Friday, December 9, 2011

Mining Bill Will Hurt Walker With Several Constituencies; Also Up North

Because this blog is called The Political Environment, let's make the point that the Assembly's mining bill to fast=track new mines - - rushed for a vote at the behest of one mining company and o beat the potential defeat of Scott Walker in a 2012 recall election - - will only hasten Walker's fall and the loss of the Senate Senate.

Why?

Because the bill goes far beyond just greasing the skids for the iron mine proposed near Ashland - - and that's bad enough, as State Sen. Bob Jauch, (D-Poplar) put it:

Senate mining committee member Robert Jauch, D-Poplar, called the bill a "trojan horse" that differs little from the original mining bill drafted earlier this year.

"The only difference between the first and second bills is that the first was written by and for the mining company," Jauch said. "This one is written by the Assembly Republicans for the mining company."

- - the bill jeopardizes water and wetland quality throughout the entire state.

Anybody who enjoys the natural world, or who hunts, or fishes, or who boats, canoes or swims, or who runs a recreational business on or near the water in our water-rich state will be outraged by the bill, and at the Walker toadies' carrying his water at the expense of water rights guaranteed in perpetuity for the public enjoyment in the Wisconsin state constitution's Public Trust Doctrine.

These lines from the Journal Sentinel story sum up how the mining bill is going to unite a lot of people north and south, urban and rural - - against Walker and the legislators pushing an outrageous giveaway:

...Assembly Republicans unveiled legislation Thursday to ease water protections, lighten restrictions on waste rock disposal and demand the state Department of Natural Resources speed up its review process.

The bill would also eliminate the ability of citizens to challenge a DNR decision through a hearing process as a first step before a possible lawsuit in state court....

The wide-ranging bill would, for the first time, create laws governing iron mining while leaving the state's metallic mining laws intact...

Also, it would ease numerous existing protections for wetlands, groundwater and waterways.

I wonder when the DNR will take down its description of the Public Trust Doctrine, as the Assembly bill guts the Doctrine's history and intent - - which is the primacy of the public interest and the obligation of the DNR to intervene to protect it.

You might want to access and copy it for historical purposes, and later for laughs and tears.

Here is the full DNR web page text:

The Public Trust Doctrine

Wisconsin's Waters Belong to Everyone

Wisconsin lakes and rivers are public resources, owned in common by all Wisconsin citizens under the state's Public Trust Doctrine. Based on the state constitution, this doctrine has been further defined by case law and statute. It declares that all navigable waters are "common highways and forever free", and held in trust by the Department of Natural Resources.

Assures Public Rights in Waters

Wisconsin citizens have pursued legal and legislative action to clarify or change how this body of law is interpreted and implemented. Watch how their efforts have benefitted all Wisconsinites: "Champions of the Public Trust" [VIDEO length: 28:02]

As a result, the public interest, once primarily interpreted to protect public rights to transportation on navigable waters, has been broadened to include protected public rights to water quality and quantity, recreational activities, and scenic beauty.(1)

All Wisconsin citizens have the right to boat, fish, hunt, ice skate, and swim on navigable waters, as well as enjoy the natural scenic beauty of navigable waters, and enjoy the quality and quantity of water that supports those uses.(2)

Wisconsin law recognizes that owners of lands bordering lakes and rivers - "riparian" owners - hold rights in the water next to their property.

These riparian rights include the use of the shoreline, reasonable use of the water, and a right to access the water.

However, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court has ruled that when conflicts occur between the rights of riparian owners and public rights, the public's rights are primary and the riparian owner's secondary.(1)

What are Wisconsin's stream and lake access laws?

Wisconsin's Public Trust Doctrine requires the state to intervene to protect public rights in the commercial or recreational use of navigable waters.

The DNR, as the state agent charged with this responsibility, can do so through permitting requirements for water projects, through court action to stop nuisances in navigable waters, and through statutes authorizing local zoning ordinances that limit development along navigable waterways.

The court has ruled that DNR staff, when they review projects that could impact Wisconsin lakes and rivers, must consider the cumulative impacts of individual projects in their decisions.

"A little fill here and there may seem to be nothing to become excited about. But one fill, though comparatively inconsequential, may lead to another, and another, and before long a great body may be eaten away until it may no longer exist. Our navigable waters are a precious natural heritage, once gone, they disappear forever," wrote the Wisconsin State Supreme Court justices in their opinion resolving Hixon v. PSC.(2)

Sources:
(1) Quick, John. 1994. The Public Trust Doctrine in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Environmental Law Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1.
(2) "Champions of the Public Trust, A History of Water Use in Wisconsin" study guide. 1995. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Water Regulation and Zoning. Champions of the Public Trust - PDF 1,390kb

For more information, contact:
Dale Simon, Waterway Protection Section
Bureau of Watershed Management
(608) 267-9868

Last Revised: Monday January 24 2011

In WalkerWorld, Workers Lose, Hedgefund Clients Win

Call it a win for the 1% at the expense of the 99%. Right here in rural Wisconsin.

In the Marathon County Village of Brokaw, WI, a paper mill that is 100 years old is being closed.

The Brokaw mill is owned by Wausau Paper, company, Mosinee, the last such company headquartered in Wisconsin, the company says.

450 workers will lose their jobs when the plant shuts down in a few months.

The Wausau Daily Herald reported that the plant had lost money for several years.

There's a slide show of the plant, here.

Big plant in a very small town.

The Village of Brokaw has about 300 residents, with an average per capita income of about $30,000, and average home valuation of about $95,000, data show.

Things had been tough in Brokaw even before the plant closing announcement; the Village website says it nearly disincorporated.

Sounds like 99-percenters' territory.

