Wednesday, December 30, 2015

2015 Scott Walker In Review

By Jeff Simpson

A couple of Scott Walker housecleaning items, to make sure no one missed in 2015.

1.  GQ named Scott Walker, the 13th Worse person of 2015.

13. Scott Walker

walker.jpg


The 2016 version of Tim Pawlenty: a charmless midwestern governor who was only initially viable as a presidential candidate because most people hadn’t heard him speak yet. But when they did…hoo boy. This man actually attributed his male-pattern baldness to bumping his head.





Asked in an interview on NBC if he wanted to build a wall on the Canadian border, the Wisconsin governor cited his experience talking to voters “including some law enforcement folks” in New Hampshire, an early voting state in the Republican primaries. Such people, he said, were concerned about terrorists potentially crossing over from Canada.
“They raised some very legitimate concerns, including some law enforcement folks that brought that up to me at one of our town hall meetings about a week and a half ago,” Walker said. “So that is a legitimate issue for us to look at.”


Scott Walker also likes to drink, so there might be an excuse for these crazy statements!  
What are your favorite 2015 memories of Scott Walker? 

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Testimony

By Jeff Simpson

I recently went to the Capitol to testify against the latest Republican attempt to eliminate local control and control our lives via #ALEC.

This was my first time ever testifying at the Capitol and after some reflection, I have a few thoughts about it.

The committee I testified in front of was the Assembly Committee on Education. The committee consist of:


The Bill I testified against was AB481:


Relating to: limitations on borrowing by school districts and the use by school districts of resolutions and referenda to authorize bonding for capital projects or increase revenue limits and scheduling of school district referendums to exceed revenue limits.

My thoughts:

1.  By the time I arrived(I was the last to testify) many in the committee were not even there.  The ones who were there were perpetually leaving and coming back, in mid speaker, and talking amongst themselves.  

It seems to me that it defeats the purpose of having "experts" and the public take time out pf their day to testify on a bill, when the committee hearing your testimony is not really interested.    I wonder if they would get up and leave during an ALEC convention or if Scott Jensen was in their office, giving them their to do lists? 

I also find it ironic on a bill where they are claiming to protect the taxpayers, they are not really interested in hearing from taxpayers.   

2.  In the interest of full disclosure, Rep. Sinicki sent me a message apologizing for missing my testimony and the reason why.   While I do not think any rep owes me a personal apology or excuse(although I did appreciate it), I do think that every member of the committee should have a public notice of WHY they are not there during testimony of a bill.   They owe the State of Wisconsin the ability to listen to every aspect of an important bill like this before blindly passing/voting down on partisan lines.  

3.  When I arrived, a staffer had arrived before me handing Rep. Jagler a bag from Subway with a 6nch sandwich and chips.   While it is nice that he uses his taxpayer paid staff to serve him lunch,  what was even more telling was the profit in that sub sandwich.   

A subway 6" value meal is $6.00 at most Subway's.   From John Jagler's home town of Watertown, WI to the State Capitol is 27 miles, which at 20 MPG is approximately a gallon and a half of gas (Approximately $3.00 in gas).    For those scoring at home that is $9.00 and change.
Rep. Jagler after the last election was part of the Assembly that voted themselves a 133% increase in daily pay.   

The Assembly is planning to increase the amount members can collect for overnight stays in Madison from $88 to $138.
It would be the first such increase since 2001, when an Assembly committee set the rate for what is known as a per Diem at $88 for lawmakers outside Dane County and $44 for Dane County lawmakers.
Per Diem's are a fixed amount meant to cover food and lodging costs while lawmakers are in Madison doing state business.
That is a profit of $128  Wisconsin taxpayer dollars to sit and occasionally listen to the taxpayers and citizens of WI give their opinions on major bills.  No wonder they needed a raise, a $78 daily profit just was not cutting it.

3.   I also find it ironic that a group of legislators who continually stick bad policy items in the budget(despite promising they would never do that), now are trying to make it illegal that school spending referendums are allowed to be voted on by the public.  

