Follow The Right-Wing Slush Funds

At this website, with charts and more.

Kleefisch's Weirdness Not Drawing Deserved Attention - - Yet

Rebecca Kleefisch is not getting the same kind of national media attention for her brainless musings about marriages with pets and furniture that, say, a Rand Paul got in Kentucky for questioning the need for civil rights constitutional protections and statutes, or that Christine O'Donnell's receives in Delaware for her frequent gaffes and flubs, or that Joe Miller got in Alaska for coming out against the minimum wage.

That's because those candidates are running for the US Senate - - where members vote on treaties, Supreme Court nominees and the Federal Budget - - while Kleefisch is only running for Lt. Governor.

But two Lt. Governors during my years in Wisconsin  - - Marty Schreiber and Scott McCallum - - took over when when Governors Pat Lucey and Tommy Thompson took federal jobs.

Just saying...if you let Scott Walker become Governor, it's Kleefisch who's waiting in the wings, and gets to be in charge if Walker is incapacitated.

By the way, a posting I put on Daily Kos Wednesday night about Kleefisch and the other Tea Party/Republicans at the top of our ballot got some interest.

Marquette U. Newspaper Finds Walker's Campus Political History "Murky"

Interesting report in the Marquette newspaper. Walker was a student there some years, but quit before graduating.

Check Out Climate Chronicle Blog

It's Rick Chamberlain's substantive, classy online resource. Bookmark and read it.

Huge Storm Is Second Blowout Weather Event In US This Year

Some meteorologists are linking these storms to climate change. Details and great graphics, here.

And here's a sample of the expert posting, from Joe Masters:

"Weather bomb' hits Midwest with power of major hurricane

October 27, 2010

My dad was the biggest Republican that ever walked the earth. He always said: “Actions have consequences.” To pretend that a 38% increase in greenhouse gases isn’t going to have any impact, that we can have our cake and eat it too, and smear it all over our face, and maybe have our grandchildren deal with the hangover, I think it is immoral.

"That’s Minnesota meteorologist Paul Douglas in an exclusive interview with Brad Johnson about the “weather bomb” that just hit and the global warming deniers that populate his state."

Meet The Guy Responsible For Corporate Cash In Campaigns

Indiana lawyer found the keys.

Or was it a loophole?

Rebecca Kleefisch Equates Gays To Tables, Clocks

If we let gays marry, says the GOP candidate for Lt. Governor, it won't be long before people will be marrying their furniture, or their dogs.

The Campaign Season In Wisconsin When Anything Goes Is Almost Over

Reid Ribble, a small business executive and the Republican candidate for Congress in Northeast Wisconsin, claims in a TV ad he lost his health insurance because of the new health care law.

Wow, you say, that's awful.

And if you know that the incumbent, Democrat Steve Kagan is both a supporter of the law and a doctor, you think - - how sad and ironic and really unfair to the victim, poor Reid Ribble.

But who's the real victim?

How about the voter, or Steve Kagan, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the claim is false.

I know the words "lie" and "liar" are thrown around in campaigns pretty loosely, but this one is pretty blatant and completely cynical.

It's been the year that anything goes.

I guess I spoke too soon - - as I just finished watching video of Rebecca Kleefisch thinking aloud that if you let gays marry, the next thing you know, people will be marrying their tables, clocks or dogs.

Ron Johnson Would Oppose The Bucyrus Aid Package

I heard GOP Senate candidate Ron Johnson speak off the script of a new TV ad today when he opined to AM 620 WTMJ radio talker Jeff Wagner that Wisconsin jobs won't come back until government gets out of the private sector's way.

So Johnson - - whose plastics firm in Oshkosh took a public grant to build a rail spur and more money in low-interest public loans - - would oppose the 515 jobs added at Bucyrus in South Milwaukee through federal and state assistance?

The truth is we live in a mixed economy, where public-private partnerships are routine and beneficial, where laws and tax codes and infrastructure spending regularly influence business decisions, and in which government assistance is far more than, as Johnson says, a matter of picking winners and losers.