In 2010, the top individual at the company, Wausau Paper President and CEO Thomas J. Howatt earned total compensation of $4,543,993, according to the proxy statement available at this company website.

And it's Board Chairman, San Orr, is also on the Board of Directors of the Bradley Foundation.
And no one doubts the position of the Foundation in the growth and impact of conservative agendas in both the state and country, as the Journal Sentinel recently cataloged.

Solidly 1% all-'round, I reckon.

The Wausau Daily Herald also reports that a hedge fund had pushed to close the plant.

New York-based hedgefund Starboard Value, Wausau Paper's largest shareholder, said in a letter filed with federal regulators this summer that the company should sell the printing and writing business.

Starboard was founded in March of this year.

It controls assets worth $251 million, manages 11 accounts and has 6-10 employees.

At the tippy-top of the 1%.

Here is the Starboard Value Fund home page content.

How many light years away is Starboard from the real world in Brokaw?

Thursday, December 8, 2011

A Reminder About Lt. Gov. Kleefisch: Her Recall Is Crucial, Too

Dom Noth makes the case. Fine writing, as usual.

Scott Walker, The Daily Whopper And Talk Radio

Walker tells a Madison TV station that recall volunteers are being paid, then can't back it up.

Hey, where's my check?

This is another example of Walker behaving like every interviewer is a conservative talk radio host, in a fact-free spin zone, where the guest can say anything to stir up the base...and then the quote disappears into the ether.

Walker is so unprepared for the big stage.

PolitiFact needs a special, Walker-inspired category, as his inability or unwillingness to be truthful, already a habit, is only going to get worse in his recall-election desperation.

May I suggest, "Whopper." And not the sandwich or the candy.

That would be a lie.

Bad River Band Excoriates Assembly Over Fast-Tracked Mining Bill

MEDIA RELEASE FROM BAD RIVER BAND ON FAST-TRACKED MINING BILL

For Release: December 8, 2011
Contact: Mike Wiggins, Jr., Tribal Chairman (715) 682-7111;

Glenn Stoddard, attorney for the Band (715)864-3057,

glennstoddard@gmail.com

BAD RIVER BAND OF LAKE SUPERIOR TRIBE

OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS RESPONSE TO PROPOSED MINING LEGISLATION

TO BE ANNOUNCED BY MEMBERS OF THE WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians (“Band”) is very concerned about the announcement by members of the Wisconsin Assembly that a mining bill will be rushed through the Assembly during the holiday season, without substantial opportunity for participation by the public or government-to-government consultations with Wisconsin Indian tribes.

The Band has the following comments and observations, according to Mike Wiggins, Jr., Chairman of the Band:

While mining industry advocates argue that new laws that help the mining industry are needed to create jobs, there is no credible evidence from independent sources showing that mining will lead to sustainable jobs and economic development in Wisconsin.

Instead, the evidence from around the world and from past mining activities in Wisconsin and neighboring states shows that mining leads to a boom to bust cycle of economic activity that does not support long-term economic prosperity.

Equally important, mining may destroy many more local jobs related to the very large tourism, farming and commercial fishing sectors of northern Wisconsin’s economy, while creating only a relatively small number of short-term jobs in the mining sector.

It remains unclear how many jobs will be created for Wisconsinites, rather than out-of-state workers already skilled in mining-related jobs; it is also unclear whether mining companies will commit to train local workers or if local governments will be expected to finance this training.

Local communities situated near mining operations may be subjected to air and water pollution that leads to chronic illnesses and the need for long-term cleanup.

The public health impact and other economic impacts of mining on local communities must be carefully studied before Wisconsin undertakes any efforts to streamline the mining permitting process.

We emphasize that Wisconsin laws meant to protect people and the environment should not be rewritten to benefit a single out-of-state company, especially where there has been no independent analysis of the economic impact of an enormous open-pit mine and taconite processing facility on the region as a whole.

As a responsible government and largest employer in Ashland County, the Band believes in the importance of supporting existing industries and employers and hopes the legislature will slow its drive to support an out-of-state company and focus instead on supporting its local communities and business-owners.

First, the Band’s position on proposed iron mining legislation is that such legislation should be based on sound science and sound legal principles.

Second, the Band opposes the proposals that were included in LRB 2035, which, like now, was scheduled for a hearing only days after the 180-page technical document was made available to the public. The recommendations in LRB 2035 proposed to weaken the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”) permitting process and hamper public participation. The Band opposes any similar legislation that may be introduced at this time.

Third, it is the Band’s position that there is no need for a change in current law to address iron mining because the state’s mining laws already cover all metallic mining, not just sulfide mining.

Fourth, the current mining laws in Wisconsin were written to level the playing field through a consensus process based on science and legal principles. These principles included protecting the environment and protecting local communities from adverse economic impacts. These are important principles that should not be forgotten or abandoned.

Fifth, the state’s timeline for permitting mining applications is no longer than that of neighboring states and should not be shortened merely to please a single, out-of-state company that wants to rush a huge open-pit mine through the approval process.

Finally, it is the Band’s steadfast position that any new proposals to change Wisconsin’s metallic mining laws should include the following ten principles, which the Band previously presented to the governor and released to the public in September of this year.

The ten principles proposed by the Band are:

1. THE DEFINITION OF IRON MINING SHOULD BE CLEARLY SET FORTH TO EXCLUDE ANY PROJECT PROPOSAL THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE ACID MINE DRAINAGE.

           2. THE COMPLETENESS OF IRON MINING PERMIT APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE CLEARLY DEFINED AND THE BURDEN OF PREPARING AND SUBMITTING A COMPLETE APPLICATION SHOULD BE ENTIRELY ON THE PERMIT APPLICANT.