4.   Has anyone ever changed their mind based on public testimony by someone who was not a major campaign donor?

5.  In my time there. listening to people testify and listening to everyone who signed up for/or against the bill and it was overwhelmingly against.  There was only one person who registered FOR the bill and he did not testify.   It was Eric Bott.  

What were some of your experiences testifying?






Wednesday, December 23, 2015

O Christmas Tree

By Jeff Simpson

Rep. Kremer and Sen. nASS, fresh off teaming up to bully LGQBT children in our state, the disasterous duo have decided to team up again.

Their target this time is fire regulations and safety.

State and local governments would be prohibited from banning live Christmas trees in churches under a bill two Republican lawmakers began circulating Tuesday even as fire officials sounded warnings about how quickly trees can ignite.

Under the bill, the state Department of Public Safety and Professional Standards as well as municipal governments would be forbidden from passing any rules or ordinances prohibiting the seasonal placement of Christmas trees in the state Capitol rotunda or in a church. Trees in the rotunda and churches would be presumed to be safe during fire inspections, stripping inspectors of their ability to remove the trees.

We know that Christmas trees can burn quicker than a Scott Walker campaign promise when they get older ....


According to a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report, U.S. fire departments responded to more than 200 home structure fires annually from 2002 to 2005 that began with Christmas trees. Each year fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause over $930 million in damage, according to the United States Fire Administration.

Of course while looking for sponsors, Robin Vos was eager to sign up:

"The last thing we need is for bureaucrats to play the Grinch in every church in Wisconsin at Christmas," said Rep. Vos. "This common sense legislation keeps the Christmas spirit alive and well without affecting safety 

Nothing says keep the Christmas spirit alive like a church buring to the ground, as long as it is done in the name of Jesus!

Wisconsin Mayor Calls Obama A Muslim, Blames Him For Everything

Bud Hagen, the mayor of Superior, Wisconsin, is getting a lot of heat - and deservedly so - for making an ass out of himself on Facebook:
A Wisconsin mayor is pushing back against criticism for calling President Obama a Muslim, saying he holds the office of the presidency in high regard but has “no respect for the current administration.”

Superior City Councilors are asking for Mayor Bruce Hagen to apologize or resign for a Facebook comment he made on a photo of first lady Michelle Obama.

“Unbelievable! She and her Muslim partner have destroyed the fabric of Democracy that was so very hard fought for,” he wrote, a local Fox News affiliate reported.

City councilor Graham Garfield said a recall for Mr. Hagen is not out of the question, but it would be left up to the public.

“I’m not saying he’s done anything criminal, but he’s certainly put his leadership capabilities in question,” Mr. Garfield told Fox.
Hagen defends his idiocy by claiming the First Amendment Right to Free Speech, not understanding that there is a difference between exercising his right and abusing it. Hagen also said it was OK because he doesn't like Obama or his administration.

Instead of saying what I really think of Hagen, I'll just share how this 22-year old Muslim woman from Superior schooled the old bigot:
Bender said he received a phone call from a constituent who told him it's difficult to be a Muslim in the United States these days. "She was hurt by this," Bender said.

The constituent, Caitlin Shayda Pendleton, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Hagen's attempts to defend his comments on the grounds that he doesn't respect the Obama administration aren't valid.

"Obama as a Muslim is not a useful criticism. It adds nothing valuable to discussions on policy," said Pendleton, a 22-year-old Muslim who grew up in Superior and is home from Washington, D.C., to visit family.

Pendleton, a Middle East research analyst, said it's one thing to hear a presidential candidate make such statements.

"To hear the mayor of my hometown is more personal than hearing a presidential candidate saying bigoted things," she said. "He has freedom of speech. He can say what he wants and people who listen to him also have freedom of speech to respond. But what he said is factually incorrect and deeply offensive.

