Gov. Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie Free to Talk about Secret Criminal Probe!!

Spokesman Cullen Werwie can talk, and spill whatever beans he's keeping secret right now. What this means in the big picture, who knows. But the corruption probe is starting to play out, with names now...

jsonline: Gov. Scott Walker's chief spokesman has been granted immunity in the ongoing John Doe investigation of the governor's current and former aides. Former Appeals Court Judge Neal Nettesheim, who is overseeing the secret criminal probe, said he had granted immunity to three people, including Cullen Werwie, spokesman for Walker, in this part of the case. Records show he was granted immunity April 14.

Nettesheim said he also granted immunity to Rose Ann Dieck. Dieck, a longtime Republican operative, is listed as the chairwoman of the southwest surburban branch of the Milwaukee County Republican Party. She was granted immunity on Dec. 21. "They're taking away the rights of those who voted for change," Dieck said during an interview with WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) during March protests at Stone's campaign office. "There was an election on November 2nd. The people in the state of Wisconsin said we need change." 

House Budget Guy Ryan, to Fundraise from Corporate Elite to defeat Obama. Big Surprise?

Taking pay-to-play to a new level, the guy pulling the nations purse strings, Paul Ryan, is the GOP’s special interest front man for presidential fund raising. Nothing like in-your-face corporatism.

WAOW: U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, will be spearheading the GOP's fundraising effort to win back the presidency. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus announced Friday that Ryan will serve as chairman of the RNC Presidential Trust.

Ryan says in a statement that raising the money necessary to win the presidential election will be the difference maker.

Big brother corporations, otherwise known as “job creators,” just put a face on creeping fascism; Paul Ryan. 

Brain Imaging sees what you're seeing in you thoughts.

Wouldn't it be startling to record a persons last moments before they die, to see their killer? Well, someday it might be possible.

Before its news: UC Berkeley researchers decode and reconstruct dynamic visual experiences, in this case Hollywood movie trailers

Imagine tapping into the mind of a coma patient, or watching one's own dream on YouTube. With a cutting-edge blend of brain imaging and computer simulation, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are bringing these futuristic scenarios within reach.

The approximate reconstruction (right) of a movie clip (left) is achieved through brain imaging and computer simulation.

Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and computational models, UC Berkeley researchers have succeeded in decoding and reconstructing people's dynamic visual experiences – in this case, watching Hollywood movie trailers. As yet, the technology can only reconstruct movie clips people have already viewed. However, the breakthrough paves the way for reproducing the movies inside our heads that no one else sees, such as dreams and memories, according to researchers.

"This is a major leap toward reconstructing internal imagery," said Professor Jack Gallant, a UC Berkeley neuroscientist and coauthor of the study to be published online Sept. 22 in the journal Current Biology. "We are opening a window into the movies in our minds."

Eventually, practical applications of the technology could include a better understanding of what goes on in the minds of people who cannot communicate verbally, such as stroke victims, coma patients and people with neurodegenerative diseases.

Mind-reading through brain imaging technology is a common sci-fi theme … Reconstructing movies using brain scans has been challenging because the blood flow signals measured using fMRI change much more slowly than the neural signals that encode dynamic information in movies, researchers said. For this reason, most previous attempts to decode brain activity have focused on static images. "We need to know how the brain works in naturalistic conditions," he said. "For that, we need to first understand how the brain works while we are watching movies."

Krugman Nails Class Warfare Argument.

I thought these few points from a Paul Krugman column made the point well:

NY Times: This week President Obama said the obvious: that wealthy Americans, many of whom pay remarkably little in taxes, should bear part of the cost of reducing the long run budget deficit. And Republicans like Representative Paul Ryan responded with shrieks of “class warfare” ... between 1979 and 2005 the inflation-adjusted income of families in the middle of the income distribution rose 21 percent. Meanwhile, over the same period, the income of the very rich, the top 100th of 1 percent of the income distribution, rose by 480 percent. So do the wealthy look to you like the victims of class warfare? 

