A Dichotomy: A Seemingly Dour LBJ vs. The Thin Skinned Retribution of Donold

 Stolen from the internet and I don't care if it is accurate, it makes a point!

GOP legislators target 'loophole' for appointees on expired terms

 This headline is directly from the lead story on the front page of today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel print edition (sorry this is a behind a paywall). And it is something that I wrote about a long while back at Blogging Blue. 

"A handful of Republican lawmakers are proposing to change state law to keep appointees from staying in their jobs beyond the expiration of their terms, a move that comes four years after GOP legislative leaders spent at least $255,000 of taxpayer money to defend the practice.

Currently, state law defines a vacancy in public office as occurring when someone dies, moves, resigns or goes through a formal removal process. Two iterations of the Wisconsin Supreme Court — one controlled by conservatives, one by liberals — have upheld two situations involving appointees staying in their jobs beyond the expiration of their terms based on the definition of "vacancy" in state law. Under Bradley's (Julian Bradley, R-New Berlin) proposed bill, a vacancy in public office is created if the office is filled by appointment for a fixed term and the incumbent’s term expires. "

 I will agree that a gubernatorial appointee should leave their position when their term has elapsed unless reappointed by the incumbent governor. That should be simple enough and commonsense.

But I would like to offer an addendum. The governor has to make a new appointment within 30 days of the vacancy if not before the term expires and the legislature must approve or disapprove the candidate within 30 days after the new appointment is made. Don't allow another loophole to exist that would allow a governor or legislature to leave an appointed position open for political theater. There is a reason these positions exist and the residents of Wisconsin deserve to have them all filled in a reasonable amount of time.

Note to media: Stop Giving Air To Washed Up Has Beens Like Scooter Walker

 Of course there are dozens of articles running around the internet both locally and nationally about the arrest of Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan. One of the recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel articles talks about the Wisconsin GOP response and actions that they are considering. 

The writer is Molly Beck and she quotes the ex-Governor of Wisconsin, Scooter Walker, from a post that he made on X about Dugan. Stop giving this washed up ignorant pol the air. We don't want nor need to hear from his time out corner nor see his bald spot beneath his dunce hat ever again. 

Was I supposed to say that X was formerly Twitter, or do we all know that by now?

A Note To Congress: YOU GO FIRST! i.e.House GOP Drafts Cuts to Federal Employee Pension System

 GOP members of the house are proposing changes to the federal employee pension system in order to reduce costs and lower the deficit. Without even reviewing the details this clearly means that whatever federal employees are still on board will see increased participation costs and probably reduced benefits at the other end.

So, my take is: Congress you go first. As a matter of fact I don't know what your pension plan is but I suggest you don't need one and should just take your ball and go home when your last term has been served. 

So here's Wikipedia's explanation of the Congressional retirement plan. Seems rather complex as many government plans are and exceptionally generous. I don't have the patience to read it in it's entirety nor regurgitate it here.  Again, I don't think that they need one.

RFK JR Is About To Ban Artificial Colors and Dyes

 I hope he starts with the ones that he and Donold use on their faces...

JD Vance Killed The Pope

on Saturday JD Vance went to the Vatican and met with a representative of the Pope. And the MAGAsphere went nuts at the blasphemy of the Pope dissing the VP. So on Sunday the Pope granted the hillbilly a short audience in the residence and today the Pope is dead.

That's the story.

So It Is Actually Happening: I know someone who didn't get their Social Security payment last week.

 A 72 year old retired American citizen and full time life long resident of the US did not get their Social Security payment deposited in their account on Wednesday as scheduled. They didn't have an online account yet so when they created one, the site simply said that the payment would be late. Nothing else.

Even I believed the stories running around the media about DOGE and Musk flocking up payments were just hysteria. But now that I have real proof from someone that I have known for quite some time and whom I trust...You can believe it. They have flocked up the Social Security Administration.

The Absurd End Result If Birth Right Citizenship Is Abolished! None of us are citizens, except

 Melania Trump and Elon Musk because they are naturalized citizens. And yes I know that purported executive excrement only applies to the future but...it is after all the great 21st C post-truth era. So let's have fun.

The Actual 14th Amendment:

Section 1

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Now, although the Constitution mentions citizens a number of times in reference to their rights, this is the only place that I see where citizenship is defined. So if the 14th Amendment were taken away?

Well, let's work this backward. I am an American citizen because I was born here. My parents were American citizens because they were born here. Three of my grandparents were American citizens because they were born here (one grandfather was a German immigrant). Now, six of my great grandparents were immigrants and of course two never came to the country. As far as I know none of the immigrants became naturalized citizens. So?

So if birthright citizenship didn't exist how would we define who is a citizen? My great-grandparents weren't so if the 14th was gone, my grandparents wouldn't be citizens either. And if my grandparents were citizens, my parents wouldn't be either...and then I wouldn't be either nor most of you. We are only citizens because the 14th Amendment says we are citizens if we are born here. There are no ancillary clauses, nor any ifs, ands, or buts.

It does seem rather odd that the original Constitution doesn't define citizen.

BTW: it still seems odd that the MAGA group wants to deny birthright citizenship while requiring your birth certificate to register to vote under the SAVE act. Hey, kids, which way does it work?

BTW II: There is often a splitting of hairs around citizen and resident. Citizen is generally regarded as a the status of an American...while resident is the status for describing ones residence in a state. Doesn't the 14th above seem to indicate that one would be a citizen of the US and the citizen of the state where you reside? Not really important but interesting...

April 5th and April 19th 2025 Saw Tens of Thousands of Americans Take To The Streets To Protest The Action Of The President.

Yet, I haven't seen a single report of a federal building being stormed, windows or doors broken down, police officers assaulted, or items being stolen. And there will be no future president running on a platform of pardoning any miscreants from those two dates. 

Just something to think about.

