Vos, WISGOP, Still Complete Jerks Towards Paralyzed Democrat

Wisconsin Republicans, led by Speaker Robin Vos, are still befouling themselves in their treatment and attitude towards State Representative Jimmy Anderson, a Democrat who was paralyzed from the chest down when a drunk driver smashed into the car that Anderson was riding in.

It started when Anderson made a simple request to appear via telephone at some Assembly committee meetings when his physical disabilities and health concerns won't allow it. Vos denied him this right guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and accused Anderson of "grandstanding" in his request.

Bad enough, right? But as with all things Republican, there's more. There's always more.

Anderson circulated a letter to each and every fellow state representative to ask Vos to allow Anderson his request for this accommodation. All 36 of Anderson's fellow Democrats signed the letter willingly. However, not one Republican would sign the letter. This includes Republican State Representative Barbara Dittrich, who prides herself as being a long time advocate for those with disabilities.

But Vos still wasn't done. Apparently concerned that there might still be some lingering doubt, Vos wanted to make sure that the world knows that he is a complete and utter shithead.

Vos did this by trying to play the victim card. Yes, you read that correctly. Vos tried to portray himself as the victim, stating that Anderson was only making the request to make him look bad:

Vos told WISN's Jay Weber he believes the timing of Anderson's public appeal, which included speaking to a Journal Sentinel reporter, was meant to undermine the announcement of Vos taking over as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

But Vos didn't say it even that tactfully. What Vos actually said was way worse and about as callous and petty as I have ever seen:

"(This) does not seem like an accident to me," Vos told a conservative radio show host Thursday. "Everything they do is political and trying to make the other side look bad."

So in Vos' deranged mind, Anderson purposely went out and got hit by a drunk driver, an accident which took the lives of both his parents and his brother and leaving him paralyzed, just in order to make Vos look bad years later. And that doesn't mention all the physical and emotional suffering that Anderson apparently went through willfully, just for the chance to embarrass Vos at some future time.

Belatedly realizing that his bluster, bullying and pettiness were hurting his aspirations to be governor, later tried to backtrack, saying that "some accommodations" were likely but refusing to specify exactly what those accommodations would be.

The smart money is on that there will be only minimal, if any, changes made and that Vos only said that in a lame effort at damage control.

Vos is as sick and deranged as they come.

Everyone Who Wants A Job Can Find A Job - Unless You'e Disabled

One of Scott Walker's talking points during this campaign is that "anyone who wants a job can find a job," insinuating that if you can't find a job, well, that's because you're a no-good, lazy, stupid, drug-using bum.

Of course, we all know all too well that this is not true. It's just Walker's way of shifting the blame onto his victims.

Walker's rhetoric really falls apart when it comes to disabled people, when Walker actively refused to accept help that would help them get jobs:

Thousands of people with disabilities must wait for months to access state employment services, although the DVR has not requested the full amount of federal funds available to it for the past three years, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has found.

That means more people like Peebles must remain on the waiting list, and for longer periods of time. And people with less serious disabilities are likely to receive no help at all, public records and interviews show.

DVR currently serves about 17,000 people, while an additional 4,077 are on its waiting list. Last year the agency found jobs for 3,200 people.

To make things even more outrageous, Walker is only doing the least he can, by law, when he could do so much more:

In the new fiscal year, Wisconsin will receive $55.6 million in federal funds to run its employment programs for people with disabilities, and spend $15.1 million in state funds. That is the minimum amount the state can spend on the $71-million-a-year program without being subject to federal penalties.

Wisconsin could get an additional $14.2 million in federal funds if it were to come up with a $3.9 million match to cover funding for the next two years, which DVR officials acknowledge would allow them to serve more people.

“If we did receive our full state match we could work with another 3,000 individuals,” DVR administrator Mike Greco said.

The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau said earlier this year that DVR could nearly eliminate its waiting list over two years if it were to accept full federal funding.

Is there no limit to Walker's sleaziness?

Feds to Track Disability Discrimination in Voucher Program

From the weekly e-newsletter from State Senator Chris Larson:

In a letter released last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) told Wisconsin that the state must ensure students with disabilities attending or seeking to attend taxpayer funded voucher schools "do not encounter discrimination on the basis of their disabilities."

Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the state is obligated to ensure that students with disabilities seeking to attend voucher schools through the Milwaukee Parent Choice Program (MPCP) do not encounter discrimination on the basis of their disability status. For years, my colleagues and I have heard story after story from parents, neighbors, and advocacy groups illustrating this federal law is being widely ignored by Milwaukee's voucher schools. These experiences detail students with disabilities being deterred from attending an MPCP school, denied admission to a voucher school when they do apply, and expelled or forced to leave a voucher school as a result of the school choosing not to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities. In fact, while at least 19% of students in Milwaukee Public Schools are considered to have special needs, the same can only be said for about 2% of students participating in the MPCP program.

