Serfs Up! The Republicon War on Education

Unfortunately, Republican State Senator Dale Schultz has had enough and recently announced his retirement as The Last Decent, Good-Willed, Rational and Public-Minded Republican in the Badgered State. We owe him our thanks for helping stop (for now) the most recent example of GOPster Blitsgesetz (Lightning Law) in the form of an absolutely horrible bill that is just latest attack in the ongoing Republicon War on Public Education.

EXCERPT: "Every hero needs an enemy," Schultz observes, "and someone made the decision that public educators are going to be the enemy."

Of course the think tank to which Senator Schultz is referring, that has made this decision for us all is the fascist American Legislative Exchange Council (fALEC), oh Benito would so proud! And one must wonder, if the good Senator feels like a Serf, what the hell does that make all of the rest of us!? Mere chattel I suppose. And why the hell then are We Paying these People to be Middlemen for Imposing the Will of our Corporate Rulers, FREEDUMB!

Senator Schultz is also wise enough to see through the GOPropaganda mantra of Failing Public Schools - Fairies, Frog Princes & Failing Public Schools: "Failing schools, hell," he said at a recent public forum. "Would you like to take me and show me, in my district, where are the failing schools?" AMEN Senator Schultz! Your kind will be sadly missed when you're extinct.

What's really galling however is that so many people are gullible enough to believe that the Vulture School Republicons actually care about the students who are failing in such large numbers because of the concentrated poverty where they live and go to school. That's about as believable as the notion that the Republicons still believe in Freedom and Democracy, when clearly it's All about the Money and Only about the Money!

Yours Truly,
Sean Cranley - CorpSerf#: OIMNFD-1-NURFD-2

Walker's Surplus Smoke 'n Mirrors

It is I Who Killed the Wicked Witch of Westconsin!

An Honest Man would not take credit for something he didn't do. But Walker is Not an Honest Man. And Walker's policies are NOT Responsible for the projected budget surplus.

Furthermore, Walker will not use the budget surplus in the Prudent Public-Interest of the Citizens of Wisconsin, but rather in the Selfish Political Self-Interest in his getting reelected Gubnah in 2014 as a requisite stepping stone to his tilt at the oval office in 2016, a position for which he is Woefully Unqualified. But Walker doesn't care because he'll be long gone before the chickens come home to roost.

One might argue that Gubnah Walker created the projected budget surplus by extracting it from public working people and that using it in a political ploy to cut property taxes, which will go predominantly to people with high property values, aka the rich, is more of the Voodoo Economics of Upward Wealth Redistribution that has been damaging America's economy and society for three decades now (and Wiscossippi's for three years). And you'd be right, but only partially so.

You see, just about EVERY State in the Union, those run by Republicans, Democrats or both, are projecting budget surpluses.

Americans for Plutocracy Know No Hypocrisy

Please Accept this Token of Our Extreme!

Excerpt from Americans for Prosperity emission statement: AFP grassroots activists advocate for public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint.

Seriously? So this A$$troturf group of paid shills for the Koch Bros (note t-shirt says "Staff" not volunteer) runs around decrying over-regulation and has the the audacity to use a spill caused by lax regulation for a PR-opaganda stunt by handing out bottles of water?! 

That's like guys running the sword concession seeking kudos for putting a bandaid on a gaping chest wound! GOPsters have no shame and the word hypocrisy means nothing to them whatsoever.

And ya gotta love the irony that the 4-methylcyclohexane methanol spewage issued from Freedom Industries. Yup, that's the plutoctopus plan, freedom for industry, serfdom for the citizenry. Affluence for the 1%, effluents for the 99.

Pollution pollution you can use the latest toothpaste
and rinse your mouth with industrial waste - Dr. Tom Lehrer

United Sportsmen for Koch

The scam sportsmen group, United Sportsmen that was fraudulently awarded a $500,000 grant of money belonging to the citizens of Wisconsin before publicity forced Gubnah Walker to rescind the graft, I mean gift, is now in trouble with the IRS over its false claim of tax exempt status. As such they have been forced to turn documents over to the Journal-Sentinel and guess where the trail leads. You know it, Americans for Plutocracy and the Koch Brothers!

Excerpt from the Journal-Sentinel:
As previously reported, the political group Citizens for a Strong America Inc. gave $235,000 to United Sportsmen in 2011. The newly released filings show that single donation made up United Sportsmen's entire revenue for that year. The group spent most, but not all, of that donation and finished the year with $39,044.
The bulk of the money spent, $118,400, went to Arena Communications of Salt Lake City, Utah, a firm that helps design and send out mailings to voters. Arena has high-profile GOP clients around the country, including Walker; U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, a Janesville Republican; the state GOP; and the committee representing Republican state senators.
United Sportsmen sent out a mailing in the 2011 state Senate recall elections. END

Hmmm Senate recall elections, what could be more outdoorsy!? Well it is fishy I suppose. So just who is Citizens for a Strong America?

Christie Throws Top Aid Under The Bus . . .

