Wisconsin Congressmen keep Rural Voters in Broadband slow lane by denying access!!!

You'd think if something were consumer friendly, it would be a no brainer that business would flourish. Not so much.

What about that scary old Net Neutrality thing Republican hate so much? It's a consumer-friendly, pro-constituency idea that benefits all American voters, especially those in rural areas...but it doesn't benefit GOP campaign coffers desperate for funding from ISP lobbyists.

How can anyone argue with these benefits:

Rules require (1) the Internet to be made equally accessible to all users. (2) They prohibit service providers such as Verizon and Comcast from offering faster content delivery to customers in return for higher fees while leaving other customers in a slower lane ... (3) give the FCC permanent authority to prevent Internet gatekeepers from blocking or throttling customer access, (4) retains FCC programs that expand broadband access in rural areas and make the Internet more accessible to low-income persons.

Who would argue against consumer benefits promoting business and jobs?

Wisconsin Congressional Republicans, that's who. Next time you see them, ask them why? Keep in mind a few things; like how providers are now devising ways to game the system to increase profits; trying to fleece customers despite their income. And because the net is a vital lifeline, Democrats are determined to classify it as a "utility:"

Classifying ISPs as utility companies under Title II meant they had to treat the internet like every other utility — that is, just like gas, water, or phone service — and that they couldn’t cut off service at will or control how much of it any one person received based on how much that person paid for it. The idea was that the internet should be a public service that everyone has a right to use, not a privilege, and that regulating ISPs like utilities would prevent them from hijacking or monopolize that access.

The Republicans voting against their constituents best interests:

Voting no: Bryan Steil, R-1st; Jim Sensenbrenner, R-5th; Glenn Grothman, R-6th; Sean Duffy, R-7th; Mike Gallagher, R-8th

These Republicans stand to gain at the voter's expense, despite being elected to serve the public:

The communications industry is one of the largest lobbying groups in US history; internet providers and the telephone companies before them are notorious for spreading wealth across the aisle. 

And those who voted yes? Give them credit: Mark Pocan, D-2nd; Ron Kind, D-3rd; Gwen Moore, D-4th

Despite the popular talking point, net neutrality did not discourage ISP's from investing in their systems:

Some broadband providers, like Comcast and Charter, actually increased investment in 2015 and 2016. Others, like AT&T, decreased investment, but told shareholders years before the FCC adopted its rules that they planned to slash infrastructure spending after completing network upgrades.

Can we afford the mistakes that no regulation will create?

"Consumers don’t have anywhere to turn when they are wronged by these large corporations, because the FCC took itself off the beat entirely,” said Representative Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey). “Consumers are left watching the internet slowly change in front of their eyes."

One particular incident has become a flash point in the debate. During the Mendocino Complex Fire in 2018, Verizon throttled mobile internet speeds for firefighters, according to a brief filed by the county of Santa Clara, California, as part of the federal suit against the FCC. The county paid for "unlimited" plans for the firefighters, but the plan limited connection speeds to 1/200th of their usual speeds after exceeding 25 GB of data. "This throttling has had a significant impact on our ability to provide emergency services," the brief says. The county was able to restore full speeds only after contacting Verizon's billing department and switching to a new plan that cost twice as much.

Still...

Vox: Even though public support for restoring net neutrality rules is overwhelming (including among Republican voters), due to conditions in the Senate and Trump’s veto threat, net neutrality is still dead and doesn’t appear headed for resurrection.

Immigrant Dairy Farmer from Holland getting kicked out of US!!!

While rural voters and farmers fight against electing Democrats and battle against "regulations" and "big government," I will personally continue to try an solve their problems anyway in a simple blog post. It's not political, it's problem solving.

Immigration Law Avoidance-Stall Tactic: Scott Walker provided me with that epiphanic moment; Republicans never try to solve problems, they just pass their own theoretical agenda and ignore the rest.

And taking care of the border first, securing that, like Trump's ridiculous wall, was an obvious excuse not to solve anything about work visas, Dreamers, asylum seekers, and other tough topics that requires them to do their jobs as elected officials. Forget that.

Trump's brutal immigration and trade policies are impacting farm communities in every way, with no signs of ending.

Gee, maybe if Trump heavy-breathers didn't see their typical South American immigrant....

BELLINGHAM, Minn: The Mulder Dairy is clouded by doom. Kelsey Mulder milked his father’s herd of 170 Holstein cows ... (and he) is counting the days until the United States of America – the only country he's ever known - forces him to leave. “That’s hard to accept,” Kor Mulder said, “very hard to accept.”

Eighteen years ago, Kor Mulder and his former wife brought their two sons - ages two and three - from their native Holland to the open spaces of western Minnesota to start a dairy farm. With an E-2 Visa in hand, Mulder saw in the U.S. freedom and opportunity.

He hoped that if he paid his taxes and invested in his community, a nation built by immigrants would one day open its arms to his family and grant permanent status. “Boys go to school, I don’t live on welfare, then you would think you could eventually make it work to permanent residency. That’s logical thinking,” Kor Mulder said.

