Thursday, August 31, 2017

Right Wisconsin's Foggy Eyes

By Jeff Simpson



Right Wisconsin has a post up today about the Supreme Court Race.    It is written by George Mitchell, but might as well be written by a third grader from Mississippi as they both seem to have the same understanding of the WI Supreme Court!

Lets take a look at some of the highlights!

The campaign is likely to be unpleasant. Two announced candidates question the judicial independence and integrity of the Court’s five-member conservative majority. 
Hey George that puts the two announced candidates strictly on the side of pretty much any legal or political observer in the country not on the Bradly payroll.   

But wait there is more!

Whichever candidate reaches the April ballot will be backed by those who helped orchestrate and exploit smear campaigns against former Justice David Presser and Justice Rebecca Bradley. The sole conservative candidate needs to get ready.

I am going to overlook the fact that in a post complaining about politics in the Court, he keeps touting the one Republican Justice running as the only legit candidate.  He even has him penciled in cruising through the primary election and onto the general.  Who needs elections anymore?

What  trumps that is the fact the he claims that David "Ike Turner" Prosser and Rebecca "Homophobic Adulterer" Bradley were both smeared.    I do enjoy the inside joke that they have with Prosser, by calling him David PRESSER!  I assume it is because he has a habit of pressing his hands around women's throats!   

They want a Court that will undo legislative defeats they have experienced since 2010. As the saying goes, they want an “activist” Court.
Sorry George, I know you are not aware very much of what is happening in Wisconsin, but we have an activist court already and they are not only disgraceful, but a running joke amongst pretty much everyone who pays attention.  

This is the latest drama in a decade long saga that, largely through money-fuelled and often nasty judicial elections, has intensified the turn of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from a congenial, moderately liberal institution into a severely divided conservative stronghold. More to the point, the elections have reduced it from one of the nation’s most respected state tribunals into a disgraceful mess.

Congratulations Right Wisconsin, you can always be counted on for a morning chuckle.   Congratulations also to Jamie Wigderson, you actually found people writing for you that are more ridiculous than you!

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Yeah, but Act 10.....

By Jeff Simpson 

We hear often that Scott Walkers signature bill, ACT10, has "saved Wisconsin taxpayers $5 billion dollars".  according to a study done by Bradley funded, right wing no think tank, MacIver Institute.

We at CogDis pointed out, that ACT10 did not save taxpayers $5 billion dollars but instead took $5 billion dollars of demand, out of our supply and demand economy, leading to tragic consequences.  

Under Scott Walker, and one party WisGop rule, we have more businesses closing than starting.

John Lettieri, EIG cofounder and senior director for policy and strategy, said the number of new companies formed in the state lagged behind those that closed, even as figures like employment and GDP began to rebound.
"Wisconsin has a really low startup rate – in fact it has the 48th lowest startup rate in the country over the course of the recovery," Lettieri said. "That’s a concerning starting point. It gets worse when you look at the closure rate, the death rate of firms."
Ouch....we are also seeing that in retail as malls, and stand alone stores are closing all over WI.  

Why is that?

Is it because people have so much money they cant figure out where to spend it all, or is it because with wage decline, austerity and bills like ACT10 taking money out of the pockets of consumers that people are broke and have no money to buy things?

If you chose option B as in Broke, you would be correct:

Retail stocks have slumped this year.
While many chalk up the declines to competition from online retail behemoth Amazon (AMZN) , famed market expert Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, doesn't agree.
"Amazon has been here for a long time - this is the worst year for retail - it's worse than 2008 and 2009," he said. "This is because consumers are broke - they have lousy jobs, they're loaded up with debt and they can't afford to buy stuff."

For some reason the ACT10 "savings" never actually made it back into the pockets of consumers.

Which is why everytime you drive around our once great state, and see a for sale sign on a super club, or a going out of business sign on a big box retailer, or can no longer get that cool item from the local unique store you like to shop at ....you can thank ACT10 and Scott Walker.  

 Unfortunately, no help is on the horizon either.   The GOP top "policy wonk" and Speaker of the House, Janesville's own Paul Ryan (R- Wall St.)  has made it his mission to "reform the tax code" ( even overlooking treason and out and out racism by the President(but that's another blog)).    

The problem, when this numbers guru(who is scared to show his face in WI), wanted to push his far right agenda, he went to Seattle, WA to speak about his "ideas" at the Boeing plant.  

“For Boeing, we are taxing this business, these planes, your jobs in this country at a much higher tax rate than our foreign competitors tax theirs,” the Republican said. “You know what the tax rate here is? Thirty-five percent! “
 Gesturing at the activity in the plant, he added: “I’m just in awe that in spite of all that, you’re still doing so well.”