He Would Have Taken the Fall Himself . . .

But He Wouldn't Fit!

Petty Vindictiveness Amongst the GOPster? I'm Shocked, Shocked I tell ya!

But seriously folks, This may be a one-off for Chris Christie that he can put behind him, but not for our Gubnah Walker. 

Walker has established a repeated pattern of inability to hire competent, ethical staff and personnel mismanagement as well as an ineffectiveness in managing entire departments under his purview. Those are damning qualities for anyone in management, let alone a chief executive. 

You see Walker doesn't need to be indicted under the John Doe probes, they have already clearly demonstrated that he is an incompetent manager and an abysmal judge of character, which would makes him an absolute unqualified disaster as Divide & Conquer Gubnah of the Badgered State, let alone President of the (as yet still somewhat) United States of America.

Of course if he DID know then he's just another in a long line of corrupt vindictive GOPsters. After all, Lies and Corruption are Standard Operating Procedure (GOP SOP). Just ask David Iglasias for one example.

BAP Brunch - December 2013

Rob Zerban, candidate for the Badgered State's 1st Congressional District will be joining us at our monthly BAP Brunch to discuss issues facing the citizenry.

This Saturday (12/14)
11:00 AM
Los Compadres Restaurant - 725 Milwaukee Avenue, Burlington

There's a buffet or you can order off the menu. Everyone orders and pays separately. People of goodwill welcome, we hope to see you there!

Americans for Plutocracy Und Vulture School Visconsin

Genus - Visconsinus Schoolus Vulturi

O.K. I've somehow gotten on some interesting email lists, for example all of a sudden I recently started receiving emails from Wisconsin Right to Life. Now apparently I'm on the list of Wisconsin's Tentacle of Americans for Plutocracy (AFP).

Oh joy, I have been offered an opportunity to attend an event designed to Destroy our Public Schools, the Core of Our Communities, turn my future grandchildren and the children of Wisconsin into Perpetual Revenue Streams to flood Vulture Schools (Profit Centers) and satisfy the plunder-lust of the corporatist educational privateers (Pirates) on Wall Street! Libertea My A$$!

AFP: "We know that every child deserves access to a quality education-regardless of their income or zip code." Hmmmmmm.

Of course the Country Springs Hotel in Pewaukee is a favorite venue the reactionaries in the Neo-Gilded Age movement funded by the Koch Bros Plutoctopus. But seriously, Waukesha, the most prosperous County in the Badgered State!? 

Amar Kaleka

The Burlington Area Progressives are hosting our monthly BAP Brunch this Saturday (11/9) at a new location, Los Compadres Restaurant, 725 Milwaukee Ave (Hwy 36) Burlington at 11:00am. Newly announced Candidate Amar Kaleka will be there to introduce himself to the good people of Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District. Come and meet him!

There has been a Pall over our fair land for too long and it's time for some fresh air!

An Emmy winning independent film maker and son of the slain Oak Creek Sikh Temple President, Amar states that; "There's a fever in the nation, and specifically in this district, for our leaders to stop playing politics and do their jobs," Kaleka said. "All I want to do is bring democracy — a government of, for and by the people — back to America."

Vulture Vos to Vanquish Voters!

When Robin "Vulture" Vos touts "Our Fall Agenda" who do you suppose he means? Could Vos, Wisconsin's Public Sector Chairman for the fascist American Legislative Exchange Council (fALEC), be referring to his Corporate Masters? One of the items on the agenda to be rammed through Vos' Gerrymandered Illegitimate Legislature in the Badgered State is a perennial favorite of the folks at fALEC, Voter Suppression.

Of course the Vulture portrays his picking at the carcass of democracy as promoting election integrity, but even he doesn't believe that non-sense. That's for the consumption of the indoctrinants of the Cult of Con who uncritically accept one of the Whackiest Conspiracy Theories ever dreamed up. A Federal Judge appointed by Ronald Reagan even admitted recently that He Was Wrong when he ruled to uphold Indiana's Voter ID law stating; “I plead guilty to having written the majority opinion,” Posner wrote in his new book, “Reflections on Judging.” He said that the Indiana law in the Crawford case is “a type of law now widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.”

And to what does Mr. Vos point to justify placing road blocks in the way of the legitimate right to vote of thousands Wisconsin's citizens? One man, ONE! One man who was dumb, drunk and high enough to vote twice in last year's election, get Caught and go to Jail for it! One vote out of 3,028,951 cast. Why that's 0.00003%! At that rate, it's not clear how we will ever have faith again in our elections again!? What IS clear is that Vulture Vos, Gerrymanderer and fALEC corporate shill has no interest in representative democracy and No Shame.

The nine scariest words in the English language?

I'm a corporation, I'm here to write your laws!

More Good News on Obamacare!

Honestly, why does anyone believe anything said by a Republicon or one of their GOPropaganda mouthpieces? No doubt you've heard all that GOPster wailing and gnashing of teeth, blaming Obamacare for increasing premiums (cuz ya know they haven't been going up much faster than the rate of inflation for over a decade now, right?).

