Walker Spins For Tea Party Attention

The job-creating failure who might still need his legal defense fund picks more cherries in than a Door County farmer in a monumentally self-serving op-ed, here.

DC's NFL Team Cites Its History - - Ignores Centuries Of Real-Life History

Daniel Synder is only protecting his merchandising. What an embarrassment - - and this comes from someone born and bred in DC, and who hates the racist name Snyder is protecting. He's on the bad side of a losing issue in a situation that will only get better when he changes his mind, and the team name.

Waukesha County DA Would Bring GOP Partisanship To AG Office

Brian Schimel's claim to fame is the pass he gave to Scott Jensen.

Tip Of The Hat To State Sen. Bob Jauch On Planned Retirement

One of the good guys is hanging it up. Thank him for his long public service when you see him in Madison, or in his NW Wisconsin district, and let's hope there is a solid progressive replacement.

Wisconsin's democracy and environment need the kind of protection that Jauch always championed.

Worst Headline Of The Year

They say not to write things that raise more questions than they answer, yet I give your this:

Wisconsin's tax climate may not have worsened slightly in ranking

Lake Superior Disrespect, Minnesota-To-Wisconsin?

Asbestos and sulfide pollution could be one serious price of iron ore mining in the Bad River watershed on the eastern shore of Lake Superior; on the Minnesota side, big problems, too:

A proposed copper-nickel mine in northeast Minnesota would generate water pollution for up to 500 years and require billions of dollars in long-term cleanup costs, state regulators have concluded as they near a key stage in the project’s review. 

The mine would require what critics say is essentially perpetual water treatment — a first in Minnesota’s long history of mining — to remove pollutants and heavy metals that would otherwise flow into nearby streams and rivers and eventually Lake Superior, according to a draft environmental impact statement.

Cheney & Co. Remind Us How Awful They Really Were

Water boarding and war criminality give the old George W. boys some laughs:

Conservatives gathered at the Plaza hotel in Manhattan Monday night to roast the former Vice President at an event where many of the biggest laugh lines touched on the most controversial policies of a key architect of his administration’s War on Terror. 

Senator Joe Lieberman “said something to the effect that it’s nice that we’re all here at the Plaza instead of in cages after some war crimes trial,” recalled one person who was there. 

GOP's Laughable Class Criticism Of Mary Burke

The Grand Old Party attacks Democrat Mary Burke for being born into the family business - - the Trek bicycle company.

Right. She didn't claw her way to wealth and influence, like, say Jim (Kimberly-Clark) Sensenbrenner.

Or Ron Johnson.

Or the Fitzgerald brothers' father Stephen, who got appointed head of the Wisconsin State Patrol by newly-elected Gov. Scott Walker...after Fitzgerald senior had lost an election for Dodge County Sheriff.

Facing Court Defeat, Walker Caves On Capitol Permits

The authoritarian Governor capitulates. Big victory for the First Amendment:

Gov. Scott Walker's administration is paying more than $88,000 in attorneys fees and dropping its hard-and-fast requirement that larger groups protesting in the Capitol receive a permit.

If Lake Country, Waukesha County Faced Acidic, Asbestos Mine Pollution...

Republicans would howl, and rightly so, at such damage to their base area's land, water and woodlands. So why is the Waukesha County GOP's legislative delegation 100% behind tearing up and poisoning the Bad River watershed?

The World Has A John Boehner Problem

It is absolutely bizarre that the stability of the world economy now rests on politicians in Washington, DC finding some face-saving escape from the career-shattering oblivion to which House Speaker John Boehner consigned himself. How much has this drama cost everyone else?

First Sulfates, Now Asbestos: The GTAC Toxic Stew Thickens

One step backwards for that mine, two steps backwards, as it seems asbestos rain is in the forecast. Thirty-five years of mountain-top dynamiting, open-pit excavating, milling and trucking could put those fibers in the air, drinking, fishing and rice-growing waters.

Asbestos mineral fibers have been found in a rock sample at the site of a proposed iron ore mine by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 

The agency said Monday that asbestos was confirmed by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey recently after a DNR geologist visiting the site last spring suspected the rock contained telltale fibers of the known carcinogen.

Another scientist told Wisconsin Public Radio:

“What’s really a surprise is the abundance of it, at least in this one location,” he says. “The [asbestos]is probably 60 percent of the rock. That is the richest rock I’ve ever seen.” 

Give Mary Burke A Chance, And A Listen

This was my Facebook comment yesterday. If you are one of my FB friends, go there and join in: 

People who are ripping Mary Burke from the left should give her a chance. She's willing to take the heat from the right that will be brutal and sustained. Anyone putting themselves in the line of fire deserves better from progressives. As I said earlier today, I have never met her, but I am more than willing to listen and learn.