Umm Paul....what I am in awe of, is the fact that you do no research and are continually thought of as a legit candidate and not the fraud you continually prove yourself to be.

The actual facts:

Facts are for suckers these days, but c’mon. Not only is Boeing gushing cash, but its own financial documents show it has actually paid an average federal income tax of just 3.2 percent of profits over the past 15 years. That’s less than one-tenth the figure Ryan cited.

It doesn’t even count the largest tax break in U.S. history granted by the state of Washington, which reduced the company’s state business tax burden in 2015 nearly to zero.
 “The question with Boeing isn’t whether high taxes are hurting them, because that’s ludicrous on the face of it,” says Matt Gardner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C., outfit that tracks the taxes companies pay. “The question with Boeing is: How much lower could their taxes possibly go?” 
“Corporate profits are gangbusters right now. Corporate taxes as a share of the economy are, in the past 10 years, as low as they’ve ever been.”
 While the listed rate is 35 percent, hardly any company pays that due to extensive loopholes, subsidies and deductions that lower the burden. As we know around here, Boeing is especially skilled at feeding at this corporate-subsidy trough.
In a recent study, Gardner found that of 258 profitable Fortune 500 companies, 100 paid no taxes in at least one year out of the past eight (for Boeing, it was four of those years.) Eighteen companies paid nothing over the whole period, despite booking $177 billion in profits.

Simple mistake I guess, Speaker Ryan was only off by a few hundred million dollars.  

The moral of the story is, while James McNerney makes $29 million a year as CEO of Boeing, you and I are getting our take home pay slashed to "help the taxpayers", while our taxes go up to pay for essential services, corporation taxes are freefalling and we end up with less money, crumbling roads and larger class sizes.

We can continue listening to the spin of the Scott Walker and MacIver's of the world, or we can just pay attention when we drive around our local areas to the state of the roads, the crumbling of the buildings and the business that the "For Sale" and "Closing" sign makers are getting!  

We can change our course in 2018.  We MUST change our course in 2018!








Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Cindy Archer Loses Again!

By Jeff Simpson

For those that do not remember her, Cindy Archer, was one of Scott Walker's cronies.   Archer was one of the people in Scott Walker's inner circle who was in on the private server that Scott Walker set up in his County Executive office. so the taxpayers of Milwaukee County could pay his campaign staff!  

Archer was also one of the minor minds behind ACT10, but did her best to perpetually play the victim.  However, while she was keeping quiet and covering for her boss - John Doe - Scott Walker, her boss was doing a quid pro quo and kept moving her around, with monster raises, to different Wisconsin Government jobs.  She had to keep moving because she was never qualified for any of them, too long in one place would show her incompetence.

One morning, the police knocked on her door, served a search warrant and seized some of her personal items.   The problem is the main millionaire Eric O'Keefe, is apparently a relative of Doug and Wendy Whiner.  

While O'Keefe was using his money to whine about his treatment all over the country, his gophers like Matt Kittle was repeating the BS.  While the "reporters" who called the John Doe probe a political witch hunt, set back journalism and the truth a millennium, but is the best way to stay employed in the Wisconsin right wing.

Cindy Archer, never one of the brightest bulbs on the tree, actually believed the Kittle propaganda and filed suit against DA John Chisholm and others.    Frivolous lawsuits are like an initiation ritual on the right.

Like frivolous lawsuits do, her suit got tossed out quicker than a doggy bag from Ground Round.

With unlimited cash reserves to take their best shot at punishing anyone who would dare question the WisGop, Archer appealed the dropping of the lawsuit to the 7th Circuit Court,

After a good laugh they also dropped the lawsuit.  However there was one difference here than the lower courts ruling.

   The appeals court on Tuesday agreed with that decision in a ruling that said there was no evidence suggesting Archer's support for Walker played a role in the investigation. The court similarly disagreed with her claims that she was subjected to an illegal search."Unpleasant as the events undoubtedly were, we see nothing objectively unreasonable in what occurred," Wood wrote of the early-morning raid of Archer's home.
Joining Wood in Tuesday's ruling were Judges William Bauer and Ilana Rovner.
Wood was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton; Bauer by Republican President Gerald Ford; and Rovner by Republican President George H.W. Bush.
The judges also sided with a part of Adelman's ruling that allowed the federal court to hang onto documents investigators gathered as part of a probe of Walker's campaign known as John Doe II.
That probe was conducted under the John Doe law that at the time allowed prosecutors to operate in secret and compel targets and witnesses to turn over their records. The state Supreme Court shut down that investigation in 2015, saying nothing illegal had occurred.
Two courts both said we need to keep all of the records of John Doe just in case.   The Bought and Purchased five on the Wisconsin Supreme Court tried to get them to destroy all of the evidence of Scott Walkers criminal wrongdoings.  

