Smalley's Tell

By Jeff Simpson

A tell in poker is a change in a player's behavior or demeanor that is claimed by some to give clues to that player's assessment of their hand. A player gains an advantage if they observe and understand the meaning of another player's tell, particularly if the tell is unconscious and reliable. Sometimes a player may fake a tell, hoping to induce their opponents to make poor judgments in response to the false tell. More often, people try to avoid giving out a tell, by maintaining a poker face regardless of how strong or weak their hand is.

John Smalley is the editor of the Wisconsin State Journal and he likes to appear objective.  Yesterday he wrote an article where he equatedthe ridiculousness of the whole budget process as equal to both parties.  While on its face it is a claim that is laughable enough, then he gives his right wing tell(see if you can spot it):

Well, in reality, it was four actual cooks (Republican leaders who control the budget process) and two cooks-in-waiting (the Democrats who were shut out of the process).

All four of the Republicans who visited — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, Rep. John Nygren and Sen. Alberta Darling — and both of the Democrats — Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca and Rep. Sandy Pasch — are smart, compassionate, dedicated public servants.

Which, given the decent, well-meaning people running both parties, makes it all the more maddening that the creation of the state budget is an ugly mess of partisanship at its worst.
As an editorial board, we like a lot of what’s in the budget. And we scratch our heads and wonder about plenty of other parts of the budget.

In essentially back-to-back visits with the top minds and leadership of both parties, our editorial board was left with one lingering question: What the heck is going on up there?
The Republicans tout tax relief for everyone and increased spending in K-12 education. Those both seem like good ideas.

The Democrats counter that the tax relief is rigged to help only the wealthy (not exactly true) and the school funding increases are paltry crumbs compared to the big cuts two years ago (mostly true).

 While some would think it is this: 

Which, given the decent, well-meaning people running both parties, makes it all the more maddening that the creation of the state budget is an ugly mess of partisanship at its worst.

While it is immensely inaccurate because everyone in the state knows that the dems did not have a say, beyond the kringle, in the whole budget.  This "partisanship at its worse" can be layed at the feet of one and only one party!   However this is not it - it is right here where he shows his immense bias:

In essentially back-to-back visits with the top minds and leadership of both parties, our editorial board was left with one lingering question: What the heck is going on up there?
The Republicans tout tax relief for everyone and increased spending in K-12 education. Those both seem like good ideas.

The Democrats counter that the tax relief is rigged to help only the wealthy (not exactly true) and the school funding increases are paltry crumbs compared to the big cuts two years ago (mostly true).

Yes the supposed fact checking, only seems to follow democrat claims.  I wonder why that is?

Let me help Mr. Smalley balance his article out, because maybe, as a member of the media, he realizes that any claim a member of the republican party in Wisconsin makes is blatantly false!  

 Republicans tout tax relief for everyone - (mostly false) and increased spending in K-12 education(false - really false - pants on fire false)!  

Compare/Contrast - Wisconsin State Journal

The Wisconsin State Journal continues its effort to run itself and our Constitutionally limited democratic republic into the ground!  

Compare when an insignificant figure like Jeremy Ryan pulled yet another stupid stunt - it made local headlines! 

The local right wing bloggers then salivated over such an important story, Waukesha Wonker Wiggy is disappointed that Ryan is not dead yet.

Contrast that to yesterday's news:

Wisconsin's own insignificant Senator Ron Johnson pulled yet another stupid stunt - it made no headlines as he voted against relief for Hurricane Sandy Victims! 

SKW IS AWOL

Everyone in Wisconsin remembers the protests of 2011. Scott Walker introduced his bill ending collective bargaining rights for public employees, which led to massive protests for weeks in Madison and throughout the state.

The Protests in Madison, at the Capitol were really sparked by MTI mobilizing quickly and other teachers throughout the state then joining in.   In order to be at the Capitol to protest though, that meant that the teachers had to call in sick.  

BOY did that piss off the righties.   All over the state they made sure that teachers were punished for calling in sick to protest.  From right wing leaning school boards, to the crazy righty "press", their main mission was punishing anyone who dared to speak up.   Apparently, no one on the right has ever called in to work sick, when they actually were not sick, to do something other than work.  As this video of a gathering of 100% democrats clearly shows! 

Not to be out crazied by Maciver or out rightied by anyone in the state, the Wisconsin State Journal spent almost a year trying to get personal health care records of the Madison Teachers.   Unfortunately, after a ruling by Judge Colas(remember him), they had to turn over personal medical records and pay $25,000 of taxpayer money so the WSJ to see that the teachers called in sick to protest(which you would have known by spending a day inside the Capitol).  State Journal Editor John Smalley pretended that he was doing the public a service here:

The State Journal filed the lawsuit in June after the district refused a request for the notes, and a revised request for the notes with teachers' names removed.

