Nass Feels Manhood Threatened By UW Course On Masculinity

Republican Wisconsin State Representative Steve Nass, aka N. Ass, has a long history of being perpetually offended by the University of Wisconsin and has been a main proponent in slashing its budget over the past several years.

Nass' latest bit of faux outrage stems from feeling his manhood is being threatened by a six-week course on masculinity:

A University of Wisconsin-Madison program that explores masculinity amounts to a declaration of war on men and the university should be punished in upcoming budget deliberations, a Republican legislator said Wednesday.

UW-Madison offers a six-week program for undergraduate and graduate students called the Men's Project. It's open only to students who identify as male. Participants examine their masculinity and how it plays into pop culture, sexuality and "hook up culture," according to the program website.

Sen. Steve Nass, a frequent UW System critic, sent an email to his fellow lawmakers on Wednesday entitled "UW-Madison Declares War on Men and their Masculinity — Not a Joke." The email accuses UW-Madison of being part of a national liberal effort to rid male students of their "toxic masculinity."

The email comes less than three weeks after Nass and Republican Rep. Dave Murphy ripped the school for offering a course entitled "The Problem of Whiteness." They demanded legislators cut the UW System budget if UW-Madison didn't drop the class.

"Our friends at UW-Madison, not happy enough with labeling 'whiteness' as a societal problem, now are attacking another social ill ..., Men and their masculinity," the email says.

"The supposedly underfunded and overworked administrators at our flagship campus have scrapped (sic) together enough dollars to offer a six-week program open only to 'men-identified students," the email goes on. "In short, the highly paid leaders at UW-Madison now believe that Wisconsin mothers and fathers have done a poor job of raising their boys by trying to instill in them the values and characteristics necessary in becoming a Man."

As a result, Nass wants his fellow Republicans to attack the system again through the upcoming state budget. In other words, he wants to hit them with his purse.

The only thing I can't figure out is Nass is upset because his male ego is really just that fragile or if it is an extension of his hatred of anyone smarter than him, which is just about the entire state, with the possible exception of the fools that keep voting for him.

Shocker! Walker Lied About Wanting To Kill Wisconsin Idea

Last year, just as Scott Walker was getting his official pre-official presidential bid running at full speed, it was discovered that he wanted to do away with the Wisconsin Idea.

What is the Wisconsin Idea? Well, this:

First summed up by UW President Charles Van Hise in 1904, the Wisconsin Idea means that "the borders of the University are the borders of the state." Van Hise declared that he would “never be content until the beneficent influence of the university reaches every family in the state” and this has long been the core philosophy of the UW System, which has worked hard over the decades to generate programs that serve people and communities all over the state.

Walker wanted to take that language out of the mission statement after more than a hundred years of it being held up as a national and international standard. He wanted to remove it because he didn't believe in it. He wanted to use the entire university system as a way to deliver yet even more corporate welfare to his wealthy campaign donors.

When the people of Wisconsin learned of this unspeakable act, the outrage was instant and overwhelming and growing bigger every day.

Walker, not wanting to derail his campaign wagon, quickly distanced himself from this and said that it was merely a "drafting error." Needless to say, no one believed him.

When an open record request was done, Walker withheld hundreds of pages of emails regarding the changes to Wisconsin Idea. He was sued by the Center for Media and Democracy, The Progressive magazine and two individuals, whom won in the court of law.

Walker released 86 more pages of emails and they revealed that - brace yourself now! - Walker lied about his involvement with the changes being proposed to the Wisconsin idea. Not only was he aware of these changes, he wanted them and directed his staff to make them:

Records released Friday by Gov. Scott Walker’s office in response to a judge’s order make clear he sought controversial changes in 2015 to the University of Wisconsin System’s mission statement, known as the Wisconsin Idea.

The office made public 82 pages of records late Friday after Dane County Judge Amy Smith said Walker’s office erroneously withheld 12 email exchanges and six of nine attachments from the public.

One January 2015 document reviewing System comments on proposed changes to its governing structure says Walker requested a “simplified and clearer mission and purpose statements.”

In another — an email that had previously been made public — a budget analyst says that Walker “is recommending revising the UW’s mission and statement of purpose.”

This is all getting rather tedious. Not only is Walker as corrupt as any politician could be, he's not even very good at it.

The gentle reader can peruse the emails themselves, all 86 pages of them, here.

