Sunday, October 31, 2010

Walker Ain't Waiting To Screw Over State Tax Payers

As I have been telling the faithful reader for a long time, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has been screwing over the tax payers of his county for a long time.

One of the main ways that he does this is by grandstanding for the tough guy sound bite, instead of actually negotiating concessions from the unions. Instead of showing leadership, he would rather show the pretense of leadership, and thus gaining some free air time and free press time. However, because contract negotiations are often a long and tedious process, news services don't cover it in detail, but only go with the occasional soundbite, which Walker excels at giving.

But even has Walker is hamming it up for the cameras and the reporters, the reality is he is costing tax payers millions of dollars in lost savings and in weakening the County's bargaining position.

In his last failed attempt of a gubernatorial campaign, he did the same thing with the grandstanding, negotiating through the media, and bad faith bargaining. After he was forced to drop out by the party bosses, all of a sudden he was ready to sign a contract. Of course, by then, he had wasted millions of dollars in savings on health care costs alone. Then when a contract was finally worked out, it included almost everything the union wanted, plus a signing bonus to sweeten the deal.

This go around is no different. He does his tough talk, but has already squandered more than ten million dollars in lost savings. And he has also greatly weakened the county's bargaining position with his bad faith bargaining and illegal budgeting (emphasis mine):

Richard Abelson, head of the county's largest union, said he considered both versions of the 2011 budget to be illegal.

"The premise is still that they want to bypass collective bargaining and adopt wages and working conditions through the budget process," said Abelson, executive director of District Council 48 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Abelson's union announced Thursday it had won a decision by a state administrative judge saying the county had bargained in bad faith when it approved a 2010 budget with concessions it hadn't negotiated. That ruling should help bolster the union's position in arbitration over union contracts, Abelson said.

But even that is not enough for Walker. Now he has started to illegally interfere with negotiations between the state and its unions:
This report from Steve Kuehn is completely accurate. A representative of Scott Walker contacted me personally and conveyed the message that we should stop bargaining if we anticipated a working relationship with him as Governor. I advised him in the most unequivocal response that we would do what’s best for our members and would pursue bargaining.

[...]

On another note. The Scott Walker campaign contacted C24 last Friday and stated that if we want a working relationship with the next Governor we should immediately walk away from the current bargaining table and wait until after Mr. Walker is elected to negotiate the current contract. They were told no deal. If this isn't proof to all state employees that Mr. Walker is already attempting to cut into our current wages and benefits package nothing else will change your mind. The campaign has inferred that he has already won the Governors seat.
Thanks to Walker's hubris and lack of understanding of how things happen in the real world, one of two things will likely occur if Walker would happen to win on Tuesday.

Odds are that the unions and the state will bargain in earnest and reach an agreement before Walker takes office. If they reach an agreement before then, Walker will either have to live with it or pull the same tax payer money wasting stunts he is doing now.

If they don't reach a contract, the state's union is big enough and strong enough to hunker down and wait him out. That would mean years of unseen savings because the old contract would still hold sway until a new one is agreed upon.

Either way, I don't think Walker will get the state media will give him the same pass as the local paper has done for the past eight years. In fact, the Appleton Post-Crescent has already caught on to his weaselly ways.

We have already seen how Walker's "money saving" measures are anything but. He has squandered money in lost savings and weakened bargaining positions. He has set the county up for numerous lawsuits, including the ones coming regarding O'Donnell Park and the mental health complex. He has failed to run his own programs, forcing the state to take over said programs at a much higher cost.

Meanwhile, he has tanked our local economy by driving out companies and separating workers from jobs and customers from businesses with his slashing transit services alone, by continuously raising our taxes, and generally lowering our quality of life in innumerable ways.

If you think the state's economy is in the tank now, wait until a Governor Walker gets his paws on it.

RoJo Was For Stimulus Before He Was Against It

What is this, the tenth, eleventh time that they've found Ron Johnson preaching what he ain't practicing?

He's like the preacher who preaches against the vices of life just after he picks up his poker winnings, slams a shot whiskey, tokes a joint, and swats a prostitute on his way out of a gay brothel.

Things To Do If Your Not Voting

Jill Sixpack has your agenda. Better get crackin'.

Barrett Wins The Heart Of The GOP Land

Barrett gains the endorsement of the Appleton Post-Crescent, one of the most conservative papers in the state.

Some key excerpts, but the whole thing is a must read:
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, offers more practical solutions than his opponent, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a Republican. That's why we endorse Barrett in Tuesday's election to replace Jim Doyle.

[...]

Tax cuts alone won't lead to job growth. Wisconsin doesn't exist in a vacuum. Other states have been hit by the economy, too, and will have similar plans. The most successful states will have plans for beyond the recovery. That gives Barrett's more detailed proposals an edge.

And Walker's opposition to the landmark embryonic stem cell research done through the University of Wisconsin-Madison could be truly harmful to a leading growth area in the state economy.

[...]

Ironically, given Milwaukee's enormous problems, both candidates are touting their experience in their current jobs as reasons to vote for them. Walker, in particular, says that he has faced the same economic challenges in Milwaukee County that the state is facing and has conquered them.

We would dispute that claim. It's easy to propose budgets with no tax hikes when you know your county board will overrule you.

While he's eager to take credit for the successes within county government, Walker deflects blame for the tragic situation at the county's Mental Health Complex and the fact that the state took over the county's public assistance program because of its problems.

While we're concerned about the toll the necessary budget cuts will take on our state's cherished quality of life, we're even more concerned by what kinds of cuts — and what further cuts — Walker would have to make.

We would be remiss if we didn't spend a moment on the candidate's running mates and suggest that should be a factor in Barrett's favor, too.

The lieutenant governor position has little power on its own, but given that two of the past five elected governors have been replaced by their lieutenant mid-term, the prospect of Walker's running mate, Rebecca Kleefisch, ever becoming governor is truly frightening. Beyond her lack of any qualifications, her statement that put gay marriage on a "slippery slope" that could lead to someone marrying a table, a clock or a dog is appalling.

Hat tip: James Rowen

This Is Halloween



I had three original reactions to this:
  1. Wow!
  2. I'm glad I'm not paying his electric bill!
  3. I'm glad I don't live across the street from this place!

Two Things Are Infinite


Source

An Interesting Three Day Juxtaposition

Today is Samhain, or Halloween, if you prefer. It is also known as All Hallow's Eve.

