When the gales of November came early...

By Jeff Simpson

After having a few days to digest the August 9th Primary, its time to take a look at the results.

1. I had called for Democrats/Independents/Republicans to Team up with Paul Nehlen to defeat Paul Ryan in the primary.   If every single Democrat that voted has crossed over for Nehlen, we would have only needed 22000 more people to turn out at the polls.

A little perspective, Paul Nehlen put a big push on to get out the vote, hitting (by his count) thousands and thousands of doors, had big name Republicans (Coulter, Malkin, Palin) campaigning for him and plenty of free press coverage.  Add to that Ryan Solen and Tom Breu who were battling for the Democratic nomination.  Both of those candidates brought something different to the race and were both working hard to be the person representing the 1st Congressional district on the November Ballot.

The combined efforts of these three candidates, barely turned out half of what Paul Ryan turned out to keep him in power,   I am certain Paul Ryan, who has taxpayer funded security and walls around his Janesville home, was not out pounding the pavement, knocking on doors at anytime.

I get that he has the bully pulpit, and they gerrymandered his district to be more right wing friendly, but it amazes me how the press and the Democratic Party keep treating him with kid gloves.

Paul Nehlen said in an interview that he wanted to discuss deporting all Muslims.  While it was a stupid thing to say, it made national news everywhere, and he was painted as a crazy extremist.

On the other hand, Paul Ryan, was the leader of the group of Republicans that met the night if President Obamas Inauguration where they launched the plan to block and obstruct everything he did no matter how big or how small. To my knowledge, no one has ever asked Paul Ryan about this borderline treasonous act.  

As we know, there is always more.   Paul Ryan also is set on cutting Military pensions, and has held over 60 votes to repeal (not replace) the Affordable Care act.  Yet they call him the GOP ideas guy and called his opponent extreme.

I hope Ryan Solen can mount a strong challenge but with Paul Ryan raking in millions upon millions from Wall St. and the Democratic party seemingly scared to speak up and criticize Mr. Ryan it is an uphill battle.

Like everything that has happened over the last 6 years, we can no longer rely on the Democratic Party to be the opposition, if we are going to take our state back we need to supersede the party and do it ourselves.   If you care about our country and not the political class, and understand the damage that Paul Ryan has done to his district, please help Ryan Solen out!

You can like his facebook page here and go to his website here!

Lets put someone in Washington who wants to represent Wisconsin, not Wall St.  Wisconsin needs someone who has put their life on the line for our country, not someone who sees our troops as an expense.

2.  Public Education lost big!  Mandela Barnes, one of the better Assemblymen in Madison, made a major decision to challenge Senator Lena Taylor.  Due to some strange rules of incumbent protection by the WisDems, he had to start out not only fighting MS. Taylor for the position he had to also fight the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, Ms. Taylor was getting help from not only the Democratic Party, but also formerly convicted felon, and millionaire school privatizer Scott Jensen.  Ms. Taylor campaigned on the ability to cross the aisle, but the reality is anyone who works with Scott Jensen is working directly against our children.  

In the end, Mandela Barnes lost his bid to unseat Lena Taylor and we lost a champion of public schools while giving more power to someone who wants to privatize.

It did not end there either,  Democrat Leon Young, who formerly convicted felon Scott Jensen called a "school choice champion" turned back two very qualified progressive candidates.

Unfortunately there is more!  Another formerly convicted felon Scott Jensen ally, Jason Fields, also won a seat back in the Assembly beating another progressive in his race.

When Scott Jensen wins a seat in the Democratic Primary, we need to take note.  When Scott Jensen wins three Democratic Primaries, there is cause for panic.

3.  The Democratic base was all over the board.   Unfortunately, all Democratic incumbents remained in their seats but that is as far as they were able to go.   In the race to replace Robb Kahl, Jimmy Anderson was hammered on by members of the Democratic Party in the assembly and many of them endorsed his opponents, yet Jimmy Anderson prevailed.

The same in the Leon Young race, many Democratic electeds, endorsed Edgar Lin but young was able to retain his seat.

It does not stop there either. Long time Democratic Assemblyman, Andy Jorgensen was sick of the fight in the Assembly and tried to get a safer, more stable job as Rock County Register of Deeds, but was beaten handily by the outgoing incumbents second in command.

Andy Jorgensen would probably been able to continue winning his Assembly district but got beaten handily in his bid for a different title. Now the State of Wisconsin has lost two very good Assembly reps in one fell swoop.  

My opinion as to why that is, is because people are sick of politics.  People in the middle and lower classes have the same problems as they have had but things are getting even harder on them.   In Wisconsin, poverty is rising, income inequality is also rising, it is statistically the worst state in the union for people of color, and it is almost weekly that we see the headlines of yet another Wisconsin staple manufacturer is closing its doors and moving.  

With as many elections as we have had the last few years, if anything has changed, conditions are getting worse.

There is no politician(except Bernie Sanders) who has told the people that they understand their plight and that we need a quick fix.

With politicians that are tone deaf, a depressed labor market and declining services for people in need, people are starting to check themselves out of politics.   It has become a turnout problem because the people are not seeing the difference in the parties, nor are they hearing anyone talk about their actual daily concerns and fears.

After the last election blowout, The Democratic Party did a self study where one of the conclusions that they came too was that they need a better consistent message to bring to the voters.  Unfortunately, they did follow their own advice, but the message they came up with was Trump is scary vote for us.

When you are working two jobs, yet living paycheck to paycheck, worried about how you can afford gas, a place to live, health care and food, Trump does not scare you!

When you can not get off work to tend to your sick child or attend their school events because the pay you lose could cost you your apartment, Trump does not scare you.

When you were recently homeless, but now am sharing a one bedroom apartment with three families, just to be able to have a roof over your head, Trump does not scare you.

When your child has special needs and your only reprieve is when they are at school, and you have to worry about the schools having the funding to help your child, while also trying to figure out what is the best thing to give up so you can buy the meds that your child desperately needs, Trump does not scare you.

When your spouse has a heart attack, can no longer work and the deductible that your health insurance charges has left you broke, Trump does not scare you!

There is still time to turn the ship around but there does not seem to be much interest in doing so. This primary election sent a message to the Democratic Party, the question is will they listen, or will the good people of Wisconsin just be a bone to be chewed when the gales of November arrive?

