Joel Kleefisch Makes a Promise He Can Never Keep

By Jeff Simpson 

Today in the Wisconsin Assembly, the Democrats forced a vote on requiring background checks on gun sales in WI. 

In Wisconsin, the Democrats have no power, and nothing makes the Republicans madder then when they have to actually listen to the Democrats.   This procedure that the Dems used upset them but they just figured out a way to make take control back of the situation. 

The WisGop, after showing faux outrage, then used an amendment to change the bill to providing an unspecified amount of money(guessing its going to be no where near enough) to schools for armed security guards.

During the Assembly floor session Tuesday afternoon, Democrats pulled from a committee a bill that would require universal background checks for firearm purchases. Republicans allowed the bill to come to the floor, then introduced a substitute amendment that would offer grants to school districts that employ armed safety officers.
Lawmakers then spent several hours engaged in a procedural battle.
Ultimately, Republicans shot down the background checks bill. Rep. Kathleen Bernier, R-Lake Hallie, said she didn't necessarily disagree with the proposal but said she objected to the process by which Democrats brought it to the floor.  

Ok they play their games, and we all lose in the end, but the biggest problem is this.   While the WISGOP have decided instead of trying to stop the shooter from entering the school,  the best way to approach school shootings is hopefully have a shoot out in the school. 

As Representative Joel Kleefish says:

Kleefisch said the measure will allow parents to have "the unabashed confidence that at the end of the day, their kids are coming home." 

Unabashed confidence?   That is a quote that is not only NOT based in reality, but is shameful.

Let's take a look:

The most recent school shooting in Parkland Florida, had an armed guard on premises:

PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) - Florida sheriff says the high school campus had an armed officer who never encountered the suspected shooter during attack.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Thursday that the officer never encountered the suspect during the Wednesday afternoon attack that killed 17 people.

17 people did not make it home that night, despite Kleefischs "guarantee".

Lets go back in time. Columbine - also had an armed guard on campus, who actually engaged with the shooters!

In 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 15 people and wounded 23 more at Columbine High School. The destruction occurred despite the fact that there was an armed security officer at the school and another one nearby

15 people did not make it home, despite the "guarantee".

There was actually one time where a school resource officer did contain the situation, but that was AFTER one 17 year old girl was shot dead.  She did not make it home again.


Research actually shows, that the answer to school shootings(which despite the fact that there are too many, are still extremely rare), is not more police presence in the schools.

 Cops on campus have been shown to have “mixed effectiveness with regards to school safety,” Jason Nance, a University of Florida professor whose work looks at the impact of cops on campus, told HuffPost in 2016.  

“Are schools safer because we have more police officers? There are big questions about that,” Nance said in an email on Friday. “And we don’t talk enough about the downsides of having more police officers in schools, such as more school-based arrests for matters that should be handled in other ways.”   

The reality is that as long as people have such easy access to guns, hate talk radio continues pointing out that liberals are your enemies, community mental health programs are diminishing and the stress of growing up is increasing, there will be the possibility of school shootings everywhere, and yet there will still be very few. 

The problem of course, is when it actually does happen to your school, where your kids are attending. 

Today, coming on the heels of a horrific school shooting in Florida, the Assembly Republicans did absolutely nothing to address the problem except make false promises and show the Democrats who is boss!

For parents out there(like me), make sure and tell your child, Please don't get murdered at school today! 

Just to wrap up, our country has chosen to shift all of the weight regarding your safety away from our lawmakers and gun manufacturers and instead put it squarely on the shoulders of your principal and teachers. These people who kneel down on the first day of school so they’re just as tall as you. These people who shake your hand and say, “Good morning!” and help you rehearse for the spring concert and take you on field trips to see different rock formations — they are now in charge of keeping you from getting murdered. Which really is the least they can do for all that money they make.

Scott Michalak for Assembly

In case you missed it over the Holidays, here is the Scott Michalak for Assembly TV spot he ran:





Send Scott a couple bucks, like his facebook page, call anyone ou know who is currently being (un)represented by Joel Kleefisch and tell them to support Scott Michalak for Assembly!  

Need extra incentive?  Read this!

$27 Billion Dollars, 106,000 Jobs and 1600 Companies

By Jeff Simpson 

That is a conservative estimate, of what the state of Wisconsin will lose if the Joel Kleefisch (R-Cancer) anti-research bill becomes law.

