another shooting in Nevada?" 

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.

American Conservative declares "nothing 'happened' to Walker" he's "just a weak candidate."

I would normally write some kind of introduction to clearly setup my point, but none is needed. Thank you The American Conservative:

Walker’s decline isn’t really all that puzzling ... Once he started campaigning in earnest, the actual candidate did not compare well with the imagined version of Walker that so many of his fans had created from what little they knew about him from his tenure in Madison. He failed to live up to a version of himself that never existed, and the reality of Walker turned out not to be very interesting.

In other words, nothing “happened” to Walker. His weaknesses as a national candidate were there for all to see, but most Republicans preferred not to see them until Walker made them impossible to ignore. Many of his fans assumed that Walker’s poor grasp of foreign policy issues would be remedied over time, but instead he has just adopted the most hard-line positions he could find with no sign that he has thought seriously about any of them. It is often said that he has been hurt most by Trump’s presence in the race, but that is mostly because he has responded to Trump’s challenge in the most ham-fisted and clumsy way possible.  

I also couldn't resist this quote:

Speak American!!!

This nagged at me all morning, so here's Sarah Palin's ground breaking idea to bring us all together:

A look at the U-3 and U-6 Unemployment numbers.

This is a quick look at the U-3 unemployment rate vs the U-6 rate: 

CNBC: The Labor Department said Friday that the U-3 unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent in August—but does that tell the real story? The BLS defines U-6 as "total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force," plus all marginally attached workers. 

Note: The U-6 numbers are typically used against Democrats, while the U-3's lower rate is used exclusively to support Republican governors:
  

The U-6 rate dipped in August to 10.3 percent, the lowest since June 2008. The overall trend in the U-6 has been more volatile than the main unemployment rate (also known as the U-3). Take today's release (5.1) with a grain of salt, though: Jobs figures for the past ten Augusts have been revised upward by an average of 58,000 jobs, according to a Reuters analysis of news releases and subsequent revisions. August is the most common month for estimates to miss, likely due in part to seasonal adjustment.

Why has Wisconsin Media Covered up for Scott Walker?

Below is an excerpt from Jake’s TA Economic Funhouse about flip flopper Scott Walker. It should be read by everyone, including conservatives, in its entirety. But...

...having said that, what I’ve re-posted here is something that Wisconsinites and the media of this state should take a closer look at: Why do news media sources around the country and world see a much different Scott Walker than our own statewide media has for years? Outside coverage has painted an ugly picture of a career politician that one Iowa Republican voter nailed down by saying, "He's been on all three sides of every two-sided issue.” 

It's not like the national media has been stellar uncovering phonies like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. But Scott Walker's jaw-dropping obfuscating non-answers were even more intolerable than the media was used to, and that in turn prompted the avalanche of well deserved criticism.  

Jake points to a dramatic media problem here in Wisconsin that has lead to the state being dangerously divided:

“But in addition to the excellent schadenfreude you may feel at Walker being made into a punchline, you may also have gotten disgusted as you read those articles, and with good reason. The shallowness, racist dog-whistles, flip-flopping, spinning, excuse-making, and lack of connection to reality has been apparent with Walker for years. So why did the Wisconsin media cover up for him, and refuse to call him out on it, allowing this doofus to embarrass the state again and again on the national stage? Was it really worth all of that campaign money and company-paid trips out-of-state to sell your integrity out and allow the state to be run into the ground?

… And there still needs to be actions taken against AM hate radio stations … You covered up, deflected and spread countless hours of propaganda for this bum, and violated the public’s trust for throwing away any shred of objectivity and decency you may have had. We are still long overdue for the “balance in media” rallies that need to happen in this state.

Because not only has Scott Walker been exposed as a foolish fraud on the campaign trail, so has most of the Wisconsin media. And while Scotty seems to be finally getting some accountability for his pathetic act, shouldn’t Wisconsin’s corporate media also pay a price for what they’ve done, and are still trying to do, in promoting this disgusting fraud?

I thought Christian Schneider's totally clueless opinion proved Jake's point. Republicans in Wisconsin only know the fake, media created governor:

Sorry, we're now seeing the real Scott Walker.

While Scott Walker "talks" about higher wage jobs, the economy is now producing lower wage jobs thanks to the free markets Great Recession.

