By Jeff Simpson - Cross Posted from Purple WI!
Michael Grebe has had a few different positions in his career. One of those positions, was running the Scott Walker campaigns in 2010 and again in 2012(yes, the 2012 election campaign that is at the center of the John Doe 2 investigation).
Michael Grebe, is currently President and CEO of the Bradley Foundation. The Bradley Foundation, and Mr. Grebe fund some of the farthest right wing organizations and "news"(term used loosely) organizations there are in Wisconsin. Some examples of the long list:
- The MacIver Foundation;
- The Franklin Center which runs the poorly named Wisconsin Reporter;
- Wisconsin Policy Research Institute(WPRI) - which actually employs Charley Sykes as an editor(seriously)!
-The inexplicably named, WILL - Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty run by fellow "purple blogger" Rick Esenberg.
WILL and Mr. Esenberg have been busy lately. While it is important to note, that Mr. Esenberg is NOT an employee of the Bradley Foundation,
he ONLY receives the vast majority of his funding from them. If there
is anything that we have learned recently from our friends on the
right, it is that hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions do not even phase them. They just want Liberty!!
Of course, it is just coincidence that the organization, that is funded by someone who spends millions of dollars working towards the privatization of public schools, keeps suing public schools.
Milwaukee organization WILL, has already shown their disdain for local control and democratically elected school boards by suing the Kenosha School District.
While racking up legal bills for the district, the original lawsuit was
at a standstill until some new school board members were elected. It
took a tie breaking vote, by the step father of the plaintiff, to settle this lawsuit that was going nowhere and handing tens of thousands of dollars to Mr. Esenberg.
I do find it interesting, that the person suing to "protect" the
local taxpayer from the democratically elected school board negotiating
with their employees, charged the local taxpayers more money per hour
than a teacher could ever dream of making.
Back to the story, because now The Professor is at it again. This time he has bitten off more than he can chew.
Milwaukee organization, WILL and Mr. Esenberg have decided to find a local stooge and sue the Madison School District for negotiating with their employees, while ACT 10 was stayed.
There is a special twist here though, Mary Burke, the person leading Scott Walker in the polls, happens to be a current member of the Madison School Board. Even though Rick Esenberg is funded by former Walker campaign chairman, no political games at all here, Mr. Esenberg is just worried about the taxpayers of Dane County. Well not everyone agrees with that:
WILL is not likely to prevail in court, Marquette University Law School professor Paul Secunda told the Wisconsin State Journal.
“They negotiated their current contract when the fate of Act 10 was
still up in the air,” said Secunda, who also accused Esenberg of “trying
to make political points.”
Heck even the plaintiff gets giddy when he talks about suing Mary Burke:
“This wasn’t aimed at Mary Burke, but it’s a happy coincidence,” said Blaska.
“The Madison School Board is operating as if Act 10 were not in effect,”
Blaska said. “They had the opportunity to reduce the tax load on the
people – but the teachers are always first in line.”
Showing posts with label Frivolous Lawsuits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frivolous Lawsuits. Show all posts
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Haven't We Been Here Before?
By Jeff Simpson - Cross posted from Purple WI.
Scott Walker is "very disappointed" that Mary Burke used some policy positions that were copied from other Democrats running throughout the nation. Mr. Walker should be disappointed in his memory. Scott Walker was sworn in on January 3rd, 2011 and on January 27, 2011 signed his first bill into law. That Bill was Wisconsin Act 2 or better known on right wing talk radio as Tort Reform.
Wisconsin Act 2, was introduced by Rep. Jim Ott and Sen. Rich Zipperer at the request of Scott Walker. Let's let our friends at PR Watch break down this bill a little further.
Such is the case with Wisconsin Act 2 which adopts parts of the ALEC "Punitive Damages Standards Act", limiting the ability to hold corporations accountable for outrageous acts of negligence or recklessness causing injury or death. It draws liberally from the ALEC "Product Liability Act", giving corporations free rein to manufacture defective products or products with insufficient warnings about hazards. A corporation can now escape liability in Wisconsin by showing that the product it manufactured complied with existing regulations, even if the corporation knew the product was dangerous, a standard drawn from the ALEC "Regulatory Compliance Congruity with Liability Act" and "Product Liability Act". Wisconsin Act 2 also draws from elements of the ALEC "Comparative Fault Act" and "Joint and Several Liability Act" in changing the standards for apportioning fault in a product liability lawsuit. The law also extends liability protections to the nursing home industry (which supported him in the election), using ALEC bills such as the "Non-Economic Damage Awards Act", limiting awards in cases involving long term health care providers to $750,000 (an increase from the ALEC $250,000 cap) or the amount awarded in economic damages. Act 2 also adopts the ALEC "Reliability in Expert Testimony Standards Act", adopting the Daubert standard, making it much harder for people to qualify as experts by adopting federal rules favored by corporations.
Nowhere, in the final Senate nor Assembly bill was ALEC footnoted or credited at all! Senators Alberta Darling and Leah Vukmir have even called for Mary Burke to resign over this scandal, yet both vote for the final version of the uncredited ghost written Wisconsin ACT 2. As of the time this was published, neither Senator has yet to ask for the resignation of either Mr. Ott or Mr. Zipperer(who has since resigned from the Senate but now works directly for Mr. Walker).