               3. THE PERMITTING TIME FRAME SHOULD BE REASONABLE, FLEXIBLE, AND CONSISTENT WITH FEDERAL AGENCY TIME FRAMES. IT SHOULD ALSO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT TIME FOR THE DNR, THE PUBLIC, FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND AFFECTED INDIAN TRIBES, TO FULLY REVIEW AND PARTICIPATE IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS.

            4. EXISTING WETLAND PROTECTION STANDARDS SHOULD BE MAINTAINED AND THE FEDERAL/STATE PARTNERSHIP IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS UNDER STATE AND FEDERAL LAW SHOULD NOT BE JEOPARDIZED.

              5. FEDERAL CLEAN WATER ACT IMPLEMENTATION BY THE DNR SHOULD BE CORRECTED AND NOT WEAKENED.

            6. THERE SHOULD BE CONTESTED CASE HEARINGS TO ALLOW FULL PARTICIPATION BY INTERESTED PARTIES, INCLUDING INDIAN TRIBES.

                  7. THERE SHOULD BE NO PREEMPTION OF LOCAL CONTROL.

               8. CITIZEN SUITS SHOULD BE MAINTAINED TO MAKE SURE PERMIT PROVISIONS AND LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON NEW MINES WILL BE ENFORCED.

            9. CONSULTATION WITH INDIAN TRIBES BY THE DNR SHOULD BE REQUIRED AS PART OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS.

            10. INTERESTED PARTY FINANCING SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE CONTESTED CASE HEARING PROCESS.

Another Day, Another "False" PolitiFact Rating For Walker

I could write that headline just about any old day, as Walker racks up #27 out of 39 statements vetted by PolitiFact with the word "false" in its description.

My new conclusion, along with the talk radio effect: he doesn't give a rip.

Assembly Mining Bill Eases Standards, Reviews, Environmental Expectations

Per the Legislative Reference Bureau: The bold-facing is mine. The resources to be compromised are yours.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
OVERVIEW

Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulates mining for metallic minerals. The laws under which DNR regulates metallic mining apply to mining for ferrous minerals (iron) and mining for nonferrous minerals, such as copper or zinc.

This bill creates new statutes for regulating iron mining and modifies the current laws regulating metallic mining so that they cover only mining for nonferrous minerals.

Under current law, a person who proposes to mine for metallic minerals must obtain a mining permit and any other permit, license, certification, or other authorization (approval) that is required under the environmental and natural resources laws, other than the mining laws, for example, wastewater discharge permits, high capacity well approvals, and water quality certifications for wetlands.

Under the bill, a person who proposes to mine for iron ore must obtain an iron mining permit. The person must obtain some of the approvals under other environmental and natural resources laws, for example, wastewater discharge permits, but the bill provides new approvals in lieu of some current approvals, for example, high capacity well approvals and water quality certifications for wetlands. The standards and procedures for granting, and the requirements related to, an iron mining permit and the other new approvals differ in some respects from the standards, procedures, and requirements under current law, as described below.

Current law requires DNR to promulgate rules specifying standards for metallic mining and for the reclamation of mining sites.

The rules relating to mining must contain standards for grading and stabilization, backfilling, vegetative cover, prevention of pollution resulting from leaching of waste materials, and prevention of significant environmental pollution.

The rules relating to reclamation must contain provisions for disposal of wastes in disposal facilities licensed under the solid waste laws or otherwise in an environmentally sound manner, for management of runoff so as to prevent soil erosion, flooding, and water pollution, and for minimization of disturbance to wetlands. DNR has promulgated rules on these matters.

The bill places standards for iron mining and for the reclamation of iron mining sites in the statutes, rather than requiring rule−making. The standards in the bill are similar in many respects to DNR’s current rules and are less stringent in other respects.

Wisconsin Mining Bill Rewrites Coming Today

Get ready later today for the fast-tracked redrafted giveaways of the state's water resources from our special-interest obeisant Legislature, regardless of the Constitutional protections under Article IX - - The Public Trust Doctrine.

More later.

Background here.

Judiciary Hands Wisconsin Republicans A Setback

A judicial panel knocks down a first domino.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Wisconsin GOP Legislators Open To Amtrak Job Creation - - In Chicago

You want to know just how fouled-up Wisconsin's Republican legislative leadership has become because of anti-rail, talk-radio driven rhetoric?

Legislators cheered Scott Walker's dismissal of $810 million in federal Amtrak funds for an extension to Madison.

Remember's Walker's Stop The Train website?

Governor Doyle and Secretary La Hood say we can't stop the train. I say, just watch us.

Sincerely,

Scott Walker

Yes, everyone watched! Big success!

And then - - D'Oh!...Oops...Jeez...they discovered that those same dollars for the train they just stopped were also to cover some needed Milwaukee station and service improvements - - on a line the Republican establishment in Milwaukee just loves - - plus for maintenance and employment, too.

So Walker tried to get back on the rails and have that portion refunded, but the train had left the station, and off the funding went to other states, including...Illinois.

So now the Wisconsin legislature - - still with talk radio in their collective right ears - - is balking at fully-funding those Milwaukee-Chicago-upgrades and Milwaukee facility improvements because the money would have to come from just the state.

From the same taxpayers who got screwed out of the Amtrak extension so Mark Belling and Charlie Sykes could stay placated, and, in turn, lavish constant praise on everything with an (R) after it.