Nixon vs. Trump? New Yorker cartoon from the past

 

Challenge The Establishment

During their tour of the western states, Bernie Sanders took the stage and talked about AOC and how she took on the establishment and won:

She stood up and took on one of the most powerful people in the House of Representatives. And she started with almost no money against the guy who had unlimited funds, and she beat him. Now, why do I tell you that story? 

It's not just to talk about Alexandria. The point that I am making is that in this arena of 15,000 people, there are hundreds of Alexandrias. There are hundreds of Alex's and Joe's and Mary's and Cynthia's. 

And all across this country, we are going to need people to go outside of their comfort zone. Because the establishment, man, they are smart. They are so smart. And one of the smartest things they do, one of the most effective things they do, is to say to all of you and working people all over America, hey, we got the money, we got the power, we own it all, you ain't nothing, nothing you're going to do about it. And a lot of people sit back and they say, what am I going to do? You can't do nothing. My boss is going to fire me, this, that, and the other thing. And that is the mindset we have got to break through. 

In Wisconsin, we have seen our own version of AOC, when Chris Larson, a strong liberal, took on then State Senator Jeff Plalw and won. It was a definite upgrade.Whereas Larson became part of the Fab 14 and fled the state to give us more time to fight against Walker and WISGOP over Act 10, Plale had actually went along with Walker and killed a last minute effort to divert the damage.

Now, I'm not exactly echoing Bernie in the sense that everyone and their uncle should file to run.  But we can definitely do our part by keeping an eye on our elected representatives on every level of government and make informed decisions on whom we vote for.  We cannot afford to have our electeds do nothing but just lip service, or even worse, go along to get along.  

I know I'm not alone in feeling this way:

Democrats, meanwhile, were more inclined to want their party to change course, with few saying this realignment should be toward the middle. 

Just 18% said the Democratic Party should become more moderate, while 50% said it should become more progressive. Meanwhile, 24% said the party should stay the current course.

And we need to do this not only for our representatives, but also for the party officials.  Right now, there is not one candidate that I know of running for Chair of the DPW who is not an establisment person. The status quo is no longer enough. We need fighters, everywhere.

What The Actual F*@k? American CITIZEN detained by ICE and Judge says:

 before I get to my comments here is the excerpt from The Hill:

An American citizen was held in a Florida jail at the request of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite the county judge being able to see a U.S. birth certificate in court. 

Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, who was born in the United States, was detained Wednesday in Florida by the state’s highway patrol and was charged with illegally entering the Sunshine State as an “unauthorized alien” under a state law that has been temporarily blocked by a judge, the Florida Phoenix news outlet reported Thursday. 

Leon County Judge LaShawn Riggans said Thursday that despite the charge against Lopez-Gomez being dropped, she did not have the authority to release the 20-year-old because ICE asked Leon County Jail to hold Lopez-Gomez. 

 So what the actual F*@k? An American citizen is arrested for violating a bogus state law that is blocked by the courts? Why is Florida law enforcement, 'enforcing' it? Why aren't they being indicted for ignoring a court order.

And once presented with the evidence that the man incarcerated is not a migrant but actually a US citizen, why he wasn't immediately released is impossible to understand. I don't give a shit who ICE thinks they are or what ever authority they might have, if they detain an American citizen thinking he is a migrant, once proven otherwise he is free to go. And ICE should also be hauled into court for violating a citizen's civil rights. This too is a no brainer. 

THE GOVERNMENT AT EVERY LEVEL NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR MISDEEDS EVERY DAY AND EVERY INSTANCE!

Masks: Doesn't it seem just a little bit 'odd' that

 the Trump administration is banning masks on college campuses during demonstrations while ICE commandos get to wear them when snatching up legal residents off the streets in the US or when neo-Nazi hoodlums parade through American cities?

RFK JR.

 proof that you can mummify someone before they are dead...

And Justice For Some

The big news out of Madison is that the city clerk, Maribeth Witzel-Behl, has resigned from office.  The action comes as a result of making a major mistake after nearly 20 years in office when her office failed to count some 200 ballots.  

But don't think for an instant that justice has been done.  

Justice will not be served when a clerk loses her job, despite 20 years of impeccable service, after someone in her office made a grave mistake, but a corrupt mayor who intentially stole a ballot box, denying the right to vote to a community goes without facing any consequences.

Justice will not be served until Wausau Mayor Doug Diny is also held accountable. 

Umbrella - 1; Evil Kumquat - 0

 Is it any wonder the country has gone to hell in just three months?  The Rancid Kumquat can't even handle an umbrella!

I wonder who ties his shoes for him in the mornings?

Draft Ironstache For Congress - It's Time To Bring The Hammer Down!

By now, I hope that the amazing feat we accomplished last week by electing Susan Crawford to the Wisconsin Supreme Court has startled to settle in.  Despite President Elmo's money, and despite The Felonious Kumquat's corruption, we made it clear that this is still our state and fascists are not welcome!

The one thing we cannot afford to do is sit on our backsides.  Next year is going to be another big election and it would be best if we go into it with all hands on deck, running at full speed.

With that in mind, I am still very excited at the thought that Judge Chris Taylor is considering a run against Bitter Becky Bradley for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Likewise, Rebecca Cooke has already hit her mid-election season stride in her run against Drunken Van Orden in Wisconsin's Third Congressional District.  She's already raised over one million dollars and gained two major endorsements in just her first few weeks.

But what about Wisconsin's First Congressional District?  Who's going to take on Lyin' Bryan Steil?  

It should be someone who has instant name recognition.  It should be someone who can hit the ground running and quickly raise money and get the big endorsements.  It should be someone that the people will stand with because they stand with the people.  It should be someone who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.  

It should be someone who has the chops - and the stache - to retire and replace Lyin' Bryan Steil.

That person is Randy "Ironstache" Bryce. 

I've known Randy for well over a decade and will vouch for him in all regards.

Randy is an Army veteran.  He is a father. He is a loving son.  He is a labor leader of the highest caliber, and along with that, has one helluva work ethic.