Even this very paper, who has endorsed Scott Walker twice, has told Mr. Walker - "hey Pot have you met Kettle?".
Honestly, Mr. Walker has not even been original in his advertising. Maybe these charges of plagiarism against Mr. Walker will stick.
As I pointed out in my last column, we need to make sure our own house is in order before we start throwing stones.
It appears that Mr. Walker is not going to take my advice, and is doubling down on the attacks. Even if his house comes crashing down around him. Apparently, because he has failed so miserably at creating jobs, and balancing the budget, along with the perpetual John Doe investigation, that attacking appears to be his only chance.
Heavn Help the great people of Wi, as they will have to sit through the hundreds of millions of dollars of attack ads and BS between now and November. Making the Brewers collapse that much more unbearable!
One last piece of follow up. Whatever happened to Wisconsin Act 2, aka Tort Reform? Well unfortunately it failed in its objective, as Professor Esenberg has shown us how easy it for someone to still file frivolous lawsuits!
However that story is for another day!
Scott Walker is "very disappointed" that Mary Burke used some policy positions that were copied from other Democrats running throughout the nation. Mr. Walker should be disappointed in his memory. Scott Walker was sworn in on January 3rd, 2011 and on January 27, 2011 signed his first bill into law. That Bill was Wisconsin Act 2 or better known on right wing talk radio as Tort Reform.
Wisconsin Act 2, was introduced by Rep. Jim Ott and Sen. Rich Zipperer at the request of Scott Walker. Let's let our friends at PR Watch break down this bill a little further.
Such is the case with Wisconsin Act 2 which adopts parts of the ALEC "Punitive Damages Standards Act", limiting the ability to hold corporations accountable for outrageous acts of negligence or recklessness causing injury or death. It draws liberally from the ALEC "Product Liability Act", giving corporations free rein to manufacture defective products or products with insufficient warnings about hazards. A corporation can now escape liability in Wisconsin by showing that the product it manufactured complied with existing regulations, even if the corporation knew the product was dangerous, a standard drawn from the ALEC "Regulatory Compliance Congruity with Liability Act" and "Product Liability Act". Wisconsin Act 2 also draws from elements of the ALEC "Comparative Fault Act" and "Joint and Several Liability Act" in changing the standards for apportioning fault in a product liability lawsuit. The law also extends liability protections to the nursing home industry (which supported him in the election), using ALEC bills such as the "Non-Economic Damage Awards Act", limiting awards in cases involving long term health care providers to $750,000 (an increase from the ALEC $250,000 cap) or the amount awarded in economic damages. Act 2 also adopts the ALEC "Reliability in Expert Testimony Standards Act", adopting the Daubert standard, making it much harder for people to qualify as experts by adopting federal rules favored by corporations.
Nowhere, in the final Senate nor Assembly bill was ALEC footnoted or credited at all! Senators Alberta Darling and Leah Vukmir have even called for Mary Burke to resign over this scandal, yet both vote for the final version of the uncredited ghost written Wisconsin ACT 2. As of the time this was published, neither Senator has yet to ask for the resignation of either Mr. Ott or Mr. Zipperer(who has since resigned from the Senate but now works directly for Mr. Walker).
Even this very paper, who has endorsed Scott Walker twice, has told Mr. Walker - "hey Pot have you met Kettle?".
Honestly, Mr. Walker has not even been original in his advertising. Maybe these charges of plagiarism against Mr. Walker will stick.
As I pointed out in my last column, we need to make sure our own house is in order before we start throwing stones.
It appears that Mr. Walker is not going to take my advice, and is doubling down on the attacks. Even if his house comes crashing down around him. Apparently, because he has failed so miserably at creating jobs, and balancing the budget, along with the perpetual John Doe investigation, that attacking appears to be his only chance.
Heavn Help the great people of Wi, as they will have to sit through the hundreds of millions of dollars of attack ads and BS between now and November. Making the Brewers collapse that much more unbearable!
One last piece of follow up. Whatever happened to Wisconsin Act 2, aka Tort Reform? Well unfortunately it failed in its objective, as Professor Esenberg has shown us how easy it for someone to still file frivolous lawsuits!
However that story is for another day!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Vicki Mckenna's Split Personality
By Jeff Simpson
Exhibit A:
@WI_Law_Liberty puts#Madison on notice if school board illegally extends@MtiMadison contracts to evade#ACT10. http://www.scribd.com/doc/224366295/WI-INSTITUTE-for-LAW-and-LIBERTY-puts-Madison-school-board-on-notice-of-potential-lawsuit …
Apparently, Ms. Vicki feels its a great idea for outside groups to interfere in local school districts if you do not like what they are doing.
Exhibit B:
Vicki Mckenna
@VickiMcKenna
WI Senators demand answers on feds’ meddling into WI #SchoolChoice program http://shar.es/SPr0n @wisconsinreport #wiright
Now, a mere few minutes later, Ms. Vicki feels that outside groups have no business interfering in local school districts.
