Social Security IS an ENTITLEMENT!

Social Security IS an "Entitlement" and rightly so! So stop letting the right corrupt the language we're entitled to!

Americans, have been intentionally mislead about the definition of "entitlement".

en·ti·tle·ment 
/enˈtītlmənt/
Noun
The fact of having a right to something.
The amount to which a person has a right.
Synonyms
right - title - warrant

You paid the money in, YOU are Entitled (have a right) to get your benefits (money) out! The amount to which you have a right.

I created the meme (box) above to point that out that we have to stop letting the likes of Pall Ryand and his Republicon brethren twist the word into something it's not, something negative, something people are supposedly getting for nothing from the government, which is a LIE!

We cannot not literally let the Republicons define the TERMS of debate and still win the debate. Every time you passively accept the misleading Republicon jargon on a subject (Failing Public Schools, Tort Reform, Deregulation, etc.) you've already succumbed to the lie.

The Goods on WeVote Part II - Merican Majority & WeVoBee Lies

As reported here recently, there are well funded national Plutocratic People with national plutocratic goals behind the local Tea Party people who after your schools, your money and your children: http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-goods-on-wevote-burlington.html#more And surprise surprise they're willing to lie to advance their hidden agenda and achieve their goal$.

The National Agenda and the Generalized Lies: 

Let's start with the lies crafted by America Majority, who trained the local Tea Party / WeVote candidates for the BASD School board both this year and last year before proceeding to the lies promoted by both about events in Burlington. The following paragraph (emphasis added) is from the American Majority (AM) website: http://americanmajority.org/majority-2/its-time-for-new-leaders-in-our-education-system/  

AM: "According to the National Center for Education Statistics, total per student spending reaches $12,643, or over $600 billion annually. That is a 46 percent increase from 1988–89 through 2008–09, “with interest on school debt increasing faster than current expenditures or capital outlay”. They also report that 81% of that goes to staff salaries and benefits- a 75% increase over 10 years. Clearly, the public education system has financial problems that need solutions."

It should be noted that the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) is part of the Federal Department of Education and therefore a non-partisan source of information. Now let's see what the NCES Actually Says: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_tot.asp

100% of America’s Problem is Corruption at the Top

100% of America’s problem is corruption at the top

AND a population of voters that just doesn’t understand the connection between corporate profits and political bribes. And that they (the voters) pay them BOTH!

By Jack E. Lohman

Politicians have allowed our system to move from Left-Right to Up and Down… class warfare rather than Democrat v. Republican … because they get a piece of the action. From those at the top, not at the bottom. Cash works, but only for those who have it. We have a corrupt government and until the people get their eyes off the “little fires” and battle the leaches at the top, the corruption will continue. That Transparency International has us listed as 24th in political honesty in the world, rather than 1st, is telling.

And One Amendment to Rule Them All

The founding fathers were very bright people.  They also knew what they didn't know and couldn't forecast.  Thus, when they wrote the Constitution, they stayed with broad, general guidelines, not specifics. And it's worked.  People that have loved and hated the document can't seem to come up with arguments against it.

So, the Dads realized that the instrument they were building would on occasion get out of tune, and they put in a process to fine tune it using the court system.  On a few occasions, it's been given a heavier overhaul with additional constitutional amendments.

And it works. Whenever law enforcement comes up with a new tool to look into our privacy, it ends up in court and rules are made.  When new forms of media arrive, policies are adjusted to fit speech and press freedoms (the Wisconsin state Capitol is the exception--the Constitution of North Korea applies there).  I can believe in any religion I want, but I can't sacrifice a human in the process.  Don Imus can make his "Nappy Headed Hos" remark and, while it cost him his job, it did not cost him his freedom.  Remind me sometime to tell the story of the time I shouted "theatre" in a crowded fire.  Great story.

Paul Ryan is a FRAUDSTER!

The following article was composed and contributed to the BAP Bog by a local citizen, Tom Dona Rosa who has done his homework. Thank you Tom!