Ideologues - - like Johnson - - live in a black-and-white, one-dimensional delusion, where sloganeering doesn't cut it as a public policy template.

Damaging Documents About Walker's Tenure Roil County, So Walker...

...Unconcerned about the Mental Health Complex and crumbling County buildings...

Campaigns out-state, and tweets:

'Met w/ Festival Foods employees in De Pere (& via webcam in Onalaska). #wigov #believeinwiabout 11 hours ago via HootSuite'

With Facts, Scientists Explain Stem Cell Issues

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker ran a TV commercial about stem cell research so bogus The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel rated it "false."

Now the scientists are fighting back, with a Madison news conference.


Below are the facts - - often in short supply during a political campaign driven by 30 second commercials.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010

Contact:   Elizabeth Donley, Chief Executive Officer

                    Stemina Biomarker Discovery

                    (608) 204-0104 (office); (608) 577-9209 (cell)

                    bdonley@stemina.com  

Stem cell scientists stress need for continued support of

 human embryonic stem cell research 

Heated election rhetoric threatens to undermine critical strides in human embryonic and adult stem cell research

MADISON, Wis. – Concerned by election rhetoric that portrays adult stem cells as adequate substitutes for human embryonic stem cells, several leading scientists joined with a patient advocate and the founders of a growing biotechnology company Tuesday to set the record straight before voters head to the polls next week.

“Stem cell research is a critical issue for Wisconsin families, and it’s important for people to have the facts,’’ said Michelle Alswager, whose family has been affected by juvenile diabetes.  “Thanks to our state’s scientific leadership, human embryonic stem cell research is advancing patient care and offering new hope to families who have been affected by serious health challenges. As a result, we believe it is critical to dispel myths that have become part of the political dialogue this election season.’’

Specifically, said Tim Kamp, M.D., Ph.D, and David Gamm, M.D., Ph.D., human embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells and adult stem cells are not equivalent to one another and are not functional substitutes for each other in medical research. Kamp, Gamm and others spoke at a news briefing Tuesday at Stemina Biomarker Discovery in Madison. 

Kamp and Gamm said doctors and scientists are particularly concerned that some groups are using political speech to deny the very real scientific and medical progress that is occurring with human embryonic stem cells.

Advances with human embryonic stem cells include the recent announcement by Geron Corp., a licensee of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, that it has treated a spinal cord injury patient in Atlanta as part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s first approved human trial using a human embryonic stem cell therapy. 

While Geron is working to help patients with new spinal cord treatments, Advanced Cell Technology is seeking permission from the FDA to proceed with clinical trials of a human embryonic stem therapy related to vision. Advanced Cell has prepared lab-grown retinal pigment epithelium cells for patients with an eye disorder called Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, a childhood version of macular degeneration. In addition, research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is looking at performing pre-clinical studies for other causes of blindness using induced pluripotent stem cells.

Madison’s own Stemina Biomarker Discovery also has made dramatic progress. Founded in 2006 by Gabriela Cezar, a UW–Madison assistant professor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Elizabeth Donley, former general counsel for WARF, Stemina provides drug screening and other services using human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells for different purposes.

“One of our products, devTOX, is an assay or test that helps screen drugs and environmental chemicals for their potential to cause birth defects if a woman is exposed during pregnancy,’’ Donley said. “This test offers the opportunity to identify drugs and chemicals that may cause birth defects and to study human development in a way that is not possible with other types of stem cells. We also use human embryonic stem cells to identify biomarkers that provide the potential for early diagnosis of diseases. It would be a shame to lose the opportunity to save lives and avoid potentially fatal birth defects simply because there is a lack of understanding about the importance of human embryonic stem cell research.’’

Human embryonic stem cells are blank-slate, or pluripotent, cells that have the capacity to differentiate into any of the more than 220 cell types in the human body. First derived by UW–Madison’s James Thomson in 1998 using donated embryos left over from in vitro fertilization patients, the Bush Administration approved 21 human embryonic stem cell lines for federally funded research in 2001. 