Well here's the real news:

Obamacare premiums are even LOWER than those previously projected by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office due to competition among the private insurance companies in the market place, especially new companies.

This means that our federal government will save an additional $190,000,000,000 (that's billion) over the next 10 years in reduced cost for subsidies.

These savings will raise the amount of deficit reduction to be realized by the law by 174% to a total of $300B.

The lower premiums are projected to mean an additional 700,000 fewer uninsured Americans, whose families will now have the security and quality of life that goes with access to healthcare.

It's your government and It's Working!

Personal Responsibility + Private Insurance + Private Providers = Obamacare

THAT'S RIGHT BABY!

Things are not looking good for swillers of ignorance and ill-will that crafted the disgustingly bigoted image above. But if you're teabaggnorant enough to believe that healthcare delivered by private providers, covered by private insurance companies and paid for by responsible citizens is SOSHILISM!, you might also be foolish enough to look a gift dark horse in the mouth.

The Wisconsin Public Radio Saint Norbert's College Survey for fall 2013 demonstrates very strong and GROWING support for the Affordable Care Act!

54% of Wisconsinites support the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare, up from 41% in 2010.

60% of Wisconsinites favor the individual mandate for American's to take personal responsibility and buy private insurance and their families. That's up from 59% in 2009.

70% of Wisconsinites favor the public option of our federal government offering citizens coverage similar to medicare to compete with private insurance. That's up 26% from 2009.

81% of Wisconsinites favor requiring insurance companies to cover everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions. That's up from 77% in 2009.

And a whopping 84% of Wisconsinites Disapprove of Shutting the Down Our Government over Obamacare! Furthermore, 74% believe Obamacare should NOT be part of discussions related to the budget or raising the debt ceiling, for which 42% blame the Republicons in Congress. Put that in your cup and swill it Ted Cruz!

Thank you President Obama and Democrats for demonstrating that when guided wisely Our Government Can Work to make the private sector function better for the all the people of America. Because like fire, capitalism can be a wonderful servant if tended carefully, but a deadly disaster if left to be whipped by the winds of unregulated greed!

AFFORDABLE Care Act Baby!

AFFORDABLE Care Act Baby!

Looks Like my Boss and I will each be able to save over $600 per month by going to the exchange for the Platinum (top tier) Family Plan!

Now THAT is fricken family values my friends!

That's over $14,000 in SAVINGS per year for our small business, instead of having premiums DOUBLE every THREE YEARS like they have for over a decade!

Thank you Mr. President and Congressional Democrats for Obamacare!

Blitzgesetz = Lightning Law

I've coined a new term, Blitzgesetz, to describe how the Republicons approach legislation now in the various states to get their pro-corporatist laws passed with minimal debate and before the public even knows whats happening. It's another arrow in their quiver to thwart democracy. 

The best, but hardly the only example is the way Gubnah Walker proposed Act 10 late on a Friday afternoon and had it scheduled to go to a vote the following Thursday. The only thing that gave enough time to allow the public to grasp the plan and express their outrage at his divide and conquer scheme was the Fabulous 14 leaving the state and preventing a vote. Walker's War on Workers planners hadn't counted on this development when plotting their attack in launching their Blitzgesetz campaign.

Surprise! Now Walker flanked by his minions Vulture Vos and Albuta Darling, in an electioneering ploy have again hit the blitz with their new property tax bill. This Blitzgesetz came out of nowhere, has had zero Democratic input and is to be rushed through in a special legislative session and on to the Gubnah's desk by early next week! 

Wham bam thank you man! You could save $13 this December and a whopping $20 next year. Oh, but not a cent more for Wisconsin's public schools. It's a bums rush, thanks for nothing Republicons.

You can call them the Tea Party, you can call them the Neo-John Birch Society, you can call them Plutocrats, but it all boils down to good ol' fashion Fascism. And while the Nazi fascists employed Blitzkrieg (lightning war) to achieve their ends, the American fascists, in pursuit of their anti-democratic designs have unleashed Blitzgesetz - Lightning Law upon the American People!

Gerrymandering, Voter Suppression & Blitzgesetz, the TP's holy trinity.

A Call to Paul Ryan to End the Shutdown

As you may remember, I called my congressman, Paul Ryan, the other day to express my opposition to the government shutdown, and urging him to stop trying to kill the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare).  I got back a letter saying that he really didn't want to shut down the government, but that nasty Senate would only pass a resolution that adhered to the law of the land, and funded the ACA -- though it seems all other parts of the funding resolution are agreeable to all parties.

He also trotted out the usual phony numbers about how this -- and everything else he doesn't like -- is going to run the USA into bankruptcy, so we should all get aboard with his Ayn Randian plan for Utopia.  He's only doing what's best for those of us who are unlucky enough to be his constituents, after all.  It's not like he's supposed to actually represent us or anything.