But Mulder’s hopes have repeatedly been thwarted by rigid immigration rules. Now Kelsey - weeks from his 21st birthday – must, according to those same rules, return to Holland. In June he’ll go back to a language he doesn't speak and a country he barely knows. “I prefer the gravel roads of western Minnesota, that's for sure,” Kelsey Mulder said. And Kelsey will not be the first Mulder to go. Garion, Kelsey's older brother, was forced off the farm and back to Holland last year.

With both his boys in Europe – and unable to run the dairy alone – Kor Mulder sees only one course: liquidating his farm and returning to Holland too.

He wonders how new immigrants from other nations can seemingly swiftly find a path to citizenship, while he’s toiled on his farm for nearly two decades, done everything asked of him by the U.S. government, yet still feels treated like an outsider. After tens-of-thousands of dollars spent over the years on immigration attorneys and applications, Mulder and his sons have found no workable path to permanent status in the United States.
“The other day I heard President Trump say we like people to come to America, invest in our country. Here I am,” Mulder said. 

“This is people who have come and earned their place here as far as I'm concerned,” Chris Anderson added. Jim Barthel stood with his wife Carrie, each wearing matching black jackets with the logo of seed corn company. “I've been farming alongside Kor for almost 20 years and I couldn't get a better neighbor, he's the best there is.” Jim Barthel said raising his voice. “We like him, we want him here.” A change.org petition started by a Mulder family friend has collected more than 2500 signatures.

Residents of Lac qui Parle county have written letters to their state and federal elected representatives – all to no avail. “They all do understand, they all sympathize - it's not right,” Kor Mulder said of the politicians with whom he’s pleaded for help. “Do something about it!,” he added in frustration. “I can’t”

As the days continue to tick off the calendar, the life Kor Mulder has built unravels in an immigration system pulling his farm and family apart.

Republicans blame Gov. Evers for CWD spread? Sure, why not.

Suddenly Republicans have a sudden urge to tackle the CWD crisis infecting our deer herd in Wisconsin, after doing nothing and making it worse for 8 years? No, not really...

Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker took a largely hands-off approach after he took office in 2011. The disease has since spread across the state. According to the DNR, 26 counties had at least one infected deer in the wild ... 56 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties qualify as affected.

Republican Sen. Devin LeMahieu pressed Cole on why the governor's spending plan includes no new strategies for combatting CWD ... asked (if) Evers thinks fighting the disease is important.

Walker/Republicans Punted on CWD for 8 Years, Even Stopped Picking up Road Kill Deer: So I nearly spit out my coffee a few weeks back when I heard the outraged voices of Republicans grilling DNR Secretary Preston Cole about Gov. Tony Evers lack of effort to do anything about CWD.

Enter State Sen. Tom Tiffany, the guy most responsible for ripping up Wisconsin's natural resources and environmental laws. He has single-handedly put industries like mining and corporate farming ahead of sports hunting and clean water. Seriously...and I'm not joking, he's the chairman of the sporting heritage committee. Just 3 months after Evers took over as governor, Tiffany had the balls to say..."I could...say this is a failure of the Evers administration...!" I also missed the part where the state spent millions trying to fight CWD:

Republican Tom Tiffany, chairman of the state Senate’s sporting heritage committee, said he’s not surprised Evers “punted” on the disease. The state has spent millions trying to fight it to no avail, he said. 

“I could take a real partisan line here and say this is a failure of the Evers administration, but these are difficult decisions. We’re just not sure yet what is going to be effective. But they’ve got to come forward with a plan. We need leadership from the Department of Natural Resources and … the governor as well.”

Hold on there. I'm guessing Sen. Tiffany's low information voters wouldn't have noticed, but here's how Republicans made things even worse...recently.

Trolling to get moderate voters to support his reelection, Walker issued a few emergency rules supported by Democrats, including double fencing deer farms, restrictions on the movement of live deer from one farm to another, and putting a stop to transporting deer carcasses across county lines. But a joint committee of GOP Senators and Representatives basically killed all the new rules. We're now starting from scratch thanks to our anti-government/deregulation Republican majority. 

As for Evers plans for CWD...

Cole says the governor wants to see what research reveals about the disease and doesn't want to spend money on it when other states are doing the work ... the DNR needs to do more to persuade hunters to turn in deer heads for testing ... the DNR is in the middle of a four-year study on deer mortality and Evers and the agency should wait until that’s complete before making any decisions.

State "Windfall" tax revenue should go back into our pockets (mostly corporate pockets)?

Republicans have successfully sold the public on the weird concept that a state's surplus general revenue is an example of over taxation. And they always want to give it back, as if everything is paid for, replaced, and updated for the next generation.

Remember: Just when the country was about to balance its budget (without a constitutional amendment), and start paying down the national debt, George W. Bush gave all that "surplus" tax revenue back, and we're now $22 trillion in the hole. 

Here's what I mean; Kansas Republicans want all that extra state revenue, what they call a "windfall," to go "back in (our) pocket." Not into their starving underfunded schools and health care...

How does this make fiscal sense to anyone?