The documented performance of the cells and their ability to divide indefinitely means human embryonic stem cells continue to play a vital role in international research. Induced pluripotent stem cells, derived in 2007 from reprogrammed skin and other cells, show some differences from human embryonic stem cells yet also are the focus of much promising research. Naturally occurring adult stem cells, such as bone marrow cells, were discovered more than 50 years ago and continue to find new uses for treating cancer and blood diseases.

Kamp, director of UW–Madison’s Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center, said potential applications for all of the cell types are expanding, with advancements in one area often contributing to achievements in the others. However, the overall progress does not mean one type of cell can substitute for another.

Human embryonic stem cells continue to be the “gold standard’’ for a master stem cell type and advancing scientists’ understanding of the new induced pluripotent stem cells requires careful comparison with embryonic stem cells. Without access to such critical control systems, Kamp said scientists could wind up wasting precious time and resources. Handicapping the ability of researchers to do the scientifically indicated experiments will put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage relative to other countries where this research flourishes. In the end, it will result in lost opportunities for new jobs and first access to promising new treatments for a range of diseases.

“We need to continue exploring every avenue because there are advantages, disadvantages and varying capabilities with these cell types,’’ Kamp said. “For example, although adult stem cells show great promise at being able to repair heart and nerve tissue, acquiring adult heart and brain stem cells would require invasive and risky procedures. And induced pluripotent stem cells have shown a tendency to retain memory of their original cell type, so we still have some hurdles to overcome compared with our progress in human embryonic stem cells.’’

Kamp and Gamm, a UW–Madison stem cell researcher and assistant professor of ophthalmology, pointed to recent studies that highlight some of the differences among the cells. While it is true that the cells show striking similarities in some respects, the recent studies show important distinctions. 

One paper, published earlier this year in Nature by Harvard scientist George Daley, found that cell-type origin affected the efficiency of the differentiation process. A second study, published in Nature Biotechnology by Konrad Hochedlinger and colleagues at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine, described the extent to which induced pluripotent stem cells retained genetic markers from their past lives as skin, blood or other types of progenitor cells.

UW–Madison’s Gamm said such studies are providing important new insights into critical aspects of human cell development and raise new possibilities for patients, their families and society. At this critical point, it would be unfortunate for polarizing rhetoric to translate into new and excessive restrictions on research or uncertainties for scientists who are working to manage complex interdisciplinary projects that involve the living cells.

“Human embryonic stem cell research is an important component of an intense effort to better understand and find treatments for incurable diseases,’’ Gamm said. “Furthermore, human embryonic stem cells serve as the blueprint for human adult induced pluripotent stem cells, a complementary technology that our lab and many others on campus are working hard to advance.”

Participants in Tuesday’s briefing pointed to the early days of human embryonic stem cell research as a time when political leaders with a variety of viewpoints were able to come together, put aside rhetoric and find room for compromise. As voters head to the polls this election season, the participants expressed hope that such opportunities are not lost in the future.

                                                                            ****

Quick facts on human embryonic stem cell research in Wisconsin:

• UW–Madison scientists currently have 21 projects with federal funding commitments for approximately $5 million per year for human embryonic stem cell research. The Medical College of Wisconsin has another $2 million to $3 million per year in federally funded human embryonic stem cell research.
• Private companies such as Stemina also receive federal money for contract research. Stemina currently employs nine and works on both public and privately funded research and product development. 

                                                          --30—30—30--

Pollsters Miss Voters With Cell Phones, But No Land Lines

Pollsters tend to gather opinion from people with land lines - - considered uncool or unaffordable by more and more Americans - - so let's wait until Nov. 2nd to see whether younger, less affluent and some minority voters with cell phones were under-sampled.

Motorcyclist Deaths In 2010 Still Running 30% Higher Than During 2009

State data continue to confirm the trend - - 97 motorcyclist deaths to date, as opposed to 74 in  the same period during 2009 - -and the 2010 death toll exceeds the full annual toll in several recent years, too.

Deaths are lower on state roads this year to date for motorists, but higher in vehicle passenger, pedestrian, bicyclist and motorcyclist categories.

The all-time annual fatality toll for motorcyclists is 110, in 2007..

More information, here.

Navajo Nation Looking For Greener Future

A fascinating story.

