Comedian Mitch Henck: Dem Tantrum, too many Cappuccinos reason for Liberal Dane County study proving "9 people" were discouraged from voting!

Our authoritarian overlords don't like it when liberals, Democrats and progressives make them look bad. Like voter suppression.

Taking a line from Republican know-it-all's who bashed Jimmy Kimmel for criticizing their health care plan; what does a comedian like Mitch Henck know about voter suppression? What makes his media elitist opinion count?  

In a whiny opinion piece, Mitch pondered why the  two biggest Democratic counties in the state looked into voter suppression via the voter ID law, without the approval of our authoritarian overlords in the state legislature:

So why did The Dane County Board vote to spend $55,000 to study Wisconsin election law in Dane and Milwaukee counties? After all, the study wasn’t authorized by the state Department of Justice or state lawmakers or state election officials.

Hey Mitch, ya think state lawmakers and the Justice Dept. were wondering how their voter ID laws discouraged people from voting? Didn't think so:

The study, by UW-Madison political science professor Ken Mayer, was pushed by progressive Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell and approved by our progressive County Board. About 2,400 surveys were sent out and 293 people responded. From that, the professor figured that: 

1. Nearly 17,000 people in Milwaukee and Dane counties didn’t vote because of the state Voter ID law. 

2. Roughly two-thirds of the respondents said they didn’t vote because of the Voter ID law, even though they had legal IDs. 

“That’s the point,” Dane County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan said. “People are confused.” She added the old chestnut, “This is a solution in search of a problem.”

Mitch had a hard time understanding why anyone would even care if a few people lost their vote, and because HE didn't, why waste $55,000 on something the state would never even think to study themselves:

I asked her why Dane County taxpayers were paying for a study of a state law and how it was affecting Milwaukee County. “I wish the state would do a broader study,” Corrigan responded, “but we did what we could because compliance with this law is costing the state way too much.”

Of course this was all a waste of taxpayer money...studying something that strikes at the heart of our representative democracy. It's at this point Mitch suddenly cared more about abuse victims and road repairs, then people voting. So Mitch blamed this on just another liberal tantrum (projection much?):

That’s interesting. We are talking about taxes and fees of people living in Dane County. Board members didn’t spend the $55,000 on road repair or shelters for domestic abuse victims. They spent it on a study that gathered 293 responses and calculated from that that nearly 17,000 people didn’t vote in two counties because of a state law Dane County Board members and the clerk really hate.

Mitch then decided he needed a little backup, so he included knuckle head Matt Adamczyk's response, and propaganda think tank MacIver Institute's assessment that only 9 people were kept from voting. Yea, what's the big deal. Oh, may I remind them Scott Walker said if only one person lost their vote via fraud, that was one too many? Were talking nine...but that's different?

Wisconsin Treasurer Matt Adamczyk, who ran on getting rid of his office, went so far as to say Dane County should lose $55,000 in state revenue sharing because it wasted local taxpayers money on the election study.

The conservative MacIver Institute blasts the study for basing its results on too small of a sample. MacIver points out that only nine people of the 293 respondents were kept from voting by the ID law. But survey architect and UW professor Mayer says the respondent number is fine for an estimated 150,000 registered eligible non-voters in the two counties.

It's at this point Mitch ran out of wacky ideas, so it was time to drag out some good old right wing name calling and stereotypes:

The problem is that hard-core progressives on the County Board can’t change state law no matter how many cappuccinos they consume before their meetings. That job is still up to those darn state legislators, whether they are gerrymandered or not.

Lattes, cappuccino drinkers...they're all the same. After all, Mitch represents the Bud Light breakfast drinking real Americans. 

Of course Mitch much have been away on vacation or something when Democrats opposed all those voter suppression laws passed by Republicans, because the study really had more to do with...Hillary?

It’s safe to say that supervisors would not have spent our money on the study had Democrat Hillary Clinton won the White House.

Sorry Master Mitch, for spending taxpayer money on a silly tantrum proving Republicans successfully suppressed the vote:

I sympathize with legitimate voter grievances. But I roll my eyes at the Dane County Board when it spends our money like candy because progressive supervisors didn’t get the results they wanted and threw a tantrum.

For anyone who cares about reality and facts, here's what Ken Mayer had to say on WPT's Here and Now:



  

National educational standard the key to improved education?

We could call it the lost years, where Trump's Dept. of Education Sec. Betsy DeVos took the nation off on a wild uncharted ride into an educational fantasy land, where parents feel good about knowing "what's best for the child," and schools equate religion with science.

We could also call it a national ideological experiment, where kids are used to prove a conservative theory. If the experiment fails, not one of those kids will be able to make up for their lost years.

