Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The Walker Agenda Is Still Working! Part CCXXXIV

While Scott Walker and friends are jumping up and down, pointing at Mary Burke and screaming, "Plagiarism!", the state continues to hemorrhage jobs and a sickening rate:
About 60 percent of the workforce at Milwaukee's Shelter Mortgage Co. will be laid off in November, following the company's acquisition earlier this month, according to a letter filed with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Tuesday.

Shelter was a subsidiary of Brown Deer-based Guaranty Bank until January 2013, when Guaranty sold its Shelter Mortgage division to a Chicago private equity group in a move designed to free up capital. New Plymouth, Pa.-based national mortgage lender New Penn Financial LLC acquired Shelter for an undisclosed sum in early September.

Almost one month since Shelter's later acquisition, a letter Tuesday said 63 employees will lose their jobs over a 90-day period starting Nov. 30. Shelter employs about 100, a New Penn spokesman told the Milwaukee Business Journal earlier this month.
At this point, people are wishing Scott Walker stole someone else's job plan besides ALEC's, because it sure as hell isn't working.

The Walker Agenda Is Still Working! Part CCXXXIII

While Scott Walker and his apologists are trying anything and everything to distract the voters, we can see that his agenda is still working with its usual effectiveness:
About 70 people will lose their jobs when Bayshore Town Center's Sears store closes in December, according to a notice from the state Tuesday.

The notice said about 67 employees will be laid off when the Sears store at 5900 N. Port Washington Road closes. A permanent shutdown is slated for Dec. 7, or close to that date, the letter said. A liquidation sale is already underway, according to a company spokesman.

The same spokesman previously told the Milwaukee Business Journal the Bayshore Sears store and its adjacent Sears Auto Center employ 86 in total.
Is it any wonder that Walker wants to talk about almost anything but his job record? The only thing he is less likely to discuss is Walkergate.

‘The rich are not job creators’

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich was speaking in Seattle the other day and simply nailed it:
America has gone through “the worst, most anemic economic recovery on record” because benefits have flowed to the wealthy, with little in increased purchasing power for middle and lower-income Americans, ex-Secretary of Labor Robert Reich said in Seattle on Saturday night.

“The rich are not job creators . . . The job creators are not people at the top, but those at the middle and below,” said Reich, one of the nation’s highest profile and most progressive economists.
Pay inequality is not the only problem stemming from this corporate controlled economy - the real trickle down is what ensures the continuation of the problems we're facing:
Reich is worried at where all the money flowing to the rich IS trickling down.

“One of the corollaries of inequality is all of that money coming down and corrupting our politics,” said Reich.

He described the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which reversed 103 years of regulating corporate money in politics, as its worst since the 1857 Dred Scott decision, in which the court ruled that slaves could not be American citizens and had no standing to sue in federal courts.

Reich had warm praise for a pair of policy actions at the local level, namely Seattle’s recent decision to adopt a phased-in $15-an-hour minimum wage as well as the city’s paid sick leave ordinance.

Seattle is “setting a beacon light for the rest of the country,” said Reich, adding: “The amazing thing is why other cities and other places have not done it.”
Now think about this and look at your elected officials...Do you really think that Scott Walker or Chris Abele are on your side? If so, think again.

Ayn Rand - Still A Thing?

By Jeff Simpson

In Honor of Janesville's own Paul Ryan, who is president of the Ayn Rand fan club.   John Oliver broke it down brilliantly!  


Milwaukee Voters, Save The Date, October 15th!

The good folks at Citizens Coalition are hosting a discussion of the five referendum questions that are going to be on the November 4th ballot.

Here is their notice about the line up:
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE NOVEMBER 4TH BALLOT REFERENDUMS?