Her announcement coincidentally came the day after I posted this summary commentary:

The Sportsmensgate scandal is helping write the case for a different person to serve as Wisconsin Governor  - - someone who will refocus the government away from cronyism and special interest obeisance to strategies and plans that:

More On Walker's Amtrak FUBAR

He and an ideologically-constipated legislature broke a contract with train maker Talgo, so engines and cars built for the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison record-setting run sit idle, generating only litigation:

Milwaukee to Chicago commuters who spend nearly $400 a month to ride the old trains are outraged.

"If we've got these trains stored in mothballs, why don't we use them?" said Lloyd Davis.

The Milwaukee to Chicago corridor moves more than 800,000 passengers a year, sometimes with standing room only.

Though it's perfectly OK for Walker and the legislature to get out the credit card for more highways.

Paul Ryan Shows Up On Hate Group's Invitee List

Doesn't look vice-presidential, does it?

--------------------------------------------------------

October 7, 2013 Elected officials shouldn't lend the prestige of their office to hate groups that have a long history of telling incendiary lies about the LGBT community and spreading other forms of bigotry. But a handful of U.S. Senators and Representatives are scheduled to do just that at the Values Voter Summit in Washington this weekend. That's why the Southern Poverty Law Center, along with several other human rights groups, are urging them to take a stand against bigotry and refuse to speak at the Summit. Tell these officials not to attend the Values Voter Summit Sen. Rand Paul  Sen. Marco Rubio Sen. Ted Cruz Sen. Tim Scott Rep. Paul Ryan Rep. Randy Forbes Rep. Michele Bachmann Rep. Jim Bridenstine Rep. Louie Gohmert Rep. Jim Jordan Rep. Steve King Rep. Steve Scalise Rep. Scott Turner The Summit’s host, the Family Research Council(FRC), has repeatedly portrayed gay men and lesbians as sick, evil, incestuous, violent, perverted, and a threat to the nation. The American Family Association (AFA), a major co-sponsor, says that gay people orchestrated the Holocaust and were responsible for the killing of six million Jews. AFA spokesman Bryan Fischer has said African Americans "rut like rabbits" and said women should be kicked out of politics. Public officials should understand the real "values" they’re endorsing when they attend the Values Voter Summit. Offensive and bigoted lies are still hate speech when spoken by groups with the word "family" in their names. You can help. Contact the officials slated to speak at the Summit and ask that they reconsider lending their credibility to an event like this. And please help us spread the word to your friends and communities. Forward this e-mail and share this story on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for standing with us. Sincerely, Richard Cohen President, Southern Poverty Law Center

Make a contribution to support our work fighting hate, teaching tolerance,

New US $100 Bill, Good News And Bad

The good news - - it's colorful.

The bad news - - After the debt limit/shutdown/Tea Party Coup, it'll only be worth $49.95.

House Tea Party Members Find Like-Minded Allies

There's another group of leaders who've decided to dig themselves a hole:

NFL owners have no plans to discuss Redskins’ name

AG Van Hollen To Retire; Tea Party GOP Wants Truer Believer

Right-wingers like Mark Belling thought Van Hollen was squishy. They'll find someone more toxic.

Walker Adds More Debt Which The Right Called "Fiscal Crisis"

It's dawning on people - - some a while ago - - that Scott Walker and his GOP conservative wastrel legislative lieutenants are racking up mounting debt through added borrowing:

Under Walker’s 2013-15 budget, debt service will climb even higher, claiming 5.26% of general fund dollars in 2014 and 4.88% in 2015, according to WISTAX. The state’s historical debt level target has been 4%.

And by the way, a big gob of that is going to the road-builders.

But here's how the GOP and the right lambasted Jim Doyle when he proposed fresh borrowing:

DOYLE'S DEBT BOMB

In another sign of the fiscal crisis, repaying debt will take a greater share of Wisconsin’s revenue in years to come. 

Like a financially strapped consumer facing higher credit card bills, the state would face unprecedented debt payments over the next four years under state budget proposals by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and lawmakers. 

By 2012, yearly payments on state debt will likely consume at least 4.5 percent of the state’s total income from taxes and fees, according to projections by the Legislature’s and Doyle’s budget offices. 

That’s 13 percent higher than the 4 percent threshold state officials have long considered to be a reasonable limit. 

Politician Panders For Purple Prose Prize

Or Wisconsin Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner ate some bad Chobani yogurt before his New Berlin town hall meeting Sunday:

...Sensenbrenner asserted that the legacy of debt he believes Obamacare would deepen "is hanging over this country like the Black Plague was over this world during the Middle Ages."

Wisconsin Needs New Governor On The Job, And On Jobs Agenda

The Sportsmensgate scandal is helping write the case for a different person to serve as Wisconsin Governor  - - someone who will refocus the government away from cronyism and special interest obeisance to strategies and plans that:

*  Are created with credible public participation and are 100% opposite from Walker's flawed and floundering WEDC.
 