Tonight's the night when all sorts of bugaboos are supposed to roam the land. Ghosts, ghouls, goblins and things that go bump in the night. Witches, when not running for public office in Delaware, go flying through the night sky. Zombies want to eat your brains, vampires want to drain your veins, and Republicans want to steal your soul.

Then, Monday is All Saint's Day, or All Hallows Day. This is a day of solemn celebration for Catholics and is meant to commemorate the beatified. It is a day when all that is good reign over the earth.

Tuesday is another Catholic holiday known as All Souls Day. It is also Election Day. That is of course when the forces of good enjoin in battle against the forces of Republicans evil, for the soul of the nation and the state.

It's kind of neat the way they all fit together, isn't it?

Happy Samhain

Have a happy, and safe, Samhain!


Saturday, October 30, 2010

Center For Communications, Hearing And Deafness

I have had a couple of opportunities to work with this group on a couple of cases. It's a really good bunch of people they have there.

It's good to see them get some recognition and good press.

I Remember, Do You?



Don't forget to vote!

Both Sides Revictimize Beating Victim

Earlier this week, it was reported that a woman with MoveOn was physically assaulted by Rand Paul supporters. She was pushed to the ground and had her head and neck stomped on by these morons.

Zach at Bloggging Blue points out that notorious right winger Fred Dooley, from Real Dimwits of Wisconsin, thought that the woman deserved to be manhandled and assaulted like that.

However, now the Kentucky Democrats have shown themselves to be no better when they made this commercial, repeatedly showing the attack. If they wanted to use the incident to make political points, they could have thought it through a bit more before making that repulsive commercial.

Both sides should be ashamed of themselves on how they handled this horrible incident.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Who Supports Tom Barrett?

Business leaders from around the state, that's who.

The Extreme Governor Club

Scott Walker wants in:



Another important reason to make sure you vote on November 2nd.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Hey, WisOpinion Fans

In case you missed it, WisOpinions is having a technical problem.

They listed their links for the day at WisPolitics, which you can access by clicking here.

The fifth one down is obviously their best read of the day.

Product Name FAIL

They're slogan is probably something like: Make a sandwich and break up a marriage for one low price.

I hear it's pretty popular with a certain local talk radio host.

Source

In His Own Words



Source: People for the American Way

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Are Republicans Setting Themselves Up For A Heartache?

When a torrid love affair ends bitterly, it is often because one person, or both people, is not in really in love with their partner, but rather, is in love with the notion of being in love. The person might have gotten into the relationship for any number of unhealthy reasons: fear of being alone, coming off the rebound of another failed relationship, or just seeking positive self esteem through another instead of themselves.

Whatever the reason, the results are almost always the same. A bitter break up and an angry grudge against their former partner. But they never, ever look at themselves for what their role in the whole mess was.

I am starting to wonder if the Republicans are heading down the same doomed path with their candidates.

Two years ago, just after President Obama was elected, I predicted that there would be an uprising of sorts from the right. I figured that after eight years of partying it up at the expense of the poor and the middle class, people weren't going to like the pain of cleaning up the aftermath:
But because this is work that is unpleasant and difficult, because it can be embarrassing and get quite costly, Bush and his supporters, the people that were enjoying themselves at this party, all at our expense, are becoming very angry indeed. They resort to the behaviors more histrionic and obscene than ever displayed by an angry teenager.

They will blame Obama and the Democrats for raising their taxes to pay these bills, without ever admitting they were the ones that ran up the bills in the first place. They will call Obama and the Democrats names like Marxist and Communist.

They will be resentful for having to take part of the clean up. The will tell Obama et alia that they are fascists and that they have no right to tell them how to live their lives, even if the rules are that of common courtesy and concern for one's fellow man.
Obviously, I was correct in this prediction, although it wasn't really going too far out on a limb.

The TEA Parties are becoming almost as prevalent, and as pleasant, as bed bug infestations. And they are angry. I don't think they know what they are really angry about, but by George, the definitely are angry. Pick almost any issue typically associated with neoconservatives, from taxes to spending to having an African American president to having protest signs with properly spelled words on them, and they will be represented at one of their events.

In their fear, their anger and/or their resentment, the RepubliTEAs have ended up with some rather dubious candidates. In Kentucky, they have Rand "Aqua Buddha" Paul. In Delaware, they have Christine "I am not a witch" O'Donnell. And running all over the country in preparation for a suspected 2012 presidential run is everyone's favorite, Sarah Palin.

Things aren't any better here in Wisconsin.

For their senatorial hopeful, they picked the enigmatic Ron Johnson. He is enigmatic because he doesn't meet with the press or partake in interviews, so no one really knows where he stands or what his ideas, plans or goals are. When he does make a statement or a commercial, it tends to contradict something else had previously said. Or even worse, it fails to match up with the little history we do know of him. Johnson can't even keep his stories on why he chose to run straight. How can anyone have any confidence in that type of person representing them?

For governor, they have the hypocritical Scott Walker. Walker has lured the Republicans with what they want to hear even as he is doing the exact opposite. He claims he will lower taxes, but has raised them every year. He says he is opposed to the stimulus spending, but has eagerly grabbed stimulus cash with both hands. Walker says he will create jobs, but has cost tens of thousands of people theirs during his time as county executive. The only thing you can believe about Walker is that you can't believe one thing he says.

Even the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor is not immune from these problems. She came off as this sharp, conservative, genuine person. But she has committed one gaffe after another. She has celebrated her government-bought health insurance, but would deny it to others. Then she compared same sex couples as being inanimate objects and dogs. That comment alone seems to have alienated several Republican voters, although I would hesitate that these people were offended enough to change their vote. It's no small wonder why Team Walker has tried to keep her under wraps for as much as they dare, including not letting her participate in any debates.

Stunningly, the Republicans are so desperate to preserve their illusions of having picked worthy candidates that are their political soul mates that they willingly minimize their foibles and faults, even to the point of being in complete denial of reality when they are presented with it.

If their candidates lose on Tuesday, they will blame Democrats for "stealing the election" and/or blame the voters as being "uninformed." Heck, some have already started that drum beat in an act of self-defense of their psyches.

However, if their candidates were to win on Tuesday, it will be only a short matter of time before they, at least on a subconscious level, realize that their political paramours also don't live up to their fantasies. Some might be able to keep up even more amazing feats of skewing their perception of reality for a little while, but the sad truth is that once again, as they did with former President George Bush (either one), they will end up with a bad case of broken heart.