The Scott Jensen Rule

     

By Jeff Simpson 

Assemblyman Mandela Barnes has announced he plans on challenging Senator Lena Taylor for the Senate seat she currently holds in the Democratic primary! This caused the Democratic Party to cut off Mr. Barnes access to the key voter access file due to a policy they have of not allowing challengers of incumbents access.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin rules ban candidates who are challenging an incumbent Democrat from using the party's Voter Activation Network, or VAN. The system provides insights about individual voters and allows candidates to target their messages.
Barnes' contract to use the VAN should've ended when he announced in April his bid to challenge Taylor in the Fourth state Senate district, party chairwoman Martha Laning said.
"The key here as the chair of the Democratic Party is that we consistently apply any rules or policies that we may have," Laning said in a phone interview.

The policy in question is here:

 The Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s bylaws outlines the policy we follow for voter file sales. Under Article 1, Section 6(f)

The Wisconsin voter file which is administered by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) will be made available to all the following individuals/groups in good standing with the DPW and legislative caucuses: all incumbent Democratic Party officeholders, Democratic nominees for public office, Democratic legislative campaign committees, and county, local unit, and Congressional District affiliates of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin...All other requests made by individuals, candidates, groups, organizations, or political committees not specified above, must be approved by the State Chair, subject to review by the Executive Committee. All appeals for reversals or exceptions are subject to review by the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin voter file and other Democratic Party list access fees will be determined by the Executive Committee established fair market value, as required by state regulation. 

Ok I understand that they have a policy, although I believe that anyone running on the Dem ticket should be allowed access to it.  I also think that sometimes we rely on it too much and ignore people we do not think are "voters".  However that is just my opinion and the party feels differently and that is their call.

HOWEVER, there needs to be a new rule enacted immediately.   I would call it the Scott Jensen rule. 

When you decide to team up with the horrible Scott Jensen and his American Federation for Children (AFC) you immediately lose all standing within the Democratic Party structure.

AFC and Scott Jensen are doing Push/Polls for Lena Taylor.



For those who are not aware of who Scott Jensen is, he is a former Asemblyman who was convicted of felonies in the Capitol Scandal until he was able to get a law passed allowing him to take his case to Brad Schimel who refuses to protect fellow GOP members regardless of the crimes.   Schimel decided that his punishment, instead of prison where he belongs, should be that he can not run for Governor.   Which is laughable because he could not pass a background test to substitute in your local school, so I do not think he would have ever sat in the Governors chair.  

If you need more of the Jensen resume here is a sampling .... Jensen has never been honest about his intentions in the public eye, he is paid $400,000/yr plus to privatize our public educational system and spents tens of thousands of dollars smearing Mandy Wright with blatant lies in her assembly seat that she lost by 80 votes.   That is just a sampling.


Lena also has a history of  working with AFC.  

Let's not be on the same side as Scott Jensen a day longer and reverse this decision, immediately!

As for Mandela Barnes, he was recently named one of the top pro-growth progressives in the nation.

 

Wisconsin Taxpayer Got Fleeced, But Lena Got A Pen

By Jeff Simpson

Today, as we all know, Scot Walker made a guest appearance in Wisconsin, to hand $500 million of our taxpayer dollars to the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Tomorrow, Scott Walker will stand on a stage at State Fair Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and betray virtually every conservative economic principle there is by handing out up to $450 million in taxpayer money to wealthy sports owners to pay for private infrastructure at a time when public infrastructure is crumbling.
The massive sum will go toward the building of a new sports arena for the Milwaukee Bucks basketball franchise, pleasing the team’s billionaire hedge-fund-manager owners, who threatened to move the team if they weren’t given taxpayer tribute. Conservatives in recent years have feigned concern about corporate welfare, and this deal is really the ultimate expression of it: hundreds of millions of dollars from teachers, waitresses, factory workers and shop owners funneled to pay for an aristocrat’s show palace rather than needed public service.
Of all the things desperately wrong with this, perhaps the most salient is the fact that the “old” arena, the BMO Harris Bradley Center, is only 27 years old, inaugurated in 1988. Incredibly, this makes it the 3rd-oldest arena housing a professional basketball franchise, behind only Madison Square Garden in New York and the Oracle Arena in Oakland, both of which have been substantially renovated over the years.

 While many of us are wondering how both parties could sell us out to the tune of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars when we know thatr it brings nothing back in return:

However, despite all of the evidence, and the massive cuts to education Scott Walker and the Republicans have brought us the last five years,  Senator Lena Taylor tells us that is all about to change:

Lena C. Taylor

11 hrs ·

Today, Governor Walker signed the Milwaukee Bucks arena funding bill into law. Milwaukee is one step closer to cranes in the sky, jobs on the ground and more money in the state coffers to fund things like public schools.

 See it only took taxpayers, handing billionaire walker donors, $500 million dollars to be able to eventually fully fund education. 

Who knew? 

While Scott walker was able to cash in our millions by getting campaign donations of a few hundred thousand, Ms. Taylor works considerably cheaper.   All it took for her was Scott Walker giving her a pen. 

Lena C. Taylor added 37 new photos.

9 hrs ·

Signing for the arena deal! The pen - handed to me by Gov Walker.

It is not all bad news, Ms. Taylor can use the pen, to write an oped next year about all of the millions flowing back into education because she helped approve the Bucks Arena.  

Shankland Looks Forward to Working With Republicans

I had strong concerns about State Representative Katrina Shankland ("D" - Stevens Point) when she first ran for office two years ago.

Two years later, my concerns remain as strong as ever.  Shankland, who is entering her second term in office, was recently elected by the Democratic Assembly Caucus to be the assistant minority leader.  Apparently, her first order of business is to acquiesce to the Republicans:

I think the key here is managing relationships and building coalitions, so my goal is to sit down with everyone in the Assembly. There have been a lot of talks about how ‘green’ the Assembly is. Over half of us haven’t even been through Act 10 anymore. I think, personally, that’s positive. That means while we lack institutional knowledge, we also have tremendous motivation to build personal relationships and work across the aisle. I see that potential in the new members as well as the current freshman caucuses … so my goal is to help facilitate that conversation.