"I have faith when he thinks through his comment, an apology would be sufficient," she said.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Rep. Gannon calls for a vigilante uprising

MADISON – Today, Representative Bob Gannon released a statement saying, “Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scum bags.” Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“I am appalled by the dangerous rhetoric Representative Gannon chose to use in his press release. The incident at East Towne Mall was scary, but the answer is not to add more people with guns to the mix, and certainly not to call for private citizens to ‘shoot center mass.’ Representative Gannon is living in a James Bond dream world. If more guns made us safer, we would be the safest country in the world. We should be making guns like the one used at East Towne Mall more difficult to obtain for those who abuse the law.   
“Representative Gannon can keep repeating the same Fox talking points, but they are not grounded in fact. A recent Stanford study shows that right to carry laws are associated with significant increases in violent crime. The United States has a higher firearm homicide rate than any other developed country because of its broken gun safety laws.
“Representative Gannon should recognize that it is possible to keep our communities safe while respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners. The public overwhelmingly supports common-sense gun safety laws, like universal background checks and a ban on military-style assault weapons. As United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia so aptly noted in his majority opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller, ‘[i]t is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.’
“Representative Gannon also makes a dangerous and misguided call for guns to be available on our college campuses. Our campus administrators, law enforcement, faculty, and students don’t want weapons on campus, as campuses are generally safe places for students to learn. I for one am glad that Representative Gannon doesn’t shop at retailers where he can’t bring his gun – I think we’re all a little bit safer because of it.”
 
###

PO Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
(608) 266-5342
Twitter.com/christaylorwi
Facebook.com/representative.taylor
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Sunday, December 20, 2015

Dr. Means Follow Up Visit

By Jeff Simpson

We brought you the story recently about the Mequon Thiensville teacher, Mrs. Lesiecki, who was, fired, filed a complaint and then eventually reached a settlement to leave her high school math teaching position of 18 years.

The administrator of the MTSD, and person who made the decision to fire, is Dr. Demond Means, who was recently tapped by Milwaukee County Executive, as the newly created position of Milwaukee County Public Education takeover Czar.

While details at the time were sketchy, although we did know one thing that Dr. Means told us.

"The district has knowledge and has been informed there is a critical post about the student involved in this situation from the teacher on her personal social media site,” Superintendent Dr. Demond Means said.
Mrs. Lesiecki, through her attorney, denied the allegations:

Since Lesiecki has been told by the district not to discuss this, her union advocate issued WISN 12 News a statement on her behalf regarding the post in question.
It reads, in part, "Ms. Lesiecki is neither responsible for, nor aware of, any social media post that names any student with regard to the MTSD administrative allegations against her."
As we always point out here, there is more, there is always more!!

Thanks to an open records request, we found out that there is actually less.   No where in internal documents was she accused of posting a demeaning comment about the student.


Reading the ORR files, we see a few other items are missing

* An apology from Dr. Means for stating misleading and untruthful information to the press, regarding Mrs. Lesiecki.

* A truly compelling reason to end an 18 year career

* Simple protections from the Teachers Unions, to protect someone from being treated so poorly by administration

*  Parent/Teacher/student cooperation in helping create the best learning environment for your child

Its time to clear Mrs. Lisiecki's name, and have everyone move on.  It is also time for a courageous politician to point out the many many failings of ACT10 and campaign on overturning it!  It is also time to say NO to the Milwaukee Public School Takeover. 


Friday, December 18, 2015

A Day In The Life Of Scott Walker

By Jeff Simpson

If you have been following Wisconsin's news lately, you might have heard about the Lincoln Hills School and Juvenile Prison.

In the past two months alone at the prison, two teenage girls hanged themselves to the point of losing consciousness, a staff member allegedly pepper-sprayed two juvenile inmates who were complying with orders, and a staff member allegedly battered another staff member, according to 258 pages of documents released to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel under the open records law.
Those recent incidents came after a year of warnings about Lincoln Hills to state Department of Corrections officials from a variety of sources, including Milwaukee County officials, union leaders and state Rep. Mary Czaja (R-Irma).

As is always the case, there is more to the Lincoln Hills mess than meets the eye.  Also as is quite regularly the case, the Walker Administration had many many warnings and completely mishandled the problem.