The Real Miracle at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

By Chris Taylor

We all thought it was a miracle when the Badgers beat Kentucky in the Final Four. Legislators – both Republican and Democrat – couldn’t wait to honor the University of Wisconsin basketball team. But, the real miracles are happening in the labs at UW, at the Weisman Center, at Research Park, and across Wisconsin. The same Republicans who clamored to have their picture taken with Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes are now advancing Assembly Bill 305, which would shut down biomedical research and destroy the miracles that will come in curing or treating devastating diseases.

 

Deadly, debilitating diseases don’t care if you’re liberal or conservative. The hyper-politicization of biomedical research threatens future life-saving medical advancements. We’ve all benefited, or will benefit at some point in our lives, from the advances reaped from this research. The polio vaccine is just one example of this. I for one want my loved ones to be able to access every possible option should they become ill and for scientists to rely on the best research avenues available.

 

Wisconsin has a long history of innovative research and is an internationally recognized leader in biomedical research. Since its inception, 11 UW faculty members have received the National Medal of Science Award, described as “the nation’s highest honor for achievement and leadership in science and technology.” Right here, James Thompson derived the first human embryonic stem cell line in 1998, and is credited with redefining biomedicine. The current climate in Wisconsin threatens to tarnish that reputation.

 

The University of Wisconsin attracts top researchers from all over the world, as well as undergraduate and graduate students who are drawn to the university because of its biomedical research. The UW is literally educating the next generation of scientists. We stand to lose some of the best current and future scientists in the world.

 

But this life-saving research isn’t just being done at the UW. It’s being done in private businesses across the state – bioscience accounts for over 100,000 private sector jobs and has an economic impact of $27 billion a year. It’s also being done at Madison College, which just received a $661,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for their stem cell technology and regenerative medicine program.

 

We need to treat our scientists as the heroes that they are rather than creating a climate that is not supportive of research. These individuals are entrusted with one of the most important objectives. Advances on treatment for end-stage breast cancer, cardiac disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, blindness, diabetes, asthma, and immune disorders, multiple sclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases have all been made possible by biomedical research.

 

I’ve been a state representative for 4 years, and unlike some of my colleagues, it seems, I know when I need to listen to the experts. One such expert is Professor Alta Charo, a leading authority on bioethics who just happens to on the faculty at UW Law School and UW Medical School. Professor Charo had this to say in her recent article in the prominent New England Journal of Medicine: “We have a duty to “tak[e] advantage of avenues of hope for current and future patients…This attack represents a betrayal of the people whose lives could be saved by the research and a violation of that most fundamental duty of medicine and health policy, the duty of care.” And policy makers have the duty to advance policies that give hope to improving people’s lives, not bills like AB 305 that shut down lifesaving research that will save a sick child’s life.

Republicans Drink Kool Aid, Believe In Pixie Dust

Scott Walker is floating an idea out there to tie tuition hikes at the University of Wisconsin to the rate of inflation.

Owen Robinson, aghast at the thought, clutched his pearls and swooned back on his fainting couch at the very notion:

What I don’t like about this proposal is that it assumes that the current tuition is appropriate compared to the average Wisconsinite’s other relative costs. Is it? Could it cost less and still provide the same or better education? Just because a family’s other expenses increase, does that automatically mean that tuition should go up by the same amount? Why? Why shouldn’t the legislature’s efforts go into driving down the price of tuition relative to a family’s overall expenditures as a tuition freeze does over time? Wouldn’t that be preferable to locking in automatic tuition increases every year? And yes… I assume that if this is in place that UW would jack up tuition by the rate of inflation every year if they were able to.

One thing you should know about Old Lady Robinson is that he grew up in Texas, where plantation economics has been drilled in their heads for generations, thus he has a skewed sense of reality.  That also explains why he is gullible enough to think that austerity works and that everything Americans for (the Kochs') prosperity is gospel truth.

That tea-flavored Kool Aid is powerful stuff.

What Robinson forgets (or ignores) in his greed is the fact that universities used electricity, natural gas water, and other essentials just like everyone else.  He also forgets (or ignores) that the faculty at the universities are staffed with the people who have families that also see their cost goes up.

Apparently Robinson has drunk so much of the Kool Aid that he thinks that universities - and their staff - all use free pixie dust to light and heat their buildings, power their vehicles and keep their staff fed and clothed.