With Santiago Gone, Michael Cudahy Makes Pledge To Engineering Complex

Philanthropist Michael Cudahy has agreed to donate $2 million to UWM's stalled plan to construct an engineering and innovation complex on County land in Wauwatosa.

Cudahy had earlier promised to a larger commitment, but pulled out over a dispute with then-Chancellor Carlos Santiago over siting and design issues related to another proposed new UWM campus on the lakefront downtown next to Cudahy's Pier Wisconsin facility.

But now Santiago is gone to another job in Washington, DC and Cudahy is back in the picture.

Purchase of the needed land in Wauwatosa has been on hold because UWM did not have adequate seed money; Cudahy's pledge may get UWM over the hum/

The Conservative Argument For Transit

William Lind explains what he likes about transit.

Online Editing Makes The News Newsy

The headline on the electronic version of the Journal Sentinel's solid disclosure story about Scott Walker and County government letting the mental health complex lapse into chaos has been upgraded with newsier, informative wording:

"Audit finds violent events grew in last five years at mental health facility"

Initially, the headline online, and in the print edition was the reader-killing "Mental facility audited."

Still Nothing Happening With Waukesha's Lake Michigan Diversion Application

Waukesha's application for a diversion of Lake Michigan water has turned into the policy equivalent of Waiting For Godot.

I checked Monday on the dedicated website put up by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources about Waukesha's long-stalled application and there are still no announcements by the DNR of any formal reviews beginning.

Or announcements of even the initial steps in what, by law, is a lengthy environmental impact statement process that will include a tough look at Waukesha's plan to send its wastewater back to Lake Michigan via Underwood Creek in Wauwatosa, then Milwaukee's Menomonee River and valley.

The application was submitted to the DNR on May 20, but the DNR said soon after, and continues to say, per the website, that the application has deficiencies not yet cured.

Last week's dog and pony show about the application sponsored by the Waukesha Water Utility and Common Council appears not to have moved the DNR to act.

Amazingly, some of the DNR's concerns with the application were raised repeatedly and separately by environmental organizations, including the Waukesha Environmental Action League - - with members and experts right there in Waukesha.

Imagine where this application might in very complex, never-before-initiated process if the Waukesha Water Utility and Common Council were as open to input from those sources as they are wedded to the congesting advice of consultants and attorneys who have helped the City burn through close to one-third of the 18-month rewrite "buffer" incorporated in the application.

An application that still must have multiple hearings, meetings and vetting by all eight Great Lakes states - - with advice considered from two Canadian provinces - - along with potential pre-construction negotiations to find a willing water selling community, plus routing and construction timetables that must lead to a functioning system by June, 2018.

Walker Failures More Fully Disclosed As Documents Finally Surface

Newly-released documents suppressed during Scott Walker's campaign for Governor prove the Milwaukee County Executive has no business running for or serving as Governor of Wisconsin.

As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, County records show that:

There are no systematic inspections of County-owned buildings - - pieces of which have fallen at the Courthouse, O'Donnell Park and the Airport.

The County Mental Health Complex is a violent hell-hole, with assaults spiking over the last five years.

What does this show?

That Scott Walker had no real interest in local administration or in the daily mechanics of County government when he came in to the job in 2002 as an alleged "reformer"other than to use the office as a political and media platform from which to run for Governor.

What's amazing is that he didn't even do the basics, which if neglected, would undermine a run for higher office.

That would mean, at minimum, getting the County's buildings inspected on a regular and reliable schedule, so pieces wouldn't fall off.

Or protecting the mentally ill housed in a county complex, so patients wouldn't be assaulted, impregnated, or allowed to starve to death.

Instead, Walker was off running for Governor in 2006 and 2010, riding a motorcycle around the state, speaking, tweeting, fund-raising, lunching and otherwise leaving behind his official duties.

It looks like his plan to keep the lid on these bad news official documents fell a week short.

Opportunism has its perils.

Milwaukee County Buildings Not Inspected; No Schedule, System In Place

More documented evidence that County government under Scott Walker has been sloppily and dangerously run.

The coverups are unraveling.