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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.

Solidarity Fish Fry: Organize! Educate! Agitate!

As the gentle eater is aware, the management at Serb Hall has been trying to bust their unions for almost a year.  As we started the Solidarity Fish Fry to show our how bad things were there for the unions workers:
support for the union workers, we learned just

• Bad faith bargaining
• Being targets of harassment (like I just mentioned),
• Not being allowed to exercise protected rights,
• Management interrogating workers regarding union activities, and not allowing union representation be present,
• Stopped providing health care coverage
• Stopped providing dental coverage
• Discrimination against potential employees who might be eligible to join the union

And that doesn't include the boorish bully boy of a general manager, Tom Miller, harassing, verbally abusing and threatening union staff in front of the customers.  Fortunately for us, after he got caught on video treating customers poorly, he wasn't seen in public again.

Serb Hall's management was treating their employees so poorly and behaving so badly and illegally that they were reprimanded by the National Labor Relations Board.

Even after all this, management couldn't put their greedy, maleficent ways aside and they kept bargaining in bad faith, ultimately calling an impasse and refusing to return to the negotiations table.  So we refused to return to their tables.

Last week, we learned just how petty these tin tyrants could be when they started becoming punitive with the union workers, punishing them for no reason other than they dared to stand up for their rights:

Serb Hall has decided to stop negotiating with our union. Everyone got raises, while the servers didn't. Also, we servers have lost most of our hours. We only work when there are parties larger than 200 people. Kitchen staff and bussers [sic] are going to do our jobs for us instead. The 2 servers at the top of the seniority list, who have worked there for 30 years or more, will lose several shifts a week. How can management live with basically reducing our salary to only Friday fish fry. People have bills that are based on the income they have been making.

Thus we felt it was time to go back to the old school (of fish) ways of doing things, which means we need to educate people to what's going on.

We need all boots on the ground at Serb Hall at 5 pm Friday evening to help with an educational event.  Randy Bryce will be bringing out educational fliers to share with people.  If you have the time and the supplies, feel free to make and bring some signs.  (Randy said if the signs refer to tartar sauce, they get bonus points.)

We'll stay there for an hour or so and then we will go to Clifford's Supper Club for  our Solidarity Fish Fry.  

If, for some reason, you cannot make it, please feel free to call their "negotiating team" and let them know that you won't spend another dime there - and will make sure that your friends and organizations stay away from there too - until such time that they return to the bargaining table in good faith.  

The people you need to call and their phone numbers are:

• Tom Miller at 414-331-2219
• Mike Malsted at 414-241-4018 
• Don Fluyevas at 414-545-6030

Miller and Malsted are members of the Board of Trustees.  Fluyevas is the Office Manager.

And let them know that you will be sure to tell Clifford's or whatever other places we choose to go to that they have Serb Hall to thank for their business.

I look forward to seeing you all again.

In Solidarity!

PS: And if all else fails, we will unleash our secret weapon!

FREE Milorganite at Medicine Collection Day, April 27th at Miller Park

From the inbox:

Safely dispose unused medicine at Miller Park on April 27th and keep it out of Lake Michigan and from people who abuse prescription drugs.  It's all part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

While supplies last, people dropping off unused medicine will receive a free five-pound bag of Milorganite®, fertilizer made in Milwaukee since 1926.

Medicine Collection efforts have removed more than 18 tons of unused medicine in Milwaukee County since 2006.  The Milwaukee Police Department is providing officers for the event.

Never flush or pour unused medicines down the drain.  Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove everything and the drugs can end up getting into Lake Michigan.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day - Milwaukee

Where: Miller Park in the Miller Lot by the Sausage Haus

When:  April 27th, 2013 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Bring: prescription and over-the-counter medication, ointments, sprays, inhalers, creams, vials, and pet medications.

Do not bring: Illegal drugs, biohazardous material, needles/sharps, personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens, etc), and household hazardous waste.

The Real Reason Scott Walker Went To China

He went to visit the money we're hemorrhaging to them through our trade deficit:

The $1.5 billion in exports seems like a lot until you compare it with Wisconsin’s annual imports from China.

