Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The WMC's True Colors Are On Full Display

So let's fill in the current Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce scorecard and see how the state's largest business organization is approaching recent public policy debates in our state.

Here's a hint: The word "No" is pretty operative:

Supporting the Great Lakes Compact - - a regional water management and conservation agreement - - as approved by the State Senate and four of eight Great Lakes legislatures: Against.

Backing clean air monitoring and effective regulation in southeastern Wisconsin, where asthma rates are already high: Against.

Requiring state insurance plans to cover autism and related-illness treatment: Against.

Universal health care coverage in Wisconsin: Against.

Supporting State Supreme Court candidates with long experience or the public interest at heart: Against.

Instituting tax fairness in Wisconsin so that businesses pay an equitable share: Against.

So let's play this out.

The WMC spent millions last year and helped pro-business candidate Annette Ziegler onto the Court.

This year, the WMC is doing the same thing with Burnett County Circuit Court Judge Mike Gableman. His election could give the WMC a working majority on the Court.

So how do you think these senior jurists, our State Supreme Court justices, will rule if clean air, water management, Great Lakes regional issues, health care, or tax fairness/corporate welfare (thanks, Paul Soglin) and development questions come before them, especially if there is a WMC member, or Big Business side to the case?

Let's not be naive: that's why the WMC is pouring millions into State Supreme Court races.

It couldn't knock out Gov. Jim Doyle in 2006. And along with State Senate losses by the GOP that year, too, there is a good chance that the WMC-supported margin in the GOP-controlled State Assembly could fall in November, too.

So packing the State Supreme Court with WMC sycophants is more than an accident, or a fall-back strategy.

It's an effort to get through activist justices - - and let's not let the right co-opt and twist that phrase any longer - - what WMC's lobbyists will have a harder time winning in the more openly-partisan wings of the State Capitol.

If Wisconsin residents want to retain any shred of government-for-the-common good in our state, the WMC's scheme to install Gableman on the State Supreme Court has got to be blocked with the election of incumbent justice Louis Butler of Milwaukee.

Or get ready to have the state's clean air, fresh water and monetary assets given away per the WMC's welfare-for-the-rich agenda.

5 comments:

Jim Bouman said...

Dying Gasp.

WMC will have its day, then its due.

The coming economic debacle will do in these fat cats.

There will be little satisfaction for anyone, as--unfortunately--all of us will take it in the shorts at the same time.

And there will be little consolation in the "harder they fall" schadenfruede.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget:

Supporting healthcare coverage for all residents of Wisconsin. AGAINST

James Rowen said...

D'oh!
Thanks, Betsey: I've added the info. and link.

Anonymous said...

These are the people behind the WMC

Daniel T. Ariens, President & CEO
Ariens Company, Brillion

John Beckord, President
Forward Janesville, Inc., Janesville

Paul Beideman, Chairman & CEO
Associated Banc-Corp., Green Bay

Peter F. Bemis, President & CEO
Bemis Manufacturing Company, Sheboygan Falls

William R. Bertha, President-Wisconsin Market
U.S. Bank, Milwaukee

Sidney H. Bliss, President & CEO
Bliss Communications, Janesville

Thomas J. Boldt, CEO
The Boldt Company, Appleton

David H. Bretting, President & CEO
C. G. Bretting Manufacturing Company, Inc., Ashland

William R. Castle, Jr., Chairman
Castle-Pierce Printing Company, Oshkosh

Timothy L. Christen, CEO
Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP, Madison

David J. Cullen, President & CEO
J. P. Cullen & Sons, Inc., Janesville

Dwight E. Davis, Chairman of the Board & CEO
Greenheck Fan Corporation, Schofield

JosÈ Delgado, President & CEO
American Transmission Company, Pewaukee
Michael J. Dougherty, President & CEO
D & S Manufacturing Company, Inc., Black River Falls

James D. Friedman, Partner
Quarles & Brady, LLP, Milwaukee

Mark F. Furlong, President & CEO
Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, Milwaukee

Jac B. Garner, President & CEO
Webcrafters, Inc., Madison

Dick Granchalek, President
La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, La Crosse

Reed E. Hall, Executive Director
Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield

James S. Haney, President
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Madison

Curtis L. Hoppestad, Factory Manager
John Deere Horicon Works, Horicon

Thomas J. Howatt, President & CEO
Wausau Paper, Mosinee

Paul F. Jadin, President
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Green Bay

John R. Lang, Chairman & CEO
A & E Incorporated, Racine

Tod B. Linstroth, Sr. Partner & Past Chair and Member of Management Committee
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Madison

Richard A. Meeusen, Chairman, President & CEO
Badger Meter, Inc., Milwaukee

Jack D. Michaels, Chairman of the Board
Snap-on Incorporated, Kenosha

William R. Morgan, President
Johnsonville Sausage, LLC, Sheboygan Falls

William C. Parsons, President
Palmer Johnson Enterprises, Inc., Sturgeon Bay

Diane S. Postler-Slattery, Ph.D., President & COO
Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Wausau