Madison— Gov. Scott Walker's office was told multiple times over the past year about problems at a troubled juvenile prison in northern Wisconsin, including claims of violence against youths and staff, inadequate classroom time, and the need to improve sexual assault safeguards, documents show.
Since dozens of agents this month raided the shared Northwoods campus of Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, the Republican governor has said that he ordered immediate actions after being briefed on the alleged abuses just days before the raid.
But Walker's office had much earlier warnings about, and opportunities to act on, problems at the prison 30 miles north of Wausau, new documents show. The records were released Thursday to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel under the state's open records law.  

Scott Walker, in typical Scott Walker trademarked fashion, he faced up to the problem and took responsibility for his mistakes, I mean he told us it was not his fault. 

Last month, an incident at the prison led to a juvenile having toes amputated and brought down dozens of state and federal agents to the prison 30 miles north of Wausau.
"So the Department of Justice and the Sheriff's Department all looked into it and it wasn't until recently that they brought those concerns to our attention as to just how serious they thought (it was.) Just because someone sends a letter or an email doesn't mean that it's serious....The bottom line is I don't go through piece of every constituent mail, I don't go through every email. I get thousands of those," Walker said Friday.
The newly released records show that in fall 2014, Milwaukee County officials raised concerns about Lincoln Hills youths having inadequate classroom time and allegations of youths having arms broken by staffers.
We could take Governor Walker at his word, but as Politifact has pointed out, and Ronald Reagan warned us - "Trust but Verify".  

So let's take a peak at Scott Walker's claim that he was too busy to go through his emails.  

Let's look at July 28, 2015(I am sure you would find similar results if you picked similar days he received emails asking for help):

On July 28, Kevin McCarthy, a retired corrections employee living near the Irma prison, wrote the governor's office that he was concerned about the safety of his daughter and friends, who work at the facility.
"You have staff who are being assaulted, youth who are being assaulted, doors being broken, windows broken. What has to happen, does the sheriff's department or state police need to get involved when the staff at Lincoln Hills (lose) that institution?" McCarthy wrote on July 28.
Someone with intimate knowledge of the insitution emailed the people in charge and said that the safety of public workers, including his daughter was in question and he feared for them being assaulted or worse.  


 The governor of the nation's top cheese-producing state visited the capital of cheesesteaks on Tuesday and ordered two topped with American, skipping the customary Cheez Whiz but avoiding the blunder of a former presidential candidate who was ridiculed for wanting his with Swiss.Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told Geno's Steaks owner Geno Vento he's had cheesesteaks with Cheez Whiz in Philadelphia before and would have been dripping the orange goo if he ordered his the usual way."That'd be your trademark," Vento, the son of Geno's founder Joey Vento, joked as Walker signed a book filled with autographs of other dignitaries and celebrities who have indulged in the Philly delicacy.Walker ordered one each from Geno's and rival Pat's King of Steaks, across the street, during a brief campaign swing through the City of Brotherly Love. He's one of 16 Republicans vying for the party's presidential nomination and, true to political form, wouldn't say which cheesesteak was better.
The Governor of Wisconsin($147,000/yr plus benefits) was spending the day in Phildelphia campaigning for another job, eating cheesesteaks and drinking beer.   



The sad thing is, when Scott Walker ordered his cheesesteak, he was chastised for a Faux Paux of butting in line, orderings American cheese and no onions and leaving his trash for someone else to pick up(imagine that).


Embedded image permalink

Mike Meech @meechonescott walker just gets up and leaves his trash on the outside table at pat's like they have a wait staff


When the real tragedy is, that while Wisconsinites desperately needed leadership and governing, Scott Walker was shirking his duties for his own pride and ambition while children in WI suffered.   



Chris Abele's Uncas Avenue Scandal Explodes

Last month, I reported that Milwaukee County Executive Emperor Chris Abele was planning on placing sex offenders in a quiet south side community even though he had promised the people in that neighborhood that he would do no such thing.

State Senator Chris Larson, State Representative Chris Sinicki, County Supervisor Jason Haas and City Alderman Terry Witkowski have been fighting very hard against this happening.