What Robinson can't admit to himself, much less anyone else, is that maybe if he, his company and his church carried their fair share of the tax burden, his taxes wouldn't have to go up at all.  In fact, they would actually go down.

Before Robinson could even begin to comprehend this, he'd have to get off the hard stuff first.

Walker's War On Academia Causes Preemptive Brain Drain

When Scott Walker came out with his presidential campaign state budget, one of the things that caused the biggest and longest outrage was his War on Academia. First, Walker proposed cutting $300 million from the University of Wisconsin budget, saying that professors just need to teach more classes.

He also proposed doing away with the Wisconsin Idea, the driving philosophy behind the university system, which is that their work should benefit everyone in the state. Walker later called it a "drafting error," which was proven to be another one of his lies.

Even though his budget has not been approved by the legislature yet, much less implemented, it is already having negative effects. Namely, chasing away some of the nation's top researchers, such as Anne Sales:

One candidate, Anne Sales, was chosen for a new endowed, tenured faculty chair in nursing and is said to have cited Gov. Scott Walker’s $300 million budget cut proposal to UW System.

“She has changed her mind about my offer and will accept a compelling counteroffer at Michigan,” Katharyn May, dean of the nursing school, wrote to chancellor Rebecca Blank on Feb. 5. “The candidate received the Michigan offer as the budget news was breaking on the national scene, and in her words, she is ‘unwilling to risk’ shifting her research program here, when Michigan is clearly willing to invest in it.”

But wait! There's more. There's always more:

Charles Roberts, a medical doctor who runs a cancer research lab affiliated with Harvard University, was the school’s choice for director of the prestigious Carbone Cancer Center.

Blank cited him at a February meeting of the UW System Board of Regents, describing him as “a really top-notch researcher” and telling regents that Walker’s proposed budget cuts — and the headlines they made nationally — had caused him to back out of consideration.

“He’s really afraid that if he comes here, we will not be able to invest in research in medical sciences of the sort that is needed in the years ahead to be the sort of place that he wants to be,” she said.

In a Feb. 4 email to Blank provided by the university, Roberts — who along with his wife is a native of Wisconsin — described withdrawing as the most difficult decision of his professional career.

“The University of Wisconsin is a wonderful place and will always be home in my heart,” he said. “And for my wife as well. We both have many positive feelings about UW and about Madison.”

Roberts did not respond to a phone and email message left with him on Wednesday.

He cited funding issues in explaining why he wasn’t taking the job but did not, in the emails provided, specifically cite Walker’s proposed cuts. He noted that Carbone, while historically highly regarded nationally, had in recent years “carried substantially less impact” and that continued funding looked uncertain.

“I became concerned that without considerably greater new funds that the Director would not be able to facilitate (new, innovative research) and that the Center could even potentially be at risk,” he said.

Wisconsin is not only losing top notch candidates. Every UW campus is offering buy outs to hundreds of employees in preparation for the cuts.

Students in the system are not only losing quality faculty, but even the fatted calf of sports are getting cut due to Walker's myopic and maleficent budget.

I don't know, but Walker must have been really traumatized by his failure in college to hold such a malicious attitude to higher learning.

Cross posted at Crooks and Liars

Scott Walker Declares War On Academia

Walker working hard on his budget

Scott Walker is due to release his 2015-2017 budget next week, however, has been leaking parts of it to help keep his name in the news as he starts his bid for president. As one might imagine, his budget is not geared to what is good for the state but what is in the best interest of his presidential campaign.

One of the many horrific things that came out is Walker's proposal to slash $300 million from the University of Wisconsin system and then to cut them adrift. The proposal would have devastating results for the school as well as the state as a whole:

Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that University of Wisconsin System faculty and staff could increase their workload to reduce the impact of his proposed $300 million budget cut.

Walker announced this week that the proposed cuts, along with a two-year tuition freeze, would be part of his two-year budget proposal to be delivered to the Legislature on Tuesday. In return, the UW System would be converted into a public authority with more autonomy, though it’s unclear how much money that would save.

University officials have said they might have to lay off employees in the short term, and then raise tuition starting in 2017.

UW System President Ray Cross sent a memo to his administration employees Wednesday saying the proposed cuts would require cost-containment measures, beginning immediately with a hiring freeze on non-essential state-funded positions, a moratorium on out-of-state travel and a halt to any salary adjustments or promotions until further notice.