I also am really looking forward to sitting down with every member of leadership, especially in the Republican caucus, talking about priorities and picking their brains seeing where we can work together. There are so many nonpartisan issues in this state. I wish that education were considered nonpartisan. It is not, unfortunately, because of the voucher expansion lobby. I wish that our natural resources and preserving our natural resources were less partisan. I’ll be fighting very hard for that. But I think there are other issues. Protecting women and ensuring that domestic violence is being curbed and we’re finding good plans to help domestic abuse victims is one example where I think we can work together. And we’ve seen that. We passed mental health and heroin packages in the last session. Every kind of corner or angle I can see, I want to capitalize on and make sure that Democrats can advance an agenda that is reflective of what the people of Wisconsin want and that starts by finding ways to work together.

Oh, yay!

You know who else likes to work with the Republicans? The sellout senator, Lena Taylor.

Thanks to Taylor's "bipartisanship," we have a number of unhealthy laws in the books, including, but in no way limited to:

• The mining bill
• Concealed carry and the Castle Doctrine
• The privatization and profiteering of the school system.
• The decimation of representative government in Milwaukee County.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

How is she going to compromise with people that want to ruin the state ten times over? By making them settle for ruining it only seven times over?

It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Democrats have a messaging problem.  I think their problems go much deeper than that.  They have a spinal fortitude deficiency.

Will Lena Taylor Dare To Show Her Face

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that Sybrina Fulton, the mother of the late Trayvon Martin, is coming to Milwaukee next week.

My first thought at seeing the news was to wonder if sellout State Senator Lena Taylor would dare to show her face.

Taylor had voted not only for the concealed carry law, but also the Castle Doctrine law, which is similar to the "Stand Your Ground" law that allowed George Zimmerman to kill Martin in cold blood and get away with it.

But then again, Taylor has already shown that she has no shame.

The Hypocrisy Of Lena Taylor - The Trayvon Martin Edition

Bo Morrison

When the news came out that George Zimmerman got away with murder partially due to Florida's "Stand your ground" law, I remembered that we in Wisconsin have a similar law called the Castle Doctrine.  And it was this Castle Doctrine Law that was allowed the murderer of Bo Morrison go free.

Bo Morrison was a twenty year old black man that was shot and killed in West Bend about the same time that Trayvon Martin was murdered.  As with the Trayvon Martin case, Bo Morrison's murderer was able to get away with shooting a young black man, even though there were some questionable and suspicious behaviors from the shooter.

The biggest difference is that Bo Morrison's killer didn't even have to go to court.

I also remembered that State Senator Lena Taylor voted for not only the concealed carry law, but also voted for the Castle Doctrine that allowed Bo Morrison's killer go free.

I wondered what Taylor's reaction to Zimmerman getting away with murder was, so I checked her Facebook page.  What I found was not surprising, but still very disappointing:

If the gentle reader can't make that out, she wrote:

Words cannot express my disappointment and concern about the Zimmerman case, and the constant trend of JUST LESS fairness, instead of Justice in our US court system - ESPECIALLY for people of color.

She couldn't even bring herself to mention Trayvon's name.

And then to complain about there being less justice in the courts - especially for minorities- was just too much for me.

She bloody well passed a bill that allowed Bo Morrison to be legally murdered and she is not complaining of less justice for African Americans?   She is as guilty as the man that pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Morrison.

If Taylor had any remorse or was feeling the least bit upset about Trayvon Martin's murderer getting away with it, she would have vowed to have the Castle Doctrine repealed.  Instead, she makes one lame quip without even mentioning Trayvon's name.

At the time of Morrison's killing, there were rallies and calls to repeal the Castle Doctrine, which like the law in Florida, is nothing more than legalized murder.  One of the most vocal opponents to the Castle Doctrine was then Representative Tamara Grigsby.

Interestingly, it came to light that Grigsby and Taylor do not have a mutual admiration relationship.  Wouldn't

it be wonderful to have a true progressive like Grigsby - or Mandela Barnes - take Taylor out in the next election?  Not only would the constituents in that district finally get some actual representation for a change, it would take one more seat away from the Republicans.

Milwaukee's Three Fake Democrats

Will Rogers is accredited for having said, "I am not a member of any organized political party.  I am a Democrat."

And nowhere is that as true as it is in Wisconsin, especially in Milwaukee.

Republicans are almost cult-like in their demand for conformity and obedience.  Step out of line or question the machinations of the state party, and you will get harangued and harassed until you walk away or give up and again kowtow the party line.

On the other line, working with Democrats was like trying to herd cats.  While there was a general adherence and working together towards common goals, individuals would sometimes disagree on certain issues and people would sometimes go their own way or work out a compromise.

Just over two years ago, when Scott Walker and his Teapublican allies in the state legislature started on their draconian attacks on workers, women, vets, school children, university students and voters, the Democrats stood tall and strong.  They stood shoulder to shoulder with the people.  The Democratic Senators, the Fab 14, made a sacrifice of their safety, their homes and their families to give the people time to wake up, to organize and to fight back.

But between then and now, things have changed.  And the change has not been for the better.

Sadly, in the last two years, there is less wiggle room for the Democrats as the Republicans continue to ram their extreme agenda down the throats of the people.  There is little place for compromise when it comes down to taking away people's rights, their livelihoods and their very lives.

A prime example of that is the thirteen Democrats who voted to put the screws to the unemployed and underemployed who are reliant on food stamps, just because they were afraid for their next election.  

One of the most noticeable of these downward turns is State Senator Lena Taylor.  Taylor used to be one of the good ones, one of the heroes.  But almost as soon as the protests ended, she started singing a different tune.  She started actively supporting and even sponsoring major Republican agenda items, like school privatization; concealed carry; the Castle Doctrine; and most recently, the usurpation of power and of destruction of representative government in Milwaukee County, which effectively silences the voice of her own constituents in local affairs.

But now that she's collected her campaign donations and whatever other awards she got from the special interests, Taylor has suddenly realized she still has to answer to the voters whom she's betrayed.  Now she's trying to distance herself from herself.  

But it's too late for her.  Just as she has done unforgivable damage to those she was supposed to represent, she's done damage to her own career from which she won't recover.  

But while Taylor at least is trying to retain some credentials as being a Democrat, Chris Abele isn't even bothering.

People keep referring to Abele as a Democrat, but so far the only discernible evidence I could find is that he once attended a monthly meeting of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County and he dropped a few bucks on a gay rights group.