AP: Top Republican lawmakers in Kansas struggled to find enough GOP votes to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a tax relief bill. The bill was designed to prevent individuals and businesses from paying more in state income taxes ... allowing them to keep itemizing even if they don't on their federal returns. Changes in federal tax laws raised money for Kansas, in part by discouraging individual filers from claiming itemized deductions.

Kelly framed the bill as a return to a tax-cutting experiment under former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback that made Kansas nationally notorious because of the persistent budget woes that followed.

Freeloader Republican Message Crazy:

Republican leaders made it their top priority this year and argue that failing to return the revenue "windfall" represents an unlegislated tax increase. GOP State Chairman Mike Kuckelman and Secretary Emily Wellman issued statements Wednesday calling for a veto override.

"As a taxpayer, I might not even understand that Kansas took additional taxes from me that was intended to go in my pocket," Kuckelman said during a telephone interview. 

GOP holdout State Sen. John Skubal, a moderate Republican, said he was elected in his Kansas City-area district in 2016 to help "fix' state government. "To do that, we have to have some money," he said.

Ya think? And the lamebrained cost of the Republican bill, and more amazingly, who would get it?

Kelly's administration estimated that the bill would have cost the state $209 million during the budget year beginning in July, undercutting her plans to boost spending on public schools and expand Medicaid health coverage for the needy. Much of the taxpayer savings would have gone to corporations, particularly those with operations outside the U.S.

Republicans just taxpayer funded corporate lobbyists.

Our elected Republican corporate lobbyists at the Capitol are having a hard time defending "job creators" when in fact, there aren't enough people seeking jobs. The complete contempt they have for Wisconsinites as valued employees and human beings is nothing short of brutal.

Higher Wages Attract Workers to Wisconsin? Republicans apparently see no value in attracting labor to the state by offering higher wages. Note: 70 percent of the economy is driven by consumers spending the money they earn by working.

Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman called the (wage) increase ($10.25) "modest" and "incremental." He argued it would help spur economic growth by giving low-income workers more spending power ... "It shouldn’t be a partisan issue," said Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison. "We are lagging behind (other states) once more in not increasing our minimum wage."

In the upside-down world of Senate Republican corporate lobbying, the "ripple effect" of consumer spending is ignored completely. Statements like "people are begging for employees" totally misses the point that wages suck and Gov. Evers is trying to attract workers to the state. Note-Sen. Olsen uses the word "people" in place of "business." 

via GIPHY

Republican lawmakers ... criticized the governor's budget for not doing more to attract workers to Wisconsin. "People are begging for employees," said state Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon.

GOP lawmakers argued the (hike in wage) plan would hurt the economy. "What's the ripple effect to employers when we impose more expenses on them?" said state Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, R-River Falls.

The contempt elected Republican lobbyist have for you and me as hard workers? Are you kidding:

Evers would also increase unemployment benefits and remove drug testing for unemployment insurance. Republican lawmakers said that would make it too easy for some to live on those benefits, without seeking work. "It makes it easier to stay at home," said Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette. "I would suggest this budget is riddled with free rides."

I guess Nygren missed how low unemployment numbers kinda disproves his condescending theory about "free rides" and "staying at home."

Our elected lobbyists think Wisconsin workers wouldn't be motivated to earn higher incomes than $10.25 an hour...you know, the opposite of basic human nature:

Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, R-River Falls, said she used to be a minimum-wage earner and, at that time, was intent on “improving.”“If we just raise it (minimum wage), what incentive would I possibly have had to improve?” Zimmerman said

Republican Sen. Howard Marklein wants the good old 60's back when $5 a day was enough? Would I kid you:

Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, said his career started when he did farm work for $5 a day. 

Not enough is said about the Republican's free market disaster, the Great Recession, the massive job losses, and bankrupt businesses. The eventual recovery guided by Obama and the Democrats? Every Republican-dominated state took credit for that:

Republicans also expressed concern about Evers' proposals to roll back Wisconsin’s right-to-work law and reinstate the prevailing wage on state construction projects, both of which were important to the Walker administration. "I think a lot of those policies we’ve implemented are the reason we’re in the position we are today," said Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville.

"...the reason we're in the position we are today!!!"

A Higher Minimum Wage better than Walker Ad Campaign: 

The governor’s plan eliminates funding for a marketing program aimed at attracting millennials, veterans and University of Wisconsin System graduates who have moved out of Wisconsin. Democrats on the committee argued that is the right move, saying the state should focus on creating an attractive environment for those people, rather than marketing to them. "You need to create communities they want to live in," Taylor said.

Republicans Far Right Political Theories Hurting Income: Higher wages/greater consumer spending:

Barr Report for dummies...and more!

Business Association Plan Scheme Stopped by Judge, People losing Insurance under Trump, Surprise Doctor Bills Investigated, and Medicaid Work Requirement Blocked!

There is so much health care news to cover. Here's what's important. Trump pushed forming complicated business associations so employers could take advantage of group buying power. Small government? don't think so.

