Target Misses Mark With FEED USA Campaign

Target has a new promotional scheme in which they are claiming that if you buy certain products from them, they will make a donation to provide meals to children and families across the country.

It sort of gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling.

But this is an absolute failure.

Target's first problem is that they are anti-union and refuse to pay their employees a livable wage. They are so anti-union that they have violated national labor laws to prevent their employees from unionizing.  They have even hired union actors to make an anti-union video for their new employees.

Their other problem is that the items they are selling in order to feed American families were all imported, presumably from places like China, Bangladesh and Burma, where they don't have unions, labor laws or respect for the workers or their lives.

How about this? If Target is really serious about feeding American children and families, how about they start by buying and selling American made products.  And then they can start paying their own employees livable wages so they can feed their own children and families.

Just sayin'.

Ted Cruz Mocks Hymn "Amazing Grace"

Ted Cruz, the holier-than-thou, more-conservative-than-thou and more-crazy-conspiracist-than-thou senator from Texas who wants to be President gave a little speech in which he mocked one of the most well-known and beloved hymns of all time, "Amazing Grace:"



As Anomaly at Freak Out Nation, the source of this video wrote:

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Derp) sang Amazing Grace to the tune of Gilligan’s Island at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and while watching try to imagine if President Obama did this. The outrage would be deafening.

Of course it would be. But that's because most Teapublicans are flaming hypocrites on top of being maleficent.

If You Can Keep It

 

By Jeff Simpson

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

  “A Republic, if you can keep it.” 

Ben Franklin

Well that was in 1787 and we know now that what Our Founders truly gave us was a Constitutionally limited democratic republic.    See as James Madison pointed out, you could use the words democracy and republic interchangeably so the distinction is not there the way some uninformed "tea partiers" like to pretend it is.  However that is for another day.

The focus of this post is another part of this quote:

"If You Can Keep It"!

With the Republicans running this country......I highly doubt it!

Happy Independence Day!

Koch Brothers Protection Plan

By Jeff Simpson

H/T Steven Elbow from The Cap Times:

Many of your politicians have pledged allegiance to serve.  The problem is, they have pledged allegiance NOT to the people of Wisconsin but to their out of state billionaire "daddies"!

Scott Walker and a host of other Wisconsin politicians have pledged their undying loyalty to the Koch Brothers irregardless of the people of WI!

 The pledge was devised by Americans for Prosperity, a tea party group founded by the Koch brothers and Koch Industries board member Richard Fink.

Who signed in WI:

 

 

Those newly elected Republicans helped push through funding cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency and tried to roll back the agency's regulatory powers, as well as being obstacles to enactment of laws to address climate change, the report says.

In addition to Walker and Kleefisch, Wisconsin signers of the pledge, all Republicans, are U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, U.S. Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner, Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble, state Sens. Leah Vukmir, Alberta Darling, Glenn Grothman and Mary Lazich, and state Reps. Dale Kooyenga, Don Pridemore, Jim Ott and Bill Kramer.

Want some context?

 Since we're all fond of comparing Wisconsin with Minnesota, a demographically similar state that outperforms Wisconsin on several economic fronts, it merits noting that the only politicians from that state to sign the pledge are retiring U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann and Minnesota state Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen.

 

 

Wiggy to The Rescue

By Jeff Simpson

The whole Paula Deen(I would have to know who someone was to worry about what they were saying) incident, was a non story and one we gladly ignored on our blog.  However right wing paid defender of all things republican, Jimmy Wigderson rode to the rescue!  

In a blog post entitled Saving Paula Deen, he writes


From the little I’ve gathered, some years ago she said, “n*****” without rapping. Now, most of us who are adults know that you can’t use that word.

Get it...see the code words there?  "without rapping".....Because its the exact same if a white racist  who idolizes plantations and felt that black staff members would have to use their own bathrooms and not be seen by her friends(among many other things)  or if a rapper uses the word in one of his songs. 

No difference!  

Then says most of us who are adults know you "can't use that word"....yet uses it perpetually throughout his post(none in context)!    Wiggy jumped on the chance to use the N word as often as possible, it appears to be a therapeutic post for him.  

However to be fair we all know Wiggy sees no color.**


** In the voting booth because he has a career of working to stop minorities from voting!  

Ladies and Gentlemen...your republican party!    

Independence Day Wishes

As the gentle reader knows, Thursday is the Fourth of July, aka Independence Day.  The day in which a dwindling number of Americans take the day off - I'm not aware of any business but banks who are closed on Independence Day - to celebrate our rights, our freedoms and, of course, our independence.