Otherwise he has not done one thing that could be even remotely called progressive.  What he has done is:

• Tried to frame a Democratic county supervisor with a false charge of bribery.
• Attacked the unions
• Denied voters their voice on the Move to Amend referendum
• Donated to the campaign funds of Teapublicans like Joe Sanfelippo and Dale Kooyenga
• Attacked Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson
• Gutted the County Board, destroyed representative government and denied the citizens democracy, only because he wants to further enrich himself and his plutocratic friends, but got told no.

This will come as a shock his supporters, but fascism isn't a Democratic value.

Abele doesn't even bother attending Democratic Party events, meetings or fund raisers.  He can't be indisposed by dealing with the riffraff who waste their time meeting with, standing along with and fighting for the people of Milwaukee County.  

I would be remiss in discussing the fact that Abele is a fake Democrat without mentioning his emotional and political twin, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.

Clarke is Milwaukee's original fake Democrat.  He is so phony that he goes around  stating that he ran as a Democrat, implying that he is indeed not a democrat.

Clarke has done such things as speak at Teahadist Rallies.  He's also used Milwaukee County sheriff deputies and squads to escort and guard then presidential candidate Mitt Romney (the real one, not Abele) to an event in Waukesha County.

Also like Abele, Clarke often attacks the County Board, both as a whole and individual members.  Furthering the similarity, both of these megalomaniacs have made their attacks personal.

In fact, the only difference between Clarke and Abele is that Clarke is more likely to shoot someone and Abele is more likely to hire someone to do it.

Regardless if the cause of the falseness - being a sellout like Taylor or a poser like Abele and Clarke - the simple fact is that these fake Democrats have no credibility whatsoever.  The should not and can not be trusted.  They are nothing more than ALEC Republicans Lite.

They are causing to much damage to the county, the state and the Party with their falseness and pretenses.

Milwaukee, the state, and the Democratic Party will be much, much better off once people learn this and act accordingly.

At least we have the likes of Senators Chris Larson and Tim Carpenter and Representatives Chris Sinicki and Jon Richards, so all is not lost.  

Lena Taylor Does Two-Faced Two-Step On Usurpation Law

After the signing of the Plutocracy Law, giving Milwaukee County Executive Emperor Chris Walker Romney Abele unprecedented power, State Senator Lena Taylor (DINO-Milwaukee) tried to put some distance between her and herself.  From her press release:

Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) issued the following statement following Governor Walker’s signature today on AB 85, the Milwaukee County Board Bill.

“Today marks the end of a long process by which AB 85 became law. This bill, as it is now signed, is better than the original bill proposed by the majority party. Milwaukee citizens should take note of serious changes that were made to better protect the balance of power in our county. Some of these changes include:

• The Supervisors salary will be set at the per capita income (approx. $24,000) rather than $15,000, IF the referendum in adopted.
• An independent research office created in the Comptroller’s office to protect independent analysis of issues.
• Restrictions on the ability of the county executive to compel a special meeting of the board.
• Added language protecting the ability of supervisors to interact and communicate with departments. 
• Statutory regulation requiring the purchase and sale of assets comply with county policy, as set by supervisors.
• An exemption of fixed costs, such as rent and legacy costs from the county board’s budget cap.
• Both the county executive and county board will have at least one lobbyist reporting to each.”

“This is not a perfect law and there are provisions that I believe need to be addressed in follow-up legislation. However, this bill is a better product, because in this time of great partisan divide, we negotiated and accomplished changes in law rather than just firing press releases back and forth at each other.”

Have you ever seen anyone work so hard to polish a turd?

No matter what she says, the facts are the same.  She has helped remove democracy and representative government from her own constituents as well as everyone else in Milwaukee County.  She helped put a plutocratic tyranny in place.    

What Taylor is doing is trying to have her cake and eat it too.

One one hand, she is claiming that she made the law better, but wouldn't show up for the photo ops and says it needs fixing.  But then again, she had no problem partying it up with her new fascist friends.

On the other hand, she says the laws is bad and needs fixing, but had sponsored it and voted for it.

She can't have it both ways. She made her bed and now she can lie in it. Besides, she'll need a place once the voters remove her from office, as she so richly deserves.

Most Circuses Do

In response to my post pointing out Lena Taylor getting cozy with her Republican friends, Tamra Varebrook - renowned for being one of the fake Democrats in the recalls - welcomed her fellow fake Democrat into the Republican folds:

To which I can only reply that most circuses do have big tents.  The Republicans probably have a bigger tent than usual to make sure there's room for all of their clowns.

Lena Taylor Celebrates Fascism With Her Friends

Well, isn't this just the most special thing you ever saw?

Lena Taylor actually went out with her Republican friends to celebrate selling out her constituents.  I guess some people have no sense of shame.

And speaking of which, now that the bill is all but enacted, we are seeing that the local paper is finally reporting what is in the bill, much of which the LefTeas who support Abele's power grab had told was not in there:

Provisions that kick in immediately include shrinking the board's role in land sales, labor negotiations and contracts. The county executive can hire as many people as he wants for his office without interference.

The executive also gets sole authority over the county fish hatchery, child support department, operation of the Milwaukee Public Museum, harbor facilities and any work relief program. Abele will have the sole power to create any new county department. He'll have primary oversight of minority contracting, which has been under the County Board.

A provision in the bill assigning one county lobbyist to the county executive and one to the board is already spawning differences. Abele said he gets to hire and supervise both lobbyists, though one would work with the board. Dimitrijevic said she understood that the two-person lobbying unit would be independent, with one lobbyist working with the board and the other with Abele.

The board's budget will drop from this year's $6.6 million to a maximum of $1.1 million starting next year, likely forcing a significant reduction in the 38-person board staff. However, several staff jobs now assigned to the board would be transferred to the county clerk and county comptroller. Four policy analyst jobs would go to the comptroller to create an independent service department that could be tapped by both the board and the county executive. The board currently has seven research analyst positions, though three are vacant.

Funny thing is, all those LefTeas that were telling us that these things weren't in

there are not saying a peep about it now. Maybe they're just waiting for their pay offs now.

But don't worry, gentle reader. There's still a lot more out there that Abele and his minions don't want to be made known.  But, golly gee, something tells me they will still be made know somehow.

Again, how can anyone not see the glaring resemblance between Abele and his good friend and mentor, Scott Walker?