Being trapped in contradiction with illogical outcomes is precisely what happens when you turn down jobs and federal dollars to meet ideologically-based campaign promises and talk radio rating points, as Milwaukee developer Gary Granau said emphatically to The Shepherd:

"There's no better place for Milwaukee to be than to be linked to Chicago and linked to Madison," Grunau said. "When [high-speed rail] does get built, the people in Iowa are going to fight like hell for it to come from Chicago to Dubuque to Minneapolis. We're going to be sitting out at the end of the pier with nobody to talk to. And it scares the hell out of me..."

Grunau blamed talk radio's Charlie Sykes and Mark Belling for calling high-speed rail a "boondoggle," which Walker echoed during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign. But Grunau argued that Walker's embrace of the talk-radio-informed base and the governor's repeated criticism of Illinois would hurt Wisconsin's economic opportunities for generations.

Which has led the Joint Finance Committee to say it is open to letting some of that Milwaukee Amtrak work - - and remember, Amtrak that runs to and through Milwaukee is among the most successful service in the entire country - - go instead to an existing Amtrak facility in Chicago, or killing a maintenance facility always planned for Milwaukee, reports the Journal Sentinel.

But the Republican-dominated panel also ordered the department to study the costs of using Amtrak's current facilities in Chicago, or of scrapping the project, instead of spending $43 million to $62 million to build a new maintenance base in Milwaukee.

So to sum up: first we in Wisconsin lose a federally-financed, money-in-hand rail extension to Madison, along with construction funds and jobs, to more rail-friendly, employment-savvy, common-sensical states, including Illinois - - and now the Wisconsin legislature is considering further short-changing state taxpayers and the highly successful and loyal Hiawatha line ridership by letting good, blue-collar Amtrak servicing jobs migrate to Chicago.

Just like the wind turbine business blocked in Wisconsin by Walker's early rule-dabbling that was made attractive to Illinois.

Is there some secret deal between Wisconsin's Republicans and Illinois job-creators to export manufacturing south of the state line?

Racine Thinking Like A Lake Michigan City

Journal Times calls for energy conservation, wet industry focus.

Scott Walker Words, Deeds Create Honesty Frame For Recall

There are many elements to the case against Walker - - the sudden and sweeping union-busting, his corruption of the environment, disregard for low-income workers, children and the elderly, and trashing of electoral procedures and First Amendment rights.

I have been arguing that there is a fundamental character issue involved, too, and I am glad to see it rising to the surface.

It has been reinforced by PolitiFact: The scorecard - - 38 Statements Walker Vetted, 26 rated "Mostly False"..."False"...or "Pants On Fire."

Also a repeat theme on this blog.

Wisconsin's Gov. Falsehood Strikes Again

Noted by multiple outlets.

Media Coast-To-Coast Spotted Scott Walker's Deviousness

And now driven home by potential Walker recall election opponent Kathleen Falk.

Walker has not been honest

SEWRPC Annual Dinner Today At Private Firm

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission holds at taxpayer expense an annual dinner for Commissioners and some senior staff.following its regular final quarterly public meeting.

During a recent five-year period, the average dinner cost was $1,060, according to SEWRPC.

The dinner is on again this year, though with a bit lower profile - - but is this the right way to spend the public's money in a rough economy?

The Commission receives 100% of its annual funding from public sources: the largest donor to the agency's operating budget is Milwaukee County, one of seven counties that make up the agency's region.

Milwaukee County routinely transfers more than $800,000 to the Pewaukee-based body.

In recent years, the dinner has been held at the University Club, with a budget of about $1,000. Past menus have included beef tenderloin and truffle cake.

Information over the past few years is here, or here.

In response to a request from this blog, Executive Director Ken Yunker confirmed that this year's dinner, with a similar budget, will be held.

On December 2nd, Yunker wrote:

The Commission will be paying the cost of the dinner. The dinner is being arranged by the Commissioner hosting the meeting. The dinner budget would be similar to previous years.

This notice appears on the Commission's website.

NOTICE OF MEETING SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION QUARTERLY MEETING
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 3:00 p.m.
Zimmerman Architectural Studios, Inc. 2122 W. Mt. Vernon Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53233

In a November 29th email, Yunker described the event this way:

The December Commission meeting will be hosted by one of the Commissioners at his offices in Milwaukee County. The annual awards gathering and refreshments/dinner will immediately follow the meeting at that location.

In its rather obtuse style, SEWRPC's website - - though recently upgraded - - still does not provide extensive biographical information about its Commissioners, though this news story indicates that David Stroik is the CEO at Zimmermann, and David Stroik is a SEWRPC Commissioner from Washington County.

In an email on December 8th, 2009 on the subject, Yunker wrote:

The event welcomes new Commissioners and recognizes the service of those leaving the Commission.

Here is the SEWRPC link to the Commission membership roster, meeting notice and agenda.

The dinner is not referenced in those files, and I do not know if the dinner would constitute a public meeting/extension of the Quarterly meeting, though Yunker's emails indicate that Commission matters make up some portion of the dinner's purpose.

In his December 8th, 2009 email, Yunker said "Fourteen Commissioners" attended that year's dinner, which would have been a quorum of the 21-member Commission.

Deer Hunting Season Dangerous For Wolves

Seven shot dead.

Mistaken identity or willful killing?

The state wants wolves removed from federal hunting protection, but is this the way to make the case?

Advance Permission For Protests? Are We In Russia, Or Wisconsin?

This and the rest of the Walker administration's latest effort to squash basic rights can't be constitutional.

The [new] rules require groups of four or more people demonstrating in the statehouse to have permits and request them three days in advance...

Under the policy unveiled last week, Walker's administration also could hold demonstrators at the Capitol liable for the cost of extra police or cleanup and repairs after protests.

Free speech and assembly are just that - - free...speech...and...free...assembly.

Says the Wisconsin Constitution, Article I:

SECTION 3. Every person may freely speak, write and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right, and no laws shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press.