Mr. Ryan has called the deficit an “existential threat” to America. Yet they are insisting that the wealthy — who presumably have as much of a stake as everyone else in the nation’s future — should not be called upon to play any role in warding off that existential threat.

Well, that amounts to a demand that a small number of very lucky people be exempted from the social contract that applies to everyone else. And that, in case you’re wondering, is what real class warfare looks like.

Recall Reform Editorial Advice by Media Outlets: We should give in to Republican batterers until the next election.

If you catch somebody ransacking your house, do you patiently wait till they leave to clean things up?

That’s what the compliant media is telling us to do in editorial after editorial when it comes to reforming our recall law. This is the same media that pushed the importance of the tea party movement, but vilified the public outcry at the Capitol over tax cuts for businesses at the expense and repeal of labor rights. Guess they got that wrong too.

     

Not one editorial mentioned how the Republican politicians passed their labor stripping bill. It wasn’t just the collective bargaining law, but a multitude of austerity measures being rammed through in what would have been a few weeks, without debate, without public input or explanation. Remember?

Folks, this is only 9 months after their takeover, and already the media has forgotten how all this began.

jsonline: The recalls were unwarranted. A vote or stance on one issue is not sufficient in our view to justify the expense of a recall election. And they were expensive: The elections cost the state and local governments $2.1 million.

Yea, right, we can’t afford speaking out anymore. Looks like the two recalled Republican Senators shouldn’t have been replaced after all. How could we have been so wrong.

But most unsettling is the following shocking anti-American reason to submit:

While elected officials need to pay attention to the wishes of their constituents, they also owe those constituents their best judgment, which sometimes means doing what they think is right instead of doing what's popular. The threat of recall may inhibit that judgment.

We must submit to their tough love, their unpopular publically opposed, bad decision making because…we need adult supervision and discipline? They’re doing it for our benefit? This is the same stuff we're hearing in the Republican presidential debates; they'll do what we don't want them to do, because they know what's best for us. Or in the context of a batterer; it may hurt now, but it'll get better.

Clueless, the Journal Sentinel doesn’t get it at all. News flash; the threat of recall to inhibit political arrogance is why we shouldn't change anything. 

The famous quote -Thomas Jefferson: "When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."

Improved Business Climate in State Shed's more Jobs for sunny Mexico.

Another company this week to announces closing up shop for Mexico. Gee, what can we do to compete....?

WBAY: The largest employer in Two Rivers notified union leaders of plans to close one of its manufacturing plants there. Action 2 News has learned Thermo Fisher Scientific sent notices to local unions telling them it will cease operations at the Columbus Street plant by December 31st.

The city manager says this closure means 110 to 120 production workers who make Hamilton metal cabinetry and fume hoods will lose their jobs.

The union representative showed us the letter he received from the company. He said he knew the closure of the Columbus Street plant was coming, because the company has had a steel plant in Reynosa, Mexico, since 2004 and will save money by having work done there instead of Two Rivers. Still, receiving an official letter hit a nerve. "Thermo Fisher should be ashamed of yourself," Carpenters Industrial Council representative Greg Coenen Sr. said. "It's like every big corporation. They're running away from good quality workers for cheap labor in Mexico."

This announcement came today as well, jsonline:

C&D Technologies Inc. is evaluating whether to move some or all of its Milwaukee production to Mexico, the company said Wednesday.

The company, which operates in a former Johnson Controls battery factory in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, said it is facing price pressure and a tough economy, and that production costs in Milwaukee are too high.
 

And of course this was devastating news for Frontier Airline employees:

Frontier Airlines Inc. will cut 213 jobs at Mitchell International Airport in November, the parent company of Frontier has told state officials. 

Republican Sen. Darling on Sen. Lena Taylor: "She doesn't feel like she has to respect the voice and opinions of the chair."

Racism? So far we've seen Rep. Steve Nass call for the resignation of our black Capitol Police Chief Tubbs for not cracking skulls and jailing peaceful protesters, so Republicans could send a message. Now Sen. Alberta Darling is either unwilling to let Democrats finish their sentences, or she's the grand dragon of the Joint Finance Committee. Either way, Darling's dictatorial chairmanship is becoming another political embarrassment for the state of Wisconsin...again. 

