WI to set 70 MPH top speed limit, so...

Will legislators arguing Wisconsin should have the same traffic speed laws as its neighbors also make first-time-caught OWI the misdemeanor offense it is in all 49 other states?

Right now, with a few exceptions, first-time-caught OWI is only a ticket.

And I know that policy is made these days in a facts-don-t-matter environment, but will legislators making the ridiculous argument that the boosted speed limit will enable vacationers to spend a few minutes of extra time with the kids take a closer look at a real issue - - the safety implications of letting heavy trucks go faster and take about 100 feet longer to stop?

Umteenth study links warming, climate change and weather extremes

More data, more expert opinion, more fodder, I'm sure, for Walker and the denier crowd, but the information in this New York Times piece - - with a focus on crop damage in Wisconsin is solid and disturbing, especially if continually ignored.

Continually ignored. For the record, I have several times blogged about a conference I attended in Chicago in 2003 with then-Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, where the Bush administration's EPA warned local officials that a warming climate was going to produce severe, costly extreme weather events.

Firm with Walker tax credits again moves jobs to Mexico

Let me remind you, as I have before, that when Scott Walker set up and began chairing the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, he said its "sole mission is to promote economic growth and create jobs for Wisconsinites."

If we had a real Attorney General in Wisconsin instead of a Republican corporate tool, we'd be deep into an investigation of how the WEDC - - already having missed Walker's job-creation goal by 100,000 positions, and its long record of untraceable and abused taxpayer-provided financing clearly established - - could have given tax credits to a company that for the second time is moving Wisconsin jobs to Mexico, business media report: 

This is the second time the Dublin, Ireland-based [Eaton] company has shipped jobs south of the border since 2012, during which time the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has given it significant support via state tax credits.

The company said it is permanently discontinuing certain manufacturing operations in Watertown, axing 93 jobs. 

Also for the record: Kremlin-style, Walker has whitewashed the 250,000 jobs pledge. The number he now touts as a success is 150,000 - - as Wisconsin has fallen to 40th among the states in jobs added.

How long before these facts well-known in Wisconsin but still emerging nationally jell into a narrative that what Walker is selling in Iowa and elsewhere is phony?

I see signs that at least the awareness is quickening:

It appears as if Massachusetts' activists were more prepared Monday for Walker's talking-point whitewashing of the economy he's crashed in Wisconsin than Iowans were last weekend.

Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman and state Sen. Tom McGee, Massachusetts AFL-CIO president Steve Tolman and a handful of state lawmakers spoke against the "shadowy Republican Super PAC masquerading as a taxpayer subsidized non-profit" and against Walker's "record of attacking working families."

"Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s time in Wisconsin is marred by an anti-working family agenda that's resulting in the worst job creation in the region while Wisconsin’s middle class has been shrinking at one of the fastest rates in the country," said Massachusetts Democratic Party executive director Matt Fenlon. "Massachusetts voters won't be fooled by the talking points of a Republican presidential wannabe who came here to address a fundraiser for a shadowy Republican group."

Massachusetts better prepared for Walker masquerade

Glad to read that people outside Wisconsin are figuring out that Walker has been bad news for Wisconsin.

It appears as if Massachusetts' activists were more prepared Monday for Walker's talking-point whitewashing of the economy he's crashed in Wisconsin than Iowans were last weekend.

Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman and state Sen. Tom McGee, Massachusetts AFL-CIO president Steve Tolman and a handful of state lawmakers spoke against the "shadowy Republican Super PAC masquerading as a taxpayer subsidized non-profit" and against Walker's "record of attacking working families."

"Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s time in Wisconsin is marred by an anti-working family agenda that's resulting in the worst job creation in the region while Wisconsin’s middle class has been shrinking at one of the fastest rates in the country," said Massachusetts Democratic Party executive director Matt Fenlon. "Massachusetts voters won't be fooled by the talking points of a Republican presidential wannabe who came here to address a fundraiser for a shadowy Republican group."

