Tom Larson (R-67th) - Pervert in Waiting

By Jeff Simpson

We have covered the debate about our friends in the LGBT community and how the Big Government Republican Bullies want to tell them where, when and how they have to pee.

However this goes beyond the pale.   GOP Rep. Tom Larson (R-67th) had this to say about the issue:

Does that mean women should be scared of Mr. Larson becoming a pervert if they are ever alone with him?  Has anyone checked with any women on his staff?  Any constituent ever been along with him?  Has he ever been to a public pool or beach?  With the track record Republican elected officials have  believe this is enough evidence to start a deeper investigation.

Seriously!  Lucky for the women in Madison, Mr. Larson is retiring (although I think that was coming anyway).   However the people of the 67th district had better be on the lookout for this guy:



Your daughter, sister, mother, neighbor depend on it!!!!

Here is Mr. Larsons contact information:

21 N State Capitol , 

Madison, WI 53702, 53713

Phone:(608) 266-1194

I would also highly recommend that you contact Speaker of the Assembly and demand that safeguards be put in place when Mr. Larson is in the Capitol building!  

Robin Vos 

Phone:(608) 266-9171

   @speakervos

Republicans For Cancer

By Jeff Simpson

We know that a no brainer piece of legislation was heading through our state legislature, which would make it affordable for cancer victims to get affordable oral chemotherapy if they needed it.   The problem is, we have too many legislators, with no brain.   


One of the best summaries of the whole disgusting mess, was written by our friend Blue Cheddar(check out the whole piece):

Robin Vos let everyone know that he supports cancer victims, because he joins a cancer walk once a year. 

After the amendment was adopted with a 54 to 40 vote, Robin Vos gave a long speech about how he honors family members at a cancer “Hope Walk”. He said many people on his side are “philosophically opposed to mandates on insurance policies” regardless of the discussion because they think more options leads to cheaper prices and he called Strachota’s amendment changes “reasonable”.

 Vos is against "mandates" in curing cancer victims but for them if you are a woman considering abortions, if you are a municipality wanting to have to control over your own government and many other things.

Then the theatre really hit.  as Rep. Tom Larson turned on the waterworks! 

 
Following, Rep. Danou told the Republican Assembly members, “The only reason you are voting on this bill is because you were shamed into doing this.”

That accusation drove several Republican Assembly members to emotion. Rep. Tom Larson from Colfax was moved to anger and tears and denied that he was shamed into action. He told the Assembly he saw his own daughter die from cancer six years ago.

Rep. Tom Larson, shortly after his speech voting yes for the poison pill,  telling Wisconsin families, my daughter died of cancer 6 years ago so now your child can die also.    

Then Sandy Pasch stood up and said what everyone was thinking :

“It always bothers me when people think they’ve done enough for cancer when they light the dome pink or purple or… whatever cancer month color it is. ‘Look how much i care. I lit a dome’. Or ‘I’ve gone on a walk’. Or ‘I lit a candle’. Or ‘I’ve posed for pictures’…That’s not showing how much you care. That’s showing how much you care about political points,” said Rep. Pasch.
“I can not believe what this body is doing today. We had the possibility to get something done for the people in the State of Wisconsin.”
“Today. A clean bill.”
“I talked to cancer groups. They said this is an “Unhappy compromise.” An unhappy compromise. They felt that they had nothing that they COULD do – that they had nothing to bargain with. Other than their lives. This is such hypocracy i can’t stand it. If there was true intent on getting a good bill passed we could have had an executive hearing in the health committee where we could have debated alternatives and looked at how to make this bill better. But this bill never had a hearing in the executive health committee. We had an incredibly moving public hearing. Where people talked about the impact of not being able to afford treatment. … that did not move the executive committee to have have an executive committee hearing about it because the intent was “Let’s just shuffle this thing around”. Again. Let’s not have revisionist history. The real history is that the intent from the leaders of BOTH HOUSES – the majority in both houses – was to shuffle this bill around and try to kill it.”
“And look how good we are. We passed a bill in one house that’s different than the bill in the other house and maybe – just maybe – the Senate will take it up and change it in the exact same form and we can do something besides light candles.”
“Don’t hold your breath on it. Don’t hold your breath on it. The only sure way to get this thing done is by passing a clean bill.”
Rep. Pasch concluded:

“I keep waiting for the profiles in courage moments in this house. I keep waiting for it. For somebody to break away from the man behind the curtain who tells everyone how to vote. For somebody to say, ‘You know what? Enough of that. I’m going to do what’s right for my constituents. I’m going to do what’s right for the people of Wisconsin. I’m going to save some lives tonight.”