Luckily, outside of Wi, there is an actual independent judiciary.

The question is now what is next for CIndy Archer?     WIll she be appointed to another state job, with another raise?   Will she file yet another lawsuit?   Will she retire with her partner off the State Pension she has accrued??    Hopefully she uses her Government supplied healthcare to get her delusions of grandeur taken care of!


PS:  A blast from the past.  It was Cindy Archer that sent an email to Scott Walker and convicted felon Kelly Rindfleisch to fire our very own Capper!   If we could mine irony, we would be the richest state in the Universe.  




Friday, August 25, 2017

Right Wisconsin Promotes Domestic Terrorism

By Jeff Simpson

Recently, we pointed out that Right Wisconsin, under the new direction of Jimmy Wigderson, has become even whiter!   This was after Wiggy compared Fighting Bob LaFollette (in a cowardly unsigned post) to Robert E Lee and the Confederate traitors.  

Not one to stop at blatant racism, Wiggy took it even further by defending a blatant anti Government hate group.  

Representative Joel Kleefisch posted a picture on Instagram of himself hanging out with a terror watch militia group called the "Three Percenters". many of whom were flashing their white power sign.  



The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Dan Bice went after state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, for speaking to a group of “Three Percenters,” which Bice describes as a “fringe, anti-government group.”

Seems like Wiggy took offense to Dan Bice calling out Kleefisch's party crowd.   Of course, Bice was correct.

The "Three Percenters", were formed by Michael Brian Vanderboegh, an anti govt extremist who also founded the "Sons of Liberty" and has ties to the Oathkeepers.  Michael, lived in Pennsylvania, where he collected disability and used his free time to rail against Gun Control and healthcare for all, before finally succumbing to Cancer in 2016.   If only Mr. Vanderboegh had used some of his free time to study history.

Recently, Jerry Drake Varnell, 23, told undercover agents that he was acting out of a hatred for the U.S. government and an admiration for Oklahoma City bomber Timothy Mc­Veigh, according to the criminal complaint. He also said he agreed with the Three Percenter ideology and was hoping to start the next American revolution.

While Wiggy disputes this claim because the local chapter denounced Varnell, the key phrase he glosses over is "he agreed with the 3% ideology" which led this mentally ill person to plot to blow up a Government building.  

The three percenters also showed up, armed,  to "lend protection" to the group of white supremacists in Charlottesville, VA as shown here:

 
Why yes that is a patch of the 3 percenter logo blended with the Confederate Flag,   Again, the # percenters denounced the marchers, but that denouncement came when people heard what they were doing.  

The Three Percenters formed an open alliance with the Oath Keepers at the crazy Bundy Ranch standoff.  Jared Miller, who listed the Three Percenters as one of his favorite groups, left the Bundy Ranch, grabbed his wife, went to Las Vegas and shot a couple of cops in the back and draped Gadsden Flags over their dead bodies.   

On their facebook page, they give their mission as standing for "Freedom, Liberty and the Constitution"  unless of course you are not white.  

As what seems to be the main poster on their page, an anonymous poster who thinks he is Frank Castle but is more like Frank Furter, posted this on the page,

NFL, you want to know why your rating are plummeting!? GET A HINT! I only watched a few games last year due to "Kaepernicus". I'm done with the NFL until they stand up against this and prohibit their players from doing this crap anymore!
~Punisher III%

The Punisher better relook up what the word "Freedom" means!

Yes an organization, with a sordid history of violence, anti Government hysteria, ignorance and hatred and of course you have WIggy running to their defense!

Rumor has it that Wiggy recently filled his closet with White Polo's and Khaki's!



Right Wisconsin, getting whiter by the day!   

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Random Stories

By Jeff Simpson

Sometimes I save things that just never warrant a full post but also need to be shared.  So here is a collection of some interesting, stories and tidbits about recent happenings.  

                                                                Picture of the year!


Paul Ryan says we must do better and listen to each other but has not had a townhall in almost 700 days

Louise Linton, posted a selfie of her and her hubby, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, getting off a government jet for a quick getaway but took the time to tag all of the expensive name brands she was wearing.  So much for draining the swamp.








The Death Of Ed Garvey

By Jeff Simpson

Ed Garvey, one of my heroes, all time good guys from Wisconsin and a true Gamechanger, passed away in early 2017.   Garvey, was what a true progressive should aspire to be.  He did not talk about change, he worked to actually change the political landscape.

