My Interview with the Kleefisches

By Jeff Simpson

Wisconsin's second couple was kind enough recently to give me some time for an interview.  Here it is in its entirety:

CogDis:  Thank you Rebecca for giving me and CogDis a few minutes to discuss some of the issues that are important to the people of WI.

RebeccaforReal:  Your welcome.    I always thought Cogdis was a golf course but I am glad to sit down with my Constituents and talk about WI.

Cogdis:  Umm that is Cog Hill, but that's Ok let's get down to it.  I thought Joel would be joining us.

RFR:  He is hunting still and Mr. B has the kids somewhere, I think at soccer.  No wait, maybe dance?  Somewhere around here he is running them. 

CD:  Of course.   OK, first question.  What do you like most about your job as Lieutenant Governor.

RFR:  Are you kidding?  The perks.  I make $76,261/yr with AMAZING benefits, an expense account and no one cares (or asks) what I do all day or where I go!   You can not ask for anything more!    Plus Scott Walker is out of the state fundraising so much, that I am practically the Governor on a daily basis.  

CD;  Good work if you can get it!    How are you feeling after your bout with Colon Cancer.

RFR:   “Colon cancer doesn’t discriminate between young and old or rich or poor, it knows no color, ethnicity or gender. But my appeal to you today is not about raising fears because there is hope for people who are diagnosed with this disease. Early detection is key. And I’d like to serve as a reminder that colon cancer can be beaten with treatment. So please have the guts to get screened ... it saved my life and talking about colonoscopies is funny. Talking about cancer isn’t.”

CD:  outstanding congratulations. (phone rings)

RFR:  Hello.  O HI Lori!  No Joel isn't in right now, he should be shortly.   Ok you can call him on his cell if you want.  Thank you, good bye.

Joel is such a great legislator that he is always helping people.  This poor woman, has all kinds of needs and Joel is always there for her.  If only the public knew that side of him, but he is so humble he keeps it secret.

CD:  Its good to see a legislator who cares about the people like this.   I want to go back to your cancer.   You were treated with Oral chemotherapy to help you beat Cancer.

RFR:  Yes I was.

CD:  So why then would you oppose a mandate that makes insurance companies cover such treatment.  Especially in lieu of you being cured by such treatment.  Can you put yourself in their shoes and think aboiut where you would be if YOUR insurance didn't cover the treatments your doctors felt best to use with you?

RFR:   "Because I'm a free market guy, I don't believe in mandates on business."

CD:   Ummmmmm.  So you dont think that insurance companies should be forced to pay for treatments of cancer patients? That that burden should fall on the patient themselves?   Do you remember your time when you were diagnosed?  Can you imagine the burden of having tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars of bills on top of the stress of being told you have cancer?

RFR:  I dont think gays should be able to marry!

CD:  Huh (joel walks in)

JOEL:   Hello all!   Sorry I am late.

RFR: Did you get anything

JOEL: Did I ever!

CD:  Congrats Joel.  I just have a few questions, then I will get out of your way. 

JK:   No problem, always glad to help and talk about this great state of WI 

RFR:  Joel, before I forget, Lori called. 

JK  SHE DID!!!!!!   ...errr   I mean she did?  

RFR:  Yes she had a question on the thing you two were working on, said she would call you later.   your such a champion of the people!  (Joel Blushes)

CD:   Yes Joel, you rock.  Now lets get back into it.   Rebecca and I were just talking about her bout with cancer and we are all glad that she has worked her way through it!   

JK:   Yes she is a true fighter.  Sarah Palin has nothing on her!   Bec should have been McCain's running mate, they would have won and we would not be wasting our time on this Obamacare BS. 

CD:   Anyway Joel we were just talking about the bipartisan bill going through the legislature now, making insurance companies pay for oral chemotherapy if that is the best treatment recommended by doctors for other people who had cancer like your wife!  

JK:    "It is my hope and prayer that anybody who would need this type of chemotherapy would be able to receive it, no doubt, That does not eliminate the difficult question for who is going to pay for it."

CD:  Who paid for Rebecca's treatment?

JK:  Insurance of course.  If someone doesn't have insurance they should buy it.  If someone does not have a job they should just go get one.   I did! However we can not have taxpayer funded insurance its too expensive.

RFR:  I am a free market guy!  

CD:  But your insurance is 100% tax payer funded insurance and you are able to get any treatment you need. 

JK: 

CD: Allrighty then.   Let's move on.  What do you like best about your job.

JK:  The perks!  I get paid to hunt, never have to take vacation and get $88/day just for driving to Madison!  Did I tell you about the bear I killed? 


CD:  Nice Bear.   It seems as though all of your bills have to do with guns.    You wanted to start a Sand Hill Crane hunting season:

JK:  Yummy.  Wanna try some and you will see.  errrr....I mean if you ever get the chance you should try some.  