Each year for a number of years citizens living in the First Congressional District have received from Congressman Paul Ryan an Annual Report on the Unites States Government with the Great Seal of the Congress of the United States on it. The Report represents itself to be a an Annual Report similar to a Corporate Annual Report. We all know that Corporate Annual Reports must be a truthful and an accurate representation of the Corporation at the time that it was issued. So why would this Annual Report be any different? WOW is all I can say!! I had glanced at the others and filed them, but this one I looked at more closely and to my utter shock found out that it is a TOTAL misrepresentation of our Government’s finances!! It is in essence a FRAUD upon us because it intentionally misrepresents the income and expenses of our government!!!

For starters Paul Ryan claims that the payments to the Social Security Trust Fund and other similar programs, Medicare, Federal Unemployment, and of all things the Railroad Retirement Fund are part of the Government’s Revenue!! He calls them “Social Insurance Taxes” as if there is such a thing. It would be like Governor Walker claiming that the payments to and income earned by the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) is part of the income to the State of Wisconsin!! Now people know that the money that goes to the WRS for public employees pensions is NOT income to the State of Wisconsin but money being set aside and invested to pay the pensions when those public employees retire.

Vulture Vos & the Educational Profiteers

Photo Obtained from Root River Siren Blog

This following piece was contributed by Susan Hickman.

Yes, Robin Vos wants to promote vouchers so that “for profit” and private schools can use our tax dollars and this video was his set up. 90% pure lies. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2013/apr/14/robin-vos/wisconsin-assembly-speaker-robin-vos-says-1-4-scho/   Yes, this is alarming but there is more.

Welcome to the latest advancement to education, the Common Core Standards. There were two major new models for school improvement that could have been considered for nation-wide school improvement. To understand, please take a moment to look at the 21st Century Skills model http://www.p21.org and you will see a beautiful educational model. It includes innovation, technology, the arts, global understanding, team work, history, and more. 

Mark Belling, of far right radio fame, recently referred to a member of the Milwaukee governing body as a "bitch".  Not the first time he's shown that he is incapable of expressing his views without using bathroom stall language.  Here's my letter I just sent to his boss at Clear Channel. Had someone at MSNBC said it about one of their right wing favorites, the far right would be screaming for blood.

It is my understanding that Mr. Belling referred to a a member of the Milwaukee governing body as a "bitch".  He may have danced around the borders a bit, but the implication was clear.  This, of course, was not the first time that Mr. Belling has shown his lack of ability to express his views without the use of offensive street language.  

Let me remind you, sir, that Clear Channel does not own the airwaves.  They are owned by US, the American people.  Your company merely leases space. 

Bonnie's got BAP's Bunny Ears Burning!

 Bonnie's got BAP's Bunny Ears Burning! 

Local illiberal and WeVoter Poobah Bonnie Ketterhagen continues to supply loads of Tea Party entertainment value to the local scene! At last Saturday's Burlington Area School District open house and again at Monday's school board meeting she complained about the distribution of leaflets during the recent school board race, which her candidates lost handily. Please see page 4 of the April 11, 2013 edition of the Standard Press. For background on this issue, please refer to the following Standard Press article: WeVote Leader Takes Issue with Fliers

Without providing any reasoned argument as to why our rights should be infringed, other than she doesn't like it, Bonnie wants the board to adopt a policy banning the distribution of informational fliers on BASD property. "Please stop all postings," she said. "Just say no." "The board has opened a floodgate of possibilities," said Ketterhagen. "This is not a free speech issue. It is a property rights issue. It is not litter. It is a trespassing issue."

Not a free speech issue? Trespassing on public property? HELLO! Whose schools are they anyway? They're OUR schools, they belong to ALL of us! Which I suspect is the thing the Tea Partiers object to the most. How can you trespass on PUBLIC property? And this is an election we're talking about here, probably THE most sacred act of our Republic!

Senator Soundbyte Rides Again!