Scott Walker has promised to do nothing about low wages, but has promised to "talk about" creating high wage jobs. But talk doesn't put a whole lot of food on American tables, does it? 

Walker: "The left claims that they're for American workers and they've just got really lame ideas — things like the minimum wage. Instead of focusing on that, we need to talk about how we get people the skills and the education and the qualifications that they need to take on the careers that pay far more than the minimum wage." 

The DWD said, "Governor Walker wants jobs in Wisconsin that pay two or three times the minimum wage.”

We all want that, along with unicorns and pots of gold at the end of every rainbow. 

Former Democratic gubernatorial opponent Mary Burke observed:

Burke: “I think it’s an approach that someone who’s been in politics their whole life takes.”

Or we can imagine low wage jobs are just entry level, and nothing more:  

Fox 6: “…we look at the minimum wage not as a family-supporting wage, just as an entry-level wage for young people to get their foot in the door for a job in high school,” Rep. Mark Honadel said.

But in the new economy, brought on by Reaganomics and the free market induced Great Recession, we've seen the creation of low and lower wage jobs:

A report by NELP, the National Employment Law Project, underscores why so many Americans are still angry about the state of the economy and with what they see as the inability of Democratic and Republican leaders alike in Washington to do anything to improve living standards for many ordinary workers.

NELP’s analysis showed that once inflation was taken into account, median wages across all occupations fell by 4 percent between 2009 and 2014.

Wage declines in the lowest-paid occupations were much worse, dropping 8.9 percent for restaurant cooks and 6.2 percent for home health aides.

Along with stagnant or falling wages, one of the most persistent complaints about the current economic expansion is that many of the jobs created so far have been low-paying ones. That has changed recently, with more hiring in better-paying fields like business and professional services.

Blame Reagan: The interactive graph (I love it when I can post these) should tell you all you need to know about Reaganomics. Conservatives should think long and hard the next time they hear Scott Walker or any other candidate brag they want to continue Reagan's legacy. EPI:

One explanation may lie in the findings of another study released on Wednesday by the Economic Policy Institute. Its report showed that even as labor productivity has improved steadily since 2000, the benefits from improved efficiency have nearly all gone to companies, shareholders and top executives, rather than rank-and-file employees.

Labor Department data indicated that productivity in the American economy in the second quarter rose at an annual rate of 3.3 percent

Washington State Supreme Court says Charter Schools unconstitutional, unaccountable; Gov. Kasich's Charter influenced Corruption.

It's a ruling that could slow down the school privatization movement, and give taxpayers second thoughts about the unaccountable ways their money is being spent.

According to the Seattle Times, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled 6-3 charter schools to be unconstitutional.

In the ruling, Chief Justice Barbara Madsen wrote that charter schools aren’t “common schools” because they’re governed by appointed rather than elected boards. Therefore, “money that is dedicated to common schools is unconstitutionally diverted to charter schools.”
The ruling is a victory for a coalition that ask(ed) a judge to declare the law unconstitutional for “improperly diverting public-school funds to private organizations that are not subject to local voter control.”

State's that are now dominated by Republican super majorities plan to change what earlier framers of their state constitutions tried to protect us from:

It seems as though a door may be open for restructuring charters … In 2011, the Georgia Supreme Court struck down a 2008 law that created a state commission which have been legal in the state since 1993. In 2012, voters approved a constitutional amendment that reinstated the state commission.

Republicans Attack the Judicial Branch…Again: It’s time the public take notice of what is now a familiar tactic by Republicans; attack judges and justices that don’t agree with conservative orthodoxy. Take Kansas for instance, where GOP legislators unconstitutionally took away the State Supreme Courts power to select district judges because they didn’t like their rulings on abortion, capital punishment and education funding. That's happening everywhere. Here’s one Washington state Republicans bizarre upside down response that contradicts reality:

Rep. Chad Magendanz, R-Issaquah, and ranking member on the House Education Committee and a charter-school supporter, said he was stunned by the decision. “I’m shocked. I’m worried about the political aspects about this. The court is becoming too much of ‘a political animal.”