*  Do not pit one tribal casino or community against each other for a piece of a limited, recession-hammered gambling pot.

*  Prevent an of-state coal company blowing up a mountain range, Native American treaties and recreational opportunities across two counties for a massive open pit iron ore mine in the pristine Bad River/Lake Superior watershed.

*  Embrace energy saving technology - wind, solar, wood and grass vegetation, and thermal sources- -  to create jobs, conserve resources and enhance outdoors businesses.

*  Recognize the marketplace value of public education and public service work.

On the Job of Governor

More broadly, a new Governor should perform daily the Wisconsin tradition of sifting and  winnowing, meaning:

*  No more true or mostly true speaking only 23% of the time.

*  No more Governor defense funds, or Nixonian behaviors, and a final goodbye to indelible sleaze.

*  No more giving away public groundwater, or shorelines or other citizen resources to special interests.

*  No more slipping state subsidies or plum state jobs to ideological middlemen or loyal ground troopers.

*  No more working in cahoots with or endorsing the work of special interests who wrote the iron mining and redistricting bills, and the wolf hunt:

Four representatives from the Bear Hunters Association testified in favor of the bill. A few times they came close to admitting that they wrote it....

Scott Meyer, a member of the Bear Hunters Association and lobbyist for United Sportsman, went even further. He said, “"Seven attorneys were involved with drafting this bill to make sure it didn’t put delisting in jeopardy...."

The bulk of testimony was against the bill, and most people mentioned the rushed and secretive process with which it was written and introduced into committee.

*  No more government waste and false fiscal conservatism through frequent flying between Madison and Milwaukee on state airplanes, or in big raises for cronies.

Time for a fresh start.

[6:45 a.m. Monday update: This is a pure coincidence; Business executive Mary Burke announced her candidacy this morning. I was unaware that the announcement was coming, don't know her, have never spoken to her or staff if she has it, etc., but will follow her candidacy. Interesting development.]

Former Walker Aide's Orders Highlight Separate Stories

Keith Gilkes' orders make Walker look bad:

Relating to the aftermath of a fatal structural failure at the County's O'Donnell Park garage:

...an email from Keith Gilkes, Walker's campaign manager in the governor's race, [that] was one of thousands of documents released in July by Reserve Judge Neal Nettesheim, who oversaw the secret John Doe probe into Walker aides and associates.

Gilkes wrote to Walker aide Kelly Rindfleisch, advising her on the day of the O'Donnell death, June 24, 2010: "Keep on top of (parks director) Sue Black, (budget director Steve) Kreklow, (administration director Cindy) Archer and all staff to make sure there is not a paper anywhere that details a problem at all.

The Gilkes email has been biting Walker's transparency claims for a while.

And, more currently, Gilkes again, here:

On Feb. 18, 2011, [former UW-Madison police chief Susan] Riseling learned that Capitol police intended to abruptly clear out thousands of protesters from the building at its normal 6 p.m. closing time — even though it had been open around the clock for days. She believed that could provoke an angry response because it would come unexpectedly.

In her account, other top police officials sided with her, but [former State capitol police chief] Tubbs at first insisted that it be closed because of discussions he had with Walker's chief of staff at the time, Keith Gilkes.

Riseling peppered Tubbs with questions about how the police could get everyone out, and Tubbs went to the governor's office to meet with Gilkes....

But Tubbs went on to say Gilkes had backed off and the building was not closed that night.

On Offensive Team Names, Obama Shines

As the NFL weekend kicks off, props to our President for talking sense about team names and logos that offend.

Less sensitive GOP state legislators around here in our bigotry caucus should take notice of Mr. Obama's tone, as the Washington Post noted:

“If I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team — even if it had a storied history — that was offending a sizable group of people, I’d think about changing it,” Obama said in an interview published by the Associated Press on Saturday.

The Denver Post featured on its site a remark from the President's interview that should resonate with GOP legislators who want to use state power to make sure offensive names and logos are retained:

"I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things," he said in the interview, which was conducted Friday at the White House. 

Having Lived Through Watergate, This Was A Treat

Meeting John Dean at Annual Kastenmeier lecture Friday

Give Dean credit for owning up to and then using his Watergate participation to live a life of public-spirited journalism, teaching and scholarship. That is a model career and an admirable recovery.

And his observations about arrogant, abusive power and unethical lawyering are certainly applicable here in Scott Walker's Wisconsin, where free speech, free assembly, ballot access, transparent redistricting and public land and water rights are under sustained attack by politicized attorneys. 

More, here.

Breaking News: Boehner Was Right...

It's not a game.

It's GOP/Tea Party business as usual.