Smalley said that until the notes are evaluated it remains unknown what story, if any, will be written, but it's part of the newspaper's responsibility as a watchdog to examine government actions and hold officials accountable.

"When school gets shut down for four days, that's a big story," Smalley said.

Yet while the WSJ was wasting their resources attacking the teachers, they were getting scooped on big stories, ignoring people who they agreed with, when they called in sick, and completely ignored the biggest story of them all.   

MADISON – Gov. Scott Walker took 54 personal days, not including weekends, through the first 10 months of 2012, a Wisconsin Reporter analysis shows.

Walker, who earns $144,423 a year plus benefits as governor, has raised record amounts of campaign money in his first two years in office.

And the Wisconsin Reporter review indicates that much of his “personal” time was spent out of state on fundraising or campaign-style trips.

“Governor Walker’s not the first governor to keep up a very ambitious political travel schedule, but I have to say he’s taken it to a level we haven’t seen before,” said Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks election-related spending.

But Wait ....There's more.  It turns out Wisconsin reporter is actually being generous!

In determining that Walker had taken 54 personal days through the end of October, Wisconsin Reporter included any day in which the governor worked less than 90 minutes on official state business but marked the rest of the day as “personal.”

For example, several days were marked “personal” except for an early morning staff call.

But not included as a personal day was any day in which the governor worked more than 90 minutes.
That excludes, therefore, multiple days when Walker may have worked as little as two hours on official business, or days when he worked only a half-day.

 So he took off even more time than that!  Well since Scott Walker promised to be the most transparent administration ever,  the explanation for his lack of work ethic should be an easy one right?  

The governor’s calendar gives no details on what Walker does during his “personal” time, and his staff has been mum on the issue.

But comparing his schedule to other information sources, it’s clear that much of Walker’s personal time is spent on more than hanging out at his Wauwatosa home with his wife and sons.

The Sunlight Foundation, for instance, compiles information on political events and invitations on its politicalpartytime.org website.

According to the website, Walker hosted a “Romney Victory Inc.” event on July 11 in Washington, DC.
Walker’s calendar shows he had off July 9-12, except for a few phone calls before the National Governors Association meeting July 13-15 in Williamsburg, Va.

Walker also had “personal” time scheduled at the same time as a June 30 event, called a “reception with Paul Ryan and Scott Walker” at the Lake Geneva home of Vincent and Patricia Kolber.

He attended an event sponsored by the conservative Faith & Freedom Coalition during the Republican National Convention in August in Tampa, Fla., a YouTube interview shows.

And Walker took a personal day also on April 17, the same day he was in St. Louis at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting, accepting the Harlon B. Carter Award.

Walker also has been criticized for detailing his policy plans outside of Wisconsin, before sharing his goals before people back home, including remarks he made following a speech Nov. 16 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in California.

OOPS.  The difference between Scott Walker taking a personal day and our teachers taking a personal day?  Scott Walker still gets paid!  Now we hold our teachers to  higher standard than our Governor?  I guess lead by example is a thing of the past.  Now we have even redefined "conservatism" to mean get paid lots of taxpayer dollars to campaign!  

 

What State Do These Guys Live In?

It surely is NOT Wisconsin, unless of course the editorial staff was to busy watching Donald Driver in Dancing with the Stars.  In one of their most ridiculous editorials ever, they argue that endless recalls hurt Wisconsin.  The problem with that of course, is that it is a false premise!  

No one wants endless recalls, hell we would like our politicians to explain to us what they planned on doing when they were campaigning.   Unfortunately Scott Walker did the exact opposite.  When you govern so egregiously, and lie so blatantly, you become subject to a recall by the citizens.   When there are numerous videos like this out there and you make phone calls like this - this happens and recalls are justified.    

On the other hand, when you try and recall politicians who are governing according to the will of the people, the extremists might try and recall them, but those recall efforts will crash and burn.  

So your premise that we will have "endless recalls" is false.  This state has proven that if a politician is doing their job, they will not be subject o being recalled and if they are not they will face the will of the people before their term is up.  

In case you do not believe me, just look at Shril LaBarre, she tried to recall the honorable Senator Jauch and despite having unlimited resources, massively failed!   

Endless recalls would hurt the state of Wisconsin, but since we have proven that to be impossible, we see what really hurts Wisconsin is politicians who say one thing and govern according to ALEC. When a Governor's main governing strategy is to "divide and conquer." 

This recall is more than justified.  Please vote Tom Barrett on June 5th!