I had noted earlier that Walker told Iowans that things were better in Wisconsin under his direction, but data on everything from wage growth to job creation to road deterioration is shown by data to have worsened since he was sworn in four years ago:

*... Wisconsin is facing a projected 2015-'17 budget deficit - - in fact, Walker had the state skip a recent debt payment because the projected deficit has risen to $283 million - - so the budget Walker has submitted for the upcoming biennium will be adjusted by the Legislature into balance as state law requires through some combination of added fees, taxes, spending cuts or borrowing.
And before you let Walker say he's never proposed a state tax increase, the record shows he proposed three in his 2011-'13 adopted budget aimed at low-income Wisconsin residents, according to the state government's non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau and reported by PolitiFact. 

*  Finally, about the state's falling rate of unemployment. Yes, that number is down in the post-recession recovery, but beware how cherry-picked that number is from among many other statistics that show how poorly our state's economy is performing since Walker took office. 

Wisconsin under Walker has fallen to 40th among the states in jobs added, and to 42nd in wage growth - - with virtually all the jobs created since 2010 clustered in low-wage categories, according to a review of official data by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Economic Development.

Walker is signaling that he anticipates a long campaign, so activists have their work cut out for themselves. On the other hand, the record about Walker and Wisconsin is filled with information that exposes who he really is and where he would take country.

Here is one summary post about Walker's history in Wisconsin, and there are more than 7,000 other posts at this blog since early 2007.

All free for the taking.

Walker to Bush, GOP: More divide-and-conquer coming

More of a rope-a-dope, The New York Times discloses:

It is a gamble at once audacious and born of necessity: Gov. Scott Walkerof Wisconsin, a likely Republican candidate for president, has put campaign plans in motion that cede early momentum to his chief rival, Jeb Bush, in favor of beating Mr. Bush and other opponents with a long-game strategy designed to achieve financial and political success next winter.

So Walker is lowering expectations about the winning the early battle for money, figuring no one can beat him in a marathon.

While he hits the books and studies harder than ever, if you know what I mean.

Sorry, Iowa, but he had to be moving on

Walker was in Massachusetts Monday.

Look, Iowa, he said he'd back to visit  - - a lot - - and he's given you a lot of attention, so learn from us and try not to get possessive. 

Walker hoodwinks Iowa

[Updated 4:30 p.m.] The Des Moines Register reports that Walker wowed right-wing Iowans this past weekend with this version of clever but shallow talking points:

Walker told the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition that four years after his election, Wisconsin is better off. The unemployment rate has dropped from 9.2 percent to 4.6 percent, the state's budget is balanced and the state's pension fund is fully funded.

"Wisconsin is better off?"

Some quick facts, if they still matter:

*  Wisconsin's roads - - starved for state pothole and repair aid - - are now rated third worst in the nation, a study shows, so if you're coming here, drive carefully, check your tires and update your AAA towing insurance.

*  Walker is not responsible for the success of the Wisconsin Retirement System. Its national reputation is long-standing and well-known, and its funding at virtually 100% has been consistent and documented since at least 2003, this report says.

Additionally, the fund itself is conservatively-managed and insulated from  politics, adjusting payments depending on market performance and does not over-distrbute payouts to retirees.

Furthermore, Walker began making noises about meddling with the system's basic structure, but backed off in 2012 when no one else was interested in messing with success.

* Yes, Wisconsin's budget is balanced, but that's because balanced budgets in Wisconsin are required by state law.

However, Wisconsin is facing a projected 2015-'17 budget deficit - - in fact, Walker had the state skip a recent debt payment because the projected deficit has risen to $283 million - - so the budget Walker has submitted for the upcoming biennium will be adjusted by the Legislature into balance as state law requires through some combination of added fees, taxes, spending cuts or borrowing.

And before you let Walker say he's never proposed a state tax increase, the record shows he proposed three in his 2011-'13 adopted budget aimed at low-income Wisconsin residents, according to the state government's non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau and reported by PolitiFact.

*  Finally, about the state's falling rate of unemployment. Yes, that number is down in the post-recession recovery, but beware how cherry-picked that number is from among many other statistics that show how poorly our state's economy is performing since Walker took office.

Wisconsin under Walker has fallen to 40th among the states in jobs added, and to 42nd in wage growth - - with virtually all the jobs created since 2010 clustered in low-wage categories, according to a review of official data by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Economic Development.