GOP Shutdown Apology Tour Underway

Mindful of approaching elections, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives - - actually uncontrolled and unrepresentative - - tries to make nice with federal workers by promising them back pay for furlough days. Businesses or contractors that lost commerce or wages are SOL

Fifty Million Shades Of Hypocrisy

The radio station in Wisconsin that has aired more Tea Party propaganda against the Fedrl Guvmint and given endless free campaign help to anti-Obama hammer Scott Walker momentarily suspended its right-wing ranting Friday to tell listeners President Obama is routing us the first installment of $50 million - -  and probably more later - - for emergency bridge repairs Walker requested.

He did the same thing with stimulus funds.

Noted on this blog years ago.

Oh - - Paul Ryan, too.

Dumb And Dumber Think An Open Mic Can't Record Whispering

Kentucky's two master strategist GOP Senators think an open microphone won't pick up their whispering. And you wonder why Obama is eating these guys lunches right now?

CNN adds some context:

Q: Mitch McConnell's and Rand Paul's hot mic moment was instructive in showing the disconnect between what they are supposed to be doing and what they want to be doing. What does it mean to you to overhear this?

The GOP's shutdown strategy

Harry Reid breaks out the hammer

Crowley: It certainly is a signal to the House. We had heard Rand Paul say publicly 'we're not going to be able to get rid of Obamacare.' But it's a great starting position. We have had, in particular in the Senate, a lot of Republican senators saying shutting down the government is a bad idea, it won't work for Republicans politically.

This tells me that they are in a position that the Senate doesn't want to be in. It tells me that they are hearing privately and publicly from the president 'no negotiations,' which probably is more troublesome in terms of there really isn't anything going on. We kept thinking there was -- that maybe somewhere people were talking about a compromise and clearly that's not happening.

So, what Republicans believe is that that particular stance -- we're not going to negotiate on anything -- is not going to survive the test of public will. So far, what we see is Republicans are taking the bulk of the blame. We'll see if that shifts.

Might Walker Earn A Shutdown PolitiFact False Finding

The Walker administration said the feds told them to shut down some park facilities. The feds say no they didn't. An episode of Walker/states rights posturing?

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) this week directed a state agency to resist a federal order to close certain parks during the federal government shutdown, prompting headlines from some conservative media outlets. But the National Parks Service now says no such order was given. Or not exactly, anyway.

Milwaukee County Special Election Gets Publicity - - In The Madison Media

Veteran Milwaukee reporter Dom Noth has filed an informative report about the fault lines and influences in a special election next month to fill a state assembly vacancy in the south Milwaukee suburbs.

Former incumbent Mark Honadel, a Republican, resigned from his 21st District seat in September to pursue a yet-to-be-disclosed private sector opportunity.

About the GOP special election campaign effort, Noth wrote:

Through a series of miscues reflecting the dissension caused by tea party extremism, the Republicans wound up with five candidates, many unwanted, trying to out-right-wing each other in a primary Oct. 22. Most represent extremist viewpoints that hardly fit this hardworking family-oriented community.

About the sole Democratic candidate: 

Most telling, [Elizabeth Coppola] is a 2011 Emerge Wisconsin graduate. Emerge’s only purpose is to pick and train women to campaign as strong Democrats, learning networking, community issues and how to raise money. It already has helped three dozen women get elected in Wisconsin — including members of the state Assembly and Senate. It is an ever-growing force in local elections.

And you can't help noticing that this report is in the Madison Capital Times, certainly not the paper of record in the 21st Assembly district - - part of a politically-diverse Senate district represented by State Senator and Minority Leader Chris Larson, a Democrat - -  but a site that recognizes the statewide implications of the race. 

Let's hope that local media here are this attentive.

PA Governor Should Be Promoted To House Tea Party Caucus

Just whom the GOP is looking for to steer the party to history's dustbin:

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is apologizing for comparing same-sex marriage to the marriage of a brother and sister during a Friday television interview, angering gay-rights groups.

In Walker's Wisconsin, Sinking Is The New Metaphor

A lot more is corroding and sagging in the Wisconsin ooze  - - like this and this and this and this and this and this and this - - than just a bridge.

New Name, Logo For DC's NFL Team?

The Clear Cutters seems to fit.
You could work something like this into a logo, no?

Shame On Wisconsin's Legislative Bigotry Caucus

Led by State Rep. David Craig, (R-Vernon), plus Rep. Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater) and Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) - - and busy since the early days of Scott Walker's regime - - Wisconsin State Capitol retrogrades are making Native Americans, in this day and age, explain for the 11-millionth time that tribal images used as mascots, school and team names are anachronistic, offensive and racist.

Would these legislators advocate disrespecting other religious, ethnic or racial minorities in this fashion?

And this attracts or retains people and businesses exactly how? These actions are noted nationally, by the way.

Walker Punching Legislative Pals' Tickets

It sure does pay to have been a good GOP legislative soldier when Scott Walker has jobs to pass out.