The ALEC 5!

Common Cause and the Center for Media & Democracy have been following and exposing ALEC's activities in Wisconsin.  They have done Yeoman's work on this important issue!  Such good work that 5 of Wisconsin's republican assemblymen tried to break the law to keep their association with ALEC private.  

  

"Please send ALL ALEC material to the Representative's PERSONAL email . . . from now on," says a June email to ALEC sent from Jeremy Thiesfeldt's state account.

The good folks at CC and CMD did not give up though and took these five to court, and of course, easily won.   Now the fact that these five "fiscal conservative" republican's tried to govern in private, it ended up costing the taxpayers of Wisconsin $2520 in court costs and fees.   There are plenty of places that could use that money right now!  

Five Wisconsin state legislators have agreed to turn over any correspondence and documents with or related to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and held on their personal email accounts; the action settles a lawsuit brought by the Center for Media and Democracy and Common Cause.

The Attorney General’s office will conduct the agreed-upon document search.

"As part of the settlement agreement, the five legislators admitted that ALEC-related records were held on their personal email accounts and are covered by the Open Records Law," said Center for Media and Democracy Staff Counsel Brendan Fischer, who filed the complaint. "They are finally complying with the law and agreeing to release those records to the public."

The five legislators -- Representatives Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva), Dan Knodl (R-Germantown), Tom Larson (R-Colfax), and Pat Strachota (R-West Bend) -- also acknowledged they have a duty as elected officials to fully comply with records requests from the public. They will pay $2,520 in court costs and attorney’s fees involved in bringing the lawsuit.

 "This agreement should put to rest Rep. Pat Strachota’s ridiculous assertion to the press that the suit was a 'political witch hunt,' and ALEC’s absurd claim that seeking its communications with lawmakers was 'abusing' the open records law," said Lisa Graves, Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy, which publishes PRWatch.org and ALECexposed.org.

However I doubt it will put to rest Stachota's ridiculousness or ALEC's desire to remain secret.   I also doubt it will mean that republicans will agree to open government in the future.  Remember this is the group that signed "secrecy agreements" during the redistricting process!   

For those of you who care about transparency, open government, not ceding responsibility to shadow organizations and wasting valuable taxpayer money should take a look at these legislators who stand for all of these things and their races!   

1.   Jeremy Thiesfeldt of the 52nd Assembly district.  To change from the tea party extreme to join the ranks of the rest of Wisconsin, Paul Czisny will represent you!  Check his website out here and his facebook page here! 

2.  Tyler August of the 32nd Assembly District.   If you understand that to move WI Forward to the future and job creation, you do NOT cut $1.6 Billion from education, then support and vote for Kim Peterson!  Her website is here and her facebook page is here!

3.  Dan Knodl of the 24th Assembly District.  If you are sick of wild partisan conspiracy theories and blatant dishonesty in advertising and want to be represented by a moderate intelligent skilled thoughtful representative, then Shan Haqqi is the one to vote for.  Check out Shan's website here and his facebook page here! 

4.   Tom Larson of the 67th Assembly District.  If you realize that the health care system in our country and state is broken and needs fixing and want someone with real world experience and ideas to do so, the support and vote for Deb Bieging!  Her website is here and her facebook page is here!

5.  Pat Strachota of the 58th Assembly District.  Unfortunately, Strachota is running unopposed.  If you want to know why the Wisconsin Democratic Party would allow an extremist who completely disregards open government like Strachota to run unopposed please contact the Wisconsin Democratic Party - infor@wisdems.org and (608) 255-5172

Let's show a message to all politicians and let them know that shadow private government behind closed doors and private email accounts is not something we will tolerate in WI!