CD:  I just lost my appetite thanks, then you wanted to allow anyone with a ccw permit to carry a gun in our schools.

JK:  I am not sure the citizens of Wisconsin want concealed carry holders on their school grounds.

CD:  Well I am glad you introduced it, since no one wants it.

JK:  Well the NRA congratulated me.

Long pause

CD:  You guys have been passing many bills in the Assembly, what was your finest hour.

JK:  When I got to push all of the buttons! That was cool! 

CD:  Its the little things in life.   One last question.  Will you be running for re-election?

JK;  Of course, I cant give this gig up.  What else could I do to get paid so well to hunt?  Its not like I ever have to actually work.    Besides, the democrats wont contest me.   Last election they did, then the party insiders attacked him and made my job easier.  I did not even have to campaign, which was good, because then I didn't have to explain that silly little business about Ecoli.  I mean seriously a couple people get a little bit sick, we can not interfere with business just for a couple stomach aches can we?

CD:  Thanks for the time.  I have to go home and beat my head against my desk!

JK and RFR: sure you dont want to stay for dinner? We are having Little Ceasar's pizza.   Later we can head over to Lakerz and have a beer! Mr. B will be our designated driver, IF he gets our kids home in time.   

CD:  Thanks but I have to do go home and pull my hair out!

Is Burke Another Abele?

Even before Mary Burke announced her desire to buy the governorship, I had questions about her stance towards labor.

We already knew that she spent $120,000 on a school board seat - ten times that of her opponent, a good

Image via Madison Times

union man.  That seemed and still seems rather excessive, such as that she wanted to buy the seat because she couldn't win it.

Then, while on said school board, she was the only one to vote against the teachers.  It was only later that she came out with such a lame excuse - that she was upset more of the tax levee wasn't going for teachers' pay - that no one believes her.

We also knew that while the employees of Trek, Burke's company, were generally happy, many of them had been laid off as she sent their jobs overseas to China.

When she finally got around to announcing her candidacy, people were so tired of the hype that they started questioning her openly.  Democratic officers and operatives swore up and down that Labor would support her.

Side note: My favorite moment from that day is when a noted Democratic fundraiser responded to my pointing out her failure to support the teachers, was that it was "just one union."  I reminded him of the union credo of "An injury to one is and injury to all." I'm still waiting for his response a month later.

Recently, she was in Sheboygan where she used her strongest language yet regarding Act 10:

Burke said she’s refusing to make promises on any issue during her campaign in order to win votes from special interest groups, but she did say she would “absolutely” work with state legislators to once again allow public employees to collectively bargain on their wages.

Burke never mentioned Walker by name but said Act 10, which effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers, has left the state’s economy weakened, its people divided and went far beyond what was needed to balance the budget.

“I think it’s one of the reasons why our economy hasn’t rebounded,” she said.

Unfortunately, Burke has also said that she feels something had to be done, but that Act 10 wasn't the way to go. I say unfortunately because a report from EIP shows that the public sector workers' benefits had nothing - I repeat, nothing - to do with the financial crisis. So even though she would have negotiated the big pay cuts, they would still have had the negative impact on the community.

It sounds like Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele's faulty logic he uses to put draconian cuts to county workers.

But for me, what was even more alarming was this comment from Burke:

“I don’t look at options as necessarily being Republican or Democrat,” Burke said. “Let’s choose the ones that are best for the people of Wisconsin.”

That is the exact same language that Abele likes to use when trying to justify his acts of austerity and attacks on Milwaukee's vulnerable citizens or its workers.

If Burke wants to gain the support of the state's progressives (if she is even still able to), she needs to stop sounding and acting like a plutocrat and distance herself from the elitist ways of Abele.

I, for one, despite my desperate desire to rid us of Scott Walker once and for all, will not support someone who will not make things better, or, like Abele, actually make things worse.  I also know many other who feel the same way.  And that won't change no matter how much she spends or how fancy (or corrupt) her campaign workers are.

Koch-Funded AFP Gets Routed In Iowa

In case you missed, the news out of Iowa in last week's elections has great meaning for more than just the town of Coralville:

The mayoral and City Council candidates in an Iowa town who were most closely aligned with the message promoted by Americans for Prosperity, the deep-pocketed conservative political group, were roundly defeated on Tuesday in a sharp rebuke of outside influence in local politics.

The group, founded by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, did not back specific candidates, but it targeted incumbents in the town, Coralville, for their role in running up a $280 million debt. Yet the involvement of an outside group provoked so much anger that the race became as much a referendum on the group’s involvement as on the issues themselves, and it captured national attention, including from the White House. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. called the newly elected mayor, John A. Lundell, who was a City Council incumbent, on election night to congratulate him for overcoming the outside influence.

If anything, people in Coralville said, Americans for Prosperity’s efforts backfired and helped the candidates whose positions it was criticizing.

“The intrusion of the Americans for Prosperity pretty much poisoned the water of what we were trying to do for the last couple of years,” said Douglas Paul, a member of Citizens for Responsible Growth and Taxation, a group made up mostly of area business owners that also spoke out against the debt and the town’s economic development strategy.

Although his group agreed with Americans for Prosperity on many of the issues, Mr. Paul said, their positions came off as frightening.

“They were pretty much like bringing a loose cannon into the room,” Mr. Paul said. “They pretty much were a benefit to the incumbents.”

This is exciting in that it shows that the Kochs and their billions of dollars are not invincible.

But what it does take to win is people giving a damn about their communities and their lives and taking a stand for them.

Wisconsin's next chance to show that we are not caving in to our would be corporate overlords comes in just over a week in the race between Elizabeth Coppola and the corporations' candidate, Jessie Rodriguez.

ALEC-Based Law Makes It Easier For Companies To Get Your Money

Madison residents are getting a flurry of fliers from an insurance company, wanting to sell them policies that cover work that might have to be done to their lateral sewer lines - the ones that go from the house to the main sewer.

The reason that people are receiving these solicitations is because of an ALEC-based law passed by Scott Walker and the Teapublicans which forbids the city from helping the homeowners out, as reported by Mike Ivey at the Cap Times:

Dailey says the repairs generally involved digging up the street or front yard. The work usually went beyond a simple blockage that can be cleared by a drain cleaning service like Roto-Rooter.

“We were maybe doing a dozen or so each year,” he estimates. “When somebody would call us with a major problem, we would just go out and fix it.”

But the 2011 state budget made that practice illegal. The provision, which was added to the budget by the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee and signed by Gov. Scott Walker, specifically prohibits cities from “using their own workforce to perform a construction project (ie., road, sewer, water, stormwater, wastewater, grading, parking lot, or other infrastructure-related projects) for which a private person is financially responsible.”

It’s unclear why the item was put into the budget but the change appears rooted in a philosophical belief that the private sector can do a better job maintaining infrastructure. On its website, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) promotes an initiative called "The Water/Wastewater Utility Public-Private Partnership Act" that calls for private control of those systems.

“Compared to many government entities, private entities can often build and operate systems at lower cost, can often bring capital to provide for system upgrades when public funds may not be available, and often have better access to personnel trained in the latest technologies and environmental compliance rules,” the ALEC model legislation reads.

I know a family that just had that kind of work done. Per the law, it was done by private companies. A two day job took two weeks and ran over $20,000. The family did qualify for a grant so over half of it was paid by the taxpayers. The remaining part was paid for by a low interest load, again footed by the taxpayers.

And this is no the first example of something like this happening.  Another aspect of the law forbids local government of collaboration and working together in order to force them to go to private businesses.

I reported two years ago how this particular law was screwing over the good people of Outagamie County:

Farming out a paint-striping job to a private company cost Outagamie County considerably more than having a neighboring county do the work under a reciprocal agreement.

So says Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, who this week cited the highway improvement on County Road P near Black Creek as the first county project to confirm earlier fears that costs will spiral under a new state law.

Nelson called it a case of "sticker shock, a wake-up call to the governor and entire Legislature to repeal law changes that forbid local governments from working together and saving taxpayer dollars."

Here's the issue as Nelson described it: Outagamie County recently solicited quotes for paint striping 2.5 miles of County Road P. Under the old law, it would have cost $500 to $700 by using Calumet County's equipment and crew under a reciprocal agreement.

Those types of agreements are limited now under state law in an attempt by Republican legislators to push contracts to private businesses.

After Outagamie County solicited quotes from private vendors, only one was made. Century Fence, of Pewaukee, quoted $3,935 for the work, or more than five times the cost under the reciprocal agreement with Calumet County.

Purchasing and operating its own paint striper would cost Outagamie County in excess of $200,000, Nelson said. So it's logical for the county to make use of Calumet County's paint striper in exchange for letting Calumet County use Outagamie County's costly road reclaimer, a high- ticket machine that recycles and readies old asphalt pavement for re-use, Nelson said.

He called the substantial price hike "a sampling of things to come" unless the law is repealed.

It's only a matter of time before they pass a law requiring people to hand their checks directly to the companies as we live in company towns and owe our souls to the company store.

Of course, if we can educate people to the importance of unions and remind them that we've been there, done that, there might be hope yet.

County must be careful on mental health care reform

There is a letter to the editor in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which was written by Boyd McCamish, the Executive Director of AFSCME District Council 48.  McCamish wrote the letter in an effort to clarify some misreporting by the paper (I know, shocker, right?):

I read with interest the Nov. 3 article on Milwaukee County's mental health system ("Looking for a better way"). The article clearly illustrates that the question of how to move forward is still very much a matter of debate.

Let me assure you that, contrary to the article's tone, AFSCME is not opposed to community-based mental health services. I was deeply disappointed that the article included a secondhand account of a conversation I had with County Executive Chris Abele that mischaracterizes our concerns.

AFSCME believes that citizens who need mental health services should receive these services in the least restrictive environment that can ensure high-quality, competent and safe care. We worry that Abele is pushing forward with a plan that does not meet what should be a pre-condition: the need for a strong system of accountability that protects patient and community safety.

This is why we support a budget amendment that puts patients first. It sets up a series of checks and balances. It also removes the arbitrary and unrealistic time frame the administration sets for pushing patients into the community. This amendment won approval from a key County Board committee on Nov. 5.

The county system has serious problems, but the system's support staff who we represent spend countless hours caring for people who desperately need help. These dedicated caregivers are doing the best they can in a difficult and troubling situation. They deserve our respect, not to be cast as villains.

AFSCME believes we need to change the delivery of service and create positive outcomes for all parties. AFSCME also believes that this change must be transitioned in so as not to endanger the very people we are trying to help.

Boyd McCamish
Executive director
AFSCME Council 48
Milwaukee

Of course Abele can't pay for the services for these people, our most vulnerable citizens, or their workers. He's gotta us that money to pay his illustrious staff who burn down courthouses and who needs desperately - until he fires them for no good reason.

The $64,000 Question

From the AFL-CIO:

Elizabeth Coppola, the Democrat running in the special election for Assembly District 21, is running one helluva ground game, having scores of people canvassing for her.

Meanwhile, the corporate sponsor, who, like her husband, Aaron Rodriguez, is selling out the people to the like of the corrupt Scott Jensen and his out of state corporate interests who would buy your children's futures and profiteer on them.

The question for the voters in AD 21 is do they want another sellout like Honadel, the fool that put his name to the mining bill even though he couldn't say what was in it.  The Jessie "The Corporate Puppet" Rodriguez is their person.

If they want someone who will stand up for public education, tax cuts for the working class and keeping jobs in Wisconsin instead of somewhere overseas, then Elizabeth Coppola is your person.

You can learn more about Elizabeth at her webpage and her Facebook page.  If you can't help canvass, you can help with a donation.

And most of all, if you live in that district, get out and vote on November 19!  Early voting is going on now!

Walker's Favorite Dessert - Pants Flambé

Just days after Mary Burke announced her candidacy for governor, Scott Walker and his Teapublican allies in the state legislature gathered to announce a $100 million tax cut for property owners - despite the fact that they didn't even draw up the bill yet.

It was quickly pointed out that mean average saving would be about $13.  Big whoop.  And for that, our
schools will suffer even the more.

But Walker wasn't done there.  Making it even more painfully obvious that this was nothing more than a campaign stunt, Walker has been running around making the rather brash claim that it would save taxpayers $680.

PolitiFact jumped on that claim quickly and easily pointed out that Walker again was caught in yet another "Pants on Fire:" level lie:

Walker said that with a bill bringing $100 million in property tax relief, "the typical Wisconsin homeowner will save approximately $680 over four years."

The claim in an e-newsletter strongly suggests $680 in hard savings from that tax relief bill, or at the very least during Walker’s four years, but we found nothing to back up that number or anything close to it.

You can only get to it using a rough hypothetical scenario based on some big assumptions, and can make a case for $239 in four-year savings compared to the four years prior to his term.

But Walker’s newsletter doesn’t disclose that his number is hypothetical, misleading the reader into thinking that the median tax bill actually has dropped by $680.

We rate his claim Pants on Fire.

And they are actually being generous with their findings.

While on vacation, I had a chance to follow up on our personal tax situation. Even with Walker's "tax cut," it looks like our taxes will be going up for the third straight year, although by five dollars less than it would have otherwise. I hope I don't spend that money all in one place.

It's not the first time Walker made such grandiose claims.  Earlier this year, Walker was trying to make similar claims regarding the income tax.  The best advise regarding that was not to back up the Brinks truck, since the savings people were told they'd see were not going to happen.

In case you haven't yet seen one of the many databases going around showing the gentle reader how many cents they will save, here it is for your convenience:

school districts tax cuts 2013.pdf

Urban Myth Redux

On November 1st, Bruce Murphy of Urban Milwaukee posted a piece lamenting the diminishing of local control by the state legislature.

I responded a few days later pointing out that Murphy excluded Act 14, one of the bigger examples of this loss of local control, one that he advocated for.  I had also commented on his blog to the same effect.

In his post, Murphy responded that the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) didn't respond take a view of Act 14, which is one of the reasons he did not include it in his post.

Murphy then wrote a second post, iterating the points he made in his comment:

In reaction to my column about the decline of local control, I got complaints from both Mike Plaisted and Chris Liebenthal, from the Cognitive Dissidence blog, arguing I should have included Act 14 as an example of usurping local control.

But the examples cited in my story, including measures ending residency in Milwaukee or changing how the city assesses billboards, were uniformly opposed by city officials. The proposal to downsize the county board split Milwaukee, with supervisors and some Milwaukee legislators opposing it, and the county executive, some legislators and Greater Milwaukee Committee supporting it. For that matter, huge majorities in many suburbs supported the idea in local referendums.

Because county officials were split on the issue, the Wisconsin Counties Association took no stand on Act 14, whereas it typically opposes legislative changes that interfere with county power.

But Murphy is dead wrong with that statement.

The WCA did indeed come out on AB85, the bill which eventually became Act 14. And they were against it.

I again pointed this out in the comments of Murphy's post.  He promptly responded, stating that his information came from Jon Hochkammer, the WCA’s legislative director.

Now, someone is mistaken here.  Either Hochkammer misspoke or incorrectly remembered what happened or Murphy misunderstood what Hochkammer was saying or misrepresented it.

But either way, the fact is that the WCA did come out against it, and for good cause, since it is still one of the most egregious assaults on representative government and our democracy, made even the worse for the underhanded way it was done.

The Tears Of A Clown

Last week, the Finance, Personnel and Audit Committee of the Milwaukee County Board, in the course of their duties in trying to bring some sense of sanity to Chris Abele's unbalanced and illegal budget, had to trim the overly generous salaries of some of Abele's department heads.

To hear Abele tell it, one would think they killed his favorite kitten.  He first went mewling to Bruce Murphy of the blog Urban Milwaukee, knowing he would get a sympathetic ear, but only barely:

Abele is outraged. This is going to “a massively detrimental impact,” he fumed to the newspaper. He also called me to complain: “To make these radical changes without consulting anyone in these departments is not the way to run a government,” he said.

The 8-0 vote strongly suggests the full board will pass this by a veto-proof majority. The cuts will at the very least dismay staff and in the long term might make it harder for Milwaukee County to recruit and retain administrative staff. But I doubt whether voters will care. Politically speaking, once you make the argument that taxpayers are paying too much for the county board, you open the door for a similar argument about executive staff.

What's would be funny about this if it weren't true is that Abele already never consults with people in the county, but rather passes on orders from the Greater Milwaukee Committee or their subsidiary, the Public Policy Forum.

Murphy also brings up the specter of Kimberly Walker, the former head of Corp Counsel. He cites her of an example of how "mean" the County Board can be because they fired her. He forgets to mention she was failing at her duties, giving bad advice and was actually encouraging the commission of a crime by advising Abele on how to avoid open records requests. He also fails to mention that Bill Domina, the head of Corp Counsel under Scott Walker's term as county executive, did just fine in that job. The only thing that changed is the administrative side of the equation. Gee, could it really be that Abele who is the problem? Who'da thunk that?

Not getting enough traction from Murphy's column, Abele then went weeping to Steve Schultze at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  Schultze didn't pull any punches and actually reported the comparison of the salaries of Abele's cronies to the salaries of Scott Walker's cronies at the state level.  The findings make it even harder to feel sympathetic towards Abele:

Cullen used salary comparisons between pay of three of the county administrators facing cuts with state officials holding similar job titles to justify the reductions. For example, Tyler's $142,100 pay exceeds state Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch's by more than $15,000, yet Huebsch oversees more than seven times as many employees and presides over a budget that dwarfs Tyler's.

State Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb earns about $2,000 less than county Transportation Director Brian Dranzik, but commands a budget 17 times greater than Dranzik's.

And State Health and Human Services Secretary Kitty Rhoades is paid about $5,000 more than county Health and Human Services Director Hector Colon, but oversees a budget 30 times greater than Colon's.

That shows the county employees are overpaid, said Cullen.

It should also be noted that Supervisor Cullen also noted that the front line county workers have also taken draconian cuts int he past three years, with some workers having more than 20% of their take home pay cut because of Abele's austerity.

But to give Abele a fair shake, let's look at a couple of things.

Abele boasts that they are "turning the county around" and "We're doing more, better, for less."

So far Abele's claims to fame is a downsizing at the airport, the privatization of mental health services (which already as reduced public safety and left at least one person permanently injured), bogging down the transit system in a number of lawsuits stemming from his sketchy backroom dealings and setting the courthouse on fire.

Yet taxes have not gone down one penny.  So what he is doing more or better for less can only be found in his own delusional thoughts.

The other thing to consider his Abele's own record regarding his staff.  In the couple years that Abele has been at the helm, he has fired a number of people, including:

• Cindy van Pelt - Director of Risk Management
• Jim Burton - Director of Facilities Management
• Sue Black - Director of Parks
• Frank Busalacchi - Director of Transportation and Public Works
• Paula Lucey - Director of Mental Health Services
• Patrick Farely - Director of Administration
• Nelson Soler - Director of Minority Contracting

And that is just the top names. It should also be noted that Abele has yet to offer a reason for any of the firings, making one wonder if they were for cause or just because he was having another snit fit.

It would take no great leap of logic to deduce that it is probably Abele's poor (if not completely missing) management and people skills that has led to such a high turnover in his office and the difficulties he is having in hiring new people unless he gives them such outrageously generous compensation.

Given his difficulty in working with anyone and everyone and his dismal track record in just a couple of years, it might behoove Mr. Abele to take a good long hard look at himself - maybe even get some counseling or interpersonal skills coaching - and stop beclowning himself.  We'd all be better off for it.

When the gales of November come early

Twenty-nine lives were lost 38 years ago today.  I don't know why I am so fascinated by the tale of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but I am.  And nothing better to serve as tribute than the ballad by Gordon Lightfoot.

Wheelin' and Dealin' and Cleanin' Up

In the past couple of days, there has been some very good and very exciting news about the transit system in Milwaukee County.

The first item came Wednesday, when the County Board added an amendment to the county budget that would bring the Milwaukee County Transit System in house:

The move on transit would give Milwaukee Transport Services, the management firm that has run the transit system for 38 years, one last year before the county would move the service in-house, under a budget amendment by Supervisor Theodore Lipscomb Sr.

"We are able to manage General Mitchell Airport; we can certainly manage a transit system," Lipscomb said. "There should be nothing about it that scares people."

The move makes a lot of sense.

It could help reduce costs to the taxpayers and to the riders by giving the county more leverage on benefits such as health care and pensions. It would also save money by not having as much going toward administrative costs by whatever private entity running it.

Bringing the system in house would also give greater certainty to the drivers, mechanics and other employees of the transit system, which would allow room for even greater efficiency.

Despite all of the potential benefits, expect Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele to veto this amendment if it passes the entire board next week. There are two reasons why Abele would oppose such a move.

One reason is that he has already cut a backroom deal with the for profit company MV Transportation, which is based in Texas.  Although because of the sketchy way Abele has handled this, the contract has been suspended indefinitely due to challenges filed by two losing bidders, including the MTS, the company that has been administrating the system for years.  In fact, Abele has bungled the deal so badly that MTS was given a one-year extension on their contract so that the legal issues could be resolved.

The other reason Abele would veto this amendment is because it is contrary to his obvious goal of greatly minimizing - if not completely eliminating - county government.  The last thing Abele wants to do is add another 1,000 employees, even though it would save money and create greater efficiency, things Abele pretends to believe in.

The other big news for transit in Milwaukee County is that the Board has wisely overridden Abele's veto of a resolution which would require him to negotiate an intergovernmental agreement between the county and the City of Milwaukee for the regulation of taxi cabs:

The County Board Thursday overrode a veto by County Executive Chris Abele, setting in motion an effort to have the county take over taxi regulation for the City of Milwaukee and other municipalities.

The vote to override was 14-4, with Supervisors Deanna Alexander, Michael Mayo Sr., Jim "Luigi" Schmitt and Steve F. Taylor voting against the override.

The board initially backed the move to shift cab regulation in September. The effort was prompted by a court decision earlier in the year saying the city's cab regulation was too restrictive and violated the state constitution. The city's ordinance limits the number of cab permits to 321.

Abele gave lip service to actually supporting the idea, but came up with a laundry list of excuses why he vetoed it, including his concern that it might violate state law.

As if.

The only time that Abele worries about following the law is if it benefits him somehow.

As with the transit system, there are two reasons why Abele vetoed this resolution. Again like the transit system, one of Abele's reasons is that he is trying to shut down the county government, he doesn't want to add more services, more staff or more responsibility.

The other reason Abele didn't want to do this is because the move would threaten the monopoly on the county's taxi cab service held by the company run by State Representative Joe Sanfelippo. Sanfelippo is the rabid Teapublican that Abele and his fellow plutocrats at the Greater Milwaukee Committee paid off to be the face of Act 14, the law that concentrated an excessive amount of power in Abele's hands.

The greatest concern about this is that when the negotiations are completed, Abele would show his usual level of incompetence and royally screw things up.  It would taken a year or two after Abele is gone to clean up that mess.

The third bit of good news is not related to transit, but is aimed making things better.  That item is the rejection of a high paying contract for cleaning services:

The board also voted 17-0 to reject a long-languishing $9 million contract to have CleanPower take over all janitorial services for the county. Some supervisors have objected to low pay offered by CleanPower, an issue championed by SEIU, a union attempting to organize janitors.

The firm pays janitors $8.75 an hour to start, according to testimony by employees of the firm.

Abele said he'll work with supervisors to try to negotiate an acceptable cleaning contract with CleanPower.

Supervisor David Bowen said he would like to see the cleaning contracts rebid, with specifications revised to give smaller firms a chance to compete. Cleaning firms not big enough to bid on a combined contract covering all county buildings didn't get a fair shot in the last bidding competition, Bowen said.

For that kind of money, the county could hire their own housekeeping staff and get better service for a lower cost.

But I guess we can't ask them to make too much sense now, can we?

Quote of the Day

 

Texas Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Wendy Davis:

"I am pro-life,” Wendy Davis said during a campaign stop at the University of Texas at Brownsville, according to the Valley Morning Star.
“I care about the life of every child: every child that goes to bed hungry, every child that goes to bed without a proper education, every child that goes to bed without being able to be a part of the Texas dream, every woman and man who worry about their children’s future and their ability to provide for that future," Davis said. "I care about life and I have a record of fighting for people above all else.”

Ismael Ozanne for Attorney General

Dear Friends,

I want my friends and supporters to be the first to know: today I am officially a candidate for Attorney General of Wisconsin.

As a prosecutor for 13 years, as the District Attorney in the State’s second largest county and during my tenure helping lead Wisconsin’s prison system, I’ve spent my career fighting to keep families and communities safe. And I’ll do the same as Wisconsin’s Attorney General. From the epidemic of heroin abuse to the increasing severity of domestic violence to Internet predators and human trafficking…we face significant law enforcement challenges. It will take an experienced front-line prosecutor to meet those challenges. I’ve handled hundreds of cases from first time drunk driving to child sexual assault to first-degree intentional homicide. 

And the Attorney General must do more. Wisconsin residents respect a women’s right to make health care decisions. They want clean air and clean water. They expect lawmakers to follow the rules of ethics and open government. They want a criminal justice system that is fair, tough and smart on crime. 

The people of Wisconsin want an Attorney General who is an experienced front-line prosecutor with a deep commitment to working on behalf of all the people of Wisconsin in order to enforce the law, protect and uphold the constitution, and protect our shared values. That is who I am and that is what I will bring to the Attorney General’s office.

My family has deep roots in Wisconsin. My grandparents were from the Fox Valley and my 92-year old grandmother lives near Two Rivers. My grandfather was a high school teacher, labor organizer and historian who became a professor of economics at UW Madison in the 1950’s. My father taught at Tuskegee University and was a high school teacher in Madison. My mom was one of the first women welders for Kuper Ironworks and marched for Civil Rights in the ‘60s. Today, she teaches reading at a Madison middle school. My wife Stacy and I went to the UW together and now we are the proud parents of two wonderful daughters.

The legacy of my grandparents and parents and the promise of my daughters’ future inspire me every day: the importance of faith and family, the lessons of history, the imperative for justice and the power of the law. That is what motivated me to become an attorney, to enter public service and what motivates me now to run for Attorney General. 

Wisconsin residents want an Attorney General who does the job without fear or favor. Wisconsin residents deserve an Attorney General who works for them…not for partisan political interests and not for the special interests.

I look forward to traveling across this great State to talk to residents about this important campaign as we lead up to the primary election in August 2014. With the campaign registration papers filed, we will prepare for a formal announcement at a later date. Stay tuned for updates on my website and on Facebook and Twitter.

Meanwhile, I will continue to work my hardest every day to earn your trust and confidence. Together we can do great things!

Sincerely,
Ismael Ozanne
Dane County District Attorney

Is Wisconsin Ready for the Corporate Reformers of Education?

From Kathleen Vinehout!

 "I just don’t understand vouchers, choice, and charter schools,” the man told me. “Could you explain?”

Public education is undergoing a radical change. What was predominately a local school governed by a locally elected school board is poised to become a plethora of choices: private religious schools, independent privately operated charter schools, voucher schools, for-profit schools, virtual schools, and public schools.

All paid for with tax dollars.

State officials recently announced enrollment information related to statewide private school vouchers. Lawmakers who supported the state budget voted to expand the payment for private schools with public money, known as voucher schools. The information released shows four out of five students who received public money for private tuition were already enrolled in a private school.

Data on the performance of these alternatives to public schools is inconclusive, poor or not available.