He will replace SportsmensGate-tainted and ex-Assembly Leader Scott Suder at the PSC with another retiring Assemblyman, Jeff Stone.

Walker installed former Assemblymen Mark Gottlieb as WisDOT Secretary, Mike Huebsch atop the all-powerful DOA and Scott Gunderson as Executive Assistant, the number three post, at the DNR.

And there's former State Senator Jeff Plale who voted against his own party's labor position at a pivotal moment, lost a primary to Chris Larson and won two appointments from a grateful Walker. Today, Plale is State Railroad Commissioner after an earlier Walker-provided stint managing buildings for the DOA.

Are there others? Who'd I'd forget?

In addition to the huge boost in salaries these jobs provide - - legislators make just under $50,000 and many of these gubernatorially-appointed jobs pay in the high five or low six figures - - there are also major pension uppers that could be paid year-after-year upon eligibility.

State pension benefits, governed by procedures principally won by unions on behalf of all state employees, including managers and elected officials, are calculated off a number based on the average  one's highest paid three years of service.

And every one year of service is calculated at 1.6% years.

So - - a legislator retiring after 20 years while earning about $50,000 a year on average in his or her last three years would receive 32 years service credit - - 20 x 1.6% = 32% and that means the pension would be calculated at 32% of $50,000, or $16,000 a year.

But if that legislator if the legislator closed out his or her state career with three years in the state bureaucracy at $90,000 yearly salary, the calculation then becomes 32% of $90,000 or just under $29,000 - - 80% more per year had those last three years been served at the legislative salary level, not the bureaucrat's.

For some of small-government devotees, working for Walker wins the jackpot - - for life after retirement.

A Few Thoughts About Jeff Stone, The Walker/PSC Suder Substitute

Here's a link to Stone's most recent campaign finance information. Run of the mill conservative donors.

Probably a more shocking disclosure is that Stone used to come into the big city from suburban Greendale - - (a 1930's, federally-planned, cooperative Greenbelt community, did you know?) - - to meet with former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist and me when I worked as Norquist's policy director and Stone chaired or was ranking Republican on the Assembly's transportation committee.

We'd get together at a Water St. coffee shop to talk politics, and specifically about the over-emphasis on highway expansion in Wisconsin and a lack of commitment to rail.

It was a different era. Dems and Repubs could talk more freely back before everyone in the GOP broke bad to the right.

Stone never moved any policy initiatives Norquist's way and the meetings finally ran their course, but Stone never evinced hostility to Milwaukee.

Final thought: If Walker were smart, he'd move Cathy Stepp out of the DNR Secretary's spot right now, cutting all his losses in one Thursday night/SportsmensGate massacre.

Wisconsin Paper Council Bails Out Walker, Suder

Talk about a favor! What was the quid for the quo in this latest episode of SportsmensGate?

Hearing Suder PSC Appointment Being Pulled; More Moves Ahead

GOP musical chairs. Suder to the Wisconsin Paper Council. Walker loyalist Rep. Jeff Stone, (R-Greendale), lead backer of voter ID and a defeated candidate to replace Walker as Milwaukee County Executive, now gets his pay and pension boosted by the $94,000 PSC job former State Rep. Scott Suder is abandoning.

Walker's Failed New Jobs Pledge Is Entirely Self-Inflicted

His sure-to fail 250,000 new private sector jobs pledge after one term - - current totals, 90,000 added, 160,000 to go - - was a show-off sound-bite of bumper-sticker simplicity. Then he made things politically and fiscally more damaging through four ideologically-motivated, job-killing mistakes:

*  Walker blew up collective bargaining with Act 10, which reduced the take home pay of tens of thousands of public employees statewide and withdrew those dollars from the retail, main street economy.

*  Walker wiped out years of construction work that would have built the proposed Amtrak rail line extension from Milwaukee to Madison, along with assembly, repair and maintenance work at the now-shuttered Milwaukee Talgo train factory.

Also lost in this historic Walker misstep: future Wisconsin train industry business intended for other markets.

* Walker botched the creation and management of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, his signature new jobs agency for which there was no real need.

Walker, who chairs the agency, showed the private sector that he and his team were little more than management buffoons as they allowed the WEDC to slide into PR and accounting hell without prudent oversight, loan-tracking, and other best practices or basic standards and controls.

*  Walker pushed to fast-track a proposed open pit iron mine in a pristine watershed near Ashland knowing it would conflict with Federal/tribal treaties, sane water management, and existing tourism and recreational businesses and traditions.

Ahead are years of delay and conflict - - none of which will produce jobs.

The bottom line:

There is Walker jobs plan. There is no theme, no blueprint, no serious, comprehensive, inclusive coordination of public, private, non-profit local, state and federal resources and expertise to stimulate the economy, to create jobs or to advance a positive image nationally to retain and attract people and business to Wisconsin.

