Thursday, April 4, 2013

Walker's Wisconsin! Parts II and III

State Representative Frank Lasee (R-Demented) has seen a problem that doesn't exist and he is bound and determined to fix it. He wants to make it easier for people to sue the owners of windmills, even if they are obeying the law:
Rob Kovach, a spokesman for Lasee, said no one is pursuing legal action, but the senator has worked closely with three families who have left their homes in Glenmore as a result of poor health they say were caused by low-frequency noise generated by the turbines.

“They could (sue) before, but this is more specific ... saying the thing was sited legally is not a defense,” Kovach said.
The only problem is that there is nothing showing that the windmills are creating
the problems they're being accused of creating:
“For example, even though the wind opponents in the Highland case tried their best, as all three PSC Commissioners noted, there was no evidence that the wind turbines at Shirley caused the health problems of those residents.”

In tests conducted at Shirley Wind Farm in December, scientists did not find a correlation that the low-frequency noise was responsible for the residents’ health effects, but recommended further testing at the site. Tests from the Shirley site were used to determine the feasibility of the Highland farm.
To prove his point, Lasee has issued a press release saying that it's up to the wind power companies to prove something that doesn't exist doesn't indeed exist:

State Senator Frank Lasee is standing up for families that have been hurt by 500 foot tall industrial wind turbines, demanding proof that these towers are safe before more are built. Democrats and environmental activists are pushing for more wind power in Wisconsin despite a lack of impartial scientific evidence showing that industrial wind turbines are safe. 
"I have spoken with children who have suffered a range of symptoms and families that have beenforced to move after 500 foot tall industrial wind turbines were built near their homes. The harm caused by these 500 foot tall industrial wind turbines is real. The science purporting to showing they are safe doesn’t exist," said Lasee. 
"Until we have solid scientific evidence showing that 500 foot tall industrial wind turbines are safe, we should stop subjecting Wisconsin families to the physical and financial harm they cause," stated Senator Lasee.

Even as this bit of hsckery is going on, we also have State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-Around the Bend) and State Representative Andrey Jacque (R-Groundhog's Day) want to make it harder for people suffering from mesothelioma, a fatal lung disease caused by asbestos, to sue for the damages they have suffered:
Proponents say Assembly Bill 19 would reduce "double dipping" and fraud by people claiming damages from asbestos-related and other personal injuries.

Opponents charge that the bill and its companion, Senate Bill 13, would throw up so many barriers to compensation that people suffering from mesothelioma — a fatal lung disease caused by asbestos — or other illnesses or injuries could die before they collect their money.
Obviously, this is a big problem in Wisconsin, right? Not really:
The bills' sponsors acknowledge they're not aware of any abusive practices in Wisconsin involving so-called "personal injury trusts," which are accounts companies set up to pay claims to injured parties after the companies go bankrupt. The most common are those set up by now-defunct asbestos manufacturers.
Hmm. So, unlike the imaginary damage caused by windmills, the diseases caused by asbestos is very real. And there is no known examples of someone abusing their right to seek redress for the damage caused to them.

So why are they pushing this unnecessary bill?

Oh, of course!
But similar bills have been passed in Ohio and are under consideration in Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas and elsewhere, according to Brendan Fischer of the Madison-based Center for Media and Democracy. Fischer's group tracks legislation initiated by the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a corporate-funded hothouse for conservative, business-friendly legislation.

Sponsors Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, and Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, both said they are or have been ALEC members, but they denied the controversial group had anything to do with the bill. Grothman said the legislation was written by the Wisconsin Civil Justice Council. Cook said his group did not consult with ALEC on the bill.

Jacque said his goal is not to delay justice for anyone deserving compensation but shield Wisconsin companies from "unscrupulous" attorneys and claimants.

"There's a reason why they (opponents) are trying to use emotion and muddle the facts on the legislation, because they don't want to have a debate on the merits," he said.
Is it any wonder that people are fleeing the state in droves?

We have the corporate controlled Republicans passing laws attacking problems that don't exist and preventing people from addressing serious, life-threatening problems that do exist.

This type of madness is when corporate special interests - especially out of state special interests - just come in and buy your legislature and governor.

10 comments:

  1. Low frequency sound from wind turbines...maybe...

    I would like to ask what the WisGOP is doing to save us from those microwave emitting mobile cellular towers?

    WisGOP should be helping every home that is nearby any heavily traveled road, as well. WisGOP should make it easier to sue trucking companies that not only damage nearby residents roads, but create dust and "low level" noises day and night.

    Oh, what a cherry picking mafia that WisGOP is....

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  2. This makes perfect sense when you realize that both these initiatives are anti-environment. Republicans loathe everything that those who protect the environment stand for. Wind energy is a pox on coal burning power plants. Corporations have had to pay big bucks to the families of those killed by asbestos.

    Walker’s mining bill gave mining companies a big break on the fees they had to pay that went into the recycling fund.

    Walker and the Republicans killed tighter phosphorous pollution regulations. This allows Koch Industries and its Georgia Pacific to pour more phosphorous into the Fox River that increases the number and severity of algae blooms in Green Bay. The algae blooms kill sport fish and are dangerous to swim in.

    Sportsmen for Walker are the equivalent of Catholics for Pedophilia.

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  3. The anti green energy forces...do they do it simply to keep the price of energy high and in their control? Could we look to germany for a clue?

    In germany they gave away the formerly public fossil fuel/nuke infrastructure and power plants to corporation who initially made a lot of money; however as green energy drove the price of all energy down the corporations then found that in addition to profits being lower, that they were still responcible for mantaining the grid-the distribution system for the elctricty whihc is quite epensive . in the end thy had to start giving the public power plants and infrastructure back to the goveenment to avoid losing a lot of money. The koch brothers can only be too aware of that developement and certainly don' t want to have that sort of thing happen here as they are obviously working on aquiring all of the public energy infrastructure in this country. really sucks that I can't have a small windmill on my two acre property and free myself from complete reliance on the power grid.

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    Replies
    1. Why do Republicans hate freedom and independence ... when it comes to energy freedom and independence?

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  4. You'd better pay attention to the hum. It is one of the things that is destroying the Detroit area. Google Detroit hum or Windsor hum.

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  5. any evidence there are windmills on Zug island where the Detroit hum seems to originate? how about the residents of Livermore or Tracy, California? do they complain of a windmill hum from the Altimont pass? Those particular wind turbines have been there for a very long time-long enough that someone would notice any problems.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe the windmills in Altamont caused the concert stabbing. That would be fairly good evidence of a connection between hearing the hum and slowly going berzerko.

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    2. There is probably more than one thing causing the toxic hums. What if the hum was being transmitted by cell phones? That could spread the hum in untraceable ways. Maybe people that can't even hear the hum are still affected by it.

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  6. You would think that your average paranoid prepper would not much like being told that he/she cannot have a windmill on private property.

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  7. Maybe the illnesses reported had something to do with it being cold and flu season.

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