Paul Ryan - Career Politician

According to his brother who always thought one day that Paul would get a real job.




Why work for a living when you have figured out a way to become rich on the taxpayers dime? Let them do your work for you!

Note To Romney: You Didn't Build That - You Destroyed It

We Are Wisconsin And We Are Going To Vote In November

This video was put out this afternoon by AFSCME, in advance of the Scott Walker's speech at the Republican convention:



The fight is no where near over, no matter how much the Republicans and their corporate overlords wish we would give up and be good little thralls.

Paul rAYN

The Brilliant John Fugelsang:



Follow him on twitter: @johnfugelsang

Follow us also: @jeffSimpson7 & @Cog_Dis

Some Oddities In Latest RGA Ad

The Republican Governors Association has an video touting the Republican governors that are at the Republican convention this year. But there are some things about the ad that are rather odd about it:



The third oddest thing is that they are touting Governor Luis Fortuño of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico doesn't have delegates and aren't allowed to vote. Is he the token person of color for the convention?

The second oddest thing is that they don't have Scott Walker saying anything. For that matter, he was added to the convention list of speakers as an afterthought and definitely does not have even third rate billing for the event. Is this because while the propagandists in Wisconsin try to pump him up as a rock star, people are afraid to be associated too closely to him because of his failure to create jobs, his dictatorial rule leading to protests wherever he goes or the fact that John Doe is breathing down Walker's next and they are slowly trying to step as far away from him as they can so they don't get sucked down with him?

But the oddest thing about the ad is that they have not one positive thing to say about Romney. Well, that's not odd, because there really aren't any positives to Romney's campaign, considering almost a third of Republicans wish someone else was their nominee.

"Koch Industries is just a terrible, terrible citizen"

Kansas State Senator Tim Owens is a moderate Republican that was unseated thanks in a large part by the Koch Brothers and their teahadist group, Americans for (Koch's) Prosperity. The Kochs, as you already know, bankrolls AFP to attack anyone and everyone who they see as a threat, like Owens.

Owens did an interview with David Weigel of Slate and here is what he said of the Kochs and AFP:

Slate: But I'm curious, did the Kansas Chamber or any of the groups that opposed you try to work on you before spending money in the election?

Owens: They wrote me off early on. They went after the eight moderates they saw as impediments. And the challengers were backed very strongly by the Americans for Prosperity. I don't know if you've heard of them, but they basically have an anti-tax philosophy. They were started by Koch Industries and the Koch brothers, that's where the money comes from against us. The local Chambers are wholly owned by Koch Industries and AFP.

Slate: But Koch Industries is a Kansas-based company that ostensibly provides jobs in Kansas, pays taxes in Kansas.

Owens: Sure, but they are absolutely opposed to taxes. If it were up to them they'd want us to do away with all taxes and leave them alone. They may be a Kansas business, they may be the biggest company run by a single family, but they need to be asking the question "What can we do for Kansas?" and not "What can Kansas do for us?" Koch Industries is just a terrible, terrible citizen as far as I'm concerned. I think Koch Industries has done a major disservice to the state of Kansas.

More significantly is what the Koch agenda will do to Kansas if they are allowed to continue unchecked:

Slate: And you were targeted, at least in part, because you opposed the tax plan. Why did you oppose it?

Owens: I've seen projections that say we'd be at a $2.7 billion in five years if we cut taxes too deeply. We have a constiutional mandate in Kansas that we have to balance the budget. if we're $2.7 billion in the hole, we either have to go back and raise taxes, which the new senators won't do, or we have to cut the programs. What do you cut in Kansas, where 67% of the budget is K-12 or higher ed? You're talking about higher ed taking a huge hit, and I suppose you're expecting private or parochical school to fill the gap. But Kansas right now is sixth in the nation for quality of public education. The theory, as I understand it, will be that businesses will bring enough new jobs to Kansas to make up the difference in funding. But if part of his tax plan is to eliminate income tax, it's not gonna make a lot of difference, is it? Do they raise the property tax instead? The whole theory is haywire.

Gee, doesn't that sound like what's going on in Fitzwalkerstan?

Keep Creationism Away From the Children!

Get these guys to West Bend Pronto!

Tin Soldiers, Tin Badges

Last week, I pointed out that rights are becoming rather scarce in Fitzwalkerstan, especially the right of Free Speech.

Not only is the constitutional right to Free Speech becoming increasingly scarce, but the brownshirts are getting downright violent to anyone who tries to exercise it.

In Madison, the new commandant of the Capital Police, Dave Erwin, is already trying to make a name for himself by cracking down on peaceful protesters. Because you know, people singing about workers rights is a threat to our society or something like that.