But there are a lot less of those things in recent months and years.  It seems that you can't go a day without hearing about some group - or several groups - losing their rights in the growing corporate takeover of America.

But seeing how yesterday was the birthday of this here blog and tomorrow is the birthday of this great (but not as great as it could be) nation, I will take the liberty of blowing out the candles and making some wishes:

I wish women the independence of control over their own bodies, without some misogynistic Teapublican trying to impose legalized sexual assault.  I also wish women the right to equal pay as well as the right to equal promotion in whichever careers they might choose.  And I wish women the right to have their voices heard as clearly and with the same respect that anyone else might expect.

I wish children the right to be taught to be critical thinkers so that they might keep their own independence as they grow up.  I also wish them the right to be treated as humans and not as chattel to be fed on by the parasitic profiteers who want to privatize their schools, stealing their futures as well as our tax dollars.

I wish the workers the freedom to organize without interference from the corporations or their wholly-owned politicians.  I wish them the right to get fair pay for their labor, as well as safe working conditions and being treated with respect.  And if they were to lose their job, I wish the workers a strong safety net that will allow them to survive until they find another job.  Add to that, the wish that the state was actually creating good, family-supporting jobs.

I wish the voters their unimpeded constitutional right to vote, regardless of race or socioeconomic status.  Furthermore, I wish them the ability to have a good candidate, who will represent them and not the big-money special interests or the dark overlords of ALEC.  And for the voters in Milwaukee County, I also wish them a representative government be restored to them.

I wish Mother Nature the respect due to her and the the land, animals and other assets be cherished and protected as they should be.

I wish the people to have an honest, objective media which will do investigative journalism and not just regurgitating press releases or trying to squelch information. I also wish that all the people have access to affordable health care, a fair and impartial justice system and a government that will actually provide services - such as social safety nets, a functioning public transit system and a well maintained infrastructure - instead of acting as a collection agency for the corporations.

And lastly, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Love, Hate or Satire?

By Jeff Simpson

I need a little help from our readers!   I recently posted this blog on Forward Lookout, another blog I use for more Dane County happenings.   Where I pointed out that this sums up why I left the Catholic church:



Like Clockwork, Dave Blaska came to Vicki Mckenna's defense(apparently she is unable too) and in our discussion,  I pointed out that when she organized her rabid supporters to show up in New Berlin and hand out pacifies to teachers who wanted a say in their workplace, that showed the hatred and vitriol that Vicki Mckenna(Pyzinski) exhibits on a daily basis.  Also that the Bishop of the Catholic church should follow Jesus's teachings and not support this kind of hatred. 

Mr. B said it was not hatred at all but "satire" 

I will let you decide  

Hatred or Satire?   

Scott Walker's Morals

By Jeff Simpson

Scott Walker signed the horrific budget on Sunday in a nice little private ceremony(where apparently its ok to use kids as props) where he had this to say:

"It is not just a moral imperative, it is also an economic imperative if we want to continue to be one of the leading states in the country" Scott Walker 

 This is the same Scott Walker who in the last budget cut education more than $1.5 BILLION in Wisconsin and in this budget over half of the school districts in Wisconsin are having major cuts to their state aid. 

Under Scott Walker, the only thing we lead the nation in is lack of jobs and depressed wages!

I always say we should believe people when they tell us who they are. 

Here Scott Walker tells us where his morals are and how he truly lacks economic understanding!  

Wisconsin you should listen!   

Happy Blogbirthversary To Us

I did not choose the blog life, the blog life chose me.

Six years ago this date, I was unleashed on the Cheddarspher.

Five years ago this date, Cog Dis was unleashed on the world (much to the chagrin of the evil doers.)

Since then I have, along with Jeff, Meg, Keith and the rest of the gang - and of course the gentle reader - fought the good fight, day after day, week after week.  We have held politicians of all stripes on all levels responsible for their decisions, their votes and their behaviors.

We are proud of the work we have done, the integrity we have shown and the progress we have made.  We are proud of being one of the true progressive blogs coming out of Southeast Wisconsin.

We are eager to continue to fight until we take our county, our state and our country back from the sheeples and Teapublicans

But most of all, we are thankful and proud to have you, gentle reader, among our friends.

And without further ado, it is time to get back to work.

PS: Jeff is supposed to be bringing the cake!

Emerge America Seeks a New President

From my inbox, just in case you're interested...

Emerge America is seeking a new President! Are you a fierce advocate for growing the ranks of Democratic women in elected and appointed office? Below you will find more information about the President position.