Randy supports public schools. He supports women's right to reproductive health care. He understands the importance of Social Security and Medicare and that it is our money, not for the government to give even more tax breaks to the wealthy.  And, of course, he understands the importance of labor and supports workers right to organize and unionize.  Hell, his last campaign was unionized!

I asked you before to help me draft Randy for Congress, and you came through.  And Randy heard us, which led to the Lyin' Ryan running with his tail between his legs.

But now it's time for Randy to finish the job.  It's time for him to pick up his sledgehammer and hammer away at the deathgrip the Republicans have put on the First District and to replace Lyin' Ryan's clone, Lyin' Bryan Steil.

Will you help me?  Will you let Randy hear you ask him to step up one more time?  You can do that simply by giving a holler out on the Draft Randy Bryce for Congress Facebook page, or tell Randy at @Ironstache on Xitter.  Or just reply to this here blog.  I'll make sure that Stache gets the message.  

Randy is a good man, a good friend, and a man I am proud to call my brother.  I hope you'll join me in saying:

Lets Have A Supreme Trifecta!

 

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Bitter Becky Bradley is planning on running for reelection in the spring of 2026.  Naturally, she did it with her natural vitriol and overall unpleasantness:

Bradley, a member of the court's conservative minority, told Wispolitics.com she is running to “ensure that there is a voice for the constitution and for the rule of law to preserve that in the state of Wisconsin.”

“I’m concerned for what an extremely radical court is going to do over the next three years, and I will be spending the next several weeks assessing what happened on Tuesday and figuring out a path to achieving a court that is not led by and dominated by the radical left, that gets back to deciding cases under the law and respecting the constitution,” Bradley told WisPolitics.

The gentle reader should not be surprised by her lack of professionalism. She didn't have any to begin with and never had to learn that skill due to her "work history."

In her college days at Marquette University, she wrote about how she despises queers, degenerate drug addicts and people with HIV.  She also penned a couple of articles arguing for a total ban on abortions and was even against birth control.

After college, she went on to become president of the local chapter of Federalists and other fascists.  Then, after a number of donations to then Governor Scott Walker, he appointed her to Children's Court just in time for her to call herself the incumbent in the upcoming election.

Walker then politically appointed her in quick succession to the Supreme Court in 2015. She won election in 2016, due to a large flow of dark money from the WMC.  

Bradley's bitterness continued with such fun things like comparing saving people's lives during a pandemic to tyranny and to forcing the Japanese into internment camps, which earned her a good rebuke from George Takei.

However, there is good news, too.  The Journal Sentinel also reported that Judge Chris Taylor, the former state representative, is considering a run against Bitter Becky:

State appeals judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker, told the Journal Sentinel on Saturday she is considering running for the seat.

If Taylor does choose to run, she will probably do quite well.  Before she became a very popular representative, she was president of Planned Parenthood.  With women's reproductive health care playing a big part in the last two elections for SCOWIS, there's no reason to believe it won't be again next year.

WISGOP In Disarray After Elections

 

Ever since Tuesday's elections where Susan Crawford handed Brad Schimel's a severe butt-whooping, the Wisconsin Republicans have been besides themselves trying to understand what happened.  Let me tell you, each and every one of them have been stuck on stupid during this futile exercise.

One group, the data wonks, are poring over the numbers and determined that not all the people who voted for The Felonious Kumquat voted for Schimel.  Well, no shit, Sherlock!  

Hilariously, they accredit this to Ben Wikler and the Democrats having a better GOTV game.  That would be a nifty trick since Wikler spent a large part of the election looking for his own escape route from the state via the DNC.  

There is another faction that is blaming GOP Chair Brian Schimming and wanting him to resign or be ousted, even though he was just reelected not too long ago.  Personally, I think the GOP showed that they are not serious people by electing him in the first place, especially in light of the fake elector scheme he was involved in.

The most hilarious of them all is the faction that thinks Republicans aren't "MAGA enought."  They only want politicians that are more like The Felonious Kumquat or President Elmo.  Leadership doesn't matter to them as much as the WWE-type showmanship.

To get to the truth isn't so hard.  Schimel had promised to be a rubber stam for the Kumquat and was groveling for his endorsement.  President Elmo took a break from stealing taxpayers' money and their identies and sending the whole government into disarray with illegal firings, call backs and literally killing people through him immaturity and the immaturity of others like him.

Instead of paying attention to current events, like pissed off Republicans cramming into townhalls to confront their representatives (or at least the ones with enought integrity to have a townhall meeting), they dismissed it with extravagant conspiracy theories.  

In other words, people are so pissed at President Elmo and the Orange Shitgibbon that being tied to them like Schimel was is caustic and toxic to the candidate.  Even in Florida, Republicans won by greatly narrowed margins.

And it wasn't just Schimel that made that mistake.  Two years ago, the same damn thing happened when the GOP ran the MAGA moron Dan Kelly.  He tied himself to the Kumquat and The Big Lie and lost by an even larger margin to Justice Janet Protasiewicz.  

I just hope that they keep eating their own into next year's elections.  And they way President Elmo and Felonia are going, it seems likely they will.

My Favorite Sign From The Saturday Protests!

 Now this particular one I downloaded from Buzzfeed, but a very similar one was present at the Milwaukee Hands Off protest on April 5, 2025. But I couldn't get a clear photograph of it, so this is cool. 

The Policitian Keeping Sen. Ron Johnson From Being The Most Embarassing Wisconsin Elected Official

 If you were thinking Rep. Tom Tiffany, you can get a tariff named after yourself:

His post on Threads today...April 4, 2025!

Shirley Abrahamson Is Smiling Down On The Wisconsin Supreme Court

For decades, the Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court was selected through seniority.  

This meant that the late Shirley Abrahamson served as Chief Justice from 1996 until 2015.  In 2015, the Republicans, led by the Rabid Chipmunk, Robin Vos, passed an amendment to force Abrahamson out of the Chief Justice position.  

They did this because Abrahamson lived up to her title and would not be subservient or a rubber stamp for the Republicans' fascist agenda. Thus, they forced Abrahamson out in a hostile takeover of the Supreme Court to make it easier to ramrod their agenda through.