And how far is Erwin willing to go to return "normalcy" to the Capitol? Well, as far as condoning violence, apparently with or without just cause:

Erwin recently met with legislative aides who were feeling threatened or intimidated by protesters who have come into the aides' offices to berate them and have followed them to their cars. He suggested they try filming a demonstrator and, if that didn't work, punching the person with their free hand.

"I said if it wasn't working you could try to hit them," Erwin said.

Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison) had a person in his office with a box cutter in the spring of 2011 and said he thought it was a good idea that Capitol police are having panic buttons installed in some legislative offices so staff could call police in an emergency.

But after talking with several aides who were in the meeting with Erwin, Hulsey said it was bizarre advice to recommend hitting someone with police nearby. He said several Democratic aides left the meeting early because they were taken aback by Erwin's suggestion.

"I was kind of amazed by that," Hulsey said.

But Madison isn't the only place with this new breed of stormtrooper.

In Milwaukee, under the auspices of the Cowboy Sheriff, David Clarke, there has been an incident of violence by a deputy against an innocent Overpass Light Brigade protester.

From the press release issued by Voces de la Frontera and the OLB is a description of the course of events:

Milwaukee police arrived at the bridge around 9:00 pm, after supporters had been holding lights reading "PALERMOS - NEGOTIATE" for about an hour. The first MPD responders stated they had been called to the bridge by the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Department. They stated that they were unsure as to why they had been called, and waited for the Sheriffs Department to show up.

Deputy Callies of the Sheriff's Department soon arrived and immediately stormed on to the bridge, which was filled with striking Palermo workers and their families holding signs, including several young children. Around 30 people were present in total, including many community supporters. Deputy Callies demanded that the lights be taken down and turned off. He then stated loudly that he would be arresting everyone on the bridge for disorderly conduct.

At this point, close to twenty police vehicles had arrived or were en route (witnesses counted one paddy wagon, two bicycle police, two motorcycle police, six Milwaukee police squads, including a K-9 unit, and nine Milwaukee County Sheriff vehicles). Lisa Moline of OLB tried to reason with Deputy Callies, who grew more and more agitated that he was being challenged on the constitutionality of his order to shut the message down.

As the video clearly captures, Deputy Callies then turned around lunged at a woman who was videotaping his tirade. He forcibly reached for her camera, pushing himself into her (most likely realizing she had just captured his entire episode digitally). In the process, he grabbed the woman’s arm and ripped the camera phone out of her hand, giving no explanation for the confiscation, despite pleading efforts from the woman as to why her camera phone was stolen. He then tore another supporter's phone away in the exact same manner. Click here for videos of the above incident.

Eventually more officers arrived on the bridge. Many of the MPD officers seemed uncomfortable with the actions of Deputy Callies, and once he left the bridge, one officer told supporters they could go back onto the bridge with the lights, and that it was “all a misunderstanding". By that point, many supporters were intimidated by the Sheriff department's actions and had already left.

The OLB has had countless visits by numerous local law enforcement agencies during their bridge actions of the past nine months. They have always been calm and civil, and have repeatedly resulted in the reaffirmation of the legality of their actions. Office Callies' aggressive response is the single exception to this respectful relationship.

Voces de la Frontera and OLB will be filing a Freedom of Information Act request to determine the process for which orders were given for Friday's action to be broken up- and why this particular message led to this particular response. Additional charges against Deputy Callies are currently being filed by the woman whose hand was injured when he grabbed her cell phone.

We are also asking the many elected officials who have endorsed and supported Voces and OLB actions in the past to demand a public investigation of this unacceptable violation of freedom of speech.

And from the website for Occupy Riverwest is some raw footage of the assault:



Fortunately, despite the Republicans' best efforts, we are still a land of laws, and their attempt at totalitarian rule is not working. The people involved with the Milwaukee incident have filed a complaint against the deputy in question and have filed open records requests to find out who gave which orders and when. Likewise, in Madison, the ACLU is ready to step in and teach Chief Erwin an expensive lesson on the Constitution.

As the saying goes, it's hard to keep a good man down. And Wisconsin is chock full of good men and women that won't stay down and won't stay silenced until we have our state back.

Abele: Referendum Is Like A Facebook Poll

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is becoming a greater embarrassment with each passing day.

Now he compares voting in an election is like voting on a Facebook poll.

Priebus: Racist Comment Is Levity

Chris Matthews, who needs a fashion consultant, knows some serious verbal judo and he used it to wail all over the racist, smug, little man, Reince Priebus:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Unsurprisingly, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn't cover even a fraction of the story with this little blurb:

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and talk show host Chris Matthews mixed it up Monday on MSNBC, with Matthews accusing Republicans of "playing the race card" in campaigning against President Barack Obama. Priebus, Wisconsin's former Republican Party chairman, said he and other Republican leaders have chastised "birthers" who have questioned whether Obama was born in the United States. He added: "But I think Obama's policies have created a sense that for whatever reason, he's looking to guidance as far as health care is concerned, as far as our spending is concerned, as far as the stimulus packages are concerned, he's looking to Europe for guidance."