Senator Ron Johnson (R-Chamber of Commerce) is living proof that you can be dumb as a post and get elected if you have nice hair, a pretty, marry into money and stick to canned sentences no more than 10 words long. He's now among a dozen dip-schmidts in the Senate who threatened to filibuster ANY new arms control legislation including the expanded background checks favored by the vast majority of American citizens and which were at one time even acceptable to the Bloody NRA.

I hope he and his puppet-masters are ready to have their noses rubbed in blood like naughty dogs when the next Sandy Hook happens. Please read more at the Root River Siren blog: http://rootriversiren.blogspot.com/2013/04/mr-victims-of-government-wont-allow.html

Ya hey da Republicon "tought" fer da Day

And now your Republicon "thought" for the day
Courtesy of Senator Frank Lasee
A miles long sulfide trench is A-Okay
But them windmills is bad da envirnmunt der-hey!

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111011/GPG0101/110110429/Wisconsin-wind-turbine-moratorium-sought-by-Sen-Frank-Lasee-R-Ledgeview
  Hey http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120308/GPG0101/203080569/Wisconsin-Senate-kills-windmill-siting-legislation-Frank-Lasee-blames-Democrats-Dale-Schulz   HEY! https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/03/02/state-senator-frank-lasee-introduces-bill-to-protect-health-and-safety/   Whadda jerk der eh?

Hey Governor.  Want to make a quick boost to the economy?  Push to legalize same-sex marriage.  Washington state estimates that same sex marriage boosted spending in the state by 88 million dollars.  Iowa?  Somewhere between 12-13 million.  New York?  A whopping 259 million dollars. Not only would it generate a lot of revenue, but it would also give you credibility with the actual, real "not-just-in-name-only" libertarians out there and totally confuse your left wing opposition.  OK, I know that about 90% of those that call themselves "libertarians" really aren't, but it's a thought.  And think of how it will confuse us "liberals"  Call the Koch brothers and see what they think.  Since it won't affect their efforts to turn Wisconsin into a resource rich third-world nation, they probably won't care.

The Goods on the WeVote Burlington Part I

American Majority Rally - Madison 2011 with
Their Hero the Late GOPropagandist Andrew Breitbart

Perhaps you've heard me before say things like our communities, civility, rationalism, our educators and not only our public schools, but our public institutions generally, are under attack by the combined forces of greed, selfishness and short-sighted ignorance. While some of you are no doubt aware of what I’m referring to, others may have dismissed it as mere paranoia.

Well now I’ve got the goods on the WeVote Burlington Tea Party and the big money, American’s-for-Plutocracy national agenda behind them and their attempt to take over our local school district. http://americanmajority.org/majority-2/its-time-for-new-leaders-in-our-education-system/

EXCERPT: One of the groups that joined the New Leaders Project is We Vote Burlington. Activists in a local group led by Bonnie Ketterhagen attended an American Majority training and decided to bring some change to their own school board. They recruited two new candidates for the school board elections, trained them using American Majority’s campaign resources, and helped them to victory in the Spring of 2012.

Chicken products vs. byproducts.

Andy Mitchell

9:21 PM  -  Public

The Republican party--the party of small government, the party of the power of the individual to make their own decisions, the party of "keep government out of my medicare"--continues to serve people chicken crap and try to convince them it's chicken salad.  In Kansas, women that go to their doctor to discuss abortion will be read a script by their health care provider that is (1) mandated by the government and (2) false.  Here in Wisconsin, a doctor's written prescription that was discussed and agreed upon in the privacy of a closed exam room can be overruled at a crowded public counter if the pharmacist objects to distributing it.  That's right...if he objects to the medication and the use, he can legally refuse to give it to you.  And the list goes on.

The White Wash Won't Work Walker!

Empty GM Plant in Janesville Wisconsin

Even with the white wash, It's Not Working Walker!