SECTION 4. 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.

Bearing witness against government policies and officials by groups made up of few as four individuals together (Roommates? Pew mates? Family members?) should not have to be planned days in advance, then approved after begging the very authorities whose policies are being protested.

And who can jail you for failing for protesting without their permitting approval.

Or who can hand you a bill for their time if they so graciously allow your protest, and presumably arrest and jail you, too, if you do not or cannot pay their charges.

Talk about pay to play.

Maybe Putin's policies are the model for the Walkerite opponents of free speech and assembly.

Note this line in the second paragraph of a Reuters story about demostrations in Russia:

Police said they had detained about 250 people in central Moscow when they tried to stage an unapproved rally..

And by the way; why are Republicans in Madison so comfortable with political practice imported from Moscow?

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Sun-Times Pay Wall, With A Mandatory Sub After 20 Free Visits Monthly?

Sounds like a loser to me.

After 20 views, readers will be required to subscribe.

Print subscribers will be offered a rate of $1.99 every four weeks. Online-only subscribers will pay $6.99 every four weeks, or about $78 annually.

More Belling Yelling, Perpetually

Righty talker Mark Belling kicked off his show on 1130 WISN-AM this afternoon attacking "perpetually angry" public employees, and then addressed these so-called "belligerent...obstinate" people angrily for at least the next 40 minutes.

More high-decibel contradiction - - ironic, and par for the course.

Charlie Sykes Set To Attack Lena Taylor At 10:17 A.M.

Those of you not familiar with righty attack talk radio might want to tune into AM 620 WTMJ right now.

The backstory is a recent right-wing attack on Taylor that backfired. So the Right's solution is distracting through more attacking.

This corrosion is a daily feature in this part of the state on the two largest AM stations.

Media Coast-To-Coast Spotted Scott Walker's Deviousness

More for your "Scott Walker Truthiness Troubles" archive:

* The opinion editor at US News & World Report saw it early.

* As did Media Matters.

* So did The Washington Post, and it used video of a waffling but finally grudgingly confessional Walker on Capitol Hill to underscore it.

* Huffington Post joined the party.

* As has The Capital Times.

* And here at this modest blog, we've followed it all year long.

Going back to February, the first two of 73 Walker/PolitiFact/Truthiness on my blog, are here and here.

By July 10, there was this one and headline:

Another - - Yes, Another - - Walker "False" Rating Via PolitiFact: Anyone Keeping Score?

(Later examples, here, or within the last 48 hours - - here - - or go to the search box.) And yes, PolitiFact keeps score for you. Here's Walker's up-to-date PolitiFact record: 26, or close to 70% of the 38 statements it has vetted, include the word "False" in the rating:

Scott Walker Could Correct His PolitiFact Trending FUBAR...

...By announcing that Wisconsin's State animal is the Badger, or that the sun will come up tomorrow, or saying anything that's demonstrably, fully true, but, since May 8th, his truthiness trend is nein, nein, nein.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Remember When Scott Walker Dissed Mark Neumann?

And for his trouble, got it wrong, said PolitiFact?

Actually, it began a few weeks earlier, when Neumann dissed Walker during their primary Republican gubernatorial primary tilt:

Mark Neumann amped up his campaign for governor on Wednesday with a direct attack on Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's budgeting.

Neumann, a former congressman, said fellow Republican Walker has proposed budgets over the past eight years that have been higher than Democrat Gov. Jim Doyle's.

But when Walker struck back, oops:

The Truth-O-Meter Says:

Says Mark Neumann = Nancy Pelosi
Scott Walker on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 in campaign TV and radio ads

Scott Walker says Mark Neumann = Nancy Pelosi

Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker’s new statewide TV ad hits the trifecta, touching on three hot-buttons issues in this election cycle: transportation spending, earmarks and ties to a Democratic Party whose popularity has sagged.

In a direct-mail piece, radio ad and TV spot, Walker mocks GOP rival Mark Neumann’s claim that he is a true conservative and Washington outsider crusading against wasteful spending. Following a national Republican strategy of tying Democratic candidates to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Walker aims to do the same with Republican Neumann, who served two terms in Congress in the 1990s.

Is the Neumann-Pelosi comparison accurate?

Meow and meow.

Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council Conference Happening 12/8

Free buses to the Madison event from Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh.

Information and the rest of the particulars, here.

The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council Conference is the only conference in Wisconsin designed for direct business-to-business exchange of sustainability experiences and ideas. The 4th Annual Conference will serve as a resource for Wisconsin businesses interested in implementing more sustainable business practices.

Three Headlines, Days Apart: You Pick Which Ran On Fox News

Here's the headline on one story:

Carbon Emissions Show Biggest Jump Ever Recorded

Here's the headline on another story:

Arctic Sea Ice Near Record Low as Melt Season Ends

And on another:

Alien Invasion Over Global Warming?

The Capital Times Editor Documents Walker's Repellant Extremism

Paul Fanlund lays out the case for removing the extremist, Scott Walker:

The recall is not about public employees nor is it about politics as usual. It is about Walker's toxic brand of political fundamentalism -- heartless and historically unprecedented -- that should repel fair-minded, mainstream voters everywhere.

We'll Let The Blogger Tom Foley Explain The Lena Taylor Smear

Remember just a few days ago when a right-wing fact-checking [sic] site blasted State Sen. Lena Taylor for enabling a felon to illegally vote?

And the conservative echo chamber oh, so righteously chimed in?

Tom Foley, writing at Illusory Tenant, has the real facts.

More, here.

Wisconsin Sex Assault Victims Should Maintain High Checking Account Balances

State services for you are cut 42%.

