Paul Ryan Cares

 

By Jeff Simpson

Paul Ryan has opened up a dialogue on poverty in America.   

He even gave a speech about it:

I look forward to hearing from everybody. But let’s start with a principle we can all agree on: Hardworking taxpayers deserve a break in this country. Too many families are working harder and harder to get ahead, and yet they’re falling further and further behind. The costs of food, housing, and gas keep going up, but paychecks haven’t budged. So whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, I think we can all agree: America deserves better.

Paul Ryan is so interested in tackling the issue of poverty, and "hearing from everybody" that for the small price of $10,000 you can have that discussion with him.  

Lunch and Conversation with Congressman Ryan

12pm until 1:30pm | Check-in begins at 11:30am.

Intercontinental Hotel Milwaukee | 139 East Kilbourn Avenue | Milwaukee

Questions? Please email us at info@maciverinstitute.com or call 608-237-7290.

HURRY! Seating is limited. Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, August 13th. 

Photo ID will be required for entry.

Your donation to The MacIver Institute at the following levels is TAX DEDUCTIBLE and will reserve your seat:

❏ $10,000 Event Sponsorship includes Table for Eight, special recognition throughout the event, picture with Congressman Ryan, preferential seating, 8 autographed books and lunch admissions.

Word to the wise--- agree with him, or else!

 

Paul Ryan Is All Wet!

By Jeff Simpson

If you have not been living under a rock, you have seen someone do the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge"

ALS/ Lou Gehrig's disease is a horrible disease for which there is currently no cure.   This challenge has brought in millions of dollars in funding for research and has really shown the power of the new era of social media.  Last number I have heard is that the "Ice Bucket Challenge" has helped ALS research raise over $31,000,000. 

It also shows us how truly despicable and hypocritical our politicians can be.  Especially Wisconsin's very own Paul Ryan(R-Wall St.).  Paul Ryan, after being "challenged by Scott Walker, recently took the challenge and donated a whopping $100 to ALS! 

Post by Paul Ryan.

Alright, @ScottWalker—#ALSIceBucketChallenge complete! I nominate my friend Susan Sellman, @GOPLeader & @PattyMurray! http://t.co/wYbBrMbDvf
— Paul Ryan (@PRyan) August 16, 2014

 Paul Ryan even had the gall to "challenge his good  friend who lost her father to ALS".   Unfortunately for Ms. Sellman and the countless others affected by ALS, Paul Ryan did not accept the challenge when it came to doing the right thing with Federal funding.

  Some of the very lawmakers who have taken the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and money for ALS research voted for legislation that defunded ALS research.

The funding cuts, in this case, were caused by the passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011 -- otherwise known as the bill to save the United States government from default. As a condition of getting congressional Republicans to sign off on the debt ceiling hike, the Obama White House and Congressional Democrats agreed to budget cuts and future budget cuts that would be delivered via sequestration, an across-the-board cleaver that cut certain agencies' budgets by roughly 5 percent.

The National Institutes of Health was one of those agencies. It was forced to slash an estimated $1.55 billion from its programs. Among those was the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In Fiscal Year 2013, the NINDS budget was $1.53 billion, a $92 million decrease from FY 2012. For ALS-specific research, funding went from $44 million to $39 million.

At least now that pink slip Paulie has personally donated $100, he can sleep at night.  Although I am not sure how he can ever look his "good friend" in the eye.    

Paul Ryan's Shutdown Stupor

By Jeff Simpson

More revisionist history from Paul Ryan (R-I really didnt vote for everything I say I voted against).




VOTE FOR ROB ZERBAN!

$206,000,000

BY Jeff Simpson

$206,000,000 is the amount of money that Scott Walker cost the taxpayers of Wisconsin,when he rejected the Medicaid expansion allowed under the Affordable Care Act!

Wisconsin could have saved $206 million in 2013-2015 if the state had accepted the Medicaid expansion allowed under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
The potential savings is up significantly from the fiscal bureau’s estimate last year of $119 million, largely because more childless adults with incomes below the poverty level have signed up for coverage than expected.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature rejected federal funding to fully cover people with incomes up to 133 percent of the poverty level, or $26,321 for a family of three, through 2016.
The federal government says it would later cover at least 90 percent of the costs, up from its usual share of 60 percent for the state-federal Medicaid program.