That's not all, Charters may sink Gov. Kasich's run for president. Since charter school leaders are some of the biggest donors to the Ohio Republican Party, one Gov. Kasich political appointees and husband of his former chief of staff took it upon himself to make charter school results look really good to the public. Again, if Republicans can't win on the ideas front, cheat:

The Enquirer received records that may clarify who was involved in the charter-school misconduct. What we know now: David Hansen, Ohio's school-choice director, resigned in July, the weekend before Kasich launched his presidential campaign. Hansen admitted he intentionally had scrubbed data when he was completing evaluations of the groups that sponsor charter schools.

Skirting guidelines outlined in state law, he omitted failing grades for online and dropout-recovery schools in an effort to make the charter-school sponsors look better overall. Hansen is the husband of Beth Hansen, who served as Kasich’s chief of staff until he launched his presidential campaign, which she now manages. The charter-school situation takes on additional significance because it involves a high-level conservative priority. Republicans have prioritized sending state money to charter schools, charter school leaders are among the biggest donors to Ohio Republicans, especially in the Legislature.

One final thought: If Republicans blame the increasing availability of federal student loan money for the rising cost of tuition, why are they opening the floodgates for more state taxpayer money for K-12 private tuition?

Of course in reality, college tuition increased due to GOP state funding cuts, but using their BS narrative, I thought it was interesting contradiction.  

"Normal Guy" and "Public Servant" Scott Walker said "in my mind" he's no Career Politician!!!

Let's be honest, when you look at Scott Walker now, isn't it a lot harder to understand how anyone could trust this guy? 

Let's take a look at his recent word salad claim that he's a "public servant," not a career politician that Wisegeekdotcom defines this way: 

"political figures who have no significant professional experience outside of the political arena … who has worked in politics for a period significantly greater than that spent working in an outside field." 

In John Harwood's interview, Scott Walker spewed another Humpty Dumptyism when he said:

"A career politician, in my mind, is somebody who's been in Congress for 25 years."

"In my mind?" Outrageous yes, but it might be the only honest thing he's said recently.

The idea that Walker "serves" anyone is laughable, especially after hearing him go on and on about being a big bold leader. In reality, he would be getting things done for a mere 25% of Americans (even a smaller percentage if you just count conservative voters). He's gotten things done because he has a compliant right wing one party system in Wisconsin. If you're not a Republican, then you don't count in Walker's new world order.

Walker isn't shy about his "divide and conquer" platform either, which again, never throws up a few red flags for the news media:

Harwood: "When you talk about fighting and winning, sometimes when I hear that, it sounds to me like the emphasis is on the fighting, almost like you're running to be the hockey team enforcer."

Walker: "Well I think right now people do want to fight in America."

And yet Walker been in office since 1992, amounting to 23 years on the pubic dole. And after all this time, working across party lines is not Walker's style:

Walker: "I think people want a fighter who can win, get the results. I fought, I won, I got results, and I did it without violating my conservative principles."

In the video clip, Walker also claims to be just "a normal guy. I'm a guy from...you know...that's got a wife and two kids..!" That sound pretty much like "normal guy" President Obama, who Republicans never considered "normal guy" enough to hold office. Guess he should have gotten a Harley like Scottie. Due to copyright issues over the video content, I've put together this slide show:
   

Walker promises national roll-out of Wisconsin's phony energy plan "All of the Above."

Scott Walker took office at just the wrong time when it came to business and job creation centered on alternative energy.

Bad timing too, because coal mines are shutting down due to lack of demand, while state's around the country are focusing in on natural gas, solar and wind energy. The writings on the wall...but not if Scott Walker becomes president.

Walker's "All of the Above" spin is anything but, and the charts below prove that spectacularly:

According to Bloomberg News, Walker's the worst:

As far as wind and solar developers are concerned, the Wisconsin governor may be the worst man for the job.

Five years after Walker took office, renewable energy in Wisconsin is lagging the boom in the rest of the country and industry blames the two-term governor for the shortfall. Walker and his appointees have pushed new restrictions on windmills, cut tax incentives and research funding and last year imposed the nation’s highest fees on rooftop solar owners.

“Renewable energy isn't only confined to wind and solar,” Laurel Patrick, a spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Governor Walker wants residents and businesses to have as many options as possible when it comes to energy resources.” an “all of the above” energy policy that didn’t favor any particular source. 

Walker said the country needs as many different “energy options as possible out there and if I was in a position as president I’d advocate for that.” 

The Horrible Reality?