Couple all that with Walker's refusal to allow any increase in the minimum hourly wage above the legal floor of $7.25, his signing of a wage-depressing 'right-to-work law, and his promised 250,000 new private-sector jobs coming in 100,000 short and you're left with a political spinner declaring victory when there's little to cheer about.

Here's one link to the bigger picture.

C'mon, Des Moines Register: do a little digging and fact-checking.

US Right tells Pope to shut up on climate change

Now look who's saying religion and science are incompatible:

But the effort [by Pope Francis] is already angering a number of American conservatives, among them members of the Heartland Institute, a libertarian group partly funded by the Charles G. Koch Foundation, run by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, who oppose climate policy. 

“The Holy Father is being misled by ‘experts’ at the United Nations who have proven unworthy of his trust,” Joseph Bast, the president of the Heartland Institute, said in an interview. “Though Pope Francis’ heart is surely in the right place, he would do his flock and the world a disservice by putting his moral authority behind the United Nations’ unscientific agenda on the climate.”

Walker has long been a Koch brothers favorite and is apparently their 2016 presidential candidate; the Heartland Institute sponsored a $250-per-ticket dinner for Walker in 2013, and last year took credit for pushing Walker to more strongly oppose Common Core school curricula.

These people must have forgotten that the incumbent Pope took the name Francis, not Pope Keystone XL.

They need to Google "St. Francis."

Failing roads-ranking another Walker 'achievement'

Note to visiting political media coming to Wisconsin: take the rental car insurance when you head out on our highways:

To 40th in jobs added and 42nd in wage growth nationally, you can add roads and streets rated third-worst in the country, a study finds. Not long ago, Wisconsin was 22nd, so the state of the state's basic transportation infrastructure has really deteriorated. Literally.

The reason: cuts in state funding in Walker's budgets to fix potholes and make other repairs.

Walker often flies the few miles from an airport in Waukesha near his Wauwatosa home to Madison on the odd day he's in Wisconsin, and is always driven by a State Trooper if the plane is unavailable, so has little personal experience dodging potholes,

Walker still in Wisconsin 51% of the time, records show

You say 'part-time,' I say 'half-time,' but either way, full-time he's not. I say Hawkeye Walker should refund a big chunk of his salary.

Funniest part of the story is that he defended the absences - - on a media conference call. From Spain.

Walker knows - - or cares- - nothing about science or the DNR

Addressing complex air, land and water issues while maintaining the institutional memories, protecting existing data bases and keeping current with new information is not the same as writing "a report," as Walker put it with his trademark clumsy ignorance.

Walker thinks approaching environmental matters with profound health, safety and economic costs - - and tied into national and international frameworks - - is like hiring a property appraiser when you're buying a house, or getting an estimate from a well-digger.

Besides, if it does not get him votes in Iowa, or attention in South Carolina, he ain't interested.

Ever the zealot, Walker still backs same-sex marriage bans

The Madison Capital Times reports that Walker told his rabid Republican right-wing base in Iowa he wants the states to be free to ban same sex marriages - - and even supports an amendment to the US constitution on the matter to basically nullify a string of federal court rulings to the contrary.

No wonder that in Wisconsin, two of the same plaintiffs who successfully overturned the state's discriminatory ban on same-sex marriages which Walker had supported has had to return to court to have both their names on their child's birth certificate.

Walker and allies here just can't concede defeat and are willing to put everyday citizens through the wringer purely for ideological spite.

And in his newly-adopted state of Iowa, where Walker speaks far more openly about his extremist views than he did when running for re-election in Wisconsin, he expanded yesterday also that God is telling him to run for President, The Cap Times reported:  

Reading a passage from the devotional book "Jesus Calling," Walker told the crowd about his decision to run for governor in 2010 — something he and his wife, Tonette, decided through discussion and prayer. 

Walker has previously said he doesn't believe he should run for president because it's the "next logical step" in his career. Rather, he has said, it should be because he feels called to it.

"The best way to minister is to accept God's calling when you least expect it," Walker said. "We felt it was a calling to get in that election. We felt we were called to do the right thing, so we worried more about the next generation than we did the next election."