TV spots, talking points and documented false claims do not a jobs plan make.

Walker had no plan because he does not believe in government, other than as a platform for personal advancement to higher office where he can play bellhop to donors and their narrow, special, self-serving interests.

I Had To Retweet This Succinct SportsmensGate Summary

George Stanley ‏@geostanley

30 Sep

Self-described "sportsmen group" pushes mine, voter registration, wetland drainage. Like no sportsmen group I know. http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/fishing-trip-underscores-close-ties-between-suder-united-sportsmen-b99108668z1-225745101.html …

["SportsmensGate" is my term, not his.]

Walker's States Rightist Shutdown Arrogance Might Increase Wisconsin's Costs

Don't be surprised if the feds go ahead and let Walker pick up on your/our behalf 100% of the cost of running parks and other programs whose operations are joint state/federal ventures.

Remember what happened when Walker turned away the Amtrak expansion funding, then said he wanted part of it back.

To which the feds said, 'forget it: we'll work with partners who keep their end of a bargain.'

Be careful of what you wish and bluster for.

Many Millions, State's Credibility Put At Risk By Walker Rail Moves

Veteran Milwaukee scribe and editor Dom Noth has done a masterful job explaining what's down the line for state taxpayers after an ideologically-driven Scott Walker broke a manufacturing and maintenance contract with Talgo, a Spanish train maker which had set up shop in Milwaukee.

Walker got props from right-wing talk radio for the move, but they won't be paying the freight to repair the resulting damage to Wisconsin's bottom-line: 

...[Talgo] CEO Antonio Perez raised a crucial point in 2012 that lingers in international business conferences to this day, saying: "I don't see how any company in the future would choose to do business with a state when the state has shown that it cannot be trusted to honor contracts that it has signed.” 

Talgo’s shrewd and aggressive attorney,  Lester Pines, put it succinctly in a September 25 interview: “Talgo has been treated better by totalitarian governments than it has by Walker.”

Taxpayers have not yet absorbed the full weight of the lawsuit’s costs, despite the state having already spent $50 million on trains, and owing some $15 million more. The likely outcome is that [Spanish train maker] Talgo will own the trains and still expect more money, and the state won’t benefit at all because it reneged on the contract to buy, test and maintain the trains.

I will definitely add Noth's work to a Wisconsin rail politics and finance piece I'd posted a few months ago.

Glenn Grothman, Distracted and Contemptuous, At Public Hearing

We've noted his dismissive and rude behavior before, but in case you missed it, watch GOP State Sen. Glenn Grothman, (R-West Bend) during a recent hearing about whether to close public access to thousands of acres in Northern Wisconsin that might someday be mined.

Vacancies At DNR Advisory Conservation Congress

Want more direct access to natural resources policy-making in Wisconsin? The Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a statewide DNR and Natural Resources Board advisory body, has delegate vacancies in the following counties:

Forest, Grant, Green Lake, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Richland 

The Congress says this is its mission:

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress is the only statutory body in the state where citizens elect delegates to advise the Natural Resources Board and the Department of Natural Resources on how to responsibly manage Wisconsin's natural resources for present and future generations. The Congress accomplishes this through open, impartial, broad ranged actions.

The vision of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress is to strengthen and enhance our ability to gather and convey the wisdom and influence of Wisconsin citizens in the formation of natural resource policy, research, education, and conservation.

Searching For Moderate, Centrist Republicans in DC...

Is like searching for Dodo birds, Bigfoot or the Loch Ness creature. Or a compassionate conservative.

More Areas Opened To Rifles In WI Deer Hunt

Despite their powerful projectiles' greater range, deer rifles will be permitted on land in relatively urbanized counties previously open only to shotgun use during deer hunting season unless prohibited by local ordinance, the Natural Resources Board has decided:

Among the areas that prohibited rifle use were all of Ozaukee, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Washington counties and parts of Racine, Kenosha, Dane, Dodge and Waukesha counties.

The ruling was made at the behest of the DNR ostensibly because a large percentqge of hunting accidents involved shotguns, though it also appears that those accidents had more to do with hunters than the guns:

The disproportionate number of injuries related to shotgun use had led the DNR to push for easing rifle restrictions. 

Most of the shooting incidents would have occurred no matter what type of firearm was used, according to the DNR.

What seems to be missing from the debate is the greater risk to hunters and non-hunters in the fields or woods, or in nearby homes, businesses or vehicles posed by rifle bullets that carry their energy and killing power farther than shotgun shot. 

Hunting and trapping is also allowed in some state parks.

Walker Self-Serving LOL Shutdown Message

He's been crying for more than a year that there's too much uncertainty in Wisconsin to get the economy on track, he's failing in job creation and he's just thrown 92,000 state residents off their health insurance plan to further gum up ObamaCare here, but now his prescription for the Federal Government is to run it more like Wisconsin.