The state hasn’t added any new wind capacity since 2011, according to the Washington-based American Wind Energy Association. And no Midwestern state has added fewer megawatts of solar in that time, says the Solar Energy Industries Association, another Washington group. 

The state has made life harder in other ways, industry says. Wisconsin officials have refused to clarify rules on whether solar companies can lease their panels to homeowners, keeping out national players. Gary Radloff, a policy analyst at the Wisconsin Energy Institute, which conducts research with private sector energy companies, said Wisconsin’s become “an island of renewable-energy stagnation amid a sea of growth.” 

Walker: " I will continue to have the backs of police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and state troopers and treat them with the respect they deserve." Except for Overtime Pay.

Scott Walker actually said this:

"We must do more to protect those who protect us. Police officers across this country need to know that we have their back. As I’ve done throughout my career, I will continue to have the backs of police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and state troopers and treat them with the respect they deserve."

After Scott Walker actually did this:

Walker not only has to fork over the overtime pay he didn't think important, he's also cutting his security team in half and taking away their recent 4% raise. Would I kid you? From WKOW: 

Walker says Americans want his "divide and conquer" leadership in Washington!!!

Unfortunately, my rants about our dictatorial rightwing authoritarian governor and presidential candidate were right on the mark. Scott Walker even tipped his hand early on when he said he would run for president only if the Senate flipped into Republicans control. That was his not too subtle message that he wanted a one party system of government, devoid of resistance, or he wasn't going to try.

That for me was my epiphanic moment; for Walker, it's his agenda or nothing. Resistance will be futile.

Now within reach of the presidency, and as I predicted, Walker wants to grease the skids by getting rid of the Senate's filibuster. This is no small or random issue; just like in Wisconsin, Walker doesn't just defeat his opponents, he destroys them by making them irrelevant.

Despot Alert: In a shocking admission, Walker made it clear nothing would get in his way of carrying out his no compromise agenda. This is even more troubling than his Canadian wall comment. In Chuck Todd's final question on Meet the Press, which by the way was not included in the transcript, Walker was asked why his "divide and conquer" style would be a good thing in an already divided Washington. Not surprisingly, just the though of total control put fire in Walker's answer:

Todd: "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a newspaper that endorsed you in 2010 and endorse you in 2012, recently called you the most divisive politicians in living memory. We have Washington here, I'll be honest with you, it's hopelessly divided, and polarized, and partisan. How do you somehow be the guy who unites us...what do you say to that...?"

Walker: "You know what Americans want more than anything? They want Washington to work. 

Coming together, working across party lines, we've seen for decades in this city, that politicians on both sides, I might argue Democrats more than Republicans on both sides, have largely worked together in ignoring the debt and deficit problem in the country ... so just working across party lines if it doesn't mean getting things done, is not what Americans are looking for.

What they're looking for are leaders who actually get things done. And sure, did I get some push back, yea because I came in and instead of talking about things, I'm gonna get right to work and start fixing things ... What I learned going forward ... You gotta talk about it and constantly explain to people what's at stake, what's at risk, what do we need to do to help future generations ... and that's what we did. Sometimes the status quo defenders don't like it, and their not going to like that a lot in Washington. But I don't  care. And that may mean some of the leaders of my own party. But I'm willing to push back on that. 

Cause I think American now more than ever want someone who's going to fight, but someone who's going to fight and win for them. That's actually going to get results, do it without compromising principles. I think more now than ever, we need a leader in America that's actually been tested, because we see how bad it's been when you have somebody who wasn't, that's the kind of leader I'll be."

UPDATE: Want more proof? You'll notice how Walker is now admitting he doesn't care about "the other" political party anymore:

“We’re going to shake things up in Washington when we get there. We’re going to wreak some havoc and put the American people back in charge. I think people have seen I’ve been able to wreak havoc in our state capitol on the big-government special interests. The difference is I governed like a red-state governor, and I lived in a blue state,” Walker told reporters.

Scott "Divide and Conquer" Walker blames Obama for Racial Tensions and Police Killings?

Logic and common sense tells us that when racial tensions increase under a black president, it’s because racists are not happy about who they see in the White House.

But turning that logic on its head, Scott Walker is peddling the idea that Obama is one drumming up racial tensions against whites. This isn’t even dog-whistle stuff anymore, folks. Since Obama became president, Republicans like Walker have successfully rationalized away racism as a device used against them by racist minorities trying to divide the country.