I'd say, beware of politicians - - especially those claiming Divine Guidance - - who want the government to legalize discrimination against some classes and groups.

Rising awareness of oil train dangers; Milwaukee hearing Wed.

[Updated, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday] The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel carries a thorough story in advance of a City Hall public hearing Wednesday about risks to densely-populated neighborhoods associated with a surge in trains carrying volatile Bakken shale crude oil through Milwaukee.

A supportive editorial was added by the paper Tuesday evening.

The hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. in Room 301-B, should be well-attended, will provide important information and sentiment, and could last for several hours.

Below is a photo I took and began posting in early January that tells you all you need to know about what an oil train derailment with its potentially-explosive crude oil cargo could do to downtown Milwaukee, or another Wisconsin community.

Oil train passing through Milwaukee's Third Ward above 1st Street at 12 noon.

Why do other candidates tolerate Walker's theft of Reagan's ID?

[Updated Sunday, 2:00 a.m.] Walker has done this continually, but at some point the other Republican presidential hopefuls need to tell Walker that his constant assumption of Reagan's identity is self-serving, unseemly, and in 2015, irrelevant:

In his stop in Urbandale [Iowa], Walker dismissed an assertion by Rubio that "there's no way (governors running for president will) be ready on day one to manage U.S. foreign policy." 

"I think again he's questioning how Ronald Reagan was ready," Walker said of the former president and California governor. "I think governors innately have the ability to lead."

And really, "governors innately have the ability to lead?" Some sort of natural selection, dare we say, evolution at work here?

Did Walker watch Missouri's Gov. Jay Nixon recently botch the state's response to the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, let alone to the endemic corruption of that city's police and civic administration?

Florida Gov. Rick Scott's misspending of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on unneeded drug tests for aid recipients?

His buddy New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's bridge traffic and pension system mismanagement?

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's destruction of the state's image and tourism appeal over that uncalled-for  gay-discrimination law?

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of transportation improvement funding prior to the collapse of the I-35 bridge?

Or just Google Governors Faubus, Wallace, Barnett...

Doe probes said taxpayers, voters were harmed, so Walker plays the victim

Interesting that our-take-no-responsibility Governor - - it's either 'someone else did it,' or 'look over there, shiny object! - - feels the need to look to Iowans for sympathy.

If Walker were the victim in the Doe probes, his former Milwaukee County Deputy Chief of Staff Kelly Rindfleisch would not be still serving a felony jail sentence for misusing public time and resources for partisan purposes, five more Walker ex-County staffers, campaign donors and other associates would not have also been found guilty of Doe I-prosecuted crimes, and major Walker funders would not be battling in court to stop a related probe aimed at Walker  personally, and his campaign, for an even bigger alleged evasion of campaign finance law in Doe II.

Polls and focus groups must be telling Walker that he needs more distance from both the Doe probes and economic issues that can also hurt him, so he's spinning the Doe probes as a distraction from news and facts like this:

Wisconsin lags Midwest: Job growth state rankings

Over the past decade, Wisconsin has mostly ranked in the middle of all states for employment growth. Among Midwestern states, Wisconsin was once among the leaders, but in recent years that trend has changed. How states rank in year-over-year percent change of private-sector employees for the third quarter ending in September each year.

New ' friend' [Sic] of labor, Walker mocks workers, buries his record

We've noted the absolute absurdity of Walker's latest pose:

"I’m going to stand with the American worker." 

Perhaps these workers, listed by Walker to his staff, and in his book?  And what's next for this chameleon: Walker, Tree-Hugger? Feminist? $7.50/hr. minimum-wage advocate? Advocate for light rail, Amtrak?

10.) You take a week off to protest in Wisconsin and your office runs better. 

9.) On a snow day when they say “non-essential” people should stay home you know who they mean. 

8.) You get paid twice as much as a private sector person doing the same job but make up the difference by doing half as much work. 

7.) It takes longer to fire you than the average killer spends on death row.

6.) The worse you do your job, the more your boss avoids you. 

5.) You think the French are working themselves to death. 