Below is my response.  I suggest that all of you send him a similar letter, or make a call stating these same points to his office, which can be reached via his constituent hotline:

CONSTITUENT HOTLINE: 1-888-909-RYAN (7926)

* * *

Representative Ryan --

If you oppose the government shutdown, then work to bring a clean resolution to the floor.

The ACA is the law of the land, it was passed in the normal way, signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court.

Not only that, but it was created by the Heritage Foundation and pioneered in Massachusetts by your former running mate, Mitt Romney.  Additionally, its popularity was reaffirmed by the re-election of President Obama.  You and your running mate_ lost_ that election overwhelmingly.  (And if not for gerrymandering, would likely have lost the House as well.)

The American people are for the ACA, as proven in polls of its component parts, or even merely by asking about it as the ACA rather than "Obamacare," the "pejorative" that your party labeled it with in an attempt to gin up fear.  Additionally, substantial portion of people who say they are "against" it merely believe that it doesn't go far enough.

The ACA _was_ a Republican plan, the "compromise" that your side wanted, rather than single-payer or some more progressive (and less expensive) healthcare plan that would have cut out the private insurers who, in some cases, have been sucking 30% or more of our premiums out of the system.

If you want to repeal this law, the ACA, you should repeal it in the normal way -- not via this government shut-down blackmail.

Because you say you oppose a government shutdown, I now expect that you will work to bring a clean resolution to the House, and not try to rewrite the law during this process.  I expect that you will, therefore, support the Senate version of the resolution -- which leaves the law alone, as it should.

Please do so.

Yours -- Steve Sullivan

GOPstructionist Filibastards Fear ObamaCare

Could this map illustrate why the Republicons are so afraid of Obamacare? 

Look at the south, the bastion of the GOPster's base. What if all those poor uninsured folks suddenly realized that they could get access to affordable healthcare for themselves and their families, thanks to President Obama and the Democrats? 

What if they then woke up from their FuxSnooze and realized that it was the Republicon Party and their Teabagger faction that fought tooth and nail to deny that necessity for a decent quality of life for them and their families? 

That's got to scare the livin' crap out of the Greedy Oligarch's Party!

"The real issue is not the size of government, the issue is who the government is working for." - Robert Reich. When people see what the Affordable Care Act does for them the Republicons will have to throw the term they invented out of irrational scorn and derision, "Obamacare" Down the Memory Hole, lest the American People be reminded of who actually worked to better their interests.

Now look below at the most common occupations among the uninsured, cooks, wait staff, clerks, nursing aides, maids, you know all the people that are subsidizing your middle class lifestyle through serving you cheap stuff by foregoing the "luxury" of healthcare and a living wage! 

Do the GOPstructionist Filibastards disgust you NOW!

And don't get me started on the GOPocrisy of the Crisis Conservatives, who repeatedly proclaim that Compromise is a Dirty Word, are now crying for "Negotiation"!

Wait a tick, what are the TPs putting on the table? NOTHING! How about reasonable immigration reform? NOPE! Raise the minimum wage? NOPE, NADA! Yeah it's dirty a word for them in their starched white shirts, but we're supposed to be the ones who stir up the dirt. 

Remind Your Congressman: The AHCA IS the Compromise!

Today, I'm calling my deadbeat congressman, Paul Ryan, one of the ringleaders of this foolishness -- (202) 225-3031 or local-Racine  (262) 637-0510 -- to tell him to do his job, pay the bills, and re-open our government.

I'm going to suggest you call Paul, or whomever your congressman is, and/or John Boehner -- (202) 225-0600 -- and do the same.

When I call, I'm going to remind him that The Affordable Health Care Act IS the compromise.

Here are three reasons why:

This implementation date (today) IS the compromise.  October 1, 2013, (today) is years after the AHCA passed, and years later than most of us wanted.  What we wanted was a roll out 2 years ago, right after the bill passed (March 2010).  This is the time that was picked so everyone -- including the Republicans and their Big Money backers -- had plenty of time to prepare.  But instead of preparing, they've spent their time dragging their feet, refusing to cooperate or prepare, lying about the system, and repeatedly trying (and failing) to repeal the law.  (By the way, the AHCA is the law, not a bill.)

This Private-Insurance-based system IS the compromise.  What we wanted is a single-payer system -- like most of the civilized world has -- which would have saved even more money by cutting out healthcare middlemen.  Under the AHCA, insurance is limited to only 20% profit, whereas the cost of government-run single payer would have been 10% or less of the premiums.  (As it is in the rest of the world.)  Our compromise was not putting the healthcare profiteers out of business -- as we probably should have done.

This Republican-designed healthcare system (AHCA) -- including the individual mandate -- IS the compromise.  The basis of the AHCA was designed by the Heritage Foundation (a Republican think tank) and tested by Republican Governor Mitt Romney (in Massachusetts).  This was their alternative to National Healthcare.  What we wanted was Medicare for All -- which would have bee much easier to roll out, because it would have been an expansion of an existing system, and cheaper because it would have cut out the insurance company middle men.

Those are the three reasons that came to my mind (though there are probably more).