Exploitation to Divide Americans? Ya think?

It’s ironic really, since it was Scott Walker who was caughton video saying his goal was to divide and conquer his opponents.

Scott Walker is now leading the victimized white man’s attack against black racists who are demanding that their lives matter too, at the same time denouncing protesters redressing their government. He's vilified similar protesters in Wisconsin who turned out by the hundreds of thousands when he attacked labor, even comparing them to ISIS. Nice campaign strategy:

Scott Walker alleges ‘a rise in anti-police rhetoric’ under President Obama: Walker said Wednesday he was alarmed by the "disturbing trend of police officers being murdered on the job" and by the "rise in anti-police rhetoric" that has accompanied President Obama's time in office.

"Instead of hope and change, we’ve seen racial tensions worsen and a tendency to use law enforcement as a scapegoat. This kind of attitude has created a culture in which we all too often see demonstrations and chants where people describe police as 'pigs' and call for them to be 'fried like bacon.' This inflammatory and disgusting rhetoric has real consequences for the safety of officers who put their lives on the line for us and hampers their ability to serve the communities that need their help. We need to change the tone in America from chants and rallies that fixate on racial division."

Walker is fixated on banning dissent, which he sees as a divisive “tone,” and wants to replace it with positive messaging and happy talk. In other words, ignore the problem.

“Instead of focusing on what divides us, we need to concentrate on what brings us together."

Remember this Walker comment, that should have been a campaign killer, but wasn't:

On Aug. 21, Walker was asked if he would meet with representatives of the Black Lives Matter movement, and he answered: "Who knows who that is? I meet with voters. Who knows who that is. That is a ridiculous question. I'm going to talk to voters. It's a ridiculous question."

Giving America a clean slate, free of the racial struggle’s that brought us the Civil War and 60’s civil rights movement, Walker wrote this jaw dropping statement:

"This isn’t the America I grew up in or that I want my children to grow up in."

Walker’s strategy is similar to his party’s strategy; build on GOP misinformation that makes people “believe” what isn’t true:

AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for Walker’s presidential campaign, said “We’re drawing attention to a problem that needs to be addressed. When police are being targeted because of the uniform they wear, that’s a problem that needs to be dealt with. This is an issue that Americans believe is getting worse, not better.” According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, 107 police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2013 — the lowest number since 1949.   

Nevada let's parents reform education on their own with taxpayer money, because parents know what's best, right?

Thank you Nevada! Now we'll get to see what happens with a totally voucherized educational system where parents can devise any kind of reform they want, on their own. What a way to spend taxpayer dollars. And I thought Netflix's Daredevil and Amazon's Mozart in the Jungle was fun to watch:

The new school choice law in Nevada giving parents near-total control over the way state education dollars are spent on their children was heralded as "groundbreaking" and "historic" when the governor signed it in June … with hundreds of applications pouring in, state officials are encountering challenges as they try to put the law into practice without any roadmap.

Yup, no roadmap, no real plan. So what could go wrong when you leave educational reform up to…parents?

Parents can use their ESA money to pay tuition at any private school, including those that are religiously affiliated, or buy materials for home schooling. A parent could even use the money to mix and match courses and services from private and public sources to create a customized education for their child … They predict a sizable chunk of ESA applicants will opt to use their money to home school

Ye-ha, that sounds like money spent well. Republicans and private schools are already openly offering ways for people to get around the law:

To qualify for the program, students must have attended a public school for 100 consecutive days before applying for an ESA … Officials in the treasurer's office have been trying to find a work-around so students can become eligible without completely dropping out of their private school and enrolling in a public school.

Gaming the system is easy:

The treasurer's office has since tweaked some rules to allow students to take a single class at a district or charter school while remaining in private school or home school to meet the 100-day eligibility requirement.  

Got some extra time between your job and family, why not try managing your multiple ESA accounts for multiple kids. You can fit that in somewhere between shopping for health insurance, dealing with family illnesses and accidents, shopping for car-homeowners-life insurance, grocery shopping, staying on top of the kids homework, home disasters and improvements...etc. Who's got time to call your representative: 

Most families that sign up for ESAs will get 90 percent of the state money allocated to each child, about $5,000 per student, while low-income students and students with disabilities will get 100 percent, or around $5,700 … some students with expensive needs and possibly deter some poor students and students with disabilities from participating, said Rau of Nevada Succeeds.