And as for Taylor, there is no question that this will be her last term in office, with at least two top tier candidates being mentioned in going up against her.  The only question is whether she will even be allowed to complete her current term.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

With all of the hullabaloo about the thirteen Democrats who turned on their constituents by siding with the illegal, immoral and inane anti-poor bill, there are two other stories that have hit today that might have been missed, but are very pertinent to this story.

One has to do with former legislator Elizabeth Coggs who lost to State Senator Nikiyah Harris in the last election.  Coggs' fall from grace had much to do with the fact that she sold out her constituents for a few bucks from the school privateers.

Coggs further cemented her position as a turncoat by attending the WISGOP convention this past weekend:

The Milwaukee Democrat and nine other African-Americans from Milwaukee attended the state GOP convention in Wausau as guests of Milwaukee County GOP chairman David Karst and had expenses paid as part of their trip.

The group met with U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and had an hour and a half meeting with U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Karst said. The group discussed issues such as jobs and taxpayer-funded private voucher schools with Republicans at the convention, he said.

[...]

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he took the opportunity to talk with Coggs, who last year lost to Sen. Nikiya Harris (D-Milwaukee) in a primary race to take over the Senate seat vacated at the end of last year by her uncle, current city of Milwaukee treasurer Spencer Coggs.

“She’s always been a school choice supporter,” Vos said. “The Republican party is doing outreach while I think the Democrats are opposing anyone who doesn’t toe the party line.”

Yeah, and Vos' definition of doing outreach actually involves former Representative Michele Litjens.

But to categorize this some sort of outreach or bipartisanship is laughable. Just because Coggs has a "D" behind her name, it doesn't make her a Democrat. Just look at Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and his good buddy, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. Coggs is no more a Democrat than either of those clowns.

Sadly, Coggs is not the only one that has crossed the line.

Lisa Kaiser at the Shepherd Express wrote a report about how Scott Jensen's misnamed American Federation for Children tried to conceal the fact that it had spent almost $2.4 million on Wisconsin campaigns and candidates last year. In said article, Kaiser includes this tidbit which confirms what we've known for quite some time - voters cleared out a lot of posers last year:

What AFC didn’t brag about, though, is the string of losers that it backed in the Democratic primaries last summer.

AFC dumped at least $100,000 in support of the losing campaigns of Elizabeth Coggs, Millie Coby, Jason Fields, Jarrett Fields and Tracey Dent.

Democratic voters rejected all of them.

Still, the AFC does have at least one Democratic supporter in the state Legislature.

According to her latest Statement of Economic Interests filed with the GAB, Democratic Sen. Lena Taylor received a $1,000 scholarship to attend AFC's convention.

(Taylor also received a $1,250 scholarship to attend the convention of Howard Fuller’s Black Alliance for Educational Opportunity.)

Gee, Lena Taylor selling out her constituents - or to be more accurate - the children of her constituents for a few thousand bucks.

Whodathunkit?

It's time for the Democrats to refind themselves, as in by yesterday, and clean up their acts or the voters will continue to do it for them.  These kinds of betrayals are not going to be continued to be tolerated.

Lawmakers Harrassing The Constitution

By Jeff Simpson

The Manitowoc News brings us the story of ASSemblyman Garey Bies! 

A Wisconsin lawmaker is pushing for tougher laws to deter people who would intimidate or harm members of the Legislature and their families.Under legislation introduced by Rep. Garey Bies, a Republican from Sister Bay, acts such as striking, shoving or kicking a lawmaker or a family member with no legitimate reason would face harsher penalties.

For one all of this os obviously already illegal and secondly, what legitimate reason would anyone have to  "striking, shoving or kicking a lawmaker or a family member"?  

As is the theme here, but wait there is more:

Bies said harassment of lawmakers is a longstanding issue but has worsened since Gov. Scott Walker signed a law in 2011 that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. Opponents of that measure “would stand in your face and bump into you,” Bies said. “They chased you down the hallway and all the way to the office.”

Just look on the bright side,  I hear they are considering adding - pretending your an elected official running away from your constituents as a new Olympic event! 

Bies said he has personal experience. During that tumultuous period, he said he got enough derogatory calls at home that he got caller ID.

 Wow, as a legislator, his constituents called him so much he had to get Caller ID!  Of course  Caller ID was introduced to the US in the late 1980's, we cant expect our republican legislators to be up on the latest in technology, heck its only been out 25 years. 

The restroom of his restaurant was vandalized twice within two weeks during September 2011, which he attributed to his status as a legislator.

 I never heard of a public restroom being "vandalized".  Care to expand on what exactly happened and how you know it was people who disagree with you?  Any arrests made? or should we just enact laws on based on conjecture?  

 Under current law, people who intentionally harm a public official can be convicted of a Class I felony, punishable by up to 31/2 years in prison. Bies’ legislation would create a Class A misdemeanor — punishable by up to nine months in prison — for acts of repeated intimidation or use of force to influence a lawmaker’s action, or for lingering within 100 yards of his or her private property.

 Does that mean Charlie Sykes will be arrested soon?   Can we expect that Verify the recall website will be taken down? 

Acts that cause a lawmaker or family member’s fear of death would be a Class H felony, meaning up to six years in prison.

So the bigger the coward the politico is, the more severe the penalty is.  Got it!  

Bies said he supports freedom of speech, but there’s a line people shouldn’t cross when they disagree.

More accurate:  Bies said he supports free speech, as long as you agree with him.  Attaboy's only! 

Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, and Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Randall, are co-sponsoring the proposal.

See Plale, Jeff and Fields, Jason.  

 Madison police last year cited a Racine man who they said was involved in dumping a glass of beer on the head of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. The suspect’s motive was unclear.

 The Motives were very clear, the suspect was a goof and Robin Vos is a douchebag!   

“This bill is a solution in search of a problem,” Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin said in a statement

Well Duh.  However we can give the Wisconsin republicans in Government a break, its not like that have any other more pressing issues! 


 

Bipartisan Opposition To Rent-To-Own - Really?

In a stunning bit of news, it is being reported that there is a diverse, bipartisan coalition standing in opposition to the rent-to-own provision in Scott Walker's 2013-15 budget proposal. The irony of it and statements made from it is inescapable:

A diverse, bipartisan coalition gathered today to call for removal of a
provision in Gov. Scott Walker's budget that would not only allow the rent-to-own businesses to operate the in Wisconsin, but would grant them special exemptions and privileges.