4.) You know by having a copy of the Holy Koran on your desk your job is 100% safe. 

3.) You spend more time at protest marches than at church. 

2.) You have a Democratic congressman’s lips permanently attached to your butt.  

   1.) You pay more in union dues than you do for your health care insurance.

In Presidential politics, payroll or prayer?

Walker could have an easy electoral ride through Iowa, and perhaps beyond, because, as The New York Times says in a long piece about Walker's fresh publlc embrace of his evangelical Christian faith:

During his political rise in Wisconsin, Mr. Walker did not often emphasize his faith. But evangelicals make up nearly 60 percent of Republican caucusgoers in Iowa. They are an important factor in Southern primaries. And they continue to have an outsize influence on the Republican nominating process.

So when Walker says from Iowa this weekend that the path to the Presidency runs through the Midwest - - presumably an advantage for him, he thinks - -  will media make these numbers about jobs in Wisconsin and the Midwest as relevant as the data about evangelical turnout?

In recent quarters, Wisconsin has been in the bottom half of state rankings for 12-month growth in jobs and average weekly wage. In the third quarter of 2014, Wisconsin was 40th for job growth over the previous year and 42nd for wage growth.

If 'it's the economy, stupid' still shapes campaigns and determines elections, will Walker be pressed to own his record (below), or will he be allowed to say, and campaign on, 'have faith."

Wisconsin lags Midwest: Job growth state rankings

Over the past decade, Wisconsin has mostly ranked in the middle of all states for employment growth. Among Midwestern states, Wisconsin was once among the leaders, but in recent years that trend has changed. How states rank in year-over-year percent change of private-sector employees for the third quarter ending in September each year.

Or: 

Walker scrubs 100,000 jobs from talking points

No, Walker is not "pushing for higher wages for American workers"

An academic and think tank scholar has written an op-ed in The Washington Post that credits Walker with supporting new barriers to legal immigration and thereby "pushing for higher wages for American workers."

And while Walker's creation of a pro-worker campaign plank might be bogus, the author also adds:

When was the last time you heard a GOP presidential nominee talk about raising the incomes of American workers in a way that did not mention tax cuts?

Oh, brother. I could see this coming a few days ago.

I think the op-ed writer wanted to write something provocative that tied together reflexive Republicans' trickle-down tax policies with their everyday, anti-immigration xenophobia, but ignoring Walker's known anti-worker track record undermines the op-ed's premise and ends up giving Walker way too much credit-by-omission.

The record shows that Walker is no friend of labor, nor is he some kind of stealth GOP populist.

Remember that little game Walker played when he went to Washington, DC shortly after his election and claimed to be a "progressive?"

Some progressive. Unmasked by then-Cong. Dennis Kucinich.

Walker has reduced corporate and high-earners' taxes, fed huge loans, grants and tax credits to favored businesses through a flawed new state development corporation and cut public workers take-home pay while capping their future raises at 1% annually through Act 10 which he dropped on workers without warning.

Walker does not believe in the minimum wage, so has steadfastly blocked any increase above Wisconsin's bottom-of-the-barrel $7.25/hr. rate, just signed a 'right-to-work' wage-depressing law covering all private sector unionized workers, and is all but certain to sign an emerging bill that will throw out Wisconsin's "prevailing wage" law and the family supporting pay it provides for workers on major projects.

Nor did the op-ed  mention that virtually all the jobs created during Walker's first-term - - 100,000 fewer than promised - - have been concentrated in low-wage categories, data show, and that Wisconsin's job-creation now ranks 40th among the states.

Bottom line: Walker has done nothing to push for higher wages for workers.

He's trying in this case to be the ultra-rightist on immigration among the GOP presidential hopefuls while posing to gullible voters as a blue-collar Republican.

People need to see Walker and his manipulations for what they are.

Bonus buzz words from DNR Sec. Cathy Stepp

Nothing lifts the spirits at a once-distinguished public service agency now run with a partisan,  "chamber-of-commerce mentality" - - especially when there's a hiring freeze, budget cuts and layoff notices floating around - - than an all-staff end-of-the-week email from the corporately-obesiant boss celebrating "very exciting...cutting edge" reassignments "improving and enhancing" the Human Relations staff.