Walker has described this proposal as being the Act 10 for higher education and that it would have the same "benefits" that the original Act 10 had for local schools. Those "benefits" included thousands of teachers laid off, larger class sizes, programs being cut and whole schools being closed.

Walker, being the chump, er, champ that he is, offered a solution - teach more classes. Only problems is, the professors are already working long hours and are bringing in tens of millions of dollars in research grants:

“They might be able to make savings just by asking faculty and staff to consider teaching one more class per semester,” Walker told reporters Wednesday in Madison. “Things like that could have a tremendous impact on making sure that we preserve an affordable education for all of our UW campuses, and at the same time we maintain a high-quality education.”

Vince Sweeney, vice chancellor for university relations at UW-Madison, said the most recent survey data found UW-Madison faculty spend 50 to 70 hours per week teaching and supporting students, participating in research and other activities.

“It should be noted that many also bring in millions of dollars in grant funding that is a direct boost to the Wisconsin economy,” Sweeney said. “Many create their own companies, which go on to create state jobs. We value their work greatly.”

Grant Petty, president of PROFS Inc., the professional group representing UW-Madison professors, said he doesn’t know any UW faculty who don’t already spend 50 hours a week or more doing what are considered the “essential duties” of their job.

“As Governor Walker knows from his own family background, a pastor’s job doesn’t start and stop with the Sunday sermon,” Petty said. “The same is true of university professors and the classroom.”

Petty, a meteorology professor, said a three-credit course typically requires 10 to 15 hours per week of preparation, grading and meeting with students to help them understand the material. He teaches two classes, and also works one-on-one with graduate students, often competing for federal grants to help support those students. He also is expected to stay current with issues and publish in the fields of his expertise.

“I was not able to tell from the governor’s statement which of these things he thought we should do less of to make room for more of something else,” Petty said.

Now, no one can say for sure why Walker is doing this. He might be nursing a grudge from his own school days at Marquette University, where he got booted for cheating. It might be because he was a lousy student. It might be because he is sore at people like Professor William Cronon, who wrote an illuminating story on ALEC and the influence it had on Republicans.

Or maybe it's just Walker following the orders of his corporate overlords.

On a final note, Walker has made it clear that he is not satisfied with crippling the UW system. He's been going around on the squawk radio cycle saying that he feels that this sort of things should be going on nationwide.

A Matter Of Degrees

Scott Walker has always  been a forward-thinking man.  And by that, I mean he always is looking for a way to advance his own political aspirations and doesn't do a thing or make a decision until he's looked at it from all angles and has determined whether it would help or hinder his political advancement.

From the very day that Walker was elected as Milwaukee County Executive, his objective wasn't to do what was in the county's best interest, but to do what was in his political best interest.  Hence we saw acts of austerity, diminishing services and his first salvos at the unions, all in the interest of trying to sell himself as a gubernatorial candidate.

The same could be said for when Walker became from governor. From day one, every move he made was based on how it would help him in a future presidential campaign.  That he has been fairly successful in appeasing the money brokers like the Koch Brothers is evidenced by the way he was able to raise enough money to buy his way out of Walkergate - so far.

One of the many obstacles that Walker would need to overcome - besides his horribly bad jobs record, Walkergate, and all of the really bad legislation he signed off on - was the fact that he does not have a college degree.

So, two years ago, when the Teapublican legislature came out with their Flex Option degree scheme, one knew the fix was in.  The Flex Option is a scheme that basically would allow a person to skip actually learning things at school and getting a degree based on experience.  

Thus Walker could point to his eight years as county executive and three years as governor and claim he is now an expert in political science and/or management and - poof - instant degree!

If one wasn't sure that the fix was in with the introduction of the Flex Option plan, they should have been when it was recently announced that Walker appointed long-time aide/political advisor, Jim Villa, to a position in the UW system.  

The gentle reader would recognize Villa's name from Walkergate.  Villa has worked for Walker while he was a state legislator and as county executive as well as worked on many of Walker's political campaigns.  Villa was one of Kelly Rindfleisch's favorite chat buddies while she was campaigning from the Milwaukee County Courthouse.  He also provided the address that Rindfleisch used to defraud the county, claiming she was a citizen of Milwaukee County.  Villa and Rindfleisch were so close that they were even vacation buddies.

Villa was sort of like Tim Russell, but slightly smarter.

