Rep. Kleefisch Opened Bill-Drafting To Self-Interested Wealthy Donor
[Reposted from 1/11/14, in light of the uproar over a Wisconsin budget amendment slipped in at the last minute a few days ago without a transparent sponsor that would keep records like these - - and many more - - secret]
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For the love of God: Are there any standards of fair play and righteous behavior left in this administration?
Is there any special interest that isn't given an inside track, that isn't allowed to play or pitch or profit from an angle - - sand mining, WEDC borrowers, iron mining, private Choice schools, gun interests, road-builders, wolf-and-bear hunters, etc, et al, ad nauseum?
Remember that Walker promoted a special bill just a few days after his inauguration to let a developer fill a wetland near Lambeau Field? That was bad...but this documented story by Dee Hall in The Wisconsin State Journal stopped me in my tracks.
And shame on Assembly leaders if they lift a finger to bring the bill to the floor, and more shame on any legislator who would do anything other than shove it through a shredder, and especially to Kleefisch for handing over the public legislative process to a single person with such a personal motive.
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For the love of God: Are there any standards of fair play and righteous behavior left in this administration?
Is there any special interest that isn't given an inside track, that isn't allowed to play or pitch or profit from an angle - - sand mining, WEDC borrowers, iron mining, private Choice schools, gun interests, road-builders, wolf-and-bear hunters, etc, et al, ad nauseum?
Remember that Walker promoted a special bill just a few days after his inauguration to let a developer fill a wetland near Lambeau Field? That was bad...but this documented story by Dee Hall in The Wisconsin State Journal stopped me in my tracks.
A controversial bill that would allow high-income parents to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars a year in child support was written with the help of a wealthy donor to the bill’s author, Rep. Joel Kleefisch.
The Oconomowoc Republican acknowledged Friday that Michael Eisenga, a multimillionaire business owner, and his attorney helped write the bill, which could pave the way for Eisenga to force the court to reopen his divorce settlement...
The bill drafting records, which include emails, letters and handwritten notes, show Eisenga and his attorney, William Smiley of Portage, made numerous suggestions for changes to the bill aimed at helping Eisenga lower his child-support payments...
Call it The Axis of Access.Eisenga donated the maximum amount allowed under law six times to Kleefisch, the [Wisconsin Democracy Campaign] database shows, for a total of $3,500. He also gave $7,500 to Kleefisch’s wife, Rebecca, who is the lieutenant governor, and $15,000 to Gov. Scott Walker.
And shame on Assembly leaders if they lift a finger to bring the bill to the floor, and more shame on any legislator who would do anything other than shove it through a shredder, and especially to Kleefisch for handing over the public legislative process to a single person with such a personal motive.
13 comments:
What I find absolutely striking is the fact that the donor involved also, just miraculously, happens to be the person that found a job for Kelly Rindlfleisch after she found herself out of a job post Walker. http://democurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2012/05/john-does-kelly-rindfleisch-now-has.html
Also don't forget how Kleefisch asked the DNR to back off of Herr Environmental for spreading human waste all over Oconomowoc.
Is being a dishonest cronyist a requirement to being a GOP politician in Walkershaw County? Sure seems like it
"Are there any standards?" NO! As Bob Dylan said, money doesn't talk, it swears.
"Are there any standards of fair play and righteous behavior left in this administration?"
James, that falsely assumes that they were there in the first place!
Fitzgerald admitted that Gtac wrote the new mining bill..so what's new?
Don Pridemore will be on board with this, count on it.
http://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/2015/07/03/uproar-proposal-curtail-public-records-laws-wisconsin/29672835/
The URL directly above says: "The Joint Finance Committee passed it 12-4 on a party line vote. Republicans refused to say who initiated the measures and the reasoning for it."
The four Democrats who were involved must know who initiated the measure. Could someone in the press ask them for details?
Wait, WISGOP is pro-life, pro-child right? This is why Walker de-funded Planned Parenthood clinics, signed the vaginal probe bill, signed the 20 week abortion bill, expanded school choice...all for the kiddos. That is unless a wealthy sperm donor doesn't want to pay for the kids he created.
Absolutely pathetic WI. Can't you see Walker's game or are all WI Republican voters just in it for themselves and screw everybody else?
Got news for you - Walker can't rule the kingdom forever. You can kiss you special benefits ala Walker bye bye.
It will be interesting to see how Republican elected officials are received at Fourth of July parades tomorrow . . .
Dem. Rep Gordon Hintz tweeted this today:
JFC GOP made it clear to us that @GovWalker signed off on motions INCLUDING OPEN RECORDS CHANGES after crossing out what he'd veto #opengov
Gordon Hintz was saying today that the GOPs told him that Walker was totally OK with having those open records items in the motion, and that Walker would NOT veto it.
Either the GOPs on Joint Finance are lying, they're even bigger morons than they appear, or Walker is trying to throw them under the bus because this provision got caught and has pissed off the public. I'd believe any if these conclusions.
UNFIT FOR OFFICE
I think Walker was behind it so that as of July 1 and just prior to his announcing he would be able to control all information and all people whom he couldn't control from negatively impacting his campaign. Even with this blow back he can veto it and sell himself nationally as the "champion of the people" by freeing up access to public records that had been denied by over zealous legislators! However all of us must demand that the parties responsible for slipping this into the budget are named and must be made accountable to the public. If Luther Olson can be trusted he said Vos and Fitz were supporters of the denial of access to public records and they must take questions from the media. Finally Nygren and Darling must be called out and not allowed to hide from the media as to their role and their denial of knowing who or whom proposed the policy change. If need be occupy the Capitol and demand that the truth about this and all the crap slipped into the budget at the 11th hour be removed and those responsible be called out in public!
There is a simple explanation. The Joint Finance republicans are liars and thieves who wish to hide behind the cloak of secrecy to steal from the public and hide their crimes. We will remember who collectively bent us over and stuck it to us.
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