One of the gifts that Mr. Garvey gave us was  Fighting Bob Fest.   Fighting Bob Fest, was a big top Progressive Chautauqua, that was the envy of Progressives all over the country.  It brought people such as Bernie Sanders, Greg Palast, Dave Zirin, Jim Hightower, Robert Kennedy Jr, Keith Ellison, etc.... to Baraboo,WI.  

One of the criticisms of FightingBobfest was that it was preaching to the choir.  However, as we have found out, Progressives becoming a rarity in WI, we needed one day of choir practice since we have 364 days of the exact opposite.  

The 2016, FightingBobfest ended its run.   It moved from Baraboo to Madison and now it goes into the dust bin of history.  

There will apparently be a night at the Barrymore, which used to be the "kickoff" for BobFest, but with no Bobfest to "kickoff" not sure what the point is.    Not only that, it is scheduled for September 10th and there is zero information available regarding the event available anywhere.  A quick look at the FightingBob Facebook page and all you see is a months old post by The Progressive Magazine asking for money.  

Since Hillary and her team blew it in Wisconsin and allowed the Donald to become President and RoJo to beat Senator Feingold, among many other losses, let us take a look at the Democratic/liberal/progressive scorecard n WI.  

*  Progressive Talk, The Mic 92.1, ended their run of political talk, despite good ratings, and went to a classic rock station(which I hope none of my readers will ever listen too).  

*  Sly was removed from his afternoon Progressive talk show and just allowed to play music on his family of radio stations.

*  The Progressive magazine, has went from a monthly magazine to a bimonthly magazine.

*  Wisdems leadership did not change and neither did anything in Wisconsin Democratic party.

*  The Wisdems communications director left and no one knew(think about that).  

*  The Democratic Minority leader of the Assembly, voted YES to give FoxConn $3 Billion taxpayer dollars to maybe create a few thousand jobs.  Was quickly congratulated by Scott Walker.

*   Senator Dave Hansen life was threatened,  Rep. Joel Kleefisch hung out with an anti-government hate group and there was a huge white supremacist march, which was handled poorly by pretty much every GOP rep(but Jim Steineke) and not a peep from the party.

*  Paul Ryan feels comfortable enough to go on live TV and talk about how great a job The Donald is doing.

*  FightingBob Fest has been shut down.  

* The one Progressive media outlet in the State, The Capital Times, used to associate with BobFest, but now has decided to start its own "fest" called ideasfest where they invite people from "all sides" to share ideas, or as they bill it - a new way to reach a better state. 

Under the leadership of managing editor Chris Murphy, these talks have posed what we believe are timely questions: “How many new apartments does Madison need?” was one well-attended example last year. We convened a panel of experts that drew almost 300 spectators to the High Noon Saloon, one of our frequent venues. Topics have varied but the turnouts, even on bad-weather weeknights, have been impressive — often 200 people or more.
This new Idea Fest takes that concept — that people appreciate well-crafted experiences that both educate and entertain — and builds something much bigger. While the inaugural fest coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Cap Times, it will be an annual event and not a one-time celebration.
The people sharing their "ideas" are such noted thinkers as Charley Sykes and Ron Johnson.  I look forward to hearing about the dangers of sunspots and why we should all call Michelle Obama - Mooch.   Those are some brilliant "ideas".  

Might I recommend they also invite Wild Bill Kramer to give us ideas on how to treat women and Scott Walker to tell us how to arrest people who sing songs you do not like.   The ideas that some in this state can share with us are endless.  

(Edit note: The venue for this "ideas fest" will be the UW-Madison campus.  I wonder if Robin Vos and Jesse Kremer needed to sign off on all speakers and topics).  

I guess when you have a director, Brady Williamson, who also represents WMC, then you should expect that the Progressive tradition of the Cap Times would be watered down.  

Not much momentum heading into the incredibly important election of 2018 in Wisconsin for team blue(and rumors of internal dissension within the party - more on that coming)!  

There is a zero sense of urgency, heading into a Gubernatorial election season, where historically the GOP should be extremely vulnerable.   At least I should say, that with rare exceptions, there seems to be no sense of urgency, because it seems like the WISDEMS have been on vacation this year.  

We also have another problem to overcome. primaries.   There are going to be many people jumping in the race to face Scooter, the guy who thinks walling off Canada is a good idea.   There is also a very contested race between Randy Bryce and Cathy Meyers to take on Paul Ryan already and a three way race for Supreme Court.  

All of these races have been ugly already and we are only getting warmed up.   Some people who I respect tremendously, who played neutral in the last presidential race, have been saying nasty things and spewing too much venom at candidates that they do not support,.  