It's pretty obvious that Walker appointed Villa to this position so that Villa could have access to almost every part and every person in the UW system to ensure that when Walker does take his assessment/exam - most likely later this summer or fall at the latest - there won't be any unexpected hitches in Walker being given his unearned degree,  And at a pay rate of $178,000, Walker can feel assured that Villa will be properly motivated to do all the troubleshooting and strong-arming that needs to be done.

Sure enough, almost on cue, Walker has come out and announced that he would like to take advantage of the Flex Option plan he had crafted and passed so that he too might get a degree without really earning it.

How convenient!  Now he can run for president and show off his degree!

This scheme is an insult to everyone that is working or has worked hard to earn their degrees by, y'know, actually learning things.  It's an insult to those still paying off student loans while Walker was the one being paid off while politicking around the country.

While Walker is making a joke of the UW system, the final joke might be on him.  While the local press might be willing to give him a pass or even help cover up some of his misdeeds, the national press will be able to sniff out the fake degree in a heartbeat.  And they will not be as lenient as the local corporate media about this.

Walker's lack of education will become painfully obvious as he tries to explain this one away.

On a final note, I would hope that the gentle reader agrees with me in thinking that when Walker does get his doctored degree, whatever the major is, he should get a Bachelor of Science degree.

Because this plan of Walker's is nothing but pure B.S.

Vicky McKenna Hates Capitalism

By Jeff Simpson

Today, someone(I really have no idea who, nor do I really care) showed up at the noon time Solidarity Singalong dressed as Bucky Badger.    (H/T Lisa Wells for the photo)



Yes Bucky just wants to "Let Freedom Sing".   Now it  does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that it is a fake Bucky.   Anyone who has had even a passing interest in the University of Wisconsin - Madison or Badger Athletics could tell in a matter of seconds.   My ten year old son figured it out from seeing it on my computer screen a few feet away!


However, no one will ever describe Vicki Mckenna and her followers as rocket scientists.  Heck no one will ever accuse her of telling the truth either, but thats another blog! So of course the righties thought it was real:

@UWMadison @MSpicuzzaWSJ @UWBuckyBadger looked real to me! Kids thought it was real too! Photo ops and all! #wiunion @VickiMcKenna
— Tamra Varebrook (@TamraTellsIt) September 9, 2013

Nope Ms. Vicky and her loyal followers all had what could best be described as a Conniption fit. 

LEFTWING UNITED WISCONSIN promoting TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT of 'Bucky Badger' to promote capitol harassment.#wiright pic.twitter.com/Dei5eZ6A6m
— Vicki Mckenna (@VickiMcKenna) September 9, 2013

Now the small Government, free market fiscal conservatives want to end Halloween?   They want the corporations to be able to dictate where and when you can wear the products that you purchase or what you make of materials you buy?   why of course they do if it fits their political purpose!

Halloween is now a $7 BILLION business and the righties are trying to end it because someone dressed up as Bucky Badger and sang in the Capitol.      

Look Out Sesame Street, if Chief Erwin ever finds his way there:

In Scott Walker's never ending quest to raise money for his presidential run and spend as much time and taxpayer money that he has not been to Las Vegas yet:





I can see the Capitol Police charging these two wanted thugs now.   I also wonder if Vicki Mckenna has ever attended Comic Con? If so, she would probably be there trying to get Kevin Binversie arrested:




 Yes people in America have been dressing up in costumes for years, many of them home made, and now Vicki Mckenna and her minions have a problem with it?  

Apparently not everyone can wrap themselves in the Flag....







             


We know that if Vicki Pyzinski is anything, she is consistent.  She would not tolerate anyone dressing up at "tea parties"  



Like I always say, when they show us their true colors, we should pay attention!  

ZOMG! The University of Wisconsin System Is Working!

It's one of those news stories that leaves one just shaking their head.

Click to embiggen

It was reported that the University of Wisconsin system had a surplus of one billion dollars. But then when one takes out the amount of money that has already been earmarked for specific projects, that total fell to $648 million.  Of that money, over $400 million has also been committed, leaving the actual "surplus" to be $207 million.

This greatly reduced number, which has been deemed normal by an independent accounting expert, was still enough to send the usual suspects into a tizzy and an undie bundling apoplexy:

State Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), Chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, is calling for the firing of President Reilly in response to the discovery of the surplus. Nass calls the newly-discovered money a “betrayal of public trust.”Nass calls Reilly a “fraud,” saying, “At the same time the legislature is trying to hold down tuition, he’s traveling around the state bashing legislators about how cuts to the UW System will destroy it. He used very harsh language while doing that. At the same time, he’s sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition money taken from students.”