Not one mention of the fact that Priebus was calling racist comments as "moments of levity" or the fact that Matthews laid the smack down by pointing out the long line of presidents who had pushed for health care reforms.

But remember, they are the "liberal" media.

Republicans Have Total Disdain for Women

No wonder some people think the GOP are set to take over in November....everything they say is perfectly sane ........for 1812.

First off Paul Ryan thinks that rape is just another way to get pregnant.... Then there is Pennsylvania GOP Senatorial candidate Tom Smith:


Finally there is this blast from the past who used to be a sane moderate voice in the republican party, but

now is nowhere to be seen!

 


You can also check out the siren for more on Paul Ryan!

American Taliban!

This could be the best, most honest two minutes in all of television!



  


See Also Voter Fraud is a Problem!

Voter Fraud Is A Problem!

When Republicans vote!   

There has been a nationwide(Koch Brothers Sponsored)push to enact restrictive voter ID laws throughout the Country. Luckily our restrictive voter ID laws, have been stopped by the courts. Despite J B Van Hollen's insistence on disenfranchising Wisconsin voters.  

Now, after an exhaustive study, we find out that the republicans perpetual claims of massive voter fraud is pure unadulterated bullshit!   

voter fraud in general is rare. And that particular form of voter fraud is "virtually non-existent," according to the extensive public-records search conducted by News21, a nonpartisan investigative news project funded by the Carnegie and Knight foundations. Researchers filed more than 2,000 public-records requests and reviewed nearly 5,000 court documents, official records and media reports to get their information.

They identified 2,068 alleged cases of voter fraud since the year 2000, a period during which there have been more than 600 million votes cast in presidential elections alone. That, the study noted, is an "infinitesimal amount." It also showed a total of 10 cases of in-person voter fraud during that period.

10 cases of in-person voter fraud in more than 600 million votes cast!!!  Let that sink in.  But wait there is more!

The News21 analysis of its election fraud database shows:

• In-person voter-impersonation fraud is rare. The database shows 207 cases of other types of fraud for every case of voter impersonation.

“The fraud that matters is the fraud that is organized. That’s why voter impersonation is practically non-existent because it is difficult to do and it is difficult to pull people into conspiracies to do it,” said Lorraine Minnite, professor of public policy and administration at Rutgers University.

• There is more fraud in absentee ballots and voter registration than any other categories. The analysis shows 491 cases of absentee ballot fraud and 400 cases of registration fraud. A required photo ID at the polls would not have prevented these cases.

“The one issue I think is potentially important, though more or less ignored, is the overuse of absentee balloting, which provides far more opportunity for fraud and intimidation than on-site voter fraud,” said Daniel Lowenstein, a UCLA School of Law professor.

• Of reported election-fraud allegations in the database whose resolution could be determined, 46 percent resulted in acquittals, dropped charges or decisions not to bring charges.

Minnite says prosecutions are rare. “You have to be able to show that people knew what they were doing and they knew it was wrong and they did it anyway,” she said. “It may be in the end they (prosecutors) can’t really show that the people who have cast technically illegal ballots did it on purpose.”

• Felons or noncitizens sometimes register to vote or cast votes because they are confused about their eligibility. The database shows 74 cases of felons voting and 56 cases of noncitizens voting.
• Voters make a lot of mistakes, from accidentally voting twice to voting in the wrong precinct.
• Election officials make a lot of mistakes, from clerical errors — giving voters ballots when they’ve already voted — to election workers confused about voters’ eligibility requirements.

 Their final result?

 Voter fraud at the polls is an insignificant aspect of American elections,” said elections expert David Schultz, professor of public policy at Hamline University School of Business in St. Paul, Minn.

“There is absolutely no evidence that (voter impersonation fraud) has affected the outcome of any election in the United States, at least any recent election in the United States,” Schultz said.

The problem with Professor Schultz, is he has not extensively studied the republican party!

Right here in Wisconsin, we know that powerful republican Robin Vos's third ex-wife, was recently caught voting in WI(during the recall election, when she was still married toVos),  despite the fact she is currently a resident of Idaho.

Secondly we have the video of Joel Kleefisch running down the line and voting for whoever is not around.

Then of course we have Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan buying votes at Cousins subs.

Let's also not forget the red state of Indiana, where Indiana Republican Secretary of State Charlie White was convicted on SIX counts of voter fraud!