So with all of the complete suppression of Progressive values, Ed Garvey is truly dead to us in WI!  

One of my favorite sayings of Ed's was "Is this a private fight, or can anyone join in?".  

It is time that we honor Ed Garvey again and start to take back our State.  Just like then, we need to take back the Democratic Party and then the State!  We need to do it IMMEDIATELY!

How do we do that at this point in our History?  It is simple, the same thing any athlete does when they fall into a bad slump - Go back to the basics!

In 2005 Ed Garvey came up with the idea of a "People's Legislature".   After meetings all over the state(imagine that reaching people in Madison AND Cable, WI).  The PL came up with four basic principles:

A four-part reform agenda was approved by participants at the assemblies, including:
  • Comprehensive campaign finance reform that includes public financing of state elections campaigns and full disclosure of political contributions that restores the state’s ban on corporate campaign contributions;
  • Independent ethics enforcement by combining the state Elections Board and Ethics Board into a single enforcement agency under the direction of a politically independent board;
  • Competitive elections through reform of legislative redistricting modeled after the system used in Iowa, and;
  • Preservation of local fiscal control to prevent arbitrary and centralized budget limits on local units of government.
It is hard to believe that we need to work around our legislators, to come up with these four basic ideas for a platform.   That we have to push the Democratic Party to support these basic fundamentals, but we do.

Let's honor the memory of Ed Garvey and DEMAND that these basic principles are not just part of the platform of any candidate asking for our support but that they also make them part of their stump speech!  

We have to also respect EVERYONE that runs for office, even if you do not support them.   The way we attack people who are not part of the Democratic Party establishment is beyond the pale and needs to stop.  

We also have to welcome ALL people into the Dem party and stop putting a premium on the people who pay $20.   We need every vote we can muster in November 2018 and if it means someone has to give up some of their power so be it.  

Finally, let's also remember another saying of Ed's(which we have strayed far  away from, even having lobbyists run major campaigns):  

"Bring your brooms so we can sweep the lobbyists out of the Capitol" 


Ed Garvey showed us the way to a better state....let us honor his memory and actually bring real change to Wisconsin!









Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Lyin' Ryan: Profile In Cowardice


In a media event that was comically called a "town hall," Lyin' Paul Ryan had this to say about Trump's comments regarding Charlottesville:

"I think he messed up on Tuesday. so, let me say it this way, it is very, very important that we not make this a partisan food fight. it is very important that we unify in condemning this kind of violence, in condemning this kind of hatred. and to make this us against them, republicans against democrats, pro-trump, anti-trump, that is a big mistake for our country and that will demean the value of this important issue."

What a crock!

This isn't an us vs them issue. This isn't Democrat vs Republican issue. This isn't a pro-Trump vs anti-Trump issue. Hell, this isn't even a white vs black issue.

This is a love vs hate issue. This is a right vs. wrong issue. This is a good vs evil issue.

When those polo-wearing, tiki torch-bearing Nazis and Klansmen terrorized Charlottesville, they were wrong. They were hateful. They were evil.

The fact that Trump said that Nazis are good people isn't messing up. He was sympathizing with the Nazis. He was wrong. He was evil.

By refusing to condemn the statements, by refusing to censure Trump for being a Nazi sympathizer, Ryan is tacitly condoning it.

The really sad part is that Ryan's milquetoast comments from Monday is his strongest yet. Earlier in that day, he couldn't even bring himself to mention Trump at all.

Looking at Ryan's track record, it's not hard to see that Ryan secretly agrees with that philosophy. Ryan's problem with Trump isn't what he said, it's just that he was so blatant and open about it. Yet, they share the same agenda.

It also shows that as much as Trump needs to be held accountable for his actions and words, so does Ryan.

Since Ryan won't be an adult about it, it is up to us to hold him accountable. It is up to us to stand up against this evil, malignant force.

The best way to do this is to repeal and replace Ryan in next year's election. And the best way to do that is to support Randy Bryce, who knows what is right and what is wrong and isn't afraid to stand up to evil.

You can support Randy by donating to his campaign today, whatever you can afford. It's not about supporting a Democrat over Republican. It's about vanquishing the evil and hate that people like Ryan have been cultivating for decades.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Governor Walker’s Foxconn Scheme Doesn’t Add Up

By Chris Taylor


MADISON – Tomorrow, the Joint Committee on Finance is scheduled to hold a public hearing in Southeast Wisconsin on Governor Walker’s Foxconn legislation, Special Session Assembly Bill 1.  This bill passed the State Assembly last week, and authorizes up to $2.85 billion payments to Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, for building a manufacturing plant, creating jobs, discounted electricity rates, exemptions from the sales and use tax, and an exemption from significant environmental regulations.