Question 1
Milwaukee County Referendum concerns “that a Move to Amend the Constitution establishing human beings, not corporations, are entitled to constitutional rights and that money is not free speech.”
“Legalizing Democracy” Video
Mary Laan, Move to Amend SE WIS Coordinator

Question 2
Milwaukee County Advisory Referendum concerns that all available federal funds be given to badger care
Robert Kraig, Citizen Action of Wisconsin

Question 3
 Milwaukee County Referendum concerns a State Minimum Wage of $10.10 Per Hour
 Jennifer Epps, Attorney and executive director of Wisconsin Jobs Now

 Question 4
Milwaukee County Referendum concerns a County Administrative Coordinator either elected or appointed
Chris Liebenthal, free lance writer, social worker and community activist

Question 5
Wisconsin State-Wide Advisory Referendum concerns a constitutional Amendment allowing all Transportation Revenues be put into an Exclusive Transportation Fund
 Tom Stawicki, Legislative Director for ATU Local 998

Wednesday
OCTOBER 15, 2014

GREENFIELD LIBRARY
53RD AND WEST LAYTON AVENUE
6:00 p.m.
I hope to see you there, because an informed voter is a good voter!

Monday, September 29, 2014

Blood is Not As Thick As Party

By Jeff Simpson

In a very sad story, Representative John Nygren's 25 year old daughter was recently arrested again for possession. 

Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Nygren of Marinette appeared in Brown County court on Monday after being arrested Friday morning. A report by Press-Gazette Media said Nygren faces two counts of possession of narcotic drugs and one count of possessing an illegally obtained prescription.

Nygren's struggle with heroin has made her a face of recovery and prompted her father, Republican state Rep. John Nygren, to draft legislation aimed at helping addicts.

Rep. Nygren told WBAY-TV that he's "disappointed, saddened, a little angry" but not surprised by his daughter's arrest. He did not appear at her hearing.
While I can not imagine the pain of watching your child go through this, Mr. Nygren has had enough:

Bail was set at $5,000 cash bond. Defense attorney Shannon Viel said it was too early to comment.
John Nygren said he won't be bailing his daughter out, and that she needs to pay the consequences for her mistake.
 The sad thing for the people of Wisconsin and Nygren;s daughter, is that Rep. Nygren does not feel the same about Governor Scott Walker.

When asked about the John Doe 2 Investigation, Representative Nygren had this to say:


“We were thinking this was a witch hunt from the beginning; the judge’s decision only underscores that,” he said.

“What’s happening here is what happened in New Jersey in reverse,” Nygren said. “It is equally troubling, especially when you consider this is our political process. We are talking about stifling speech.”
Apparently Representative Nygren does not feel that The Governor needs to "pay for his mistakes".   The problem with letting him get away with "mistakes" then the next thing you know you are right back in hot water again.   

A little tough love shown to the Governor early on and we might not be in the mess we are in now!  We know now, do not look to Rep. Nygren for leadership!  

Which Political Gift Is Worth More?

This is a serious question: Which of Boss Abele's political gifts is worth more?

Boss Abele has given about $40,000 to Mary Burke's campaign through direct donations and channeled through other means.

Going along with his willing failure to follow Freedom of Information Act laws, he is still stonewalling on releasing all of the Walkergate emails.

So which is the better gift - what is equivalent to pocket change for both Abele and Burke or keeping all of the information contained in the Walkergate documents away from the public?

Personally, I think that Abele is just hedging his bets, groveling to both candidates in order to "expand his sphere of influence."

But can anyone trust a man like Boss Abele who is playing both sides against the middle class?

Boss Abele Breaks FOIA Laws

Over the summer, during the hotly contested Milwaukee County Sheriff's primary, it was revealed that the incompetent incumbent, David Clarke, refused to release his calendar in an open records request filed by One Wisconsin Now.

Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now, hit the nail on the head when he was quoted saying this:
“David Clarke owes Milwaukee County residents answers about how he spent his time,” said Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now. Ross accused Clarke of being "AWOL" during one of the state's biggest tragedies.
He's right. The citizens of Milwaukee County have a right to know how their elected leaders are spending their time.

This is especially true as all the sordid details of Scott Walker's term as Milwaukee County Executive keeps coming out, showing how his staff spent a lot of their time doing campaign work.  Unsurprisingly, Walker also had issues with transparency - he didn't like it at all.

Which leads us to Chris "Boss" Abele.