White, a Republican, was accused of lying about his home address on voter registration forms in order to continue receiving a stipend for serving on his town's council. To comply with state law requiring the removal of convicted felons from office, Gov. Mitch Daniels, a fellow Republican, appointed White's deputy as an interim replacement.
  The irony is that White has been an outspoken defender of controversial voter identification laws, which are purportedly aimed at stamping out the kind of fraud he was found guilty of committing.

Finally, Mitt is no stranger to voter fraud, himself.  Since he committed it himself when he voted in some Massachusett's election.

Of course while the republicans continue to pretend they are just worried about everyone's vote being counted we know that is flat out not true!

How do we know it isn't true?

They keep telling us!    From the OHIO GOP Election official Doug Preisse: 

I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban — read African-American — voter-turnout machine. Let’s be fair and reasonable.

To Wisconsin's own, and one of the founders of the "tea party" movement Paul Weyrich!!!

It appears the best way to save the integrity of our elections are to keep republicans away from the polls!

How Do You Spell Misogynist? R-Y-A-N

My colleagues Jeff and Meg pointed out the ways that Paul Ryan has utter disdain for women. (Meg actually did it twice.)

Now there is a comprehensive list of the misogynistic laws support and/or sponsored by Ryan. The list was compiled by Sandra Fluke, the woman who Rush Limbaugh called a slut and only apologized after enough companies pulled out their advertising money from his show. The list reads thus:

Maybe that’s not surprising: Ryan’s record on women’s issues is so far outside the mainstream that many find it unbelievable.  Here are just a few of the anti-women votes Ryan has cast: 

 • Ryan voted for a bill referred to as the “Let Women Die Bill” because it proposed to allow hospitals to refuse a woman emergency abortion care, even if her life was in immediate danger. Currently, a federally funded hospital is required to provide at least enough care for a patient to be stabilized so that she doesn’t die and can be transferred to another hospital. The bill Ryan voted for meant that hospitals wouldn’t even have had to do that.  

• Ryan co-sponsored a federal personhood bill. That bill declared a fertilized egg that hasn’t even resulted in a pregnancy to be the equivalent of a living person, with all of the rights of federal law. As a result, aspects of in vitro fertilization procedures and some forms of contraception would be criminalized, as would operations to save a woman’s life in the case of dangerous ectopic pregnancies that cannot be carried to term.

• Ryan repeatedly over several years voted against bills to ensure women equal pay for equal work, even voting against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  

• Ryan voted to cut off Title X family planning programs that ensure impoverished and low-wage women affordable access to contraception as well as mammograms and cancer-screenings. 

• Ryan’s budget attacks on Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and a broad range of social services (including child care, Head Start, job training, Pell Grants, housing and energy assistance) would disproportionately harm women’s economic wellbeing. That’s because the majority of beneficiaries of these programs are women, due to their longer life spans and greater likelihood of being impoverished. 

• Ryan repeatedly voted over several years to end all funding for Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion services. Like Susan G. Komen’s defunding, voting to cut off funding of Planned Parenthood would rob women of access to breast cancer screenings, cervical cancer screenings, and the other life-saving services Planned Parenthood provides.  By law, federal funding of Planned Parenthood already excludes all abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman’s life is in danger. 

• Ryan co-sponsored a bill that would deny many rape victims on Medicaid access to abortion. That bill proposed to cut off access through federally-funded programs for victims who were drugged or threatened, some victims of incest, and victims of statutory rape. 

• Ryan voted repeatedly to prevent our female military service-members from using their own private money to pay for abortion at a military hospital. He also voted for legislation to allow bans on abortion coverage in the new state health-insurance exchanges, even for women paying with their own money.

It's no wonder that he and Todd Akin are such close friends.

Reports Of The Unions' Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

The unions are dead! Long live the unions!

After a more than a year of bruising setbacks, one of Wisconsin's largest public employee labor councils saw a ray of hope this week as about 300 private sector employees of a Madison social services provider joined the union.

Social workers, psychiatrists, nurses and support employees at the Journey Mental Health Center voted to form two American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees bargaining units, going against the grain of steadily declining union membership in the private sector and more than a year of defeats for public sector labor organizations.

Journey workers say they organized not for higher pay or better benefits, but to have a voice in management, which has increased caseloads for counselors at the private nonprofit, which is largely funded by government grants.

The agency is justifiably trying to reduce its waiting list for its more than 13,000 clients, said Kevin McConeghey, chairman of the union organizing committee, but in doing so it heaped extra work on employees without asking their advice, and the result has been high turnover rates and much frustration.

"We tried to get management to listen, but we didn't get much response and that was one of the things that drove our effort," McConeghey said.

Welcome my union brothers and sisters! Solidarity!