State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), a longtime opponent of the rent-to-own industry, joined with Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) and prominent clergy and consumer rights activists today in a rally at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce headquarters on Milwaukee's south side.

In a press conference, Grothman blasted Walker, saying that the governor ran for office on a platform of reducing the amount of policy issues in state budgets.

"This time around, there are a variety of economic initiatives Gov. Walker could choose to support. He could have put policies in supporting the manufacturers or the farmers or the restaurant owners or whatever in the budget. Instead in this budget, we're trying to open up the state of Wisconsin to the Rent-A-Center chain. There are a variety of chains, but the one I think they really want this badly is the Rent-A-Center chain out of Plano, Texas," Grothman said.

Rent-a-Center takes advantage of people who do not understand math concepts well, Grothman said, by charging up to seven times more for a television, piece of furniture or other item than it would cost in a normal retail store, and adding exorbitant fees.

"I assume Gov. Walker does not know how predatory and just plain evil this chain is," Grothman said. "I hope we can get Gov. Walker to change his mind. I assume that if this chain comes in here, they will be bleeding millions of dollars every year from our most vulnerable citizens…It's just horrible that of all the things you can do in the Legislature, you would say we're going to let these guys in the state of Wisconsin."

Taylor said the rent-to-own provision is especially upsetting because it is buried in the budget.

"We need to shine a light on this issue because it's hidden in the budget," Taylor said. "To me, if Gov. Walker is so proud of this provision, he should put it in a freestanding bill," where it will be subject to public hearings, Taylor added.

Now, it might be my cynicism talking, but I am a bit skeptical about all this.

Grothman is not exactly known for standing up for poor people or minorities, who are the favorite prey of these usury businesses.

Lena Taylor, on the other hand, is known for her willingness to sell out her constituents on just about any issue from gun control to education privatization to representative government in Milwaukee County.

I would also point out that their press conference occurred at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  That's the same group that has joined with the Greater Milwaukee Committee in their effort to take over Milwaukee County and plunder its assets and exploit the taxpayers and workers alike.

All in all, it's not a group of people that one would expect to stand up for the little people.

Which makes me wonder why they are doing so.

Is it a fluke?  Is it that they just haven't gotten enough campaign donations yet?  Or is it simply a turf war and they don't want anyone muscling in on their racket?  I mean, there is only so much that they can squeeze out of the taxpayers and they wouldn't want to share it.

I don't know why these individuals have had an apparent sudden change of heart, at least on this one issue.  But it does remind me of the adage that a leopard cannot change its spots.

State Legislators To Hold Milwaukee Listening Session On Plutocracy Bill

From the inbox:

Local residents are invited to share their opinions on the state-imposed changes to the Milwaukee County Board at a public hearing this Tuesday
in Milwaukee.  The hearing starts at 5:00 p.m. and will be held at the Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vilet Street.

After Senate Republicans failed to hold a committee hearing in the community that they are forcing to change, local Legislative representatives of Milwaukee County are holding an opportunity for citizens in Milwaukee County who were unable to attend the midday Madison hearing to voice their opinion on the bill forcing state-imposed changes to the Milwaukee County Board.

WHAT: Milwaukee County hearing on the attack on local control

WHO: Sen. Chris Larson, Sen. Tim Carpenter, Sen. Nikiya Harris, Sen. Lena C. Taylor, Rep. Josh Zepnick, Rep. Sandy Pasch, Rep. Mandela Barnes, Rep. Evan Goyke, Rep. John Richards, Rep. Christine Sinicki, Rep. Daniel Riemer, Rep. LaTonya Johnson, Rep. Leon Young, Rep. Fred Kessler and Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa

WHERE: Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vilet Street

WHEN: Tuesday, April 30, 5:00 p.m.

This is not the type of hearing Milwaukee deserves, but word is that despite Lena Taylor selling out her constituents on so many issues, she could not get the Republicans to agree to come to Milwaukee to hear what the people really think about them doing Chris Abele's and the Greater Milwaukee Committee's bidding.

I wonder if she's realized how much she is being used by them yet.

I also wonder if the other Abele minions are realizing that Abele and the GMC will turn on them once their usefulness is gone.

Has Lena Taylor Betrayed One Constituent Too Many?

State Senator Lena Taylor has not been feeling much love as of late.

And that is for a good reason.

Most people tend to dislike other people who stab them in the back.

And that is exactly what Taylor has been doing to her political party, to her city and county and to her constituents.

Taylor has voted to legalize concealed carry and then doubled down on this by also voting for the castle doctrine.

Taylor also sold out on the futures of the children of Milwaukee when she became a rather vocal advocate of privatizing the schools, even though the private schools fail in every measure.

She then followed these betrayals up with stabbing her own party in the back again by making racist comments towards Sandy Pasch, saying people shouldn't vote for Pasch because she "doesn't look like them."

More recently, she turned her back on her community by not only supporting AB 85/SB 95, but also cosponsoring it.  She was the only Democrat to do so, making her treachery more plain for all to see.

It's no great wonder why her constituents are angry with her.  She's not representing them in the least bit.

Now it looks like she might have betrayed one constituent too many:

Here is a portion of the post, which has drawn more than 80 "likes" and 50 comments, including statements of support from state Reps. Peter Barca, Cory Mason, Josh Zepnick and Sandy Pasch.

"I hate that our relationship has gone to this point. I thought things would be different. But clearly not," Grigsby wrote.

"Your efforts to ruin my personal life and professional career seem to have no end. I am now looking out for ME! But no matter what, I still pray that u find happiness and contentment in yourself . . . as opposed to spending ALL your efforts on making my life miserable."

So who exactly is drawing the former politician's ire?

State Sen. Lena Taylor, according to sources. Grigsby has told friends and allies that Taylor has been spreading unfounded rumors about Grigsby's personal life to others, including the ex-lawmaker's current employer, Milwaukee Public Schools.

Insiders said Grigsby -- MPS's manager of parental and community involvement -- has even gone so far as to hire an attorney to help her decide whether to sue Taylor for slander. Grigsby, a Milwaukee Democrat, was elected to the Assembly in 2004 to fill the seat vacated by Taylor, who had been promoted to the Senate.

Taylor feigns ignorance at why Grigsby might be upset with her and tries to distract one's attention by bringing up AB 85/SB 95.

