Wisconsin, hedged
It occurs to me that what happened to the financial environment a few years ago is similar to what's happening in Wisconsin's political landscape right now, too.
Wall Streeters crashed the economy because the rules were changed and regulators took a snooze and shady people on the inside mucked around in investments and parts of the playing field from which they'd previously been barred for the common good.
Everyday people who had no role in changing the rules paid a heavy price when hedge fund owners and other self-important smarty-pants collapsed the system.
In Wisconsin, some big donations previously barred from campaigns were freed to pour in after the Citizens United decision began relaxing rules adopted for the common good.
Formerly-secret strategic coordination between big-dollar donor organizations to further multiply their influence with the Walker and other GOP recall campaigns is also alleged to have taken place.
Walker won re-election in 2012. He and his party now control all three branches of government and people already with great wealth and power have compounded their advantages in Wisconsin.
And who's paying a heavy price for the legal and campaign financing distortions which have kept Walker in control?
Control which, had the US Supreme Court not intervened against voter ID, would have tipped the re-election campaign his way yet again - - this time by obstructing the ballots of tens, hundreds of thousands of people in a close election sure to vote against him?
Low-income citizens Walker has booted off BadgerCare insurance. Transit riders. Public school teachers and pupils. Women now without access to Planned Parenthood health care clinics. Food stamp recipients whose assistance Walker has limited.
And Main Street Wisconsin business owners and employees taken down by the ripple effects of the ideological and partisan misuse of law and power - - Walker's signature move - - known as Act 10.
They are the equivalents of the small investors, lower-income homeowners and everyday middle-class workers nationally, and here, too, who got pounded by and will never recover fully from the Great Recession.
Change the rules on Wall Street - - people with relatively less money and power took the short-and-long-term hits.
Changes the rules on campaign finance - - and how state campaign finance laws in Wisconsin are applied and investigated - - and people with relatively less money and power will be again be submerged.
Call it Wisconsin, hedged. A democratic train wreck, intentionally, for partisan gain and Walker's personal agenda.
And always follow the money, like this particular $1 million hedge fund nexus.
Given the GOP's gerrymandered control of the Legislature, the wealthy right's majority power on the State Supreme Court, and the possibility that voter ID will be reinstated next year by the US Supreme Court, the Wisconsin gubernatorial election November 4th is really the last chance here for people to restore a semblance of balance, democracy and fair play.
Wall Streeters crashed the economy because the rules were changed and regulators took a snooze and shady people on the inside mucked around in investments and parts of the playing field from which they'd previously been barred for the common good.
Everyday people who had no role in changing the rules paid a heavy price when hedge fund owners and other self-important smarty-pants collapsed the system.
In Wisconsin, some big donations previously barred from campaigns were freed to pour in after the Citizens United decision began relaxing rules adopted for the common good.
Formerly-secret strategic coordination between big-dollar donor organizations to further multiply their influence with the Walker and other GOP recall campaigns is also alleged to have taken place.
Walker won re-election in 2012. He and his party now control all three branches of government and people already with great wealth and power have compounded their advantages in Wisconsin.
And who's paying a heavy price for the legal and campaign financing distortions which have kept Walker in control?
Control which, had the US Supreme Court not intervened against voter ID, would have tipped the re-election campaign his way yet again - - this time by obstructing the ballots of tens, hundreds of thousands of people in a close election sure to vote against him?
Low-income citizens Walker has booted off BadgerCare insurance. Transit riders. Public school teachers and pupils. Women now without access to Planned Parenthood health care clinics. Food stamp recipients whose assistance Walker has limited.
And Main Street Wisconsin business owners and employees taken down by the ripple effects of the ideological and partisan misuse of law and power - - Walker's signature move - - known as Act 10.
They are the equivalents of the small investors, lower-income homeowners and everyday middle-class workers nationally, and here, too, who got pounded by and will never recover fully from the Great Recession.
Change the rules on Wall Street - - people with relatively less money and power took the short-and-long-term hits.
Changes the rules on campaign finance - - and how state campaign finance laws in Wisconsin are applied and investigated - - and people with relatively less money and power will be again be submerged.
Call it Wisconsin, hedged. A democratic train wreck, intentionally, for partisan gain and Walker's personal agenda.
And always follow the money, like this particular $1 million hedge fund nexus.
Given the GOP's gerrymandered control of the Legislature, the wealthy right's majority power on the State Supreme Court, and the possibility that voter ID will be reinstated next year by the US Supreme Court, the Wisconsin gubernatorial election November 4th is really the last chance here for people to restore a semblance of balance, democracy and fair play.
2 comments:
Yet he has conned those that vote for him that others [teachers and public employees] were the cause of the economic hardships they were or were not facing; when in reality the great recession was hurting everyone. He sold them that Act 10 was the answer and he continues to tell the people that government workers are continuing to be advantaged. All many people have come to care about is that someone be punished and their life will become better. Not true but they continue to believe that government should not be about helping people but rather it exists to punish those lazing food stamp using drug abusers!
Speaking of campaign finance matters, Randa ruled again today:
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/1014crgvbarland_01.pdf
I am starting to wonder if he's implicated in the John Doe documents, and that's why he's so eager to kill the case. (?) Maybe he should recuse himself, since he is widely believed to have done a poor job on the last go-around.
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