Wisconsin’s bioscience industry includes more than 1,600 companies that provide jobs for nearly 36,000 people and pay a salary well above that of the average employee in the state, a new study shows.
Bioscience workers, on average, make $73,241 — more than $30,000 above the average pay of Wisconsin private-sector employees, according to the 2015 Wisconsin Bioscience Economic Development Report, released Wednesday.
The report, by the Ernst and Young consultant firm, is based on 2013 statistics. It was presented to the Bioscience Summit, a daylong conference for the biotechnology industry on Wednesday at Monona Terrace.
It says in addition to the 36,000 jobs within bioscience statewide, the industry is an indirect factor in nearly 70,000 other jobs in Wisconsin, creating a total economic impact of $27 billion.

Shame on us, if ANYONE who votes "yes" on this bill ever wins another election.

 

Wisconsin Republicans Stand WITH Cancer

By Jeff Simpson

On Wednesday September 9^th, the Wisconsin Assembly will be discussing and voting on AB305.  In AB305, “authored” by Rep. Andre Jacque(R-DePere) and Rep. Joel Kleefisch(R- Oconomowoc) making it  a Class H felony(subject to a fine of not more than $50,000) to do fetal tissue research in WI.  

In Wisconsin, we have some of the finest minds in the field of stem cell research who are not only making, and close to making, major breakthroughs in curing and treating - diabetes, muscular dystrophy, blindness, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, immune disorders, paralysis, leukemia, deadly strains of influenza, how toxins affect human systems. 

Your Wisconsin Republicans are working to make sure that these major advances, not only in quality of life for our fellow human beings, but also have created countless thousands of jobs with each breakthrough, are soon to be illegal.   

Let me say that again.   Any politician who votes yes on AB305(and its soon to be companion bill in the State Senate) is voting to stand with Cancer, blindness, ALS, an numerous other debilitating diseases and against a cure!   

As a two time cancer survivor, it is almost unfathomable that I have to write these words in the year 2015.   

 One thing that keeps me going every day, is the faith that there will be a new breakthrough tomorrow that will be able to treat me if my cancer comes back.  All because we have allowed far right extremists, to take over our state.    

Some of the greatest minds in Wisconsin and leaders of our most thriving businesses, have wasted countless hours testifying how devastating this bill will be to our quality of life and our economy and as most testimony does in Madison, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.   

While the supporters of this bill will talk about the “harvesting of babies” they will know this is a completely false narrative(pushed further by long debunked videos).   

The fetal stem cells that are used in this incredibly important research, if this bill passes, will now be thrown away.  Disposing of these CELLS, is apparently more important to the extremists than curing diseases so others may live.   

As prominent bioethicist R. Alta Charo of the University of Wisconsin says “ Virtually every person in this country has benefited from research using fetal tissue. Every child who's been spared the risks and misery of chickenpox, rubella, or polio can thank the Nobel Prize recipients and other scientists who used such tissue in research yielding the vaccines that protect us (and give even the unvaccinated the benefit of herd immunity). This work has been going on for nearly a century, and the vaccines it produced have been in use nearly as long. Any discussion of the ethics of fetal tissue research must begin with its unimpeachable claim to have saved the lives and health of millions of people."

The choice is simple, do we increase the quality of life for us, our children and grandchildren or do we appease a few hard core extremists who cannot accept that science and religion are compatible.  

My Bible is filled with story after story of Jesus healing the sick.  There were people during his time also that felt the need to stop these acts, but I have not seen a faith yet that worships the oppressors and not the One doing the healing.    

It is very important that you contact your legislator and tell them this bill is harmful and irresponsible.   If they refuse and continue to stand on the side of Cancer….make sure to put party preferences aside in the next election and let them know that is completely unacceptable and worthy of a spot in the unemployment line. 

The New York Times, the UW Board of Regents and WMC all agree that this is a bad bill and needs to go away! 

Why I Hate Local News

By Jeff Simpson 

The Fetal Tissue research bill(AB30%) will be brought up in Committee on Wednesday.  Our friends at MALcontent blog had a great summary of this bill.

  The fetal tissue and stell cell issue epitomizes the phenomenon of know-nothing state legislators, like State Representative André Jacque (R-De Pere, Wisconsin), assuring the Wisconsin people their religious-inspired expertise in biomedical research surpasses that of Dr. James Thomson and young scientists' for the moment drawn to an innovative and thriving Madison-based research community with the promise of verdant interdisciplinary and innovative lines of stem cell investigation that one day might rival the magnitude of Dr. Salk and the polio virus vaccine.
By the way, Salk and his colleagues (oh, conspirators) relied on cells derived from fetal tissue in developing the polio vaccine.