Nass says he will also introduce a budget amendment to freeze resident undergraduate tuition for four years.Fellow Republican Glenn Grothman, a state Senator from West Bend, won’t go as far as calling for Reilly’s “head,” but says he’s outraged the University President has been pushing for a tuition hike.Governor Scott Walker says in a statement, having a sizable surplus is disturbing, “especially at a time when students, families, and lawmakers have continually heard from the UW System about the need for more money to offset ‘devastating cuts’.” Walker’s budget allows for $181 million in funding for the colleges, but now some Republicans question whether that should happen. Reilly had said that $153 million of that amount is already committed for things like previously-approved UW construction and renovation projects, fringe benefit increases, as well as leases and utility costs.

GOP leaders in the state legislature are “outraged” with what they call the “mishandling of taxpayer dollars and the incompetence shown by university system administration.” In a press release Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), Joint Finance Co-Chairs Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford), say: “We want to assure the university students and their parents that, at a minimum, this budget will include a two-year tuition freeze.”The Republican leaders say, “It is not only unfair to the students and their parents who keep getting hit with tuition hikes; it’s unfair to the taxpayers of Wisconsin.”

Their selective outrage is rather ironic when one considers that they were knocking their shoulders out of joint trying to slap themselves on the back when they had a surplus (which really isn't a surplus considering the debt also went up).

The fact that the UW System even broke even, much less has a surplus shows that the administrators were doing their jobs.

Given how badly the Republicans slashed their finances in the first budget, and given how the axemen of austerity are running amok like whirling dervishes during this budget session, it doesn't take a great leap of logic to expect that the UW system was going to receive another whack or three to their funding.

When you know bad times are a-coming, it only makes sense to squirrel away as much as you can to ease the pain as long as possible.  Ask any worker that has been affected directly or indirectly by Act 10.

But the Republicans really need to shut their hypocritical pie holes until they can explain why WEDC still exists even though they lost track of tens of millions of dollars.  Then they can also explain what happened to the hundreds of millions of dollars that were supposed to go to job creation yet created no jobs.

All the Republican's selective outrage is about is to give them an excuse to raid the funding of the university system and divert it to their wealthy campaign contributors.  After all, the road builders, ALEC and the Kochs didn't spend all that money on their elections for their good looks.

And speaking of raids, is anyone paying attention to the pension system and retirees benefits.  They're getting ready to raid those too, y'know.

The Dumbing Down of WI!

By Jeff Simpson

 Glenn Grothman: "I was a little bit appalled when you say education is a wise investment."

We remember recently that Graeme Zielinski, communications director for the Democratic party, had a couple tweets that many didnt like and members of both parties and the media both jumped on the fire graeme bandwagon and the Democratic party obliged(they demoted and suspended him). 

The media flat out ignored things as or more egregious said by many others on the right and were happy to continue to kick Graeme while he was down.   Apparently the only person whose words matter in this state are those that the Democratic party communications director "tweets".  

It happened again last week.   The Wisconsin media went M.I.A!  Glenn Grothman was in full force last week and no one from the mainstream media has even mentioned it!   

Let's take a look.   Joint Finance Committee hearings on the next budget(where Glenn Grothman is actually a member) and Kevin Reilly, the President of the University of Wisconsin System, was testifying.  

H/T Rebecca Kemble for sitting through this debacle and really putting out the best reporting in the state!  

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, asked Reilly how he could justify potentially raising tuition with what he called a 6 percent increase in state funding, saying he was “stunned” about the possibility despite the state’s “generous” investment.

Grothman also told Reilly to “broaden your reading” of the public’s view of four-year degrees, calling it a “devastating investment.”

“For average kids today, it is not a wise investment except for some select majors,” Grothman said.

This is where the media disappeared.    Let's help draw them out from hiding!

1.  College grads make significantly more money throughout their career than high school grads! 

College Graduate vs. Non-Graduate Earnings

The Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) analyzes employee earnings data biennially, according to education level. Findings indicate that workers with a college degree earn significantly more than those without. Since the mid-1980s, education has played a large part in potential wages, with bachelor's degree holders taking home an average of 38% more than those with only a high school diploma. While college-educated workers' wages have increased over the past two decades, those with only a high school education have seen decreases in annual salaries in the same time period (nces.ed.gov).