The amazing interaction between Alberta Darling and Sen. Lena Taylor, as seen in this Fox 6 piece, is further proof democracy has slipped away in Wisconsin after just 8 months of the Republican occupancy. How uppity of Taylor to show such "disrespect:"

Check out Darlings audio comments on WTMJ Radio featured in my previous post on conservative arrogance. Some of that is transcribed here:

Republican State Senator Alberta Darling, Joint Finance Committee Chair, says she's had enough disrespect from Democratic State Senator Lena Taylor and wants her removed. UW-Milwaukee Professor of Governmental Affairs Modecai Lee says this is an unprecedented request. If the removal happened, Democratic leadership in the senate would have to do it.

It started when Sen. Taylor was speaking about the need to pay for the officers who helped control protesters in February and March ... Sen. Darling appeared on a WTMJ radio show saying, "She doesn't feel like she has to respect the voice and the opinions of the chair. She can call people liars. This level of disrespect for the process, disrespect for rules of law and disrespect for the process of doing legislations for the people of Wisconsin is a concern."

Elizabeth Warren on Class Warfare.

When Income Drops by 14.5%, Consumer Demand/Job Creation Stops.

This Republican austerity plan of "shared pain" is failing consumers. Putting everybody on the same "level playing field" of low wages, no benefits and job uncertainty, is killing our economy. Here are the sad facts about why demand is non-existent. 

Adjusted for inflation, median household income in the state declined 14.5% between 1999 and 2010, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday.

In the big picture, we're getting killed:

jsonline: The rate of decline in Wisconsin dwarfed the national drop of 8.9% in median household income over the same period.

In Scott Walker's former county, it appears he did little or nothing to stop the pain.

In the city of Milwaukee, the fall in household income was even more alarming - a 22% drop. The median household income in Milwaukee was $32,911 last year … In the 2000 census, the median household income was $42,166 when adjusted for inflation. "Eight to 10 years ago, you didn't fear for your future. You didn't fear for the stock market. There was a little talk about Social Security not being there, but you didn't fear you might not have a house," said Sheri Hyland of Franklin. "Now, you're cutting coupons, shopping at Aldi's. You say, maybe we won't drive that truck and we'll buy a 10-year-old car because gas prices are high," she said. "I'm hoping my health holds out until I'm 95."

So what about all those lazy unemployed freeloaders picking the pockets of hard working Americans? Here one such welfare queen:

Wendy Cole thought she was living the American dream. Cole lost her job in March 2010, and she has been in a downward spiral ever since. She's yet to find a job, despite applying for 200 positions. Her condo is in foreclosure. She lost her health insurance. She signed up for Badger Care, but there are 30,000 people in front of her. She takes her twice-daily medications now once a day, and won't be able to afford a doctor to write a new script when she runs out of refills. And her unemployment ends in November. Her oldest son, just back from Iraq, is helping her with her bills; her middle child moved back in with her because she couldn't find a job; and her youngest has gone to live with her dad. "My biggest fear is the house will sell before I find a job," said Cole, who has bled her 401(k) to survive over the last year and now has enough left to pay the movers, but not rent. "Who's going to rent me an apartment without a job?"

Wisconsin Republicans: They aren't "Leaders," they're Whiny Victims of their own Arrogance.

What would you call a Republican Party that wants to rule with an iron fist? Or demands order by instituting a police state to discourage people from demonstrating at their state Capitol? What would you call a party that denounces pubic protests and vilifies peaceful citizens as thugs and vandals?

What would you think of a party that wants order, respect and an appreciation for the rule of law, but blatantly and arrogantly does just the opposite?

In their own words, here are a few examples of that party's vision of our state and country. Sen. Alberta Darling on protesters and the unfortunate and preventable consequences of one party authoritarian rule:



Radio talker Vicki McKenna is still trying to comprehend why anyone would protest Walker's form of government, and consoles a listener who saw "so much hate in their eyes."