Just like his buddies, Clarke and Walker, Abele has a problem following Freedom of Information Act laws.

On June 26, 2014, David Eisner, Contract Administrator for AFSCME District Council 48, sent the following FOIA request to Abele's office:
Subject: Open Records Request

County Executive Abele,

This letter is to request, under the state's Open Records Law,(Wisconsin State Statutes s.19.31-39) the following information:

1.) A listing of all public appearances currently scheduled by the Milwaukee County Executive between the date of compliance with this request and December 31, 2014

2.) The scheduled date and time of these events

3.) The location name, street address, and any room designation of the scheduled appearance

4.) The name of the sponsoring or host organization of the appearance

I agree in advance to pay actual, necessary and direct costs of producing these records up to $100.00.
Please advise me if the total cost will exceed that amount.

I understand that public records must be produced as soon as practicable and without delay per Wisconsin State Statute s.19.35(4)(a). Please advise me promptly of any delays in your response, and please let me know if I can clarify or refine this request.

If you are not the records custodian for this information, please notify me and forward this request to the appropriate person. Thank you for your assistance. A hard copy of this request has been mailed to you also.

Sincerely,

David Eisner
Contract Administrator
AFSCME, District Council 48
On July 11, Abele's spokesman, Brendan Conway, replied that they received the request and that they would respond in a "timely fashion."

So AFSCME waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more.

On August 8th, four weeks after Conway promised a timely response, Eisner sent another email to Conway, asking for a follow up to the FOIA request.

Still, there was no response.

On August 14th, Eisner followed up with Claire Zautke, Abele's Senior Executive Assistant.  She said that Conway was out of the office "for a while," and would follow up with Abele's Chief of Staff.

Still, there was no response.

Finally, on August 22nd, Eisner sent the following email directly to Boss Abele:
Good Afternoon County Executive Abele,

On June 29, 2014, pursuant to Wisconsin State Statutes s.19.31-39, and s.19.35(4)(a), District Council 48 made an Open Records Request to your Office, of which such request is outlined in the attached string of emails. Please review. On July 11, 2014, your Director of Communications Brendan Conway emailed me acknowledging the Union's request and indicating your office would respond in a timely manner. Subsequent to that email, I have further communicated with your staff regarding this request.

Please be advised, to date, the Union has not received the requested information from either yourself or your staff. It has been fifty-four (54) days since this request was originally submitted. 
This delay from your office is unreasonable, unacceptable, and in violation of Wisconsin State Statutes. I have included the parties legal counsel in on this email communication due to the non-compliance of State Statutes. On behalf of AFSCME, District Council 48, I am again asking you when we can expect compliance with this Open
Records Request? Please advise as soon as possible, and without further delay. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

David Eisner
Contract Administrator
Lobbyist
AFSCME, District Council 48
That was finally enough to light a firecracker under Conway and got him to finally respond, nearly two months after the initial request. Unfortunately, Conway's response was less than acceptable:
Mr. Eisner,

Thank you for your patience, I had hoped to respond sooner but my newborn daughter had other ideas and I was on paternity leave the past few weeks.

Per your request, County Executive Abele's future schedule is constantly in flux. The scheduling document he works from is never more than a draft, subject to revision at any time. Corporation Counsel has advised us that a draft document prepared by or for an official is not a record subject to release.

Have a good day,

Brendan
AFSCME consulted with their attorney, Mark Sweet, who also found Abele's position to be untenable.

AFSCME also contacted Bill Lueders, President of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, and asked him about Abele's position. Lueders said that Abele's response was "outrageous" and directed AFSCME to one of their webpages which discusses such issues, citing court decisions and pertinent laws. And yes, such claims as Abele's, that documents are drafts and not subject to FOIA requests is covered:
2. Draft status. The Open Records Law contains an exemption for drafts, which it defines as records “prepared for the originator's personal use or prepared by the originator in the name of a person for whom the originator is working.” Despite the clarity of this language, and case law (Fox v. Bock) and an AG opinion (77 Atty. Gen. 100) affirming it, custodians sometimes claim that draft status extends to any form of a document short of the final version they deem fit for release.