A look at U.S. Census Bureau data (Foreign Trade Statistics, State Data Series, based on 2011 dollars) regarding foreign trade shows that Wisconsin’s imported $5.7 billion from China in 2012.

That’s right. All the pomp and circumstance really equals roughly a $4.2 billion trade deficit with China.

I sure hope he didn't go over there just to make up the deficit by selling our land for them to do with whatever they want.

Another Day Another Safety Risk Found At Marathon County Jail

As I have been writing about for a few weeks now, the Marathon County Jail is a very dangerous place to be, due to severely unsafe conditions which stem from the violently assaulted by an inmate.  She was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head and has been in intensive care ever since.
austerity agenda of the Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger.  As a result of Karger's austerity, Correction Officer Julie Christensen had been put in harm's way and was

Since the assault, it was learned that the jail was severely overcrowded, dangerously understaffed, had broken equipment and guards were denied tasers to protect themselves.  All this happened even though there was enough money available to address these safety concerns.

Now, yet another safety issue has been found:

The central Wisconsin jail where two corrections officers were attacked last month performs only limited searches of inmates returning to jail from work-release programs, despite a 2011 recommendation to increase searches, according to a published report.

About 80 of the Marathon County Jail's 279 inmates are in the facility's work-release eligible section, the Daily Herald Media reported (http://wdhne.ws/10dgf9o ). When those inmates return to jail each day, they pass through a metal detector and are patted down for weapons. However, jail officials say they don't have enough staff to do strip searches, which means inmates could potentially sneak in weapons or other contraband.

Wisconsin's Huber Law, the nation's oldest work-release program for jail inmates, allows inmates to leave for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, the Marathon County sheriff's department said. About 70 percent of those who leave are working, and the rest leave to search for jobs, perform community service, attend school or provide child care, former jail Administrator Bob Dickman said.

Dickman, who resigned last week in the wake of the March 27 attack on the corrections officers, said there are only limited searches because of a lack of manpower.

"We just don't have the staff," he said. "We did request an additional officer, just for searches, but right now, we don't do searches nearly enough."

Naturally, Karger denies this, claiming he went through seven years' worth of requests, but couldn't find one. Yeah, right.

Dickman, who was scapegoated by Karger and Deputy Sheriff Scott Parks, has no reason to lie about this. He's already out of a job.

Karger, on the other hand, doesn't want to give up his $117,000+ salary. It's pretty apparent that Karger's faith in austerity stops with his own paycheck.

Another reason that Karger would want to sweep the trouble under the rug is that his buddy Parks is in the running to be picked to be the new Sheriff. It just wouldn't do to have problems being brought up time and time again as Scott Walker is interviewing the candidates:

Then again, since Walker is the Archbishop of Austerity, Walker might think the more problems they have, the more austere they must be, and will earn his approval.

But just to be safe, Parks better have made sure he gave Walker a lot of campaign cash.  Nothing gets Walker's attention like money, and the more money you give Walker, the more of his attention you get.

If you wish to help Correction Officer Julie Christensen, there has been a trust fund established in her name at Integrity First Bank, 101 Grand Avenue, Wausau, WI 54403.  Their phone number is  (715) 845-0900.

The Walker Agenda Is Still Working! Part CLXXVI

Thank goodness that Scott Walker made the state so business friendly:

Jacksonville, Fla.-based FIS notified the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development today that it will close its facility at 1515 N. Rivercenter Drive in Milwaukee and lay off about 301 employees.

The company, which was formed when Fidelity National Information Services Inc. acquired Brown Deer-based Metavante Technologies Inc. in 2009, is one of the world’s largest providers of banking and payment technologies. It serves more than 14,000 financial institutions and businesses in more than 100 countries.

FIS plans to begin the lay off process on or after July 1, and continue eliminating positions in phases until it closes permanently on November 1.

According to the WARN notice, “The closure has been prompted by the company’s decision to consolidate services with other FIS locations.”