Wiscosippi's Gubnah Walker would have you think that all is on the mend in the Badger State and we're on our way to sunshine, roses and his promised 250,000 jobs. In a state that has gone from 11th to 44th in job creation under little Scooter's rule, nothing could be further from the truth.

(Psssst, Scooter, dampening consumer demand in a 70% consumer demand driven economy in the middle of the Great Republicon Recession by attacking public worker job, benefits and retirement security was one major brain fart, even for you!)

Vulture School Vos - Robbinhood in Reverse

Robbin "School Vulture" Vos, vassal to the feudal American Legislative Exchange Council (fALEC) stated yesterday that he is open to Grothman's proposal of tax credits for families to send their kids to private schools. Of course he is! It's another fALEC connived way to destroy the arch enemy of the Cult of Con, public education, while rewarding the rich!

Think of it! No longer will those kids in places like Mequon and Greenfield have to suffer the indignation of mingling with the student bodies at high schools the likes of Homestead and Whitnall that have poverty rates approaching single digits! 

NOTE, I tried to post this to facefook today and include the link to the Root River Siren Blog where there is a post on this issue and I got the following response from facebook: 
"The content you're trying to share includes a link that's been blocked for being spammy or unsafe:"

Tea Leaves

Congratulations!

Whether you stood up to run for office and serve your community, organized, donated, leafleted, canvassed, phoned, wrote a letter, addressed postcards, refused to be intimidated by false accusations, wore bunny ears, or simply paid attention and voted, Thank You!

You stood up for our children and grandchildren, our community, for civility and rationalism, for our educators and not only for our public schools, but for our public institutions generally, which are under attack by the combined forces of greed, selfishness and short-sighted ignorance.

Well done. E Pluribus Unum Baby!

WeeVoter Candidates Even Refuse Interviews

If you haven't yet had a chance, grab a copy of last week's Standard Press and read the sidebar on Page 6. It recounts the exhaustive attempts by the paper to get the WeeVote endorsed candidates to grant interviews to the paper and present their views and ideas of what they would like to do if elected to the BASD Board.

It was noted that candidates Larry Anderson and Jim Bousman readily agreed to participate, and their contemporaneous answers to the questions posed are included in last week's edition.

The WeeVote candidates on the other hand at first agreed to answer the same questions posed to the other responsive candidates, but only if presented to them in writing. The Standard Press agreed, but told the WeeVoters that they would have complete the process in approximately one hour as the responsive candidates had done. Even this was unacceptable to the WeeVoters as they began refusing to communicate with the Standard Press to confirm or deny their willingness to participate, even when offered a more generous response time, better suited to their . . . sensibilities.

WeeVote Violates Code

As Glass Houses aptly points out in a comment to the article about Bonnie Ketterhagen in the March 22nd edition Standard Press, the WeeVote candidates are now in violation of State Code (just like last year) for adding pink fluorescent streamers that blow in the wind to their yard signs: http://lab.southernlakesnewspapers.com/?p=8566

Glass Houses was kind enough to add a link to the pertinent Wisconsin Administrative Code section below:

Trans 201.16 Political signs.
(1) Definitions. "Political sign" means a sign erected for the purpose of soliciting support for or opposition to a candidate or a political party or relating to a referendum question in an election held under the laws of this state.
(2)Exemption. A political sign which would otherwise be subject to the permit requirement of s. Trans 201.07, is exempted if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The sign does not exceed 32 square feet in surface area.
(b) The sign is erected entirely on private property with the property owner's consent.
(c) The sign is erected less than 45 days before the election for which it is intended and is removed within 7 days after the election except that a sign erected before a primary election may remain in place until 7 days after the next following general election if the sign solicits support for a candidate, political party or referendum question that is before the electorate in both the primary and the general election.
(d) The sign does not contain flashing lights or moving parts or in any other way fail to conform with s. 84.30 (4) (b), Stats.
(e) The sign is not erected in a location where it constitutes a traffic hazard.
History: Cr. Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83; am. (2) (e), Register, July, 1996, No. 487, eff. 8-1-96.