In recent days, more information has come out that shows that things are much, much worse than anyone had previously thought.

Lisa Kaiser of the Shepherd Express dug into the story and learned a number of alarming facts.

Not only did Abele falsely promise that no sex offenders would be placed in the group on West Uncas Avenue, but the owner of the group home, Karl Rajani, had made the same false promise.  On top of that, Rajani tried to smooth the way by offering to pay off members of the community.

Needless to say, when elected officials that represent that area learned that Abele was going to place these sex offenders there, they were outraged.  From Kaiser's article:
Witkowski said he heard from neighbors that sex offenders would be placed on Uncas Avenue and that he contacted Abele for more information. He said he didn’t get a solid response from the county until after he called a press conference in November.

“This is the worst example of government I’ve ever seen as far as secrecy and not involving the public,” Witkowski told the Shepherd.

Supervisor Haas, who represents the area on the county board, said he found out about the facility after the fact and the board doesn’t have the ability to vote on it.
“This was done utterly in secret,” Haas said.
Kaiser also learned that the three-year contract to house the two sex offenders and two other patients being ousted from the mental health hospital was worth $5.5 million and was awarded in a no bid process.

Last week, residents of the West Uncas Avenue neighborhood attended the Milwaukee County Board's Health and Human Needs Committee.  While the residents were able to express their concerns, their anger and their frustration, they came away empty-handed.

Abele had had State Representative Joe Sanfelippo and Senator Alberta Darling ram through legislation that took away all authority the county board had over the county's mental health services.  The control of the county mental health services - and its budget - to an unelected Mental Health Board, populated with Abele's political appointees.

The citizens were told that the Mental Health Board was scheduled to take up this subject on Thursday, December 17.

The chairwoman of said board is Abele's disgraced former head of corp counsel, Kimberly Walker, who had been fired for gross incompetency and unethical behavior.  Walker told Kaiser that she would not allow public comment on the matter.

At the board meeting, even though the Uncas Avenue group home was the last item on the agenda, it was manipulated to be heard first so that any concerned citizens that showed up later would not even get to learn what happened, much less have any input.

But there's more. There's always more.

It was learned that the two sex offenders had been telling staff at the mental health complex - nurses, nursing assistants and doctors - that they were planning on reoffending once they were placed in the community.  It might have been that these statements were made to manipulate their situation and an effort to keep them from being placed in an unfamiliar and possibly unsafe situation.  But as with suicide threats, it needed to be taken seriously.

In an effort to alert the Mental Health Board to these newly found facts, Dennis Hughes spoke out at the meeting, telling board members of the threats being made by the offenders.

For his trouble, Walker had him escorted out of the room and then arrested (emphasis Kaiser's):
The Uncas Avenue facility was the last item on the agenda.

But Board Member Duncan Shrout moved that it be heard first. So even if Uncas Avenue residents had been allowed to speak, they would have been caught off guard and likely wouldn’t have been there to speak at 8 a.m.

The discussion was relatively superficial, which I’m sure was by design. Colon assured the board that all state, local and federal laws had been followed.

Board Chair Walker never told the board that Supervisor Dimitrijevic had made her request for public discussion. Nor did any board members bring up the fact that BHD administration had misled them on the $5.5 million contract. Nor did they discuss Uncas Avenue neighbors’ concerns about sex offenders living on their block.

So the board voted to table the issue.

And that’s when Hughes stood up, demanding to speak about the “imminent threat to public safety.”

And that’s when security moved in on him.

So that’s the true story of what happened this morning.
Again, for wanting to warn of a danger to public safety, Abele's political appointee had him arrested and hauled off. That is not an example of representative government. That is pure fascism.

To summarize, Abele gave a no bid contract worth $5.5 million to a group home to house sex offenders, even though he had told neighbors and their elected officials that he would not place the offenders there.  Then when someone speaks out to warn of an imminent danger to public safety - that the offenders were already planning to reoffend - they get arrested and carted off to jail.

Sadly, there's still even more.