While I'm on the phone, I'm also going to suggest that if Paul Ryan really wants to shut down the government, he should start with his own government paycheck and health insurance system.

After that, I'm going to call my sensible senator, Tammy Baldwin (202-224-5653 or 414-297-4451) and thank her for supporting the AHCA, and remind her to not back down and knuckle under, because we've already compromised -- because the AHCA IS the compromise!

I suggest that all of you call the House of Representatives (and the Senate) and do the same.  And while you're at it, check out the AHCA site at https://www.healthcare.gov/.

Bloody NRA - the Gift that Never Stops Giving!

Like echos from the death chamber, (13 dead) we see over and over the deadly results of the Bloody NRA's quest to make military weaponry legal in our homes, streets and work places.

The AR-15 battlefield rifle, there's one near you!

Bow your heads, let us spray.

http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2013/01/and-again-merry-christmas-from-bloody.html

http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2012/12/again-ban-weapons-of-mass-murder-again.html

http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2012/07/ban-weapons-of-mass-murder-again.html

2 Dozen Clues that You Might be Dumb Enough to Vote Republicon

Once again the Republicons are attacking democracy. You see, lying, manipulating, gerrymandering and voter suppression are the only ways this minority minority party can win. I say minority because that is who they now represent, a very small but wealthy and powerful minority. The Republicon Party long ago abandoned their belief representative democracy. They believe in only one thing, power. That is why within hours of the supreme court judicial hactivists striking down the voting rights act that was just re-ratified by the people's representatives in Congress, Texas Republicons moved to implement the most restrictive voting law in the country.

Not to be out done, the GOPsters in North Carolina crafted an even more effective voter suppression tool for their beleaguered state. And Republicons all across the country, including the those in the Badgered state have moved to advance their hidden agenda (because everything the Cons do has a hidden agenda, EVERYTHING!), based on a wild conspiracy theory about massive voter fraud committed on a perennial basis by a busloads of brown people and swallowed hook, line and sinker by manipulated masses that constitute the Republicon's base. The mechanics of this theory are so ridiculously improbable that you'd have to be completely thoughtless or just plain stupid to believe it. Just how stupid and thoughtless? Let's examine. If you believe that:

1) Every election year brown people travel all over your state casting multiple fraudulent votes for democrats, you might be dumb enough to vote Republicon.

2) Would be fraudsters are capable of pulling off this feat undetected and never getting caught, you might be dumb enough to vote Republicon..

3) It's possible to coordinate getting all the forged documents necessary for all these people to register at the polls you might be dumb enough to vote Republicon.

4) Would be fraudsters never run into poll workers who know they don't live at the addresses they attempting to use, you might be dumb enough to vote Republicon.

5) Would be fraudsters never try to vote under the name of someone who has already voted, you might be dumb enough to vote Republicon.

6) The actual voter never shows up later to find that someone has already voted in their name, you might be dumb enough to vote Republicon  (DETVR).

7) The fraudsters never run into poll workers who know the real voter in whose name they're attempting to vote, you might be DETVR.

8) Lots of people would break the law and risk a felony conviction with no chance of direct personal gain to get a job for someone they don't even know personally, you might be DETVR.

9) Lots of people would go to all this trouble and risk with no way of knowing if their effort is even needed to win or if it will be enough to be successful, you might be DETVR.

10) Such a wide spread and complicated conspiracy would never get infiltrated, you might be DETVR.

11) Such a wide spread conspiracy would be able to maintain operational secrecy and never have anyone squawk, you might be DETVR.

12) A few people who vote while on probation or parole constitutes wide spread fraud or a threat to election integrity, you might be DETVR.

13) A few people voting while on probation or parole would be identified and stopped by voter ID, you might be DETVR.

14) Everyone lives like you do and has or needs a drivers license or photo ID, you might be DETVR.

15) Getting to the DMV to get a photo ID  is easily done by the working poor without a car, you might be DETVR.

16) DMVs have are open during convenient hours and are located nearby people with available public transportation all over your state, you might be DETVR.

17) People who traditionally vote at rates lower than the the general population would be motivated to incur the expense, hassle and risk to engage in a wide spread conspiracy to commit fraud every election day, you might be DETVR.

18) The the reason Republicon Party has never offered a reward for the exposure of vote fraud conspiracies is because they just don't have the money, you might be DETVR.

19) The Republicon Party wouldn't trumpet the news all over the media if in fact they were ever able to catch the supposed perpetrators and expose this massive scheme, you might be DETVR.

20) You're important and special enough that it might be your personal vote, out of millions, that might be cancelled, and that justifies putting road blocks in front of tens of thousands of your fellow citizens right to cast their vote, you might be DETVR!

21) Brown people who are transported to the polls in vans must not be legitimate voters, you might be DETVR.

22) The Republicon Party leadership actually believes the wild conspiracy theory that they're foisting on you, you might be DETVR.

23) Photo ID is about election integrity and not voter suppression, you're definitely DETVR.

24) Interfering with the right of citizens to legitimately cast their vote isn't just down right Un-American, you're a complete moron!