Joel Quadraci, President & CEO
Quad/Graphics, Sussex

Larry Rambo, Regional CEO, Great Lakes Region
Humana, Inc., Waukesha

David B. Rayburn, President & CEO
Modine Manufacturing Company, Racine

Jerry G. Ryder, President
InSinkErator Division, Emerson Electric Co., Racine

Edward H. Schaefer, President & CEO
Silver Spring Foods, Inc., Eau Claire

Rajan Sheth, President & CEO
Mead & Hunt, Inc., Madison

Abraham Sleiman, Plant Manager
Hutchinson Technology, Inc., Eau Claire

Jay L. Smith, Chairman & CEO
Teel Plastics, Inc., Baraboo

Thomas L. Spero, Office Managing Partner
Deloitte & Touche LLP, Milwaukee

Jon M. Stellmacher, Executive Vice President &
Chief Administrative Officer
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton

Barbara J. Swan, President
Wisconsin Power & Light Company, Madison

Michael L. Swenson, President & CEO
Northern States Power Company - Wisconsin
An Xcel Energy Company, Eau Claire

Glen E. Tellock, President & CEO
The Manitowoc Company, Inc., Manitowoc

Jeff Thompson, M.D., CEO
Gundersen Lutheran, La Crosse

John B. Torinus Jr., Chairman
Serigraph Inc., West Bend

Gerald Whitburn, Chairman & CEO
Church Mutual Insurance Company, Merrill

David A. Wittwer, President & CEO
TDS Telecom, Madison

James L. Ziemer, President & CEO
Harley-Davidson, Inc., Milwaukee

Anonymous said...

These are the people behind the WMC

Daniel T. Ariens, President & CEO
Ariens Company, Brillion

John Beckord, President
Forward Janesville, Inc., Janesville

Paul Beideman, Chairman & CEO
Associated Banc-Corp., Green Bay

Peter F. Bemis, President & CEO
Bemis Manufacturing Company, Sheboygan Falls

William R. Bertha, President-Wisconsin Market
U.S. Bank, Milwaukee

Sidney H. Bliss, President & CEO
Bliss Communications, Janesville

Thomas J. Boldt, CEO
The Boldt Company, Appleton

David H. Bretting, President & CEO
C. G. Bretting Manufacturing Company, Inc., Ashland

William R. Castle, Jr., Chairman
Castle-Pierce Printing Company, Oshkosh

Timothy L. Christen, CEO
Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP, Madison

David J. Cullen, President & CEO
J. P. Cullen & Sons, Inc., Janesville

Dwight E. Davis, Chairman of the Board & CEO
Greenheck Fan Corporation, Schofield

JosÈ Delgado, President & CEO
American Transmission Company, Pewaukee
Michael J. Dougherty, President & CEO
D & S Manufacturing Company, Inc., Black River Falls

James D. Friedman, Partner
Quarles & Brady, LLP, Milwaukee

Mark F. Furlong, President & CEO
Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, Milwaukee

Jac B. Garner, President & CEO
Webcrafters, Inc., Madison

Dick Granchalek, President
La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, La Crosse

Reed E. Hall, Executive Director
Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield

James S. Haney, President
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Madison

Curtis L. Hoppestad, Factory Manager
John Deere Horicon Works, Horicon

Thomas J. Howatt, President & CEO
Wausau Paper, Mosinee

Paul F. Jadin, President
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Green Bay

John R. Lang, Chairman & CEO
A & E Incorporated, Racine

Tod B. Linstroth, Sr. Partner & Past Chair and Member of Management Committee
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Madison

Richard A. Meeusen, Chairman, President & CEO
Badger Meter, Inc., Milwaukee

Jack D. Michaels, Chairman of the Board
Snap-on Incorporated, Kenosha

William R. Morgan, President
Johnsonville Sausage, LLC, Sheboygan Falls

William C. Parsons, President
Palmer Johnson Enterprises, Inc., Sturgeon Bay

Diane S. Postler-Slattery, Ph.D., President & COO
Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Wausau

Joel Quadraci, President & CEO
Quad/Graphics, Sussex

Larry Rambo, Regional CEO, Great Lakes Region
Humana, Inc., Waukesha

David B. Rayburn, President & CEO
Modine Manufacturing Company, Racine

Jerry G. Ryder, President
InSinkErator Division, Emerson Electric Co., Racine

Edward H. Schaefer, President & CEO
Silver Spring Foods, Inc., Eau Claire

Rajan Sheth, President & CEO
Mead & Hunt, Inc., Madison

Abraham Sleiman, Plant Manager
Hutchinson Technology, Inc., Eau Claire

Jay L. Smith, Chairman & CEO
Teel Plastics, Inc., Baraboo

Thomas L. Spero, Office Managing Partner
Deloitte & Touche LLP, Milwaukee

Jon M. Stellmacher, Executive Vice President &
Chief Administrative Officer
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton

Barbara J. Swan, President
Wisconsin Power & Light Company, Madison

Michael L. Swenson, President & CEO
Northern States Power Company - Wisconsin
An Xcel Energy Company, Eau Claire

Glen E. Tellock, President & CEO
The Manitowoc Company, Inc., Manitowoc

Jeff Thompson, M.D., CEO
Gundersen Lutheran, La Crosse

John B. Torinus Jr., Chairman
Serigraph Inc., West Bend

Gerald Whitburn, Chairman & CEO
Church Mutual Insurance Company, Merrill

David A. Wittwer, President & CEO
TDS Telecom, Madison

James L. Ziemer, President & CEO
Harley-Davidson, Inc., Milwaukee