Since the initial public hearing over two weeks ago, where no Foxconn representatives testified, there have been significant new disclosures about this proposal that further raise alarms:

·         Under the best case scenario, it would take 25 years for Wisconsinites to recoup the billions of potential payments to Foxconn;
·         An original analysis by Baker Tilly, paid for by Governor Walker’s jobs creation agency and not made available to the public, estimates that only 4,784 Wisconsin jobs will be created in the manufacturing plant, as opposed to the unverified 13,000 employees Foxconn reports;
·         That hourly employees, consisting the vast percentage of potential employees, are expected to work 20% overtime;
·         Buried in the bill is a provision that allows Foxconn to dump pollution in Wisconsin streams.
  
“With each day that goes by, the more concerned and frankly, outraged, I am over this “deal” being peddled by Governor Walker and legislative Republicans.  They are committing nearly $3 billion in taxpayer cash to a foreign corporation based on its rosy and unverified representations about job creation when they don’t even have to hire Wisconsin workers.
  
“Summer is coming to an end and it’s time Governor Walker takes off his rose-colored glasses and seriously scrutinizes Foxconn’s representations that seem more fiction than fact.  If JFC is doing a roadshow on this scheme, they should travel to parts of the state outside of the southeast to hear from Wisconsinites who will also be required to foot this bill with a staggering price tag.


“Even the nonpartisan Politifact agreed that it is entirely possible that Wisconsin could end up spending nearly $1 million per job that Foxconn creates.  That’s not economic development.  That’s not free market economics.  That’s extortion.  Instead of dumping billions of Wisconsinites’ cash into the pockets of a billion dollar, multinational Taiwanese company, we should be investing in our homegrown Wisconsin companies, our public school system, and our local roads.  That’s something we all can get behind.”

Lyin' Ryan To Finally Almost Hold A Town Hall



One of the talking points that Randy Bryce has been hitting Lyin' Paul Ryan hard with is the fact that Paul Ryan shows a great disdain for his constituents. Bryce said that it's been more than 600 days since Ryan held his last public town hall meeting.

Politifact checked out this claim and found that Bryce was in error. It's been over 650 days since Ryan held a town hall meeting. Given that that article came out a month ago, it means that Ryan is closing in on the two year mark of refusing to meet with the people of his district.

Ryan doesn't understand what the big deal is, though. He's been regularly meeting with the people he represents - the Kochs, the Bradley Foundation, Sheldon Adelson, lobbyists bearing $350 bottles of wine. Y'know, the people that really matter.

Apparently, Ryan's indifference to the people has been hurting him in the polls because he's been busy trying to placate the people without actually holding a town hall. Instead, he's been having phone conferences and "safe" town halls at very controlled sites.

.Yet, Ryan is still worried that this wasn't enough for the great unwashed masses, so tonight, he's almost going to hold his first town hall in nearly two years.

The keyword is almost.

The town hall meeting, if you can call it that, is being hosted by Jack Tapper and CNN.

And it's less of a town hall meeting as it is a reality TV show. CNN is carefully screening people by having them fill out a questionnaire first, asking for things like your occupation and what political party you're a part of. They also want to prescreen the questions that the applicant wants to ask.

Apparently, if you're a Democrat and/or want to ask a challenging question, you don't make the cut. I know of far more people not being allowed to go to this so-called town hall than those permitted into his Liarship's presence. And the number of progressives going so far appears to be able to counted on two hands with some fingers left over.

One of those not being allowed in is Bryce. To make up for this denial to address his US representative, he plans on being heard via an ad during this reality show. That alone should make this debacle worth watching.

Many of the other citizens of that district that are continued to be denied access to their representative are planning on making themselves heard in person, from the outside of the building.

Undoubtedly, Ryan will dismiss these people as "professional protesters bused in from out of state," as he usually does. It's much easier than to face the people or take accountability for his actions.

Solidarity Fish Fry - The Stache Edition

Friday night fish fries are a Wisconsin tradition. Lyin' Paul Ryan getting reelected feels like another tradition - a really unfortunate tradition.

But traditions are made to be broken.

So, Saturday night, State Representative Christine Sinicki and yours truly took great pride in hosting the first ever Saturday night fish fry and the first ever #StachSolidarityFishFry.  We hosted this event in order to raise funds who is going to break that most miserable tradition of Ryan getting reelected.

It was a grand event with good food and even better camaraderie. And thanks to Christine, everyone got a special surprise which made the event all the more fun.