Let the Public be Heard on Redistricting Reform NOW!

In the last week or so, the editorial boards of newspapers across Wisconsin have come out in favor of public hearings on measures to reform the way legislative districts in Wisconsin are redrawn every ten years (PLEASE SEE BELOW).

The proposals seek to take that power away from state legislators who, in the most despicable display yet of disrespect and disregard for representative democracy, grossly, secretively and very expensively Gerrymandered OUR state and congressional legislative districts for crass political gain. Make no mistake, both parties have been guilty of this, but like everything else in our political system, it's getting worse and worse.

The proposals would mirror the way it's been done successfully in Iowa for decades by giving that authority to a non-partisan agency like the Legislative Reference Bureau.

When the Democratic Party had control of all three branches of government in Wisconsin a few short years ago, they were urged to take action on a number of reform measures including the redistricting processes. They didn't fail to do so, they REFUSED, because they held the power and were short sighted. This perpetual propensity of the democrats to wuss out when it's time to stand up and do the right thing is why I can only view them as the lesser of two evils, MUCH LESSER! If the Dems had done their job then, the 14 would likely never have had to stand up and flee the state in a vane attempt to prevent the blitzkrieg of extremist legislation that has divided our badgered state and damaged our economy.

It's long past time to do what is needed for good governance and effective representation of the citizenry. Gerrymandering is a thwarting of democracy, which results in safe seats for both parties. Politicians sitting in safe seats don't feel the need to be responsive to their constituents or worry about being tossed out by voters in the general election. Rather, they fear a primary election challenge from within their own party. This leads to politicians who take positions closer to the extremes of their party to prevent a challenge and who cannot come to the middle and compromise with the other side lest they replaced by someone even further toward the political margins of their own party.

Since the vast majority of citizens actually fall toward the center in the political beliefs that means that the vast majority of citizens are being misrepresented by extremist politicians on both sides. Fairly drawn, competitive districts would force the politicians on both parties to come back toward the middle and compete to represent the rational majority of all the citizens in their district, not just those that affiliate with their particular party or ideology.

Redistricting reform deserves a fair hearing. Tell the chairs of the committees where the bills are being stalled that you want a public hearing on the legislation.

Assembly Bill 185 has been assigned to the Committee on Government Operations and State Licensing.

• Chairman: Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva)
• Phone: (608) 266-1190
• Email: Rep.August@
  legis.wisconsin.gov
• Mail: Room 119 West, State Capitol, P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI 53708

Senate Bill 163 has been assigned to the state Senate Committee on Elections and Urban Affairs.

• Chairwoman: Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin)
• Phone: (608) 266-5400
• Email: Sen.Lazich@
  legis.wisconsin.gov
• Mail: Room 8 South, State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS®
 OF WISCONSIN
EDUCATION NETWORK http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0820lwv.pdf

Wausau Daily Herald

Don't let politicians kill redistricting bill without a hearing: Our View

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20130818/WDH06/308180061/Don-t-let-politicians-kill-redistricting-bill-without-hearing-Our-View

Beloit Daily News

EDITORIAL: Force the issue on redistricting

  http://www.beloitdailynews.com/opinion/editorial-force-the-issue-on-redistricting/article_104a26b2-06eb-11e3-b1b7-001a4bcf887a.html



Wisconsin State Journal Public deserves hearing on bill for fair maps

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/editorial/public-deserves-hearing-on-bill-for-fair-maps/article_5c33e335-0a56-5980-8d30-374fbad468d4.html

Green Bay Press Gazette

Editorial: Bills that would change redistricting process deserve hearings 

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20130818/GPG0602/308180114/Editorial-Bills-would-change-redistricting-process-deserve-hearings

Milwaukee JournalSentinel

Public hearings needed on redistricting reform legislation

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/public-hearings-needed-on-redistricting-reform-legislation-b9975206z1-219995731.html

La Crosse Tribune 

Our view: Take politics out of redistricting

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/opinion/our-view-take-politics-out-of-redistricting/article_5465513a-0689-11e3-aa10-001a4bcf887a.html

Appleton Post-Crescent 

Take first step on redistricting reform (editorial)

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20130818/APC0602/308180101/Take-first-step-redistricting-reform-editorial-

Channel 3000

Voices Calling For A Hearing

http://www.channel3000.com/news/opinion/voices-calling-for-a-hearing/-/4028/21525740/-/lu4w9t/-/index.html

Free Lunch with Vulture Vos & Americans for Plutocracy!

Free lunch next Friday with Vulture Vos and Americans for Plutocracy!
http://rootriversiren.blogspot.com/2013/08/lets-have-free-lunch-with-robin-vos.html

You can register here, I did! http://racinelegislativelunch.eventbrite.com/

This Land's Not Your Land - Cult of Con Teabagnorance in OUR Rotunda

Photo by Jenna Pope

The photo above taken by Jenna Pope of lyrics used by about 40 The We've Got a Permit Singers in our rotunda on July 19, 2013 (while a couple hundred sang in solidarity outside) exemplifies much of what is sick, twisted and disgusting about Tea Party Cult of Con.