Saving the most outlandish authoritarian viewpoint of all for last, here's all the Nass statements I have so far:

Nass and Conservative Talk Radio Winning the Public Battle; Police not Tough Enough with Protesting Thugs and Vandals.

Rep. Steve Nass (nah-s) is the poster thug of the Republican Party.

But does anyone care? I've never seen a better example of where a Republican dominated government is headed, and its authoritarian disciplinary control over every aspect of our lives.

Who would have thought protesting ones government would be a safety concern for lawmakers, and needed to be stopped with force? Who would have concluded that a show of force against peaceful protesters would result in a more compliant public?

Rep. Stephen Nass is calling for the review that could result in a possible removal from Tubbs' position. Nass said, "By not doing anything, by treating them with kid gloves, that made it worse. If they'd done more, we would not be seeing what we're seeing today." Nass said, "If they were arrested vigorously, I believe that would slow them [protesters]." 

Maybe if we reversed that, and protested "more vigorously," it would slow Republicans down, if you know what I mean. Here's WKOW's coverage of this total asshole:



Even liberals I've talked to who don't follow this stuff as closely believe some of what they're hearing from Republicans is true, saying protesters are going to far. But of course that's not true. If lawmakers are uncompromising and condescending, the public won't like it. And they didn't statewide.

Creeping fascism is here, and the public is buying into the constant repetition; the middle class spent too much, felt entitled to good jobs, homes and generous safety nets, scammed fellow taxpayers of their hard earned money using food stamps and receiving unemployment. That's all we're hearing now, and soon, we'll think their right. Don't believe me? Check out the results of WKOW's online poll pictured here:

Let's Bash Some Head?

Rep. Nass wants Capitol Police Chief Tubbs Fired for Failing to Protect Frightened Republicans at Capitol.

Who made this SOB dictator? If Rep. Steve Nass' juvenile display of arrogance and lack of respect for the law enforcement doesn't result in citizen and media criticism at this point, then we're in real trouble. Big trouble.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs watched over a peaceful protest...PEACEFUL PROTEST, resulting in only a few minor arrests over a two month period. No vandalism, no thuggery, no fights! So what's eating away at Nass? If it's not Tubbs' race, what could it be? Not enough cracked skulls? What Republican lawmakers were assaulted or injured that would call for a review? Should Tubbs jurisdiction extend into nearby by bars for that occasional beer shower? 

WKOW: Rep. Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater) is calling for the review that could result in a possible removal from Tubbs' position. The review has been called for following some liberal protestors in Madison getting aggressive with Republican lawmakers. Rep. Nass says, Chief Tubbs is the person to blame for this increase in aggression, because he's gone out of his way to go easy on protesters occupying the Capitol for weeks earlier this year. Nass wants Tubbs removed from his position if it's found that he neglected his duty of keeping lawmakers safe. 

Nass wants Chief Tubbs removed because he had gone "out of his way to go easy on protesters."
Gives you a real good feel for "democracy" as envisioned by our authoritarian Republican administration.

The shocking video below, produced by the radical right wing think tank MacIver Institute, under cuts its own attempt to vilify Tubbs with a frightening look at the dictatorial rantings of Nass, and non-violent protesters being hauled away for recording the Assembly with hand held cameras. :



The irony is that the MacIver Institute supposedly "promotes free markets, individual freedom, personal responsibility and limited government." What you just saw was anything but.

At conservative blogger Ann Althouse's site, I ran across this WSJ story, "The Chief of Peace," she thought was important enough to post without comment:

When Tubbs met with protesters and other law enforcement leaders, the emphasis was on making sure demonstrations stayed peaceful and dialogue between police and demonstrators stayed open....

Throughout the protests, Tubbs said he focused on a goal of “zero arrests.” He even discouraged protesters from playing or singing music that could cause a “negative environment,” suggesting instead patriotic songs, spirituals such as “We Shall Overcome,” even Motown hits.... Things threatened to get ugly ... on March 9...  But there was no violence and about 200 protesters were allowed to stay the night. The following morning, many left on their own. Others were carried out of the antechamber to the Assembly, where legislators were due to meet, amid chants of “Shame!”