Since Trump became president, Americans are losing health insurance, a big story almost no coverage. Steve Rattner covered sounded the alarm the other day:

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Surprise Medical Bills...Finally, someone Noticed??? This has cost me plenty in the past, so we're finally dealing with this problem. NOTE: This would not be a problem under Medicare-for-all or any other universal health insurance program:

The biggest debate will be what policy solution they settle on to fix surprise bills. Most legislators agree that they want to help patients who end up seeing an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility (and get a surprise bill from that out-of-network provider as a result). Those I've spoken with agree: This is a billing dispute between an insurer and a doctor or hospital. Patients shouldn't be caught in the middle.

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Association Health Plan Con Game: This is the first time I've heard a judge call out con-man Trump for trying to get around the law. NOTE: This again would not be a problem with Medicare-for-all

A federal judge has rejected Trump's attempt to expand association health plans in a 43-page ruling, DC District Judge John Bates said that the Department of Labor's rule oversteps the administration's authority:

1. The rule is clearly aimed at skirting compliance with Affordable Care Act coverage requirements, Bates said in the opinion. "The final rule is clearly an end-run around the ACA. Indeed, as the president directed, and the Secretary of Labor confirmed, the final rule was designed ... to avoid the most stringent requirements of the ACA."

2. Department of Labor deploys a "magic trick" in the way it defines employers and employees to make it fit within Employee Retirement Security Income Act (ERISA) requirements, (giving) owners with no employees ... "both hats," (both owner and employee) as it were. He said the definition borders on "absurdity." "DOL’s explanation is pure legerdemain," Bates ruled.

3. The expansion of association health plans, as critics argue, are plans that amount to "junk" coverage because they're not required to meet ACA coverage standards and lack consumer protections.

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Medicaid Work Requirments Blocked, Designed to get People Jobs: This was a no brainer, yet it did have to go through the legal process. The fact that Kentucky created this program without any research, and then experimented on their citizens without ever tracking how the program affected recipients or on those that lost coverage should tell you a lot about Republicans. NOTE: This would not be a problem with Medicare-for-all or some other national universal plan:

In twin rulings, District Court Judge James E. Boasberg rejected for a second time Kentucky’s attempt to require recipients to work or volunteer as a condition of coverage and blocked a similar rule in Arkansas, which has resulted in more than 18,000 people there losing coverage since last summer ... it had not adequately considered whether it “would, in fact, help the state furnish medical assistance to its citizens, a central objective of Medicaid.”

The Trump administration had asserted that some people in Kentucky who lost Medicaid would gain commercial insurance coverage. But Judge Boasberg appeared skeptical, writing that federal officials “cited no research or evidence that this would happen.”

The Best and Worst: Stories and Videos that stunned the senses!

As usual, there's just to much to cover and so little time. As a result, here are a few short hits and relevant video clips that should not be missed.

Adam Schiff Shoots Back and Embarrasses Giggling Juvenile Republicans...a moment that summed up what I thought we were all supposed to investigating:

McConnell vs Reagan: Just about everyone has seen this making the Twitter rounds. Finally the truth is revealed and the talking point blown up?:




How Republicans really feel about Voters...This moment should never be forgotten:

McConnell says bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday is a ‘power grab’ by Democrats

McConnell is refusing to even allow a vote on the House bill in the Senate and has denounced it as “half-baked socialism.”

Corporate and Wealthy Tax Cuts paid for by Cutting Special Olympics: Sure Trump is taking it all back now, but that doesn't erase what he and Betsy DeVos tried to do with no acceptable explanation. Wisconsin's own Rep. Mark Pocan pulled this curtain back...:



Meuller Report...scratch that, Barr Report was celebrated by Trump worshippers with this surreal piece of eye candy. You'll wretch, you'll cry:



The Trump Enemies List: You knew there was one, right, there had to be, and Trump alone couldn't keep track of the growing list of perceived enemies:

Sanders posted a March Madness-eque bracket attacking members of the press and Trump critics.

Character Assassination 101: Attack Early and a lot: AOC is already perceived by Trump supporters as dumb, just the opposite of reality...but who's surprised by that? The result? They won't even begin to listen to a word she says. Keep 'em stupid should be the GOP chant:

Vos working on new rules...

AOC/Democratic support of Green New Deal brings out worst, most juvenile response by Republicans!!!

The Democratic Party is finally emerging from their role as the battered partner in our two party relationship to leaders in a cleaner more energy efficient 21st century. Can it be that common sense, fiscally smart solutions, repeated over time, will start sinking in to even the most partisan conservative voter chanting AOC sucks at Trump rallies?

Green New Deal etc....: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has made her position very clear to Americans, while Republican attacks have only become more surreal (Sen. Mike Lee below). AOC also appealed to farmers and urban voters alike to join in, ask questions, and be a part of the solution:

"We talk about cost—we’re going to pay for this whether we pass a Green New Deal or not. Because as towns and cities go underwater, as wildfires ravage our communities, we’re going to pay. And we have to decide whether we’re going to pay to react, or pay to be proactive."