For starters the TPs are always spouting about freedom and oppressive government, until that is Da Gubmint is the Double Authoritarian Scott Walker. Then their worship of authority kicks in and they willingly subjugate themselves to their Ruler's Order to get permission (aka a permit) from the Gubmint to peaceably assemble and exert their right to freedom of speech. That is either cognitive dissonance, the ability to hold two conflicting beliefs and fail to recognize the incongruity, or it is hypocrisy, the willingness to hold two conflicting beliefs and fail give a crap. Both are at epidemic levels in the Cult of Con which of course rests on faith and not reasoning.

To hell with your Fitzwalkerstani permission slip, here are your "permits" boys!
Wisconsin Consitution - Article 1 - Declaration of Rights - SECTION 4. [Right to assemble and petition] The right of the people peaceably to assemble, to consult for the common good, and to petition the government, or any department thereof, shall never be abridged.

Constitution of the United States of America - Bill of Rights - Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Representative Government is NOT a Necessary Evil, It's a Vital GOOD!

Those who say YOUR government doesn't work, say so because THEY want to BE your government RULERS!

I cannot recommend strongly enough the show below on Wisconsin Public Radio about the John Birch Society and it's similarity to today's radical right wing Tea Party including support from the Kochs. The big difference? Instead of embracing the whackos and kowtowing to their handlers, in 1960's the Republican Party rejected the extremist wingnut Birchers because they didn't want to be tarnished by them.

http://wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=jca

Thursday 7/25/2013 8:00 AM 130725C

A Personal History of America's Radical Right Before there was the TEA Party, there was the John Birch Society. Joy Cardin's guest this hour can speak personally to the inner workings of the Society. Her parents were founding members. Learn about the similarities she sees between the John Birch Society of the 1950s and the TEA Party of today. Guest: Claire Conner, author of Wrapped In the Flag: A Personal History of the Radical Right. She speaks widely on the John Birch Society. She holds a degree in English from the University of Dallas and a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

En Mowing Veritas

Sometimes, it takes a mindless activity to get thoughts to come.  It was during a session of mowing the lawn that a very bright light suddenly came on.  It was my Blues Brothers moment where I started suddenly shouting "ELWOOD, THE BAND!" with James Brown dancing and shouting "Do you see the light?".

I was never able to quite  understand why the hard righties were so in opposition to women controlling the number of children they produced.  I figured "As an employer, wouldn't it make my life easier to have a work force with no children?"  I understood a lot of what they were doing, but I couldn't figure out that part of the equation.

It was mowing that cleared things up.  The answer is "history".  What do I do for a living?  Why, I "teach history".   Seems as if it would have come to me a lot sooner, but maybe I was just simply trying too hard.

Most of the revolutions in the history of the world were basically about food and shelter.  Only when a population is fairly well taken care of--food, shelter, and other basic needs--will a group of people think about higher, more lofty issues.  Now, if I'm fairly comfortable and secure, I can focus on the loftier ideals.  Look at the founding fathers.  Almost all of them earned a pretty good income and didn't have to worry about their next meal.  This freed them up to think about other matters.

But if I am wanting for basic needs, my focus is completely different.  Freedom and rights are wonderful things, but if I'm living in a cardboard box and eating out of dumpsters, I'm not going to be too focused on matters of proper search and seizure or who is listening in on someone's cell phone.

And here's where the multiplier effect kicks in.  Most people think about their kids first.  So, if I can choke off a woman's right to manage her reproductive organs (not just abortion, but also making birth control harder to attain), just maybe she'll have an extra child or two more than she planned on.  If that happens, I have her (or them), right where I want them.  They are much more likely to trade pay and benefits away for job security.  If the job market is tight, they won't be able to leave, no matter how much they may hate the job or how badly I treat them.  And if they are putting in 60+ hours a week between the full time job and the part time, there won't be any energy or time to consider loftier matters.   I'll have them in a mindset of "existing", and if you are an amoral/immoral employer or political party, that's a wonderful place to have your populace, because they are too tired, stressed or focused on their immediate needs to think about lofty documents like the Constitution and such.  

Where's my proof?  I think back to the events I've been involved in between the recall, elections, etc.  MOST of the people involved were either childless (none at all, or the kids were adults and on their own) or they could be described as "comfortable", meaning they either made a pretty good salary, or had fairly good job security, or both.  How much would I have been able to do had I been working 2+ jobs and was stressing about losing one? 

Time constraints alone would have limited my participation, but even if that wasn't a factor, I can easily see how someone that was worrying about putting ANY food on the table would consider someone picketing over some lofty ideal as "whiners".  I know I've griped about the lack of involvement of low-income people in politics.  I now think this may be why, and I'm going to try to be less critical. 

The forces of the powerful do some things really, really well.  One thing they do best is to find things that we care about--family, work ethic, patriotism, religion, etc--and find a way to use it against us.    How do we fix it?  Man, I'm afraid I'm going to have to mow a lot of grass before I can answer that one.