“It was not a difficult decision,” Tubbs said. “We had to conduct government business.” Once again, there were no arrests....

And that bothers Nass? 

Walker Promised Jobs During these Difficult times. That means...no excuses.

The title says it all for me, and should not be forgotten when lousy job numbers trickle out each and every month. Breaking even doesn't count either, since voters sent a loud and clear message they wanted jobs created in Wisconsin. That was the promise Gov. Scott Walker made, and blaming D.C. for the jobs slowdown doesn't cut it. Walker knew how bad the economy was when he grabbed power and still promised jobs. Well, we're waiting.

In the meantime, Walker might have failed to mention a number of jobs listed at the Jobs Center were out of state. Ooops:

PostCrescent: Nearly one-in-five of the jobs listed on a state website touted by Gov. Scott Walker as a resource for unemployed Wisconsin residents are actually located in neighboring states, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. More than 32,000 job openings were posted on the Job Center, but about 18 percent of them were in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan. It was unclear how many of those roughly 6,000 jobs could be filled through telecommuting, though many appeared to require on-site work.

Democratic Wisconsinites now getting Threatening Letter's by Walker Thugs.

TMJ4 must be kidding. Their coverage of the Capitol protests have always been described on their newscasts and web site as "Capitol Chaos." That would give casual viewers the false impression the Walker protests were anything but peaceful. But that would be a media lie. No union thuggery, no vandalism, and almost no arrest except for a few protesters who had to be physically removed after being told to leave. Another words, no chaos. 

So what's the blow back? Threatening letters to those who oppose the Walker administration. Is this really happening in America?

ST. FRANCIS - Mario Rodriguez doesn't hide the fact he's no fan of Scott Walker. But he's upset his opinions made his family a target. His wife, who works for the state, received a threatening letter in the mail Monday. "Everybody's entitled to their opinion, freedom of speech, whatever. "But if you're going to come to my house and make threats, then it's a different story."

The bizarre thing about TMJ4's coverage is that they continue to use the inflammatory "Capitol Chaos" slogan. Here's a copy of the letter written by one of those well behaved conservative "adults" in the room:

The letter is a page long. It includes a lot of name calling. One of the clean ones, "greedy union garbage."

The author also claims union protestors ruined the Capitol earlier this year, and warns the same thing could happen to Rodriguez's home, come Halloween. "I have my wife and three kids, so anybody that's going to make threats on your home, you don't know if they're going to make good on that."

The letter comes from someone using the name "American Patriot". It also comes from a bogus address on East Main Avenue. Another person living in the neighborhood also got the letter.

TODAY'S TMJ4 caught up with him. He didn't want to be interviewed, but he did say he let the police know about it and will be making a formal complaint to the post office tomorrow morning.

SAT's Decline at around the same time Privatization and School Choice have Expanded Dramatically. Coincidence?

Funny thing about falling ACT test scores; it’s happening at the same time privatization and choice have expanded dramatically. Just a thought.

Unintentionally revealing, Bill Bennett, who was once U.S. secretary of education from 1985 to 1988, makes the case against tearing down the public school model. Sure he sites supposed “liberal” educators who are more aligned with the far right wing privateers, but the underlying point he’s making is more an indictment of choice, than it is the evil and unbendable teachers unions.

Again, the statistics he mentions here fall well within the privatization timeline, and should be warning to all.  

CNN: Last week, the College Board dealt parents, teachers and the education world a serious blow. According to its latest test results, "SAT reading scores for the high school class of 2011 were the lowest on record, and combined reading and math scores fell to their lowest point since 1995." The reading scores, which stand at 497, are noticeably lower than just six years ago, when they stood at 508. And it's just the second time in the last 20 years that reading scores have dropped so precipitously in a single year. Yet, according to the College Board, there is no reason to panic. The results, they say, "reflect the record size and diversity of the pool of test-takers. As more students aim for college and take the exam, it tends to drag down average scores."