Anti-Milwaukee Streetcar Forces Hold Good Cards - - Three Of A Kind

There has been reporting in the Journal Sentinel and elsewhere about a petition to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission by a well-connected conservative citizen that seeks to determine who would pay for the cost of moving utility lines if Milwaukee streetcar lines are constructed.

The petitioner hopes the PSC will order that those costs be borne by City of Milwaukee taxpayers only.

Sounds wonky, and perhaps cut-and-dried, but it's a new round in a fight over Milwaukee rail transit dating back to the 1990's, and the issue doesn't usually make it to the Public Service Commission docket.

The petitioner seeking the ruling is Brett Healy, as an individual.

Healy is also President of the conservative MacIver Institute, and he's being represented by a relatively new legal institute that receives funding from the conservative Bradley Foundation, so it's pretty clear this is another effort by ideologues on the right to derail urban trains, and the Milwaukee streetcar plan in particular.

As a MacIver Institute posting says:

Healy...has requested a declaratory judgment that the City of Milwaukee will be responsible for paying for the costs associated with moving utility facilities underneath the proposed Milwaukee Streetcar route. Healy is represented in the matter by Richard M. Esenberg and Thomas C. Kamenick of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.

Healy's name is going to ring a bell with Gov. Walker's new commissioners' majority at the PSC.

* One of the new commissioners on the PSC is Attorney Ellen Nowak who worked at the State Capitol for Republicans and served as former GOP Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen's legal counsel.

* Healy also worked for Jensen, including as chief of staff - - and the Town of Brookfield legislator was a long-time opponent of Milwaukee light rail planning. Jensen inserted language in the state budget that forbade any spending on light rail outside of Kenosha County or Dane County - - a policy aimed at blocking movement on rail inside the City and County of Milwaukee.

The restrictions sponsored by Jensen ran parallel with Marquette Interchange planning - - showing, again, the routine preference for public spending on highways (without beating path to the PSC over utility costs), while hurdles both old and new have obstructed urban rail in Milwaukee.

The earlier light rail plan backed by the City of Milwaukee, and fought by Jensen, was eventually dropped.

"Light rail is dead," Jensen famously declared, and now people formerly around him can take their shot again at the streetcar incarnation 15 years later.

Note also that Walker killed a federally-funded $800 million Amtrak extension to Madison from Milwaukee, and derailed this key segment of Pres. Obama's Midwest high-speed rail system.

Walker is still committed to smaller Amtrak improvements to the south-bound Milwaukee-Chicago Amtrak service.

This is because Milwaukee business leaders know that lawyers, commodities traders and other Milwaukee-area Republican or upper-income regional residents often use that line, so Walker is serving his corporate, convenience-minded allies by budgeting some money for these improvements - - even though the federal Amtrak funds he forfeited would have covered the costs.

And when various utility lines, poles, towers, transformers and stations need to be moved for a stretch of I-94 past the stadium and Story Hill to link up with the fast-tracked Zoo Interchange serving Waukesha, Menomonee Falls and the south suburbs, among six new big highway projects in the pipeline under Walker statewide, don't look for MacIver, Jensen & Friends to petition the PSC to bill local property taxpayers for the utility work.

That double-standard is only for city rail.

* Oh - - the other half of Walker's new, working 2-1 majority on the PSC is Phil Montgomery, a former, six-term GOP state representative from the Green Bay area who served in the Assembly's Republican caucus along with Jensen.

The state slogan used to be "Wisconsin: You're Among Friends."

Looks like that's back on track.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Walker Caught Cooking The Job Figures

I'd say this makes his record for "false" statements even more telling.

As the Journal Sentinel reports Sunday:

The snapshot of jobs in the state is normally announced each month simply through a news release, but in July Walker traveled to Milwaukee to announce that the month before the state had gained a net total of 9,500 jobs, a big chunk of the net total of 18,000 new jobs nationwide for that month. It was announced at the time as the biggest monthly increase in jobs since September 2003.

The unusual announcement was made in the run-up to pivotal Senate recall elections last summer that were seen as a referendum on Walker's policies.

But three days before the announcement, Walker's office received a report from the state labor department that raised serious concerns about the numbers. The PowerPoint presentation was released to the Journal Sentinel under the state's open records law.
"Results, while (federal Bureau of Labor Statistics) approved, are very questionable," reads the first line of the report.

Here's Walker's main communications' apparatus "tool."

No wonder he will not make that 250,000 new-jobs' goal.

These people are incompetent and devious. Some Eagle Scouts.

Wisconsin's Gov. Falsehood Strikes Again

There's no stopping Scott Walker and his talk radio-influenced penchant for making demonstrably false statements, is there?

This Sunday PolitiFact again finds Walker fibbing - - the rating service has vetted 38 Walker statements and 26 have been rated "Mostly False, "False," or "Pants on Fire." And without a "True" rating since May 8th - - seven months ago. That's better than 2:1 with "false" in there somewhere, and is pushing 70%.

Is that how a state should be managed?

Here's the latest finding. What's wrong with this guy> Where are those Eagle Scout values?

The St. Norbert College/Wisconsin Public Radio poll has "been wrong in almost every election."
Scott Walker on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 in a television interview

Wis. Gov. Scott Walker says the St. Norbert College poll has been repeatedly wrong

Walker dismissed a St. Norbert/WPR poll that showed 58 percent of state residents favored a recall as being consistently wrong. As evidence, the GOP criticized the pollsters for not quizzing likely voters. And they said the poll got the 2010 election wrong, but offered no evidence that the poll has been "consistently wrong."