“This is not an elitist issue — this is a quality of life issue. You want to tell people that their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist? Tell that to the kids in the South Bronx, which are suffering from the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country ... Call them elitist. You’re telling them, that those kids are trying to get on a plane to Davos? People are dying! They are dying! And the response across the other side of the aisle is to introduce an amendment five minutes before a hearing in a markup? This is serious! This should not be a partisan issue.”

Republican Resistance-fighting against "fossil fuel discrimination"...not racial discrimination? Making one of the silliest cases ever, one guy is pushing that idea only because of his very close ties to Trump and his huge campaign contributions:

(Billionaire) Texan Andrew Beal, 66, is betting that he can turn back the inroads of alternative energy. He is arguing before federal regulators that California policies discriminate against generators powered by fossil fuels like natural gas and coal as the state promotes sources like solar and wind power.

Speaking of Trump, our international embarrassment, check out his amazingly stupid take on wind energy. I especially love it where his rambling includes "...where lots of problems come about." Huh?



The juvenile lunacy we're now seeing from Republicans has hit a new low. Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has his own solution to climate change; having babies? Yes, because the next generation will bring about change and innovation their way, unlike the ridiculous change and innovation proposed by the adults of today? The following was a letter to the editor:    

Mike Lee, Republican Senator from Utah, gave one of the most embarrassing and juvenile speeches about climate change that I have ever witnessed. The Republican Party has no plan to deal with climate change other than just attack the people looking for solutions. This is the same strategy they employed in dealing with healthcare. My only advice to them is that they should be wary of another extinction event.

Creature from the Black Lagoon Environmental an Activist? Check out the person in the back, and it's reaction. It's one of the great visuals ever.

A pair of Greenpeace activists brought attention to President Trump's “swampy” nominee to replace Ryan Zinke as interior secretary:

Pro-Life Trumpian Republicans and their phony one issue anti-choice organizations will never explain away their support for fossil fuel pollution and the denial of life supporting health care for all Americans. The video should, but will never, change their Trump dependent minds:

"We’re becoming satisfied with low-paying jobs" no matter how hard we work.

The wealthy have won and are taking everything for themselves. Remember, they can easily buy what most of us typically get in our public services.

Things didn't trickle down to us. We were warned about that the giant sucking sound of manufacturing jobs leaving the US, and how it would turn us into a service economy. 

And here we are, lower wages, lower expectations about our jobs. We have settle for less and gotten used to it. We now think this is normal:

WPR: Steven Deller, interim director of the Center for Community & Economic Development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Wisconsin jobs (are) shifting away from manufacturing. "It was possible to barely make it out of high school and land a job at a manufacturing firm making decent wages ... the jobs that we’re generating now are in the service sector and they simply don't pay those kind of wages."

"Part of the problem is we’re becoming satisfied with low-paying jobs. You go into some communities and the idea is $15-per-hour is a good paying job. $15-per-hour is barely above the poverty wage," Deller said. "We’ve kind of lowered our expectations in terms of what a good job is and that’s kind of reinforcing and feeding into this problem of the growing working poor."

Perfectly clear; Conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty just declared Wealthy Elites control Republicans and Government!!!

The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) is one shining example of the great Republican lie that the legislative branch, and not the judicial branch, should govern and pass laws reflecting the will of the people.

Republicans decided to push the constitutional envelope again, playing the odds that their power grab limiting the incoming Democratic governor's constitutional duties would be defended in the conservative State Supreme Court by...the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. See a pattern?

It's funny how "'advancing limited government" removes the public's ownership of their own government, and plops it right into the hands of...surprise, the wealthy and big business. "Limited government" is using eminent domain to turn public to private; roads, parks, air, minerals, energy, and civil rights, so they can extract greater profits and gain more power. 

WILL's Conservative Lobbyists-the Final Corruption of our Legal System: Adding to the public's dislike and skepticism of the their own government, WILL is providing that final nail in the coffin of this great experiment:

Cap Times: For the first time in WILL’s existence, four of its employees registered earlier this year with the state’s ethics commission to lobby in the state Capitol.

Just a Game: Love the "high-caliber attorneys" playing to win: 

“What we’re trying to do is have WILL be the leader in the conservative movement,” said WILL executive vice president CJ Szafir. “What we’re trying to do is put together a team, maybe like the Golden State Warriors of the conservative movement, which is filled with high-caliber attorneys, communicators and policy analysts that are going to fight for (our) principles.”

The Wealthy Own US: Can it get any more obvious?  

Why is this man teaching yet?

Conservative lawyer Rick Esenberg ... saw a need for an organized legal effort to defend conservative and libertarian causes. With the help of a $500,000 grant from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, WILL launched as a law firm with a staff of three. In its first year, its budget was about $275,000 ... The organization now includes research and advocacy arms and employs 18 attorneys, researchers, writers and other staff, plus two contracted advisers. Its revenues peaked in 2015, at $3 million, after receiving a $1 million grant from the Bradley Foundation to launch its Center for Competitive Federalism.

WILL admits, Wealthy Donors in Complete Control of Government by well paid Republicans. And yes, thanks to Trump's wealth tax cut, they own us nationally too. The following is very unsettling, which is why I posted this. This isn't a question anymore...