Can you imagine if Salk had to contend with the laws now being contemplated by Jacque and his band of know-nothings who want to make Dr. James Thomson and his colleagues criminals, felons?
Dr. Jonas Salk a felon? He would be if Republicans' proposed legislation were in effect in the early 1950s and Salk worked in Wisconsin instead of Pittsburgh and New York.

Then, the Madison CBS affiliate - WIFR-TV covered the story also:

The organization Wisconsin Family Action has lobbied in support of the bill in the past several months and says it’s an ethical issue.
“[Lawmakers] want to make sure… that the most vulnerable and innocent of us are at least respected as human beings, and their body parts aren’t sold or used for experimentation,” says President Julaine Appling.
Researchers disagree. More than 700 University of Wisconsin professors have signed a letter against the legislation, offering up their own ethical argument.
“The bill will do nothing to reduce the number of abortions going on,” said UW Biochemistry Professor Michael Sussman, one of the co-authors of the letter. “The bill, though, will make it illegal for anyone in Wisconsin to utilize the tissue that is available.
“We believe it would be perhaps very unethical not to allow fetal tissue that is available legally and ethically… to be available to help people with very serious diseases.”

Does anyone see the problem there?  What does not quite fit?

To get "both"sides of an important bill(that with nuanes has about 500 different sides, they discuss it with Bob Jones graduate  Julainne Appling - head of a very extremist right wing organization Wisconsin Family Action. gave her uneducated, unqualified view of this bill.  

This was then followed up as "the other side" with decorated UW Biochenistry Professor Dr. Michael Sussman, who just happens to also be director of UW Biotechnology Center for his incredibly qualified and competent stance on this bill(who has the backing of 700 other professors),

Now the story is balanced and its time to run it?   One crazy lady from a joke of a university V a well decorated, renowned expert in the actual field of the bill?  

What is next?  calling up Fred Phelps for comment, next time you have a story on the pope?  

Is this the best you can do?  

June 9th Is Andrew Steele Day

By Jeff Simpson

Today will go down as Andrew Steele Day.  Andrew Steele is a former Deputy Sheriff who was forced to retire from public service early due to suffering from ALS.    Andrew Steele also shot and killed his wife and sister-in-law.  

Now, Andrew Steele is a suspect in the killings of his wife and her sister, Kacee Tollefsbol, at the Steeles' home Friday in Fitchburg, Wis., a suburb of Madison. Steele himself is being treated for an apparent suicide attempt that police say they never saw coming. He was arrested Friday.

Andy was a really good guy, no one saw it coming:

 "Nobody closely aligned with Andy and his family expected something like this to occur," Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney told The Associated Press on Monday. "We believe his diagnosis had an impact on the family but they were moving forward.

Now the Republicans in Wisconsin think its a good idea if Andy was allowed to roam free and armed in our public schools.    I mean how many people could he possibly kill at a time, and what are the odds that it would be your kid?

Besides, it was not his fault!  

An ALS-afflicted former Wisconsin deputy was acquitted of killing his wife and her sister because his disease made him not legally responsible for the murders, a jury found.
Andrew Steele, 40, had written in a rambling suicide that he’d had “numerous threesomes” with the women before killing them both in August in a botched suicide pact at his Fitchburg, Wis., home outside Madison.
But a jury found early Thursday that the Dane County Sheriff’s deputy, who resigned in June after his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis, found the disease affected his brain and he wasn’t in his right mind during the slayings.

Wait! So he might not even go to prison?   There is no provision in the new law that stops Andy from now carrying a gun into your school if they release him.  

Andy can celebrate with some cake and ice cream that the Republicans in the Legislature were looking out for him today!

  

The Ghost of Bill Kramer

By Jeff Simpson

Not sure what it is about "Friends of Scott Walker" that they think women are their own personal play toys but the fun never ends when republican thugs gather to honor our Governor.