Tammy Baldwin is not happy about it!

 "As you are aware, for over a year I have communicated my belief that you have taken our state down a fiscally irresponsible road by pursuing a plan that has not only created a gap in coverage and newly uninsured Wisconsinites, but also covers fewer people at a higher cost to taxpayers," Baldwin wrote in a letter to Walker on Wednesday.
"Wisconsin is paying a steep price for your insistence on putting politics ahead of progress," Baldwin wrote.
Walker's plan was for the 63,000 adults terminated from the state Medicaid program, BadgerCare, to obtain health coverage on the federal health care exchange. But about 38,000 are unaccounted for and may remain uninsured.
"I respectfully request that you take full responsibility for the consequences of your plan and determine how many of the 38,000 individuals remain uninsured, and immediately develop an action plan to guarantee that uninsured, former BadgerCare recipients enroll in marketplace coverage moving forward," Baldwin wrote.

Naturally, Scott Walker lied!

Explaining his rejection of federal money to fully expand Medicaid coverage, Walker said on Fox News Sunday that "federal government reneging" on Medicaid payments to Wisconsin caused more than $200 million in extra costs in the 2013-’15 state budget.
But typical cost-sharing fluctuations, based mainly on a longstanding formula, explain the extra state burden -- not any reversal of course or pulling back on a commitment by Washington.
We rate Walker’s claim False.

Scott Walker's blind ambition to be President is very costly to the people of WI!  

 

 

Why The Abele Party Failed

In last week's primary election, all four of the candidates that Boss Abele had supported - including the two he hand-picked to represent the Abele Party (Motto: For a more perfect plutocracy) -   ended up losing.  In the most egregious loss, in which Chris Moews lost to David Clarke, I had attributed the outcome to Abele getting the right wing fired up enough to come out in droves to cross vote.


It appears that was only part of the reason.  Another huge issue that affected all of the races was Abele himself, per the Shepherd Express:

An informal exit poll in both districts found that Abele’s strong and visible support was one of the main reasons why many voters rejected each of these candidates. Had these individuals run without Abele’s support and all of his resources, we are not saying that they would have won, because no one can know what would have happened. But according to the sample exit polling, these candidates would definitely have done much better. These two individuals are good people, but they just violated one of the tenets that most mothers tell their children: Be careful who you associate with because there are some people out there who will definitely end up getting you in trouble. 

What makes this really bad news for Abele is that he is up for reelection in a year and a half.  If people are already rejecting him through his candidates, it does not bode well for him.

Sadly, judging by his upcoming 2015 county budget, he hasn't learned the lesson yet and is continuing with his very unpopular agenda of ripping off taxpayers and county workers alike.

How MacIver Institute Came To Be

Sums it up pretty well, I'd say:

Chicken!

By Jeff Simpson

Remember when everyone in politics, could not get to a microphone/computer/camera quick enough to call Brett Hulsey crazy when he said he was going to send someone with a chicken suit to follow Mary Burke because she ducked debates with him? 

Republicans would never do that! 

Scott Walker Sucked Some $3 Billion From Wisconsin's Economy

By Jeff Simpson

Politifact looked into the claim and rated it mostly true.   In an economy that runs on supply and demand, Scott Walker's policies have taken some $3,000,000,000 out of the Wisconsin economy!

Wisconsin has paid, and paid, and paid, and paid the price! 

Paul Ryan Re-Writes Current Events

By Jeff Simpson

Paul Ryan wrote a book, surprisingly not called Unintimidated The Sequel, where he also rewrites current events.  

Q.Does immigration reform have to pass before Republicans can improve their standing with Latino voters?
A. I think it is in some ways a gateway issue, and I think Latino voters need to know Republicans have solutions. I wouldn't say it has to pass, but I think we have to be seen as part of the solution.

Umm Paul, are you ignoring reality or ignorant of it? 

Of course, the reality on the ground is republican policy and ideology can be deadly.  

At least some people see through Pink Slip Paulie's charade! 