WILL ... plans to double size of the organization in the next five years.

“In order to do that, we need to reach out to high-wealth individuals, business executives and ideologically motivated people who share our beliefs and values, to talk about the program and what we’re trying to do,” said Jim Pugh, who joined WILL as vice president of development in January after more than two decades with the state’s largest business lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. “You need to be strong by making sure that you’re well-funded, clearly understood, you clearly articulate your message and have strong leadership at the top. It’s about the people, the vision and the values.” 

Saving the best for last...CEO tours? Really?

WILL continues to benefit from the Bradley Foundation, the Walton Foundation and the Kern Family Foundation. WILL has started a “CEO Tour” of Wisconsin, and last week, the organization partnered with DonorsTrust to host a fundraiser in Naples, Florida.

Ego driven Walker Republicans lose on 2 attempts to reshape the State Constitution.

1. The Walker Authority Special Session Power Grab: In a competition between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Michigan's Gov. Rick Snyder who installed emergency managers that replaced all locally elected officials, Snyder won the "smart" award when he vetoed that states Republican legislative power grab over their incoming Democratic governor.

Walker lost hands down. That's how extreme and politically motivated career politician Scott Walker really is. It has now taken a Circuit Court Judge to call Walker's act of narcissism to keep his 8 year record in place unconstitutional.

One other thing. The state Constitution does not allow the legislature to call its own lame duck extraordinary session, and yet, Republicans insist they are the strict constructionist, defending the exact words of the Constitution. There defense? They've been doing it for years:

Dane County judge Richard Niess on Thursday issued a temporary injunction blocking a set of laws passed by Republican lawmakers late last year that stripped away some powers from Wisconsin's governor and attorney general ... the method by which the Legislature passed the bills — an extraordinary session — is unconstitutional, therefore rendering anything passed during the session invalid. "Failing to enjoin the illegal actions of the Legislature would result in substantial changes to Wisconsin government, the administration of federal benefits and programs, election administration and transportation projects — all pursuant to laws that do not exist," wrote Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess in his ruling.

Lawyers for the Republican lawmakers and argued that striking down the lame-duck laws would call into question the validity of any laws passed in a similar manner over the last 40 years.

 2. Walker violated the Separation of Powers! Yup, Power Corrupts: The Republican constitutional scholars who claim to know what the founding fathers intended, and whined for years how Obama exceeded his presidential powers, trashed any credibility they thought they had to argue their case permanently:

Rep. Robin Vos

Dane County Judge Frank Remington has ruled in favor of plaintiffs and against GOP lawmakers’ lame-duck legislative session for the second time in two weeks ... The lawsuit, which was heard in court on Monday, argued lawmakers violated the state constitution’s separation of powers guarantee by unfairly limiting the authority of the executive branch. Remington agreed on several counts, blocking some — but not all — of the laws passed during the lame-duck session. 

"Wisconsin’s constitution is like a keel on a great ship. It defines the structure of state government," Remington wrote in his decision. "In December, 2018 the Legislature and then Gov. Scott Walker upended the balance that this state has had for most all of its 171 years. The time has come to right this ship-of-state so Wisconsin can resume smooth sailing ahead."

Remington upheld lawmakers' ability to block Evers from changing require able-bodied, childless adults to work or pass drug tests in order to receive public benefits like food stamps and Medicaid, but threw out their authority to block his action regarding withdrawal from federal lawsuits.

Scott Walker, Projection, and Mental Health!

This week, we all did a coffee spit take over Scott Walker's mind blowing tweet that defied the reality of his last 8 years as governor. Is it a total lack of self-awareness or just an outright lie to nonchalantly revise history?

It's the most extreme case of projection I've seen from this guy, and here's why it matters:

The reaction was swift from startled critics who thought Walker was a the least aware of his one party dictatorial style of government. We're finding out his silence and use of spokespeople was just one way of covering up his disconnect from reality.

Let's look at the facts about how the "left" supposedly has divided communities while Walker and the majority Republicans watched helplessly on the sidelines. Would Walker deny such an achievement never seen in Wisconsin before...

The partisan gap over Walker in Wisconsin was the largest for any governor in any state where exit polls were conducted last month. And it was the biggest partisan divide in any race for governor or U.S. Senator in Wisconsin on record, based on exit polls dating back more than a quarter-century.

Over that time span “crossover” voting (Republicans voting for Democrats and vice versa) has all but disappeared.

Walker thought he could replace a dysfunctional reality with a right wing dream-verse based on theories that would simply make problems disappear. And like Trump, Walker's followers are on board that sinking ship:

Anyone else see such profound projection, ever? Here's something I think we can all agree on:

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi (said), "I think (Wisconsin Republicans) made a deliberate decision that their main goal, despite the stated goal of creating jobs, was to destroy their enemies." 

And if you weren't convinced yet about Walker: 

...bills in several states would allow doctors to decide if an abortion was medically necessary later than is generally currently allowed.

Not quite the same as Walker's version, but...