Well it is usually not much fun for single women.  At the inaugeration ball, Republican Bob Westman allegedly channeled his inner Bill Kramer:

Authorities were called to the ball at Monona Terrace around 10:30 p.m. Monday, and arrested Robert J. Westman, 45, of Madison, on tentative charges of battery and fourth-degree sexual assault, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.
A 44-year-old Onalaska woman told police Westman had been bothering her -- touching and trying to kiss her even though she repeatedly asked him to leave her alone, police said.
The woman sought help dealing with Westman from a 55-year-old Onalaska man, who confronted Westman and told him to stop, DeSpain said. About 20 minutes later, the man told police, he saw Westman bothering the woman again and went up to him once more, telling Westman he was going to call security, DeSpain said.
Westman "responded by head-butting the second man in the face," DeSpain said.

Following a looooooong line of lack of personal responsibility within the Republican party, Mr. Westman fit right in:

Westman claimed he and the woman were "having a good time," and that the touching was consensual, DeSpain said.
"That’s not backed up by any of the witnesses we talked to," DeSpain said.

No word yet if Mr. Westman can get his trial moved to Waukesha or if Judge Randa has made it illegal to investigate headbutting incidences yet.

More info on this very unsurprising story, as it becomes available(pictures from facebook).



Or maybe Bob was just wearing Hai-Karate:

Four Mouseketeers!

Caption This

The Worst of Dodgeville!

By Jeff Simpson

The Republicans have so gerrymandered the state that they do not even try and run qualified candidates anymore. They are running people who will do what they are told, so qualifications be dammed. From running Bill Feehan, whose resume includes a domestic battery charge for choking his ex girlfriend,to the ethically challenged Robin Vos, to Joel Kleefisch, who allowed a donor to write a bill which would have allowed him to escape child support. 

Now they have another All Star to add to the lineup --- Todd Novak.  Novak is running for Assembly District 51 and is the mayor of Dodgeville.   Novak also likes to drink!  

 Dodgeville police encountered Mayor Todd Novak twice this summer in alcohol-related incidents, neither of which resulted in citations. This comes after a public event a year ago where numerous sources said Novak bragged publicly about getting preferential treatment from the city's police department in regards to driving drunk.

 Police records show officers stopped Novak from driving home drunk at 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 20 after he "staggered and nearly fell" on the way to his vehicle. He called his next-door neighbor and friend, Dodgeville police Sgt. David J. Bauer, to drive him home. The two men traded numerous emails this summer about Bauer's candidacy for the position of Dodgeville police chief, with Novak writing that Bauer left out "personal aide to the mayor" on his resume.

 However, court records show Novak was arrested on May 18, 1990, in Dodgeville for operating while intoxicated after failing Breathalyzer and field sobriety tests. That charge was dropped when blood tests taken roughly an hour after the arrest showed Novak was one-thousandth of a percentage point under the legal limit.

Last October, at a Best of Dodgeville event, three sources said Novak was in a group of people when he was warned not to drive home from the event because he was intoxicated. The sources said Novak was warned about getting pulled over for driving while intoxicated with one source saying the mayor responded, "It doesn't matter because I have a Mayoral Pass. I won't get into trouble."

However, this story and Mr. Novak give us probably the best example of symbolism in terms of how they have treated our state these last four years:

 Earlier this summer, an officer intervened as Novak allegedly was urinating on a building in downtown Dodgeville. Now-retired Dodgeville Police Chief Dave Kieffer said he did not know why that incident was not written up by officers.

Let's make sure Mr. Novak keeps his partying in Dogeville only, and elect a great candidate in Dick Cates to represent the 51st! 

Walker Dynasty

By Jeff Simpson

Scott Walker spent many Wisconsin tax dollars and man hours fighting the legalization of gay marriage equality.  Now that the Supreme Court has finally made it legal, Scott Walker is to intimidated to tell us how he really feels about marriage equality! 

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) seemed to bend over backward during a Thursday news conference to avoid articulating a position on same-sex marriage.

"It really doesn't matter what I think now," Walker said, as quoted by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "It's in the constitution."
 "No," he said, as quoted by the Journal-Sentinel. "I'm just not stating one at all."

Mr. Walker does not want to lose any of the LGBTQ vote in a close election so he wisely chooses not to articulate his far right extremist views.  However, as May Angelou told us "when people tell us who they are, we should listen".

It was his Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch who said:

“This is a slippery slope,” Kleefisch said. “In addition to that at what point are we going to be okay marrying inanimate objects? Can I marry this table or this, you know, clock? Can we marry dogs?
“This is ridiculous,” continued Kleefisch. “And biblically, again, I’m going to go right back to my fundamental Christian beliefs marriage is between one man and one woman.”