The next line in the story makes me really wish to know how many of them support all the union-bashing and union-busting that's been going on:

The 285 hourly and 16 salaried employees were notified of the closure yesterday. They are not represented by a union and none of them will have bumping rights to other positions.

That's the kind of thing that can happen when one gives up their rights.

Oh, and it's working!

The Plutocracy Bill And The Pay For Play Factor

For the past week or so, the minions of Milwaukee County Emperor Executive Chris Abele have been trying to mislead people with their faux outrage over the alleged negotiations between the County Board and the unions, because, you know, Act 10 has been working so well.  (But just because they are advocating against the union, don't think they are anti-union.  Just ask them, they'll tell you.)

Undoubtedly, they're trying to stir up a swarm of hornets is to distract people from noticing that they don't have much in the way of support for their plutocratic power grab.

The list of people that spoke or registered for the Plutocracy Bill at the Assembly's public hearing (held in Madison but not in Milwaukee) is, with the exception of two people, a list of Teapublicans, their staffers or members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC):

• Joe Sanfelippo - Representative - 15th Assembly District (Teapublican)
• Bob Delaporte - Senator Alberta Darling (Teapublican
• Chris Abele - County Executive - Milwaukee County (GMC)
• Rich Muessen - Badger Meter (A Diane Hendricks grade teahadist)
• Chas Mulcahy (GMC county task force member)
• Julia Taylor - Greater Milwaukee Committee
• Paul Tittl - Representative - 25th District (Teapublican)
• Joseph Rice (Teapublican rumored to be doing work for GMC)
• Lena Taylor - Senator - 4th Senate District (sell out Democrat)
• Jason Fields - Global Ex, LLC (Also the front man for the GMC front group)
• Tia Torhorst (Former Abele aide)
• Michael Neitzke - Mayor - City of Greenfield
• Steve Scaffidi - Mayor - City of Oak Creek
• Brian Schopper - Greater Milwaukee Committee
• Orville Seymer - CRG Network
• Deanna Alexander - Supervisor - Milwaukee County Board
• Alonzo Kelly (GMC)
• Leah Vukmir - Senator - 5th Senate District
• George Mitchell (education profiteer)

It is rather suspicious that not all of the GMC members identified themselves as such.  I guess that kind of lying falls into the "It's Only OK If A Plutocrat Does It" category.

But the fact that GMC had their minions testifying for their bill is one thing.  But when it comes to pay for play, that is another subject altogether.

I've already reported about how Abele was bragging to radio squawker Jay Weber that he has given campaign contributions to Sanfelippo and Dale Kyooenga within weeks of their voting on this bill.  

Now we find that Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander, who can't find her way around her district or has even the simplest understanding of her job, is going to the beneficiary of both Abele and the GMC:

Is there any guesses on how Alexander is going to vote on Thursday regarding the board's self "reform" bill?  (What will also be interesting is to see how Alexander votes on the taxi resolution since it could hurt Sanfelippo.)

And yes, in case the gentle reader was wondering, this in direct violation of the code of ethics.  Not that ethics and this group are even passing acquaintances.

There was a time when this sort of behavior was prosecuted. There was a time when this sort of corruption would never have been tolerated.

Now it's considered standard operating procedures.

Of course, before this type of bribery was accepted, people used to value democracy too.

Quick Reminder

By Jeff Simpson

H/T the Political Environment:


"I want my Cabinet secretaries to have branded across their heads, '250,000 jobs,'" Walker said at a December 2010 meeting ofthe Dairy Business Association. "I want them to know their job is on the line because my job is on the line to create 250,000 jobs in the private sector."

Paul Ryan's Intern Program

By Jeff Simpson

 What exactly was Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan teaching these kids?

A former intern for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was arrested Tuesday over an alleged sexual extortion scheme.

In a press release, the FBI said 21-year-old Adam Savader allegedly stalked 15 different women from three states between May 2012 and this past February.

The New York Daily News reported that Savader was a political science major at SUNY Farmingdale. He had worked on the political campaigns of Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan, and Romney.