The overarching point of the following report emphasizes a national standard, that allows for innovation at a local level while maintaining a set high standard. That's much different than the DeVos plan that does away with a national standard (Common Core) and accountability, letting education do whatever it wants, with no way to duplicated what works or discontinue what doesn't. 

Note: As you read the report from Ed Week below about the US PISA score, keep this important statement from the Economic Policy Institute in mind:

Conclusions like these (PISA score), which are often drawn from international test comparisons, are oversimplified, frequently exaggerated, and misleading. They ignore the complexity of test results and may lead policymakers to pursue inappropriate and even harmful reforms. A re-estimated U.S. average PISA score that adjusted for a student population in the United States that is more disadvantaged than populations in otherwise similar post-industrial countries, and for the over-sampling of students from the most-disadvantaged schools in a recent U.S. international assessment sample, finds that the U.S. average score in both reading and mathematics would be higher than official reports indicate (in the case of mathematics, substantially higher). This re-estimate would also improve the U.S. place in the international ranking of all OECD countries, bringing the U.S. average score to sixth in reading and 13th in math. 

Here's the Ed Week article:

The lead article in our current Center for International Education Benchmarking newsletter, on Germany's rise in the PISA league tables.  

In December 2001, German 15-year-olds performed well below the average of OECD countries, ranking 27th out of 30 countries in reading, 28th in mathematics, and 25th in science. Moreover, the results were highly inequitable; the gap between the highest performers and the lowest performers was higher than in any other industrialized country.

The “PISA shock,” as it was known, spurred policymakers into action. They adopted a sweeping series of reforms, including; 1. Vastly expanding early childhood education, including making early education and care an entitlement for all children age 1 and older; 2. Providing more autonomy to schools; 3. And creating national standards for student performance—a first in a country where education was the responsibility of the states. The ministers of education of the German states worked together to create their own "common core" state standards for student performance. The results were dramatic. In a few short years, Germany climbed to the top of the international rankings on PISA, and it has remained there. The plan was coherent and powerful.

The United States quarreled about standards and tests, blamed its poorly paid teachers for the poor performance of the schools and placed a lot of faith in choice as a school improvement strategy.

What is so striking about this story is that Germany and the U.S. were actually performing at virtually the same level on the 2000 PISA survey.  What was different was the national reaction to that performance. One is as likely to hear people talk about the evils of interstate standards as the need for them. There are bitter controversies among supporters of charter schools who think they should be regulated for quality and those who don't, but neither side seems to argue that charters would vault the United States into the ranks of the countries with the world's best education systems. There are the usual math wars, but there seems to be virtually no interest whatsoever in learning how more than 30 countries are outperforming the United States in mathematics.

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Trump/Rick Perry scheme to Raise Coal Energy Prices even more in Wisconsin, goodbye tax cut savings.

The Republican agenda has never been about saving taxpayer money, or even serving their voters. It's always been about serving business, and spending taxpayer cash on their "horse and buggy" throwback agenda.

Want proof? Wisconsin utility customers are about about to see their energy costs rise thanks to Trump and the Republican "picking winners and losers" energy plan. That's bad news because:

"Electricity rates paid by businesses and residents of Wisconsin now rank highest among eight Midwest states."

A Lump of Coal for Wisconsinites: I guess we've been bad this year, saving our hard earned money with energy saving home products, solar panels and wind turbines. After Republicans here proved the "free market" was always just a lie (the Foxconn taxpayer giveaway), on a national level, they're now doubling down on that idea, going for broke:

Industry analysts are warning that Trump administration efforts to support coal and nuclear energy could upend wholesale markets and drive up electricity rates for Wisconsin consumers.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry has proposed a new rule that would boost prices for electricity generated at plants with a 90-day supply of fuel on hand — which translates to coal and nuclear generators — in an attempt to slow market trends toward natural gas and renewable sources.

Yup, it's as blatantly anti-free market as you can get:

“The wholesale market is basically capitalism at its best,” said Gary Radloff, an energy policy researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “To sort of come out with a rule that says we want to prop up coal and nuclear plants that aren’t competing in the wholesale market is kind of anti-capitalism. They’re using this rationalization that the grid stability is threatened, and there is absolutely no evidence that that’s true. I mean none. It’s a solution in search of a problem.” 

“This would blow the market up,” former FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff told the industry publication Utility Dive. 

Industry experts say the rule would put upward pressure on rates, especially in states such as Wisconsin that still rely heavily on coal for fuel.

And lets dispel some of the renewable energy myths:

But the study that Perry cites as the impetus for the new rule actually showed that cheap natural gas and falling electricity demand — not renewable energy tax subsidies — are primarily responsible for the demise of coal, and that the early retirement of coal and nuclear plants has not affected grid reliability. 