Conservative Paranoia Exploited: Fear of the "other" is now a huge category. Here's what my Trumpian conservative friend in Milwaukee texted me the other day:

"I think you Democrats are hell-bent on destroying the Republican Party and the Constitution so keep it up. Yes, I think saving innocent babies lives is important ... protecting our country against illegal aliens and our tax dollar because without a border we don't have a country... I'm enforcing the Constitution and keeping the Second Amendment ...global warming is the biggest fraud perpetrated on the world against the American people ... John, you're a lemming who walks in lockstep with the Democratic Utopia machine ...you hate America, you hate the Constitution, you hate Israel."

...and yes, he's a friend. It's all about fear, about losing control, about change, about resentment:

1. Psychologists have found that conservatives are fundamentally more anxious than liberals, which may be why they typically desire stability, structure and clear answers even to complicated questions ... "helps to protect people against some of the natural difficulties of living ... if I can impose this order on it by my worldview, I can keep my anxiety to a manageable level.”

2. To maintain the coherence of their worldview, post-modern conservatives transform the foreign/cosmopolitan/wealthy “others” into a unified enemy the purpose of which is to infiltrate, steal from, disenfranchise, or terrorize “us” ... the logic of post-modern conservative positions is contradictory, yet itself a symptom rooted in something immune to logic ... post-modern conservatives are heroically fighting a war on all fronts. To their peril, rather than adapt their worldview to the changing world, they seek to politically reform the world so that it better resembles the worldview.

3. When people feel safe and secure, they become more liberal; when they feel threatened, they become more conservative ... psychologist Jaime Napier found that asking Republicans to imagine that they possessed superpowers and were impermeable to injury made them more liberal. 

Here's a tip to get even frightened conservatives on-board with climate change:

4. Conservatives also emphasize loyalty and authority, values helpful for maintaining a stable society. In an ingenious experiment, the psychologists reframed climate change not as a challenge to government and industry but as “a threat to the American way of life.” After reading a passage that couched environmental action as patriotic, study participants who displayed traits typical of conservatives were much more likely to sign petitions about preventing oil spills and protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Dean wrote this about Scott Walker back in March of 2012, believe it or not:

My focus here is on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who strikes some as a “double high” authoritarian; and the type of person which I described in my book as a conservative without conscience. 

There are many examples of Walker’s harsh and uncaring treatment of those whom he does not believe to be entitled to equality. 

Desirous Of Personal Power: As governor, Walker sought to remove civil service jobs, in order to make them political appointments, and thus subject to his control. He has increased his personal power over some fifteen state agencies ... Walker’s push to get Act 10 passed into law was done in about as authoritarian a fashion as you will ever see, outside of a dictatorship.

His lying is notorious. Politifacts Wisconsin finds Walker to be an accomplished falsifier. I watched a video of a Walker speech at the Goldwater Institute.  He’s slick; fast-talking, confident, and dishonest—I watched him distort facts with which I was familiar.  He spoke in mostly half-truths. About twenty-five percent of the population has, in varying degrees, (a) disposition to follow a double high authoritarian, many blindly or simply because it assuages their fears. 

Conservative Activist Supreme Court Gerrymandering decision will likely throw US into chaos.

We are now witnessing the kind of country Republicans have been pushing for in the last 40 years. Make no mistake, the following steps to demolish our representative democracy is on the Republicans. 

The U.S. Supreme Court is now stacked with conservative justices that will predictably vote in favor of their predetermined agenda.

Citizens United Chaos: Think about it, the activist conservative court got to see what happened after their decisions, and the chaos introduced by Citizens United alone. It was based on the 14th Amendment's all "citizens born" and "naturalized"...does that describe corporations? Or does that sound more like a living constitutional interpretation, the kind conservatives hate so much?

A recent study found 81 percent of surveyed individuals supported a constitutional 

amendment overturning the Court’s decision.

The dissent: "Although they make enormous contributions to our society, corporations are not actually members of it. They cannot vote or run for office. Because they may be managed and controlled by nonresidents, their interests may conflict in fundamental respects with the interests of eligible voters."

The Second Amendment Chaos: Literalists/Strict Constructionism "refers to a particular legal philosophy of judicial interpretation that limits or restricts judicial interpretation." Where does the amendment specifically mention "guns?" It doesn't, but even if it did, conservative Justices again used a "living constitutional" interpretation saying the old muskets back then are equivalent to high velocity automatic or semi-automatic weapons today. That's strict constructionism? In fact, they rewrote the Second Amendment, as noted below. Now the Justices are getting to see the result of their activist ideological legislation from the bench:

The collective side thinks the amendment gives each state the right to maintain and train formal militia units that can provide protection against an oppressive federal government. They argue the "well-regulated militia" clause clearly means the right to bear arms should only be given to these organized groups ... the federal government cannot abolish state militias.

The individualists believe the amendment's militia clause was never meant to restrict each citizen's rights to bear arms. Those supporting an individual's right to own a gun argue that the Second Amendment should give all citizens, not just members of a militia, the right to own a gun. 