And it was republican Role Model  ducky Phil Robertson, who said this:

What, in your mind, is sinful?
“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”
During Phil’s darkest days, in the early 1970s, he had to flee the state of Arkansas after he badly beat up a bar owner and the guy’s wife. Kay Robertson persuaded the bar owner not to press charges in exchange for most of the Robertsons’ life savings. (“A hefty price,” he notes in his memoir.) I ask Phil if he ever repented for that, as he wants America to repent—if he ever tracked down the bar owner and his wife to apologize for the assault. He shakes his head.
“I didn’t dredge anything back up. I just put it behind me.”

 Ducky even speaks this silliness from the pulpit:





Scott Walker:

Asked how voters might judge governors who bid for the presidency, the Wisconsinite replied, “Governors should be defined not just by what they do and say, but who they surround themselves with, making sure to have the smartest person for a particular task or to head a specific agency. They should be judged on that basis and who they take advice from.”

I agree!

Duck Duck Purse

Joel Kleefisch getting some river rat counseling:

"Look, you wait 'til they get to be 20 years old, the only picking that's going to take place is your pocket," he said. "You got to marry these girls when they are about 15 or 16. They'll pick your ducks. You need to check with mom and dad about that, of course."

Robertson, who married his wife when she was 15 (he's four years older than Marsha Kay), gave other "river rat counseling," too.

"Make sure that she can cook a meal. You need to eat some meals that she cooks. Check that out," he said. "Make sure she carries her Bible. That'll save you a lot of trouble down the road. And if she picks your ducks, now that's a woman!"

Caption This

PS:  For those that took the time to suffer through the video:

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."

 The quote is frequently misattributed to Washington, particularly in regards to his farewell address of 1796. The origin of the misquote is, perhaps, a mention of a similar statement in a biography of Washington first published in 1835. However, the quote that appeared in the biography has never been proven to have come from Washington. For this reference, see: http://tinyurl.com/a952ym2

PSS:  YOU can make this stop!  Support and vote for Tom Chojnacki!!!

Crazy, But Thats How It Goes;

By Jeff Simpson

 Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe. it's not too late
To learn how to love, and forget how to hate  

  MacIver has had a chance to go through the emails that Wisconsinites sent to Senator John Erpenbach in support of his fight against ACT10.   Now they plan on using that information to attack and harass anyone who had the gall to contact their elected representative in our representative democracy.   

Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train

No one cares about crazy people!

 I've listened to preachers,
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules
One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role

You can not make this stuff up!

Gov. Scott Walker offered his suggestion nearly two years ago for reducing the impact of campaign money on politics.
“One of the biggest things is transparency,” Walker told the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism in December 2012. “The more transparency involved, the more people could hold folks accountable, for whether it’s $5 or $500, or whatever the amount may be.”  

 Mental wounds still screaming
Driving me insane
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train

You really can not make this stuff up:

Revisiting a piece from April, this is the next congressman from Wisconsin.

Grothman has made a name for himself championing conservative causes. He sponsored legislation that repealed the state’s Equal Pay Enforcement Act, fought for a seven-day work week, proposed a bill that would have considered single parenthood “a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect” and argued that public employees should have to work on MLK Day. 

Last year, he said Kwanzaa is a fake holiday that “almost no black people today care about”

 I know that things are going wrong for me
You gotta listen to my words, yeah, yeah

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

Heirs of a cold war,
that's what we've become
Inheriting troubles,
I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just cannot bear
I'm living with something that just isn't fair

 A controversial bill that would allow high-income parents to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars a year in child support was written with the help of a wealthy donor to the bill’s author, Rep. Joel Kleefisch.


 

Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame
I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train

But the first-term Republican governor has not always been so pro-mining.
In fact, he helped block a proposal to construct another major mine in northern Wisconsin years ago.
In 1998 — as a member of the Assembly — Walker voted in favor of a mining moratorium that put the brakes on a proposed copper and zinc mine near Crandon. The measure passed in the Assembly on a 91-6 vote and was signed into law by Gov. Tommy Thompson.
The mine was never built.

I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train

 Wisconsin is goin off the rails on a crazy train! 

   

The Inner Circle

Facebook post of the day

Your tax dollars in action.

The Joel Kleefisch Rest Area

The rest area on westbound I-94 near Lake Mills has been closed for a few days for a disturbing reason:

The rest rooms and drinking fountains of the west-bound rest area on I-94 at Johnson Creek

will remain closed until tests show the water system is clear of fecal coliform.