But as it usually happens in these types of circumstances, the Republicans' Machivellian plans have come back to bite them in the ass.  

With a now liberal lean to the Court, it brings in not one, but two, new Chief Justices!

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley will retire from the Wisconsin Supreme Court in July with one more title on her curriculum vitae: chief justice.

Bradley, the Court’s most senior member, was elected by her colleagues Thursday to serve as the leader of the Court. She’ll succeed outgoing Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, whose second two-year term in the top position ends April 30.

Bradley’s term will run about two months starting May 1, and she’ll step down June 30 in anticipation of her retirement. In preparation for that, the justices also elected Justice Jill Karofsky to fill out the remainder of the two-year chief justice term, ending April 30, 2027. 

Both Bradley and Karofsky, who was elected to the Court in 2020, are members of the Court’s liberal majority. 

You just know that Abrahamson is looking down, smiling on Wisconsin and especially on the Supreme Court.  And if you listen carefully, you might hear her mutter, off the record, of course, "Suck it, Vos!"

Stop Worrying About A Trump Third Term...

No matter what he or his sycophants claim it violates the Constitution. An amendment near and dear to the hearts of post-FDR era Republicans. Instead it is being floated as a distraction so that the rest of America takes their eyes off the ball as they continue to gut the federal government, they steal Social Security, and risk your health and safety with impunity. 

Make sure that you hold them all accountable.

 

Besides, we can always run Barack Obama against him! LOL!

AG Kaul's Suit Against Musk Is Blocked By The Courts: Arrest The SOB Already...sheesh!

As I wrote late last week, Elon Musk has made a number of edgy proposals to give two random adherents $1 million each for either voting in the Supreme Court election in Wisconsin or for signing a petition that Musk is circulating, deriding activist judges. 

WI Attorney General Josh Kaul sued to stop the cash awards saying that they violated state election laws. Well the courts, so far, haven't agreed and now Kaul has asked the WI Supreme Court to weigh in before Musk's appearance later today in Green Bay.  

Josh: Let him make the payments and then arrest him as he leaves the venue. It'll make some interesting email reading when he files his five things I did last week report...

And if you are concerned about a safe place to stash him until the preliminary court appearance, let me make a suggestion:

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks while touring the Terrorist Confinement Center, in Tecoluca, El Salvador

May The Trump Effect Work Again For Backlog Brad Schimel

 In 2018, Backlog Brad Schimel, like his hero and good buddy, Scott "The Weasel" Walker, and every other Republican, got their asses handed to them.  The Blue Wave that swept the state and the country that year, had a lot to do with a rejection of The Felonious Kumquat and his fascist ways.  Even though Backlog Brad tried to downplay it, he had to admit it in an interview he did with Steven Walters:

WALTERS: And was there a backlash by anti-Trump voters? Did you suffer from that? 

BACKLOG BRAD: Well, our polling told us that we were having difficulty as Republicans with some suburban female voters who their stated reasons were they objected to President Trump's language. So I think that was a factor in there too. 

That makes me wonder why Backlog Brad then went through so many knee pads to get a standard, boilerplate from the KKKumpquat.  It sure seems rather counterintuitive. 

Regardless of what his thoughts were, I hope that people will remember that the Kumquat is trying to take away their Social Security and Medicare, taking away FEMA, ruining the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people, and threatening to go to war with and occupy Canada and Greenland, just so he and all his friends can have yet another huge tax break.

And I really hope that the Kumquat helps Schimel out as much as he did in 2018.

Underly Finally Comes Out With What She Should Have Started With

With the blatant corruption coming from Backlog Brad Schimel and his campaign, the contest to be the head of the DPI is being greatly undercovered.  But with the election just days away, the incumbent, Jill Underly, has finally come out with a statement she should of led with - that she would like to see the end of school privatization:

Underly, a Democrat in her first term, is an advocate for traditional public schools, which, by law, must serve all students. Private schools have the option to turn away students they say they cannot support.

“Ultimately, yes. I would like to see (school choice) eliminated,” Underly, a Democrat, told PBS Wisconsin in an interview published this week. “We are spending so much money on it that it’s taking money from our public schools.”

Meanwhile, her opponent, Brittany Kinser has been constantly reinventing herself to what she thinks that the voters want to her without taking an actual position on anything.  Since we can't trust anything Kinser says, we have to go by her past, which includes working for, and being a lobbyist for, school privatizers, which should automatically disqualify her for any public office.

Wisconsin Attorney General Sues Elon Musk When He Actually Should Be Arresting Him:

Dodgy Trump Advisor, Elon Musk is set to visit Wisconsin on Sunday in support of WI Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel. So far, Mr. Musk has supported Judge Schimel with tens of millions of dollars via his various PACs. And originally his visit was touted as a reward to those who had early voted in the Supreme Court race and that he would award two of the attendees with $1 million each. Obviously this would violate any number of Wisconsin election laws and the post on X was quickly deleted.

Backtracking, Musk announced that attendance to his visit would be for those who had signed his petition against activist judges and not for those who had voted, hoping to skirt the original legal issues. And that he would still hand out the $2 million but to individuals who could act as spokespersons for the petition. The petition is already a dodgy subject, but this change in 'rules' doesn't necessarily avoid legal implications for Musk.

Finding a vertebra on his office floor, WI AG Josh Kaul has decided to sue Musk over his attempts to bribe Wisconsin voters. WTAF?, right?

What Kaul needs to do is find an entire spine and arrest Musk for felony election tampering and hold him in jail until a trial can be arranged. He is after all a major flight risk. Being the richest man in the world, having dual American and Canadian citizenship, and possibly still able to secure a South African passport, there is nothing keeping him in the US if he feels threatened. And it is a state offense...a Trump pardon gets him nothing. 

So come on Josh, meet Musk on the tarmac and take him into custody. Be the first elected official to actually defend the US Constitution as well as ours here in Wisconsin.