In it’s most recent poll, St. Norbert wasn’t trying to predict an election outcome. It was looking at whether the general public favored a recall. Secondly, GOP spokesman Sparks and Walker were wrong about the poll when it came to the 2010 results. The poll got that race right. And there’s no evidence that the poll has been consistently wrong in the past.

We rate Walker’s claim False.

His laughable, pathological record has been noted on Huffington Post, and under this say-it-all-headline by columnist Dave Zweifel in the Capital Times:

Plain Talk: Hey, governor, your pants are on fire

The trend has been obvious for weeks:

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Can You Believe It? Walker Gets Another "False" PolitiFact Rating
(originally posted 2:43 p.m., Wednesday, now updated) Is this bad staff work - - a major statistical flub designed to underscore amid justify his cutbacks to the UW-System - - or just plain Walker arrogance?

Does Walker care that his PolitiFact statements have been rated 24 of 36 times in some way false - - or worse?

Here is the PolitiFact summary, from its archive, for Walker:

True5(5)

Mostly True3(3)

Half True4(4)

Mostly False7(7)

False16(16)

Pants on Fire3(3)

Voter ID Will Prevent Older Citizens From Voting In Wisconsin

"Papers, please" law hits older residents statewide, the Wausau Daily Herald finds.

The Walkerites have legalized their own brand of election fraud.

Fraud About Fraud

While the election process in Wisconsin has been assaulted with petition-shredding, and manipulated election dates, fake candidates, flawed redistricting and obstacles placed in front of legitimate voter registration and balloting by Republican legislators and the Governor, others repeat A Big Lie about faux fraud.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Walker & Co. Keep Bending, Rewriting The Rules

Another power move against citizens by the Walker administration. All this is going to backfire. People are tired of the law and rules being manipulated for partisan gain.

Herman Cain, Exit Stage Right, As Was Always To Be The Outcome

C'mon people: Herman Cain's so-called campaign for the presidency was an artifice whipped up by an egomaniac interested in exposure (though probably not of the type that emerged) to sell books and audition for a Fox TV slot, and by the Koch brothers and other far-right conservatives, who found they could use him to stir up trouble, they hoped, for Barack Obama and other Republican candidates.

I guess it was fun for a while, and then not.

Like the ill-informed gaffemeisters Rick Perry, Donald Trump and Michelle Bachmann, Cain, too was not in a genuine or winnable campaign to take the Presidency from Obama, to seize the reins of the GOP, or to govern the nation and lead or influence the entire world.

And if Cain were to say he was serious, the only response is "nein, nein, nein."

Now what's for dinner?

With Prosser Absent, The GOP Went Judge-Shopping

And moved its redistricting case to the friendly confines of Waukesha County Circuit Court, where it might find sympathetic treatment for its redistricting case, and if it is appealed, would work its way to the Supreme Court when Prosser is presumably back from his medical leave.

New Republican theme song, by the way.

Most Read Items Here Last Week; Walker Is Your Most Popular Subject

Here is the list:
The first item was also #1 the previous week, and also now holds the all-time hits' record on the blog.

Proven False Claim By Walker Featured In National ...

Nov 25, 2011

Walker Recall Push Could Bring Down More Republica...

Nov 28, 2011

Another Day, Another Fresh PolitiFact "False" Rati...

Nov 27, 2011

Mining Bill Rushed Before Governor's Office, State...

Nov 30, 2011

Gov. Walker's Union-Busting Bill Challenged In Cou...

Nov 29, 2011

Friday, December 2, 2011

Walker Infers Out-Of-State Money Against Him Is Pouring In, So...

Let's remember the allegation and check back when his donation-limit-free pre-election fund-raising report is made public and see if perhaps he has raised a few bucks out of state, too. Along with the interest-groups already fronting $1.3 million for him in ad purchases, the Journal Sentinel reports.

With his own spending, Team Walker has already spent $3 million opposing the recall: I'll bet a few of those dollars are from Kansas, Texas, etc.

And remember that when Walker played that out-of-state card earlier, PolitiFact ruled:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says out-of-staters account for “almost all” in Madison protests

State-Aided Private Wisconsin Railroad Sold To Out-Of-State Firm

The politically-sullied Wisconsin & Southern Railroad - - its CEO and former owner has been found guilty of illegal donations to the Walker campaign -- has been sold to a Kansas company.

The illegal contributions are connected to an ongoing John Doe investigation.

State Rep. Brett Hulsey, (D-Madison), notes in the Capital Times the railroad had received $62 million in state funds - - some announced right after Walker took office, according to the state - - and the Capital Times article discloses that Koch Industries businesses, headquartered also in Kansas, are the new railroad owner's largest customer.

The State grant process benefiting Wisconsin & Southern had begun under the Doyle administration - - a low-visibility program Hulsey wants reformed.

The bottom line: the new out-of-state railroad owner gets an upgraded asset thanks to Wisconsin taxpayers, and control of improved state-owned track. Sweet.

Nice symmetry there - - Big Government helping Big Industry and Big Friends.

Tommy Thompson Has Mitt Romney Disease

The major symptom: flip-flopping. Also known as running against yourself.

Like Romney, Tommy has supported strong state-mandated health care and President Obama's plan, reports the State Journal.

Thompson initially spoke favorably of the need for health care reform, and worked on an early version of the bill, while also raising concerns about some parts of Obama's proposal, including the mandate forcing people to buy health insurance. As it was working its way through Congress, Thompson called Obama's proposal "another important step" toward achieving health care reform.

Just hours before Thompson's event Thursday, Club for Growth circulated computer screen shots showing Thompson as recently as 2010 was a board member for a coalition called America's Agenda, which included labor unions and others that advocated passage of Obama's health care reform law.