Best practice: Once a document is shown to anyone besides the originator or a person working on his or her behalf, it is no longer a draft. Records custodians should also release early versions of documents, to show how they were changed as the result of review, reconsideration or outside pressure.
Clearly, Abele is in the wrong and is in violation of the Freedom of Information Act, despite what he claims his corporation counsel says.

Now, it just might be that Boss Abele is reluctant to follow the law because he doesn't want people to know how much time he's spending at the University Club with Julia Taylor, Sheldon Lubar, Michael Grebe and Joe Sanfelippo, plotting out the demise of Milwaukee County.

More likely, he just doesn't want the citizens of Milwaukee County to know where he is because they might show up and hold him accountable for his multitude of failings.

As with his failure to deliver the county budget on time, Abele needs to stop playing these games with open records requests and do his job!

Pee In A Cup - Part 2

By Jeff Simpson

In case you missed it, as Wonkette put it - Scott Walker will fight for Wisconsin's right to collect poor people's pee

We do not think that drug testing people on the public dole is such a bad idea.  We even offered up the first person who should be tested - Richard Uihlein. 

Now I would like to offer up drug test subjects #2 & #3 - Plexus Corp. board members David Drury and Ralf Boer!  

See Drury and Boer are huge donors to one Scott Kevin Walker, who in turn is a huge donor to the company that they sit on the board for.    The problem is not just that there has been quid pro quo going on between these two parties with our tax dollars,  but that Plexus cashed in with taxpayer dollars then sent jobs overseas! 

While that has become common place with the rise of WEDC in Scott Walker's Wisconsin, the reason they NEED to be tested is that they are denying they did so

Maybe Boer & Drury are actually Cheech and Chong revisited!  




The Company He Keeps



By Jeff Simpson

“Governors should be defined not just by what they do and say, but who they surround themselves with, making sure to have the smartest person for a particular task or to head a specific agency. They should be judged on that basis and who they take advice from.” Scott Walker

It is interesting that someone with that kind of attitude, would then be campaigning with New Jersey republican Chris Christie.  

There was a time when Chris Christie's biggest problems were his weight and not being able to tell the truth.   That and his incredible anger and bitterness towards the middle class.   Not to mention his lack of people skills:


That was Christie version 1.0, then like a good republican, he turned his anger and hatred away from public workers and focused it on Democrats in New Jersey that would dare oppose him.   Christie, or one of his underlings, ordered some traffic lanes closed off, to hurt a small town who had a Democratic Mayor who  refused to endorse him.    In Wisconsin we have grown used to the Governor punishing those who disagree with him, in New Jersey someone actually died as a direct result of Bridgegate.  

We also know that when you get away with one scandal the sky is the limit.   That led to even more scandals as Mr. Christie has played fast and loose with the public pensions, costing taxpayers BILLIONS of dollars!  

Its an age old political game, give the pension to your friends, who in turn give huge donations to you and in the process mismanage the pension.  This helps you get reelected on the fact that the pensions are killing the state financially and need to be reformed.   

Lather - rinse - repeat!   
While Christie brings with him the stench of scandal to Wisconsin to help Scandal plagued Scott Walker campaign, look for the media to really focus today on Michelle Obama's(who will also be in Wisconsin campaigning today) attempt to help our children eat better food!    
Since no reporter will dare ask Scott Walker or Chris Christie about their scandals or their lack of respect for public workers, maybe they can ask Scott Walker this question - 
Mr. Walker, how many times today while talking to Mr. Christie did you say "Why didn't I think of that?", so we know exactly how scared we should be for a second Walker term. 






 




It Should Never Be Ok

The signs were always there if you looked.  No one wanted to believe it though. He was a public figure. He was an integral part of the team and they really wanted to win. 
Then it happened.

He exploded and put his hands on her.  The sides were drawn.  Some were horrified but he still had many supporters.  He even had a prominent media person come out in support of him.  It was not his fault he said, he was attacked. She charged him! What was he supposed to do?  