Savader claimed to have nude photos of the women, and threatened to release the photos unless they sent him more. He demanded that one woman answer “a series of personal questions, relating to sexual preferences, positions, etc.,” according to a FBI complaint. He also informed at least two women that he was masturbating to their stolen pictures.

“I swear on all that is holy. If you fuck with me again I will send these to your parents. I have no problem sending them to ur [sic] parents, friends and sorority sisters unless you cooperate by answering me,” he allegedly told one woman.

 To be fair, since Mitt cancelled their credit cards the minute he knew he lost, the kid just needed some cash! 


"conservative" brothers! 

We Will Not Let Exam Results Decide Our Fate

Whoa!



That young man is worth any ten education profiteers.

Facebook Goes To Iowa, Wisconsin Not A Contender

An alert and quite irate reader notified me of this story about Facebook deciding to build a $1.5 billion data center in Iowa:

Facebook is planning to build a $1 billion data center project in Altoona, Iowa, that will cover 1.4 million square feet and serve as what the company says will be “the most advanced data center in the world.”

The article reports that it was down to Iowa or Nebraska. No mention of Wisconsin ever being a contender.

Why not? Where was Scott Walker and his Economy Destroying Cronies?

Reading the article can give us clues why. For example, the second paragraph (emphasis mine):

The Des Moines Register, quoting sources in the state legislature, said the data center, code-named “Catapult,” will be built in two $500 million phases. When completed the total cost of the data center is expected to hit $1.5 billion. As part of the deal, Facebook is also seeking wind energy production tax credits that would require legislative action.

Oops. That could present a problem when we have cartoon caricatures like State Senator Frank Lassee, who has a severe phobia of windmills.

Reading on, we find another hang up:

The Register reports that the Facebook facility will be located in what is being called a “data center corridor,” due to its access to an extensive interstate fiber-optic cable system that is already installed within the city and running along Interstate Highway 80. It is in proximity to adequate power and water utilities. Land is affordable and has low natural-disaster risks. It is accessible to interstate highways.

Oops. They did it again!

Thanks to Walker's myopia, Wisconsin lags in the area of broadband availability and speed:

A lack of reliable and affordable broadband service in many areas in Wisconsin is hampering the ability of individuals and businesses to capitalize on new technologies, the chief executive of the state's economic development agency said Thursday.

Wisconsin ranks 22nd among states in average broadband speed and 26th in adoption of broadband service faster than 4 megabits per second, according to new figures from Akamai Technologies, a Cambridge, Mass., firm that tracks global broadband trends.

The article doesn't say, but I would hazard to guess that Walker's insipid postings about getting hot ham and rolls on Sundays or Tonette's chili also only served to shoot our chances down.

Calgarians For Prosperity?

As small solace, news is breaking that we are not the only ones under the influence of greedy oligarchs and plutocrats.  Calgary, Alberta, Canada has their own wealthy bastards that think they should be able to buy the city government, just like the Koch brothers, Greater Milwaukee Committee and Bradley Foundation, to name but a few.

But back to Calgary, one of the city's wealthiest home builders is caught on tape telling his fellow 1%ers what they need to do to take control of the city.  As one would expect, outrage ensued:

After seeing the tape, political analyst Duane Bratt called the recording ‘a smoking gun.’

“It is clear there is an expectation from the developers that you will do our bidding,” says Bratt. “And there will be no independence, we will tell you how to vote.”

Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the way the group is apparently going about its agenda for change is especially revealing.

“When you see this live, captured on tape in this way, it’s very distasteful,” Nenshi says. “And as viewers watch this, I think they will agree this is shadowy, weird and unpleasant.

“I have no idea what this small group of extremely wealthy individuals is so mad about. Our housing starts are really healthy. They all admit the industry is extremely profitable.”

Nenshi is now calling for an investigation into possible wrong-doing based on what he’s seen in the video.

Like I said, small solace.

 First we have to clean up our mess before we can help with theirs.