This is, of course, a sad thing. But not as sad as the fact that all of us will have to contend with everything else their chosen ones will end up breaking, including health care, the environment, the economy and the Constitution.

Go Get'em, OWN!

One Wisconsin Now has filed a complaint with the GAB and has asked for Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to investigate into the phony mailers that the Republican Governors Association.

If they need more proof, I have not just one, but two, more pieces of evidence.

Integrity



Go get'em, Scott!

Whiteboard

A new commercial from Russ Feingold:

Bacon Lovers Seek Jobs In Wittenburg

From the Appleton Post Crescent (emphasis mine):

Nueske's Meat Products in Wittenberg in Shawano County last week was awarded a $20,943 state grant.

The grant will help the company cover costs of equipment and facility upgrades, which will lead to adding 12 workers.

Mmm, Nueske's is only about twenty miles from the castle...

Still Sleazy After All These Years

The Marquette Tribune has finally reported on a story that has been floating around for years, about the time Walker ran for student president at Marquette University. The key part reads:

Walker attended Marquette from 1986 t0 1990, but never attained a degree (see page 5). His sophomore year, Walker ran for president of the Associated Students of Marquette University (ASMU, the former title for Marquette Student Government). He was accused of violating campaign guidelines on multiple occasions.

The Tribune reported then that he was found guilty of illegal campaigning two weeks before his candidacy became official. Later, a Walker campaign worker was seen placing brochures under doors at the YMCA. Door-to-door campaigning was strictly prohibited.

Walker initially denied this but later admitted to the violation, which resulted in lost campaign privileges at the YMCA.

In the run-up to election day, the Tribune’s editorial board endorsed Walker’s opponent John Quigley, but said either candidate had the potential to serve effectively.

However, the Tribune revised its editorial the following day, calling Walker “unfit for presidency.” The column cited Walker’s distribution of a mudslinging brochure about Quigley that featured statements such as “constantly shouting about fighting the administration” and “trying to lead several ineffective protests of his own.”

The revision also expressed disappointment in Walker’s campaign workers reportedly throwing away issues of the Tribune after the endorsement was initially made.

Walker dismissed this, saying he had no knowledge of what his supporters did, according to a Tribune article from February 25, 1988.

Notice the similarities to his current campaign. He was quick to throw his assistant communication director under the bus when he made a racial tweet, among other faux pas, like mocking the unemployed with his "jobs plan" stunt.

And just like then, he is blaming Tom Barrett, and had blamed Mark Neumann, for his own negativity.

And the smearing isn't just limited to his political opponents, but to anyone who dares to criticize him or point out his multiple failings, as I can personally attest to.

Back then, the school paper found him to be "unfit" for office. That makes one ponder the famous quote by George Santayana:
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
That's fine for them, but do they have to try to drag the rest of us down with their folly?

I Thought It Was Supposed To Be Satire...

...but the Onion is actually reporting the news about Ron Johnson.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Walker Springs Double October Surprise On Himself

In election years, especially the bigger ones, there is usually an event they call the "October Surprise," which is when some piece of devastating news is released about one candidate or another.

Examples would include things like Gary Hart's or John Edward's affairs.

Scott Walker sprung two of the today. But with usual Walker finesse, he managed to spring them on himself.

First, it turns out that Walker really has been very neglectful in inspecting, maintaining and repairing county buildings.

Secondly, not only are things going to hell in a hand basket at the mental health complex, but now he is going to get the County sued in federal court for refusing to cooperate with the agency he welcomed to do an investigation of the complex.

I wonder how his Maalox supply is holding up...

Monday, October 25, 2010

Stop the Scott Walker Troll, er, Toll Way

Guess what? Mr. Flip Flop is at it again. Scott "No New Taxes" Walker wants to raise our taxes after all. This time in the form of toll ways across this great state of ours.

The reason for this sudden reversal? All the money that has been donated to his campaign from the road builders. So much money that Walker was willing to fly down to Florida in a private jet to collect the loot.

The Barrett Campaign has started a microsite dedicated to fighting this new tax on overburdened commuters and tax payers.

After you check out the site, sign the petition and tell Scott Walker that we don't need him or his new taxes.

And once we stop him from building his toll ways around the state, can we do something about all of the Walker trolls?

He Is The Model Of A Modern U.S. President



Via Roger Ebert via Cindy Killkenny

Scott Walker, Tax Arranger

Scott Walker claims to be against taxes.


He's not really against taxes. It was just no one had found his selling price before.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

MJS Endorses Charlie Brown For Brewers' New Manager

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Editorial Board has endorsed Charlie Brown to be the next manager for the Milwaukee Brewers. Here is an excerpt from their endorsement:
Oh, sure, we know that Charlie Brown is a cartoon character who has never won a baseball game in his life, either as a player or a manager. Yes, it's true that he is often found in the infield, dazed and half-dressed. It's also true that he allows his outfielders to daydream when they are not wandering around and his star infielder is his dog. And yes, he can't even fly a kite without getting into a jam he needs help, usually from an adult, to get out of.

Oh, sure, the Brewers could always go for a Tony LaRussa who has a proven track record and has won more games than almost anyone, but we are still supporting Brown.

The reason is simply this: Brown has the experience.

The Brewers are coming off a tough year where they lost more games than they won, and need a real leader to get them winning again. Next year looks like it could be rough too, and they are sure to lose some key players which will make things harder. Brown has faced similar situations, and even though he showed that he was not up to meeting the challenge, he's our guy.

Besides, Patrick McIlheran has a shirt just like his.
Do you think the above satirical piece was silly? Overly exaggerated? Nonsensical? Full of self-contradictions? That no one would ever write something that inane?

Well, dear reader, you obviously didn't read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's endorsement of Scott Walker.

They list this as their reason for their endorsement:

Walker was elected Milwaukee's County executive in 2002 amid a pension scandal that drove his predecessor and others from office, and he manages an institution with financial travails and other dynamics that mirror the state's:

• Structural deficits promising future implosion.

• A constant tension between what is necessary and what is affordable.

• The need to exact concessions from public employee unions.

• An intransigent legislative body, in many ways in thrall to these interests.

This is the Milwaukee County that Walker inherited. But it is also an apt description of the state he seeks to lead.