Bennett tries to portray that as a racist position, and fails, since “the record size” is really the main reason scores are lower. Everybody now knows college is a near requirement now, since unskilled manufacturing jobs have nearly disappeared. Everyone is now taking the test.

Bennett throws a lot of dollar amounts around as if they were wasted (and before the Dept. of Education existed), to prove his point. But a comparison between the U.S. in 1972 and 2011 is almost impossible to make now, except for growing for-profit privatization movement.  

The 2011 budget for the Department of Education is estimated to top $70 billion, while overall spending on public elementary and secondary education is about $600 billion a year. By comparison, in 1972, before the Department of Education even existed, SAT critical reading scores for college-bound seniors were above 525, more than 20 points higher than they are today, while today's math scores are only slightly better than in 1972.

Can you thank “choice” for magically saving education? Guess not.

One Party Rule has its Inconveniences...

The Headline Story in the Wisconsin State Journal's paper version:

Apparently the protesters who continue to fight for worker rights and against authoritarian one party rule are part of the "usual suspects." These "suspects," who work between the larger planned protests,  are troublesome impediments to our overlord Republican lawmakers. 

We didn't see this kind of disdain over the disrupted town halls by the racist low information tea party voters.  Perhaps we need a few costumed freaks pretending to be our founding fathers?

Rich Pay More in Taxes Numbers Don't Add Up.

This story is driving me crazy. 

Am I the only one who noticed the switch in what’s counted as taxes between the rich and poor?

AP made the subtle change from one paragraph to the other, without making the distinction that their numbers for millionaires included payroll taxes, while not including those same numbers for those making $50,000 to $75,000.

This year, households making more than $1 million will pay an average of 29.1 percent of their income in federal taxes, including income taxes, payroll taxes and other taxes, according to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.

But in the next paragraph, notice the payroll tax is gone:

Households making between $50,000 and $75,000 will pay an average of 15 percent of their income in federal taxes.

Just federal taxes, not the payroll tax or other taxes like state and sales taxes. Think about it, many middle class workers are in the 15% tax bracket. Add to that their 15% payroll tax and we’re suddenly talking about a 30% tax rate, which is higher than the 29.1% those above $1 million are paying in total.

Could someone correct me if I’m missing an important paragraph edited from this version of the AP story.

Republicans Manufacture New Enduring Myths; the Rich are Job Creators, Taxes Penalize Success and Destroy Jobs. All Lies.

So how have taxes affected the job creators? Do taxes destroy jobs?

No. These are fictions pushed to create a long running campaign to replace our government with private business. It's that simple. Check out the chart below, when taxes exceeded 90 percent, and today at 35 percent. Any more questions?:

Well, that was easy, politicized AG J.B. Van Hollen won’t investigate fellow Republican Walker.

Voter fraud and porn appears to be Van Hollen’s main focus. Everything else…naw.

Investigate Scott Walker staffers...naw.

No one’s talking, but the message couldn’t be clearer:

jsonline: State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen was asked months ago to assist in a growing secret investigation of former and current aides to Gov. Scott Walker, but Van Hollen's office declined, sources familiar with the request said Tuesday. State Department of Justice officials would not say why the agency chose not to assist with the investigation of Walker's former county staffers. Sources said the request was made around the time of the November 2010 election. 

The John Doe is being run by the office of Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat. Van Hollen and Walker are Republicans. Sources said prosecutors have been looking into whether county staffers were doing political work while on the clock and failing to do county jobs. 

The Walker Investigation continues...

I've waited till a little more information was available, and now it is. Here's John Nichols with Ed Schultz on Walker's FBI problem:



Related, in a way, is this-Cindy Archer seems to be losing some of her credibility:

Also on Tuesday, state attorneys filed a motion to withdraw an affidavit by Walker aide Cindy Archer in a federal challenge to Walker's collective bargaining law - less than one week after FBI agents and other law enforcement officers raided her Madison home.
State officials wouldn't say if the motion was filed as a result of the raid.