Wolf 'Management' Professionals To Meet, Speak In Milwaukee

When Wisconsin legislators were planning the state's first wolf hunt in 2012, it was reported by watchdog journalist Rebecca Kemble that DNR wolf experts were not required to testify at hearings where GOP legislators and hunting allies wanted and produced a fast-tracked, big-quota hunt:

The bulk of testimony was against the bill, and most people mentioned the rushed and secretive process with which it was written and introduced into committee. Two retired DNR wildlife biologists and five faculty members from the University of Wisconsin who specialize in wildlife ecology and biology testified “for informational purposes only.”

All but the one who does work for the Bear Hunters Association slammed the committee for not considering scientific data or recommendations while crafting the bill.

Dr. Adrian Treves, Director of the Carnivore Coexistence Lab at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Science, was “dismayed that wolf biologists from the DNR were not required to testify.”

Now the DNR wants its experts to talk to the world about "wolf management," though Wisconsin's second-year wolf quota is substantially elevated and the state pays bear hunters whose hounds run into fatal confrontations with wolves even in published caution areas. Those confrontations are dramatically escalating, records show, and had cost the state nearly $400.000.

Will there be any opponents, critics - - even skeptics - -  of Wisconsin's wolf and related hunting policies (such as bear baiting, which attracts wolves and contributes to their vulnerability) at the conference described this way in a current DNR electronic newsletter:

DNR scientists to participate in worldwide discussion on wolf management at The Wildlife Society conference in Milwaukee

MADISON -- With the arrival of The Wildlife Society’s conference starting Oct. 5 in Milwaukee, wildlife management professionals from Wisconsin and North America will convene to discuss an issue that extends far beyond Wisconsin borders, wolves.

The session titled, Brave New World: Conservation landscapes of recovered wolves, aims to pull together ideas and research results from experts in the U.S. and Europe to inform wolf management policies. The recent delisting of wolves as an endangered species has been marked as a conservation success, but it brings with it a new dynamic of population management for both wildlife and people.

“The wolf session will be a great opportunity for DNR staff to collaborate and share ideas on wolf management with others who are also dealing with the complex issue,” said Adrian Wydeven, wildlife biologist. “We’re looking forward to hearing what other agencies are doing.”

Following the opening of the main wolf session, Wydeven will give a presentation on wolf conservation efforts from then and now. Wydeven’s presentation is part of a series of other wolf related talks covering a wide-range of themes including: effects of wolf predation, wolf harvests and the coexistence of wolves and people.

The wolf plenary session begins Oct. 8, three days after the start of The Wildlife Society annual conference. The wolf sessions also tie into the overall theme of this year’s conference promoting science communications, and researcher’s involvement in communicating their work with the public.

For more information visit The Wildlife Society's website at wildlifesociety.org (exit DNR).

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Karl Martin, Wildlife and forestry research section chief; 608-224-7138 karl.martin@wisconsin.gov

Waiting For That Scott Walker News Release

You know, the one where he criticizes the House Tea Party members for the shutdown costing Wisconsin workers their jobs and the economy their pay. I mean: think of the uncertainty!

The Headlines Have Changed For Caterpillar, Milwaukee

Remember when venerable Bucyrus Erie was bought out by Caterpillar in 2010?

Bucyrus CEO on Caterpillar Takeover: "A Great Day"

Both CEOs stressed that this is a "growth move."

Because the two companies do not produce the same products, there is not much overlap. The move is not expected to result in job cuts.

And yesterday? 

Caterpillar cuts more jobs in Milwaukee area

Caterpillar Inc. has laid off another round of employees at its southeastern Wisconsin operations, a company spokeswoman told The Business Journal Monday.

The Peoria, Ill.-based equipment manufacturer (NYSE: CAT) is cutting “support and management” positions at multiple locations, the Herald & Review newspaper in Decatur, Ill., reported....

[Caterpillar spokeswoman Rachel] Potts said the latest local layoffs are in addition to 260 production jobs cut in South Milwaukee during the summer.

The Two Faces Of US Rep. Reid Ribble, R-WI

Or make it three. Or four

Two wrongs don't make a right, Ribble says, then turns it into a trifecta, perhaps four-of-a-kind by opposing ObamaCare, opposing a government shutdown over ObamaCare, voting with his caucus to defund ObamaCare provoking the government shutdown and issuing a statement condemning the government shutdown.

It's harmful and embarrassing that the federal government has reached a point of shutting down operations.  This is not a moment to be proud of or to celebrate.  

I've stated from the beginning of this process that while I vigorously oppose Obamacare and believe it is poor health care policy, I do not believe shutting down the government is the correct strategy to address this flawed law.  Two wrongs don't make a right. 