There can be no more kicking the can down the Wisconsin road. If there is one thing Walker has shown in his tenure as county executive, it is an abiding intolerance for the failures of business as usual.

What they are not willing to admit, at least publicly, is that Walker has failed in all of these areas.

Milwaukee County's structural deficits are worse than they were eight years ago, not better. In fact, Walker has driven the county to the verge of bankruptcy directly related to his ineptitude.

Walker has no clue to what is necessary, as evidenced by the O'Donnell Park tragedy or the total failure at the mental health complex. Both of these are directly spawned from Walker's refusal to adequately fund or staff vital programs like public works and social services.

Walker has gotten very little from the unions. The last contract signed was four years ago, after he was forced out of his last run for governor. The settlement had to be arranged by his former political rival, David Riemer, and was pretty much what the unions had originally proposed, with the addition of a signing bonus. For the last two years, Walker has been illegally negotiating through the media, accomplishing nothing but wasting tax payer money due to lost savings.

And if there is one phrase that best describes Walker's tenure, it would be "kicking the can down the road."

It was Walker that has created hundreds of millions of dollars of deferred maintenance and repairs. It was Walker that pushed for a $400 million pension obligation bond, guaranteeing that Milwaukee County tax payers will be paying for his political posturing for generations to come. It was Walker who created a projected $7 million deficit for this year and proposed a budget for next year that has a hole worth tens of millions of dollars.

Walker has abdicated his responsibilities as county executive for years, pawning off the House of Corrections on the Sheriff's Office when he couldn't run it worth a damn, and having the state have to take over the Income Maintenance Program because he wasn't up to the job.

And these are his supposed strengths.

The rest of their endorsements is a list of reasons why his singularly unfit to be county executive, much less governor.

So, if Walker is such a failure that even his strengths are failures, just why did the paper endorse him. Perhaps it's for the reason they did not disclose.

I Would Not Trust Walker To Mow My Lawn

The following is a transcription of a letter to the editor of the County Post West, which is the local paper for western Waupaca County:
I just finished watching the televised debate between Tom Barrett and Scott Walker, the candidates for Wisconsin's governor.

There is no doubt that both candidates want the best for Wisconsin and its citizens, but the difference is what they think is "best" and how to go about getting it.

The impression I got from the debate was that Walker sees the creation of jobs as the No. 1 priority that needs to be addressed by the governor. However, I do not recall him talking about what kinds of jobs he intends to create. Maybe I blacked out when he described the occupational fields he intends to enhance in the state, the types of positions, what the going pay rate will be, etc. I must have still been out when he described his plan of action to create jobs in Wisconsin.

I also find it amazing that he intends to create jobs as governor after all the Republican rhetoric I hear says the opposite - that "businesses create jobs, not government." He doesn't seem to be too worried about anything else at this point either, stressing the importance of the creation of jobs. His lack of ideas is as plain as his little brown paper bag.

Barrett on the other hand, provided some insight to his intended actions as he answered the questions. He was especially impressive as he took responsibility for his action as mayor of Milwaukee. Barrett tried unsuccessfully to get Walker to do the same as Milwaukee County executive. I would not trust Walker to mow my lawn let alone govern this state.

Yes, job creation is an important issue and may be the most important, but it is not the only issue. The quality and types of jobs is important as well. What good is creating jobs that just keep adults away from their children and below poverty level?

Kevin T. Schmoldt

Walker Again Shows His Weaselly Ways

Dan Bice is reporting that it seems likely that Walker has been promising City of Milwaukee police and firefighters more of our tax dollars in order to win their endorsement.

So which promise will Walker keep and which one will he break? The one to watch out for the tax payers or the one to the unions?

Marrying Dogs Comment Causes Kleefish To Turn Tail And Run

In the spring, Rebecca Kleefisch did an interview on WVCY when she compared the domestic registry to marrying a dog:
“This is a slippery slope. At what point are we going to OK marrying inanimate objects?” Kleefisch stated in the radio interview. “Can I marry this table? This clock? Can we marry dogs? This is ridiculous and biblically again I’m going to go back to my fundamental Christian beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman, and no matter what you say, the people in Wisconsin have spoken on this issue.”
Now move the calendar up six months to an appearance Kleefisch was to make at UW-Stevens Point. The Dems and the gay rights community wanted to let her know that they hadn't forgotten or forgiven her prejudicial comment and set forth to rally.

And rally they did:

Dustin Klein, Democratic candidate for the 24th Assembly District seat and a student at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, said college Democrats sent more than 120 students to a rally Kleefisch was attending on campus Thursday, which was only attended by about 20 Republicans, and she abruptly left.

“We heard her comparing gay marriage to marrying a dog and we wanted her to know we don’t accept that type of ideology,” he said. “We were expecting 40 or 70 people to show up, but we had 122. So, it shows we don’t have the enthusiasm gap Republicans want to say we have.”

Bader said Kleefisch had to leave the event because of a scheduling change.
Scheduling change, my eye. She is just too cowardly to defend her ignorance and too mean-spirited to apologize for it.

To hear Kleefisch in all of her Palinesque craziness, here is the audio.

Is This How Walker Would Fix The State?

There is no way around it. Scott Walker has totally and completely mishandled the mental health complex over the past eight years. Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said as much in their mind-boggling hypocritical endorsement of Walker.

Among the problems that have arisen to the public's attention in just the past few months include how female patients are being sexually assaulted, the facility is in shoddy condition and the security leaves a lot to be desired.

Walker had privatized the security staff at the mental health complex years ago, and it has now cost tax payers more than a million dollars more than if he had left it alone. After Clarke's report came out pointing out that the security is all but nonexistent at the mental health complex, Walker said that he had taken direct steps to fix the problems and that no one needed to worry their pretty little heads about it anymore.

But after Walker said that he had fixed the problems, a patient, the same one who was impregnated as a result of a sexual assault while a patient there, was able to leave the grounds and physically assault a neighborhood woman in her own home and in front of her children.

Again, Walker, this time through his campaign, claimed he had fixed the problems.

Again, Walker lied. The Wisconsin Democratic Party tested his claims of having fixed the security out there. As they say, seeing is believing,especially when the findings are unbelievable:



As you can see, Walker fixed nothing. Nor does his budget have any intent of fixing anything next year, since he is in reality, putting less money into the system.