Without further ado, here are some pictures from the event.

First, here's Randy addressing the crowd:




And here are some pictures of the attendees showing their support for Randy in a very fun and nontraditional way, thanks to Christine's surprise:








This couple, John and Annie, had their first date at the original Solidarity Fish Fry.  Their love is still going strong.  Randy is not only a hard worker, a champion  of the people, but also moonlights as Cupid:


Your hosts:


Randy's son:


The best picture of the night:


Group photo!


Lastly, in case anyone thought I was kidding about Randy's fondness of tartar sauce...


If you missed this one, don't feel bad.  We're already talking about having another one later on.

Of course, I'll keep you, gentle fish eater, informed.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Republican Thugs - Comment Section - Green Bay

By Jeff Simpson 

Senator Dave Hansen, a longtime Democratic Senator and public Servant from Green Bay, recently wrote up an op-ed for the Green Bay Press Gazette giving his opinion of the Foxconn debacle.

Recent reports suggest that 47% of all jobs in the U.S. could be lost to automation in the next 20 years. Those jobs range from manufacturing to retail to the legal and medical fields and beyond. According to a CBS report, even Wall Street is expected to replace nearly 230,000 jobs in the next 8 years with machines.Whether or not these new technologies lead to new jobs that provide better pay and benefits or to large-scale unemployment, one thing is certain: this change is coming rapidly and we’re not prepared to deal with its impact.Regardless of where you stand on the Foxconn deal, their stated goal of full automation is not unique to the world we are now living in. It is time for the Legislature to take the issue of automation seriously and do what needs to be done to protect the best interests of taxpayers, our families and our workforce.

The very first comment, in the era of divide and conquer:


Of course, came from a local Republican, and it was full of the same spit and vigor and hate that we have come to expect from the supporters of Fitzwalkerstan and fellow Trumpets:



In case there was any doubt....

Jeffrey BrowningDave Hansen is a disgusting human being. Isn't he the moron that murdered his own granddaughter? He is nothing but a puppet of the unions. He came right out and said he only works for his union constituents. I wish someone would run this idiot over.LikeReplyAug 18, 2017 11:46amEdited


Gotta love the "adults" on the right   Who is this brilliant linguist? 


 Heartland Business Systems? 

The same Heartland Business systems that has contracts with UW=Oshkosh, Racine and Eau Claire school districts among others?

The same Heartland Business Systems that has complete access to emails and all computer systems of their customers.  I wonder if their customers are comfortable knowing this person, so full of hate, has access to everything they think is private.

Kind of makes one wonder if the employees of HBS customers, many are liberal ( see Scott Walker video above) and how long until they get punished for a website they may, or may not have, visited and it was leaked to a hate site like Media Trackers or Right Wisconsin?  

A little food for thought for those of you who are vulnerable.

If you so choose, Here is contact information for Heartland Business systems to voice your displeasure that this person, who wishes a sitting WI Senator dead,  has access to your personal and personnel files.

Northeast Wisconsin Office / Company Headquarters
1700 Stephen Street
Little Chute, Wisconsin 54140
Phone: 800.236.7914
Fax: 920.788.7739

@HBSTech

1700 Stephen Street
Little Chute, Wisconsin 54140

United States
Phone920-788-7720
Fax920-788-7739

Trustee Hendricks to Beloit College Students Of Color - Go Away!

By Jeff Simpson



We have covered Diane Hendricks numerous times here at CogDis.  She is the widow of Ken Hendricks of ABC Supply company in Beloit and one of the richest women in the world.  Ms. Hendricks is also a Trustee at Beloit College and also one of the top GOP funders in Wisconsin,.  Ms. Hendricks was also VP of the Trump victory fund.

I was adamant that having Ms, Hendricks serve on both, was incredibly bad for Beloit College's reputation around the world.

Diane Hendricks recently added another title to her resume - Nazi Sympathizer!


Last weekend, in Charlottesville, VA, an empowered far right wing full of Nazis, and white supremacists, grabbed their tiki torches and marched on the city screaming hate!    

While it turned the stomachs of most sane Americans, and many business people and community leaders started distancing themselves from these sickening events.

However it was pretty much widely accepted that the completely failed the humanity test, was elected Republicans.   From The Donald on down, no leaders stepped up in the Republican party to say - hey that is not who we are or what we want to be!    Most just ran from the questions.

With the outrage and disgust, still white hot among the country, The Donald tried to do damage control.   No not the kind where he truly denounced this hate, but the kind where he made sure the billionaires would still hand him unlimited money.    