Hmmmmm. Does Mz. Pyzinski even know what she is saying? or is her scratchy voice even too much for her to listen too?
Monday, May 21, 2012
Out of State Hate Group Stands with Rebecca
Came Across this press release this weekend:
a couple years ago a republican activist sent out a very racist, nasty email. These are so common place that they kind of get lost in the shuffle since President Obama was elected. Because these have been so common place, most people could have ignored it and let this obscure republican disappear into the woodwork, but NOT Amy Kremer! She went public with her SUPPORT:
Protect our own? huh? We know from experience she does not mean fellow corporate tea parties as she was ousted from the "tea party patriots" hate group a couple years ago. Kremer then filed a defamation lawsuit against her prior friends. Apparently she did not get the memo about Tort Reform and frivolous lawsuits. But according to her, they are not racists, they even have a black friend!
This out of state moneyed agitator coming up to attempt to sway our elections when she has no idea what is happening in WI.
Lets hope that the corporate media asks her questions about her "protect our own" statement regarding the racist emails and her rush to the courts to sue anyone she disagrees with!
The Tea Party Express leader Amy Kremer and Rebecca Kleefisch will be standing side by side these next 15 days.Tea Party Express is Rolling into Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI – Tea Party Express, the nation’s largest tea party political action committee, will be holding a press conference with Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch on Monday May 21st at 1:00 pm at the Milwaukee Room in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Milwaukee, to announce plans for the Tea Party Express bus tour in Wisconsin.
Amy Kremer, Chairman of the Tea Party Express, said, “We are proud to stand with Lt. Governor Kleefisch, a strong and promising tea party conservative who has the philosophy and ideas that are good for Wisconsin and good for the whole country. We are going to stand side by side on Monday and, together, work to keep common sense, fiscal conservative ideas working to cure our country’s economic ills.
“It is undeniable that the Wisconsin recall plays a pivotal role in the 2012 election cycle. Beyond Wisconsin being a key state in the battle for the U.S. Senate and White House, voters here have the opportunity to send a clear message: We the People will no longer let crony capitalism and union tyranny rule our states and country!
“Governor Scott Walker, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and the Republican State senators are saving the state by putting power back in the hands of local officials and away from corrupt public employee union bosses. That’s why I am not surprised by these frivolous recalls. These entrenched interests are more concerned about themselves than the welfare of the people or the State of Wisconsin.
“Thanks to these brave leaders in Madison, states across the country have a model of success to follow. That is why this is of national importance to highlight their records of getting Wisconsin on a sound financial footing that is attractive to job creation and prosperity. The unions are not just trying to keep power in Wisconsin, but they are threatening every conservative leader trying to implement bold changes to save their states across the country. If we do not stand up and fight back against the union bullies in Wisconsin, we would be sending a frightening message to leaders across this nation,” Kremer concluded.
Press Conference With Lieutenant Governor Rebecca KleefischMonday May 21st at 1:00 PMMilwaukee Room, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee
333 W Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53203To schedule an interview with Chairman Amy Kremer or another representative of Tea Party Express, please contact Taylor Budowich at 916-529-7651 or TBudowich@TeaPartyExpress.org.
Let's take a look at who exactly Rebecca Kleefisch is standing with.
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm
a couple years ago a republican activist sent out a very racist, nasty email. These are so common place that they kind of get lost in the shuffle since President Obama was elected. Because these have been so common place, most people could have ignored it and let this obscure republican disappear into the woodwork, but NOT Amy Kremer! She went public with her SUPPORT:
David, we all support you fully and are here for you. I can assure you of one thing and that is we will protect our own. We all have your back my friend!
Let me know what I can do to help. I am here for you if you need me David.
Protect our own? huh? We know from experience she does not mean fellow corporate tea parties as she was ousted from the "tea party patriots" hate group a couple years ago. Kremer then filed a defamation lawsuit against her prior friends. Apparently she did not get the memo about Tort Reform and frivolous lawsuits. But according to her, they are not racists, they even have a black friend!
This out of state moneyed agitator coming up to attempt to sway our elections when she has no idea what is happening in WI.
Lets hope that the corporate media asks her questions about her "protect our own" statement regarding the racist emails and her rush to the courts to sue anyone she disagrees with!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Instead Of A Judge, He Should've Appealed To The Dungeon Master
Talk about frivolous lawsuits:
A man serving life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide lost his legal battle Monday to play Dungeons & Dragons behind bars.Kevin T. Singer filed a federal lawsuit against officials at Wisconsin's Waupun prison, arguing that a policy banning all Dungeons & Dragons material violated his free speech and due process rights.
Prison officials instigated the Dungeons & Dragons ban among concerns that playing the game promoted gang-related activity and was a threat to security. Singer challenged the ban but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld it as a reasonable policy.
I can think of many reasons why authorities wouldn't allow inmates not to play D & D, most notably that the inmates would be using the dice for gambling, which would constitute a security hazard.
But the concern of gang-related activity seems to me to be a little far fetched. What, are they going to form a gang called "The Dwarvz of Cell Block C?"
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