In the aforementioned letter, it seems that the federal government is also under the impression that students with disabilities are not being treated equally by MPCP schools receiving voucher funds. Therefore, they have given the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) the ability to better track voucher schools to ensure they are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Such efforts were nearly impossible in the past as MPCP schools are exempt from the accountability and transparency measures required at our neighborhood public schools.

Tracking Discrimination
In order for DPI to comply with the federal government's aim to ensure the civil rights of students with disabilities are not violated in the MPCP program, and all other communities with such a program, they will implement the following reforms during the 2013-2014 school year and have their progress reviewed by the federal government:

• State's ADA Title II Obligation: Eliminate discrimination against students with disabilities, or students whose parents or guardians have disabilities, in its administration of voucher programs. The private or religious status of a voucher schools does not absolve them from discrimination.
• Complaints: Establish and publicize a procedure for individuals to submit complaints to DPI alleging disability-related discrimination in voucher programs. Complaints and responses will then be independently review by the federal government.
• Additional Data Collection and Reporting: Collect data on how and to what extent students with disabilities are being served by voucher schools. Data should by taken of voucher schools during the 2013-2014 school year and include the number of students with disabilities enrolled listed by grade and disability type, denied admission, departed during the school year to re-enroll in public school, and suspended or expelled. Once the data is collected, it will then be submitted to the federal government.
• Public Outreach to Students with Disabilities: Conduct outreach to educate the families of students with disabilities about the voucher program and provide specific, accurate information about the rights of students with disabilities. Their efforts will be monitored by the federal government.
• Monitoring and Oversight: Ensure voucher schools do not discourage a student with a disability from applying for admission or improperly reject a student with a disability who applies to a voucher school. Require that a school that expels or forces a student with a disability to leave has a reason that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. DPI will be responsible for reviewing and investigating potentially unlawful cases of discrimination and will document actions taken by the agency to remedy the law violation.
• ADA Training for Voucher Schools: Provide training on the Americans with Disabilities Act to new and existing voucher schools. Training materials and attendance sheets will then be sent to the federal government for review.
• Guidance: Develop program guidance in consultation with the federal government to assist and educate voucher schools about compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by 2014.

Discrimination Not Only Problem with Vouchers

 Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction recently released a report confirming what has been a familiar notion to many in Milwaukee County: voucher schools do not provide a superior education to our neighborhood public schools. Statewide test assessments taken by students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) and Racine's Parental Private School Choice Program (PPSCP) revealed that voucher students underperformed in mathematics and reading as compared to their local public school districts. The test scores reflect the reading and mathematics scores for students of all grades during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.

In Milwaukee, public school students fared 7.8 percentage points better in math during the 2011-2012 school year and 6.5 percentage points better in the 2012-13 school year as compared to MPCP students. MPS students also did better with reading proficiency, scoring 4.2 percentage points better in 2011-12 and 3.4 percentage points better in 2012-13.

Milwaukee Public School were not alone in their compared success to voucher school students. Students in the Racine Unified School District also did better in math and reading as compared to PPSCP voucher students. During the 2011-12 school year, public school students tested 0.9 percentage points higher in math and 8.1 percentage points higher in reading versus their voucher student counterparts. The same was true in the 2012-13 school year, where public school students scored 3.7 and 2.1 percentage points higher than voucher students in math and reading respectively.

Click here to view the results referenced in full.

The results of this recent report continue the previous trend that this unaccountable experiment on our children has failed. Scoring lower in math and reading than their public counterparts, voucher schools in Wisconsin have done a disservice to parents and future Wisconsin workers. After 20 years of report after report showing underperformance, the logical reaction would be to institute accountability measures for private schools receiving taxpayer funded vouchers, not expand them without reforms. As property taxes continue to rise while reading and math scores remain low, Wisconsin's middle-class families are the unlucky backers of a losing gamble with the education of our children.

Make Your Voice Heard
Despite recent failures, the Republican budget allows for no new spending--$0 dollars--for our traditional public schools but increases spending for voucher schools by up to $1,414 per pupil. It is time for all of us to do something about this misguided, nonsensical education budget. Let the governor and Republican Legislature know that you oppose their misplaced education priorities. Tell them to support public education and stop spending public dollars on unaccountable private voucher schools by signing this petition being circulated on SignOn.org. The petition states the following:

In 2011, Governor Walker and the Republican Legislature passed a budget that contained the largest cuts to public education in Wisconsin history--$1.6 billion gone from our kids' schools. Class sizes went up drastically. Quality after-school programs were eliminated. Good teachers were laid off. 

This year, the governor's proposed budget freezes public school spending, while increasing funding for unaccountable and unproven private voucher schools. Tell Governor Walker and the state Republicans to stand up for our kids and not special interests that want to profit on the backs of our future generations. 