To add insult to injury, Walker is still stonewalling any and all efforts, even from county auditors, to gain access to a 2008 report regarding the situation at the mental health complex. When he has released every other report requested, the only logical conclusion is that he is withholding this report for political reasons, which is simply inexcusable.

If this does not meet the definition of malfeasance, I don't know what does.

This should disqualify Walker from being county executive, much less governor.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

RoJo Wins Big



But he's so gosh darn modest, he just couldn't accept it publicly. I'm sure it will show up on his campaign finance report...

The Old Deer Hunting Defense

Rory Kuenzi, the idiot that went out with his brother and a friend and decided to run down, torture and kill a group of deer a couple of years ago, is also facing charges of homicide while driving while intoxicated.

In the most recent developments, the DA's office and the defense attorney were trying to work out a plea deal. Suddenly Kuenzi chose not to take the deal and they court reverted to having a hearing in November. The defense requested a delay in the court proceedings in order to have more time to prepare their case. Their rationale was a little different (emphasis mine):

"We thought that a deal would be reached," Nielsen said, adding that he did not believe the defense could put together an adequate case in time for the trial.

Nielsen said he was also concerned the trial would run into the gun deer hunting season that opens Saturday, Nov. 20. He did not want the jury to feel rushed to pass judgment or potential jury members to avoid sitting on the case because it could interfere with their plans for the first weekend of hunting.

Needless to say, the judge denied the extension request, saying that the case was so old:

"This case doesn’t just have whiskers, it’s grown a beard down to the floor," Kirk said. "The result that can be obtained becomes more questionable with the passage of time."

Will Scott Walker Listen Now?

Dawn Kellner, the mother of the boy killed in the tragic incident at O'Donnell Park in June, has supported the call for an independent investigation into the cause of this horrible event.

Instead of honoring the wishes of the victim's family, Walker again tries to obfuscate the matter by directing the attention away from himself and his despicable record of refusing to allow even the most basic maintenance to be performed.

He is not only shaming himself with his blatant political gaming, he is bringing shame to all of us in Milwaukee County.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Values



Just the fact that Ron Johnson is putting money before the right of a child not to be molested or for any molester to be punished is enough reason alone not to vote for him.

Turn Off The Hate

From One Wisconsin Now:



What's funny is that the right is spitting nails about this, calling it a message from the hate left. But no where does OWN mention hate. In fact, the only hate is being expressed by the right. And that would be their hate of the left and their hate that democracy lets everyone vote.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

RIP Mr. C.


Tom Bosley, the actor who helped make Milwaukee famous with his portrayal of Howard Cunningham in the famous show "Happy Days," passed away today:
Tom Bosley, the folksy father of Richie Cunningham on the '70s sitcom about the '50s, ABC's Happy Days, died Tuesday in his Palm Springs, Calif., home. On Oct. 1, he had turned 83.

The actor died of a staph infection, according to TMZ, which first reported his death.
Other reports that I've heard said he also had heart problems and lung cancer.

Hey, RGA, Knock It Off!

A couple of weeks ago, the Republican Governors Association got some bad press for sending out mailers urging people to register for absentee ballots, the voter fraud choice of the right.

Many people complained of the invasion of privacy, since these mailers contained their personal information. My wife and I got one each as well, but they got our phone numbers wrong.

Instead of learning that this invasion of privacy is a bad publicity stunt, they chose to send out more of them. We got two more of them today. And they still have the wrong phone number.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Wisconsin Club For Growth Attacks Ron Johnson

Well, maybe not directly.

Wisconsin Club for Growth, one of the myriad of right wing front groups that are popping up like mushrooms on a manure pile, have a radio ad attacking State Senator Jim Sullivan. In said ad, they whine about how Sullivan supported "big spending" for silly things, like health care for the poor.

Another spending target they complained about was the opera house in Oshkosh.

I can't wait for their attack ad on Ron Johnson for seeking stimulus cash for the same opera house.

That, or for their heads to explode from the hypocrisy.

Rock'em Sock'em Walker

Artwork by the very talented Stuart Carlson, appearing on Milwaukee News Buzz:



Oh, and another one! Bonus!

Monday, October 18, 2010

The First Lt. Governor Debate Results Are In

Much to everyone's surprise, Kleefisch performed much better than anyone expected. Here is an action shot from the debate:

Pundits report she could have ended up doing much worse if she actually showed up.

Any GOP Candididate

This could be Scott Walker, Rebecca Kleefisch, Ron Johnson, or any other Republican/TEA Party candidate:



H/T Cory Liebmann

It Probably Was A Cubs Fan...

Source

Walker Is Standing On The Necks Of Workers, Tax Payers Alike

The down and dirty details of how Walker is playing Milwaukee County tax payers for saps as he uses them as stepping stones and unwilling campaign donors is at Milwaukee County First.

Now, even though I am a county employee, and a member of the union, I am not on the bargaining committee, so I don't speak for that part of it. That said, I have a feeling if Walker were to give out four- and five-figure raises to the unions, like he did for his cronies and his top officials, I bet the unions would be much more willing to agree to these concessions, if Walker ever gets around to actually proposing them.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

PolitiFarce

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel signed up with PolitiFact a few weeks ago. It's been pretty much a farce since the beginning. Of course, that doesn't stop either side from using them when they agree with them and rail against them when the meter goes against them.

But like I said, it's pretty much a farce that has been proven wrong time and time again. Or, the allegation that they examine don't have anything to do with the problem.

For example, on October 5, they did a "fact check" on Scott Walker's claim that he gave back $370,000 of his salary. Why they checked that is anyone's guess, since I don't know anyone who was arguing about it. But in doing their "fact check," they missed the real question, that being: What did he promise and how does this match up.

The actual promise that Walker had made was that he would reduce his salary. The fact is he didn't. In fact, it went up. Also, by not actually reducing his salary, allowed Walker to give himself what is basically a $50,000 raise, even as the economy started to spiral the toilet and as he was laying off hundreds of county workers.

But this isn't even the most egregious example.

On September 30, they did a "fact check" against a commercial by Tom Barrett, pointing out some of the consequences of Walker's inept management of the county.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's PolitFarce crew gave it their worse label, "Pants on fire."

It appears the bulk of their complaint stems from Barrett's campaign using artistic license to add Walker's pictures to headlines from their paper. Since they didn't actually include the photos, they called this a misrepresentation of what they wrote. And now that their dander was worked up, they weren't done.