People who have been following this situation closely have informed me that there were two other registered sex offenders listed as living at the mental health complex who are no longer listed as living there.  There current whereabouts are unknown except to Abele and his inner circle.

Now doesn't that make you feel better?

Any pretense that Abele is concerned about public safety or the wishes of the constituents he supposedly represents can be thrown out right now.

Just like his friend and mentor, Scott Walker, Abele is a firm believer in what you don't know won't hurt his campaign.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Don't Fence Us Out

By Jeff Simpson

If there has ever been a greater symbolic representation in history, I have not seen it.

This is a picture of the outside of Paul Ryan's Janesville home.

More Paul Ryan's Border Wall Breitbart News
As Breitbart News’s photographic documentation reveals, Ryan’s home is surrounded by a tall border fence reinforced by equally high bushes— ensuring both privacy and security. Moreover, the fence is manned by an on-duty agent who guards his property’s perimeter. Upon even the slightest appearance of any unusual activity— such as a 5’2″ female taking a photograph of the fence— Ryan’s border agent will deploy into action to ensure the perimeter’s sovereignty.

An armed guard, a big fence and established trees and shrubs....Yes Paul Ryan is just a little guy from small town WI living the dream.  Your typical Janesville native who happens to ive in a gated and armed guarded mansion.  

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Bogus WPRI-funded Research Released

Bogus WPRI-funded Research Released 
Researcher failed to disclose source of funding, included leading questions
 
 
MADISON – Today, a University of Chicago professor released the “raw data” of a suspect survey funded by the right-wing think tank Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI).  Among other things, WPRI has promoted the privatization of public education through the failed voucher school experiment, promoted right to work legislation and argued for the dismantling of competitive wages for public projects.  WPRI is a member of the State Policy Network, an active member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which uses think tanks like WPRI to push out right-wing policies in states around the country. 
 
“WPRI has been at the forefront in pushing for privatization of public education,” stated Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison), who attended a noon press conference by William Howell, the professor who conducted the suspect study.  “They don’t do research just to gauge public opinion, but to push specific right-wing policies that support their agenda. No wonder Professor Howell failed to disclose the source of his funding on the survey and failed to allow participants to provide individual answers outside of selected choices, which, according to some participants, seemed geared to elicit a particular response,” concluded Taylor. 
 
For two questions involving “trade-offs” between forfeiting tenure for other salary and contract terms, Professor Howell failed to allow participants to respond that they would not forfeit tenure for any amount of compensation or contract term.
 
Due to the outcry surrounding the survey, prior press accounts indicated that Howell had to shut down the survey within a few days.
 
In the past, UW-Madison withdrew its name from a previous WPRI study on school vouchers because the integrity of the polls was compromised.
 
“I suspect that these bogus survey results will now be used by my Republican colleagues to further erode tenure protections and the quality and caliber of the UW system.  We should be building up our UW system, not commissioning bogus research to tear it down,” concluded Taylor.
  
PO Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
(608) 266-5342

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Irony Overdose

By Jeff Simpson

On the eve of the next Republican debate, GOP frontrunner and future Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump held a rally where there were some Black Lives Matter protesters.

This one was a little different though, because while we are used to the GOP thugs in the audience assaulting protesters, they now feel empowered to take it even further yelling “Light that motherf*cker on fire!” and  “Sieg heil!”

Classy with a capital K !

Since everyone is blindly chasing Trumo we will see if tonights debate will be aired in its original German.

Our friends on the right were so outraged by this....o wait they were not outraged by this at all, they had something else to be "faux outraged" at.

A stupid retweet by Senator Dave Hanson.

It was a stupid tweet and an even dumber retweet and Right Wisconsin, who must pay someone to follow Democrats twitter accounts, was all over it.

While they were "outraged", I have to give them some credit, they blacked out the word that offended them in their story.

However Rep. John Jagler, who has a child with Downs Syndrome, was beside himself with anger.  Jagler was so mad and disgusted with the word used, that he personally tweeted it out twice(which was loved and retweeted by countless others on the right like Eric Bott, John Nygren and Charley Sykes).