Officials say the soonest that could happen is Wednesday afternoon.

Thomas VanBeek of the state Department of Transportation said that the rest rooms are closed at the rest area, but the parking area and vending machines are open.

The rest area is located in Jefferson County between Milwaukee and Madison.

The restrooms closed on Monday afternoon after a well test determined the presence of fecal coliform in the water.

The article points out that the cause for the bacterial infestation is unknown.

The cynic in me wouldn't be surprised if they did know the cause.  After all, there has been reports of massive liquid cow manure polluting our waterways and there is the well-known story of how Herr Environmental was spreading three times the legal amount of human waste, polluting people's personal wells with the effluent.

Considering that State Representative Joel Kleefisch used his influence to try to minimize the consequences for this illegal dumping - not to mention the related cover up in the company's records - I think it would only be appropriate for the rest area to be named after him.

The name change would be very appropriate considering the rest area is full of crap and doesn't serve its purpose to help people.

"A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small" Dr. Seuss

By Jeff Simpson

Some "highlights" from the republican platform:

Support voluntary student-initiated prayer in school

We will continue to work for the return of voluntary school prayer to our schools and will strongly enforce the Republican legislation that guarantees equal access to school facilities by student religious groups. We strongly support voluntary student-initiated prayer in school without governmental interference. We strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s rulings against student-initiated prayer.
Source: 2004 Republican Party Platform, p. 84 , Sep 1, 2004

The Wisconsin Republican's in action:

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, of Burlington, wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson Thursday asking that Wisconsin not be considered a site to temporarily shelter unaccompanied immigrant children who are crossing the border, mostly from Central America.
The letter, posted on the Wheeler Report, was also signed by Republican Assembly members John Nygren, of Marinette; Joel Kleefisch, of Oconomowoc; and David Craig, of Big Bend...

The legislators ask if there's a limit on the number of immigrants that would be housed in the state and the liklihood the minors will be deemed refugees, which could mean getting public assistance.
They also express concern about the potential for the minors to permanently reside in Wisconsin.
Housing these minors will result in a "significant strain" on local and state budgets and impact both public education and health system, the letter said.
It asks that the decision to locate unaccompanied minors in Wisconsin be reconsidered.

Inscription on the Statue of Liberty:

 Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

 


What Jesus had to say about the subject:

Matthew 18:1-35 ESV / 19 helpful votes

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

God Bless Us everyone.    

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

The Core Of The Problem is Common Extremism

By Jeff Simpson

Scott Walker, in the midst of a tough re-election fight, where his chances keep getting downgraded, is getting desperate.   Scott Walker has already played some of his trump cards from massive fundraising leads to pushing the limits of coordinating all of the dark money groups to his advantage.   Thinking these two trump cards were all he needed to win the hand, has proven to be a very drastic mistake of his campaigns, at best, he is now is tied with his opponent, political newcomer Mary Burke.  

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  We see how desperate the Governor is with his ridiculous attack ad on his opponent and now he has doubled down on desperation.  Scott Walker now says he wants to eliminate Common Core State Standards and he wants it done in January.    Why now and why in January?  Let's take a look.

With the campaign reeling and support fading, Scott Walker know he needs to shore up his base.   If you recall, in November, a handful of anti-government, anti-intellectual zealots got together and all signed a letter(still not sure who in the group could actually write it) telling Scott Walker to repeal common core.   Scott Walker did his best double speak around the issue at the time and hoped the issue would disappear.

It hasn't.  

Now Mary Burke has actually started to campaign effectively and that left Scott Walker anguished that his career plans of more power might be derailed.  Walker, if he knows one thing, it is elections and the importance of his base.   He knows that all of the "independent" talk amongst the "tea party" is just that and in the end they are just the crazy wing of the republican party.  Scott Walker wants to make sure that every last one of them, and their sons and son - in - laws, all vote for him.

So when they say jump Scott Walker wants to let them know he is listening.   The next question is why January?  This is important issue so you would think he could call them in now, its between hunting seasons so Joel Kleefisch might actually be available.  

If it is in January, he sends a message saying make sure you vote for me as often as possible to make sure I can do this for you to his base!   That and he knows it is a political loser to be put out there on display right before the election.   Not only is it a bad thing its very costly as it would cost the state millions. 