In their first example, they said that Barrett was lying because he used the headline about the money being squandered by the Wisconsin Shares, or day care, program. "Why, we never even mentioned Walker's name!" they pronounced in their outrage. Oddly, in the very same article, they admit that the County had something to do with the child care program, but tried to minimize it.

Except they were wrong in doing so.

On October 19, 2009, State Representative Tamara Grigsby sent a letter to Walker pointing out that Walker was taking money from the State to run the their part of the child care program, but was leaving that money unspent, sometimes as much as $1.4 million in just one year. Meanwhile, the 38 of the other 71 counties were overspending the amount because of the money being spent fraudulently or recouping the money that had already been misspent.

To make matters even worse, the letter also points out that Walker had left the Fraud Unit vacant by more than one third of the positions. If you doubt the significance of this, or actually think it's a good thing, saying Walker is saving tax payers some money, consider the matter of Cindy Jaeger.

Cindy Jaeger was a county employee working in the fraud unit. She retired two years ago, but no before making quite the standard:
Cindy is damn good at her job. In 2006, in just nine months, she caught $1.6 million in overpayments. In 2007, that number jumped to an amazing $2,126,623.95 that she recovered. So far this year, as of October 15th, she has reclaimed more than $1.4 million. In less than three years, she has saved taxpayers over $5 million.
One worker, $5 million saved in just 33 months. Imagine what could have been saved if those four spots had been filled like they were supposed to be.

If the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel didn't include these facts in their article, it would seem that this is more of an indictment on their reporting, or more likely, their editing, than any allegations Barrett made.

The rest of their "fact check" was just as silly. In the second claim, they prove Barrett correct in a citation from Cindy Archer, one of Walker's top administrators. In the third claim, they admit it was basically correct.

Yet, they gave the commercial a "Pants on fire" rating. I wonder if they were wearing their asbestos underwear when they did that.

Drinking Liberally This Wednesday


From our gracious DL host and proud papa, Jason Haas:
Hello! We are excited to report that Mike Tate, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, will be our guest host at next Wednesday’s Drinking Liberally! That’s on October 20, just under two weeks before the general election. I know we’re anxious about that, so come find out what Mike has to say about getting us through to the other side with victory by our candidates!

According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, “Tate served as the Deputy State Director of America Coming Together in 2004. He was hired as the State Director of Dean for America. He served as the Regional Political Director for AFSCME Council 40, and was the State Field Director for Falk for Governor. He was a Statewide Student Organizer for the 2000 Democratic Coordinated Campaign. Directly prior to assuming the role of chair of the state party, he served as the Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin and then the Executive Director of Advancing Wisconsin.”

Come with your questions for Mike, and find out how help win the November elections for us — lest Drinking Liberally become a sort of support group as it was during the dark days of the Bush II administration.

I just may decide to drag myself out for this one. Perhaps someone who owes me a beer or ten will be there.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Kleefisch Wants A "Grown-Up Conversation"

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel finally issued an editorial stating that they too think Rebecca Kleefisch should debate with her counterpart, Tom Nelson. In their editorial, they provide one of the reasons Kleefisch has thrown out there as an excuse for her cowardice:

Kleefisch says she won't debate Nelson because the Democrat and his running mate, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, haven't been fair and have, in her words, lied about her running mate, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.

In an Oct. 7 post on her Facebook fan page, RebeccaForReal, she wrote: "Did you know out of the 15 questions asked in the gubernatorial debate, Tom Barrett made up lies about Scott for 10 out of 15? I don't let my kids do that and I cannot expect to have a true grown-up conversation with an adult who does."

In an interview Friday, Kleefisch said she didn't see much point in appearing with Nelson, whom she accused of name-calling. "I don't think we are going to end up talking about the biggest problem in Wisconsin, which is jobs," she said. Later in the same interview, she added: "I think it's incredibly important for each of us to talk to voters and to talk about issues. That's how you learn about the problems that folks are facing. . . . This election is about real people."

Yet, just earlier today, Kleefisch again posted on her Facebook page this little ditty:


How's that for adult conversation? Of course, this is the same woman who finds a make believe conversation between two turkeys to also be a poignant political observation. (BTW, Emily Mill's mock up of Kleefisch's mock up is much more entertaining.)

A friend of Cognitive Dissidence sent in this, which Ms. Kleefisch is welcome to use as one of her campaign posters:


I personally think that the MJS Editorial Board comes closer to the truth when they sum up their opinion piece with these questions:
What's Rebecca Kleefisch afraid of? Better question: What is Scott Walker afraid of?
My question would be: How bad is she that Walker is afraid that she could cause so much damage to his campaign that he won't allow her to debate or even step out of a controlled situation?

Scott Walker Is Just Too Extreme

Planned Parenthood has put up their third online video highlighting the hypocrisy and the sexism of the McCain/Palin Walker/Kleefisch ticket:



The accompanying press release reads:
Today Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin launched a third online video, this one featuring Wisconsin women who highlight Walkers record of embracing policies that increase government interference in womens health care decisions. Whose Side is Scott Walker On? shows everyday Wisconsin women responding to excerpts from Scott Walkers ads, including the widely-criticized Takeover ad released this week. Walker and now Kleefisch have been caught repeatedly contradicting themselves with public statements that are inconsistent with their actions.
Time and time again, Scott Walker voted to increase government interference in health care decisions that should be between my doctor and me, said Jeanne Bissell Rudd, of Madison. Yet the Scott Walker campaign has the audacity to put out an ad claiming the exact opposite. This hypocrisy needs to be exposed, and every Wisconsin woman needs to know the truth about where Scott Walker really stands on womens health.
During his time in the state Legislature, Scott Walker advocated for some of the most extreme anti-womens health policies ever introduced. He wrote a bill that would allow pharmacists to deny womens doctor-prescribed birth control. He sided with big insurance companies who refused to provide coverage of prescription birth control as well as maternity care, mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. Scott Walker received endorsement from Pro-Life Wisconsin by pledging to support legislation that would ban abortion in all cases, including for rape and incest victims.
In contrast, Tom Barrett supports womens health. He believes women and their doctors, not politicians or the government, should make private, personal health care decisions. Tom Barrett also supports prevention-based family planning health care. Family planning health care includes lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings, birth control, and STD testing and treatment. Recent reporting by the Wall Street Journal estimates Wisconsins BadgerCare Family Planning program prevented 11,064 unplanned pregnancies at a savings of $139.1 million to the state. Analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, a respected national reproductive health care policy organization, estimates an investment in family planning saves taxpayers more than $4 for every $1 spent. Wisconsin law prohibits any public funding from paying for abortion care.
This is the third video in a series of planned online media and voter mobilization aimed at exposing the extreme views of Scott Walker and other candidates opposed to womens basic health care access. By Election Day, PPAWI will have made hundreds of thousands of voter contacts to turn out the vote for womens health champions through the use of mail, phone, door-to-door canvasses and e-advocacy.
Scott Walkers record on womens health is a clear indisputable foreshadowing of what is to come if he becomes governor, said Tanya Atkinson, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. Walker's pursuit, acceptance and promotion of his endorsement by organizations that want to outlaw all birth control and abortions without exception is a continuation of Walkers political work focused on ending women's health care access. Scott Walker is an extremist on womens health and he has been his entire political career.