Outage data from the Energy Information Administration show that of the nine major outages in Wisconsin since 2014, four were due to coal shortages. (Severe weather and vandalism were the other culprits.) 

Horse and Buggy Energy Policy? Heck, this runs counter to big energies own plans:

But CUB director Content said the proposal seems out of step with Wisconsin’s investor-owned utilities, which have all pledged to to reduce their carbon footprints. Xcel Energy has lead the way, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent during the past decade and pledging a 60 percent cut by 2030. 

While he doesn’t expect the rule would change the long-term trend, Tyler Hueber, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a clean energy advocacy group said it could delay retirement of coal plants and slow investment in new alternatives.

“This is like propping up the horse and buggy industry when the automobile is hitting mass markets,” he said. “It’s a look to the past.”

The GOP's Blind (Gun) Justice!!!

A "sense of hopelessness" is now settling in. After the Las Vegas massacre, it's become obvious Washington Republicans have detached themselves from reality and their constituents, digging in on what can only be described as a societal death wish.

The Horror in Las Vegas seemed to change nothing at the Capitol. House Speaker Paul Ryan promoted the virtues of mental-health care.

Really? What about this...

Donald Trump repealed without public display an Obama administration gun regulation that prevented certain individuals with mental health conditions from buying firearms. Only 3% to 5% of all violent crimes involve people with psychiatric disabilities, including conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder ... (Ryan) has proposed stripping away community and medical supports from people with mental health needs ... 

How bad is the GOP death wish by gun? If this guy isn't convinced, no Republican will ever move an inch:

Steve Scalise, who was back on the job for the first time in months after a disgruntled shooter ambushed congressional Republicans on a softball field in May ... Scalise had told 60 Minutes that the attack on him did not diminish his belief in the Second Amendment and credited his security detail with saving his life. "If it's not a gun, it'll be a hand grenade, or it will be a knife or an ax," he said.

Patrick Dunphy, an attorney who has sued a gun shop said, "If Sandy Hook didn't result in legislation that either eliminated or restricted the type of guns that can be sold, or the people to whom they can be sold, nothing will ever change. When you have someone slaughtering kids in a grade school, if that isn't enough, what is?"

Who are these elected officials, and why are they dead set on siding with just 3 percent of the lunatic fringe who own nearly half of all firearms in the US? This recent Pew Survey proves D.C. Republicans aren't trying to represent their constituents:

Republicans Oblivious to their push for All-Payer Government Health Care.

Oh boy. Republicans are proving once again that they know little or nothing about health care...big surprise. Not only that, they keep pushing "single payer" health care ideas, without even knowing they're doing it.

State Republicans latest brilliant "all-payer" idea is an example:

Under the proposed change, the state would create a list of set prices for workers’ compensation medical procedures. Forty-four states have those lists, which are called "fee schedules." The prices in Wisconsin would be based on average prices negotiated by group health plans in the state.

Even the enemy of hard working Wisconsinites, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, thinks this is a good idea. Except once again, this is part of universal, single/all payer health care systems worldwide, a not-so-free market, money saving plan:

"In all-payer rate setting, all of the insurers negotiate jointly with all of the health care providers, and set on one specific price for each procedure."

Scott Walker's Single Payer Government Health Care Idea: It wasn't so long ago Walker wanted to go single-payer statewide for public employees. Of course his band of plundering Republican pirates whined that it would destroy the unaffordable free market system we have now:

WSJ: The Walker administration is considering switching 236,000 state employees and family members from a competitive HMO model, in place since 1984, to a self-insured program … Self-insuring, paying benefits directly and assuming the risk, instead of buying insurance, can save money while maintaining strong benefits, an organization of self-insured employers said.

If Walker is talking about what is essentially a single payer system for state employees, and now Republicans want to save money by establishing lower set fees, what the hell is the disconnect? I am seeing an incredible irony in what Walker and now Republicans are proposing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To Republicans, NFL Football a welcome relief from the suffocating demands of Free Speech.

It looks like Trump is winning the NFL kneeling debate? That was the text I got from my conservative friend in Milwaukee, bragging about the decline in NFL ticket sales. What about Trump hurting another American businesses bottom line. Go patriotism.

But flag waving nationalism should scare us, and I'm horrified it doesn't. Dictators thrive on this kind of stuff. My conservative friend said he doesn't want the politics, but that's like say you don't want the First Amendment during football. These are "cafeteria constitutionalists," who often talk about being strict constructionists, all the while defending an imagined "respect the flag" requirement.

He also sent me this phony patriotic gem by Fulton Homes, standing up for those hard fought freedoms they now want to take away:



GOP Worship of Statues and Symbols Exposed: Flag pins and car magnets supporting veterans were the early symptoms of a bigger problem, phony patriotism. So the time was right for a flaming nationalist bigot and racist like Trump to ignite a nationalist fire that would rage out of control for decades to come.