 An investigation followed and led to no charges.  Which meant in his supporters minds, he did nothing wrong.  Complete Vindication his teammates said.   A person of privilege got away with yet another crime said others.  While we were arguing the severity and consequences of his actions, his coworker was scared to be at work alone with him so they had to come up with an alternative safety plan   She goes to work in fear, while we move on to the next news story in our 24/7 news cycle.   

 No it is not a story about the Ray Rice and the NFL’s poor handling of the situation.  It is much closer to home.   For those who need a refresher course, it is a story of Wisconsin’s very own Supreme Court Justice David Prosser.   The story had so many of the same qualities, it was hard to distinguish between the two.  

 There were definite differences, race, standing, quantity of teams, etc… but the similarities were overwhelming. .. Then something happened.  We had it on video.  Actual video of the actual assault.  She charged him, he retaliated.  The day before the video came out, I knew that Ray Rice was suspended because he knocked his then fiancé out when they were in an elevator.  I did not need to see the video to know what happened.  I had a pretty good idea and we all knew the end result anyway.  However the video did come out and national outrage ensued. It was even so strong, that the NFL was forced via public pressure, to make his suspension for a minimum of the year. 

All because we had a video!  

However, the same person who rushed to the defense of Justice Prosser, by writing an article using suspicious sources, now  wrote an article saying that there is no excuse for violence against women and we do not need a video to know that.

 Overlooking the blatant hypocrisy, I see a much larger problem.   We hold our professional athletes to a higher standard than we do our politicians.   When an athlete gets suspended for a year(since reduced) for smoking pot, while a congressman can get away with cocaine posession.   


Let that one sink in for a moment.  

Some will look at the disparities and see race.  I think race is a part of it but a larger problem is we have a win at all costs attitude.   I am willing to overlook the cracks in my windows but will gladly throw stones at your glass house the minute you do something wrong.    

 The first step in ending our divisiveness and start fixing our country, is to hold our own team accountable.  

We need to be able to say, I do not care if we agree on everything, violence against women,  blatant lies, cheating people, etc… is not ok.  

Before the silly season of a major election, truly kicks in, let’s take a long look in the mirror.  



In Search Of Chris Abele And The Missing County Budget

Traditionally, the proposed Milwaukee County budget is presented to the Milwaukee County Board at their meeting at the end of September.  This year, the budget was supposed to be presented on September 25th, as has been outlined on the county website.

However, this year, for the first time in Milwaukee County history, the county executive, Boss Abele, refused to meet with the County Board on the designated date and failed to present his recommended budget.

We know that the budget was ready, since he was going around bragging about it to everyone and anyone who would listen*.  We also know that Boss Abele would never willfully fail to meet the most important aspect of his job, since he also keeps telling everyone and anyone who would listen* how he is all about accountability, efficiency and best practices.

Obviously, something terrible must have befallen Boss Abele.

Our friends at AFSCME and SEIU sent out the word that Abele was Missing In Action as soon as he failed to be where he was supposed to be on Thursday.

We at Cog Dis, being the good citizens we are, immediately set about trying to find Boss Abele and the missing 2015 budget.

Knowing that Abele likes to tip a few back, we immediately checked the sidewalk in front of the University Club, a place that Abele is known to patronize - a lot.

While we found a lot of other bums, we did not find the one we were looking for.

Then we got a tip he was at the Potowatomi Casino and Hotel.  We had heard he was supposed to be there next week, but wondered if he had shown up early.  Further investigation showed that it was not Abele and his entourage, but a bunch of bed bugs.  We chalked it up as an honest mistake.

Not having any luck finding Boss Abele, we have decided to go with the new tech.  Sadly, we learned that the state's warning system was the silver alert system and not the silver spoon alert system.

Unwilling to give up just because high tech failed us, we went old school and got Boss Abele's face on milk cartons:



Then we realized that Boss Abele isn't the type to mingle with the common folk who drink milk, so we came up with an idea that would get the word out to his associates in groups like the Greater Milwaukee Committee.  We had the missing poster put on bottles of champagne:



But please keep your eyes open for Boss Abele and his missing budget.  We have heard that it is pretty messy and way off balance, so the County Board can't afford all of this lost time that they will need to fix it.