For more information on how bad Walker's record is on women's rights, please click here.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Fall Moon Fest At The County Grounds

Next weekend, by dear friends are throwing a bash at the county grounds:

If you haven't seen the sunset as the full moon rises at the county grounds, you need to have that unique experience of beauty and awe while you still can.

Financial Relief Coming To Milwaukee County, or How Scott Walker Learned to Love Health Care Reform

From Milwaukee County First:

Last Friday, Senator Russ Feingold announced that several companies, unions and governmental bodies were to receive early retiree assistance in their health care costs via part of the health care reform. Milwaukee County is among the beneficiaries of this program.

The program is called the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program and was created through the Affordable Care Act. According to the site HealthCare.gov, the program works like this:

Businesses, other employers, and unions that are accepted into the program will receive reimbursement for medical claims for early retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents. Savings can be used to reduce employer health care costs, provide premium relief to workers and families, or both. Applicants who are approved into the program receive reinsurance for the claims of high-cost retirees and their families (80 percent of the costs from $15,000 to $90,000). The program ends on January 1, 2014 when State health insurance Exchanges are up and running.

Because of the recent nature of this good news, the exact numbers of how much money this will mean for Milwaukee County is not known. However, it is safe to say that the amount could be quite substantial.

According to a report from the Public Policy Forum (pdf, page 33), which was written in January of this year, 35% of all Milwaukee County retirees, or 2,091 people were considered early retirees. That number has risen since then, as many county employees who were active employees at the time of the report have since retired, in order to avoid losing any benefits either through contract negotiations or due to the excessive amount of furloughs that Scott Walker had imposed on them.

The same report points out that the out of control skyrocketing price of health care coverage is the biggest contributor to the county’s current fiscal emergency.

While the relief money will not be enough to fill the gaping hole in Walker’s budget, this does go a long way in helping.

Milwaukee County First thanks President Barack Obama and Senator Russ Feingold for passing the health care bill and granting this much needed relief to Milwaukee County.

And despite his charade of being against health care reform, we applaud Scott Walker for pursuing and attaining this relief funding.

However, it is unfortunate that Walker cannot even do this good thing without making it into a political game. Apparently, he has not even informed the County Board, much less the public, of this good news. One can only speculate at his reasons for not doing so, but it most likely has something to do with his political aspirations.

But when the Board is struggling to bring some sense and balance to his illegal budget, it is highly irresponsible for him to withhold this information from them. In this slowly recovering economy, when the county is facing a most bleak fiscal future where some are even calling for it to be allowed to go into bankruptcy, information like this is not only very welcome, but essential to minimizing the damage.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Walker's Fiscal Mess

A new, plain-speaking and honest commercial from Team Barrett:



Actually, it's a lot worse than even Team Barrett knows.

Don't worry, I'll be telling you just how bad it is soon.

Kleefisch: Admits She's In Over Her Head

Even though the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has apparently chosen not to do their jobs, other media across the state are starting to press Rebecca Kleefisch for an answer on why she is refusing to debate her counterpart, Tom Nelson.

Thus far, Wisconsin Radio Network appears to have gotten the closest to getting any sort of answer from her:
The Republican running for lieutenant governor was in Menasha Thursday to talk to students at U-W Fox Valley about the November election. Rebecca Kleefisch also responded to questions about why she won’t debate the Democrat in the lieutenant governor’s race, Assembly Majority Leader Tom Nelson. Kleefisch said Nelson’s calls for debate are “the last refuge of a desperate campaign.” She also said she isn’t sure if lieutenant governor candidates usually participate in debates. “I don’t know what the standard is,” Kleefisch told WHBY. “This is my first political campaign. I guess I don’t know what is standard and what is not when it comes to something like this.”
She doesn't know what the standard is? She's been going around for the past several months bragging about how she was such a crack reporter and a watchdog of the government. But all of a sudden she is unable to make a phone call or do a Google search? Perhaps she studied under the famed Jessica McBride for her journalism skills.

But the main point is that once again, her elitism and disrespect for the voters comes glaring through. If she truly wanted to speak to the voters, what better or more efficient way than through a televised debate? And she knows how to debate. She did debates when she was running in the primary. Obviously, she did rather well, since she won the Republican primary.

The real answer is that her running mate, Scott Walker, doesn't want her to debate. He doesn't think she is good enough, obviously. So why should we?

By the way, Ms. Kleefisch, the current Lt. Governor, Barbara Lawton, debated twice during the last election. See? That wasn't so hard.

Walker and Kleefisch: The Elitism and Hypocrisy Ticket

Scott Walker has finally found a purpose for Rebecca Kleefisch besides being a Wisconsin version of Sarah Palin. Though Team Walker still won't allow her to actually participate in a debate, for fear that her lack of qualifications will come shining through, she is now the star of her second TV commercial.

In the commercial, she never does mention that she is the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, but merely identifies herself as Walker's running mate.

She goes into how grateful she is that she is not poor, and that her husband is a state legislator who gets some nice insurance paid mostly for by tax payers. She then puts on her scary face and falsely claims that Barrett would do away with our health care system in a government takeover.

Apparently, she is unable to differentiate between health care coverage and health care provision. Team Walker is hoping that the voters are that ignorant as well, or just aren't paying attention to the details.

As I stated before, I am glad that Kleefisch is on the road to recovery and has a good prognosis of being able to enjoy her family for years to come. It's just a shame that she takes the attitude that poor people shouldn't be afforded the same opportunity.