Emerge America
President
Location: Washington DC area preferred

Emerge America is changing the face of American politics by identifying, training and encouraging Democratic women to run for office. Our premiere seven-month training program is currently in place in 13 states. Emerge America seeks a candidate for the position of President who can continue to strategically expand our reach, build a national media presence, and grow our fundraising base.

The President will provide leadership, vision and direction to Emerge America, Emerge’s state programs, and Emerge Alumnae and supporters. The President is the national face of the organization, leads organizational development, plans and implements fundraising efforts, builds donor relationships and manages operations and finances. In conjunction with the board, s/he sets the strategic direction of the organization.

Primary Responsibilities

• Guiding the mission by providing leadership and oversight for national and state staff and boards
• Growing national fundraising efforts by developing and implementing strategic fundraising plans
• Leading organizational outreach by serving as the spokesperson for the organization, developing and overseeing the implementation of a proactive communication strategy, and broadening the organization’s reach through social, print and broadcast media
• Managing the Emerge America staff and budget through both oversight and strategic planning
• Leading Emerge State Relations by providing strong, supportive communication and assistance, and
• Strengthening the national Board through strategic development and strong leadership
   

The Ideal Candidate

Emerge America is looking for a seasoned leader with an entrepreneurial spirit who has both vision and the ability to execute that vision. This candidate will possess experience developing and implementing successful fundraising plans, cultivating donors, excellent communication skills, experience working with a diverse populations, a high degree of integrity and a passion for electing Democratic women. Experience working successfully with a board of directors is a plus.

To Apply

Emerge is currently accepting applications, the deadline for submission is July 31, 2013. This position requires evening and weekend work with up to 50% travel to visit state programs and conduct fundraising meetings and events. Salary commensurate with experience.

Email your resume and cover letter to:
Emerge America
search@emergeamerica.org

Emerge America is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices and, in order to build the strongest possible workforce, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool.

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)!  

Purple Unicorns

Alexander and Abele
Searchers of the
Purple Unicorn

It's becoming increasingly obvious for all to see that Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander is in way above her head as she tried awfully hard to curry favor with Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele, the Greater Milwaukee Committee and their counterparts, the Bradley Foundation.

She cannot seem to help but run afoul of Chapter 9 of the Milwaukee County Ordinances - the Code of Ethics.  Basically it says to steer clear of conflicts of interest and not to use one's position for monetary or political gain for themselves or their family.

Sounds simple enough.  But like former supervisor Joe Sanfelippo, Alexander pays no heed to such things like ethical behavior.

First she receives work done by the Emperor's spokesman, Brendan Conway.  Even though it looked like an essay written by a third grader for a first grader, it was still a thing of value (Lord knows to whom, but to someone).

Then in May, because she was late to the Board meeting, she called for a Suspension of the Rules just so she could have her vote counted against overriding Abele's vetoes of reforming county government, even though her vote made absolutely no difference.  Two days later, Abele and representatives of GMC held a fundraiser for her.

Now Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting on yet another violation of the Ethics Code by Alexander.

Abele is upset because the Board voted in a super majority to terminate the services of Kimberly Walker, the inept and corrupt head of Corp Counsel.  As a result, Abele had Alexander issue an unsubstantiated complaint against the rest of the Board, accusing them of violating open record laws.

So far, Alexander has yet to produce one shred of evidence that anything illegal happened other than she said so. When challenged about the appropriateness of her charges and the fact that she is violating the Ethics Code herself, her only rational is "purple unicorns."

Regardless of this being a completely baseless complaint which was only issued in a feeble attempt at intimidating the Board, Rick Esenberg of the comically named Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has agreed to represent Alexander in her complaint.  And therein lies the rub.

Esenberg said that he's not charging Alexander, because the case is in the "public interest:"

It's not a problem at all, said Rick Esenberg, the lawyer representing Alexander.

He is the head of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a nonprofit law firm that uses the courts to pursue conservative and libertarian causes. It has received $1 million in start-up funds from the deep-pocketed Bradley Foundation.

Esenberg likened his outfit to the liberal American Civil Liberties Union, saying the two groups don't charge flat or hourly fees because they are litigating issues that are of interest to the general public.

"Deanna Alexander is not paying us with public money or campaign funds," Esenberg said. "We are public interest lawyers. We don't charge our clients fees."

Technically, Esenberg is being honest. As noted in the cited blurb, his group's clients are actually the Bradley Foundation, who is bankrolling his harassment of public officials.

However, because he is not charging Alexander, and she is the complaintant in this case, she is in violation of the Ethics Code again. Whether Esenberg does it pro bono, as part of the Bradley Foundation's directions or  the through funding by the GMC, the fact that Alexander is receiving it at no cost to her, she is violating the Code.