Disrespect? Are Americans really this Stupid? The most troubling part? That so many people think there's an acceptable time and a place for the 1st Amendment. I say give up your season tickets and let real fans and families fill the stands, especially Trumpian Packer ticket holders.



or what about the two high school football players tossed of their team by their Marine veteran coach, who never really got the whole concept of fighting for our freedom:

Sophomore Cedric Ingram-Lewis and his cousin Larry McCullough were kicked off their team at Victory & Praise Christian Academy, the Houston Chronicle reported. The pair didn't play in the Friday night game for their private church-affiliated football program in the Houston suburb Crosby.

or

Republicans in Wisconsin made it mandatory for high school graduates to take a civics test. Phony patriotism, sure, but ironically something we apparently desperately need...for Republicans:

When we asked fans if the controversy would make them more or less supportive of the NFL, 71% said less and only 15% said more. Of those who said they are now less supportive, 74% said their change of heart was permanent, and only 3% said they felt it was temporary. Public attitudes are fickle, and it’s entirely possible boredom with the issue — or terrifically exciting football — could make people forget before long. The NFL, after all, has faced other disturbing issues that didn’t seem to dent its popularity.

 I thought the response below spelled it out perfectly:

"I can't walk past the television screen, news or sports, without seeing this on the bottom line; "NFL players protest anthem."  It is amazing to get a fact error in a four word headline."

Never mind Trump bashed the flag waving ritual back in 2014...his breathless followers still don't feel duped:

In Wisconsin, Democratic Voters Don't Count anymore....

I heard this incredible report on NPR's All Things Considered about Wisconsin's gerrymandering case in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday. I didn't want it to just fade away without highlighting it here. 

The piece starts with the reelection of the not so popular Van Wanggaard, who's district suddenly...again, liked him:

Journal Times: Van Wanggaard, 62, was elected to the 21st Senate District seat in 2010 but held the position for less than two years; he was recalled in 2012. The recall was largely driven by Wanggaard’s vote for Act 10, the controversial legislation that effectively ended collective bargaining for public employees.

Wanggaard was defeated in the 2012 recall by John Lehman, D-Racine, who opted not to seek re-election and instead ran for lieutenant governor.

Trump bashes San Juan Mayor, Paul Ryan praises Trump's leadership?

Career politician Paul Ryan can't stop drooling over the possibility that his draconian style plan for trickle down economics may soon become a reality. He's even willing to sell his soul to the devil, you know, Trump. You can't make this stuff up.

Let's start here. It's still hard for me to comprehend how Trump reacted to the plea from the mayor of San Juan Carmen Yulín Cruz, when she said, "We are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy." No, really, actual Republican style Rube Goldberg bureaucratic bumbling?



Of course Trump would make himself look good, even after Cruz's comments, and Trump's on the ground incompetence...it's the best anyone's ever seen:

Trump: "It's been an incredible...the results that we've had with respects to loss of life. People can't believe how successful that has been, relatively speaking."

Heck, he even topped that with this...

So with that setup, imagine how you would feel if you said what Ryan said a few days earlier, as noted by Ryan challenger Randy Bryce:

Notice the ironic onscreen "one-on-one" with Ryan, who has stayed clear of those one-on-one constituent town hall conversations. Too many tough questions Paul? Still, he's saving people from rude interruptions and disorder. Gee thanks. Here's the latest cartoon from Brian Strassberg:

Trump and rabid nationalist base consumed with Flag Worship, phony Symbolism.

Like the First Amendment says, there's a time a place for free speech...

Trump on Friday said NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest racial justice should be fired.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. He is fired".

And there are preferred ways to protest now during an NFL game...thanks to a little guidance from Trump....

Is our sociopathic narcissist playing his base for suckers, or did he just forget this....

 Or that players standing for the National Anthem was strictly for propaganda purposes in the first place...never gets mentioned enough-"paid patriotism:"



Still, my conservative friend in Milwaukee just played the Christian victim card with poor guy Tim Tebow, without ever knowing anything about Colin Kaepernick:

They’re both Christian football players, and they’re both known for kneeling on the field, although for very different reasons. One grew up the son of Baptist missionaries to the Philippines. The other was baptized Methodist, confirmed Lutheran, and attended a Baptist church during college.

Tebow was home-schooled by his Christian parents, and spent his summers in the Philippines, helping with his father’s orphanage and missionary work. Kaepernick was born to a 19-year-old, single, white woman (who) was destitute and gave him up for adoption. He was raised by the Kaepernicks, a white couple from Milwaukee. His body is festooned with religious tattoos, including depictions of scrolls, a cross, praying hands, angels defeating demons, terms like “To God be the Glory,” “Heaven Sent,” “God will guide me,” Psalm 18:39 and Psalm 27:3.