And just in case he might stagger into his office, you can help light a firecracker under his butt by calling him at 414-278-4211 or emailing his office at: countyexec@milwaukeecountywi.gov and tell Boss Abele to get to work!

*The number or people who are willing to listen to Boss Abele has been dropping drastically as he continues to lose credibility and political clout.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Ghostwriters In The Sky


Image result for Doh      

By Jeff Simpson


Just because no one bought the book, and there were not many actual events in it, does not mean it didnt happen.  Even if the publisher wishes they had $350,000 back. 

Scott Walker who had this to say about Mary Burke hiring a consultant to write policy for her:

Gov. Scott Walker said Monday it was "very disappointing" that Democrat Mary Burke's campaign was again dealing with charges that it lifted passages from others and used them in key policy documents.
The same Scott Walker who hired a ghostwriter to write his own AUTOBIOGRAPHY.   I get that Mr. Walker is not the sharpest tool in the shed and probably does not have writing a book in him, but then he should not take credit for writing it(emphasis mine).



LARRY KUDLOW: This, too, is a Jack Kemp message. Kemp was a mentor of mine. This, too, is a Reagan message. Would you go down that route?
GOV. SCOTT WALKER: He’s absolutely right. I– I write a chapter about it at the tail end. If you haven’t gotten to the end yet, you should read it, because that– that’s exactly what we talk about. That– that middle-of-the-road center voters don’t just want us to move back and forth on issues. They wanna see that we’re compassionate about all people. It’s part of the message that– not just in the presidential election but in state and local elections–
D'OH!

 








Republicans Are People Too

BY Jeff Simpson

After years and years of this!  


and this:


The republican party has to start over with ads like this:


Dont believe everything you see or hear on the news, there are actual republican people who are not insane.  We have the ad campaign to prove it! 

I think when you have to send out ads that you are actual people, maybe you need to rethink more than your marketing campaigns.  




Thursday, September 25, 2014

M.D. Kittle - Thief!

By Jeff Simpson

The right wing noise machine drones on and on.   The Scott Walker's  record is one of miserable failure, so when they need help, Scott Walker's campaign manager, Michael Grebe, turns to the media outlets that he owns and gets help!

The right wing is in desperation mode trying so very hard to make the phony plagiarism story stick.  Anything to keep attention off of the latest John Doe news!   The folks at Wisconsin reporter are only too happy to do whatever Scott Walker tells them too, so it was no surprise to see M.D. Kittle keep plugging away at non-existent storylines. 

What was surprising though was to see that Mr. Kittle stole intellectual property(unless he owns the rights to Bart Simpson)to attempt to make his point about thievery. 

Only in WI!  

PS:  Mr. Kittle:


Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country, that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time, with the intention of enabling the creator (e.g. the photographer of a photograph or the author of a book) to receive compensation for their intellectual effort.
Copyright is a form of intellectual property (as patents, trademarks and trade secrets are), applicable to any expressible form of an idea or information that is substantive and discrete.[1] It is often shared, then percentage holders are commonly called rightsholders: legally, contractually and in associated "rights" business functions.[citation needed] Generally rightsholders have "the right to copy", but also the right to be credited for the work, to determine who may adapt the work to other forms, who may perform the work, who may financially benefit from it, and other related rights.


Walkergate: Doe's Dancing, Randa's Reeling And Walker's Weaseling

As the gentle reader is aware, Scott Walker and his collaborators have been throwing everything short of the kitchen sink at the ongoing John Doe investigations into the collaboration between Walker and the dark money funded third party groups.

Walker and his supporters thought that they struck gold when they got Federal Judge Rudolph Randa to overstep his authority and ignore the law by putting a stop to the investigation and threatening the prosecutors because they dared to enforce the law.  Even more egregiously, he tried to order the prosecutors to destroy all the evidence that they have gathered thus far.