Unfortunately for the people of Wisconsin, millions of taxpayer dollars mean nothing to Scott Walker:

Walker said Friday that he doesn’t know how much it would cost to come up with new standards but he doesn’t think it would be significant.

Whats a few millions dollars of taxpayer money if it will help me get elected?    Luther Olsen said it best(who would have ever thought I would write those words)!  

 “It’s all political and the sad thing is at the end of the day it doesn’t show true leadership,” said Luther Olsen.

In that one sentence Luther Olsen summed up Scott Walker's political career.

PS:  read about Common Core State Standards here.  

Watch Schimel Wiggle

By Jeff Simpson

Aspiring republican Attorney General candidate Brad Schimel, recently let it be known that he feels the "Essence of our Democracy" is one where you should be able to buy legislators and legislation.  

We know from the Walker phone call, that republican politicians work very hard not letting us know what they truly feel or think(when they do)!  As the late great Maya Angelou points out:

“When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time.”

― Maya Angelou

How do you know that is who he is?  Look at his face and actions when asked a question about this:

Have you ever seen anyone trun white as a ghost and run like that? And he thinks he has the cojones to actually be Attorney General?  

Happy Birthday Joel

 

This from Facebook

Joel Kleefisch

2 hours ago

Governor Walker just called to wish me a happy birthday; what an honor!

It's Joel's Birthday. 


Happy Birthday Joel Kleefisch! 

My question to you is -  who should call him next and what should they say?  

The Comedy of Joel Keefisch

By Jeff Simpson

Joel Kleefisch, the first dude, the highest paid substitute teacher in the state, took time away from hunting on the Wisconsin taxpayers dime, to pen a practically unintelligible Op-ed entitled "God Is Real"!  

Luckily we at CogDis, spending enough time with Knotsies and trolls, are able to speak Kleefischese, so we will translate:

As Shakespeare said, "Me thinks thou doth protest too much." When I saw a school group staring at a sign on the first floor, it piqued my interest. The sign read, "Nobody died for our 'sins' Jesus Christ is a myth." My first reaction was a chuckle, not at the serious accusation of my Savior's suffering taking place for naught, but at the irony of the sign and its sponsor, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) whose leaders continually wage a futile fight.

So removed from rational thought, the group has resorted to bumper sticker slogans to get their anti-message, message across

Speaking of anti-message, messages - Joel Kleefisch voted AGAINST honoring the victims of the Sandyhook tragedy!    Let us continue -

The FFRF pops up now and again attempting as they say, to eliminate all religion from government and public display or acknowledgement. The irony is that every fight they embark upon inevitably inspires potential agnostics to look into their waxing or waning faith a little further.

 Forget what Joel is saying here as he pulled this statistic right out of his ass.

 For years they fought the state Capitol Christmas tree and wanted it to be called a holiday tree. Not only does holiday mean holy day, but the public gnashing of teeth brought people out of the woodwork to defend the Christmas tree. Even former Wood County Assemblyman Marlin Schneider, known for his liberal ideologies, authored a measure to have the tree officially called the Christmas tree.

Apparently Scott Walker is an all to the FFRF as he continually refers to "Holiday", heck he even wanted the people of WI to give up their Holiday's and give all the money to Him*(him being Scott Walker).   Hard to stray further away from Jesus teachings at Christmas time than that! 

 That brings us to their current sign. In fighting the display of religion, they use blatantly religious text. First off the obvious, whether you believe what Jesus espouses, there is no doubt he existed, therefore he is clearly not a myth. By having the word 'sins' quoted, it leads viewers of the sign to further examine what really makes something sinful.

 Sinful is when you allow a company to poison wells and one of your constituents dies of ecoli. Sinful is also when you finally use your position of power to step in, its on the behalf of the company that polluted and NOT your constituents.

   Many of today's laws are loosely based on what are believed to be sins against society and our fellow citizens. Are they to have us believe that there should be no consequence for any action, or conversely, that there is no reparation for a small sin or minor infraction?

Many of today's laws were passed because someone gave enough money to an Assembly person and then were allowed to write your own bill that you benefit from.   Joel Kleefisch even let one of his wealthy donors(Michael Eisenga), write a bill that would allow him to shirk his duties of paying child support to his own kids. 

 Clearly, the FFRF has nothing better to do than post signs meant to incite people.

Clearly our "full time" assembly members who have not even been in session in two months, who get full time pay and benefits and staff, have nothing better to do than write sill incoherent press releases!