But Trump would have that son of a bitch Kaepernick fired...

He's an activist and philanthropist ... the offseason Kaepernick launched a GoFundMe page to fly food and water into suffering Somalia ... He had already pledged to donate $1 million (and) proceeds of his jersey sales to charitable work. This year, Meals on Wheels announced it had received $50,000 from Kaepernick. He joined with the charitable organization 100 Suits, to pass out free suits in front of the New York State Parole office for people who have been released from prison and are looking for jobs.

But then Kaepernick began sitting/taking a knee back in 2016, protesting officer shootings of innocent black people.

Kaepernick decided to either remain seated or kneel ... in support of Black Lives Matter and to protest police violence against black people. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

You know what happened next, right?

Kaepernick was voted the “most disliked” player in the NFL. People posted videos of them burning his jerseys. He was called “an embarrassment” and “a traitor.” He was blamed for a significant drop in NFL television ratings, with fans boycotting the NFL because of his protest. He received death threats.

Real Americans like Trump, who tout the First Amendment...well, seems pretty empty now doesn't it. Here are the Trump Tweets that breathed life into this whole mindless wedge issue in the first place:

But wait, "real Americans" angry over disrespecting the flag better check their closets...wanna talk about disrespect? Click to enlarge the real flag rules...

Packer's quarterback Aaron Rodgers offered this generally accepted level headed perspective...

LeBron James....

National Anthem singer...

Drooling Trumpian American not happy about free speech after all...



Oh, and just one more thing....

Check out Sly's pod cast with John Nichols on Trump's special focus on black athletes here, and Jake's Economic TA Funhouse!!!

Scott Walker to "depend on uncertain federal funds" for Medicaid now, changing his mind about getting federal dollars back!!!

Huh? Scott Walker now believes taking "uncertain federal funds from the government for Medicaid is A-okay? Anyone else got whiplash? 

Scott Walker won't Depend on Unreliable Federal Medicaid Funding: Just to be clear, Walker turn down Medicaid expansion because it was supposedly an unreliable source for funding, so taking no money was the better than the Obama alternative.

The Walker administration contended that the federal government eventually will reduce the money available to states through the law because of persistent U.S. budget deficits.

The federal government cannot meet its current Medicaid obligations, Laurel Patrick, a spokeswoman for Walker, said in an email ... "We maintain that states should not depend on the use of uncertain federal funds, which is why Governor Walker implemented unique reforms ..." Patrick said.

Scott Walker will Depend on Unreliable Federal Medicaid Funding: While Democrats and independents were screaming "Let's get our federal tax dollars back for Medicaid expansion, don't turn down getting our own money back..."

...Walker is now saying, "Let's get our federal tax dollars back!" He really doesn't remember his principled stand? Fox News:

Going Easy on Sexual Assaults on Campus vs Cracking down on Truck-stop Human Trafficking? Republicans are masters at having it both ways because they do it so often, their own voters can't keep track. So which is it, are Republicans for or against protecting women from sexual assault and/or exploitation? First, jaws dropped when Trump irresponsibly eased off the epidemic of campus sexual assaults. Not a whisper from outraged Republicans:

The action crystallized a pledge Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made on Sept. 7 to replace what she called a “failed system” of civil rights enforcement related to campus sexual assault. In her view, the government under President Barack Obama did not strike the right balance in protecting the rights of victims and the accused ... "institutions are going to need to look at their processes to make sure they’re not biased against the accused."

Yet, breathless Wisconsin Republicans are targeting human trafficking at truck-stops, without ever complaining or demanding Trump back off the tougher standards dealing with sexual assaults on campus. And thank you Rep. Kleefisch for saying "Wisconsin is a hub of human trafficking." What a way to promote the state. WISC TV:

What's wrong with Liberals? Aligning their politics on Facts and Education apparently!

Republican privilege has a couple of main points (at bottom of post), but overriding everything is their efforts to discredit facts and the people who use them. Especially with idiotic contradictory attacks. These tactics may work on low information Trumpian droolers, but for everyone else, they're just insulting.

I came across this tweet conversation that clearly shows you what we're up against. It's not like conservatives weren't using self-serving "facts" to align their own political interests:

Additionally, here are a few other important conservative characteristics I've been wrangling with:

1. They're not bound by any guiding principles, finding convenient exceptions so they can flip flop on an issue or platform; 2. And they like to play the role of the disciplinary daddy, to easily take control away from Americans who believe and count on government, claiming citizens cheat, need to be penalized, and can't be trusted with government. It's the elites, Republican elites. Father knows best.