Randa, who has a long history of being a loose cannon on the bench, was quickly smacked down by the federal appellate court for that last bit.

On Wednesday, the appellate judges came back to send Randa reeling again by overruling him completely, for a multitude of reasons.  Not only did the judge box Randa's ears, but laid waste to the whole argument that had been repeated ad nauseum by Walker and his allies:
The ruling written by Judge Frank Easterbrook also poked holes in the plaintiffs’ argument that coordination between political campaigns and ostensibly independent groups was legally protected so long as those efforts did not expressly advocate for or against the election of any candidate. The court found that Randa’s decision “broke new ground” — but not in a good way.

“Until the district court’s opinion in this case, neither a state nor a federal court had held that Wisconsin’s (or any other state’s) regulation of coordinated fund-raising and issue advocacy violates the First Amendment,” Easterbrook wrote. “The (U.S.) Supreme Court has stated repeatedly that although the First Amendment protects truly independent expenditures for political speech, the government is entitled to regulate coordination between candidates’ campaigns and purportedly independent groups.”

The judges also rejected the arguments by O’Keefe and Club for Growth that the prosecution, including John Doe prosecutor Francis Schmitz and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, should be held personally liable for allegedly violating their civil rights. “Public officials can be held liable for violating clearly established law,” the judge wrote, “but not for choosing sides on a debatable issue.”
Even as damning as that sounds, keep in mind that these jurists have had access to information that has not yet been made available for public consumption.  They have a much better understanding of just how deep the rot has gone and they are indicating that the corruption has sunk deep into Walker's clandestine affairs.

And is it me or does this seem like they are opening the door for John Doe's big brother, RICO?

While this is unquestionably good news, I hope that further action is taken by the proper authorities. Randa has proven himself to be less than pristine himself:
...Also keep in mind that Randa is looking to be as corrupt as the rest of them, having heard the case even though the wife of Scott Walker's attorney works for him, or that Randa's wife is a big time donor to Scott Walker or that Randa himself has gone on junkets paid for by the same people that pay O'Keefe and these other front groups.
Randa needs to be investigated for his own corruption and persecuted to the full extent of the laws that he has flouted for years.

While the federal appellate court has cleared the way for the Walkergate investigations to continue, the Walker apologists are quick to point out that a state judge had also put an injunction on the investigation.

That's not entirely true.  The judge put an injunction on some of the subpoenas, but not on the investigation per se.  And that ruling is going through the appeal process.  Undoubtedly, the case will eventually end up before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a body in which four of the justices make Randa look like a piker.

But there is something about Walker's statement regarding this fact that really makes me wonder:
Walker said in Milwaukee that the John Doe is halted for now and will likely come before the state Supreme Court.

"It's still something that a respected judge in the state of Wisconsin at the state level who has no political ties to me or anyone I'm affiliated with said should not go forward," Walker said at an event at the War Memorial Center.
Having dealt with Walker and his lies for more than decade just might have made me extraordinarily cynical, but when Walker is trying that hard to convince people, it usually means that there is something afoot. I'm not going to say that the state judge is corrupt because I have no proof of that. It might be that Walker is just trying to distance himself as far as he can from Randa, knowing that that level or corruption and just plain goofiness is going to have blow back on him.

Either way you read it, it is a sure tell that Walker is in deep trouble and he knows it.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Incredible Coincidence!

By Jeff Simpson

Washington is Still Digging!



Incredibly, Scott Walker put out an ad which looked eerily similar:


They even shop at the same store?  Im guessing they are both wearing a Faded Glory blue shirt!    Seriously though, so someone in Washington stole Scott Walker's idea's.  Why wouldnt they the guy is full of ideas.   We know though that WI is on the comeback, (four years of republican control will set anyone waaaay back), another incredibly brilliant marketing campaign thought up by Scott Walker

 “I just think it’s disappointing that their campaign that puts so much emphasis and made such a big deal about how this was based on her own personal record, and her time at Harvard Business School…ends up in the end now looks like, at least a good chunk of it came from a political hack taking it from other states,” said Governor Walker.

SAY WHAA????