 It does beg the question, what are they trying to accomplish? Their statement has nothing to do with the fight to keep religious symbolism out of public places. Instead it is just a nasty poke directed specifically at Christians. What's next, signs decrying Buddha's teachings? A message claiming Allah is fake? Perhaps a sharply worded, "Virginia, there is no Santa Claus?" The bottom line is, the FFRF is undermining their so called message.

 What's next an incomprehensible press release about elves? 

 Like PETA, they've gone beyond the pale and are not even considered seriously, which is fine with me.

Next thing you know, they will want guns in our schools and bowhunting on our playgrounds.  That would really be beyond the pale.  

As vehemently as they battle the public advancement of spirituality or religious participation, are they not promoting, or at least suggesting atheism is the right path? It sounds more like they are pushing the Religion of Atheism, than nothing at all.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, not from religion. I guess if I were responsible for the FFRF marketing message, I'd find some actual proof God doesn't exist to counter the multitudes of proof He does.

Joel, please do NOT leave us for the FFRF marketing team!  Outside of Wild Bill Kramer,

No one better represents the republican brand in Wisconsin than you!

At least he is up on the sexual escapades of the youth in WI!

Joel, we know you are not out there helping or working for your constituents, so please, I beg of you, when you have free time from hunting, keep writing these press releases!



 

Pure Comic Gold!  


For the Wisconsin residents of the 38th Assembly district, if you are sick of being the laughing stock of WI, and having a representative who just uses your money to be able to spend time hunting you have a choice - Tom Chojnacki.   Volunteer, tell your neighbors, get a yard sign, send him $10.   You deserve actual representation in Madison!  

The Primary That We'd Pay To See

Joel Kleefisch has always been an embarrassment to the State of Wisconsin.  But he has started to become so bad that he is now an embarrassment to the state's Teapublicans.  And when one considers that we are talking about people like Robin Vos, Mary Lazich, Glenn Grothman and Leah Vukmir, that is a considerable accomplishment.

It started out a couple of years ago, when he started to fixate on his lust for blood and phallic symbols when he wanted to start shooting everything in sight. It got so bad that Big Bird had to go into the witness protection program for a while.

A few month later - in an incident that would become a sign of things to come - Kleefisch went to bat for Herr Environmental, who had dumped toxic amounts of raw sewage onto fields close to people drinking wells.  Walker's DNR was already downgrading the situation to a slap on the wrist, but that was still too much for Kleefisch, who wanted to let bygones be bygones.  The fact that the owner of Herr Industries was a big campaign donor to Kleefisch and his wife was just "coincidental."

More recently, we learned that Kleefisch feels that he is above the laws he helps to write when he was busted for a hunting violation.  You know that this isn't the only time he's done something like this.

Kleefisch isn't just physically lazy but intellectually lazy as well.  He showed us this when he got caught plagiarizing quotes from congressman.  Even more problematic, he had to rely on Ashlee Moore - you do remember Ashlee Moore, don't you? - to resolve the mess he created.

Just days ago, we learned that Kleefisch was catering to millionaire Michael Eisenga, working directly with Eisenga to write a bill that would lower Eisenga's child support payments.  As with Herr Environmental, the fact that Eisenga was donating to Kleefisch and his wife was, I'm sure, purely coincidental.

This last incident is so embarrassing that fellow Teapublicans are trying to quietly slink away and put as much distance between themselves and Kleefisch as they can.  These fleeing Teapublicans include Paul Farrow and Leah Vukmir.  And if you can embarrass Vukmir, you know you have really screwed up.  This is a woman who wrote a column stating that ALEC is actually good for us.  She has no shame.

Some have been calling for Kleefisch to step down, which is something that is not going to happen voluntarily.  Some have called for Kleefisch to be investigation.  But that won't happen until under J.B. Van Hollen.  It would have to wait until at least Jon Richards wins that seat.

But there is a way for the state, and for WISGOP, to rid itself of this man. 

He could be primaried. 

And the perfect candidate to primary Kleefisch would have to be someone who is familiar with politics and someone who could pull up the necessary votes to win in such a crazy and dysfunctional part of the state.

And gentle reader, there is such a candidate.

Her name is Kathy Nickolaus.  Hey, she is looking to get back into politics and with her math skills, she would be a natural fit with Walker's budget.  She already lives in that district and so won't have to move either.

And wouldn't such a race - one between the corrupt and the inept - be the perfect analogy for today's WISGOP?