ALEC's Vukmir says her principles of Limited Government and Free Markets led us to Foxconn???

Nothing says local like "model legislation" cranked out by ALEC:

Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to try to rewrite state laws that govern your rights. These so-called "model bills" reach into almost every area of American life and often directly benefit huge corporations. In ALEC's own words, corporations have "a VOICE and a VOTE" on specific changes to the law that are then proposed in your state.

The biggest laugh? They're...:

...dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism

Who's the national chairperson of ALEC? Our own Republicans Sen. Leah Vukmir.

Vukmir's Free Market Corporate Welfare? Vukmir doesn't think twice about taking on Sen. Tammy Baldwin, all the while maintaining her position as ALEC's national chairperson. First off, you've got to be some kinda crazy to be given the chairmanship. With her connections to the Koch brothers and other big monied interests, "local" isn't quite the word I'd use!

On Upfront with Mike Gousha, after Vukmir glows about the outrageous corporate handout to Foxconn, she then effortlessly pushes ALEC's mission for limited government and free markets:

Vukmir: "And then of course Act 10...to be a part of this historic reform, that quite frankly laid the groundwork for all of the other reforms that we've been able to do, leading up to Foxconn today...I'm proud of my association with an organization that believes in limited government, free markets and federalism. Anyone who knows me those are the principles that got me elected."

Absolutely no self awareness at all. Vukmir supporters, are you catching on?



Here's Vukmir's press release that will blow your mind. This is what getting government out of the way means?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

So do you want to elect ALEC Chairperson Vukmir to continue our slow decline, peppered with poisonous Republican solutions?

It's not just me trashing supply side ALEC garbage, conservative columnist Tom Still did too:

Wisconsin business columnist and conservative Tom Still took a look at ALEC's new state by state report "The 2016 ALEC-Laffer State Competiveness Index, named in part for supply-side economist Arthur Laffer," and courageously told the truth; the more we're like ALEC, the worse our state output becomes. 

The results of a 50-state index ... put Wisconsin in a positive light for selected economic inputs. The economic output picture painted by ALEC, however, was a bit more restrained.

ALEC's Miserable OUTPUT - Cause and Effect: Proof is in the ALEC report, as Tom Still explains:

When it came to measuring economic performance, however, ALEC looked at “outputs” that placed Wisconsin where other rankings often do – toward the bottom of the 50-state class.

Wisconsin’s overall economic performance rank of 41st included a ranking of 35th for growth in state domestic product for the 10 years ending in 2014; 40th for non-farm payroll employment during the same cycle; and 38th in absolute domestic migration ... (which) measures how many people are leaving or entering the state, the so-called “brain drain” phenomenon. It showed a net loss ofnearly 67,000 people over 10 years, with the peak coming in the recession year of 2010.

Economists on the political right and left ... generally believe there is a correlation between migration and economic prosperity. 

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I couldn't pass this up...

A recent story in Milwaukee Magazine by Matt Hrodey reports, fellow Republicans “sometimes called Vukmir ‘Nurse Ratchet’ … The Shepherd Express did a 2009 story entitled “Why Republicans Dislike Leah Vukmir,” complete with a cruel caricature that managed to make the attractive legislator look like a gorgon. Earlier that year Marc Eisen interviewed a range of Capitol insiders to pick the state’s best and worst legislators for Milwaukee Magazine and Vukmir made the list of the ten worst.

ALEC's Free Speech Legislation: This is perhaps the funniest and most revealing down-the-rabbit-hole double-speak yet:

The FORUM Act does not punish students for expressing themselves on campus—in fact, discipline is not even part of the model policy. The only “punishment” in the FORUM Act is in Section 9 that allows victims whose free speech rights have been violated to bring suit ... The FORUM Act protects speech. It does not punish speech.

Representative Taylor is wrong about the FORUM Act when she says it “punish[es] political speech and protesting on campus.”

Yea, Chris Taylor got it so wrong? 

TV Host Kimmel proves GOP elites Hypocrites, put TV Reality Show Trump in White House: What does he know?

Jimmy Kimmel is an American success story who came from humble beginnings. Kimmel stuck with entertainment, even after getting fired from a number of radio stations before working his way into television. Through hard work, is now hosting his own highly successful late night comedy show on a major network.

And yet, he's a Hollywood elitist, just a comedian, who couldn't possibly understand health care.

Tell me if career politician Paul Ryan even comes close to understanding how health care insurance really works. I recorded video with the original tweet that points out the obvious:



So Kimmel unqualified and is overstepping his free speech rights by criticizing truthfully the lie that Ryan and the Graham-Cassidy bill represent. Amazing. Yea but Republican free market-like posers would use taxpayer dollars to pay for the sick so insurers wouldn't have to, no hypocrisy there.