Probable Waukesha Water Comish Blocked Diversion Plan Public Input

Continuing the Waukesha tradition of insider network controls, it looks like long-time Waukesha Water Utility Commissioner Dan Warren's replacement will be former Waukesha Common Council President Paul Ybarra.

If that name rings a bell with those of you following the Waukesha water diversion application's years of torturous delays, you could be recalling Ybarra's help in approving a draft application in 2010 and also his cancellation of a key, 2010 diversion meeting between Waukesha and DNR officials to which citizen and environmental groups had been invited.

Ybarra didn't want what he called third-party interests at the meeting, even as observers. At the time, I wrote:

Documents I obtained under the Wisconsin Open Records statute indicate that Common Council President Ybarra wrote the DNR - - his November 16th letter is posted at this DNR website - - to say that the meeting was off....

[Utility general manager Daniel] Duchniak told the Mayor [Jeff Scrima] of the cancellation and Ybarra defended the communications end-run to Scrima, the records show.

Here is a link to Ybarra's letter to the DNR.

Maybe that application could have used more third-party input, since what got delivered by Ybarra's Common Council to the DNR in May, 2010 after work by the utility and its consultants is still being rewritten by the utility and its consultants - - consultants who have worked with Ybarra in the past:

Waukesha Ald. Ybarra: Waukesha water will not add to flooding concerns
5/13/2010 

Van Hollen Too Busy To Look Into Sportsmens Gate, But...

Not too busy to issue 200,000 concealed weapons carrying permits.

Are you safer, and are state budget and executive appointment processes any cleaner?

SportsmensGate Could Put GOP Officials On Endangered List

Anyone who has been in and/or around government knows SportsmensGate is gaining the kind of momentum that keeps prosecutors and politicians awake at night.

DNR Waukesha Website Lists No Final Diversion Submission

I see no notice or update on the DNR's Waukesha diversion planning web page indicating receipt of the city's long-delayed Lake Michigan water diversion application draft.

After plan changes and incomplete submissions since the spring of 2010, Waukesha had indicated things were to be tied up at the of last month:

Work on the request should be wrapped up by the end of September, Duchniak said. 

Waukesha already is two months behind a timeline for review of the application and design and construction of a new water supply that Duchniak announced in June of this year. At that time, he said the application would be completed by July 8.

Maybe the deadline was met and the DNR is slow to post it. We'll see.

The end of September did bring the rumored retirement of long-time Waukesha Water Utility President Dan Warren.

Things have moved so slowly on the application front that Warren is leaving before the application's drafting was completed, let alone before more months or years of state and Great Lakes regional reviews and potential major rewrites will follow.

The estimated price tag for the diversion rose during his tenure as Commission veteran and President to $183 from $87 million, or 135%.

The Rumors Were True; Water Diversion Leader To Retire, Leave State

The long-time Waukesha Water Utility Commission President, Dan Warren, said yesterday was his last day.
My sources a week ago were correct:

The utility says it is the final stages of preparing its delayed, much-revised application draft for delivery to Wisconsin reviewers at the DNR; additional reviews and hearings are on tap for the application in seven Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces if the DNR decides the application is ready for prime time. 

To reach this point, the utility has, for years, spent heavily on application technical consultants, on public relations experts and lobbyists both in Wisconsin and in Washington, DC, and lawyers. 

Along with utility staff time, the administrative costs associated with the application are surely past the $1 million mark - - the meter has been running for years - -  and more expenses, including possible litigation, will be incurred as the application moves along.

Warren's current term - -  and perhaps his last, observers said last week - - expires at the end of this month, which would coincide with the application's final draft delivery to the DNR.

Warren, also general manager of Pabst Farms development and a member of the Waukesha School District, is relocating to Florida even though the Commission's Great Lakes diversion application is still incomplete after more than three years.

His term expired yesterday, records show; a likely replacement is former Alderman and diversion booster Pail Ybarra.

Reports The Freeman:

Waukesha Freeman 10/01/2013, Page A03

Dan Warren leaving Water Commission, cites future move  WAUKESHA – Longtime Water Commission President Dan Warren will leave his post once his current term ends, saying he plans to relocate out of state.

Bill Kaplan Correctly Lays Shutdown At GOP's Doorstep

Enough of false equivalencies: this shutdown is pure, GOP/Tea Party anti-Obama hysteria:

The GOP-led House keeps manufacturing "crises" with back-to-back votes to shutdown the government. Impotent House Speaker Boehner led / followed his fellow Republicans again over the cliff. And, Wisconsin GOP Reps. Sean Duffy, Tom Petri, Reid Ribble, Paul Ryan and Jim Sensenbrenner joined the rabble-rousers. No double-speak can disguise what they have done: inflict hardship on many and obstruct all of the constructive and necessary functions of government.