According to the recently released 2012-13 report cards for virtual charter schools, half of virtual school students were receiving their education from a school that did not meet expectations. Virtual charter schools are on-line schools paid for with public money.
Twenty years of experience with private vouchers in Milwaukee shows no major differences in the performance of private voucher students with public school students. The Legislative Audit Bureau in 2011 reviewed the final of five years of study to conclude students in Milwaukee who attend private schools with vouchers show few differences on standardized tests than their cohorts in public schools.

The 25 private schools in the new statewide voucher expansion received state money – over $7,000 per student – but are not required to conduct standardized state required testing for several years. Several of my Senate colleagues and I urged accountability for private schools similar to that of public schools but so far this hasn’t happened. Instead lawmakers are heading in the opposite direction

Efforts in the Senate Education Committee would expand another type of choice: a charter school that could be operated by a private out-of-state company; again paid for with public money.

This legislation -Senate Bill 76 - would allow charter schools to expand even if the school board that authorized them did not want the expansion.

All this change in public education has many people confused. Most of Wisconsin hasn’t seen the use of taxpayer money for private education. Many public schools have cut back to the bones. Parents, school board members and superintendents are asking me, “Why fund these unaccountable, private schools at the cost to our public schools?”

Data released by state education officials report almost half of public school districts will see further cuts in state money. The deepest cuts – limited to 15% by law- will go to 64 mostly rural schools. After the 15% cuts are taken out, schools then must pay their share of the independent charter schools in the Milwaukee area. Local school boards tell me this is simply not fair.

The push away from funding local public schools is part of a national effort to privatize public education. This effort is detailed in a new book by Diane Ravitch. She was appointed to public education positions by both President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton and is critical of both President George W. Bush and President Obama.

Ravitch describes efforts to transform education into “an entrepreneurial sector of the economy”. These efforts are “funded to a large degree by major foundations, Wall Street hedge fund managers, entrepreneurs and the U.S. Department of Education.”

She describes this movement to “eliminate the geographical based system of public education as we have known it for the past 150 years and replace it with a competitive market- based system of school choice – one that includes traditional public schools, privately managed charter schools, religious schools, voucher schools, for-profit schools, virtual schools and for-profit vendors of instruction.”

Few of the details Ravitch mentions are part of public discussions among policy-makers. Yet observing the action of the Legislature, the influence of those who seek education transformation is undeniable.

Wisconsin must wake up to the forces behind changes in schools. Once folks know details, I suspect few would support education funds to unaccountable schools created as investment opportunities.

Racism Rules The Day

 

By Jeff Simpson

"Hey old man, how can you stand to think that way, and did you really think about it before you made the rules"  Bruce Hornsby

Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Senate passed the Steve nASS racist mascot preservation bill, which allows white people to continue making fun of American Indian heritage no matter how stupid, racist and imbecilic it is.  

Rep. Stephen nASS, R-Whitewater, who represents a portion of Mukwonago, introduced a bill in August that requires a complainant to collect signatures equal to 10 percent of the school district's population to trigger a state review. Complainants would have to prove discrimination at hearing. The Department of Administration, which is controlled by the governor, would make the final call on whether the name must go, rather than DPI, which is run by an elected superintendent. The bill also would invalidate all previous DPI orders forcing schools to drop their nicknames.

 Senator Bob Jauch said it best:

A sad day in the Senate as the majority party adpted the race-baced mascots bill and created unachieveble barriers to the general public to end the use of Native American mascots and logos in wisconsin. The bill was adopted on a 17-16 vote with Senator Schultz offering a sensible compromise that encouraged collaborative discussions between school districts and the Great Lakes Indian Tribal Council as well as Tribes to address the prejudicial affect that these outdated logos and mascots have to demean Native Americans and their culture. It is a bill adopted by a racially insenstive majority who seem clueless to the need for society to act like the 21 century instead of the early 20th century when Native Americans were punished for speaking their language and assmilation was the code for annihilation of a culture. The legislation dishonors our 11 Native American Tribes. Even more embarrassing is the fact that the bill was scheduled during Native American Heritage Month. What a pathetic way to celebrate the incredible contribution of native American culture and traditions that enrich our lives.

 As for what the Wisconsin Indian population feels:

Barbara Munson, an Oneida Indian who chairs the Wisconsin Indian Education Association's Indian Mascot and Logo Task Force, said she hoped the governor has more sense than legislators and will reject the bill.

"This clearly is about race. You can tell some people know that and some people don't," Munson said. "There's a lot of white privilege going on."

let's hope that in election season, Scott Walker has enough sense to veto it.  I am guessing that he will sign it discretely, some Friday afternoon around 4:58 PM.  

PS:  For those scoring at home, Kathleen Vinehout voted against this bill and Mary Burke refuses to speak up about it!  

In other answers, Burke said she opposed a law passed by Republicans requiring voters to show a photo ID at their polling place and said she was skeptical of an effort to change the state's American Indian mascot law for schools.