Plus Republicans criticize poor Americans who use our social safety nets because they didn't work hard enough, then turn around and bash hard work and success when its against those who criticize them. Sweet.

Jimmy Kimmel is such a good messenger on health care, that I'm posting a few of his late night rants against the Graham-Cassidy bill:






One more thing: This whole no debate/pass something now thing seemed oddly fast. All in with Chris Hayes I think hit on the reason why; billionaire campaign funding demands:

GOP Elite take Control, they Won, they will decide for us?

It easy for Republicans to think they are the default real American party, since they won elections thanks to gerrymandering and voter suppression, dominate 92 percent of talk radio, watch conservative TV and news outlets, and have a network of conservative think tanks that by itself, has been a major job creator for social rejects and politicians.

They are the conservative elite, the know-it-all's! And despite huge deficits, job losses and a Great Recession thanks to trickle down economics, they believe in a world that can't exist unless they have an evil liberal counterpart that victimizes them at every turn.

What does Kimmel...or any of us really know? Founder John Adams would be horrified today: 

Adams maintained that an elite of wealth, birth, and beauty retained overwhelming power ... Adams’s principal fear was of aristocratic tyranny - specifically, the tendency of the elite few to undermine both popular representation and effective government.

Welcome to the Trump age. 

I have two examples that coincidentally came up today. From the "elitist" National Review, elitist Theodore Kupfer, who trashed common man Jimmy Kimmel as a clueless Hollywood elitist. What does he know about the world, or for that matter, health care. Well, when Paul Ryan whines about how the majority of insured healthy Americans have to pay for treating the sick, we can assume he doesn't know how actual insurance works. Just saying.

Here's the condescending highlights of Kupfer's article, where he suggests doing the same thing Republicans are always whining about, being censored. Here's everyman Kimmel's statement:

Jimmy Kimmel, Policy-Wonk Wannabe: Comedians have become public intellectuals in the popular imagination, so maybe some charity is in order. What to do about the health-care system is a complicated question. 

Kimmel has elected to probe the empirical matter of whether this bill does quite enough to erect a safety net for people with pre-existing conditions ... The collective decision to elevate Kimmel to status as a leading bioethicist and policy wonk reduces a tricky debate to a single talking point ... But policy expertise is hard-won and not likely to dawn suddenly during crises. It’s also not something that resides in people who make jokes for a living. 

Does Kimmel want a career change? Or does Hollywood simply want to feel better about its propensity to wax earnest about complicated public-policy questions? Such sanctimony degrades comedy. 

Amazingly, conservatives don't find the following funny, but racist jokes...that's another story? 

Who really laughs at The Daily Show, Full Frontal, or Last Week Tonight? But more importantly, swapping two unrelated discursive forms corrodes public discourse. Policy isn’t funny, and comedy isn’t policy ... It’s irresponsible to pontificate on subjects one knows little about, but that didn’t stop him from calling Cassidy a liar.

Once we substitute even sincere feelings for policy expertise, the results are unlikely to please anyone. Jimmy Kimmel can be funny, and he loves his son. Well and good. But Jimmy Kimmel knows policy? To paraphrase another comedian, comedians are not public intellectuals.

Anecdotal Governing: Elitist Republican Bill Cassidy trashes Kimmel, saying "He's only heard from those on the left..." I keep getting the feeling this is how Republicans get their information, through anecdotal word of mouth, hearing it from "the right." No research. Watch Kimmel admit to doing his own extensive research...

Adequate and affordable, whatever that means: What does adequate and affordable really mean? Well according to Bill Cassidy, it means adequate and affordable...dummy.

We are in Control, not the people? Tucker Carlson made it very clear below that the people don't own the public square, the elite authorities do. We're not in charge of  "the public." The video and Issacson says it all:

John Jay College professor Michael Issacson, and avowed Antifa leader appeared on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” show Thursday night...

Agitated Dumb Ron Johnson Crumbles on Morning Joe; says Graham-Cassidy plan offers no guarantees for pre-existing conditions!!!

Awhile back, we were warned about Dumb Ron Johnson:

Behold, the big talker is back, this time offering no guarantees, rambling on and on about GOP constructed ObamaCare nightmares, all the while ignoring the disastrous unaffordable insurance system we had pre-ACA, when nearly 45 million Americans lacked coverage and were indiscriminately dropped for preexisting conditions or clerical errors.

On Morning Joe, Johnson made up this ridiculous lie:

A lie of course. Johnson did the old switcheroo on "preexisting conditions," an Affordable Care Act guaranteed, and instead equated that with getting insurance. I'd say he was smarter than that...but...