GOP Wants To Make Children Pay For The Sins Of The Parents

Republicans are the reason why we can't have nice things.

For example, look at Florida.  The GOP makes some seriously idiotic decisions and then want to make their children pay the price for their stupidity. From a report by Chris Walkre (yes, THAT Chris Walker!):

The legislation was crafted to address worker shortages, which have come about due to Florida’s harsh laws targeting immigrant workers. In part because of those laws, there are currently only 53 workers available for every 100 job vacancies in the Sunshine State.

[...]

Current state law requires children under the age of 16 to end their work shifts no later than 11 pm and to start no earlier than 6:30 am on school days. The proposed legislation would remove those restrictions, allowing employers to schedule 14 and 15 year olds to work overnight shifts. The bill would also allow 16 and 17 year olds to be scheduled on overnight shifts lasting over eight hours on school days, and rescind the current restriction on working more than 30 hours per week when school is in session. The bill also does away with the lunch break requirement for older teens.

A separate proposal regarding student workers is being considered in the state House of Representatives. That bill would allow businesses to pay teenagers at rates below the state’s minimum wage.

In other words, the GOP, led by Old Pudding Fingers, let their racism run wild and ended up chasing away almost half of the state's work force.  To make up for the self-caused labor shortage, they now want their children to pick up the slack by working all night long. Then they want the kids to work for practically nothing.

No word about what the GOP proposes to do when the kids grades suffers. Knowing them, the GOP doesn't want the kids to get an education anyway.  They want them just educated enough to do the work since educated children grow up to be educated voters and that's never good for the GOP.

I have no doubt that the unions are looking at legal recourse.  I would recommend that they also look into organizing the kids.  If the GOP thinks that the kids are old enough to work overnight instead of getting enough sleep for school, then they're old enough to be treated with dignity and respect.

Backlog Brad Schimel Jumps The Shark

 

Backlog Brad Schimel must be feeling the pressure with Election Day still a week away.  

Using the money that his sugar daddy, President Elmo, gave him, he is running a desperation ad accusing Planned Parenthood of puberty-blocking drugs to children without the consent of their parents.

It's so blatantly false that PP had their lawyers send out a cease and desist letter immediately:

Attorneys representing the reproductive rights group sent the Schimel campaign a cease-and-desist letter Friday over the new ad, which accuses Planned Parenthood of providing "puberty-blocking drugs to children without parents' consent."

"Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin does not provide puberty blockers to minors with or without parental consent," the group said in a statement. "The claim made and cited in the ad is demonstrably false and intentionally misleading."

The group called on Schimel to stop "distributing or sharing the ad through any means."

"The false and misleading information in the ad harms both the health care provider and its patients," Planned Parenthood said.

Backlog Brad's campaign mewled that they were trying to "deprive voters" of information.  

Apparently, they are too ignorant to know the difference between information and misinformation or just too sleazy to care, or both.  My money is on both.

The only real information that comes out of that ad is that Backlog Brad is not fit for any office, and especially not the highest court in the state.

Purloined Politcal Cartoon of the Day

 

and then of course I have to add on with this stolen quote: "I was included in one of Hegseth’s group chats and found out what Billie Jo MacAllister threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

Trae Crowder Gets It Right

 Y'all need to take ten minutes to watch what Trae Crowder, aka The Liberal Redneck has to say, bacause he's right on the button:

It's no longer enough to just go after the Republican kleptocracy, but we also have to start holding some of the cucks and sellouts among the Democrats accountable.  Schumer has to go. Fetterman has to go.  Pelosi needs to retire. Hakeem Jeffries should step down from his leadership role.

We need more people like AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost, and our very own Gwen Moore, people who arern't afraid to stand up and make themselves heard as they serve the people.

We needed to shake up the Wisconsin legislature before we could even think about fixing the state. It's the same story all over again.

The Bogeymen Of Act 10 Rise Again

 

Josh Schoemann, Washington County Executive, penned an editorial for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, spent most of his time resurrecting all the right wing's bogeymen regarding Act 10.  Or more likely, someone else wrote it and he just agreed to put his name on it

Anyway, he goes through the gambit of lies about how it saved so much money although no one has been able to specify where the savings went.  Taxes still went up.  School districts had to submit referendums to keep the doors open and the heat on.  Services were cut every year.  So where did the savings go?

Nor does Schoemann explain why the higher unemployment rates was a good thing.  Nor did he explain the math behind not paying employees directly but then supporting them with food stamps and other forms of economic assistance was a positive in the end.  

But then Schoemann does add a new twist - the fear of having to back pay the employees that they were stealing from for the past 15 years.  I would love to know where he came up with that crap, besides pulling it out of his ass.  

Schoemann said that it would cost $37.2 million for his imaginary order of restitution.  But he also claimed that it save millions of dollars at the same time.  Again, where did the money go.  Show us the receipts!  

But then, at the end of his manifesto, Schoemann slips up and reveals the truth:

A repeal of Act 10 would pose significant financial and operational shifts for Washington County, a county that is already lean. The toxic cocktail of increased labor costs, a resurgence of labor unions, and taking on the current employee contributions to pensions and health insurance, would most certainly create structural deficits requiring vast shifts in services - or even worse, tax increases. These are changes that would affect the people of Washington County in a dramatic way.

It is perfectly clear; Act 10 must stay. While some may wish to go back to 2010, to a $3.6 billion deficit and to relitigate the past, now is not the time to go back.  Instead, we should be looking forward, ensuring we are passing the torch of the American Dream from the Baby Boomers to the Millennials and beyond.

Ye Gods! The horror!  They would have to pay people a family supporting wage! They would have to treat people with respect and dignity and actually - God forbid! - do the right thing for a change!  He hasn't had to do any of that as long as he's been office. Even worse, it would put money back into circulation, which would help create more jobs, which would increase the tax base and lower taxes for everyone! 

Eeeeek! I scared myself a little bit there.