Cases heard before 1900 cemented the court's opinion that the Bill of Rights, and specifically the Second Amendment, does not prohibit states from setting their own rules on gun ownership.

In the District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 ... the Supreme Court ruled that despite state laws, individuals who were not part of a state militia did have the right to bear arms. As part of its ruling, the court wrote, "The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home."

The Justices must be proud of this one:

Gun deaths in the U.S. have reached a record high, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the research,39,773 people were fatally shot in 2017, a figure that has grown by more than 10,000 people since 1999.

The Voting Rights Act Debacle: Who knew that racism died 50 years ago, and that outdated laws like the Voting Rights Act were no longer needed. Well, after the conservative activist Supreme Court gutted the Act, they should have witnessed the sudden onslaught of voting restrictions nationwide in Republicans states allowing specific demographic targeting of voters. No concerns...again:

Chief Justice John Roberts voted in the majority in striking down elements of the Voting Rights Act in a 2013 case. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that ”our country has changed,” and that blanket federal protection wasn’t needed to stop discrimination.

8 of the 15 states, or 53 percent, passed or implemented voting restrictions since June 25, compared to 3 of 35 states that were not covered under Section 5—or less than 9 percent.

Gerrymandering's Slip into One Party Rule: I predict that allowing politicians to pick their voters instead of the other way around, is the next poison pill getting the conservative activist thumbs up. Once they rule that it's okay for elected politicians to protect their power and turf, the story of the U.S. will be taking an even uglier turn. They will again witness, without concern, the chaos their decision will have on the nation.

With Kennedy replaced on the bench by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, most experts agree new limits on gerrymandering are no more likely this time around. Legal experts suspect the Supreme Court will decide that political maps need to be resolved by state legislatures, not courts—opening up the possibility of more blatant gerrymandering for the foreseeable future.

Legal experts think it’s unlikely that SCOTUS will punt on the issue this time around. As Talking Points Memo notes, procedural shortcomings in previous cases have been addressed, the facts being presented are clear, and the court has packaged the two separate cases together to “hear all the possible perspectives on what a judicially reasonable standard for determining a partisan gerrymandering might be.”

"The case presents the most extreme, overt and brutal partisan gerrymander this court — or any other court — has ever seen," said Emmet Bondurant, the attorney for Common Cause, which sued to have the North Carolina map thrown out.

But Jason Torchinsky, an attorney with the National Republican Redistricting Trust, a GOP group, said the Supreme Court shouldn’t try to take politics out of the redistricting process, as long as legislators don’t draw complicated districts that split cities and counties or aren’t otherwise logical. “Is drawing for political success okay? As long as you’ve respected other districting principles, I think the answer is yes,” said Torchinsky. 

“If the court doesn’t step in here, then what you saw in North Carolina and what you saw in Maryland is the new normal. It becomes ‘Mad Max’ territory,” said Levitt. “It is abundantly clear that the legislators can’t police themselves.”

Trump threatens Universities with Big Government funding cuts to solve imagined Free Speech attacks on Conservatives.

Wisconsin Republicans created and then inserted themselves into the imaginary issue of liberal intimidation on our University of Wisconsin campuses. While there are rules already on the books (a phrase right wingers use often) to deal with free speech on campus, Republicans like the power of "big government" to threaten and expel anyone exercising free speech rights they don't agree with.  

Trump is now using the most powerful office in the country, the presidency, to cut funding to universities on a national level, by taking one small incident and using that to severely harm any college targeted by the right wing. In other words, colleges will take the blame for an individual's actions on their campuses.

I'm going to let the words of one enlightened Republican, believe it or not, Sen. Lamar Alexander, to sum up what Democrats and others see as an obvious problem:

Trump's order, titled “Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities,” (is) aimed at “professors and power structures” who try to keep young Americans “from challenging rigid, far-left ideology.”  

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “I agree that colleges should punish hecklers who veto free speech, and stop coddling students to protect them from disagreeable points of view. But I don’t want to see Congress or the President or the department of anything creating speech codes to define what you can say on campus. The U.S. Constitution guarantees free speech. Federal courts define and enforce it. The Department of Justice can weigh in. Conservatives don’t like it when judges try to write laws,* and conservatives should not like it when legislators and agencies try to rewrite the Constitution.”

*NOTE: Actually, conservatives do like it when judges write laws that side with them. 

Idea's for a New Camp Randall sculpture?

Note: Here's a little background, and a picture of the current sculpture...

Nails’ Tales, the towering obelisk of footballs that has amused, irked and offended visitors to Camp Randall since it was installed in November 2005, could be going away.

As part of a plan to restore the outside of the landmark UW-Madison Field House and improve the plaza along its southwest side, the university is weighing whether to keep the 50 foot controversial sculpture ... “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the sculpture,” Gary Brown, director of campus planning and landscape architecture, said Monday. “It could stay. It could go. It could be relocated. We’re still talking about the whole thing.”

Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, 5th District, who represents the site and is a member of the committee, said. “I wouldn’t miss it. I do not know that anybody would. It continues to be the same conversation as when it was first placed there. It doesn’t seem to fit very well.”

Mayor Soglin then....