The Cost of a Degree vs. the Potential Payoff

Considering the high cost of a college education, potential students may question whether the expected earnings after graduation outweigh the possible debt incurred from student loans. In 2002, the Education Resources Information Center projected lifetime earnings of employees with a bachelor's degree and those without based on U.S. census information. Non-degree holders could expect a lifetime average of $1.2 million, while those with a bachelor's degree could expect to earn $2.1 million, or nearly double (www.eric.ed.gov).

Types of Degrees vs. Annual Salaries

The NCES Digest of Education Statistics differentiates between median employee income based on level of education. As with the data above, 4-year college graduates took home higher gross salaries than those with a high school education. However, the type of college degree and gender of the degree holder also impacted earnings, as shown in the table below:

Type of Degree	Annual Salary	Gender	Number Employed
High school diploma	$39,010	Men	16,195
High school diploma	$28,380	Women	10,851
College with no degree	$45,820	Men	9,515
College with no degree	$32,630	Women	7,456
Associate degree	$50,150	Men	5,020
Associate degree	$36,760	Women	4,995
Bachelor's degree	$65,800	Men	12,609
Bachelor's degree	$47,030	Women	9,856
Master's degree	$80,960	Men	4,709
Master's degree	$57,510	Women	4,176
Professional degree	$100,000	Men	1,388
Professional degree	$71,300	Women	753
Doctorate degree	$100,000	Men	1,119
Doctorate degree	$74,030	Women	550

2.  At UW- Madison alone, brings in over $12.4 Billion dollars a year to our state.  For every $1 of state tax investment to the university, there is $21.05 in economic activity in the state. On top of that, there are 12 other four year state institutions and 13, 2 year colleges throughout WI.   The UW system employes approximately 39,000 faculty and staff statewide and use just $1.1 Billion in state funding.  

3.  While there are a long list of established alumnae from these fine institutions, one thing is certain, success comes from all different majors! 

4.  Our University system ranks very well nationally!

Lets sum this up:

Here we have a senior Senator from the party that is in COMPLETE control, in a state that is desperate for jobs, and a senior senator from the most powerful committee in our legislature, says that investing in the main cog that creates jobs in Wisconsin, is a "devastating investment" and there is no coverage of this? 

Remember this, the next time that someone allows the Wisconsin republican party to be taken seriously when talking about "job creation", the reporter should lose their job.  

And people really cared that Graeme was not "professional"?  

 

Is Walker Going After UW Again?

I have had some disturbing information forwarded to me this evening, which I believe will require close monitoring from the people of #wiunion and the media.

The following is part of an email which was forwarded to me dealing with possible massive cuts in funding to the UW system (emphasis theirs):

We have just learned that Governor Walker will send his lapse message to the Joint Finance Committee this Friday, December 23, 2011. If the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) doesn’t act by January 3, the UW System will face a $65 million budget cut on top of the $250 million cut that we received in the budget. This will be the biggest cut in UW history.

Now is the time to act. President Reilly has asked all UW System employees to call or email your legislator and ask them in your own words to help the UW System in any way they can. We can’t stop the whole lapse, but even a small reduction would help.

A second email indicated that the JFC would not be meeting over the holidays and that the "UW System" does not believe anything official would happen over the holiday season.

I wouldn't be so sure. As Milwaukee County Executive, it was not uncommon for Scott Walker to declare a "fiscal emergency" even when there wasn't one, in order to unilaterally pull whatever shenanigans he had in mind. He was further enabled to do so by a very slanted media in Milwaukee who would repeat his nonsense unquestioningly and ignore the unions and the liberal members of the board who were crying foul.

As governor, he might not even have to take the step of declaring any sort of emergency, since he has a rubber stamp legislature controlled by the Republicans, who are as corrupt as he is. He could just order something to be done and his cronies in the legislature would turn a blind eye to it. Furthermore, while he cannot hide all of his chicanery from all of the state's media, it is my personal opinion that even the most diligent reporters don't fully appreciate the level of skulduggery and chicanery of which Walker is capable.