The simple truth of it all is that the Republicans are hoping to scare voters enough to vote for the corrupt and bought Backlog Brad Schimel.  Yes, they are trying to win the case in the court of public opinion because they know they could never win it in a court of law.

How To Save America In One Easy Step!

 While talking about the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1st:

"This presidency can be put to a halt with this vote.” 

- Donald Trump, Jr

 Well, what are you waiting for?  Early voting is happening now! Go, vote for Susan Crawford! Be a hero and save the country!

Til FAFO Do Us Part

It could have been a Hallmark movie. 

A man in a small Wisconsin town meets a beautiful Peruvian woman, they fall in love and get married. 

Except for Bradley Bartell and Camila Muñoz, it turned into a horror flick real quick, thanks to the Orange Felon and a face-eating leopard. On the way back from honeymooning in Puerto Rico, ICE stormtroopers pulled Muñoz out of line and detained her. 

She was shipped off to a privately run prison in Louisiana and is being held in a dorm room with 80 other women. Bartell said that the money they were saving to buy a house is gone in legal bills and that they haven't seen each other in weeks. But it's hard to feel sorry for Bartell, since he voted for this shit:

Both of them have been thinking a lot about Bartell's vote for Trump. 

"I knew they were cracking down," he said. "I guess I didn’t know how it was going down." 

He imagined the administration would target people who snuck over the border and weren't vetted. But his wife, "they know who she is and where she came from," he said. "They need to get the vetting done and not keep these people locked up. It doesn’t make any sense."

Unfortunately, the article never asked Bartell why he voted for the Orange Felon. Did he sell out his wife for the false promises of cheaper eggs, less expensive gas, and tax cuts, none of which he will ever see? Or did he not listen to MAGA Moron Cult that they were going to go after everyone with brown skin or a Spanish sounding name? I wouldn't blame Muñoz for having second thoughts about their marriage either. 

I know that I would have trust issues with a person who offered my face to the leopards for such a low price.

Gableman Allowed To Waste More Taxpayer Time And Money

 

MAGA Maniac Michael Gableman wasted millions of taxpayers dollars and a couple of years "investigating" the alleged voter fraud. All he had to show for all that time and money were hundreds of dollars in receipts from restaurants and huge grocery bills from the local Pick'N'Save.

When open records requests were filed, he ignored those.  When he was sued for not complying  with open records laws, he fought tooth and nail to the point of being found in contempt of court.  But still, there was nothing to show what he did with all that money.

Eventually, the mattered ended in front of the Office of Lawyer Regulation, where he was ordered to do a deposition, but yet he refused to cooperate.

Now a referee in the case is allowing him to waste even more time and money:

A referee told former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman he’s getting “one more chance” to properly appear and give a deposition in his discipline case, rejecting Gableman’s attempts to avoid doing so. 

Gableman’s attorney, Peyton Engel, argued that Gableman does not have to appear because he will just plead the Fifth Amendment to every question. 

The Office of Lawyer Regulation on Feb. 28 filed a motion to compel Gableman to sit for a deposition. The accompanying documents showed in addition to concerns about possible criminal charges, Gableman had sought to put off the deposition while he tries to raise funds for his legal defense and to reach a stipulation that could resolve the case.

Referee James Winiarski said Thursday the Fifth Amendment is applied only on a question-by-question basis, and cannot be used as justification to not make an appearance. 

“You don’t fail to appear for a hearing because you might get asked questions where you’re going to claim the Fifth Amendment as a claim to not answer a question,” Winiarski. “I don’t agree that you cannot appear for a deposition on that basis.” 

If Gableman hasn't cooperated at all through all these procedures, he's not about to cooperate now.  It's time that someone holds him accountable for all this, and with more than a slap on the wrist.  

Then, while they are at it, they can call Robbin' Vos onto the carpet, since he's the clown that authorized Gableman to waste all that money without any supervision.  He's just as culpable.

Why Isn't Marco Rubio In Moscow?

 CBS News and other news organizations are reporting:

Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, has arrived in Moscow to discuss a proposed 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Given that this is a high profile negotiation and one that Pres. Trump assured us wouldn't take but 24 hours to resolve, why isn't Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Moscow as the head of our negotiating team?

After all, he was the lead diplomat in Saudi Arabia when meeting with the Ukrainians last week. So he of course has first hand knowledge of the agreements and discussions and to my mind would have more cachet with the Russians than Mr. Witkoff.

And, since the Saudis were the actual parties mediating the negotiations between the Ukraine and the United States, why aren't they in a similar role here? It might not be that bad an idea to have a third party nation involved given the rumors around Trump's affection/admiration for Putin.

 

The Perfect Question For Every Trump News Conference or Oval Office 'diatribe'.

 This little ditty was of course stolen from the internet but not on X or that other one where Donold holds sway. 

and of course it is a line that I heard innumerable times as a youngster from any number of adults or on TV shows.

But given the current political climate and the lies and side steps and misdirections coming out of the mouths of the GOP and DOGE minions, it seems the perfect follow on question for every occasion:

WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE PRICE OF EGGS?    

Schimel Disqualifies Himself With The Big Lie Answers

 

Reporter Vanessa Kjelden caught up with Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel and asked him about election integrity and whether he thought there was voter fraud in the 2020 ekection:

KJELDSEN: So to clarify, do you think that there were any issues with voter fraud in 2020? 

SCHIMEL: I saw the news reports that anybody saw where we saw where we heard that year that there were people who were in nursing homes who had been incompetent, ruled incompetent for voting for years who suddenly voted in that election. And we didn't have the special voting deputies in to the sworn voting deputies in to make sure that this is on the up and up. Absolutely. There is some fraud like that. Sure. 

Um, no, Brad. What you saw were debunked videos made by the disgraced Michael Gableman, using an investigator who was not even allowed to work in Wisconsin.  

And if you were a competent lawyer or judge, you would have known that the rulings made in probate court regarding a person's competency are sealed.  In fact, one of your buddies tried to sue to get those records released and lost.  