You just can not make this stuff up!  Here is one of the actual tweets.


  Retweeted
It is shameful that anyone, let alone a state senator would retweet this. this is disgraceful




For my friends on the right who lack an irony gene, let me explain.

It is shameful that anyone, let alone a state senator would retweet this - says the Representative who is actually retweeting this!

As someone who is offended by that word, I call on Rep. Jagler, Sen. Nygren, Charley Sykes, Eric Bott, Nathan Schacht, and whoever else tweeted that out to score political points to apologize!!

That kind of word does not belong in our political discourse, we need to get back to the civil days when Scott Walker compared protesters to ISIS and Christian Schneider called Senator Feingold worse than a child rapist(if you are scoring at home, neither time was there an apology or a word of caution from our friends on teh right). .




Monday, December 14, 2015

The $200.009.75 Wisconsin Fish Fry

By Jeff Simpson




On the heels of a devastating $250 million dollar cut to the UW system, Scott Walker, working with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism(our tax dollars), the University of Wisconsin Athletic department(our tax dollars), Levy restaurants (winner of the Scott Walker pick a private company winner) and JP Cullen (winner also of the Scott Walker pick a private company winner) have teamed up to build and operate a new food stand, available for people lucky enough to attend an event at the Kohl Center.

The stand, which underwent a $90,000 remodel, is located outside of Section 112 at Gate C and includes a neon sign outlined in small light bulbs. Another $110,000 is being spent on radio, social media and other advertising associated with the venue, said Lisa Marshall, a tourism spokeswoman.

No mention of royalties coming back to the tourism department with food sales, were there RFP's other sites considered or how I can get the WI Department of Tourism to spend $200,000 taxpayer dollars marketing my business.

I am sure the donations to Scott Walker and his friends by Compass Group(Levy Restaurants) and JP Cullen, sure did not hurt.

Even though this "partnership" seems to have caused Scott Walker to through free market principles out the door,and shows that Mr. Walker is a strong supporter of socialism by using the Government to compete against private business, the worst part is WHY we have to spend this kind of money advertising locally.

“It’s really about our brand, and our brand is fun,” said Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett as she chewed on a deep-fried cheese curd. “In advertising, we can’t forget to advertise to our own folks. Fifty-one percent of our (tourists) are from Wisconsin, so we want to keep them here. It’s important that we advertise in our own state.”

In a state that is ranked the worst state for a black people to live in, that is widely know for slashing education budgets, an inept partisan Supreme Court, one the biggest declining middle classes in the country along with massive layoffs almost daily, lakes that are contaminated and a Governor who thinks building a wall around Canada is a good idea, it is no wonder, we have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get Wisconsinites to stay in Wisconsin.  

At least it beats bringing in B-list stars,and a blow up doll, from an 80's movie that has not been relevant in 25 years to try and reach the younger generation of tourists!

I am sure that the people who head to the Kohl Center to watch the Alaska Nanooks play Hockey V the Wisconsin Badgers, will be swayed by $8.50 pot roast, to spend their hard earned vacation dollars on Lake Namakagon!

It all smells a little fishy to me!  



Sunday, December 13, 2015

The Generosity of Scott Walker

By Jeff Simpson 

In this Holdiay season, Scott Walker once again shows his generosity.  

For just the small price of a $30 minimum gift to pay off Scott Walker's bar tab, you can receieve one of these cheap, plastic, Made in China,  lapel pins sporting the logo of America's Best Contacts!

Get Your LapelPin

Just like our Wisconsin reform agenda, our 2016 presidential campaign was big and bold and that is why we are still in the red. I do not regret anything but I would regret letting down the many vendors and small businesses that extended credit to our campaign in good faith. You were with us every step of the way during the campaign and I hope you will help again today.
Remember, if you contribute $30 or more in the next three days to help us erase this lingering debt, we will send you a limited edition lapel pin as a token of our appreciation.
I can not think of anything better for the good people of Wisconsin to spend their money on during this Holiday season.

Happy Holidays!

 Image result for scott walker drinking