It's much more likely that she is jealous of Grigsby's integrity and the fact that Grigsby went to work for MPS, which Taylor wants to privatize.

The article goes on to say that rumor has it that Grigsby is considering a run against Taylor.  Interestingly, that would be the second name I've heard thinking of making that run against Taylor.

The good news is that both potential candidates are good, solid people and would have no problems taking Taylor out.  Not only would that allow the constituents to finally have someone representing them, but it would also take one more vote away from the Republicans, which makes it a double win for the people.

Lena Taylor Only Democrat To Betray Milwaukee

Despite the high level of opposition to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele's overreaching power grab, Representative Joe Sanfelippo has now formally introduced AB 85, the bill to turn Milwaukee County into a plutocracy.

Unsurprisingly, but no less disappointing, the treacherous Senator Lena Taylor was the only Democrat to snub party values and again betray her constituents by remaining a cosponsor at this fascist proposal:

State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo's bill to curb the resources and authority of the Milwaukee County Board includes just one Democratic co-sponsor.

State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), whose support for the measure was announced weeks ago, remains the sole Democrat willing to publicly endorse it. Sanfelippo had said earlier that he expected to round up several Democratic co-sponsors.

As I said, it's not very surprising that Taylor would turn her back on her vows and her constituents on this issue, given she has been doing this a lot lately.

And I'm not the only one to speak out about it. Here is a posting from Earl Ingram, former talk show host of WMCS-AM on Taylor's betrayal of her community:

It has become abundantly clear State Senator Lena Taylor is showing her true colors. I remember interviewing her on air one day and her response "was to let me do my thang". It is becoming clear what her thang is, not what her constituents want but what Lena Taylor wants. And how dare anyone question her because she knows what's best for her lowly constituents. She has always made it clear she's a one woman gang, it's always been , "me, me, I , I". She supported the castle doctrine , she supported concealed carry even though many in our community opposed it. Now she supports the expansion of school choice even though there is little accountability in it. Most democrats are in opposition, but what the heck Lena knows best. She has just been relected which has embolded her even more . There's money in school choice and the higher up you are, the more money is available to YOU. Pay close attention to what is being said, senator Taylor was one of the most out spoken during the recall election, now she supports the Governor in this wrong headed endeavor. "Politricks" at it's best you have been fooled, we must pay close attention to what people do once their in office. Instead of expansion of choice she should be focusing on ACCOUNTABILITY of these schools.

This is where I would advise Taylor to do some serious soul searching, but for her, it would only meaning locating all of the special interests she has sold it to.

Lena Taylor: No One's Senator But the Special Interests'

Over the weekend, I reported how Wisconsin State Senator Lena Taylor was in full-throated support of privatizing our schools.  I also pointed out how she was receiving a lot of support from the special interest groups in favor of selling out our children so that they could profiteer off of them.

Image courtesy of WISN

It now appears that the education profiteers are not the only ones that hold influence over the way Taylor votes.

Last week, I questioned what Taylor might be hiding by not even acknowledging - much less responding to - an open records request she had gotten from Cory Liebmann.

Shortly after Liebmann and I published our posts, Taylor's office finally responded.  What Liebmann has found so far only serves to raise more questions:
One of the records that I requested from Senator Taylor was her official calendar. In that calendar there were a number of things that stood out including in the last days of January. I've included a copy of that page HERE.

You will notice that on January 29th from 2:30-3:00 p.m. Senator Taylor was scheduled to participate in a conference call with Michael Greebe [sic].

Liebmann goes on to point at all of the things that Grebe has his fingers in and all of the right wing groups he helps to fund with Bradley Foundation lucre. He also points out that Taylor also spoke with Scott Walker two days later.

Liebmann then questions why Taylor would be speaking with Grebe and rightfully so. It should raise anyone's eyebrows.

Taylor's Chief of Staff, Eric Peterson, commented on Liebmann's blog in an effort to explain Taylor's conversations with both Grebe and Walker:

Comments from Eric Peterson, Senator Taylor’s Chief of Staff on this blog posting.

Mr. Michael Grebe was appointed to Bradley Center Sports & Entertainment Complex Board by Governor Walker in 2012. His appointment was referred to the Committee on Economic Development & Local Government, on which Senator Taylor sits, for consideration. Senator Taylor discussed that appointment with Mr. Grebe on their phone call on January 29th. Mr. Grebe contacted our office to discuss his appointment and requested that phone call. A public hearing and vote were held on Feb 5th. Senate confirmation was acted on February 20th with all Senators, including all Democrats, voting in favor of Mr. Grebe’s appointment. Mr. Grebe’s official file with the Senate with dates can be found at: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2013/executive_appointment/ea_grebe

Senator Taylor responded to a request of the Governor for a phone call which led to their conversation on Thursday, January 31. Senator Taylor and the Governor discussed mining legislation at the Governor’s request. As you are aware, Senator Taylor voted against the mining legislation (SB 1).

It's a rather plausible rationale, and it might also be true.

But we also know to be true is that just two weeks after Taylor's conversation with Grebe and Walker, she came out in support of the assault of democracy in Milwaukee County. And we know that Grebe is a board member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, who is strongly pushing for the dismantling of Milwaukee County. And Walker has come out in support of this measure as well, which is not surprising given how many times they prevented Walker from doing even more damage than he already has.

It's up to the gentle reader if they wish to give Taylor the benefit of the doubt on this.  But given the multiple other examples of the way she has betrayed her constituents and Milwaukee as a whole - from concealed carry to the Castle Doctrine to supporting the privatization of schools - I personally wouldn't be so quick to trust her on this issue either.

Who Is Senator Lena Taylor Representing? UPDATED!

In 2011, Senator Lena Taylor voted for not only the conceal carry law, but also the Castle Doctrine.  Showing how much of a hypocrite she is, one year later, she posed with Trayvon Martin’s Mother at the Rainbow Push Coalition Conference in Chicago.

Image courtesy of WISN

Earlier this year, she again stood against her own constituents by putting her name as a cosponsor to the power grab bill that Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and Representative Joe Sanfellipo are trying to ram down our throats.  This bill would end representative government on the county level and diminish the voices of the very same people which she is supposed to be representing.