Furthermore, if a person is found to need a guardian due to their level of competency, they might still be able to vote. That issue is decided by the judge and that it also sealed.  

So there is no way in hell for you to "know" that people who had been found incompetent and lost their right to vote had actually voted.

Ergo, you are either a liar or grossly incompetent yourself or both.  But whatever the reason, it means you are not qualified to serve on SCOWIS by any stretch of the imagination.

Trump: I Should Be Impeached Immediately

Image from DonkeyHotey

Back in the day, when the Orange Felon was getting ready to run for president, he had this to say:

Well, guess what! When Diaper Donny was making his second failed attempt at tariffs, the Dow dropped 1,300 points in two days.

So, when does the impeachment start?  Or, since the Felon is supposedly so into efficiency, he could save everyone a lot of time, money and grief by just resigning now.

Of course, that would require honesty and integrity, both of which are in short supply at the White House these days.

How Can Mexico and Canada Quietly But Effectively Get Back At The Trump Tariffs?

 Back in 2016, Donold Trump ran on opposition to  NAFTA (his quote: “worst trade deal ever made”) and how America and Americans were getting screwed. And he coerced Mexico and Canada into negotiating a new agreement...the high point of his administration if you listened to Trump at the time: the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

And Trump wants to renegotiate it to make it even better for American business. But in the meantime, he has already violated it with his unilateral impositions of 25% tariffs on both of our neighbors.

So my note to Canada and Mexico. Make a big deal of kicking the US out of the deal...it's broken anyway...but stick pins in Donold's massive ego in the meantime.

Clothes Does Not Make The Man

By now, the gentle reader has seen and heard about the shitshow that The Orange Felon and his crime syndicate put on in the Oval Office during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.  

They spent the entire time, both on and off camera, berating Zelenskyy, taunting him and trying to ridicule him like a bunch of playground bullies.  The fact that Zelenskyy held his own and dished it back only infuriated them even more.

One of their favorite lines of bullshit had to do with the fact that Zelenskyy wore his usual fatigues instead of putting on a suit.  They claimed it was disrespectful even though they are quite fine with President Elmo prancing around looking like a coked up street person.

This exchanged showed how low they were willing to go by allowing Rep. Sporkfoot's boy toy to jump in on the taunting:

In a video posted to Bluesky, Brian Glenn, who reports for fringe conservative site Real America's Voice, demanded of the Ukrainian leader, "Do you — why don't you wear a suit?"

"Why don't you wear a suit? You're the highest level in this country's office, and you refuse to wear a suit," he pressed, while J.D. Vance could be seen laughing, before adding, "Do you own a suit?"

"I will wear a suit after this war is over," Zelensky politely replied. "Maybe something like yours. Maybe better."

I, for one, saw nothing wrong with what Zelenskyy was wearing. This is a man who is literally defending his country from the Russian invasion. He has actually taken up weapons and has been in combat.  Quite a bit of a difference from Space Cadet Bone Spurs who paid off a podiatrist to write a doctor's excuse for him.

Furthermore, as a combat veteran, Zelenskyy had to know he was walking into a trap behind enemy lines, so actually, his choise of clothing was more than appropriate.

But before the MAGA syndicate started throwing stones, they should have stepped out of their glass house first.  Trump was there with his trademark off the rack suit and too long tie.  Even more hilarious was Couch Boy Vance, who looked like a Trump mini-me with an identical suit and too long tie.   

As usual, the whole set up has totally backfired on the Orange Shitgibbon and his handlers.  Most Americans saw right through the bullshit and were embarassed and appalled by their immature behavior.  On an international front, there's been a platonic shift as the United States abandoned the Allies and joined the Axis of Evil.  

Almost every single country made a point of expressing their support for Ukraine regardless of Trump's temper tantrums.  Even Norway's petroleum giant has cut off all fuel for American forces because of Trump's idiocy.

In summary, what we saw that day was a meeting between a man who wasn't wearing a suit and a bunch of suits without men in them.  

An Actual Photo Of The Immigrant Who Is Stealing Your Job(s):

 

and no, I didn't 'think' this up. It's based on a meme running around the internet. I haven't seen the actual meme but a friend told me about it yesterday.

So We Need To Start Doing This Again?

 

While Elon Musk Is Rummaging Around In The IRS Sub-basement, Maybe He Could?

publish Donold Trump's tax filings from 2016 through 2024. Trump promised to publish them on many occasions but with his challenging PGA schedule, he obviously hasn't gotten around to it. 

Inquiring minds do want to know.

A Sad Day For Milwaukee and Journalism, As One Of My Favorite Curmugeons Passes Away

 I wasn't close friend of Joel's but we did travel in the same circles and it was always a pleasure to see him! So this is sad news for me, and as I said, Milwaukee and Journalism as well::

'Voice of resistance,' longtime Milwaukee columnist Joel McNally dies at age 80

Time To Restate My Proposed Campaign Finance Reform Position

 I posted a number of different versions of this over the years at Blogging Blue. Hopefully I remember it but it shouldn't be too much of a problem given it is fairly straight forward. But with all of the hand wringing and gnashing of teeth from both sides of the aisle around multi-millionaire's contributions to political parties that are then passed on to candidate's campaign funds for the current Wisconsin State Supreme Court race, it is time to bring it up again.

So here goes:

Only eligible voters may make contributions directly to the campaigns of candidates that they are able to vote for, without limit.

So what does that mean? Well Soros and Musk couldn't contribute to campaigns outside of their home districts/states. Contributions must go directly to the campaigns so any and all contributions would be recorded and published. No PACs. No Unions. No businesses. No political parties. (Political parties can still provide infrastructure for party candidates but not direct contributions any more).

So I can contribute to the campaign for a Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate but not for one in California or Illinois. I can contribute to a Milwaukee mayoral campaign but not Madison. I can contribute to my local alderperson but not one across town. 

The without limit part? Well, why not? Since all contributions will be public information it would be easy to identify the rich folks trying to buy influence in the government. But overall it should reduce the amount of spending on campaigns and hopefully reduce the lies and misinformation created during the typical campaign. But I am just trying to head off a complaint here.