Among this select group of far far right billionaires was Beloit, Wisconsin's own Diane Hendricks.   Ms. Hendricks let The Donald know that no amount of Nazi's and white supremacists would stop her from donating to the cause.

Of course we know the cause being, less taxes and regulations for billionaires and no chance of the working class to ever organize of stand up for themselves.

All for me, none for thee!

Ms. Hendricks, who lives in a city with approximately 25% people of color, let it be known that she sympathizes with the white power marchers!  

This is what she told The Donald was OK!  They might as well be giving free rein to David Duke.  

On August 21st, Beloit College welcomes its newest freshman class to town.   Maybe this is the video that their most famous Trustee might as well have helped produce this video:


Welcome to Beloit my white friends, the rest of you watch your step.

It is sad what has happened to America, it is even sadder to me that my College overlooks hate for the almighty dollar!

If you want to voice your displeasure that a Trustee of Beloit College is a Nazi sympathizer, here is the contact info:

Office of Development and Alumni Relations
Beloit College
700 College Street
Beloit, WI 53511
Toll-free Phone: 800-331-4943
Local Phone: 608-363-2656
FAX: 608-363-2459
Alumni: alumni@beloit.edu
Donors: gift@beloit.edu
Planned Giving: legacy@beloit.edu
@Beloit_College


Friday, August 18, 2017

Foxconn Cheat Sheet

By Gordon Hintz



Claim: Foxconn will invest $10 billion in constructing a new plant in Wisconsin

·         Foxconn has not invested $10 billion over the last five years on all of its factories combined.

·         The more Foxconn spends on infrastructure, the less likely it will be adding actual human jobs as the significant infrastructure spending would be for automation. Foxconn has rapidly moved towards automation in recent years replacing 60,000 workers in 2016 with robots.

·         In the past year, Foxconn has pledged investments of $5 billion investment in India; $3.65 billion in Kunshan, China and $8.8 billion in Guangzhou, China. Including the pledge of $10 billion in Wisconsin, Foxconn has pledged $27.5 billion in this year alone. This would be more than they have spent over the past 23 years.


Claim: Foxconn will create 13,000 jobs

·         Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou made no reference to the number of jobs the facility would create.

·         And in a news release, Foxconn was notably more measured than Governor Walker was, using the word "potential" in saying the plant would "create 3,000 jobs with the potential to grow to 13,000 new jobs."

·         President Trump used the same word, saying 3,000 jobs would be created "at a minimum, with the potential for up to 13,000 jobs in the very near future."

·         The company has said the plant would employ 3,000 workers at the beginning but the state's agreement in principle with Foxconn has no minimum jobs requirement.

·         If Foxconn spends $10 billion, the only way to make it economically viable is to keep the numbers of workers low and lean on automation to enhance productivity. If the LCD factory happens, it will be either labor intensive or highly automated. It will not be both.


Claim: Foxconn jobs will pay an average $53,900 a year

·         Foxconn has told the state that plant salaries would start at $41,600.


·         Of the 13,000 “potential” jobs, 75% of the jobs would be hourly operators and techs, presumably starting at $41,600, which would make the median wage at Foxconn $41,600.

·         However, any job paying $30,000 or more would qualify for the state incentives. A $30,000 job at Foxconn would mean that given the state 17% subsidy, Foxconn would be paying a little more than $12 per hour.


Claim: Foxconn has to create jobs to get the cash payments

·         Under the Foxconn bill, the company could get up to $1.35 billion in cash for making the full investment in the plant and robots — even if the market changes and the company is forced to abandon the plant.


Claim: It will take 25 years to recoup state taxpayer investment

·         According to the LFB, under the best case scenario, it would take 25 years to recoup the $2.85 million of taxpayer investment assuming:

o   The company invests $10 billion.

o   10,200 construction workers and suppliers earning an average of $59,600 per year during the four year construction period (2018-2021).

o   13,000 direct jobs at an average of $53,875 per year are in place and filled by calendar year 2021. This includes 1,040 jobs in place and filled by June of 2017.

o   22,000 indirect jobs averaging $51,000 per year are in place and filled by calendar year 2021.

o   If Foxconn falls short of job targets but still invests $10 billion (think robots) the pay back date could be closer to 2075.


Claim: Wisconsin will develop a supply chain for the LCD panels produced at Foxconn


·         Creating an entire supply chain requires the kind of low-skill assembly line jobs that Apple now offshores to countries like China for compensation well below minimum pay in the U.S.


·         As a result, it is unclear whether the company will even source its LCD panels from the Wisconsin factory. There are hundreds of parts that go into LCD panel production. It is unrealistic to have a supply chain by definition in the United States in 2017 and beyond.