Green Fire This Friday

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute will present the second edition of it's Summer Film Festival this Friday, July 19th at 7:00 pm with Green Fire, about Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold. Admission is FREE!

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

W2493 County Road ES

Upstairs in the Big Brown Barn

(262) 642-3303

RepubliChronic Wasting Disease

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/06/12144/chronic-wasting-disease-rise-wisconsin-deer-will-it-infect-humans This is very disturbing. But it is also important to remember HOW Chronic wasting Disease got into Wisconsin's deer herd. It was through the Republicon practice of Industry Self Regulation.

You see the Wisconsin deer farm industry is regulated by a board whose members are appointed by the governor. Tommy Thompson thought it would be a good idea to have the deer farm industry regulate itself and so he gave Pandora the Key to the Box by appointing 9 deer farm owners to the 11 member board.

The board members, thinking about their Short-Term Profits instead of the long term health of their industry or our deer herd, let alone the public interest, decided in their infinite wisdom to allow the importation of mule deer from eastern Colorado and western Nebraska, an Area Known to have Widespread CWD infection. Some of the imported deer were infected with CWD and as easy as 1,2,3 the disease spread to our wild white tail deer herd. So thank you Tommy for Your Legacy, the Genie is Out of that Bottle and there's no putting it back, in fact there is no stopping it's spread and Wisconsin's traditional (and highly profitable) deer hunt is on it's way out. It's just a matter of time. We can only hope the prions can't make inter-species leap to humans.

GOPster self regulation? Stupid, just plain Stupid.

BASD Morphed Into Another Gubmint Run Institution!

The above letters to the editor, School Tax Increase Makes Case for Voucher School Expansion by Wayne Raisleger and Walker's Budget is a Slap in the Face to Wisconsin, appeared in the June 27, 2013 Burlington Standard Press and are reposted here, with analysis, as follows below.

Local Mad Hatter Wayne Raisleger is worried about my hard earned money. Bless his heart. He blames our ELECTED Officials for not toeing Gubnah Smug Walkers' Divide and Conquer line by allowing employees of the Burlington Area School District (BASD) to receive a modest pay increase. He goes on to observe that, "Because of their inability to wisely spend your money and make good management decisions, the district has morphed into another government-run institution." Let's see, democratically elected representatives with rule-making and taxing authority, hmmm sounds like the very definition of government to me. But then I admit to being completely incapable of applying Tea Party "logic" to any subject. He probably also wants the Gubmint to keep their hands off his Medicare!

It's the Liberal Elite!

The above letter to the editor, It's the Liberal Elite Who've Taken this Country on the Path to Ruin by admitted Obamaphobe Kathleen Ehlen, appeared in the June 20th 2013 Burlington Standard Press and is reposted here, as with analysis, as follows below.

First of all, the batty scattering above is supposed to be a response to my letter from the previous week which was a slightly edited version of the following BAP blog Post: http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2013/06/gopsters-pile-on-shtuff.html Apparently Ms. Ehlen didn't grasp that my "screed" was not about "the country", but about Wisconsin's Republicon state budget and had nothing whatsoever to do with abortion, birth control, sex education, pornography promiscuity, drugs, alcohol, sexually transmitted diseases or narcissism. I guess somebody is very groin oriented. And yes, I do feel better, it's good to be elite and awesome to be a liberal! Not to mention a person who can use critical thinking and compose a rational "screed" based on actual facts and reasoned argument. Furthermore, if you don't like that I'm a liberal you can go @$#% yourself, because of course what you do in the privacy of your own home is no business of mine.

Walker Hurts Wisconsin Workers

As Gubnah Smug Walker signed the Republicon crafted disaster called the state budget, his selfish, ideological and irresponsible refusal to accept Federal Medicaid funding as part of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare has real consequences for real Wisconsin workers.

A person that I know well works for a non-profit agency that employs hundreds of home healthcare workers. These Wisconsinites perform personal care for disabled citizens in their homes. They do the lifting, bathing, feeding, cleaning and other everyday acts most of us take for granted, that some of our neighbors cannot do for themselves.  The population is aging and these workers will continue to provide vital supports for people who wish to age gracefully and remain in their own homes.We are all potentially one injury or illness away from needing their services. It's a job that comes with hard work, low pay and the requirement to have and maintain a reliable vehicle.
 
The agency's tight budget does not allow them to provide health insurance to these workers who help maintain the health of others. Most of them make just enough over the poverty level (about $11k per year) that they won't qualify for Walker's revised eligibility Badgercare. However, because of the low earnings of these mostly full-time workers, they would have qualified for healthcare coverage under the expanded federal medicaid funding. But because the ideologue in the Gubnah's mansion turned away $120 million federal dollars with Wisconsin's name on it because he thinks he can be president, these hundreds of workers and 85,000 other Wisconsin citizens are $hit Outta Luck!                            

NO HEALTHCARE FOR YOU!