As noted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, her attitude against allowing poor people the same kind of access to our wonderful medical system is more than a wee bit hypocritical and elitist:

Kleefisch, who runs her own marketing business on which she works part time, and her family are covered through an Anthem Blue insurance plan offered by the state to her husband, Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), Bader said. According to the state Department of Employee Trust Funds website, that family plan costs $21,690 a year. State workers like Joel Kleefisch pay $1,020 a year, or $85 a month, for that family coverage and taxpayers pick up the rest - $20,670 a year.

In contrast, a recent national study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust found that family coverage from private and public employers costs on average $13,770 a year, with workers paying nearly $4,000 of that.

And they claim it's those greedy union workers who are to blame for all the money woes. Yeah, right.

You see, it's not that Scott Walker or Rebecca Kleefisch are really against health care reform or against spending our tax dollars. It's just that they want to make sure that only the right kind of people, the rich, get those advantages, and not having it squandered on ordinary folks who are having a hard time just getting ends to meet.

Don't Use Them

Remember those questionable absentee ballot requests that the RGA sent out?

The state's election chief says "Don't use 'em."

Trust me, I wasn't going to.

The Republican's Big Tent

From the talented Stuart Carlson:

Those Freedom Loving Republicans

The right has been running with the meme that the Democrats are trying to take away all their freedoms, from Freedom of Speech to the Second Amendment. You can't go a day without hearing or seeing one of the right wingers making false accusations of totalitarianism or some such.

But when one actually looks at how things are going, it is the Republicans that are trying to squelch the Freedom of Speech, with their supporters cheering this on full tilt.

Can you say hypocrite?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

A Tale Of Two Conservatives

Supervisor Gerry Broderick issued a press release in which he makes a very astute observation:
Vrakas takes balanced approach, while Walker remains in fantasyland

Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee County Supervisor Gerry Broderick released the following statement after sitting in on hearings related to the 2011 County Budget this week:

“It is instructive to compare the Waukesha County Executive’s 2% proposed budget increase to the 10% decrease proposed by Scott Walker in Milwaukee County.

“Mr. Dan Vrakas, the Executive of arguably the most conservative county in Wisconsin, surveyed need and acted appropriately, while Mr. Walker chose his usual fantasyland version of self-serving reality.

“Last week, Mr. Walker raised his megaphone and shouted that he wanted to become a cheerleader for Wisconsin. That is an inspired notion, but what we need is to be a better served by a quarterback who knows what a budget is – and how to balance one honestly.”

The Devil Is In Not Paying Attention To The Details

From the New York Times:
When it came to the actual details of governing, Senator Russ Feingold, a Democrat of Wisconsin, trounced his Republican challenger, Ron Johnson, in a debate in Wausau, Wis., on Monday night. He knew that the new health care law will not reduce Medicare spending but will slow its staggering rate of growth. He knew that a vast majority of small businesses would not pay higher taxes if rates went up on the wealthy and that global warming isn’t caused by sunspots. He knew that without the 2009 stimulus there would be at least 1.5 million fewer people with jobs.

Mr. Johnson, on the other hand, proudly proclaimed recently that he doesn’t “think this election is about details.” That’s as good an explanation as any of why — in Wisconsin as in so many states — candidates like Mr. Johnson are ahead in the polls. Insurgent Republicans don’t need details when they can play on the furious emotions of voters who have been misled into believing that positive changes like the health care law are catastrophic failures.

The public’s lack of attention to detail, and Mr. Johnson’s willingness to exploit it, could end the career of Mr. Feingold, who in three terms has distinguished himself for trying to bring fairness to campaign finance and decency to national security, among other achievements. He has routinely crossed party lines to work with Republicans and has had the courage to break with his own party more often than almost any other senator.

The same could be said about the Barrett/Walker race. I have yet to see more than a handful of posts from the collective known as the right wing with any attention to the details, much less the truth.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Most Ridiculous Thing That Will Come Out Of This Election Season

Of course, the most ridiculous thing that will come out of this election season had to come from Scott Walker, which says a lot. After all, Walker already has had some doozies, such as:
But all of those pale compared to what came out of his camp today.

Walker said that he would use state workers to identify waste, fraud and abuse. His reasoning went like this:

“Frontline state workers are where the rubber meets the road. They can provide a wealth of information on more efficient ways to provide services and identify cost savings.”



Soon after taking office as Milwaukee County executive, Walker held brown bag lunches with employees to get feedback. 



Well, he is correct that it is usually the front line workers that best know how things work or doesn't work, and how to best change them. Otherwise, his comments are laughable.

Walker has already estranged the state workers by promising to attack them as soon as he got elected. How does he think that they will want to cooperate with him when he has already said he would slash their benefits, as well as lay several of them off?

Furthermore, for the first three years of Walker's tenure, I was at the House of Correction. I can promise you he never came down there to eat his ham and cheese sandwiches and learn how things were going.

But even if he did have those listening sessions like he claims, he sure as heck wasn't listening.

If he had listened to the workers at HOC, he might have hired enough guards thereby sparing the tax payers the expense of having budget busting overtime pay outs. It could have also preserved public safety by stopping the rash of escapes that were occurring while HOC was under his control. It might have also prevented such unnecessary and tragic deaths, like Alexander Orlowski's.

If Walker had listened to the parks and public works workers, he might not have destroyed their budgets, and there wouldn't be hundreds of dollars in maintenance and repairs being kicked down the road. It might have also prevented tragedies like the one at O'Donnell Park. It could have also meant that you wouldn't need a off-road vehicle to travel down county roads.

And Walker sure as anything never listened to the people at BHD. If he did, they wouldn't have had four years of record breaking overtime pay outs. He could have also prevented a lot of the other problems out there, including the failing structure, the sexual assaults, and the escapes.

If Walker listened to staff in the Income Maintenance Program, he could have been told that there weren't enough people to help those in need, and it might have prevented the state to have to take over the program.

Most significantly, if Walker had listened to the workers, he would have realized he needed to negotiate concessions from them, and not try to dictate them. That would have gone a long way to keep the county from facing the potential of being bankrupt in a few years.

Then again, it was never Walker's intent to do right by Milwaukee County, much less listen to the workers. Nor is it his intent to pay attention to the state workers or try to resolve the state's problems.

All this is is just another part of his "say anything" campaign approach to get elected as governor.