Targeting Liberal States: I've heard Republicans admit the Graham-Cassidy plan intentionally shifts Medicaid money away from liberal expansion states like California, Massachusetts and New York so conservative states that refused on ideological principles could get the cash. But Republican states didn't want to depend on the federal government.

Forget all that, now they're being portrayed as shortchanged victims who never got equitable funding for something they didn't want in the first place? My head is hurting!

Watch our rambling egotist bully his way past tough questions he'd be a fool to answer honestly. The Morning Joe crew was having none of it...:

New GOP Senate "last ditch" replacement for ACA injecting Chaos in 50 state capitols for the next 2 years!!!

Every Republican plan to replace the ACA seems to make our health care system even worse than before ObamaCare. You would have thought after finding out every Republican plan would end up dropping 23 million people from insurance coverage, they would stepped back from their promise and rethink their approach.

Heck, when the insurance industry thinks it'll be too costly and lose too many customers, you've got a problem: 

The health insurance industry came out forcefully on Wednesday against the Senate’s latest bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, suggesting that its state-by-state block grants could create health care chaos in the short term and a Balkanized, uncertain insurance market. America’s Health Insurance Plans was even more pointed. The legislation could hurt patients by “further destabilizing the individual market” and could potentially allow “government-controlled single payer health care to grow.” Without controls, some states could simply eliminate private insurance, she warned.

The most incredible part of the Republican style of health care plan...?

Many within the industry are worried that the next two years will be chaotic, with little support for the current market while states scramble to come up with a new way for individuals to buy policies. “It’s just basically injecting chaos in 50 state capitals for the next two years,” said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University.

The CBO doesn't have time to do a complete score, and debate before the bill is voted on will be just 2 minutes long...that's right, just 2 minutes maximum. What was that about "ramming" ObamaCare down our throats after about 8 months of give and take debates and amendments? They are the party of "principles" alright.

Many within the industry are worried that the next two years will be chaotic, with little support for the current market while states scramble to come up with a new way for individuals to buy policies.“It’s just basically injecting chaos in 50 state capitals for the next two years,” said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University.

Read The Graham Cassidy plan for real Americans: I also just found out, oddly not listed below, that the bill eliminates the employer mandate...WOW:

The new Senate Republican bill could reduce funding, coverage and consumer protections even more sharply than the GOP's previous repeal bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

Here's how: 

1. Establishes fixed state block grants that cap federal subsidies for coverage. The BCRA would have continued Obamacare's guaranteed subsidies to qualifying individuals.

2. Ends all federal subsidies in 2026, compared with no subsidy cutoff under the BCRA.

3. Ends Medicaid expansion entirely in 2020. The BCRA would have phased out enhanced funding in 2024 and let states continue expansion using standard federal match funds.

4. States could give insurers unlimited ability to consider pre-existing conditions to set premiums. The BCRA didn't allow that.

5. Eliminates the federal insurance exchange, which states could keep under the BCRA.

6. Offers $25 billion for two-year state reinsurance program. The BCRA offered $182 billion over a decade.

7. No dedicated funding for substance abuse treatment. The BCRA granted $44 billion to states for addiction and recovery care. 

8. Doesn't require states to use federal block grant money to help lower-income people buy coverage, unlike the BCRA requirement that subsidies go to lower-income groups.

9. Allows states to waive coverage for preventive services. The BCRA continued ACA's first-dollar coverage for preventive care.

10. Redistributes federal subsidies from Medicaid expansion to non-expansion states—with 20 states receiving about 35% to 60% less than under Obamacare—versus smaller redistributions between the states under the BCRA.

Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Walker now leaving rotting Car-Killed Deer on road sides, and it may get worse.

I drive around Dane County all the time as part of my other job, and recently noticed a major uptick in almost completely decomposed deer carcasses along our highways, like I-90 and Hwy 73 (pictured here). That's flat out neglect.

These aren't fresh kills either, since the carcass is sun baked and flat. A similarly unsightly decomposed deer was on the side of I-90, visible to everyone, when I came back to Madison.

This was Scott Walker's plan by design way back in April 2015:

Governor Scott Walker doesn't want the state to pay to remove deer carcasses along state highways, which means counties could have to foot the bill. Last year the DNR removed nearly 24,000 deer carcasses from state highways across Wisconsin.

The Governor's proposed budget eliminates$700,000 a year for the DNR to remove the carcasses statewide. Under the proposal, responsibility for clearing the deer would fall to whatever government agency is in charge of the roadway. Or they may be left uncollected. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau cautions, "dead and decaying deer on the roadside are unsightly ad can dampen Wisconsin's reputation as a tourist destination."

Walker just posted the following budget veto, because thanks to tax cuts, we don't have enough money to fund removal of these disease spreading carcasses: