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Amazingly, nothing happened to Krieser, even though his order was unethical at best.“Do you know someone who votes that does not have a State ID that meets requirements to vote? Tell them they can go to the DMV/DOT and get a free ID card. However they must ask for the free ID. a memo was sent out by the 3rd in command [Steve Kreiser] of the DMV/DOT. The memo specifically told the employees at the DMV/DOT not to inform individuals that the ID’s are free. So if the individuals seeking to get the free ID does not ask for a free ID, they will have to pay for it!!
Steve Krieser “Just wanted everyone to be informed!! REMEMBER TO TELL ANYONE YOU KNOW!! ANYONE!! EVEN IF THEY DON’T NEED THE FREE ID, THEY MAY KNOW SOMEONE THAT DOES!! SO TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!”
In a stunning online rant, a top Gov. Scott Walker appointee likened illegal immigrants to Satan during a Facebook debate over a bumper sticker declaring open season on foreigners living in the U.S. without documentation.Krieser's exact comments was the usual ill-informed claptrap that one would expect to hear from radio squawkers like Charlie Sykes or Mark Belling:
"You may see Jesus when you look at them," Steven Krieser, assistant deputy secretary at the state Department of Transportation, wrote Tuesday regarding illegal immigrants. "I see Satan."
Krieser wrote that a "stream of wretched criminals" is crossing the border without obstruction. These individuals, he said, "completely ruined" entire states and industries, breeding "the animus that many American citizens feel toward them."
Walker's response was swift and dramatic.
Less than two hours after his office was informed of the rant, Walker fired Krieser. The gubernatorial appointee had been paid $96,628 a year as the No. 3 official at DOT.
"These comments are repugnant, completely unacceptable, and have no place in Governor Walker's administration," said Tom Evenson, spokesman for Walker. "Governor Walker condemns his views, and they do not represent the governor or his administration in any way."
Sorry Joe, but I'm not with you on this one. The sticker is probably over the top, and while some people are undoubtedly motivated by racial animus, I think you err in insinuating that opposition to illegal immigration generally is driven primarily by racism.Walker was correct in firing Krieser, but it does leave me wondering did he do it because it was the right thing to do or because he couldn't have Krieser making him look bad as he tries to gain some traction of his presidential bid.
As one of your other commenters here pointed out, it's pretty easy for a person to sit in Madison, Wisconsin, and tut-tut people in Arizona and some of the other states that have been completely ruined by illegal immigration and cast aspersions on their frustration with the complete inability of our federal government to defend the sovereignty of our borders. The whole social safety net and educational systems of entire southern states have been crushed under the weight of these criminals who commit another crime with every breath they take here, having snuck across the border. They routinely steal the identities of millions of legitimate, actual Americans, causing untold grief and billions in individual and business losses annually. Long-time landowners along the Mexican border - American taxpaying citizens trying to live out life on their own land, have seen their ranches completely overrun with violent criminals who routinely raid their homes and trash their land as the stream of wretched criminals continues to flow unabated to the north, day after day, night after night. And the whole service and agricultural employment sector has been skewed against actual Americans as unscrupulous, treasonous employers have replaced citizens with "undocumented" help for which they pay no tax, pay no unemployment insurance, pay no workers compensation, etc.
Then, on top of it all, we get to be treated to the incredible chutzpah of hundreds of thousands of these criminals marching in the streets in broad daylight, demanding all the benefits of citizenship from a country whose laws they are breaking even as they are standing there. The illegals themselves have bred the animus that many American citizens feel toward them You may see Jesus when you look at them. I see Satan. And if they don't like it here, hey, the door they came through to get here swings both ways.
Lo and behold, the predicted lawsuit has been filed:In summary, Emperor Abele has a tantrum and fires the top four people in DPW, which leads to a bungling of paratransit contracts which could cost taxpayers up to $9 million. To cover up and correct his error, Abele decides to go from a local, nonprofit company with a stellar record to an out of state, for profit company with a long history of screwing over workers, strikes and poor performance.
And Abele thinks that this is a good thing. And he expects the County Board to just approve what he puts in front of them without knowing whether this is the best bid or even if it was done legally. It sure seems to me that the county is being exposed to another costly lawsuit, thanks to Abele.
The company that runs the Milwaukee County Transit System is suing the county to stop secret contract negotiations with another firm.The article also confirms another point I made last week, which is the reason Abele is playing games with the contract is to keep it all under wraps until he can give the contract to MV Transportation.
Milwaukee Transport Services Inc. is seeking an order requiring the county to give it information on which to base an appeal to the decision to switch management of the local bus system to the Texas-based MV Transportation.
MTS also wants a restraining order to halt county contract talks with MV and give MTS more time to file an appeal.
As the gentle reader is aware, the first half of 2013 was a tumultuous time in Milwaukee County. Because the County Board had been one of the few entities that ever told Chris Abele "no," he threw one of the biggest temper tantrums in recorded history, pushing and paying state legislators to pass Act 14, naming him Milwaukee County Emperor.Supervisor Alexander asked unanimous consent to SUSPEND THE RULES to be recorded as voting Aye on Item No. 1 and No on Item No. 2.This in itself, while unusual, is perfectly legal.
Supervisor Romo West OBJECTED.
A motion was made by Supervisor Alexander that THE RULES BE SUSPENDED to be recorded as voting Aye on Item No. 1 and No on Item No. 2. The motion PREVAILED by the following vote:
Aye: 14 - Alexander, Borkowski, Broderick, Cullen, Dimitrijevic, Haas, Johnson Jr., Jursik, Mayo Sr., Rainey, Schmitt, Stamper II, Staskunas and Taylor
No: 4 - Bowen, Lipscomb Sr., Romo West and Weishan
Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele has a problem keeping staff. Every time one of them tells him that his privatization of county services and his war on Milwaukee County citizens are bad ideas, he sends them packing.The director of Milwaukee County's risk management division abruptly left that post this week, in the midst of the cleanup of the courthouse following last month's electrical fire, county officials said Wednesday.Again no reason was given for van Pelt's dismissal. One might guess that van Pelt was fired for being on vacation for two weeks following the courthouse fire, but then again, that would be only on her if Abele ordered her back and she refused. It could be that she didn't kiss the Emperor's ring in the correct fashion. Without Abele explaining why he fired yet another one of his staffers, there is no way of knowing.
Cindy VanPelt held the job as head of the county's insurance office since January 2012.
On Wednesday, VanPelt's departure was disclosed in a memo to county supervisors by Don Tyler, who heads the county's Department of Administrative Services.
The memo said that her last day with the county was Tuesday, but gave no reason for the departure.
Brendan Conway, a spokesman for County Executive Chris Abele, declined to comment on the reason for VanPelt's departure. She was paid $91,300 a year.
The article states that one correction officer already won his personal complaint on this, setting the precedence for the other officers to win their lawsuit. Needless to say, if it becomes a class action lawsuit, the back pay alone will cut into Scott Walker's alleged "savings" due to Act 10 and then some.According to the lawsuit, the state Department of Corrections issued a policy on Jan. 29, 2012, stating that employees are considered “on duty when they are present at their assigned post/work location prepared to assume their duties at their designated start time.”
But the guards allege it means they aren’t paid for pre-shift work that serves DOC’s interests, such as passing a security screening, participating in roll calls and fitness for duty checks, checking out and receiving equipment and traveling through prisons to their assigned posts, all while being ready to respond to emergency calls.
They also alleged they are not paid for post-shift work that includes communicating with relief officers, checking in work equipment and passing a security screening, again while being available for emergency calls.
The DOC’s failure to pay guards for that time is “willful and in bad faith,” the lawsuit states.
A class action lawsuit was filed because Act 10, signed by Gov. Scott Walker in March 2011, removed collective bargaining as a means to resolve disputes like this one, the lawsuit states. Individuals lack the means to file separate lawsuits, which would also be expensive to the state, the lawsuit states.
“Wisconsin 2011 Act 10 prohibits members of the class from collectively negotiating with the DOC to seek redress over issues of wages, hours and working conditions,” the lawsuit states. “This leaves a class action complaint as a sole means to seek redress from a neutral decision-maker.”
The gentle reader might remember the name Judith Rhodes Engels.
Today is a fine example of that as evidenced by this Facebook entry:Just attended and spoke at the Annual Purple Heart Recognition Day ceremony that recognizes and honors the recipients of the Purple Heart for their selfless dedication and service. I've declared today to be Purple Heart Day throughout Milwaukee County.
“Are we really discussing whether elderly people who depend on their pensions for food, shelter and medicine, who have few, if any, opportunities to earn money otherwise, ought to make do with less?”
—Detroit Free Press editorial, Aug. 1, 2013
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Detroit is the largest city to file for bankruptcy in American history. But it is not the only city in economic crisis, and what happens there matters—it matters to AFSCME members and all workers and retirees across the country.
That’s why we launched a national campaign to support our AFSCME sisters and brothers in Detroit called: “Stand with Detroit!” We need you to show your support and go to www.StandwithDetroit.orgright now and sign our petition.
There is no argument that Detroit is in fiscal distress. The question on the table is who pays? Will it be the city workers who labor each day to keep the city running and who already took huge reductions in pay and benefits? Will city worker and retiree pension benefits—benefits that were already earned—be slashed? Or will the bond insurers and Wall Street types who treated the city like an ATM for years be required to face the consequences of their actions?
The collapse of the city’s industry during the past 40 years is not the fault of the modestly paid public service workers. Detroit’s workers and retirees worked in good faith to reach an equitable solution and avoid bankruptcy in the first place. The non-uniformed workers had their future pension benefits reduced by approximately 40 percent last year. Now, the governor’s hand-picked emergency financial manager wants to reduce the average $19,000 yearly pension benefit that was already earned. In addition, workers took a 10 percent pay cut during the past fiscal year.
Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Snyder slashed the city’s share of state revenues by $160 million.
The Detroit Free Press described it well: “A financially solvent city that is paid for at the expense of workers and retirees is an equation that doesn’t balance—in Detroit or anywhere.”
Will you stand with Jeanette Fitts, who retired after 35 years—working in accounting for the city of Detroit—and fears a cut to her pension or medical coverage will be devastating?Jeannette pays more than $100 a month for a half-dozen medications, and much of what remains from her pension payments goes toward her housing and other necessities.
“If they cut it, I’m not going to be able to pay my rent. I’m not going to have money. I’m going to be homeless. I’m going to be living out of my car, I guess.”
Yet, while workers and retirees wonder how they will put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, Governor Snyder recently announced $444 million in taxpayer money to build a new hockey arena for the Detroit Red Wings—money that would otherwise have gone to Detroit’s public schools or other essential services.
AFSCME will not stand by and let Detroit, or any American city, die. We will not let our sisters and brothers become pawns to corporate greed. President Obama, Congress, and the leadership of Michigan must stand with us, and with the people of Detroit.
Please join us by going to www.StandWithDetroit.org and signing our petition.
In solidarity,
LEE SAUNDERS
PresidentLAURA REYES
Secretary-Treasurer
Here in the dead of August more than two years away from the nominating contests, it looks like a Christie vs. Paul fight:The poll is from New Hampshire and the poll size is rather small, but it does serve to show that people that aren't exposed to Fitzwalkerstan's corporate media and squawk radio - but I repeat myself - are not at all keen on Scott Walker.
Chris Christie 21%
Rand Paul 16%
Jeb Bush 10%
Paul Ryan 8%
Marco Rubio 6%
Ted Cruz 4%
Rick Santorum 4%
Rick Perry 4%
Scott Walker 2%
Don’t Know Yet 20%
What are the city's top issues? "We will continue to make sure that we preserve the water that has been awarded us by the ADWR (Arizona Department of Water Resources)," Kuykendall said, adding that the city would also work to "respect and honor the commitment" to the Verde River, and the "obligations to the people of the Verde."
Kuykendall also cited continued growth of the economy as a top priority. "We want to be a part of job creation," he said.
In addition, he said, he want to ensure "Prescott will always have the quality of life component, the neighborhood quality."
Andrew Ashcraft, a 29-year-old member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, died beside 18 of his comrades when a wildfire engulfed them on June 30. The elite firefighters from Prescott, Ariz., were battling a wild-land blaze near Yarnell, which was sparked by a lightning strike. The fire quickly grew into an inferno that destroyed hundreds of homes and covered more than 2,000 acres.
Only one member of the 20-person Hotshot crew survived the blaze, and the families of the 19 victims were promised a half-million dollars or more in government benefits and private donations. The city promised all families a one-time payment of $328,618 and lifetime survivor benefits.
But now the city of Prescott is retracting its promise, claiming that 13 of the deceased firefighters were seasonal employees, thus making their families ineligible for survivor benefits – including health insurance, a life insurance payment, and monthly lifetime survivor benefits that could amount to several million dollars in the long run.
Juliann Ashcraft, whose husband died fighting the blaze, has been told that she will not receive the benefits that she was initially promised. The city of Prescott told her that full family survivor benefits will only be awarded to the families of full-time employees. The city claims that Mr. Ashcraft was a seasonal employee, despite the fact that he worked 40-hour weeks and earned a full-time salary.
“As shocked as I was that my husband went to work and never came home, I’m equally shocked in how the city has treated our family since then,” she told CBS News. “…I said to [city officials], ‘My husband was a full-time employee, he went to work full-time for you.’ And their response to me was, ‘Perhaps there was a communication issue in your marriageOnce again, the rest of America has to step up and pay the bills for the "fiscally conservative" republicans in charge of a Government.
For now, Mrs. Ashcraft will feed her family using private donations she received after her husband’s death.
“Quite literally, my bills are being paid by the good people of the world who are giving donations, because the city of Prescott isn’t doing anything for us,” she said. “Now I have four kids and myself, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Deborah Pfingston, the mother of deceased firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, told AP that city officials initially promised to retroactively reclassify the seasonal, temporary employees as permanent ones, in order to be able to provide the survivor benefits. But now, the same city officials claim they cannot posthumously reclassify the deceased men.
“The city has fully complied with all of the laws and employment policies that direct survivor benefits,” the city said in a statement sent to CBS News.
Gov. Scott Walker says he has ordered top officials in his administration to study ways to avoid another situation like the one that led to euthanizing a fawn from a no-kill shelter.What comes next from the story is what sets this whole thing over the tipping point (emphasis mine):
The fawn, named Giggles, was brought to the Saint Francis Society shelter near the state line by an Illinois family who believed the animal had lost its mother. But state Department of Natural Resources officials took the animal from the shelter and euthanized it, saying state law required it to prevent the spread of disease.
Walker said today that he asked members of his cabinet earlier in the day to discuss the issue and present him with options. Says Walker, “I don’t ever want to see something like that again.”Wow. Just wow.
Speaking to delegates, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Mike Tate said it does no good to give Governor Walker a “target to shoot at one day sooner than we have to.” Tate said Walker has a political history of not promoting his ideas on the campaign trail, but by “making himself the least worst option on the ballot.”
There were Democrats who were vocally disappointed in this news. They understandably wanted someone to rally around, to give them something to fight for instead of always fighting against the damage Scott Walker has been doing to this state.Ever since Scott Walker started gearing up for his perpetual gubernatorial campaign in 2002, he has been painting himself as the anti-Doyle. This wasn't very practical early in his campaign, but could have been effective given Doyle's dismal approval numbers during the past several months.Without an opponent to demonize, Walker has no way of deflecting attention from his dismal track records which include, but is in now way limited to:
Unfortunately for Walker, Doyle threw a big monkey wrench into Walker's campaign strategy by choosing not to run for re-election. This news sent Team Walker into a tailspin, panicked that he would now have to run for the seat based on his track record as Milwaukee County Executive, which has been anything but spectacular. If anything, Walker's record actually makes Doyle's record look good.
His campaign started flailing around, first trying to continue against Doyle. When that failed to gain traction, he tried to smack around primary opponent Mark Neumann. He also started a series of attacks against City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who hasn't even decided if he was going to run or not (although more and more people are thinking he won't).
All this has shown is that Walker is terrified of both of these men, either of whom could clean his clock if he was forced to run only on his record.
Now, Walker can raise a million dollars in the amount of time it takes him to listen to a Styx album. His talking points are now forged of titanium, impenetrable by any prospective electoral opponent.Schneider then spends the rest of the article attacking Mary Burke even though she hasn't announced whether or not she is even running for the governor's seat.
By my reckoning, Walker will have at least another month before anyone announces. That's a long time to sit in the bright hot spotlight. If I had my druthers, I'd almost like to have the candidates wait until after New Year's Day, when people get to see how much their taxes are going to go up and how much their services are going to be cut.
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