Oh, after just a few months in existence, the voucher program is already under funding private schools, effecting the poor and disabled. Don't worry, corporate schools will ask for more of your money:

And despite a survey from the Friedman Foundation that found $5,700 would cover 80 percent of tuition at half of the state's private elementary schools, there's lingering skepticism that ESAs will really put private education within the reach of poor families.

Reporters "Blasted for comments " they supposedly put in Scott Walker's mouth on a Canadian Wall.

What's so hard to understand, really?

Scott Walker: “Some people have asked us about that in New Hampshire. They raised some very legitimate concerns, including some law enforcement folks that brought that up to me at one of our town hall meetings about a week and a half ago. So, that is a legitimate issue for us to look at.”

And yet, his campaign staff in damage control said this:

“Despite the attempts of some to put words in his mouth, Gov. Walker wasn’t advocating for a wall along our northern border.”

Huh? See, reality isn't what you think it is, if you just take out seeing with your own eyes and hearing with your own ears. I even included the moment Walker repeated the possibility of a "wall," not seen or heard in many clips. Meet the Press:



A "Stand with Walker" Borg-ite was still denying reality. It seems nothing can sway her or them from their total devotion to this career politician, a guys who's been feeding off taxpayers for decades. Just a few tweets contradicting Walker's in your face support of a possible Canadian wall:

I mean seriously, who wouldn't believe the "source" of this denial:

Defying Supreme Court, Republicans now deny Gay Marriage Licenses under the "Authority of God."

A Kentucky county clerk has decided, like so many "Constitutional conservatives" have, to reject a law she doesn't believe in, like granting same sex marriage licenses. Don't you just love these cafeteria constitutionalists?

This amazing video has gone viral since the "U.S. Supreme Court Monday declined to intervene in the case, leaving Davis no legal grounds to refuse to grant the licenses."

A county clerk in Kentucky has again refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, invoking her religious beliefs and "God's authority" … Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis supporters said: "Praise the Lord! ... Stand your ground." Davis has said her deeply held Christian beliefs don't let her endorse gay marriages. Other activists shouted that Davis is a bigot and told her: "Do your job."

Of course clerk Davis can't imagine the chaos her idea might bring to the nation if everybody thought this way. There's no concept beyond me, me, me.

As I've mentioned before, Republicans like Paul Ryan have been pushing the idea that God's word, and bestowed rights, takes precedent over the U.S. Constitution. I never understood why the press didn't question this dangerous conservative viewpoint, and where it could lead, but it's like it's too late now:

Randy Smith, leading the group supporting Davis, said he knows following their instruction to "stand firm" might mean Davis goes to jail. "But at the end of the day, we have to stand before God, which has higher authority than the Supreme Court," he said.

Imagine if story clerks refuse to sell guns to customers because they believed it violated one of the Ten Commandments; "Thou shalt not kill."

Judi submitted this comment about our bible thumping cafeteria Christian and public servant, that bears repeating:

Guess she forgot THIS part of the Bible: Romans 13:1-7 New International Version (NIV) Submission to Governing Authorities....

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Conservative crazy guy Steven Crowder found an AP story that claimed she ran as a Democrat for a nonpartisan position as county clerk. Huh? Sure, never mind out poor picked on bigot is getting a little help:

Davis is being represented by the Liberty Counsel, a far-right fringe group that specializes in anti-gay litigation. When a federal judge ordered Davis to issue licenses or be held in contempt of court, the Liberty Counsel advised her to disobey the ruling. 

And yet Crowder did more to support my point here, by posting this typically conservative "I'm a victim" rant:

Get it America? THIS is the real war. This is not about cakes, photos, or the issuing of a marriage license in Rowan County, Kentucky. This is about taking down Christianity, which believes in moral right and wrongs, natural laws, and heaven and hell. Remember, the left doesn’t bat an eyelash if a Muslim bakery denies gay couples a cake. This is not about taking down religion, but Christians. With those pesky Christians out of the way, the left will be free to do what they want. If there is no God, there are no unalienable rights (as given to us by God). Clever leftists.

Folks, the real war against the left, Democrats, progressives and liberals. Conservatives won't be happy until they punish, vilify and destroy us. So why aren't Democrats fighting back?