Milwaukee County Board Calls Team Abele's Bluff

Soon after Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and his plutocrat pals at GMC hired State Representative Joe Sanfelippo to present their power grab bill, it was obvious that there were problems. The introduction of the bill kept getting delayed.  It took so long that they weren't able to get the red herring referendum on the spring's ballot as they were hoping.

Sanfelippo said that this was because he wanted to give the Board time to do their own reform.

So they did.

Then Sanfelippo and the other minions of GMC said that it was too little too late and that the Board didn't really mean it.

But the committee just passed it on Monday afternoon:

Milwaukee County Board Intergovernmental Relations Committee

Overwhelmingly Supports Bold Local Reform Plan

(MILWAUKEE)—The Milwaukee County Board’s Committee on Intergovernmental Relations passed a resolution to reform the Board locally on Monday.  The resolution contains provisions to cut the board’s salary by 20 percent and cut by 50 percent the board’s budget and staff.  It also includes in-depth language to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the legislative and executive branches, while ensuring that all branches receive access to the same training on county operations and governing.   In addition, there is a commitment to seek further efficiencies.

“This resolution is the culmination of hours of testimony at public hearings and hundreds of conversations with the public and stakeholders on local reform,” said Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic. “This is the first comprehensive reform plan presented by the board, and I am proud to be a part of positive local change.  Those who suggested we would never change were just not listening. Today, those folks should admit they were wrong.”

Other provisions of the resolution include: that any allowable savings from the Board cuts be directed to county services; streamlining of procedures such as prohibiting dual referrals and increasing the threshold for professional service contracts; and  a commitment to implement any additional budget and staff cuts recommended by an efficiency audit.

“Any time real change occurs, no one gets everything they want,” Committee Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr. said. “But real change can only occur successfully if it is embraced locally.  What we are moving forward today is historic for this county board.”

The resolution passed committee on 6-1 vote and will now go to the full board on Thursday, April 25.

Oops.

Now Abele and GMC have to decide whether they want to take the reform, which they claim they wanted or show their true colors again and lay bare the fact that their ploy was nothing more than a power grab.

And they didn't take long to decide:

[Mike Ellis said] “…we’re getting the public hearing on the same bill, but the Senate version, we’re going to get that out of the way this week, it’ll then come back to the Senate, we’re not in session until the first part of May, and then we will schedule it. I would hope that we schedule it right away and take it up on the floor.” 

Ellis says Republicans have the votes to pass the bill in the Senate, and Republicans have already passed it once in the Assembly.

Yup, pure power grab it is.

And for the record, again, I am against both the Board's reform and GMC's power grab.

There is only one thing needed to fix Milwaukee County government - cut out the rot.

Finally Time to Acknowledge Newtown!

By Jeff Simpson

Right after the tragic shooting @Sandy Hook Elementary our friends on the right were appalled that anyone who would consider bringing up the topic of sane gun legislation then.  Too soon!

Apparently, our friends on the right have decided enough time has passed and now is the time to discuss Sandy Hook and honor the victims.  Of course, our friends on the right are doing it in a unique way that only they can!

It is now a topic of right wing hate radio:

On his show Davis & Emmer, which is broadcast by Twin Cities News Talk AM 1130, he attacked the families of those killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School for speaking in support of stricter gun laws.
“I have something I want to say to the victims of Newtown, or any other shooting,” Davis said. “I don’t care if it’s here in Minneapolis or anyplace else. Just because a bad thing happened to you doesn’t mean that you get to put a king in charge of my life. I’m sorry that you suffered a tragedy, but you know what? Deal with it, and don’t force me to lose my liberty, which is a greater tragedy than your loss. I’m sick and tired of seeing these victims trotted out, given rides on Air Force One, hauled into the Senate well, and everyone is just afraid — they’re terrified of these victims.”
“I would stand in front of them and tell them, ‘go to hell,’” he added.

Then in WI, a gun nut club, that defines everything that is wrong with the "pro gun" movement is raffling off a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, red-dot scope, and Leatherwood CMR 1-4x AR optic valued at $1242.00.

Klassy!



 To show that there is still humanity left in the human race, a group of national cartoonists banded together to call for sensible gun legislation!