The following is a set of lists, which were in the emails, of the impact that that the UW ssytem could feel if this action is allowed to happen:

12 ways the lapse could hurt everyone served by UW-Extension
1. Program staff who support education for small business and entrepreneurs may be laid off, which will reduce the ability to develop needed programs and make it harder for small businesses to create jobs.
2. Small business development centers may not be able to hire the counselors they need to help small business and entrepreneurs grow jobs.
3. Small business development centers may have to reduce their programs for small business and classes for entrepreneurs.
4. Continuing education outreach efforts may be curtailed, which will mean fewer degrees awarded in Wisconsin and fewer opportunities for nontraditional and minority students to get an education. This has been a key strategy to improving Wisconsin’s economic competitiveness.
5. The development of online and technology based instruction will be delayed. These programs prepare students for high demand jobs in the emerging economy.
6. UW-Extension county office staff positions will be left vacant, which reduces service to agriculture, families and local governments.
7. There may be more use of short term UW-Extension staff in multiple-county coverage, which will reduce their availability to serve local needs.
8. Cuts funding for researchers and faculty at UW campuses, which will delay research needed by Wisconsin agriculture and business to stay competitive.
9. Delays needed equipment and software maintenance at Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio, which may result in reduced reliability.
10. The provision of statewide video conferencing services will be slowed, which may result in higher costs for travel and staff time.
11. Web development positions will be left vacant, which will delay online programming development that is important to younger audiences.
12. Wisconsin Public Television will delay the launch of the successor program to In Wisconsin which was recently discontinued. Other programming will also be deferred.

12 ways the lapse could hurt everyone served by UW Colleges
1. Class sections may be cut, which could make it more difficult for students to complete their course requirements. Students would face a longer time in school, higher costs and higher risk of dropping out.
2. Reduced tutoring services would damage student learning and retention.
3. Cutting library acquisitions of periodicals and online databases would cause long-term harm to the ability of teachers to teach and students to learn.
4. Technology infrastructure upgrades to the telephone system and network servers would be delayed, resulting in a backlog of work and higher costs in the future.
5. Technology upgrades in student computer labs and the library would be postponed, reducing student access to technology-based learning and possible higher costs to catch up in the future.
6. Hiring of academic support positions could be delayed. This would damage recruitment and retention efforts, and would inevitably affect enrollment.
7. Professional development funding for faculty could be cut, which would make it more difficult to retain faculty because we cannot reinvest in their professional and technical knowledge.
8. Needed laboratory modernization would be cut or delayed. Delaying replacement of laboratory technology and equipment hurts student learning opportunities and stifles innovation.
9. Development of high-demand new courses, such as GIS (geographical information system), would be delayed. GIS is a high-demand area and the course is needed to serve students and employers.
10. Campus newspapers could be eliminated, closing off an important area of learning, instruction, and employment for students.
11. Needed student services and custodian positions would remain unfilled, thus reducing services to students.
12. New course development would be delayed. Course development helps keep up with innovation, meets evolving student needs, and responds to local demands.

University of Wis-Koch-Sin?

Among the million and one things wrong with Scott Walker's proposed budget (did the man get anything correct?) was the proposal to cut the University of Wisconsin - Madison and separate it from the rest of the UW system.  This an idea that is already being panned by members of the Board of Regents.

Walker claims that the proposal is to save the state money and to allow UW-Madison to grow via private sector donations.  But as with all things Walker, one has to brush aside whatever nonsense he is spouting and seek out the truth behind the maneuver.

In this case, a post from Facebook leads us to a blogpost which leads us to the news story that explains all we need to know behind Walker's and the WISGOP's motivation for selling off one of the state's greatest assets. That reason is, of course, to appease the Koch Brothers and their big money:

A conservative billionaire who opposes government meddling in business has bought a rare
commodity: the right to interfere in faculty hiring at a publicly funded university.

A foundation bankrolled by Libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting "political economy and free enterprise."

Traditionally, university donors have little official input into choosing the person who fills a chair they've funded. The power of university faculty and officials to choose professors without outside interference is considered a hallmark of academic freedom.

Under the agreement with the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, however, faculty only retain the illusion of control. The contract specifies that an advisory committee appointed by Koch decides which candidates should be considered. The foundation can also withdraw its funding if it's not happy with the faculty's choice or if the hires don't meet "objectives" set by Koch during annual evaluations.

Read on and later in the article you find that the Koch Boyzzz have had their fingers in a lot of pies, including the federal pie, for many years.

What is really sad is how many people who have been put in a role of responsibility suddenly roll over and become mewling sycophants at the first sight of a few bucks.  And that is exactly why, after we clean up the current mess in Madison, we remain vigilant for any other infections, before they too spread.