But such bald revisionism (or honest confusion, take your pick) is just a warmup for Ryan’s broader, fevered critique. Ryan asserts that Obama’s policies “represent an ideological mission to reorder the human condition through state action,” part of a liberal scheme in which “government defines success, strictly prescribes roles and outcomes, [and] tries to replace our civic institutions.” The telling thing is that such rants, repeated like a tic throughout the book, never get specific. How could they, when Ryan would then have to explain how a modestly higher minimum wage or voluntarily adopted state math standards amount to some evil communist plot?

As I read I couldn’t help wondering: Does anyone outside the echo chamber of the right believe this nonsense? Someone, please, pry the drooled-upon pages of Ayn Rand from author Ryan’s sleeping grasp.

SCOTT KRUG

BY Jeff Simpson

Republican assembly member and professional whiner Scott Krug has threatened to sue fellow blogger Michael Leon over a blog he wrote. 

So out of respect for Mr. Leon, here is his piece in its entirety:

ALEC Stooge, Rep Scott Krug Says He'll File Libel Suit Against MAL Contends

State Rep Scott Krug says he'll
file libel suit against this site
for pointing out Krug's
anti-environmental and
pro-CAFO political planks

Updated - Top ally of the Big Ag and polluters running scared, as he works in service of Scott Walker's plan that toxifies lakes, streams and aquifers

Wisconsin State Rep. Scott Krug (Wisconsin Rapids and ALEC) says he intends to file a libel suit against MAL Contends because MC points out that Krug is an anti-clean water, ALEC stooge who knows less about caring for the environment than he does about libel law.

Krug sent an email to MC last night (Sunday) in which Krug writes: "The post forwarded to me is libelous and we will persue (sic) action."

The Krug email was followed by a similar email to clean water advocates living in Wood and Adams counties, at least some of whom serve on the Citizens Groundwater Advisory Group, an informal group that Krug put together as a PR job to convince people that Krug is actually against the siting of a massive concentrated agricultural feeding operation (CAFO) in central Wisconsin, and that Krug really, really cares about the environment.

Monday afternoon Krug sent an email to Donald Ysted of Nakoosa in Wood County.

Writes Krug: "Criticism is part of the process, I'm more than happy to take my lumps when deserved, helps me learn from mistakes and become a better legislator. I won't stand for outright lies simply because there is some truth surrounding them."

Lies and "some truth" do not typically make for compelling libel actions.

Krug is scared because the proposed massive CAFO is about as popular with his constituents as a warm glass of liquid cow manure.

Krug will face Dana Duncan of Port Edwards who has made safeguarding Wisconsin's waters a centerpiece of his campaign, and is unflinching in his opposition to the proposed CAFO.

Early this afternoon, Krug responded to an email from me and wrote: "Do you intend to retract the following statements? 'And cynical, corrupt politicians are providing political cover for the polluters.'
'Instead Krug is assisting Scott Walker, Walker's DNR and the Dairy Business Association in their project in which one objective is to contaminate and literally toxify Wisconsin lakes and other waters.'"

To which I responded: "Of course not. By the way, truth an excellent defense against defamation accusations."

Still waiting to see if Krug is really dumb enough to file a libel suit or if an attorney wises the kid up.

Posted by MAL at 1:13:00 PM

 

Here is krug's twitter   @skrug75

  Madison Office: Room 208 North
State Capitol
P.O. Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708 
(608) 266-0215 
 (888) 529-0072
Fax - (608) 282-3672 
Rep.Krug@legis.wisconsin.gov  
Voting Address: 1414 Akron Ave.
Nekoosa, WI 54457
Staff: Dan Posca Dan.Posca@legis.wisconsin.gov
Randy Thorson Randy.Thorson@legis.wisconsin.gov

Finally, here is who is going to beat him in November -  Dana Duncan! 

Calls to Rep. Krug's office went unanswered

The Future of UW-Madison

By Jeff Simpson

Indisputably, one of the key economic drivers in Wisconsin is the University of Wisconsin and the University system.  UW-Madison, is a world renowned university that has produced superstar alumnus in all aspects of life from musicians, to actors to businessmen to scientists and everything in between.

While the stories are endless, one recent one specifically stood out to me.

A prominent UW-Madison scientist is studying the Ebola virus on campus.Yoshihiro Kawaoka, who is better known for flu research, is conducting two types of Ebola studies, said Rebecca Moritz, a campus biosafety manager.One project uses genetic material from Ebola, and the other uses a strain of the virus that is missing a key protein, Moritz said. The strain can grow only in a particular cell line containing the protein and is not infectious in animals or humans, she said.Kawaoka is testing potential drug therapies for the virus and “understanding how Ebola does what it does,” she said. “There’s really not a lot known about this virus.”

Ebola is a nasty, deadly disease where the people who do die from it, die a horrible death.  It is understudied, underfunded and on the verge of being a global problem.   Imagine if you will, the economic boom, long lasting residual effects and humanitarian good that would come with Mr. Kawaoka finding a cure?

Now lets get back to reality.  It appears, thanks to unethical, bitter partisan redistricting, that the republicans will continue as the majority party in the legislature.

What is the Republican Party stance on the UW-Madison?

They think so little of the University and its benefits to WIsconsin that they put the buffoon Steve nASS in charge of the Colleges and Universities Committee and have cut well in excess of $300 Million from their budget.

When your priorities are split between running for the next job and pushing a far right extreme ideology,  the people of Wisconsin suffer.  And suffer long term!

We have two fixes for this.  1.  Mr. Kawaoka can start donating tens of thousands of dollars to the Republican Party and spend his time lobbying(or get newly appointed ALEC stooge Jim Villa to do it for him) or we can vote the current group of republicans out.

Do we really want the future of UW-Madison in Steve nASS's hands?

Vote as if the future of our Great State depends on it, because it does!!

Abele Aide Charged In Corruption Case

Last March, while Milwaukee County was still dealing with the aftermath of the courthouse fire caused by deferred maintenance and repairs by Scott Walker and Chris Abele, one of Boss Abele's top aides, Dennis Dietscher, was arrested for a number of crimes, including embezzlement.  As I noted at the time:

Van Pelt's replacement and safety director, Dennis Dietscher, was arrested for suspicion of funneling county money to his personal roofing business.  Since his arrest last month, Dietscher has been on paid leave from his more than $75,000 job. (It does make me curious why Dietscher is allowed to have a paid suspension when one knows damn well that Abele would not afford such a consideration to a rank and file worker.)

Along with Dietscher, a salesman for Universal Restoration was arrested.  The significance of this is that the salesman used to work for Dietscher's side business.  On top of that, Universal Restoration was given a no bid contract for the clean up of the courthouse.

It's starting to look like they were cleaning up more than just the courthouse.

Another burning question - excuse the pun - is whether Dietscher and his buddy got a couple of those fancy "Courthouse Proud" t-shirts.  After all, per Abele's spokesperson, Brenda Conway, one had to "earn" those shirts.

On Monday, Dietscher was formally charged with his crimes, which were a lot more involved than originally thought:

From 2009 to 2013, Dietscher nearly always chose the same restoration contractor, Belfor USA. In return, Belfor made sure Diestcher got work done on his own house, fishing and hunting trips, expensive dinners, $1,300 worth of tools and other kickbacks. A Belfor official referred to Dietscher as "a high maintenance guy."

The complaint describes an incident in which Dietscher asked a Belfor employee about removing some trees that were growing into Dietscher's father's garage in Big Bend. The job was too big for the Belfor employee, so he hired another firm. The work cost $2,500.

The Belfor employee told investigators that Dietscher asked that it be a favor. When the Belfor employee said he couldn't absorb such a cost, Dietscher later paid him in $50 bills, and the $3,500 billed to the county by Belfor — more than the actual cost of the work — was billed as work supposedly done by Dietscher's own roofing company at a county park. The bill was meant to cover the cost of the tree trimming.

That incident was listed as the probable cause for Dietscher's arrest in February, and is the basis for one of the bribery counts in the complaint.

The two counts of false swearing and two counts of official misconduct-false entry in the complaint refer to "statements of economic interests" that Dietscher, as part of his position, was required to file annually with the county. The complaint says that statements for the years 2011 and 2013 failed to list gifts he'd received from Belfor, including the tools and several expensive dinners as well as hunting trips with meals and alcohol.

The fact that Dietscher started taking his graft during the time that Walker was county executive isn't very surprising. It was pretty much par for the course for Walker's people - not to mention Walker himself - to be on the take.