ADDENDUM #1: I forgot to also point out how Taylor did race-baiting in the last election.  In her opposition to Representative Sandy Pasch's campaign, Taylor actually told voters that they should support "someone who looks like us."

Just this week, we learned that she is now trying to play games with open record requests submitted to her office.  It makes one wonder what she is trying to hide from the public.

Given the anger that her constituents have shown toward her after she has betrayed them time after time, it's not surprising that she would not want more information coming out which would show her treachery.

And the stuff she wouldn't want to come out would include things like this email, which she sent to every member of the finance committee:

From: Lena Taylor [mailto:[redacted]]
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2013 8:31 AM
To: Rep.Kooyenga
Subject: Preserve and promote quality education options in Milwaukee


Dear Representative Kooyenga,

Milwaukee has a long tradition of empowering parents and fostering innovation in education. The private schools that participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) and independent charter schools are some of the most successful and innovative education options in the City of Milwaukee.

Unfortunately despite this success, funding for these options has lagged far behind funding for more traditional options. In the last decade charter and private schools participating in the MPCP have watched their funding stagnate and then decline, while the investment in traditional schools continues to increase. This funding disparity is not fair.

This makes it very difficult for great schools to grow and nearly impossible for promising schools to make the changes necessary to go from good to great. As a result, we do not have enough quality seats to serve Milwaukee students.

As a Milwaukee resident and education reform supporter, I thank the Governor for putting a provision in his budget that increases funding for students participating in the MPCP and those who attend charter students. We urge members of Joint Finance to support those changes.

Sincerely, Lena Taylor, A Concerned Voter Who Votes on Education Issues

[address redacted]
Milwaukee, WI 53206-2934

In summary, Senator Lena Taylor had already come out against public safety and representative government. Now she is coming out against the children in the state, not to mention her own district, getting a quality education.

This should make her constituents wonder exactly who she is representing in Madison, because it sure as hell ain't them.

ADDENDUM #2:  Well, we can make a pretty good guess at who Taylor is representing.  Thanks to a good friend of Cog Dis, we learned that Taylor was once named "DFER Reformer of the Month."  And not only did these education profiteers offer their verbal support to Taylor for selling out our children, they paid her pretty well too.

Is there any issue that Taylor won't sell us out on?

She's got to go.

What Is Senator Lena Taylor Hiding?

Last month, I called out State Senator Lena Taylor for her betrayal of her constituents by signing on as a cosponsor of the power grab bill being pushed by State Representative Joe Sanfellipo and Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.

I was not the only one angry about her treacherous ways, as evidenced by this video*, where she tried to defend her selling out her constituents and her friends:



You'll note how she was not only trying to shout down her own constituents, but was lying to them as well. I am hearing from more and more people that this piece of garbage bill might not have the votes after all.

And now there is more cause of concern regarding Taylor. She apparently has something to hide regarding her role in this fiasco, per Cory Liebmann, who's been looking into who's behind this power grab:

For my part, I want to understand more about what exactly may have brought us to this point. What has been going on behind the scenes and who has been involved in all of this careful and expensive planning? What does that information tell us about the possible motives at the root of the effort itself?

To hopefully find some of these answers I've filed a number of open records requests with a variety of public officials that have publicly forced this issue in the first place. Most of the officials have at least initially responded to my records requests and some with a notable and welcome amount of speed. Time will tell, as I work with them to obtain various public records, exactly how open each elected official will be to such scrutiny.

After three full weeks only one public official has failed to even acknowledge receipt of my open records request and sadly that is my own state Senator Lena Taylor. It is still a mystery to me as to why she was so quick to sign on to this legislation. There certainly is no groundswell within her district for this legislation, so I am very interested in reviewing the public records that I've requested from her. Some have already speculated about her quick support of this legislation but I am withholding judgement at this point. However doing things like ignoring open records requests into the matter will only feed those kinds of theories.

Those that are pushing this Milwaukee County legislation the hardest should be the first to allow the sun to shine on all aspects of it. Only then can we have the full and substantive discussion that Milwaukee County residents actually deserve.

As Liebmann notes, the records, when she finally releases them, might prove things to be very different, but for now, her lack of response whatsoever, in combination with the above video, surely should give one pause to wonder.

*The best line of the video comes near the end where Taylor is defending her vote for concealed carry by saying even Mother Theresa carried a gun.

The Treacherous Lena Taylor

I first met State Senator Lena Taylor about six years ago, when she was running against Scott Walker for the position of Milwaukee County Executive.

I was still writing at folkbum's rambles and rants at that time, and I fought hard to try to get her elected.  Sadly, her campaign was very poorly managed and was an utter flop.  I remember feeling more than a little angry when it seemed like that I was working harder on the campaign than her campaign staff was.  I grew even more miffed when I learned her her campaign manager* was lying through his teeth to me.

But she was such an amiable person that I didn't stay mad long.

In 2011, when Taylor and her other senators fled the country to give the people a chance to recognize the harm that Scott Walker and the Republicans were causing to the state, I cheered her on as did so many other Wisconsinites.

But something happened.

Taylor changed.

She is no longer the champion of the people nor for her own constituents.

It started a year and a half ago, when Taylor went against her constituents and against Milwaukee by supporting the reckless concealed carry law, comparing guns to works of art.  When you have an area that has such a high level of gun-related crimes as they do in her district, the last thing one wants to do is introduce more guns.

Last year, she fought against members of her own party, especially Sandy Pasch, during the election, jeopardizing the few seats that the Democrats were winning.

Earlier this year, she was seen standing behind Scott Walker as he was pushing the mining bill, complete with the lies that it would create jobs right away, much less that those jobs would go to Wisconsinites.

And now she has come out as a cosponsor of the plutocratic power grab which will eliminate local level representation for people in her district, not to mention raise taxes and cuts services on the poorest and most vulnerable of her constituents.

To recap, in the last year and a half, she has back-stabbed her own party, her state, her county, her city and her own constituents.

I would say that last year, when we swept out the sell outs like Jason Fields and Elizabeth Coggs, it appears we missed at least one more.  We will have to make sure we correct that mistake the next time she comes up for reelection.

At least Senator Chris Larson, Senate Minority Leader, had the foresight to take her off the important Joint Finance Committee.  Who knows what damage she could have done then.

With Democrats like Taylor, who needs Republicans?

*That same fellow is now working for Abele and is still telling lies. Coincidence to Taylor's latest treachery?