Take it away, WI DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp - - ex-developer, former agency hater - - though I will show some true human relations compassion and edit out the details from her email about who among her newly-elevated management team enjoys camping, is fixing up a new house, or roots for the New England Patriots, among other personal information:
------------------------------------------------------------

Good afternoon DNR Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce some very exciting changes to Human Resources at the DNR.  We have assembled a leadership team that we believe will transform our human resources function into a unified set of cutting edge services that support DNR managers and employees.

This team includes Amber Passno as the new Human Resources Bureau Director and Jennifer Gebert as a Deputy Bureau Director.  Additionally, Julie Graziano, who has done a significant amount of organizational development work for our agency, has also accepted a special assignment to partner with Amber and Jennifer to develop recommendations for improving and enhancing the services offered by Human Resources.

Amber Passno has been with the Department since 2011 as the Workforce Relations Section Chief in the Bureau of Human Resources...

Jennifer Gebert has spent the last sixteen years of her state career at the Office of State Employment Relations (OSER), with the last 12 years as the Bureau Director of Outreach Services...

Julie Graziano is a twenty plus year veteran of the DNR, with experience in human resources and organizational effectiveness...  

Human Resources plays a critical role in our agency’s success.  The combination of leadership skills of Amber, Jennifer and Julie have the potential to build the best Human Resources program in state government, a program of superior service excellence.

We are committed to service excellence.

Cathy Stepp
Secretary 
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

101 S Webster Street

Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 267-7556

Cathy.stepp@wisconsin.gov 

After layoff notices, DNR's Stepp motivates, leads with buzz words

As Walker and his "chamber-of-commerce mentality" corporate management team hollow-out and diminish the once-proud science-based Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the staff not on the Earth Day layoff list of 57 no doubt will be reassured and re-energized by the ultra-bureaucratic word salad served by Department Secretary Cathy Stepp in this all-staff Friday "accomplish mission" email missive.

This graf sums it up:

Regarding the comments circulating regarding reorganizing. As part of the position reductions and assessment of our business needs we have to consider how best to accomplish mission, when budgets and staffing changes occur. There is nothing to report at this time, however as the budget moves forward and we get some additional certainty, we will be engaging management teams to assist in our efforts.

The full email:

DNR Staff,

I wanted to share a brief budget update. As we shared with you back in January, prior to any budget discussions, this is a long, rollercoaster ride. The very next week, in early February, we got to see the first chapter, and as we’ve gotten clarity, we’ve taken actions along the way to make sure we are ready to address the proposed changes. That included the need to provide “at risk” notices to a number of employees this week. More information will be coming next week once affected staff members have been notified.

This week the JFC started their important work. As you have seen, the media is providing motion by motion coverage of this dynamic process.   Please know that your leadership team is engaged and as involved as possible in this process.  In fact, Cathy and Mike personally attended the JFC Executive Session, yesterday.  As most of you now know, the department was asked to work at balancing the fish and wildlife account and to eliminate some additional vacancies in the second year of the 2015-2017 State Budget.  As we did with the first round of proposed reductions we will work as a leadership team in the One DNR spirit to develop a plan to deliver our core services and we will continue to achieve our mission.

There will be many more motions and amendments before this budget is completed. Please know that your Secretary Office and Administrators are working tirelessly to stay on top of these changes, plan for the future and where we are able, and most importantly inform the decisions that are being made.

Regarding the comments circulating regarding reorganizing. As part of the position reductions and assessment of our business needs we have to consider how best to accomplish mission, when budgets and staffing changes occur. There is nothing to report at this time, however as the budget moves forward and we get some additional certainty, we will be engaging management teams to assist in our efforts.

We won’t be providing updates for every motion or action over the next month. The final budget is what will determine our ultimate direction. However, given the transition to a new chapter in the budget process, we thought it would be helpful to give you an update, and to let you know we are staying on top of these changes…so you can focus on doing the excellent work that our customers and citizens have come to expect.

We are committed to service excellence.

Cathy Stepp
Secretary 
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

101 S Webster Street

Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 267-7556

Cathy.stepp@wisconsin.gov