Does this need a little more definition? Probably, but the intent should be fairly apparent to most everyone. 

From The You Can't Make This Stuff UP Department: Visions of Trump Gaza or Riviera Gaza.

 You may have seen these photos elsewhere because they have gone viral and since I haven't been vaccinated against Trump Gaza, I guess I caught this virus too. 

But these photos were posted by Donold Trump's Truth Social account as part of a video and are being described as his vision for the future of Gaza under American control and Trump dementia. But they look rather odd and boy or boy, AI might be having some fun with Donold!

Do these belly dancers currently perform at Mar a Lago?

Nothing like a cool drink with your bestie!

Doesn't anyone in Trumpland ever look at this stuff before they push it out there? Looks kinda 'woke' to me!  LOL!!!

And in case you were wondering why Elon and Donold are worrying about how much gold is in Fort Knox...this might be a hint:

Trump White House Puts Another Nail In The Coffin Of A Free Press

 Today, the White House announced that the White House gets to select which members of the press get to participate in the press pool instead of the White House Correspondents Association which has handled that responsibility in the past...for decades. 

“This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States,” Eugene Daniels, the president of the association, wrote. “It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”

This smacks of censorship and limiting the public's access to the news and is clearly a violation of the Constitutional right to a free press.  But of course that's not the spin from the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

"Ms. Leavitt did not provide specific details of how the plan might work, but it would allow President Trump and his aides to handpick which reporters and media personalities were granted the ability to ask him questions and observe his behavior at specific events.

Ms. Leavitt put a different spin on it. “By deciding which outlets make up the limited press pool on a day-to-day basis, the White House will be restoring power back to the American people,” she said."

And of courses this announcement was made by Ms. Leavitt without any warning to the press corps or any discussion with the WHCA. I guess this should come as no surprise to those of us paying attention. 

Whoa! Wait. What? Elon Musk Is A Canadian Citizen?

 Most of you probably know that Elon Musk is South African and a naturalized American citizen. But what often gets overlooked is that he is a Canadian citizen as well via his mother. So given his current 'influence' on the Trump Regime, you have to wonder where his actual allegiance lies given that he has NOT given up his Canadian citizenship. 

But it might not be up to him:

More than 200,000 Canadians sign petition to revoke Musk’s citizenship

[More than 200,000 people from Canada have signed a parliamentary petition calling for their country to strip Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship because of the tech billionaire’s alliance with Donald Trump, who has spent his second US presidency repeatedly threatening to conquer its independent neighbor to the north and turn it into its 51st state.

The British Columbia author Qualia Reed launched the petition in Canada’s House of Commons, where it was sponsored by the New Democrat parliamentary member and avowed Musk critic Charlie Angus, as the Canadian Press first reported over the weekend.

Born in South Africa...Musk has Canadian citizenship through his mother: model and dietitian Maye Musk, who is from Saskatchewan’s capital, Regina. He has been crusading to slash the US federal government’s size at the behest of the US president, who has consistently challenged Canada’s sovereignty since returning to the White House for a second presidential term on 20 January. 

Reed’s petition – filed on 20 February – accuses Musk of having “engaged in activities that go against the national interest of Canada” by acting as an adviser to Trump. The petition asserts that Musk’s alignment with Trump makes him “a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty”(emphasis mine). It asks the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to take away Musk’s Canadian passport and revoke his citizenship with immediate effect.]

OTOH: If Trump and Musk get their way with Canada, Musk would automatically lose his Canadian citizenship anyway since there wouldn't be Canadian citizenship. And wouldn't that make him a traitor to his mother country as well? Well, one of his countries.

 

Oh Noes! They're Teaching Critical Thinking To Our Children!

 

As you might have seen, last week the WISGOP went right to work in seeing how they could cause more damage to public education.  One of their stunts, as Rep. Amanda Nedweski explained, was the introduction of a bill that is designed to stop giving our children a well-rounded education, including critical thinking, instead of just jingoistic propaganda:

Another troubling trend is the growing ideological divide among our young people, alarmingly 45% of Americans aged 18 to 24 view socialism as the ideal economic system, despite its historical and real-world consequences in other countries. AB4 ensures that students receive a comprehensive understanding of different government systems and how they compare to ours, helping them to recognize the value of their freedoms, the dangers of the systems that restrict those freedoms, and their responsibility to protect and defend our liberty. 

Troubling trend?  Maybe it's troubling to her because the kids are smart enough to see the crap the Republicans are pulling, whether it is in Washington, DC, or in Madison, and they are getting sick of it.  I remember learning that the City of Milwaukee has a few socialist mayors back in the day and things were going pretty well.  A lot better than they are these days, anyway. 

Trump Engages In Exactly The Type Of Fraudulent Spending He Has Musk Looking For:

 This seems to be precisely the kind of nonsense spending and fraud that Trump and Musk claim to be rooting out in Washington DC. Yet it is precisely what Trump is actually engaged with: 

 

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland  — The Department of Homeland Security has budgeted up to $200 million to run anti-immigrant ads in the United States and overseas that repeatedly thank President Donald Trump for leading an immigration crackdown. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday night that these ads were Trump’s idea, and during the administration’s transition to power, the president asked her to star in ads thanking him “for closing the border.”

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference’s Ronald Reagan dinner on Friday night — at a tux and gown affair that served striploin, mashed potatoes, and raspberry cake — Noem recalled Trump telling her after she was nominated: “I want you to do [ads] for the border, and I want you to do those everywhere, not just in the United States, but I want them around the world. I want you to tell people not to come to this country if they’re going to come here illegally.”

She said the president continued: “We’re not going to let the media tell this story, because the media will never tell the truth. We’re going to run a marketing campaign to make sure the American people know the truth of what you’re doing.”

So when will Musk put an end to this???

Remember: When Something Gets Canceled or Discontinued Because Of The Trump Regime, Announce It Loud And Clear: This from the FBI