And Tommy was Mr. Amtrak, even getting a train engine named after himself and gushing as only Tommy can at the engine-naming ceremony:

In politics, you get a lot of awards and citations. But to have an engine named for me is something that touches me very deeply. I have a model of the "Governor Tommy Thompson" on my desk at the Department of Health and Human Services, and every time I see it, I'm reminded of why I love Amtrak and trains and why I'm so passionate about America's railways.

My love for railroads is rooted in my Wisconsin heritage.

This, of course, was when he was a big shot insider in Washington DC running the heavily-subsidized Amtrak, and before 2010, when he fell into line that began on the right behind Walker and said the Madison-Milwaukee Amtrak extension could not be afforded and urged the $810 million in federal, rail-only money be used for roads - - which Tommy knew was impossible because the funding was designated only for rail, period.

Running as a right-wing Republican and reviving a political career after 13 years on the ballot can be tough if your past positions were more moderate and your opponents know how to navigate The Google.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Belling Yelling Is Telling

Dipping into Milwaukee conservative talk radio is to hear high-declbel contradiction.

For example, I tuned into 1130 WISN-AM's about 3:45 p.m. Thursday and Mark Belling was in high dudgeon about public employees and recall protesters whom he criticized for being "uncivil."

Then, within seconds, Belling called these people "lazy, good-for-nothing parasites," and shortly thereafter launched into a long monologue, and a discussion with callers, where he said public employees were equivalent to "crack addicts."

He continued: his targets also were "crybabies...leeches..."bitching and moaning," and "raving like lunatics."

Don't count on Belling seeing anything contradictory in complaining that others are "uncivil" and then spending nearly 15 minutes calling them crack addicts, parasites, leeches and more.

In fact, in mid-rant, Belling gloated that there was no one who comment on these matters as "brilliantly" as himself.

So his lack of civility is brilliance.

Others', by his definition, is lunacy, or worse.

And a decent share of people in SE Wisconsin take this in three hours a day, five days a week, as a source of information.

Tommy Sticks It To Himself

I thought Tommy The Farmer would be our former Governor's unintentionally funniest bit, but Dan Bice has one that's better:

Thompson announcing at firm receiving stimulus money

This trend has been visible since Tommy's flubbed 'Presidential' campaign in 2007 that veered into Jewish stereotyping - - though TT himself is not seeing it.

Nice Tribute To All-Encompassing Milwaukee South Side Environmental Effort, Peter McAvoy

The UW-Madison's Nelson Institute has it, here , and it's well-deserved.

Environmental Leaders Respond To Waukesha Diversion Advocate

West Bend private sector leader and conservationist John Torinus argued the other day through this posting on his blog - -

No more than 1% from Great Lakes!

- - in favor of the City of Waukesha application for a diversion of Great Lakes water.
His conclusion:

...if Waukesha returns most of its [Lake] Michigan water to the basin, which is the plan, their request needs to be evaluated in pragmatic terms. There are other issues, such as the route for returning the used waters, but the most material issue is simply the amount of the withdrawal on a net basis. That doesn’t look like a big deal against the 1% standard.

The Environmental Impact Statement now being conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will need to highlight those pragmatic calculations.

John is also a former editor at both The West Bend News and The Milwaukee Sentinel, and one of the few business people around here who has a presence in Internet media, so I was happy to post his opinion on my blog, here - - to which people affiliated with environmental organizations have responded.

I'm putting those comments below to move the discussion forward:

From Cheryl Nenn, the Riverkeeper at Milwaukee Riverkeeper, a 501(c)(3) organization:

The Great Lakes are a one-time gift from the glaciers, and only 1% of the water is renewed every year in terms of rainfall and snow melt.

However, saying then that we should allow UP TO 1% of Great Lakes water to be consumed or diverted every year is faulty judgment.

First of all, that 1% of water besides being available for drinking water, also provides ecological benefits (e.g. higher water levels needed for wetlands that provide habitat for fish and aquatic life), recreational benefits to boaters, etc.

In addition, warmer water temperatures and decreased ice pack on the Lakes in recent years due to climate change is leading to higher evaporative loss of Great Lakes water than has been seen previously.

Thus, that 1% figure may be outweighed by climatic effects. Secondly, although when looked at individually, Waukesha’s diversion might not seem to be a large quantity in context of the 1% renewability rate of the Great Lakes, the diversion application is very important as it sets a precedent for the international Great Lakes Compact regulating water diversions and in-basin conservation.

Clearly, no single Great Lakes diversion is going to be anywhere close to the 1% renewability rate, but when taken together, there could be significant cumulative impacts on water levels and water quantity from all existing and future diversions of Great Lakes water.

So it is important and fitting that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is looking at the Waukesha application for not only environmental, social, and economic impacts, but also looking at direct, indirect, and cumulative effects on the Lakes from some fairly controversial provisions that are part of Waukesha's request.

From Laurie Longtine, a Board member focusing on water issues at the network Waukesha Environmental Action League:

Don't assume that "return flow" means 100% of water diverted across the subcontinental divide will be returned to the Great Lakes basin.

The Great Lakes Compact's standard is "less consumptive use."

Consumptive use is water that will not be returned** to the originating basin because it runs off to a separate watershed, in this case, the Mississippi River watershed.

Varying percentages of consumptive use have been bandied about, 15% most often, but I once heard someone say 25%. The amount has not yet been determined.

In any case, it will not be 100% so that the cumulative effects of this diversion, plus other diversions that this one may pave the way for, need to be accounted for. Suddenly, 1% doesn't seem like "only 1%" any more, does it?

The Great Lakes are a world class resource. We should be thinking and planning in those terms and not bare minimums.

** such as water used for washing cars, watering lawns and gardens, etc.