It's really gotten to the point where it's pointless to file charges with the Ethics Board (which is compromised anyway) and just let the District Attorney look into the matter.

At least the new pink uniforms that the women inmates wear at the House of Corrections would go nicely with the purple unicorns that Alexander looks for.

Workers Have To Pay To Get Paid

I'm not sure how this is even legal:

A growing number of American workers are confronting a frustrating predicament on payday: to get their wages, they must first pay a fee.

For these largely hourly workers, paper paychecks and even direct deposit have been replaced by prepaid cards issued by their employers. Employees can use these cards, which work like debit cards, at an A.T.M. to withdraw their pay.

But in the overwhelming majority of cases, using the card involves a fee. And those fees can quickly add up: one provider, for example, charges $1.75 to make a withdrawal from most A.T.M.’s, $2.95 for a paper statement and $6 to replace a card. Some users even have to pay $7 inactivity fees for not using their cards.

These fees can take such a big bite out of paychecks that some employees end up making less than the minimum wage once the charges are taken into account, according to interviews with consumer lawyers, employees, and state and federal regulators.

Devonte Yates, 21, who earns $7.25 an hour working a drive-through station at a McDonald’s in Milwaukee, says he spends $40 to $50 a month on fees associated with his JPMorgan Chase payroll card.

“It’s pretty bad,” he said. “There’s a fee for literally everything you do.”

Certain transactions with the Chase pay card are free, according to a fee schedule.

Many employees say they have no choice but to use the cards: some companies no longer offer common payroll options like ordinary checks or direct deposit.

At companies where there is a choice, it is often more in theory than in practice, according to interviews with employees, state regulators and consumer advocates. Employees say they are often automatically enrolled in the payroll card programs and confronted with a pile of paperwork if they want to opt out.

“We hear virtually every week from employees who never knew there were other options, and employers certainly don’t disabuse workers of that idea,” said Deyanira Del Rio, an associate director of the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, which works with community groups in New York.

Wonderful.

So now corporations - our employers - are teaming up with the banks to gouge their own employees, making them pay to get the money they've already earned.

Tell me again how we don't need unions.

Caption This!

Caption this picture of Paul Ryan puckering up with a Billionaire's Butt Bass:

The War On The Unemployed

From Paul Krugman, who discussed the nationwide phenomenon of the War on the Unemployed and demonstrates just how malevolent and stupid Fitzwalkerstan's Teapublicans really are:

In general, modern conservatives believe that our national character is being sapped by social programs that, in the memorable words of Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, “turn the safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people to lives of dependency and complacency.” More specifically, they believe that unemployment insurance encourages jobless workers to stay unemployed, rather than taking available jobs.

Is there anything to this belief? The average unemployment benefit in North Carolina is $299 a week, pretax; some hammock. So anyone who imagines that unemployed workers are deliberately choosing to live a life of leisure has no idea what the experience of unemployment, and especially long-term unemployment, is really like. Still, there is some evidence that unemployment benefits make workers a bit more choosy in their job search. When the economy is booming, this extra choosiness may raise the “non-accelerating-inflation” unemployment rate — the unemployment rate at which inflation starts to rise, inducing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates and choke off economic expansion.

All of this is, however, irrelevant to our current situation, in which inflation is not a concern and the Fed’s problem is that it can’t get interest rates low enough. While cutting unemployment benefits will make the unemployed even more desperate, it will do nothing to create more jobs — which means that even if some of those currently unemployed do manage to find work, they will do so only by taking jobs away from those currently employed.

But wait — what about supply and demand? Won’t making the unemployed desperate put downward pressure on wages? And won’t lower labor costs encourage job growth? No — that’s a fallacy of composition. Cutting one worker’s wage may help save his or her job by making that worker cheaper than competing workers; but cutting everyone’s wages just reduces everyone’s income — and it worsens the burden of debt, which is one of the main forces holding the economy back.

Oh, and let’s not forget that cutting benefits to the unemployed, many of whom are living hand-to-mouth, will lead to lower overall spending — again, worsening the economic situation, and destroying more jobs.

The move to slash unemployment benefits, then, is counterproductive as well as cruel; it will swell the ranks of the unemployed even as it makes their lives ever more miserable.

In other words, because of the Teapublicans in our state ramming through their two-pronged assault on the unemployed, not only will Scott Walker's agenda continue to not work, it will become even more dysfunctional. Unemployment will continue to rise, more families will come into suffering, more homes will be lost.

But on the bright side, Walker got his sound bite for his presidential campaign.