What is notable is that Boss Abele didn't appear to be too outraged about it either.  He not only promoted Dietscher twice despite the graft, but also allowed Dietscher to keep earning a salary while he was suspended.  Again, this shouldn't surprise anyone either, given the eerie similarities between Walker and Abele.

This is worth remembering this this fall when the citizens have a chance to choose whether they want this type of corruption to continue or if they want a county administrator that can be held accountable.  I have been saying for a long, long time that it is time to do something about the corruption in the county executive's office.

The Walker Agenda Is Still Working! Part CCXXXII

Scott Walker is still trying to pull the wool over our eyes, claiming that he created all these jobs and that the state is "open for business."  Walker apologists (I'm looking at you Dave Blaska) try to support these lies with stories of jobs that might possibly may could be created some day...maybe.

Meanwhile, reality keeps rolling on, revealing Walker's failures, and it is getting uglier with each passing day:

Plymouth Tube Co. is shutting down and is expected to layoff 34 people at its mill in East Troy.

The company, which operates 10 manufacturing plants, makes precision steel tubing, steel and titanium shapes. According to a letter from Scott Morling, vice president of business development, the company decided to “discontinue its manufacturing process at that location.”

Six salaried positions and 28 union positions are expected to be eliminated beginning Oct. 13.

Walker's agenda hasn't worked, isn't working and will never work.

Arby's Racist Bo, Yes Sir

By Jeff Simpson

Why, in God's green earth, with 324 million people in America, would Arby's decide to hire Bo Dietl as a spokesperson is beyond my understanding.

Now we can grab a chicken bacon swiss, turn on Fox News and see why the officer in Ferguson was guilty because bullets just tend to fly towards the head and that the real tragedy of Ferguson was that Capt. Ron Johnson shared his experiences as a black father.


I know that Mr. Dietl has yet to influence my lunch selection on a positive note for Arby's.

Ironic Pizza

Maria's Pizzaria [sic] is a local pizza joint on the south side of Milwaukee.  Even though I live relatively close to the place, I never heard of it until this week, when it was reported that the owner had a Scott Walker yard sign in her front yard.

When it became public knowledge, it raised quite a ruckus.  There were calls from the left for people to not patronize the place.  Predictably, the right stopped their calls to boycott Penzey's Spices long enough to circle their pizza cutters around Maria's, decrying how awful it is that the left use right wing tactics against them.

Maria's Pizzaria [sic] took to their Facebook page to thank people for their spurt of support and to deny that the business is in the business of politics. While they did not serve up any pizza with their statement, they did serve up a big slice of irony when they ended with this paragraph:

What Maria's does support is freedom of choice and the ability to practice your own views and express your identity freely without persecution. We think that's something all of us can agree is a great thing! If you would like to make a difference in your community there are many more viable options for you that won't affect small business or the economy of Milwaukee negatively.

Actually, there are two points of extreme irony in that paragraph.

The first is when they claim that they support freedom of choice and the freedom of speech without persecution.  

May I remind you that this is from the same people who support Walker, who has used the recall petition as a basis for whether someone gets a job.  These are the same people who support Walker, who has gone after anyone that speaks out against him, like Professor William Cronon and yours truly.  Or that these people, by supporting Walker, also support his attacks on unions and his limiting their members' rights to express themselves.

Apparently, the owners of Maria's Pizzaria [sic] only support these freedoms for themselves and the rest of us can just shove a pepperoni up our backsides.

The greater irony comes as they mewl about options that won't affect small businesses or the economy of Milwaukee.

As has been repeatedly shown, they are supporting Walker and his agenda which has done more damage to their survival than any disorganized boycott could ever hope to do.  They are supporting Walker's agenda that takes spending money out of the pockets of the people who are most likely to be their customers, thereby hurting their own business at the same time.  Odds are that the people most likely to boycott their business don't even have the money to spend their in the first place.

The other point they miss with this argument is that they are by far not the only local pizzeria in town.  Even if people did have the extra cash that they could spend on an overpriced pizza like Maria's, they could go to any number of other local pizzerias, thereby still supporting small businesses and Milwaukee's economy.

And based on the online reviews of the place - even from their political supporters - one would be better off going somewhere else anyway.