Petition signatures will then be shared with your state representative, state senator, and the governor. Additionally, once a neighbor has signed on to the petition, they will then have the option to send information about the petition to others by sharing it on Facebook, tweeting about it on Twitter, or emailing it to friends and family.

Join 3,201 of your fellow Wisconsinites by clicking here to sign the petition.

Concerns About Special Needs “Scholarships”

Disability Rights Wisconsin and Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities put together a pretty good overview of the major problems with the Special Needs Scholarships that Scott Walker and the Republicans want to ram down our throats as they sell off everything they can, even our children.

A sampling:

WHAT DO FAMILIES AND STUDENTS GIVE UP WHEN THEY ACCEPT A VOUCHER?
• The guarantee a child won’t be turned away – either at the door or sent back mid-semester. Voucher proposals will not require private schools to accept children
with disabilities.
• The guarantee to any special education or related services such as therapies or assistive technology. Even if a voucher proposal says an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be required and implemented, schools are not required to provide specific services or supports.
• The guarantee that a professional with training will support a child. Recent Wisconsin voucher proposals have not required qualified special educators or therapists to be on staff.
• The right to keep a child safe from harmful and abusive practices, like seclusion and restraint. These protective laws do not apply in private schools.
• All rights under state and federal special education law, the strongest education law in the world. If things go wrong in a voucher school, families’ only option is
to return to the public school.

Read the whole thing (in pdf form) here.

Will Scott Walker Follow Sam Brownback's Lead?

Kansas, just like Wisconsin and every other state in this country, is facing serious budgetary problems. Their newly elected governor, who has to deal with their budgetary issues, is Sam Brownback, former U.S. Senator and failed presidential candidate, who had at one time touted the misnomer of "compassionate conservatism."

But now, as the governor of Kansas, instead of showing any sort of compassion, Brownback is showing nothing but amorality.

Instead of balancing the budget by judicious use of finding new revenue and making responsible cuts in the budget, Brownback has decided to abandon that state's most vulnerable and passing the buck onto the municipalities:

Yet perhaps the most brutal cut in Brownback’s budget comes to the Kansas Neurological Institute (KNI). The governor proposes completely eliminating funding to the institution by 2014, which would force it to close down. KNI serves nearly 160 people with severe mental disabilities; two-thirds of its patients cannot walk and four-fifths are unable to speak.

This proposal, as one could imagine, is causing quite the uproar among that fine state's legislators, from both sides of the aisle.

But simply abandoning the mentally ill and the developmentally delayed isn't enough for Brownback. He would nonchalantly toss the expense of caring for these people onto the laps of the community health agencies, regardless of whether they have the resources for these vulnerable citizens or not:

The Brownback administration claims that community health services will be able to take up the patients after the closure of KNI. This would likely pass on the cost of caring for the patients to cash-strapped municipalities. It’s also unclear if there is even room for the patients among community services. In 2009, a government commission voted to close KNI, but the recommendations were never followed through, partly because there was a waiting list of “approximately 4,000 people with disabilities who are already waiting for home- and community-based services.”

So, now that one fool as set the bar ever the lower for irresponsible budgeting, unethical treatment of vulnerable citizens, and the willful failure to take on any responsibility, how will other Republican governors, especially Scott Walker, react?

This should be a genuine concern for Wisconsinites in general, and especially for advocates for the disabled as well as municipal and county leaders.

As Milwaukee County Executive, Scott Walker has shown a remarkable disregard for the vulnerable citizens. He's allowed the mental health complex facility to fall into such a state of disrepair that it was labelled as "shoddy" by inspectors, and would cost millions to fix. He's continuously cut back on staffing to the point of making it unsafe for patients, staff members and even members of the neighboring community. He has closed down several wards, forcing those patients into the community whether they were ready for such a huge transition or not.

Indeed, Walker is already showing the same disregard as governor, with one of his first moves was to issue a proposal to allow nursing homes to avoid their responsibility for poor care or maltreatment.

Walker's budgetary prowess is no better than his track record in caring for the vulnerable. His last two budgets as county executive were illegally laden with massive deficits. It has already been shown that his first proposals to "fix the budget," create jobs and reduce the deficit are doing the exact opposite of those stated goals.

And can anyone tell me when Walker has ever taken responsibility for any of his actions? I can't think of one.

It also wouldn't be hard to imagine Walker being more than willing to pass the tough decisions and the hard problem solving to the mayors and the county leaders in this state. Before one would dismiss this notion, think for one minute on how he, as county executive, regularly passed the buck to the Milwaukee County Board to fix his mistakes, or at least to take the blame when he had failed in one area or another.

Is it any wonder that Walker and his faithful sidekick, Rebecca "Get Real" Kleefisch are spending more time acting like they're still in campaign mode, just to gain even a modicum of popularity, much less respectability?